Paramount Home Video presents

McLintock!: Authentic Collector's Edition (1963)

"I'm gonna use good judgment. I haven't lost my temper in 40 years. But, pilgrim, you caused a lot of trouble this morning. Might have got somebody killed and somebody ought to belt you in the mouth, but I won't. I won't. The hell I won't!"- George Washington McLintock (John Wayne)

Stars: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Patrick Wayne, Stefanie Powers, Chill Wills, Yvonne De Carlo
Other Stars: Jerry Van Dyke, Bruce Cabot, Strother Martin, Perry Lopez, Gordon Jones, Robert Lowery, Hank Worden, Michael Pate, Edward Faulkner, Leo Gordon, Chuck Roberson, Bob Steele, Edgar Buchanan, H.W. Gim, Aissa Wayne
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (rambunctious slapstick violence)
Run Time: 02h:07m:09s
Release Date: 2005-10-11
Genre: western

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B+	B-	A-	B	B+

 

DVD Review

Finding great personal enjoyment in making North to Alaska, John Wayne chose to make another comedic western, this time the immensely popular McLintock!. Working with three of his children—Michael (who produces), Patrick (who co-stars), and Aissa (who makes a brief appearance)—the Duke turns out a rowdy, now politically incorrect good time at the movies. It's not much on story or subtly, but the joy of the cast and crew glistens on each passing frame of celluloid.

George Washington McLintock (Wayne) is the king of his town, and I mean that literally since the town is actually named after him. Practically every business bears his name, including the drugstore owned by Jake Birmbaum (Jack Kruschen), and G.W.'s ranch is the envy of anybody in the western territory. Just about everybody in town respects and admires the man who embodies the notion of rugged individualism, from the Sheriff (played by Wayne's favorite stuntman, Chuck Roberson) to the town's drunk, Bunny (Edgar Buchanan). McLintock even has surprisingly good relations with the Indian tribes, whose chief is straight out of the great John Ford westerns of the '50s. However, there are two people that don't care for the gruff personality of our title character: the weasely Matt Douglas (Gordon Jones) and, more importantly and severely, McLintock's wife Katie (Maureen O'Hara), who wants a divorce.

I suppose the story, written by James Edward Grant, can be viewed as loosely inspired by Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. G.W. and Katie, who is as snobby as they come, clearly make each other's motors run even though they appear to be polar opposites of one another. It must be in the genes because their college daughter, Becky (Stefanie Powers), returns home and drops Douglas' dolt of a son (Jerry Van Dyke) for McLintock's fresh-faced hand, Devlin Warren (Patrick Wayne). The two couplings exchange both verbal and physical jabs, along with the whole town, as director Andrew V. McLaglen provides entertaining set pieces that make for some of the most delightful fight scenes you'll ever see—most famous of all being the "mud slide" in which the whole town has at it without, as near as I can tell, a single person walking off with a bruise.

There's really very little story here, which will likely turn off many viewers who want to see a movie with a sense of purpose beyond its style. I can appreciate the criticism that McLintock! is superficial and inane, but that's what makes it so endearing. If there is a narrative drive here, then it likely is concerned with getting G.W. and Katie to reconcile before the closing credits. Wayne and O'Hara are one of the best cinematic pairings and the two work well off of one another here, each feeding into the other's feisty demeanor perfectly. This is not your quintessential Duke performance, but he proves he has a taste for comedy—once again proving that he is an actor of tremendous range. One of the most delightful scenes is when McLintock, Katie, and their cook (Yvonne De Carlo) keep falling drunkenly down the stairs.

There are few things that will provide more raucous entertainment than these two hours. McLaglen's direction makes good use of his actors' screen personas, letting them drive the action by keeping his filmmaking restrained (from a technical point-of-view) and relying heavily on their physical presence. The stunt work here is impressive, especially in a rodeo scene, and sells the outlandish fight scenes.

Rating for Style: B+
Rating for Substance: B-

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	2.35:1 - Widescreen
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	yes

Image Transfer Review: The anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen transfer looks awfully nice, with only a few print defects that barely draw attention. Depth and detail are excellent, as are the colors (especially Maureen O'Hara's hair). Contrast is solid and blacks look good, though aren't particularly textured. McLintock! has never looked better on home video.

Image Transfer Grade: A-
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
Mono	English	yes
Dolby Digital 5.1	English	yes

Audio Transfer Review: The newly created Dolby Digital 5.1 mix delivers on the rambunctious nature of the movie. This is a fairly front-heavy mix, with some sound separation and directionality but not too much. However, the audio is juiced up and sounds lively. Dialogue is crisp and always audible. The rear channels are put to good use with the movie's score. Additionally, the movie's original mono mix is included—it's nice to have this preserved.

Audio Transfer Grade: B 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Scene Access with 15 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English with remote access
1 Original Trailer(s)
2 Other Trailer(s) featuring The John Wayne DVD Collection, Batjac Montage
1 Documentaries
2 Featurette(s)
1 Feature/Episode commentary by Leonard Maltin, Andrew McLaglen, Maureen O'Hara, Michael Pate, Stefanie Powers, Frank Thompson, Michael Wayne
Packaging: other
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: RSDL
Layers Switch: 01h:17m:25s

Extra Extras:

1. Introduction by Leonard Maltin—a video introduction by film critic Leonard Maltin that provides information about the movie's participants.
2. Photo Gallery—a collection of still pictures.

Extras Review: An Introduction by Leonard Maltin (02m:39s) offers brief information about the movie and its makers. Maltin mentions how this is one of Wayne's biggest hits commercially and references its effect on director Andrew V. McLaglen's career. Following this is an audio commentary by Maltin, McLaglen, genre historian Frank Thompson, producer Michael Wayne, and stars Maureen O'Hara, Stefanie Powers, and Michael Pate (who plays Chief Puma). Maltin and Thompson recorded their part together, as did Wayne and McLaglen, but it is the former pairing that dominate this track. O'Hara offers the most enjoyable comments, talking about her experiences on the production and personal relationship with the Duke. Maltin and Thompson take a more analytic tone, critiquing the movie and explaining its place in cinematic history. The other participants don't add much in terms of quantity, though Powers and Pate have some interesting anecdotes.

Next is the multi-part documentary The Making of McLintock!. The first part, The Batjac Story Part 2: The Legacy of Michael Wayne (15m:53s), is about the life and work of John Wayne's firstborn son. Every bit as impressive in personalityas his father, Michael's wife Gretchen and son Christopher talk about him, as do many celebrities who worked with him, and their admiration for him is contagious. Not knowing much about Michael's involvement in cancer causes or his relationship to his father, I found this a touching and informative feature. The second part of the larger documentary, Maureen O'Hara and Stefanie Powers Remember McLintock! (13m:18s), is an inter-cutting of the two titular women, who gave separate interviews. O'Hara is charming and the highlight of the featurette, though Powers gives some nice insights into her experiences on the set. A Good Ol' Fashion Fight (10m:50s) features interviews with stunt coordinator Roydon Clark and stuntmen Tom Morga and Wayne Bauer. The three men discuss the revolutions in fight choreography that John Wayne and his team engineered and explain a stuntman's work quite well. All three pieces of the documentary work well together and can be viewed as a whole or separately.

The Corset: Don't Leave Home Without One! (07m:45s) is a rather interesting view of the corset's history and why women would subject themselves to such discomfort. Louise Coffey-Webb of Woodbury University discusses the garment's history and offers her own opinion about the fashion. Another featurette, 2 Minute Fight School (02m:20s), appeals to another timeless fashion trend. Stuntmen Morga and Bauer demonstrate how to throw and react to punches while paying attention to the camera. Most of it seems pretty obvious, but the two enjoy their work so much that this is a rather amusing feature. A brief photo gallery contains stills from the set, posters, and memorabilia. Rounding out the special features are the film's original theatrical trailer, as well as trailers for the John Wayne DVD Collection and one called Batjac Montage.

Extras Grade: B+
 

Final Comments

A solid, loud, and enjoyable outing for the Duke and company, McLintock!: Authentic Collector's Edition is a welcomed inclusion to any John Wayne fan's DVD library. The image and sound transfers give it new life in the medium and the extras round out a very fine package.

Nate Meyers 2005-10-11