Other Titles • The Sons of Katie Elder • Die Vier Söhne der Katie Elder (1966)
Synopses for The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
1.
John Wayne recovered from his first bout with cancer to appear in this 1965 film as the brother of Dean Martin, Earl Holliman, and Michael Anderson Jr. All four characters are wandering souls prone to trouble, but after the funeral of their frontier mother, they set out to avenge her death. Directed by Henry Hathaway (Wayne's director on True Grit), the film moves like a conventional, latter-day Western, with good performances from Wayne and Martin, who'd already costarred with the Duke in Howard Hawks's Rio Bravo. Nice support from Dennis Hopper (who had a legendary conflict with Hathaway on this film), Strother Martin, and George Kennedy. --Tom Keogh
2.
In this action-packed Western, three wandering sons return home to attend the funeral of their mother, Katie Elder, who's been murdered. The brothers then set their sights on the man responsible for her death, as well as for the death of their father, who was killed six months earlier. They receive help from a fourth brother, who has remained at home. However, getting revenge won't be easy because the culprit, who has also gained possession of the family's ranch, will do anything to stop them--including hiring an assassin to kill the oldest brother, John. This classic late-era John Wayne Western features a musical score that bears a suspicious resemblance to the MAGNIFICENT SEVEN theme. (Both were written by Elmer Bernstein.) Also starring in Henry Hathaway's excellent cast are Dean Martin, Earl Holliman, James Gregory, George Kennedy, and Dennis Hopper.
3.
Katie Elder bore four sons. The day she is buried they all return home to Clearwater, Texas, to pay their last respects. John Wayne is the eldest and toughest son, the gunslinger. Tom (Dean Martin) is good with a deck of cards and good with a gun when he has to be. Matt (Earl Holliman) is the quiet one - nobody ever called him yellow...twice. Bud (Michael Anderson, Jr.) is the youngest. Any hope for respectability lies with him. Directed by Henry Hathaway (True Grit), an acknowledged master of the Western, the story has a dual theme: not only is this a he-man's story, but it is also a drama of the maternal influence of Katie Elder, movingly portrayed from beginning to conclusion.
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