Rooster Cogburn (1975)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Stuart Millar

Writers:

Charles Portis (character "Rooster Cogburn" from the novel "True Grit")
Martha Hyer (written by)

Release Date:

November 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Western

Tagline:

The man of "True Grit" is back and look who's got him!

Plot:

Marshal Rooster Cogburn unwillingly teams up with Eula Goodnight to track down the killers of her father.

Plot Keywords:

Rape | Indian | Father | Drunkenness | Cat

Cast

John Wayne	...	Rooster Cogburn
Katharine Hepburn	...	Eula Goodnight
Anthony Zerbe	...	Breed
Richard Jordan	...	Hawk
John McIntire	...	Judge Parker
Paul Koslo	...	Luke
Jack Colvin	...	Red
Jon Lormer	...	Rev. Goodnight
Richard Romancito	...	Wolf
Lane Smith	...	Leroy
Warren Vanders	...	Bagby
Jerry Gatlin	...	Nose
Strother Martin	...	Shanghai McCoy
Tommy Lee	...	Chen Lee
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
General Sterling Price	...	Cat
Mickey Gilbert	...	Hambone (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	...	Jerry (uncredited)
Gary McLarty	...	Emmett (uncredited)
Andrew Prine	...	Fiona's husband (uncredited)

Directed by
Stuart Millar

Writing credits
Charles Portis		(character "Rooster Cogburn" from the novel "True Grit")
Martha Hyer		(written by) (as Martin Julien)

Produced by
Paul Nathan	....	associate producer
Hal B. Wallis	....	producer

Original Music by
Laurence Rosenthal

Cinematography by
Harry Stradling Jr.		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Robert Swink

Art Direction by
E. Preston Ames		(as Preston Ames)

Set Decoration by
George R. Nelson		(as George Robert Nelson)

Costume Design by
Luster Bayless		(costumes: men)

Production Management
William W. Gray	....	production manager (as William Gray)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard Hashimoto	....	second assistant director
Pepi Lenzi	....	first assistant director
Michael D. Moore	....	second unit director (as Michael Moore)

Art Department
Thomas Gark	....	property master: second unit (uncredited)

Sound Department
John R. Carter	....	sound (as John Carter)
Leonard Peterson	....	sound re-recordist (as Leonard S. Peterson)

Special Effects by
Jack McMaster	....	special effects (as Jack McMasters)

Stunts
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunt coordinator
Jerry Brutsche	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary Combs	....	stunts (uncredited)
Quentin Dickey	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Kevin N. Johnston	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary McLarty	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunt double: John Wayne (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Robotham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Summers	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Rexford L. Metz	....	photographer: second unit (as Rexford Metz)
Susie Tracy	....	still photographer
Jack N. Green	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Edith Head	....	wardrobe: Miss Hepburn

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures
• Hal Wallis Productions

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corporation (UK) (1975) (UK) (theatrical)
• CIC (1976) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1977) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1976) (Finland) (theatrical)
• CIC Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Esselte Video (????) (Finland) (video)
• Image Entertainment (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1996) (1997) (Finland) (TV) (TV2)

Other Companies

• Bureau of Land Management  deep appreciation
• Cinematique  cosmetics
• U.S. Department of Agriculture  deep appreciation
• U.S. Department of Interior  deep appreciation (as U.S. Department of the Interior)
• U.S. Forest Service  deep appreciation (as the United States Forest Service)
• Universal Title  titles and optical effects

Also Known As:

Rooster Cogburn: A Man of True Grit (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:12 | West Germany:12 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bend, Oregon, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Katharine Hepburn was bemused by co-star John Wayne's tendency to argue with everybody, especially the director, during filming. At the party to celebrate the last day of filming she told him, "I'm glad I didn't know you when you had two lungs, you must have been a real bastard. Losing a hip has mellowed me, but you!"

Goofs:

Continuity: As Rooster, Eula, and Wolf ride quickly through the woods after first spotting Hawk's gang, Rooster wears a coat, then just a shirt in the long shot, and the coat again.

Quotes:

Rooster Cogburn: That shows you know more about the Lord and His Good Book than you know about men!
Eula Goodnight: That's my good fortune. I know enough about men to steer clear of them.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

See it for the actors

This is one of a few movies that I can watch over and over again and still enjoy. That said, it's also my favourite Western. (And I'm not a big fan of the genre.)

The story is simple. Cogburn (Wayne) is tracking down a load of nitro stolen by Hawk (Jordan)and his gang. As the gang of outlaws bid a hasty retreat, they stumble upon Eula (Hepburn), her minister father, and several Indians including a teen-aged boy named Wolf.

The plot is simple and had their characters been played by any other actors besides Wayne and Hepburn, the film would have been mediocre at best. Their performances make the film shine. Every scene they have together crackles with chemistry. When Wayne says to Hepburn, "being with you pleases me", I got the feeling he meant it and that Hepburn received the compliment with genuine pleasure. Well, maybe it's just good acting.

In any event, the film is a nice way to pass some time for those unfamiliar with Wayne or Westerns and a must-see for all Wayne and Hepburn fans.