The Cowboys (1972)

Director:

Mark Rydell

Writers:

William Dale Jennings (novel)
Irving Ravetch (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

13 January 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Western

Tagline:

All they wanted was their chance to be men...and he gave it to them.

Plot:

When his cattle drivers abandon him for the gold fields, rancher Wil Andersen is forced to take on a...

Plot Keywords:

Cattle | Cowboy | Rancher | Knife | Saved From Hanging

Awards:

1 win

Cast

John Wayne	...	Wil Andersen
Roscoe Lee Browne	...	Jebediah Nightlinger
Bruce Dern	...	Long Hair
Colleen Dewhurst	...	Kate
Alfred Barker Jr.	...	Fats - Cowboy
Nicolas Beauvy	...	Dan - Cowboy
Steve Benedict	...	Steve - Cowboy
Robert Carradine	...	Slim Honeycutt - Cowboy
Norman Howell	...	Weedy - Cowboy (as Norman Howell Jr.)
Stephen R. Hudis	...	Charlie Schwartz - Cowboy (as Stephen Hudis)
Sean Kelly	...	Stuttering Bob - Cowboy
A Martinez	...	Cimarron - Cowboy
Clay O'Brien	...	Hardy Fimps - Cowboy
Sam O'Brien	...	Jimmy Phillips - Cowboy
Mike Pyeatt	...	Homer Weems - Cowboy
Slim Pickens	...	Anse
Lonny Chapman	...	Homer's Father
Charles Tyner	...	Stonemason
Sarah Cunningham	...	Annie Andersen
Allyn Ann McLerie	...	Ellen Price
Maggie Costain	...	Phoebe
Matt Clark	...	Smiley
Jerry Gatlin	...	Howdy
Walter Scott	...	Okay
Richard Farnsworth	...	Henry Williams (as Dick Farnsworth)
Wallace Brooks	...	Red Tucker
Charise Cullin	...	Elizabeth
Collette Poeppel	...	Rosemary (as Colette Poeppel)
Norman Howell Sr.	...	Jim's Father (as Norman Howell)
Rita Hudis	...	Charlie's Mother
Margaret Kelly	...	Bob's Mother
Larry Randles	...	Ben
Larry Finley	...	Jake
Jim Burk	...	Pete
Fred Brookfield	...	Rustler
Tap Canutt	...	Rustler
Chuck Courtney	...	Rustler
Gary Epper	...	Rustler
Tony Epper	...	Rustler
Kent Hays	...	Rustler
J.R. Randall	...	Rustler
Henry Wills	...	Rustler
Joe Yrigoyen	...	Rustler
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ralph Volkie	...	Ralphie (uncredited)

Directed by
Mark Rydell

Writing credits
William Dale Jennings		(novel)
Irving Ravetch		(screenplay) &
Harriet Frank Jr.		(screenplay) and
William Dale Jennings		(screenplay)

Produced by
Mark Rydell	....	producer
Tim Zinnemann	....	associate producer

Original Music by
John Williams

Cinematography by
Robert Surtees		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Neil Travis

Casting by
Lynn Stalmaster

Production Design by
Philip M. Jefferies		(as Philip Jefferies)

Set Decoration by
William Kiernan

Costume Design by
Anthea Sylbert

Makeup Department
Pat Abbott	....	hair stylist (as Patricia Abbott)
Dave Grayson	....	makeup artist
Emile LaVigne	....	makeup artist (as Emile La Vigne)

Production Management
Nate H. Edwards	....	production manager
Dick Moder	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert 'Buzz' Henry	....	second unit director (as Robert Buzz Henry)
Tim Zinnemann	....	assistant director
Jerry Ballew	....	trainee assistant director (uncredited)
Frederic W. Brost	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Dick Moder	....	first assistant director: second unit (uncredited)
Andy Siegel	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Robert Schultz	....	property master
Jose Abrignani	....	plasterer (uncredited)
Henry Alvarado	....	laborer (uncredited)
Ray Barone	....	painter (uncredited)
Joe Butterworth	....	greensman (uncredited)
Joseph De Franco	....	constructor (uncredited)
Albert Ellis	....	construction gang boss (uncredited)
Hayes Ewing	....	constructor (uncredited)
Guy Faria	....	constructor (uncredited)
Frank Hafemann	....	construction foreman (uncredited)
Oscar Hall	....	constructor (uncredited)
Buck Hawkins	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)
Jack Jancich	....	painter (uncredited)
John Jensen	....	illustrator (uncredited)
Maurice Larson	....	painter (uncredited)
Ben Massi	....	painter (uncredited)
Ed Mulay	....	second props (uncredited)
Angel Perez	....	constructor (uncredited)
Bob Stahler	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Weston Webb	....	constructor (uncredited)
Marty Wunderlich	....	third props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Richard Portman	....	re-recordist
Kay Rose	....	sound editor
Jack Solomon	....	sound
John Ferguson	....	radio man (uncredited)
Joe Kenworthy	....	cable person (uncredited)
Al Yaylian	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Daniel Hays	....	special effects (uncredited)
George Peckham	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Floyd Baze	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Fred Brookfield	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Burk	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tap Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Catching	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Courtney	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tony Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Kent Hays	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert 'Buzz' Henry	....	stunts (uncredited)
Walt La Rue	....	stunts (uncredited)
Glenn Randall Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
J.R. Randall	....	stunts (uncredited)
Larry Randles	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunt double: John Wayne (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Walter Scott	....	stunts (uncredited)
Casey Tibbs	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunts (uncredited)
Henry Wills	....	stunts (uncredited)
Walter Wyatt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Yrigoyen	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Glen Bird	....	gaffer
James R. Connell	....	camera operator
Don Lambert	....	key grip
Terry Meade	....	camera operator
Richard Barth	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Mark H. Davis	....	photographer: second unit (uncredited)
Edward Morey III	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Gregory Nowak	....	second grip (uncredited)
Dave Sutton	....	special photographer (uncredited)
Mel Traxel	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Joseph M. Wilcots	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Robert Willoughby	....	special still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Luster Bayless	....	costumer: John Wayne (uncredited)
Lambert Marks	....	costumer (uncredited)
Neva Rames	....	costumer: women (uncredited)
G. Tony Scarano	....	costumer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Robert Swink	....	supervising film editor
Skip Nicholson	....	laboratory: Technicolor (uncredited)

Music Department
Donald Harris	....	music editor

Transportation Department
James Antúnez	....	driver: mobile home (uncredited)
George Coleman	....	driver: s/w (uncredited)
Jerry Courion	....	driver: crane (uncredited)
Bob Edwards	....	transportation captain (uncredited)
Bob Goodrich	....	driver: horse truck (uncredited)
Jack Lietzke	....	driver: bus (uncredited)
Wilbur Munson	....	driver: honeywagon (uncredited)
Frank Olmstead	....	driver: special effects/wardrobe (uncredited)
Jack Schroetter	....	driver: grip electric (uncredited)

Other crew
Red Burns	....	riding instructor
Bob Forrest	....	script supervisor
Phill Norman	....	title designer
Joan Arnold	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Harold Bates	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Jack Casey	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Joe Catalfo	....	first aid (uncredited)
Marty Dark	....	timekeeper (uncredited)
Robert Davenport	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Bill Gallant	....	location manager (uncredited)
James W. Gavin	....	helicopter pilot (uncredited)
Rolly Harper	....	caterer (uncredited)
Lester Hoyle	....	script supervisor: second unit (uncredited)
Billy Jones	....	ramrod (uncredited)
Gordon G. Jones	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Ray Kennedy	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Frank D. Lane	....	wrangler (uncredited)
George Leslie	....	location auditor (uncredited)
Joe Lomax Sr.	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Stanley Mark	....	auditor: Sanford (uncredited)
Gene O'Brien	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Buddy Sherwood	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Nanette Siegert	....	secretary: Mark Rydell (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros (presents) (as WB A Kinney Company)
• Sanford Productions (III) (as A SANFORD Production)

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1972) (USA) (theatrical) (as Warner Bros. Pictures A Warner Communications Company)
• Columbia-Warner Distributors (1972) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Brothers (1972) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1972) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1972) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1973) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1996) (Finland) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2000) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1971) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (????) (Canada) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (????) (Canada) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• Cinefx  opticals by

Also Known As:

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (cut) (1972) | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (video re-rating: this work has been approved under the different versions categories policy 2004) (2005) (uncut) | UK:A (original rating) (passed with cuts) | UK:PG (video rating: cut by 1m 30 secs) (1987) | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG | Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Canada:PG (video rating) | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1999) | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | UK:12 (tv rating) | UK:PG (SubTV: cut by 1m 53 secs) (1992) | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Durango, Colorado, USA

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

Roscoe Lee Browne was urged by his friends not to work with the right-wing John Wayne. He ignored them and the two actors refrained from discussing politics during filming.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Mr. Anderson is tying up Crazy Alice for the cowboys to ride, the horse changes from a dark-maned horse to one with a lighter brown mane.

Quotes:

Wil Andersen:Miserable.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Veronica Mars: Meet John Smith (#1.3)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Guitar Concerto in D, 2nd movement (Largo)

John Wayne's good...Roscoe Lee Browne is better!

This movie, for all that it's a fairly straight forward, shoot-em-up western, has some unique points that make it extremely artful. The boys were well-cast (though A. Martinez seemed to struggle in a role that was not fully developed), and those difficult psychological moments which were so important to the book translated to the screen without too much trouble. As is always the case, the book is able to take more time to expand upon the characters more thoroughly; if the movie left you a bit dry, visit the library to find the rest of the story!

The reasons I watch this show repeatedly are two of my favorite fellows: Roscoe Lee Browne and John Williams. Roscoe Lee Browne is able to sell lines that simply wouldn't work coming from somebody else (his dialogue with Coleen Dewhurst is priceless), and he is the unique feature that makes this film work. He graciously shares the screen with his co-actors as necessary, but he easily walks off with the movie nonetheless. John Williams' fantastic score could stand alone; though it is occasionally a little too cheery for the moment (after all, this is a pretty gruesome film, if you really think about it), it covers all the bases of the movie. Youthful innocence, becoming men, sorrow, success -- it's all right there in the score. Don't expect Star Wars music; frequently understated, the music carries a supporting role. As both John Williams and Roscoe Lee Browne displayed here, it is often the supporting actors that make the show a success!