Chisum (1970)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writer:

Andrew J. Fenady (written by)

Release Date:

29 July 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

THE HERO - John Wayne is "Chisum"

Plot:

Cattle baron John Chisum joins forces with Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett to fight the Lincoln County land war.

Plot Keywords:

Cattle | Billy The Kid | Pat Garrett | Range War | Wilhelm Scream

Awards:

1 win

US TV Schedule:

Tue. July 14	5:30 PM	AMC
Thur. July 23	11:00 PM	AMC
Fri. July 24	2:30 PM	AMC

Cast

John Wayne	...	John Simpson Chisum
Forrest Tucker	...	Lawrence Murphy
Christopher George	...	Dan Nodeen
Ben Johnson	...	James Pepper
Glenn Corbett	...	Pat Garrett
Bruce Cabot	...	Sheriff Brady
Andrew Prine	...	Alex McSween
Patric Knowles	...	J. Henry Tunstall
Richard Jaeckel	...	Jess Evans
Lynda Day George	...	Sue McSween (as Lynda Day)
Geoffrey Deuel	...	Billy 'The Kid' Bonney
Pamela McMyler	...	Sallie Chisum
John Agar	...	Amos Patton
Lloyd Battista	...	Neemo
Robert Donner	...	Bradley Morton - Deputy sheriff

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-11 (new rating: 2001) | Finland:K-12 (original rating) | France:U | Finland:K-12 | Norway:16 (theatrical rating: 1970) | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Durango, Mexico

Company:

Batjac Productions

Trivia:

When Chisum and Sally are talking on the porch, Chisum opens up a pocket watch to see what time it is and Sally remarks that the picture of a man and a woman inside the watch's cover are her parents (Chisum's brother and sister-in-law). The man in the photograph is actually producer Andrew J. Fenady.

Goofs:

Continuity: Tunstall and Billy Bonney are standing by their horses and talking to Jess Evans, who has just ridden in to town. In three consecutive shots of the scene, Tunstall alternately has his pipe in his mouth, after which it is gone, and then re-appears.

Quotes:

Lawrence Murphy: Sheriff Brady, Jess Evans, this is Alex McSween. Uh, he's part of the family.
Jess Evans: Howdy.
Sheriff Brady: What does he do?
Lawrence Murphy: Well, he used to be a storekeeper and now he's my lawyer.
Jess Evans: I prefer storekeepers!
Alex McSween: Then don't ever get arrested.
Jess Evans: I don't intend to.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Rundown (2003)

Soundtrack:

Turn Me Around

Odd, but good Western

The odd thing about this western is that it has the notorious murderer, Billy the Kid, as a good-guy vigilante. This break in history adds some questionable moments in the film. Also the movie relies heavily on The Kid character, more so than does the character of John Chisum(Wayne). This aside, it is still a great film, as John Wayne plays the traditional role of Justice vs. Tyranny. Forrest plays the role of "the villain you love to hate" completely, but does not over do it. One of the most memorable lines of the show is the confrontation of the "Duke" and the town boss. The town boss had relied on a puppet sheriff, as well as a weak governor to promote his control of the town. When Chisum confronts the boss, he mentions,(something to this effect) [When you try to take over my land], "...I won't call the Rangers, I won't call the Governor, I won't send a letter to the President, I come after you myself!" Traditional line of the Duke, but never so passionately delivered. This scene alone makes the movie worthwhile. It also has the traditional western action, but don't be surprised if you question yourself at the end, "Was I actually rooting for Billy the Kid?