Leofwine_draca THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER is an old-fashioned western with the kind of plot you'd see in a 1930s-era movie, updated to the 1960s with glorious colour and a bigger budget allowing for great backdrops and expansive landscape scenes. It brings together two lions of the western genre, expert and experienced director Henry Hathaway, with veteran old-timer John Wayne to tell a story of suspense and revenge.This is a very good film and one I thoroughly enjoyed thanks to the solid pacing and never-ending suspense right from the word go. The idea of having the four sons having to band together to solve a murder mystery and then subsequently take their revenge is a very strong one and really powers forth from beginning to end. Even hints of romantic sub-plots fall by the wayside in favour of the action-adventure template, and the strong set-pieces are endless; the outstanding bridge set-piece being the highlight for me.Wayne is his dependable self and this is the best I've seen from him after THE ALAMO and TRUE GRIT. Dean Martin provides veteran support, but the most fun performances come from the up-and-coming stars like George Kennedy and Dennis Hopper. Inevitably the real winner is Hathaway himself, whose lush visuals and endlessly dramatic cinematography add up to a great addition to the western genre.

classicsoncall Though I enjoyed the picture well enough, I kept getting sidetracked by events in the story that managed to distract. The main one had to do with the ages of the Elder Brothers, particularly John (John Wayne). The family Bible had a notation that Katie Elder married in 1850, so even if she were pregnant with her oldest son at the time, and John Wayne looking every bit of his fifty seven years, the story would have taken place around 1907!That certainly wouldn't have been the case, so let's say John Elder was in his forties. A reference was made by youngest son Bud (Michael Anderson Jr.) about the Dalton Gang, saying he wanted to ride with brother John and become famous just like them. John's response was intended to give Bud pause, stating that the Dalton's were hung. But that wasn't correct either - Grath and Bob Dalton were killed during an attempted bank holdup in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1892 (another hint about when this story took place). Emmett Dalton was captured and sentenced to life in prison, though he was pardoned after fifteen years in 1907 (about the time John Wayne's character would have been fifty seven). So again, some simple math works against the picture if one wants to get technical.Be that as it may, there's something to be said about the basic premise of the picture. The recently departed Katie Elder must have been a saint of a woman as every resident of Clearwater, Texas held her in the highest regard. On the flip side, three of her four sons wound up on the questionable side of the law, and Bud was headed that way if his siblings didn't send him back to college. But first, things have to be set right regarding the death of Bass Elder and the loss of the Elder ranch to Morgan Hastings (James Gregory).What one might not expect in a film like this is the number of scenes written for humorous effect. The argument the brothers had about the Katie Monument was pretty comical, and Dean Martin's glass eye raffle was a hoot. It seemed only appropriate that Strother Martin would be the winner.Probably the film's biggest missed opportunity came when gunman Curley (George Kennedy) was killed in the ambush at the bridge. His character was introduced as the antidote to gunfighter John Elder's presence in Clearwater, hired by Morgan Hastings in case the brothers got too close to the truth about their father's death and the ranch's new ownership. So the expected showdown that was suggested never became a reality. On top of that, Curley wasn't curly, and if I had to guess, a screen writer who saw this movie might have been inspired to give the same name to the Jack Palance character in "City Slickers".

utgard14 Four brothers reunite at their mother's funeral. They discover their mother was broke and their father had been murdered six months before and try to figure out who is responsible. This was John Wayne's comeback film after his much-publicized cancer surgery that cost him a lung. It also reunited him with Rio Bravo co-star Dean Martin, who plays one of his brothers. The other two are played by Earl Holliman and Michael Anderson, Jr., who replaced Disney star Tommy Kirk at the last minute. Much is made about the age gap between Wayne and his brothers, particularly Anderson. It seems obvious to me that the character Wayne plays is supposed to be younger than he actually was at the time. Maybe even as much as ten years younger. It's not a big deal unless you're the type of person who lets little things get to them. This is a fun western with a solid cast. The bad guys include James Gregory, George Kennedy, and Dennis Hopper. Not one of my favorite Duke movies but a pretty good one.

AaronCapenBanner John Wayne, Dean Martin, Earl Holliman & Michael Anderson Jr. play John, Tom, Matt, & Bud Elder, four brothers who return to their hometown of Clearwater, Texas to attend their mother's funeral. They then decide to look further into the death of their father, who was shot in the back after gambling away the deed to the ranch to Morgan Hastings(played by James Gregory) the town gunsmith and shady character who, along with his son(played by Dennis Hopper) know more about the killing than they are willing to admit. The town sheriff(played by Paul Fix) warns the sons not to pursue the matter, but of course they wont listen, leading to a violent showdown...Entertaining if overlong and a bit meandering western has a good cast and direction(Henry Hathaway) and an exciting climax to maintain viewer interest.