Red River - Howard Hawks [1948 ]
Black and white. John Wayne 41, Montgomery Clift at 28. Tom Dunson and Matt Garth lead a Cattle Drove 1000 miles Texas to Missouri. Garth was the survivor of a raid that killed the other members of his wagon train and adopted by Dunson. As the drive begins he is a lithe young man.
From the Borden Chase book:
Blazing Guns On The Chisholm Trail
And even before the drive begins the contest between Matt Garth and the turncoat Cherry Valance is established. Who's the quickest draw must be established and the results are usually deadly.
I've yet to read the book but Hollywood likes happy endings and the movie has one. Johnny Boggs subsequent novel tells a different story.
If nine thousand cattle were driven down main street the after cleanup and the stink must have been massive. The little wood burning steam train shown in the movie would have taken years to transport that many cattle. Feeding that many cattle would have denuded the surrounding countryside but this was the movies.
The Book
Regret not reading it first. As expected Hollywood mashed the plot completely. A cattle drive with Texas Longhorns there was. River crossings, stampedes and death. And what remained of the crew made Abilene and found a railway. And a legend was born.
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