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 | mining | gold | california | prospector | 

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Taglines:

Lee Marvin Sings!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 October 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

La leyenda de la ciudad sin nombre

Filming Locations:

Baker, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$31,678,778

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

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alan Jay Lerner micromanaged the production, overseeing filming and constantly countermanding Logan's decisions. This drove Joshua Logan, who suffered from bipolar disorder, to despair; he confided in film critic Rex Reed, "I don't know what the hell I'm doing here."

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Goofs

When the parson arrives in town he is riding up the main street and he stops a moment just before the huge banner that stretches across the street. He hears Atwell ask Mrs. Rumson how her husbands are which shocks him. He calls everyone animals and pagans but then they show him in the next shot as he's starts riding up the street again praying and the banner is now way behind him.

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Quotes

Ben Rumson: You mean to tell me you ain't never had a woman neither?
Horton: No, sir.
Ben Rumson: This is serious. You know you could go blind? Come here.
[to 'Rotten Luck' Willie]
Ben Rumson: Willie, if a young man was goin' trappin' for the first time and wanted a guide, somebody who would be patient with him and show him the way things are to be done; what kind of guide would you choose?
'Rotten Luck'Willie: [Thinking] Ah, that would be Gracie.

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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

Featured in The 100 Greatest Musicals (2003)

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Soundtracks

Wand'rin' Star
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Sung by Lee Marvin & The Chorus

User Reviews

Clint CAN sing. Movie is a hoot.

I once heard a critic state any movie where Clint Eastwood sings should be rated for violence. He must have never actually listened to this movie. Clint may not be the best voice in the cast but he is surely not the worst. As a young man he has a pleasant "everyman" kind of voice I ENJOY. And in addition to that this an outrageously funny and moving movie.