Red River (1948)

Directors:

Howard Hawks
Arthur Rosson (co-director)

Writers:

Borden Chase (screenplay) and
Charles Schnee (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 August 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Western | Action | Adventure

Tagline:

Greatest Spectacle Ever!

Plot:

Dunson is driving his cattle to Red River when his adopted son, Matthew, turns against him.

Plot Keywords:

Cattle | Kansas | Cattle Drive | Texas | Deserter

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

John Wayne	...	Thomas Dunson
Montgomery Clift	...	Matt Garth
Joanne Dru	...	Tess Millay
Walter Brennan	...	'Groot' Nadine
Coleen Gray	...	Fen (also as Colleen Gray)
Harry Carey	...	Mr. Melville (as Harry Carey Sr.)
John Ireland	...	Cherry Valance
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Buster McGee
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Dan Latimer
Chief Yowlachie	...	Quo
Paul Fix	...	Teeler Yacey
Hank Worden	...	Simms Reeves (as Hank Warden)
Mickey Kuhn	...	Matt, as a boy
Ray Hyke	...	Walt Jergens
Hal Taliaferro	...	Old Leather
Paul Fierro	...	Fernandez (as Paul Fiero)
Ivan Parry	...	Bunk Kenneally
William Self	...	Sutter - Wounded Wrangler (as Billie Self)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lane Chandler	...	Colonel (uncredited)
Davison Clark	...	Mr. Meeker (uncredited)
Harry Cording	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Richard Farnsworth	...	Dunston Rider (uncredited)
George Lloyd	...	Rider with Mr. Melville (uncredited)
Pierce Lyden	...	Colonel's Trail Boss (uncredited)
John Merton	...	Settler (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Glenn Strange	...	Naylor (uncredited)
Tom Tyler	...	The Quitter (uncredited)
Dan White	...	Laredo (uncredited)
Shelley Winters	...	Dance Hall Girl in Wagon Train (uncredited)

Directed by
Howard Hawks
Arthur Rosson		(co-director)

Writing credits
Borden Chase		(screenplay) and
Charles Schnee		(screenplay)
Borden Chase		(The Saturday Evening Post story)

Produced by
Howard Hawks	....	producer
Charles K. Feldman	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin

Cinematography by
Russell Harlan		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Christian Nyby

Art Direction by
John Datu		(as John Datu Arensma)

Makeup Department
Lee Greenway	....	makeup artist
Dotha Hippe	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Norman A. Cook	....	production manager (as Norman Cook)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William McGarry	....	assistant director
Arthur Siteman	....	assistant director: second unit (uncredited)

Sound Department
Richard DeWeese	....	sound
Larry Gannon	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Donald Steward	....	special effects
Allen Q. Thompson	....	special photographic effects (as Allan Thompson)

Stunts
Richard Farnsworth	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ben Johnson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Kennedy	....	stunts (uncredited)
Danny Sands	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Thomas Thompson	....	grip (uncredited)

Music Department
Dimitri Tiomkin	....	musical director
Vinton Vernon	....	music recorder
Lucien Cailliet	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Jester Hairston	....	choral director (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Howard Hawks	....	presenter
Sid Davis	....	stand-in: John Wayne (uncredited)
Bobbie Sierks	....	script clerk (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Charles K. Feldman Group (uncredited)
• Monterey Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1948) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Artists Corporation (1948) (UK) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1948) (France) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1948) (Canada) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1948) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1948) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1951) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1952) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2004) (Brazil) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

The River Is Red (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G (original rating) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | West Germany:12 (nf) | Sweden:15 (cut) | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Norway:16 | USA:Unrated | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Elgin, Arizona, USA

Company:

Charles K. Feldman Group

Trivia:

Cary Grant (who had worked with Howard Hawks on Bringing Up Baby (1938) and Only Angels Have Wings (1939)) turned down the role of gunslinger Cherry Valance, a part that was subsequently minimized in the final film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dunson is standing next to his horse after Mathew Garth takes the herd from him, he clearly has a belt full of cartridges, but later on Mathew confirms to Groot that he took all of Dunson's cartridges.

Quotes:

Thomas Dunson: Who are you?
Cherry Valance: Some call me one thing, some another.
Thomas Dunson: What do they call you most?
Cherry Valance: By my name. Cherry Valance.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "American Masters: Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Settle Down

Epic Cattle Drive

Dimitri Tiomkin's thunderous score sets the tone for this rousing story of cowboy ranchers in nineteenth century Texas headed north, with a thunderous herd of cattle in tow. It's the archetypal story of the American West, with its strong, ethical male leader, Thomas Dunson (John Wayne), and his pursuit of a big dream, set in an era when men were men, times were tough, hardships were inevitable, guns ruled, and Native Americans were the bad guys. What a saga ...

What makes "Red River" such a grand adventure is its high quality. Its story is simple, direct, exciting, and well told, with complex characters, interesting and sympathetic because they show weakness as well as strength. Dunson is a good man, but he's stubborn and headstrong. His semi-adopted son, Matt (Montgomery Clift), is good with a gun but a little softhearted. Dunson's chief sidekick is Groot (Walter Brennan), a cantankerous old buzzard who has problems with his teeth.

It's the relationship between these three men that is the heart and soul of "Red River". Trouble ensues along the way, you can be sure. And how that trouble unfolds and plays out presents viewers with engaging human drama, and humor, centered on these three main characters. The lonesome High Plains, with all its inherent risks, adds grandeur to the epic story.

At strategic points in the film, the page of a book appears on screen with text that briefly summarizes upcoming events. It's like we, the viewers, are reading a book about some long ago trailblazers. It's a technique that could have been intrusive. But here, it is handled with such finesse that it actually helps the narrative, by functioning as a transition from one sequence to the next.

The acting is fine. John Wayne is more than convincing as Dunson. Walter Brennan is characteristically funny. And Montgomery Clift is terrific. Had he maintained his looks, and if real-life circumstances not intervened, Monty could have been one of the truly top actors through at least the 50s and 60s.

If the film has a weakness, it might be the cinematography. Not often, but at times, the actors appear to be standing in front of a canvas, an effect that renders a shallow depth of field. Maybe this was the result of technical limitations of photography at the time the film was made.

There are few film westerns that can compare in quality with "Red River". And I don't know of any other cinematic cattle drives that are this good. So, the next time you herd your cattle to market, this is the film to watch. Even if you have no cattle, "Red River" is still a wonderfully entertaining cinematic experience.