Cahill U.S. Marshal (1973)

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

Barney Slater (story)
Harry Julian Fink (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 July 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Break the law and he's the last man you want to see. And the last you ever will.

Plot:

J.D. Cahill is the toughest U.S. Marshal they've got, just the sound of his name makes bad guys stop in their tracks...

Plot Keywords:

Hanging | Son | Father Son Relationship | Bank Robbery | Small Town

Cast

John Wayne	...	U.S. Marshal J.D. Cahill
George Kennedy	...	Abe Fraser
Neville Brand	...	Lightfoot, Half-breed Comanche tracker
Gary Grimes	...	Danny Cahill
Walter Barnes	...	Sheriff Grady, Valentine Texas
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Hank, Jailer at Jefferson Davis County Jail
Pepper Martin	...	Hard Case
Paul Fix	...	Old Man, Outlaw
Scott Walker	...	Ben Tildy, Outlaw
Jackie Coogan	...	Charlie Smith, Town Drunk
Denver Pyle	...	Denver, Danny & Billy Joe's caretaker
Marie Windsor	...	Mrs. Hetty Green
Rayford Barnes	...	Pee Wee Simser, Outlaw
Vance Davis	...	Negro
Dan Kemp	...	Joe Meehan, Outlaw

Also Known As:

Cahill (UK)
Cahill: United States Marshal (USA) (alternative spelling)
Wednesday Morning

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Netherlands:12 | West Germany:12 (f) | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2003) | UK:15 (video rating) (1988) | UK:15 (video re-rating) (1999) | UK:AA (original rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Durango, Mexico

Company:

Batjac Productions

Trivia:

Most of the scenes showing John Wayne riding from a distance were filmed with Chuck Roberson substituting for Wayne.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Lightfoot's horse has a saddle under the blanket. You can see stirrups hanging under the blanket and in a latter scene, Cahill uses them to mount Lightfoot's horse.

Quotes:

Billy Joe 'Budger' Cahill: You're bleeding again, Pa.
J.D. Cahill: Yeah, I guess it goes with the badge. You got a kerchief?
Billy Joe 'Budger' Cahill: Yeah.
J.D. Cahill: Jam it in this hole. It'll stop the bleeding.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

A Man Gets To Thinkin'

A good film for Wayne

Unlike the comment that said "unoriginal", for a western of the early seventies, when the western was at that time dying out for a period, this is a gallant effort on the part of all involved in the production. I must confess, it would be hard for me to say anything bad about a John Wayne movie, it certainly is not "The Searchers", but no where near "The Geisha and the Barbarian". Cahill was a milder Wayne as a family man, with a good lesson of being there when your needed as a father. A strong point that stands out in the movie, with the other elements (bank robbers, bad guys, boys in trouble) well incorporated around the basic theme. Andrew V. McLaglen did justice to the script, keeping things simple but well rounded, with a conclusion that will satisfy the western fan. After watching the film on TCM recently, I came to realize that it may be dated, somewhat, but a true measure of what good film making is all about. In a world of high budgets, overpaid actors and grand special effects, "Cahill, U.S. Marshall" gives what any viewer would want from such a film: A good story.