Hans 2021 Movie Draft: Round Six-Pick Two-El Dorado 1966

Hanspostcard has a movie draft challenge. This is my Round Six pick.
Category: Western/War
Film: El Dorado
Mississippi: “[…] My name is Alan Bourdillion Traherne.”
Cole: “Lord Almighty…”
Sheriff Harrah: “Who is he?”
Cole: “Tell him your name, Mississippi.”
Mississippi: [sigh] “Alan Bourdillion Traherne.”
Sheriff Harrah: “Well, no wonder he carries a knife.”
Mississippi: “Always make you mad, don’t I?”
Cole: “Mostly.”
Produced and directed by Howard Hawks, the film is a loose adaption of The Stars in Their Courses, a 1960 novel by Harry Brown. The screenplay was written by Leigh Brackett and starred John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, James Caan, Charlene Holt, Paul Fix, Arthur Hunnicutt, Michele Carey, R. G. Armstrong, Ed Asner, Christopher George and Johnny Crawford. Jim Davis (Jock Ewing) and John Mitchum have small parts. It was released December 17, 1966, in Japan, oddly and didn’t make it to US theaters until June 7, 1967.

Cole Thornton (Wayne) is a gunslinger for hire and land owner Bart Jason (Asner) has offered him a job. J. P. Harrah (Mitchum) is a Sheriff and an old friend of Cole’s. When Harrah informs Cole of Jason’s intention to use him to push the MacDonald family off of their land for water rights, Cole refuses the job. After shooting the youngest MacDonald son, unintentionally, during a volley of gunfire, Cole is wounded by the MacDonald daughter (Carey), in return, after he brings the deceased boy back home. Cole suffers intermittent paralysis on his right side throughout the rest of the movie. With the help of a gambler (Caan) he crosses paths with and the Sheriff’s deputy (Hunnicutt), Cole straightens out the drunken Sheriff, tangles with another gunslinger (George), derails Jason’s takeover and just might stop his previous ways for his lady, Maudie (Holt).
Mississippi repeats parts of the Edgar Allen Poe poem (except the second stanza) during the film, aggravating Cole somewhat (Caan had trouble with the word “boldly”, slurring it to sound like either “bowlie” or “bodie”). He’s also terrible with a gun and couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn (but, I love that hat!). Cole gets him a shotgun and later regrets it as he has scatter shot in his leg at the end of the movie.
This is my favorite John Wayne movie even though it is an ensemble cast. A close second is The Quiet Man where Wayne played another “Thornton” character. ~Vic
Trivia Bits:
♦ Archival footage of this movie was used in The Shootist as some backstory for Wayne’s character J.B. Books.
♦ The artwork in the opening credits was painted by Olaf Wieghorst, the Swedish gunsmith.
♦ At the end of the movie, both Cole & Harrah are on crutches under the wrong arm.
♦ The bathtub scene was Mitchum’s idea.
♦ Mitchum’s brother was a bartender named Elmer. He called him by his real name by accident.
♦ Wayne and Asner did not get along.
Other Goofs (There are a lot.)
Nominations
Opening Credits
Caan on Wayne
Related
This entry was posted in Challenges, Movies and tagged 1952, 1960, 1966, 1967, 1976, alan bourdillion traherne, amazon, arthur hunnicutt, bart jason, bathtub, big knife, bull harris, charlene holt, christopher george, cole thornton, crutches, december 17, doctor miller, ed asner, edgar allan poe, el dorado, eldorado poem, goofs, hans, hans movie challenge, hanspostcard, harry brown, howard hawks, IMDb, j. b. books, james caan, jim davis, jock ewing, joey, john mitchum, john wayne, johnny crawford, josephine macdonald, june 7, kevin macdonald, maudie, michele carey, mississippi, movie draft challenge, nelse mcleod, nominations, olaf wieghorst, paul fix, pinterest, r g armstrong, robert mitchum, sean thornton, sheriff j p harrah, shotgun, swedish gunsmith, the quiet man, the shootist, the stars in their courses, trivia bits, wikipedia, youtube.
8 thoughts on “Hans 2021 Movie Draft: Round Six-Pick Two-El Dorado 1966”
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March 16, 2021 at 7:17 PM
I actually never saw a John Wayne movie but this one sounds good!
Was good to see a post from you again. How have you been?
March 16, 2021 at 10:26 PM
I had to get past the age of 30 to appreciate John Wayne (and British humor). It’s a funny movie.
I don’t post much anymore. I’m participating in this movie draft but, that is about it. I’ve grown tired of blogging for right now. My last blogging break was four years long. May have something to do with the world going insane…
March 20, 2021 at 12:58 PM
Haven’t seen El Dorado, yet. Maybe in fragments on cable TV, but otherwise I’m not so sure. It must’ve been challenging being in Rio Bravo’s shadow, but perhaps this one is better then I’m expecting. One day I’ll probably get to talking about John Wayne’s films on the blog. Great post, my friend!
March 20, 2021 at 1:54 PM
Thanks, Gavin. I haven’t been around much. I’m only participating in Hans Movie Draft. I’m trying to find a reason to blog, again.
March 20, 2021 at 2:21 PM
Inspiration can come from anywhere. Talking from experience, write about stuff you’re interested in. Wishing you the best to overcome the struggle!
March 20, 2021 at 4:36 PM
Thanks!
March 22, 2021 at 7:51 PM
It’s funny because I just saw that movie come up on my computer yesterday or the day before. I remember thinking that it was one of the few John Wayne movies I never saw.
March 22, 2021 at 8:08 PM
If you’ve ever seen Rio Bravo, it’s nearly a remake.