The Fighting Kentuckian (1949)

Director:

George Waggner

Writer:

George Waggner (written by)

Release Date:

15 September 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Western | Action | Romance

Tagline:

ROUGHER, TOUGHER, MORE ROMANTIC THAT EVER! (original and reissue posters)

Plot:

Following Napoleon's Waterloo defeat and the exile of his officers and their families from France, the U.S.Congress...

Plot Keywords:

Exile | Alabama | Kentucky | Settler | Shopping

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

John Wayne	...	John Breen
Vera Ralston	...	Fleurette De Marchand
Philip Dorn	...	Col. Georges Geraud
Oliver Hardy	...	Willie Paine
Marie Windsor	...	Ann Logan
John Howard	...	Blake Randolph
Hugo Haas	...	Gen. Paul De Marchand
Grant Withers	...	George Hayden
Odette Myrtil	...	Madame De Marchand
Paul Fix	...	Beau Merritt
Mae Marsh	...	Sister Hattie
Jack Pennick	...	Capt. Dan Carroll
Mickey Simpson	...	Jacques
Fred Graham	...	Carter Ward
Mabelle Koenig	...	Marie

Also Known As:

A Strange Caravan (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Germany:6 (re-rating) (2006) | USA:Approved (PCA #13803) | West Germany:16 (nf) (original rating) | UK:U | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures

Trivia:

Although Oliver Hardy was a good friend of John Wayne's, he initially balked at acting in this movie, for fear that it would make people think that he and Stan Laurel had broken up as a team. When Laurel insisted that Hardy take the role, he acquiesced.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Auto tire tracks visible in dust during wagon and horse chase scene.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The John Wayne Anthology (1991) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Let Me Down, Oh Hangman

Duke in Coonskin Cap, saves Ralston, with Ollie!

John Wayne's second effort as star/producer (after "Angel and the Badman", in 1947), "The Fighting Kentuckian" is a VERY enjoyable tale, set in 1818 Alabama, of coonskin-capped Wayne, part of the Kentucky militia, falling for French immigrant Vera Ralston (in her second film with Duke), and discovering a plot to swindle the French community (composed of ex-officers of Napoleon, and their families) out of their land, by aristocrat John Howard and ruthless river boss Grant Withers.

What truly makes this film 'special' for me is Wayne's sidekick, portrayed by the legendary Oliver Hardy, of 'Laurel and Hardy' fame. Hardy, while a friend of Wayne, had only worked 'solo' once in a feature film in over twenty years (1939's "Zenobia"), and it took a LOT of coaxing (and Stan Laurel's 'blessing'), to get him to accept the role...and what a pleasure he is, to watch! Wayne and Hardy have a rich, warm chemistry, and the rotund comedian, with his infectious smile and Georgia drawl, makes even minor scenes (like swapping recipes with Ralston's mother) a joy.

With a first-rate supporting cast including Philip Dorn, Hugo Haas, Wayne 'regulars' Paul Fix, Jack Pennick, and Hank Worden, and Marie Windsor (who looks eerily like John Howard, in my opinion!), "The Fighting Kentuckian" is, despite the 'pans' you'll see in some of the reviews posted, one of my favorite John Wayne films...He was never more charming than you'll find him, here!