John Wayne starred in many different movies throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood, but his 1963 movie,McLintock!, allowed him to step out of his comfort zone and try something new. One of the biggest names in the movie industry, John Wayne rose to prominence in the movie industry throughout the twentieth century for his roles in the war and Western genres. Some ofJohn Wayne’s best moviesof his career includeThe Quiet Man(1952),The Searchers(1956), andTrue Grit(1969), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1970.
Throughout his 53-year-long movie career,John Wayne starred in over 80 Western movies, but while he found great success in the genre, he later admitted that he struggled with being typecast as the no-nonsense, sharpshooting outlaw. In 1968, Wayne stated that he felt stuck in the later stages of his career, and he consideredhis Oscar-winning performance inTrue Gritto be his best role in 20 years. In spite of this, Wayne was allowed the opportunity to explore his romance and comedy skills in other movies, as seen through his performance in a Shakespeare-inspired comedy released in 1963.
John Wayne Gave His Take On William Shakespeare In McLintock!
McLintock! Was Inspired By William Shakespeare’s The Taming Of The Shrew
In 1963, John Wayne starred in the Western comedy,McLintock!, alongside Irish actress, Maureen O’Hara. Directed by Andrew V. McLagen,McLintock!depicts Wayne as G.W. McLintock, a cattle baron and ranger who is respected by his townspeople and hated by bureaucrats for his work in keeping the peace in his namesake town. McLintock is surprised to learn his estranged wife, Katherine, played by Maureen O’Hara, is back in town, intending to bring their daughter back East with her. As the movie progresses, their unexpected reunion resurrects feelings both long believed were diminished.
McLintock!stands out among John Wayne’s Western movies asit was loosely adapted from a Shakespeare play,The Taming Of The Shrew.Similar to Shakespeare’s comedy, McLintock!depicts Wayne’s character taming his estranged wife into submission; in one notable scene, Wayne’s McLintock spanks Katherine with a shovel, which Maureen O’Hara later revealed in an interview for the DVD release of the movie, left her backside “black and blue for weeks” (viaSlashfilm). Surprisingly,McLintock!is the second John Wayne movie adapted from a Shakespeare play; his 1952 movie,A Quiet Man, was also loosely adapted fromThe Taming Of The Shrew.
John Wayne Proved He Was More Than Just A Western Hero
The Role Allowed Him To Explore His Romance And Comedy Skills
AlthoughMcLintock!is not ranked asone of John Wayne’s best Western movies, it is still highly popular with his fans, as seen by its high audience score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. While it wasn’t rated as high by critics,McLintock!did receive praise for merging both comedy and action together, as seen through the movie’s memorable “mudhole scene,“where a fist fight orchestrated by Wayne’s character results in the townspeople brawling in the mud; it is regarded asone of the best fist fight scenes in a John Wayne movieand perfectly showcased Wayne’s comedic acting skills.
John Wayne’s Funniest Movie Is This Underrated 1960 Western With Stewart Granger
This 1960s Western starring John Wayne and Stewart Granger, proved itself to be the funniest movie of the genre’s poster actor’s entire career.
The movie also allowed John Wayne to showcase his skills as a romantic leading man, as seen through his own screen chemistry with Maureen O’Hara.Wayne and O’Hara starred in five movies togetheracross their careers, butMcLintock!allowed them the opportunity to add more humor and over-the-top drama to their characters, and interact with each other in a more lighthearted manner, which helps setMcLintock!apart from their previous dramatic works. WhileMcLintock!isn’t the best movie of John Wayne’s career, it gave him the opportunity to prove that he was capable of more than just being a Western hero.
Source:Slashfilm
McLintock!
McLintock! is a 1963 Western-comedy film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Set in the American West, the story follows wealthy cattle baron George Washington ‘G.W.’ McLintock as he deals with family issues, land disputes, and the return of his estranged wife, Katherine. The film combines humor and action, reflecting on themes of reconciliation and frontier justice.
