Red River (1948)

Dunson leads a cattle drive, the culmination of over 14 years of work, to its destination in Missouri. But his tyrannical behavior along the way causes a mutiny, led by his adopted son.

Directors:

Howard Hawks, Arthur Rosson (co-director)

Writers:

Borden Chase (screenplay), Charles Schnee (screenplay)

Stars:

John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Wayne	...	Thomas Dunson
Montgomery Clift	...	Matt Garth
Joanne Dru	...	Tess Millay
Walter Brennan	...	Nadine Groot
Coleen Gray	...	Fen (as Colleen Gray)
Harry Carey	...	Mr. Melville (as Harry Carey Sr.)
John Ireland	...	Cherry Valance
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Buster McGee
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Dan Latimer
Chief Yowlachie	...	Quo (as Chief Yowlatchie)
Paul Fix	...	Teeler Yacey
Hank Worden	...	Simms Reeves
Mickey Kuhn	...	Matt - as a Boy
Ray Hyke	...	Walt Jergens
Hal Taliaferro	...	Old Leather (as Hal Talliaferro)

Storyline

Fourteen years after starting his cattle ranch in Texas, Tom Dunston is finally ready to drive his 10,000 head of cattle to market. Back then Dunston, his sidekick Nadine Groot and a teen-aged boy, Matt Garth -who was the only survivor of an Indian attack on a wagon train - started off with only two head of cattle. The nearest market however is in Missouri, a 1000 miles away. Dunston is a hard task master demanding a great deal from the men who have signed up for the drive. Matt is a grown man now and fought in the Civil War. He has his own mind as well and he soon runs up against the stubborn Dunston who won't listen to advice from anyone. Soon, the men on the drive are taking sides and Matt ends up in charge with Dunston vowing to kill him.

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Plot Keywords:

cattle drive | cowboy | cattle | betrayal | orphan | 

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Taglines:

Greatest Spectacle Ever!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

17 September 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

The River Is Red

Filming Locations:

Old Tucson - 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$5,500,000, 31 December 1948

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,012,000, 31 December 1948

Company Credits

Production Co:

Monterey Productions, Charles K. Feldman Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min 126 min (original theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In a 1974 interview, Howard Hawks said that he originally offered the role of Thomas Dunson to Gary Cooper but he had declined it because he didn't believe the ruthless nature of Dunson's character would have suited his screen image.

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Goofs

Just before they begin the drive, Dunson rides up and asks Matt, "ready, Matthew?" Matt replies, "all ready." However, Matt simply nods and doesn't say anything.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Thomas Dunson: When we get back to the ranch, I want you to change the brand. It'll be like this: The Red River D, and we'll add an M to it. You don't mind that, do you?
Matt Garth: No.
Thomas Dunson: You earned it.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: Among the annals of the great state of Texas may be found the story of the first drive on the famous Chisholm Trail. A story of one of the great cattle herds of the world, of a man and a boy--Thomas Dunson and Matthew Garth, the story of the Red River D.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in colorized version.

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Connections

Referenced in Major Dundee (1965)

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Soundtracks

Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie
(a.k.a. "The Cowboy's Lament") (uncredited)
Traditional American ballad
Instrumental version is heard during burial scenes

User Reviews

father-son conflict in the Old West

Howard Hawks' rangy Western has a perfect role for John Wayne and a nice introductory one for Montgomery Clift within the tale of a cattle trail by the Red River D herd through Indian and gang-led territory.

It's in part your usual Old West tale with a father-son-substitute parallel along the way, with Walter Brennan chipping in as the wise old chorus and Joanne Dru (briefly) as the voice of reason. However the main characters are well drawn and the conflict at times feels real.

As a visual experience, it makes full use of the wide and empty landscapes and looks beautiful (although not in the colorised version occasionally seen). No real surprises but in substance and atmosphere it is certainly a superior example of its type.