Rio Grande (1950)

A cavalry officer posted on the Rio Grande must deal with murderous raiding Apaches, his son who's a risk-taking recruit and his wife from whom he has been separated for many years.

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

James Kevin McGuinness (screenplay), James Warner Bellah (Saturday Evening Post story)

Stars:

John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Ben Johnson

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke
Maureen O'Hara	...	Mrs. Kathleen Yorke
Ben Johnson	...	Trooper Travis Tyree
Claude Jarman Jr.	...	Trooper Jefferson 'Jeff' Yorke
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Trooper Daniel 'Sandy' Boone
Chill Wills	...	Dr. Wilkins (regimental surgeon)
J. Carrol Naish	...	Lt. Gen. Philip Sheridan
Victor McLaglen	...	Sgt. Maj. Timothy Quincannon
Grant Withers	...	U.S. Deputy Marshal
Sons of the Pioneers	...	Regimental Musicians (as Sons Of The Pioneers)
Peter Ortiz	...	Capt. St. Jacques
Steve Pendleton	...	Capt. Prescott
Karolyn Grimes	...	Margaret Mary
Alberto Morin	...	Lieutenant
Stan Jones	...	Sergeant

Storyline

Rio Grande takes place after the Civil War when the Union turned their attention towards the Apaches. Union officer Kirby Yorke is in charge of an outpost on the Rio Grande in which he is in charge of training of new recruits one of which is his son whom he hasn't seen in 15 years. He whips him into shape to take on the Apaches but not before his mother shows up to take him out of there.The decision to leave is left up to Trooper Yorke who decides to stay and fight. Through it all Kirby and Kathleen though separated for years fall back into love and decide that it's time to give it another try. But Yorke faces his toughest battle when his unorthodox plan to outwit the elusive Apaches leads to possible court- martial. Locked in a bloody Indian war, he must fight to redeem his honor and save the love and lives of his broken family

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Plot Keywords:

apache indian | apache indian tribe | apache | apache territory | river in title | 

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Taglines:

John Ford's Most Powerful Drama. The Breathtaking Saga of the United States Cavalry!

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Genres:

Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 November 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Ford and Merian C. Cooper's Rio Grande

Filming Locations:

Kayenta, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,214,899 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I), Argosy Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At 29 Maureen O'Hara was only 14 years older than Claude Jarman Jr. who played her son.

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Goofs

Obvious shadow of boom mic on ground behind Lt. Colonel Yorke, during conversation of Kathleen calling Quincannon an arsonist.

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Quotes

Lt. Col. Kirby York: You said it, soldier, that's enough for me!
Mrs. Kathleen York: Ramrod, wreckage and ruin, still the same Kirby York.
Lt. Col. Kirby York: Special privileges to special born, still the same Kathleen.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a computer colorized version.

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Connections

Follows Fort Apache (1948)

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Soundtracks

My Gal Is Purple
Words and Music Stan Jones
Performed by the Sons of the Pioneers (uncredited)

User Reviews

Triumphant Conclusion to Cavalry Trilogy!

'Rio Grande', the last of director John Ford's 'unofficial' Cavalry Trilogy, has often been unfairly judged the 'weakest' of the three westerns. Certainly, it lacks the poetic quality of 'She Wore a Yellow Ribbon', or the revisionist view of a thinly-disguised reworking of the events surrounding the death of George Armstrong Custer ('Fort Apache'), but for richness of detail, a sense of the camaraderie of cavalrymen, an 'adult' (in the best sense of the word) love story, and a symbolic 'rejoining' of North and South conclusion that may have you tapping your toe, 'Rio Grande' is hard to beat!

It is remarkable that 'Rio Grande' ever got to the screen; Ford hadn't planned to make it, but in order to get Republic Pictures to agree to his demands for 'The Quiet Man' (he wanted the film to be shot on location in Ireland, and in color), he had to agree to do a 'quickie' western that would turn a quick profit for the usually cash-strapped studio. This is, perhaps, a reason why the film is held in less esteem than it deserves. 'Rio Grande' may have not been born with high expectations, but with John Ford in the director's chair, and John Wayne and the Ford 'family' in the cast and crew, the potential for something 'special' was ALWAYS present!

A few bits of trivia to enhance your viewing pleasure: Yes, that IS Ken Curtis, singing with The Sons of the Pioneers, in the film...while uncredited, he made a favorable impression with Ford, and soon became a part of his 'family'...Ben Johnson, Harry Carey, Jr, and Claude Jarman, Jr, actually did their own stunts while performing the 'Roman Style' riding sequence (Carey said in interviews that they were all young, and didn't think about the danger of it; a production would lose their insurance if they 'allowed' three major performers to do something as risky, today!)...Did you know that O'Hara, playing Jarman's 'mother', was barely 14 years older than her 'son', and was only 29 at the time of the filming?...Harry Carey barely had any lines in the script; most of what you see in the film was ad-libbed!...the popular ditty, 'San Antoine', sung by Jarman, Carey, Johnson, and Curtis, was, in fact, written by Mrs. Roy Rogers, herself, Dale Evans!

Whether you're viewing 'Rio Grande' for the first time, or have sat through many viewings, the film has a richness and sense of nostalgia for a West that 'may never have existed, but SHOULD have'. It would be a proud addition to any collector's library!