The War Wagon (1967)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Burt Kennedy

Writers:

Clair Huffaker (screenplay)
Clair Huffaker (novel)

Release Date:

27 May 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Western

Tagline:

The War Wagon Rolls And The Screen Explodes!

Plot:

Taw Jackson returns from prison having survived being shot, to the ranch and gold that Frank Pierce stole from him...

Plot Keywords:

Gold Shipment | Caper | Robbery | Barroom Brawl | Native American Attack

Awards:

1 win

Cast

John Wayne	...	Taw Jackson
Kirk Douglas	...	Lomax
Howard Keel	...	Levi Walking Bear
Robert Walker Jr.	...	Billy Hyatt (as Robert Walker)
Keenan Wynn	...	Wes Fletcher
Bruce Cabot	...	Frank Pierce
Joanna Barnes	...	Lola
Valora Noland	...	Kate Fletcher
Bruce Dern	...	Hammond
Gene Evans	...	Hoag
Terry Wilson	...	Sheriff Strike
Don Collier	...	Shack
Sheb Wooley	...	Snyder
Ann McCrea	...	Felicia
Emilio Fernández	...	Calito (as Emilio Fernandez)
Frank McGrath	...	Bartender
Chuck Roberson	...	Brown
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	...	Early (as Red Morgan)
Hal Needham	...	Hite
Marco Antonio	...	Wild Horse
Perla Walters	...	Rosita
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chuck Hayward	...	Blacksmith (uncredited)
Margarite Luna	...	Asian girl (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	...	Outrider (uncredited)
Miko Mayama	...	Asian girl (uncredited)
Midori	...	Asian girl (uncredited)
José Trinidad Villa	...	Townsman at bar (uncredited)

Directed by
Burt Kennedy

Writing credits
Clair Huffaker		(screenplay)
Clair Huffaker		(novel "Badman")

Produced by
Marvin Schwartz	....	producer

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin

Cinematography by
William H. Clothier		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Harry W. Gerstad		(as Harry Gerstad)

Art Direction by
Alfred Sweeney

Set Decoration by
Ray Moyer

Costume Design by
Oscar Rodriguez		(costumes)

Makeup Department
Dave Grayson	....	makeup artist
Donald W. Roberson	....	makeup artist
Bud Westmore	....	makeup supervisor (uncredited)

Production Management
Joseph C. Behm	....	unit production manager (as Joseph Behm)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Al Jennings	....	assistant director
Cliff Lyons	....	second unit director

Art Department
Julius Rosenkrantz	....	property

Sound Department
Robert R. Bertrand	....	sound
Clem Portman	....	sound re-recordist

Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	mattes

Stunts
Jim Burk	....	stunts (uncredited)
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Everett Creach	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddy Donno	....	stunts (uncredited)
Richard Farnsworth	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tom Hennesy	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary McLarty	....	stunts (uncredited)
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hal Needham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alex Sharp	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dean Smith	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert Warner	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bernie Abramson	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Álex Phillips Jr.	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)

Music Department
Dimitri Tiomkin	....	conductor
Gil Grau	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Marshall J. Wolins	....	script supervisor
Orin Borsten	....	publicist (uncredited)
'Chema' Hernandez	....	head wrangler (uncredited)
Arvo Ojala	....	gun coach (uncredited)
Arvo Ojala	....	technical director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Batjac Productions (as A Batjac Presentation)
• Marvin Schwartz Productions Inc. (as A Marvin Schwartz Production)
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (1967) (UK) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1967) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1970) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1980) (Finland) (TV) (MTV1)
• Tocantins (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (1967) (USA) (theatrical)
• Väinän Filmi (1967) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV) (TV2)

Other Companies

• Cinefx  titles
• Edit-Rite  sound effects

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:G (original rating) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | UK:U | West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:K-12 | Norway:16 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Durango, Mexico

Company:

Batjac Productions

Trivia:

John Wayne, who had lost his entire left lung and several ribs in major surgery for cancer in 1964, had great difficulty breathing on an airplane while flying to the location for the start of filming and had to use an oxygen mask throughout the journey. Kirk Douglas recalled that he hadn't realized just how fragile Wayne was until this moment.

Goofs:

Plot holes: When Lomax is first bringing Billy Hyatt back to meet up with Taw, Billy tells him that he and Taw spent "ten years in prison together". Later, when talking with Kate, Billy states his age as around eighteen, just like her. Even in 19th century America, it's highly unlikely that an eight-year-old boy would be sent to an adult prison for ten years (and that's assuming the Billy has just now been released from prison, which is never clarified in the movie).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Hoag: Sheriff! Taw Jackson's back in town!
Sheriff Strike: You sure?
Hoag: Well, he's ridin' down the street right now, big as life.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of John Wayne (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Ballad of The War Wagon

An Armored Wagon full of gold

I believe you would have to say that this is the first time John Wayne was not on the side of law and order in a movie since Three Godfathers. Between then and The War Wagon, a past that is less than savory has been hinted at, but only in The War Wagon has it been explicitly said he's an outlaw.

An outlaw with revenge on his mind. He's going rob Bruce Cabot, the slimy villain who's taken over his ranch and discovered enough gold on it to make him a rich man.

This is a caper film, maybe the only one Duke ever made. Though it might not come to mind, this film is definitely in the tradition of Topkapi and How to Steal a Million. Granted the comedy isn't exactly highbrow like the other two films, still the War Wagon is an honorable addition to that genre.

Helping Wayne along in his enterprise are Kirk Douglas a gunfighter/ safe-cracker, Howard Keel a cynical Indian, Robert Walker, Jr. a young alcoholic explosives expert and Keenan Wynn an old codger who works for Bruce Cabot and is essentially their inside man.

Kirk Douglas in his memoirs The Ragman's Son held the Duke in enormous respect even though their political views differed radically. The three films they did together show the good camaraderie they developed.

The title of the film refers to an armored vehicle with a Gatling gun that Bruce Cabot uses to ship gold. I won't say what the plan is on how the War Wagon is dealt with, but anyone who has watched the George Marshall/Glenn Ford film, Imitation General, will have some idea.

A good entertaining John Wayne western which is as good as it gets.