MovieChat Forums > The War Wagon (1967) Discussion > The 1967 Western Star Pair Criss-Cross

The 1967 Western Star Pair Criss-Cross

posted 18 years ago by ecarle
4 replies | jump to latest

Back in the 60's, a Western was usually a vehicle for two major male stars. They came cheaper back then, and the older ones, frankly, needed work.

1967 had a funny criss-cross:

John Wayne and Kirk Douglas in "The War Wagon"

John Wayne and Robert Mitchum in "El Dorado"

Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas in "The Way West"

As you can see, every possible pair. And "The Way West" threw in Richard Widmark, another aging 50's star in the 60's, as part of the deal.

Don't get me wrong. All these guys were fine movie actors, and true stars. But it seemed like none of them could star ALONE in a movie after awhile. They all had to have back-up.

If you don't use one year (1967) try this:

John Wayne and Dean Martin in "Rio Bravo" (1959) OR "The Sons of Katie Elder" (1965)

John Wayne and Robert Mitchum in "El Dorado" (1967)

Dean Martin and Robert Mitchum in "Five Card Stud." (1968)

Interchangable criss-crosses!

[–] Mr_McLaurel 18 years ago

I think I've found Robert Osborne's replacement as TCM host...

What's the spanish for drunken bum?

[–] ecarle 18 years ago

Nah, he's more suave. And he'll NEVER retire.

Thanks, though.

[–] alvink 17 years ago

spanish for drunken bum= pinche borracho

[–] MystMoonstruck 17 years ago

I don't think that's the case at all! I think it was the idea of mega-starpower. Nowadays, they tend to rely on leading man/leading lady. Back then, you were getting a wide variety. Sadly, there are those nowadays who don't know actors as well and tend to relegate those they don't know as "non-star". One person wasn't there to only offer support, for both were equally popular stars. The public has always loved team-ups:
Kirk Douglas and Rock Hudson in "The Last Sunset"
John Wayne and Rock Hudson in "The Undefeated"
John Wayne and Dean Martin in "The Sons of Katie Elder"
You're aware of how long a list this could be, not necessarily restricted to Westerns. Also, they were competing with television, meaning they need extra draws.

Spaghetti Westerns gave us breakout stars such as Clint Eastwood, and we went into the Seventies with the idea of major star and perhaps a sidekick or simply teamed against a lesser-name villain. But, from the late Sixties back, the all-star lineup was what the public expected.

By the Seventies, we were seeing the anti-hero/solitary type in more movies, with the paired-up ones deciding to go solo. However, it didn't seem too long after that that they began doing team-ups and all-star casts once more ("Ocean's Eleven", for example). One star is great; multi-stars are much more likely to draw moviegoers.

~~MystMoonstruck~~

"God loves drunks, fools and children like you."~Kirk Douglas to Carol Lynley in "The Last Sunset"