John Wayne Centenary: The '50s - Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, Hondo, The Searchers and Rio Bravo - Page 7

Walter Brennan made a career playing the aging sidekick but Stumpy is probably his finest rendition of the archetype. In much the same way that Groot in Red River is a go-between for Dunson and Garth, Stumpy helps reconcile Chance and Dude. Also like Red River he provides much of the film's humour and there are some very funny moments for the veteran actor to milk.

The weak link is Ricky Nelson. Obviously intended to give the film more appeal to a younger audience, he’s inhibited by the fact that he really isn’t a very good actor, in fact mediocre is perhaps being charitable. He’s most at home in the scene with Martin where the two sing “My Rifle, My Pony and Me” but he doesn’t come close to spoiling the film.

Providing the love interest for Wayne is Angie Dickinson and the age difference (Wayne was 51 and Angie only 26) may make the relationship a little unbelievable. There is no denying that Dickinson had star quality and she’s never overshadowed by Wayne.

Jules Furthman was a screenwriter who’d got his start in Hollywood in 1915. Over the years he’d scripted such memorable movies as Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and The Big Sleep (1946). He also scripted the John Wayne film Jet Pilot but the less said about that the better. Rio Bravo was his final film and possibly his greatest. He mixes drama and comedy in such a way that the action scenes have a greater poignancy. We believe in his characters and most importantly we like them, thus when they are put in jeopardy we are more emotionally involved; it’s a lesson many of today’s writers would do well to learn.

Furthman may have scripted some excellent films but when it comes to career highlights few have more than Howard Hawks. He could turn his hand to almost any genre and produce a classic. You want comedy? Try Bringing Up Baby or His Girl Friday. Thrillers more to your taste? To Have and Have Not or The Big Sleep. And, while he wasn’t credited as the director, his influence of horror classic The Thing from Another World is undeniable. Rio Bravo wasn’t his only western masterpiece; he’d already made the epic Red River with Wayne and the pair would later reunite for El Dorado, virtually a remake of Rio Bravo.

Article Author: Ian Woolstencroft

Ian Woolstencroft was brought up on a diet of John Wayne movies and Marvel Comics and still has a passion for both. Now as a blogcritic he finally understands what Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben meant when he said ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ …

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