John Wayne has a very special meaning to me, he and my dad share a birthday, May 26, 1907. My dad was a big fan so naturally I am too.
Here he is Sheriff John T. Chance in the 1800s Texas town called Rio Bravo. It seems to be a magnet of sorts for crooks, including card sharps who roam from town to town to take advantage of the locals. But now they have a bigger problem, the brother of a wealthy rancher shoots and kills an unarmed man in a bar argument and he is jailed. Most of the movie is about the sheriff and his two or three allies outsmarting the crooks who want to break their man out of jail while waiting for a US Marshall to show up. There are lots of gunfights and the final scenes include creative use of sticks of dynamite and sharpshooters.
(An aside, it is now 2024 and things have not changed much, almost every day here in Texas we hear about someone getting shot during an argument inside or right outside a bar.)
(Another aside, originally the expression was "card sharp" and that is what was used in the 1800s. In modern times more people use the expression "card shark" but that is not the original term.)
One of the sheriff's allies is 40-something Dean Martin as 'Dude', a reformed drunk who is trying hard to stay straight. He is a quick draw and very handy with a gun. Or two. During most of the 1950s Martin was in several movies as part of the Martin and Lewis comedy duo, Martin mostly playing the straight man to Lewis' comic antics. He was also a popular singer. He is very good here as the gunfighter who becomes a deputy.
Another interesting actor was teenager Ricky Nelson as aspiring gunfighter Colorado Ryan. Nelson grew up on TV with his parents' TV series so was very comfortable with a featured role while still in his teens. At one point while everyone was relaxing he played guitar and sang a duet with Martin.
And finally, a 20-something Angie Dickinson as Feathers who came into town on the stagecoach but never left. In spite of a generous age difference between her and Wayne the ultimate scene depicted a blooming love relationship between the two.
Overall, for me a very nice throwback to the kinds of movies I enjoyed growing up. At home, streaming.
Here he is Sheriff John T. Chance in the 1800s Texas town called Rio Bravo. It seems to be a magnet of sorts for crooks, including card sharps who roam from town to town to take advantage of the locals. But now they have a bigger problem, the brother of a wealthy rancher shoots and kills an unarmed man in a bar argument and he is jailed. Most of the movie is about the sheriff and his two or three allies outsmarting the crooks who want to break their man out of jail while waiting for a US Marshall to show up. There are lots of gunfights and the final scenes include creative use of sticks of dynamite and sharpshooters.
(An aside, it is now 2024 and things have not changed much, almost every day here in Texas we hear about someone getting shot during an argument inside or right outside a bar.)
(Another aside, originally the expression was "card sharp" and that is what was used in the 1800s. In modern times more people use the expression "card shark" but that is not the original term.)
One of the sheriff's allies is 40-something Dean Martin as 'Dude', a reformed drunk who is trying hard to stay straight. He is a quick draw and very handy with a gun. Or two. During most of the 1950s Martin was in several movies as part of the Martin and Lewis comedy duo, Martin mostly playing the straight man to Lewis' comic antics. He was also a popular singer. He is very good here as the gunfighter who becomes a deputy.
Another interesting actor was teenager Ricky Nelson as aspiring gunfighter Colorado Ryan. Nelson grew up on TV with his parents' TV series so was very comfortable with a featured role while still in his teens. At one point while everyone was relaxing he played guitar and sang a duet with Martin.
And finally, a 20-something Angie Dickinson as Feathers who came into town on the stagecoach but never left. In spite of a generous age difference between her and Wayne the ultimate scene depicted a blooming love relationship between the two.
Overall, for me a very nice throwback to the kinds of movies I enjoyed growing up. At home, streaming.
