Rio Lobo (1970)

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writers:

Burton Wohl (screenplay) and
Leigh Brackett (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

18 December 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Western | Romance | War

Tagline:

Give 'Em Hell, John.

Plot:

After the Civil War, Cord McNally searches for the traitor whose perfidy caused the defeat of McNally's unit and the loss of a close friend.

Plot Keywords:

Sheriff | Colonel | Civil War | Traitor | Texas

Cast

John Wayne	...	Col. Cord McNally
Jorge Rivero	...	Capt. Pierre Cordona aka Frenchy
Jennifer O'Neill	...	Shasta Delaney
Jack Elam	...	Phillips
Christopher Mitchum	...	Sgt. Tuscarora Phillips
Victor French	...	Ketcham (boss of Rio Lobo)
Susana Dosamantes	...	María Carmen
Sherry Lansing	...	Amelita
David Huddleston	...	Dr. Ivor Jones (Rio Lobo dentist)
Mike Henry	...	Rio Lobo Sheriff 'Blue Tom' Hendricks
Bill Williams	...	Blackthorne Sheriff Pat Cronin
Jim Davis	...	Rio Lobo Deputy
Dean Smith	...	L / Cpl. Bide
Robert Donner	...	Whitey Carter (Rio Lobo deputy)
George Plimpton	...	4th Gunman
Edward Faulkner	...	Lt. Harris
Peter Jason	...	Lt. Forsythe (gold train detail officer)
Chuck Courtney	...	Chuck
Robert Rothwell	...	3rd Gunman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Don 'Red' Barry	...	Feeny - Bartender (uncredited)
Harold Cops	...	(uncredited)
Stanley Corson	...	(uncredited)
Sondra Currie	...	Blackthorne Prostitute (uncredited)
José Ángel Espinosa 'Ferrusquilla'	...	(uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	...	(uncredited)
Conrad Hool	...	Lon (uncredited)
Lance Hool	...	Picket (uncredited)
John Hudkins	...	Rio Lobo Deputy (uncredited)
Michael Jeffers	...	Barfly in Blackthorne (uncredited)
Frank Kennedy	...	(uncredited)
Charlie Longfoot	...	(uncredited)
John McKee	...	Rio Lobo Deputy (uncredited)
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	...	Train Engineer (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Man in Army Post Saloon (uncredited)
Gregg Palmer	...	Pete - Henchman (uncredited)
Jim Prejean	...	(uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	...	Corporal in Baggage Car (uncredited)
Danny Sands	...	(uncredited)
Cap Somers	...	Card Player (uncredited)
Anthony Sparrow Hawk	...	(uncredited)
Bob Steele	...	Rio Lobo Deputy (uncredited)
Tommy Tedesco	...	Guitar Player in Opening Credits (uncredited)
Ethan Wayne	...	(uncredited)
Hank Worden	...	Hank - Hotel Clerk (uncredited)

Directed by
Howard Hawks

Writing credits
Burton Wohl		(screenplay) and
Leigh Brackett		(screenplay)
Burton Wohl		(story)

Produced by
Howard Hawks	....	producer
Paul Helmick	....	associate producer (as Paul A. Helmick)

Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography by
William H. Clothier		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John Woodcock

Casting by
Hoyt Bowers

Production Design by
Robert Emmet Smith		(as Robert E. Smith)

Set Decoration by
William Kiernan		(as William R. Kiernan)

Costume Design by
Leah Rhodes

Makeup Department
Jean Austin	....	hair stylist
Monty Westmore	....	makeup artist
Dave Grayson	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Robert M. Beche	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Yakima Canutt	....	second unit director
Mike Moder	....	assistant director

Art Department
Ray Mercer Jr.	....	property master (as Ray F. Mercer Jr.)
Lloyd R. Apperson	....	construction foreman (uncredited)
Craig Binkley	....	assistant property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
John R. Carter	....	sound (as John Carter)
Jack A. Finlay	....	supervising sound editor (as Jack Finlay)

Special Effects by
A.D. Flowers	....	special effects
Cliff Wenger	....	special effects (as Clifford P. Wenger)

Stunts
Joe Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tap Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Courtney	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tony Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ace Hudkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Hudkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terry Leonard	....	stunts (uncredited)
John McKee	....	stunts (uncredited)
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hal Needham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Rudy Robbins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Danny Sands	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dean Smith	....	stunts (uncredited)
Neil Summers	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)
Rodd Wolff	....	stunts (uncredited)
Richard Wright	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack N. Young	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
William Dodds	....	camera operator (as William J. Dodds)
Harry R. Jones	....	key grip
James V. Vajana	....	gaffer (as James V. Vaiana)
Richard Barth	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Bill Johnson	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Frank Kennedy	....	extras casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Patricia Norris	....	costumer: women
Theodore R. Parvin	....	costumer: men (as Ted Parvin)
Luster Bayless	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Joan Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Gene Feldman	....	supervising music editor
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Tommy Tedesco	....	musician: guitar solo (uncredited)

Other crew
Dennis L. Judd II	....	location coordinator
Don Record	....	director: titles
Don Record	....	title designer
Marshall J. Wolins	....	script supervisor
'Chema' Hernandez	....	head wrangler (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Batjac Productions (uncredited)
• Cinema Center Films (presents)
• Malabar

Distributors

• National General Pictures (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Company (1970) (UK) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1971) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Fox Films (1971) (Finland) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1976) (USA) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1982) (Finland) (TV) (2000) (2002)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1992) (Germany) (VHS)
• Finnkino (1996) (Finland) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment Finland (2004) (Finland) (DVD) (2007)
• Paramount Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2011) (Germany) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Netherlands Fox Film Corporation (1971) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (????) (USA) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Cinema Classics (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Pictures
• Tocantins (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:G | Australia:M | UK:PG | Singapore:PG | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Iceland:12 | West Germany:12 (f) (new rating) | West Germany:16 (f) | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:14 (orginal rating)

Filming Locations:

Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

Company:

Batjac Productions

Trivia:

Jack Elam, playing the "Old Man", was more than a decade younger than John Wayne.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Leaving Ketchum's home, a body double is used for John Wayne. There seems to be no reason for it as it is a benign scene requiring very little physical exertion.

Quotes:

Cord McNally:Ketcham, we promised you in a trade. But we didn't say what *condition* you'd be in!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Plimpton! Shoot-Out at Rio Lobo (1970) (TV)

It's Like Two Different Films

The basic problem with "Rio Lobo" is the script. It's dreadful. Set during the Civil War, the plot begins with a Confederate Rebel train robbery of a Union gold shipment. This twenty minute sequence is a long, tedious, drawn-out affair. Then, the plot shifts to a different focus, as character motivations make a dramatic U-turn, and we move from a Civil War setting to a Western setting.

Except for Cord McNally (John Wayne), Pierre Cordona (Jorge Rivero), and Tuscarora (Chris Mitchum), characters in the last third of the film bear no relation to characters in the first third of the film. Indeed, the entire plot seems put together with loose strands that barely connect.

Once we get to the Western town of Rio Lobo, at least the daytime visuals look good, with convincing production design and costumes, even if the reason we're here is unclear and confusing. Yet, though the daytime images look fine, nighttime scenes look fake owing to the use of camera filters.

Casting is dubious. John Wayne looks too old for the role he plays. Rivero and Mitchum seem too inexperienced. Acting trends below average; I'm not sure any of the actors took their roles seriously. Given McNally's motivation, Wayne plays the role too sweetly and amiably, hardly the tough and intense character we would expect.

The best that can be said for "Rio Lobo" is that some of the daytime camera shots are quite pleasing, in that they convey images that romanticize the Old West. Apart from that, the production is far from ideal. But the most serious weakness is a script that needed a complete rewrite.