Rio Bravo (1959)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writers:

Jules Furthman (screenplay) and
Leigh Brackett (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

4 April 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Western | Romance | Drama

Tagline:

and Dean and Ricky sing, too! "Rio Bravo" "My Rifle, My Pony and Me" "Cindy"

Plot:

A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a cripple, a drunk, and a young gunfighter...

Plot Keywords:

Small Town | Sheriff | Gunslinger | Texas | Jail

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Tue. July 14	8:00 PM	AMC
Wed. July 15	3:00 PM	AMC

Cast

John Wayne	...	Sheriff John T. Chance
Dean Martin	...	Dude ('Borachón')
Ricky Nelson	...	Colorado Ryan
Angie Dickinson	...	Feathers
Walter Brennan	...	Stumpy
Ward Bond	...	Pat Wheeler
John Russell	...	Nathan Burdette
Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez	...	Carlos Robante (as Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez)
Estelita Rodriguez	...	Consuela Robante
Claude Akins	...	Joe Burdette
Malcolm Atterbury	...	Jake (stage driver)
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Harold (scenes deleted)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sheb Wooley	...	Cowboy (scenes deleted)
Walter Barnes	...	Charlie (bartender) (uncredited)
Nesdon Booth	...	Bit part (uncredited)
George Bruggeman	...	Clem (uncredited)
Yakima Canutt	...	Gunman on horse (uncredited)
Jose Cuchillo	...	Pedro (uncredited)
Robert Donner	...	(uncredited)
Fred Graham	...	2nd Burdette man in shootout (uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	Card player (uncredited)
Myron Healey	...	Barfly (uncredited)
Riley Hill	...	Messenger (uncredited)
Eugene Iglesias	...	1st Burdette man in shootout (uncredited)
Gordon Mitchell	...	Bar Cowboy - Watching fist fight (uncredited)
Tom Monroe	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	...	Gunman (uncredited)
Bing Russell	...	Cowboy murdered in saloon (uncredited)
Joseph Shimada	...	Burt (undertaker) (uncredited)
Dean Smith	...	Card-Playing Burdette Henchman (uncredited)
Bob Steele	...	Matt Harris (Burdette gunman) (uncredited)
Ted White	...	Bit part (uncredited)

Directed by
Howard Hawks

Writing credits
Jules Furthman		(screenplay) and
Leigh Brackett		(screenplay)
B.H. McCampbell		(short story)

Produced by
Howard Hawks	....	producer

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin

Cinematography by
Russell Harlan		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Folmar Blangsted

Art Direction by
Leo K. Kuter

Set Decoration by
Ralph S. Hurst

Costume Design by
Marjorie Best

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paul Helmick	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Robert B. Lee	....	sound

Stunts
Bill Babcock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Byrne	....	stunt double: Ricky Nelson (uncredited)
Yakima Canutt	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Philip Dalton Crawford	....	stunt man (uncredited)
Fred Graham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Gray	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Herron	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Hudkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dean Smith	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Terhune	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ted White	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack N. Young	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Richard Doran	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Music Department
Dimitri Tiomkin	....	conductor
Sidney Cutner	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Maurice De Packh	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Manuel Emanuel	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Michael Heindorf	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Gus Levene	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
George Parrish	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Herbert Taylor	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Armada Productions (as An Armada Production)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1959) (USA) (theatrical) (presents)
• Action Gitanes (1999) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. (1959) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1959) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Germany) (DVD) (special edition)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2001) (Brazil) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo (UK) (complete title) (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

141 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:G | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | West Germany:12 (nf) | USA:Approved (certificate #19034) | South Korea:15 (2007) | Finland:K-16 | France:U (re-release) | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | UK:U (original rating) (cut)

Filming Locations:

Old Tucson - 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Company:

Armada Productions

Trivia:

The sets in Old Tucson are built to 7/8th scale, so the performers look larger than life.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Chance is tripped on the staircase, he ends up lying on his stomach with his arm partially under him. When they roll him over, to wake him up, he is lying more on his side, and his arm is now behind him.

Quotes:

[first lines]
John T. Chance: Joe, you're under arrest.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Sopranos: For All Debts Public and Private (#4.1)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

My Rifle, My Pony, and Me

Superb Western And One Of The Best American Films Ever Made

In terms of structure and character development, this is a fascinating movie. The first wordless sequences that introduce the story to the viewer are a textbook on how to establish time and place in an economical manner. The story takes place in a small town in Texas, and director Hawks works hard to create his own universe. For the most part, the movie is filmed indoors, giving the story a strong sense of isolationism. This technique forces the viewer to concentrate on characters and situations. It is interesting that such a character-driven movie doesn't utilize close-ups, which made me think that Hawks was very interested in showing how characters interact with the environment. Even more interesting is the fact that our hero is not all that good. The main character played by John Wayne is a bit morally problematic because he is willing to operate outside the law. It reflects the sensibilities of Hawks and Wayne. They simply dare people not to agree with their point of view, and that makes the film fascinating to watch. Wayne is such a charismatic movie star that it is almost impossible not to agree with his most questionable choices. The script is excellent and the supporting cast is memorable (Walter Brennan steals many scenes as an old timer). I could go on and on about the film's great attributes, but I'm just going to say that I believe this movie is one of the great American films. If you love westerns or you just want to see a near perfect film I recommend you to watch this masterwork. It's a classic.