Paint Your Wagon (1969)

Director:

Joshua Logan

Writers:

Alan Jay Lerner (book)
Alan Jay Lerner (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

15 October 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance | Western

Tagline:

Stake Your Claim To The Musical Goldmine of '69!

Plot:

Two unlikely prospector partners share the same wife in a California gold rush mining town.

Plot Keywords:

Gold | Mining | Prospector | California | Drinking

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Lee Marvin	...	Ben Rumson
Clint Eastwood	...	Pardner
Jean Seberg	...	Elizabeth
Harve Presnell	...	Rotten Luck Willie
Ray Walston	...	Mad Jack Duncan
Tom Ligon	...	Horton Fenty
Alan Dexter	...	Parson
William O'Connell	...	Horace Tabor
Benny Baker	...	Haywood Holbrook (as Ben Baker)
Alan Baxter	...	Mr. Fenty
Paula Trueman	...	Mrs. Fenty
Robert Easton	...	Atwell
Geoffrey Norman	...	Foster
H.B. Haggerty	...	Steve Bull
Terry Jenkins	...	Joe Mooney
Karl Bruck	...	Schermerhorn
John Mitchum	...	Jacob Woodling
Sue Casey	...	Sarah Woodling
Eddie Little Sky	...	Indian
Harvey Parry	...	Higgins
H.W. Gim	...	Wong
William Mims	...	Frock-coated man
Roy Jenson	...	Hennessey
Patrick Hawley	...	Clendennon (as Pat Hawley)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band		(as The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
Cal Bartlett	...	Undetermined role (uncredited)
Walt Davis	...	Man (uncredited)
Roger Herren	...	Townsperson (uncredited)
Robert S. Holman	...	Zebulon (men's chorus) (uncredited)
Daniel Keough	...	Pioneer (uncredited)
Nick Klar	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Wayne McLaren	...	(uncredited)
Jerry Whittington	...	Gold Prospector (uncredited)

Directed by
Joshua Logan

Writing credits
Alan Jay Lerner		(book and lyrics by)
Alan Jay Lerner		(screenplay)
Paddy Chayefsky		(adaptation)

Produced by
Alan Jay Lerner	....	producer
Tom Shaw	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
William A. Fraker		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Robert C. Jones

Production Design by
John Truscott

Art Direction by
Carl Braunger

Set Decoration by
James L. Berkey		(as James I. Berkey)

Costume Design by
John Truscott

Makeup Department
Frank McCoy	....	makeup artist
Vivienne Walker	....	hair stylist (as Vivian Zavitz)
Don Marando	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
Jan Van Uchelen	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Carl Beringer	....	production manager
Fred Lemoine	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fred Lemoine	....	second unit director
Al Murphy	....	first assistant director: second unit
Jack Roe	....	first assistant director
Tom Shaw	....	second unit director

Art Department
Robert Eaton	....	property (as Bob Eaton)
Lloyd R. Apperson	....	construction foreman (uncredited)
Irwin 'Eppy' Epstein	....	drapery (uncredited)

Sound Department
Fred Hynes	....	stereophonic re-recording supervisor
William Randall	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Maurice Ayers	....	special effects
Larry Hampton	....	special effects
Daniel Hays	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Emile Avery	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buff Brady	....	stunts (uncredited)
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Boyd Cabeen	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Ross Dollarhyde	....	stunts (uncredited)
Patty Elder	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tony Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Henry A. Escalante	....	stunts (uncredited)
Diamond Farnsworth	....	stunts (uncredited)
Richard Farnsworth	....	stunts (uncredited)
Lee Faulkner	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Feazell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Herron	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hicks	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Hudkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Hudkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Loren Janes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Monty Jordan	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Walt La Rue	....	stunts (uncredited)
Harrold Laswell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Sharon Lucas	....	stunts (uncredited)
Rod McGaughy	....	stunts (uncredited)
Wayne McLaren	....	stunts (uncredited)
Frank Orsatti	....	stunts (uncredited)
Harvey Parry	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
David Sharpe	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mary Statler	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gibb Stepp	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Fred Waugh	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Yrigoyen	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bobby Byrne	....	assistant camera (as Bob Byrne)
Loyal Griggs	....	photographer: second unit
Tom May	....	key grip
Joe Smith	....	gaffer
Nelson Tyler	....	aerial photographer
David M. Walsh	....	camera operator (as David Walsh)
Dick Colean	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Richard Debolt	....	camera & mechanical design (uncredited)
Wynn Hammer	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Michael A. Jones	....	electrician (uncredited)
David Macdonald	....	grip (uncredited)
Jerry Whittington	....	electrician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bill Jobe	....	costume supervisor
Anne Laune	....	costume coordinator
Haleen K. Holt	....	costume illustrator (uncredited)

Music Department
Joseph J. Lilley	....	choral arranger
Joseph J. Lilley	....	music assistant to producers
Frederick Loewe	....	music by
André Previn	....	music: for additional songs by
Nelson Riddle	....	conductor
Roger Wagner	....	conductor: choral music
Bob Bain	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)
Anita Gordon	....	singing voice: Jean Seberg (uncredited)
Willard Jones	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Jack Baker	....	choreographer: "Gold Fever" and "Best Things"
Cheryl Crawford	....	presented on the stage by
Joseph Curtis	....	dialogue coach
Jonas Halperin	....	assistant to producer
Gene Levy	....	production coordinator
David Stone Martin	....	title designer
Marshall J. Wolins	....	script supervisor (as Marshall Wolins)
Dominic Santarone	....	caterer (uncredited)
Ruth Santarone	....	caterer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (presents)
• Alan Jay Lerner Productions (as An Alan Jay Lerner Production)
• Malpaso Company, The

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1969) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Video (1994) (USA) (video) (LaserDisc)
• Paramount Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Paramount Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount (1970) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Paramount-Films (1970) (Finland) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1973) (USA) (TV)
• CIC-Taft Home Video (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• Esselte Video (????) (Finland) (video)
• Home Video Hellas (HVH) (1989) (Greece) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment Finland (2002) (Finland) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1997) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material (re-rated: 2001)

Runtime:

158 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-8 | Norway:16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:M (original rating) (Approved No. 22069) | USA:PG-13 (re-rated: 2001) | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:A (original rating) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT

Filming Locations:

Baker, Oregon, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Lee Marvin was set to star in The Wild Bunch (1969), a project that he helped put together with stuntman Roy N. Sickner, when Paramount offered him $1 million plus a percentage to star in this picture.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Rumson buys Elizabeth he is seen being shaved except for the mustache. Later in the same day, after they get married, Rumson has full side-burns connected to his mustache.

Quotes:

Rumson:You show me in them commandments where it says a woman cain't have two husbands.
Pardner:There AIN'T no commandment like that.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Boy Meets World: My Best Friend's Girl (#3.1)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

The Gospel Of No Name City

It still grabs ya

Is the movie great? No, but it is a good one. If it were great, it would not suffer from it's long running time. A wider audience would no doubt warm to a shorter version. More is the pity, too, because the movie has much to offer. The scenery is beautiful; the sets reconstructions are first rate. Listen to the lyrics of some of the songs ('Gold Fever' and 'The First Thing You Know' are two good examples) and you can appreciate the wordsmithing skill of Alan Jay Lerner. If you like a large all-male chorus, the film offers some of the best singing of that kind you are likely to hear. Listen especially during 'There's a Coach Coming In'.

I must confess a guilty admiration for characters who are unapologetically amoral and corrupt, at least as defined by 'respectable society'. I wouldn't necessarily want one for a neighbor or even a friend (well .. maybe), but they are fascinating on film or stage. If the film is a comedy, they can be hilarious and often steal the show. All you need is the right actor to fill the role. Paint Your Wagon offers one of the most uproariously amoral characters on film, brought to amazing life by Lee Marvin. He delivers Ben Rumson's imminently quotable home-spun philosophy of life with great relish and comedic timing. Can he sing? No. But then would a somewhat dissipated Gold Rush miner likely be a good singer? His non-singing actually fits.

The rest of the cast is good but not exceptional. Ray Walston is memorable as Mad Jack. I still find it hard to spot the actor I am used to behind the beard and accent. He also has some great lines. Harve Presnell is the only truly major-league singer in the cast and delivers the most memorable song. The remaining actors are adequate. Eastwood is good but replaceable. Jean Seaberg is not Meryl Streep but is certainly easy on the eyes. The townsfolk are solid.

An enjoyable movie, with Lee Marvin's performance worth the price of admission. It is too bad it requires such a long time commitment to experience it all.