MovieChat Forums > Red River (1948) Discussion > the new brand at the end

the new brand at the end


Why did Dunston add an 'M' (for Matt) to the brand instead of a 'G' (for Garth)? I've never known a brand that had the initial for a first name on it, I've only seen last name initials. Dunston was called by his last name throughout the movie, except a few times by Groot, while Matt was called by his first. But if Matt finally "earned" the right to be on the brand, it should be with a 'G'. I'm nitpicking, I know, but I watch this movie a lot and this is just one of many things that ruins the ending for me.

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I thought about this too, Dunston considered Matthew as his son therefore he probably called him Matthew Dunston, to have a D&D on the brand would not have made sense, so and M was added instead.

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When Matthew Garth first appears in the movie, as a youngster, he asks for the letter M to be added to the brand, but Dunston tells him he has to earn it first.

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When the brand is designed by Wayne (Dunston) near the beginning of the film he puts a Red River brand with a "D" on the left side. Young Matt (Mickey Kuhn) said, "I don't see an M there. My name is Matthew." Wayne says he'll put an M there when he earns it. Young Matt says okay then he'll earn it.

I saw the picture again for the umpteenth time yesterday and I am trying to decipher whether or not Howard Hawks wrote his name in the dirt above the new brand, seriously. If you look to the left of the Red River squiggly lines, it look like a D and to the right HAW in the dirt. There's no way of ever knowing unless Hawks mentioned it in an autobiography, but it would be an interesting bit of trivia if it did happen.

Anyone else care to throw another piece of wood on the fire?

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