Paint Your Wagon (1969)

Two unlikely prospector partners share the same wife in a California gold rush mining town.

Director:

Joshua Logan

Writers:

Alan Jay Lerner (book), Alan Jay Lerner (screenplay)

Stars:

Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, Jean Seberg

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lee Marvin	...	Ben Rumson
Clint Eastwood	...	Pardner
Jean Seberg	...	Elizabeth
Harve Presnell	...	Rotten Luck Willie
Ray Walston	...	Mad Jack Duncan
Tom Ligon	...	Horton Fenty
Alan Dexter	...	Parson
William O'Connell	...	Horace Tabor
Benny Baker	...	Haywood Holbrook (as Ben Baker)
Alan Baxter	...	Mr. Fenty
Paula Trueman	...	Mrs. Fenty
Robert Easton	...	Atwell
Geoffrey Norman	...	Foster
H.B. Haggerty	...	Steve Bull
Terry Jenkins	...	Joe Mooney

Storyline

A Michigan farmer and a prospector form a partnership in the California gold country. Their adventures include buying and sharing a wife, hijacking a stage, kidnaping six prostitutes, and turning their mining camp into a boomtown. Along the way there is plenty of drinking, gambling, and singing. They even find time to do some creative gold mining.

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Plot Keywords:

polyamory | men's chorus | california gold rush | digging a grave | year 1849 | 

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Taglines:

Ben and Pardner shared everything -- even their wife!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material

Did You Know?

Trivia

In a scene toward the end of the movie, Pardner (Clint Eastwood) mentions his name is Sylvester Newel, "with one 'L'."

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Goofs

When the town falls apart due to the tunnels collapsing, the smooth sides of the concrete tunnel are visible after the thin layer of mud falls down into them.

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Quotes

Ben Rumson: Grace, I give you the boy. Give me back the man.

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Crazy Credits

After the end credits and the Paramount logo, the screen goes black and a closing medley of the songs is heard for several minutes.

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Alternate Versions

On its release to what were then called "neighborhood theatres" (i.e. theatres which showed films that had ended their first runs downtown), the film's running time was shortened by having three songs eliminated, "I Still See Elisa", "The First Thing You Know", and "Gold Fever". This left both Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood with only one solo song each. The film was restored to its original length for its first television showing, and has remained that way ever since.

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Connections

Referenced in Keeping Up Appearances: Iron Age Remains (1992)

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Soundtracks

I Talk To The Trees
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Sung by Clint Eastwood

User Reviews

Better than critics say

Forget the critics. This is a hilarious, outrageous movie. Too unsophisticated for city slickers, but for the average person, a hoot.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 October 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Paint Your Wagon

Filming Locations:

Wallona National Forest, Baker, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$14,500,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,500,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alan Jay Lerner Productions, The Malpaso Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

164 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1