McLintock!
| McLintock! | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical film poster |
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| Directed by | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| Produced by | Michael Wayne |
| Written by | James Edward Grant |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Frank De Vol |
| Cinematography | William H. Clothier |
| Editing by | Otho Lovering Bill Lewis |
| Studio | Batjac Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 127 minutes[1] |
| Language | English |
| Box office | est. $7,250,000 (US/ Canada)[2] |
McLintock! is a 1963 comedy Western directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring John Wayne, with co-stars including Maureen O'Hara, Yvonne De Carlo, and Wayne's son Patrick Wayne. The film, produced by Wayne's company Batjac Productions, was loosely based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.
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Synopsis [edit]
Cattle baron George Washington "G.W." McLintock (John Wayne) is living the single life on his ranch. He is estranged from wife Katherine (Maureen O'Hara), who left him two years before, suspecting him of adultery.
When he isn't playing chess or breaking his own record for throwing a hat up onto the longhorn-shaped weather vane at the top of his house every time he comes home drunk, McLintock keeps busy with the ranch. He hires attractive widow Louise Warren (Yvonne De Carlo) as his cook and welcomes both her and her two children into his home, including grown son Dev (Patrick Wayne), who's handy with his fists.
McLintock butts heads with a local gadfly, Matt Douglas, and Territorial Governor Cuthbert Humphrey, a sleazy bureaucrat who is looking to discredit McLintock, settle the territory, and remove the local Comanche Indians. Sparks begin to fly as an unexpected turn of events results in brawls, gunfire, an Indian attack ... and the return of Mrs. McLintock, who wants custody over their daughter Becky (Stefanie Powers) (returning from college) and a divorce from G.W.
Becky comes home from school with her banjo-playing love interest, "Junior" Douglas (Jerry Van Dyke), but soon falls for Dev, and vice versa. McLintock approves of their engagement, then pursues Katherine through the streets and shops of town until he paddles her backside and gets her back.
Cast [edit]
- John Wayne as George Washington "G.W." McLintock
- Maureen O'Hara as Katherine McLintock
- Patrick Wayne as Devlin Warren
- Yvonne De Carlo as Louise Warren
- Stefanie Powers as Becky McLintock
- Jack Kruschen as Jake Birnbaum
- Chill Wills as Drago
- Edward Faulkner as Young Ben Sage
- Jerry Van Dyke as Matt Douglas Jr.
- Edgar Buchanan as Bunny Dull
- Bruce Cabot as Ben Sage
- Perry Lopez as Davey Elk
- Michael Pate as Puma
- Strother Martin as Agard
- Gordon Jones as Matt Douglas
- Robert Lowery as Gov. Cuthbert H. Humphrey (a reference to Hubert H. Humphrey[3])
- Leo Gordon as Jones
- Hank Worden as Curly Fletcher
- Mari Blanchard as Camille
- Chuck Roberson as Sheriff Jeff Lord
- Bob Steele as Train Engineer
- Aissa Wayne as Alice Warren
Production [edit]
The film was shot at Old Tucson Studios, west of Tucson, Arizona.
Music [edit]
The score was composed by Frank De Vol, using the name De Vol, as he often did. The title song was performed by folk singing group The Limeliters.
Reception [edit]
The film was a box-office success, and a timely one, since The Alamo had cost Wayne in both financial and "box-office capital" terms.[4] According to Bosley Crowther, "the broadly comic Western ... sounded like a promising idea"; "the scenery is opulent and the action out-of-doors, the color lush and the cast made up almost entirely of recruits from John Ford's long cinematic cycle commemorating the tradition of the American frontier."[1] since "the direction was entrusted to a relative newcomer, Victor McLaglen's television-trained son, Andrew V. McLaglen ... good intentions, when the task at hand is as difficult as lusty farce, are not enough."[1] Emanuel Levy, in a review years after the film's release, said the film is "significant because it marks the beginning of Wayne's attempt to impose his general views, not just political ones, on his pictures. Most of Wayne's screen work after McLintock! would express his opinions about education, family, economics, and even friendship."[3]
Novelization [edit]
Richard Wormser wrote a novelization of the screenplay.[5]
Public domain status [edit]
Produced by John Wayne's Batjac Productions for United Artists, John Wayne's estate retained the rights to the film. In 1994, a legal case determined the film was in the public domain in the United States, but the music score remained under copyright.[6][7][8][9]
Video releases [edit]
Despite being available in public domain distributors for the past decade, the first official home video issue of the film was released in the mid-1990s by MPI Home Video. Years later, in 2005, Paramount struck a distribution deal with Batjac and thus is now the home video rights holder for this film. Despite this, numerous versions of the film are still being released on home video, both sanctioned and unsanctioned by Batjac.
The official DVD presentation includes restored and remastered video and audio with extensive documentary, commentary, and bonus features. The High and the Mighty, Hondo, and Island in the Sky—three other John Wayne features—were issued around the same time.
There are also several Blu-ray releases of this film sanctioned by Batjac--one from Paramount with bonus features, and a no-frills issue from Olive Films.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b c Crowther, Bosley (November 14, 1963). "McLintock! (1963)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ^ "Top Rental Films of 1963", Variety, 8 January 1964 p 37. Please note this figure is film rentals accruing to distributors, not gross takings.
- ^ a b Levy, Emanuel. "McLintock!". EmanuelLevy.com. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ^ Steinberg, Jay S. "McLintock! Article". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ^ Wormser, Richard (1963). McLintock. Gold Metal. Greenwich, Connecticut: Fawcett. OCLC 28658671.
- ^ "Court Rules for 'Goodtimes' in McLintock! Case", in Billboard, May 14, 1994, pg. 73 & 82
- ^ Fishman, Stephen (2010), pp.337[full citation needed]
- ^ Batjac Productions, Inc. vs. GoodTimes Home Video Corp.—1998 Copr.L.Dec. P 27,825, 48 U.S.P.Q.2d 1647, 98 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 8208, 98 Daily Journal D.A.R. 11,443. BATJAC PRODUCTIONS INC., a California Corp., Plaintiff-Appellant, v. GOODTIMES HOME VIDEO CORP., a Delaware Corp.; Marybeth Peters, Register of Copyrights, Defendants-Appellees. No. 97-55947. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and submitted Aug. 5, 1998. Decided Nov. 5, 1998.
- ^ Maljack Productions vs. UAV Corp.—May 21, 1997. MALJACK PRODUCTIONS, INC., an Illinois corporation, and BATJAC PRODUCTIONS, INC., a California corporation, Plaintiffs, v. UAV CORPORATION, a North Carolina corporation, and MARY BETH PETERS, Register of Copyrights, Defendants. CONSOLIDATED WITH BATJAC PRODUCTIONS, INC., a California Corporation, Plaintiff, v. GOODTIMES HOME VIDEO CORP., a Delaware corporation, and MARY BETH PETERS, Register of Copyrights,Defendants.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: McLintock! (film) |
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: McLintock! |
- McLintock! at the Internet Movie Database
- McLintock! at AllRovi
- McLintock! at the TCM Movie Database
- McLintock! is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more] (also widescreen version)
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