True Grit (1969)

A drunken, hard-nosed U.S. Marshal and a Texas Ranger help a stubborn teenager track down her father's murderer in Indian Territory.

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Charles Portis (novel), Marguerite Roberts (screenplay)

Stars:

John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell

Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	Rooster Cogburn
Glen Campbell	...	'La Boeuf'
Kim Darby	...	Mattie Ross
Jeremy Slate	...	Emmett Quincy
Robert Duvall	...	Ned Pepper
Dennis Hopper	...	'Moon'
Alfred Ryder	...	Goudy
Strother Martin	...	Col. G. Stonehill
Jeff Corey	...	Tom Chaney
Ron Soble	...	Capt. Boots Finch
John Fiedler	...	Lawyer Daggett
James Westerfield	...	Judge Parker
John Doucette	...	'Sheriff'
Donald Woods	...	'Barlow'
Edith Atwater	...	Mrs. Floyd

Storyline

Her father's murder sends teenage tomboy Mattie Ross on a mission of "justice" to avenge his death. She recruits tough old marshal "Rooster" Cogburn because he has "grit" and a reputation for getting the job done. They are joined by Texas Ranger La Boeuf, who is looking for the same man for another murder in Texas. Their odyssey takes them from Fort Smith, Arkansas to deep into Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) to find their man.

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Plot Keywords:

revenge | alcoholic | revisionist western | texas | texas ranger | 

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Taglines:

A Brand New Brand Of American Frontier Story

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Western

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Olivia Hussey turned down the part of Mattie Ross and regretted it.

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Goofs

Mattie Ross' gun is a Colt Walker, not a Colt Dragoon as stated by Rooster. (The movie's producers wanted to use the larger Walker to enhance the image of a little girl using such a large gun.)

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Quotes

[first lines]
Frank Ross: Little Frank... You take care of your mama.
Little Frank: I will.

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Alternate Versions

When submitted for a rating from the MPAA in 1969, the film was given an "M". The film was edited and rerated "G". The American VHS version contains the "G" rated cut while the DVD is the uncut "M" version (which would be printed as "PG" since the symbol was changed in the 1970s).

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Connections

Featured in Stars of the Silver Screen: John Wayne (2014)

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Soundtracks

True Grit
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Lyrics by Don Black
Performed by Glen Campbell (uncredited)

User Reviews

Pure Western Delight

Surely one of the purest westerns ever made, a simple tale of a lawman tracking down an outlaw. This film is raised way above the norm in almost all respects: The photography is superb, with the hills, mountains, valleys and forests being the real stars; the acting is first rate, with not a weak performance in sight from even the lowliest minor character; the direction is well paced as we ride along with the 3-person-posse through the landscape and experience the minor twists of the actual hunt, as well as the evolution of the relationships between the group. The episode in which they take over a cabin by a stream and then ambush the following villains is even better than the well known finale.

Why this film hasn't had more votes and a higher rating in imdb is a complete mystery to me. I'm English, and I always thought the Americans really loved their westerns and John Wayne in particular. Can anyone explain please?

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook page for the film from Paramount. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1969 (Japan)

Also Known As:

True Grit

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$157,788, 5 May 2019

Gross USA:

$276,418

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$276,418

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wallis-Hazen

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1