The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)

Ranch owner Katie Elder's four sons determine to avenge the murder of their father and the swindling of their mother.

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

William H. Wright (screenplay), Allan Weiss (screenplay)

Stars:

John Wayne, Dean Martin, Martha Hyer

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	John Elder
Dean Martin	...	Tom Elder
Martha Hyer	...	Mary Gordon
Michael Anderson Jr.	...	Bud Elder
Earl Holliman	...	Matt Elder
Jeremy Slate	...	Ben Latta
James Gregory	...	Morgan Hastings
Paul Fix	...	Sheriff Billy Wilson
George Kennedy	...	Curley
Dennis Hopper	...	Dave Hastings
Sheldon Allman	...	Harry Evers
John Litel	...	Minister
John Doucette	...	Hyselman
James Westerfield	...	Mr. Vennar
Rhys Williams	...	Charlie Striker

Storyline

The Elder boys return to Clearwater, Texas for their Mother's funeral. John, the eldest, is a well-known gunfighter and trouble follows him wherever he goes. The boys try to get their ranch back from the town's gunsmith who won it from their father in a card game, after which he was murdered. Troubles come, however, just because they carry the Elder name.

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Plot Keywords:

gunfighter | small town | murder | villain | shootout | 

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Taglines:

From the four winds they came, the four brothers, their eyes smoking and their fingers itching...

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 July 1965 (Canada)

Also Known As:

The Sons of Katie Elder

Filming Locations:

Hereford, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wallis-Hazen

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite this being a big-budget movie with a large cast, Karl Swenson was utilized to play two parts. He played "Doc Isdell" and also the bartender in the scene where Tom Elder (Dean Martin) auctioned his eye. The bartender part had more lines of dialogue.

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Goofs

When the sheriff clears the bar, a shot from behind shows him grabbing his shotgun with his left hand as Curley takes a step forward. In the opposing shot, the sheriff's left arm is hanging by his side. In the next shot from behind, his hand is back on the gun.

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Quotes

John Elder: All we want to do is make you end up rich and respectable. You fight us every step of the way.
Bud Elder: I don't want to be rich and respectable. I want to be just like the rest of you.

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Connections

Referenced in 42nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Notorious Street (2015)

User Reviews

Another winner from the Duke.

The first scene I think of when I think of this film is the sight of John Wayne belting George Kennedy in the mouth with a 2 by four.It hurts my jaw just to look at it,or even think about it.He deserved it,by the way,as John Wayne once again takes on the bad guys,this time with the help of three brothers,played by Dean Martin,Earl Holliman,and Michael Anderson,Jr.They are not perfect,themselves,mind you,but they feel they, as well as their late parents,were done wrong and set out to make things right again.As for Katie Elder,we never get to meet her,as the film begins with her funeral,but we are told so much about her,that by the end of the film we have painted a pretty vivid picture of her in our minds.This movie is very adventurous,as most Duke films are,sad at times and even takes the time to be comical in places.The film also makes me sad for the Duke personally,because,as some of you may know,that on a break from filming this movie,Duke discovered he was sick with cancer for the first time.This movie is indeed a must have for any John Wayne fan.