Rio Lobo (1970)

After the Civil War, Cord McNally searches for the traitor whose treachery caused the defeat of McNally's unit and the loss of a close friend.

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writers:

Burton Wohl (screenplay), Leigh Brackett (screenplay)

Stars:

John Wayne, Jorge Rivero, Jennifer O'Neill

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	Col. Cord McNally
Jorge Rivero	...	Capt. Pierre Cordona
Jennifer O'Neill	...	Shasta Delaney
Jack Elam	...	Phillips
Christopher Mitchum	...	Sgt. Tuscarora Phillips
Victor French	...	Ketcham
Susana Dosamantes	...	María Carmen
Sherry Lansing	...	Amelita
David Huddleston	...	Dr. Jones
Mike Henry	...	Sheriff Tom Hendricks
Bill Williams	...	Sheriff Pat Cronin
Jim Davis	...	Riley
Dean Smith	...	Bide
Robert Donner	...	Whitey Carter
George Plimpton	...	4th Gunman

Storyline

Colonel Cord McNally, an ex-Union Officer teams up with a couple of ex-Confederate Rebels to search for the traitor who sold information to the South during the Civil War. Their quest brings them to the town of Rio Lobo, where they help recover this little Texas town from ruthless outlaws who are led by the traitor, for whom they were looking.

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Plot Keywords:

sheriff | traitor | texas | colonel | civil war | 

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Taglines:

Give 'Em Hell, John.

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Genres:

Adventure | Romance | War | Western

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

18 December 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

San Timoteo

Filming Locations:

Tucson, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$9,265,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema Center Films,Batjac Productions,Malabar

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Howard Hawks later said, "I didn't think it was any good." He also blamed the film's poor critical and commercial performance on John Wayne, saying that at sixty-three, Wayne was now too old to carry a movie. When the film was released, many critics pointed out that Wayne was too old and fat to play a soldier during the Civil War.

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Goofs

When the three first enter Rio Lobo at night and ride across the street to put their horses in the corral, the silhouette of a crew member is seen in front of the lighted window.

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Quotes

[Col. McNally visits with Capt. Cordona and Sgt. Phillips after the war ends]
Cord McNally: I'm glad *you two* weathered the storm.
Cordona: Well, it's a simple life- No wine, no women, no song.
Sgt. Tuscarora Phillips: And no *whiskey*!
Cord McNally: Well, *I* can remedy *that*; If you two don't mind drinkin' with a "Bluebelly".
Sgt. Tuscarora Phillips: Colonel Suh, I'd drink with *The Devil Himself*!
Cordona: *I* feel just like *he* does!
Cord McNally: [smiles] We're *headed* in the right direction!

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Connections

Follows El Dorado (1967)

User Reviews

Howard Hawks loved this movie

This has to be unique in the history of Hollywood. Leading director and screen legend Howard Hawks loved this film so much that they made three variations of the same movie. By the time Rio Lobo was made, the theme was getting a bit thin, but it's still grand entertainment.

The first part of the film is set during the Civil War with John Wayne pursuing Confederates who are stealing army payrolls. He does catch up with them and the Civil War ends. He befriends his erstwhile enemies and asks for their help in locating the informer who was giving them information.

That all sets the scene for the third variant of Rio Bravo/El Dorado theme. Playing the old codger part is Jack Elam who by now had quit being a screen menace and was doing comedy and doing it well. The two younger sidekicks are the former Confederate enemies, Jorge Rivero and Chris Mitchum.

Rio Lobo had the presence of two stars of the Mexican cinema, Jorge Rivero and Susana Dosamantes. Dosamantes played Mitchum's girlfriend and Jennifer O'Neill played the Angie Dickinson part although Wayne was now deciding he was too old for the romance. She pairs off with Rivero.

In a small bit part is Sherry Lansing who left acting soon after Rio Lobo and really hit the big time, going into the production end of the movie business and becoming head of first 20th Century Fox and later CEO of Paramount.

The two principal villains are Victor French who played the neighbor on Little House On The Prarie and Mike Henry who was one of several screen Tarzans.

It's a good John Wayne western and that takes in a whole lot of territory pilgrim.