The War Wagon
Encyclopedia
The War Wagon is a 1967
western
Technicolor
film starring John Wayne
, released by Universal Pictures
, directed by Burt Kennedy
, and adapted by Clair Huffaker
from his own novel. The film, which featured Wayne in one of his few roles as technically a "bad guy" (i.e. acting outside the law), received generally positive reviews. The film is in color and has an aspect ratio
of 2.35:1. The DVD contains extras, including the theatrical trailer and production notes.
) is shot by a gunman for hire, Lomax (Kirk Douglas
), and wrongfully imprisoned. His land and property are then confiscated by corrupt businessman Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot
) who knows gold was discovered on Jackson's ranchlands, and hired Lomax to shoot Taw. Released early from prison, Jackson cuts a deal with Lomax because he's a safe-cracker, to ally against Pierce. Together, they plot to steal a shipment of gold
being transported in a "war wagon," a heavily armored stagecoach armed with a deadly Gatling gun
in a top-mounted steerable turret. They assemble a gang and plan to rob the war wagon at the weakest point in the route it travels. Things don't quite work out as planned. Pierce dies in a shootout with one of his own men trying to escape from the war wagon. Taw still manages to recover a portion of the gold shipment.
1967 in film
The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film.-Events:* December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television....
western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
film starring John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, released by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
, directed by Burt Kennedy
Burt Kennedy
Burt Kennedy was an American screenwriter and director known for mainly directing film Westerns.After World War II service in the 1st Cavalry Division, Muskegon, Michigan-born Kennedy found work writing for radio, then used his training as a cavalry officer to secure a job as a fencing trainer and...
, and adapted by Clair Huffaker
Clair Huffaker
Clair Huffaker was a U.S. author of westerns and other fiction, many of which were turned into films.-Novels:*Cowboy *Flaming Lance *Posse From Hell *Guns of Rio Conchos...
from his own novel. The film, which featured Wayne in one of his few roles as technically a "bad guy" (i.e. acting outside the law), received generally positive reviews. The film is in color and has an aspect ratio
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,...
of 2.35:1. The DVD contains extras, including the theatrical trailer and production notes.
Plot
Rancher Taw Jackson (John WayneJohn Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
) is shot by a gunman for hire, Lomax (Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
), and wrongfully imprisoned. His land and property are then confiscated by corrupt businessman Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot
Bruce Cabot
Bruce Cabot was an American film actor, best remembered as Jack Driscoll in King Kong . He is also known for his roles in films such as the sixth version of Last of the Mohicans, Fritz Lang's Fury and the western Dodge City.-Early life:Cabot was born Etienne Pelissier Jacques de Bujac in Carlsbad,...
) who knows gold was discovered on Jackson's ranchlands, and hired Lomax to shoot Taw. Released early from prison, Jackson cuts a deal with Lomax because he's a safe-cracker, to ally against Pierce. Together, they plot to steal a shipment of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
being transported in a "war wagon," a heavily armored stagecoach armed with a deadly Gatling gun
Gatling gun
The Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. It is well known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat...
in a top-mounted steerable turret. They assemble a gang and plan to rob the war wagon at the weakest point in the route it travels. Things don't quite work out as planned. Pierce dies in a shootout with one of his own men trying to escape from the war wagon. Taw still manages to recover a portion of the gold shipment.
Cast
- John WayneJohn WayneMarion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
as Taw Jackson - Kirk DouglasKirk DouglasKirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
as Lomax - Howard KeelHoward KeelHarold Clifford Keel , known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s...
as Levi Walking Bear - Robert Walker, Jr. as Billy Hyatt
- Keenan WynnKeenan WynnKeenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
as Wes Fletcher - Bruce CabotBruce CabotBruce Cabot was an American film actor, best remembered as Jack Driscoll in King Kong . He is also known for his roles in films such as the sixth version of Last of the Mohicans, Fritz Lang's Fury and the western Dodge City.-Early life:Cabot was born Etienne Pelissier Jacques de Bujac in Carlsbad,...
as Frank Pierce - Joanna BarnesJoanna BarnesJoanna Barnes is an American actress and writer.Barnes was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but moved to Los Angeles, California soon after finishing her education, and took up a contract with Columbia Pictures...
as Lola - Valora NolandValora NolandValora Noland is an American actress, notable for her 1960s movie and television work.-Biography:Valora Noland was born in Seattle, Washington December 8, 1941. Her mother had not yet decided upon a name for her new boy or girl, and caught up in the concerns of the hour , let it go for the moment...
as Kate Fletcher - Bruce DernBruce DernBruce MacLeish Dern is an American film actor. He also appeared as a guest star in numerous television shows. He frequently takes roles as a character actor, often playing unstable and villainous characters...
as Hammond - Gene EvansGene EvansGene Evans was an American actor.He was born in Holbrook, Arizona, but reared in Colton, California. His acting career began while he was serving in World War II. He performed with a theatrical troupe of GIs in Europe. Evans made his film debut in 1947 and appeared in dozens of movies and...
as Deputy Hoag - Terry WilsonTerry Wilson (actor)Terry Wilson was an American actor most noted for his role as "Bill Hawks" in 267 episodes of the NBC and ABC television series Wagon Train...
as Sheriff Strike - Don CollierDon CollierDonald Collier is an American radio personality and a former actor, particularly known for his role in television westerns during the 1960s. He played U.S. Marshal Will Foreman in the 1960-1962 NBC series Outlaws, with Barton MacLane , Jock Gaynor , and Bruce Yarnell...
as Shack - Sheb WooleySheb WooleyShelby F. "Sheb" Wooley was a character actor and singer, best known for his 1958 novelty song "Purple People Eater"...
as Snyder - Ann McCrea as Felicia
- Emilio FernándezEmilio FernándezEmilio "El Indio" Fernández was an actor, screenwriter and director of the cinema of Mexico. He is best known for his work as director of the film Maria Candelaria which won the Grand Prix at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.-Early life:Fernández was born in Mineral del Hondo, Coahuila...
as Calita (as Emilio Fernandez) - Frank McGrathFrank McGrathFrank McGrath was an American television actor who played the comical and optimistic cook, "Charlie Wooster", on the Western television series Wagon Train on, first, NBC and then ABC...
as Bartender - Chuck RobersonChuck RobersonCharles Hugh "Chuck" Roberson was an American cowboy, actor, and stuntman. He was nicknamed "Bad Chuck" by director John Ford, for whom he worked many times, to distinguish him from "Good Chuck," stuntman Chuck Hayward. Roberson was reportedly the rowdier of the two, thus the nicknames.Roberson...
as Brown - Boyd 'Red' Morgan as Early (as Red Morgan)
- Hal NeedhamHal NeedhamHal Needham is an American stuntman and film director.-Early years:Needham was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Edith May and Howard Needham. He was raised in Arkansas and Missouri...
as Hite - Marco Antonio as Chief Wild Horse
- Perla Walters as Rosita
- Chuck HaywardChuck HaywardCharles B. Hayward was an American motion picture stuntman and actor. He was associated particularly with the films of John Wayne...
as Blacksmith (uncredited) - Margarite Luna as Asian girl (uncredited)
- Cliff LyonsCliff Lyons (actor)Clifford William Lyons was an American motion picture stuntman, second-unit director, and actor, primarily of Westerns, particularly the films of John Ford and John Wayne.Lyons, the son of Garrett Thomas Lyons and Wilhamena Johnson Lyons, was raised on a South Dakota farm,...
as Outrider (uncredited) - Miko Mayama as Asian girl (uncredited)
- MidoriMidoriMidori is the Japanese word for "green" and may refer to:- Places :* Midori, Gunma* Midori-ku, Chiba* Midori-ku, Nagoya* Midori-ku, Sagamihara* Midori-ku, Saitama* Midori-ku, Yokohama- People :...
as Asian girl (uncredited) - José Trinidad Villa as Townsman at bar (uncredited)
- Walter Ronald Reid as Townsman at bar (uncredited)