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:

If Texas coundn't tame 'em ...could she?

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Earl Holliman (Matt Elder) and Dennis Hopper (Dave Hastings) played together in Giant (1956). In that movie, they were brothers-in-law. In this movie, they were enemies.

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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

Tom Elder: Mr. Hastings, you know everybody around here: Can you tell us who is the dirty stinkin' lowdown rat that shot our pa?

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Connections

Featured in The John Wayne Anthology (1991)

User Reviews

Four brothers of Texas

Katie Elder has died.Her four sons return to Clearwater, Texas and mourn over her death.They also intend to get the ranch back and revenge for the murder of their father.The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) is directed by Henry Hathaway.The brothers are played by four terrific actors, which are John Wayne (John), Dean Martin (Tom), Michael Anderson, Jr. (Bud) and Earl Holliman (Matt).Martha Hyer is wonderful as Mary Gordon.Jeremy Slate is terrific as Ben Latta.James Gregory is great as Morgan Hastings.The young Dennis Hopper gives a terrific performance as his son Dave.Paul Fix is superb as Sheriff Billy Watson.As the thuggish Curley you can see the marvelous George Kennedy.John Qualen is very good as Charlie Biller.Great job from Strother Martin, who plays Jeb Ross.And also from Karl Swenson as Doc Isdell.If a movie has John Wayne and Dean Martin in the lead, you can't expect a movie of bad quality.And this movie turns out to be a good western with Duke and Dino, but it's not their very best.It's not quite the level of Rio Bravo, which I saw again recently.But it entertains enough, like in the scene where those four brothers fight.And when these brothers fight, they really fight.And the gunfight in the end is a treat.

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