ROOSTER COGBURN.

DIRECTED BY STUART MILLER
A HAL B. WALLIS PRODUCTION
UNIVERSAL PICTURES

173174

INFORMATION FROM IMDb

Plot summary

A small village in the Indian Nation that is run by a Minister Goodnight
and his daughter Eula is overrun by a band of drunken thugs.
They kill and rape the people of the village.
Miss Goodnight then teams up with the ruthless Marshal Rooster J. Cogburn
who goes after them and bring them to justice.

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Martha Hyer written by (as Martin Julien)
Charles Portis character

Full Cast

John Wayne .... Marshal Reuben J. 'Rooster' Cogburn
Katharine Hepburn .... Eula Goodnight
Anthony Zerbe .... Breed
Richard Jordan .... Hawk
John McIntire .... Judge Parker
Richard Romancito .... Wolf
Paul Koslo .... Luke
Jack Colvin .... Red
Jon Lormer .... Rev. George Goodnight
Lane Smith .... Leroy
Warren Vanders .... Bagby
Strother Martin .... Shanghai McCoy
Jerry Gatlin .... Nose
Richard Farnsworth .... Rooster's deputy (scenes deleted)
Tommy Lee .... Chen Lee
Mickey Gilbert .... Hambone (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward .... Jerry (uncredited)
Gary McLarty .... Emmett (uncredited)

Stunts

Jerry Gatlin .... stunt coordinator
Gary Combs .... stunts (uncredited)
Quentin Dickey .... stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Gatlin .... stunts (uncredited)
Mickey Gilbert .... stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward .... stunts (uncredited)
Kevin N. Johnston .... stunts (uncredited)
Gary McLarty .... stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson .... stunt double: John Wayne (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson .... stunts (uncredited)
George Robotham .... stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Summers .... stunts (uncredited)

Other crew
Rexford L. Metz .... photographer: second unit (as Rexford Metz)
Jack N. Green .... assistant camera (uncredited)

Filming Locations

Bend, Oregon, USA

Deschutes National Forest, Oregon, USA

Grants Pass, Oregon, USA

Rogue River, Oregon, USA

Trivia

* Jon Lormer, who plays Katharine Hepburn's father, was only one year older then her.

Goofs

* Errors in geography: The movie is set in Oklahoma, but features unrealistically large mountains.

* The river raft scene, the long shots, with the women obviously replaced by men with wigs,
the positions on the raft, on the studio close ups, not matching with the live shots, it all seemed so wrong!
Fun watching though!

Previous discussion:-
Rooster Cogburn ([Only registered and activated users can see links])

Hi,
351


Well to me, this was TRUE GRIT , Part II,
Not quite as good, but the leading lady, sure was, an improvement!
It was a good script and very well acted, and it was obvious the two stars,
mutually admired one another. This was their only outing together, and it's a pity,
they were not paired before!
It also seemed to me, that this was a western version, of
THE AFRICAN QUEEN
same leading lady, just the man was Duke!
Rating 7/10

Originally posted by ethanedwards@Jan 2 2006, 10:00 AM
Hi ,
Well to me, this was TRUE GRIT , Part II,
Not quite as good, but the leading lady, sure was, an improvement!
24802


If I remember right that was the whole idea behind this movie. To bank on the popularity of the Rooster character for another hit movie. Maybe it was not quite as good as True Grit but I think Kathrine Hepburn in the cast made it all worth while and I still liked the movie. Your right Keith, they should have made more movies together they were wonderful together. Right up there with Duke and Maureen.


Baby Sis

:cowboy: :cowboy: :cowboy:

Baby Sister,

What else can you say about Duke and Kate in the Film, but they were Great Together! :rolleyes: They were planing another film together that was to be called "Someday" but it was not to be. :(

For a Great story about Duke and Kate and the making of "Rooster and the Lady" you can go to the Site Below and just keep Clicking NEXT.

DUKE AND KATE ([Only registered and activated users can see links])

Bill :cowboy:

This is up there among my most favorite John Wayne movies. I truly love seeing John Wayne and Kate Hepburn together! Keith, I couldn't agree with you more, the leading lady is a VAST improvement over True Grit.

My kids always get a big kick out of the scene with the Gatling gun.

Being that I look forward to retiring to southern Oregon, I especially enjoy the scenery from the Rogue River area of Oregon, not far from our property.

Chester :newyear:

I thought this was a really bad movie. The story was bad and they were just too old. I thought it was sort of sad.

I really enjoyed this movie, it was great to see the duke with the patch on again and there was something about hepburn and leading men, it sort of reminded me of her performance with bogart some 25years earlier in The African Queen. There was just something to seeing duke with that gattling gun :agent: .

-IHW

I liked the job Duke does with Rooster Cogburn in both movies, but what sets them apart is the leading ladies. That is the one I cannot stand in True Grit is the girl who played in it. I laugh alot with this movie, I guess that's one reason I enjoy John Wayne movies because they usually have a good story, action, and humor.

I have always enjoyed this pairing of Katherine Hepburn and John Wayne...and yes I would have enjoyed seeing them in dozens of films together. She is truly a remarkable actress in so many ways, as the Duke is as an actor. You can see the chemistry between them in so many scenes. And the scenery is beautiful too, makes one want to retire to southwestern Oregon with a Gatlin Gun.

Roger.

Memorable Quotes

Eula Goodnight : I do not fear a skunk. I simply do not care for its odor.
Rooster Cogburn : It's payday, boys, come and get it!

INFORMATION IMDb

Rooster has lots of promise but it was a watered down film because of the age of
Duke & Katherine.

Nice to see Strother Martin make a repeat performance admittedly as a different character from the one he played in True Grit .


Mike

Hi,
I have been researching all the threads, back to the start of the JWMB,
looking for previous discussion, relating to the movies.
I have found the following, comments, and have copied them here,
so that they are now under one forum:-

Rooster Cogburn..., And Katharine Hepburn

A Girl Named Jen*
post Sep 21 2003, 02:18 PM

I watched (most of) Rooster Cogburn yesterday. (Is it called Rooster Cogburn, or Rooster Cogburn... and the Lady?) Anyhoo, I thought it was immensely enjoyable - not his best movie, certainly, but lots of fun and I greatly enjoyed the interplay between he and Kate Hepburn. Here you've got two people who seem like complete opposites and yet really seem to have a great deal of respect for each other. I wonder if this translated to their off-screen working relationship too; I like to think so.

Of course, there were lots of elements in it that reminded me a great deal of The African Queen - the movie KH made with Humphrey Bogart, where he played a hard-drinking "sinner" and she played a "Bible-beating" spinster.

Can someone help me with the exact quote from KH's little speech at the end of the film? She talks about Rooster's big bear paws and his one sparkling eye and tells him that he's a credit to the male sex. I found it incredibly touching and it almost brought tears to my eyes. I think it expresses how a lot of ladies feel about Duke. :wub:
Sue D Nim*
post Sep 21 2003, 05:33 PM

Hi, Jen. I'm new here. Nice to meet you.

That always brings a lump to my throat, too. John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn are two of my very favorites, and every minute of watching them together is a treat. I agree, there are tons of similarities between this movie and The African Queen (another of my favorites of hers .. hmm, I wonder if there's a forum as good as this for Katharine Hepburn fans?).

I looked up the exact wording, and I'm pretty sure this is accurate:

I look at you with your burnt out face and your big belly and your bear like paws and your shining eye, and I have to say, you’re a credit to the whole male sex. And I’m proud to have you for my friend.

Don't you just love that speech? It's when she gets to "shining eye," and her voice catches and a tear shines in her eye, that gets to me every time.

As for the title, I think it was released under both titles, "Rooster Cogburn" in the U.S., and "Rooster Cogburn and the Lady" elsewhere. Somebody else can probably verify this better than I can. I don't know why they do that to movies! They do it to books, too.

- Sue
smokey*
post Sep 22 2003, 12:29 PM

hi jen and sue

down under that movie was released under both names and i know what you mean about name changes they did that to one of our movies called "mad max" down under but in the US it was known as "the road warrior" i think it has something to do with appeal to the different countries that is why they change the names of books and movies

cheers smokey
A Girl Named Jen*
post Sep 22 2003, 01:39 PM

Thanks so much, Sue! Welcome! I'm pretty new here as well but it already feels nice & cosy & homey.

So pull up a chair and set a spell by the fire. :)

Thanks for the quote! A[Only registered and activated users can see links] I love it. Yes, KH looked like she had tears in her eyes there and it felt so real. When you've got such great actors working together you're bound to have something special.

In The African Queen, I get a lump in my throat when Rose says, "Dear, what is your name?" He says "Charlie," and she says "Charlie. It's a nice name!" or something to that effect. Simple things can be so beautiful sometimes!

Here's a quote from chester, regarding it's filming locations:-

chester7777*
post Aug 13 2003, 06:43 AM

Here is a little more detailed list, from IMDb -

Filming Locations for Rooster Cogburn (1975)

Bend, Oregon, USA

Deschutes National Forest, Oregon, USA

Grants Pass, Oregon, USA

Rogue River, Oregon, USA


Some of our favorite country, we're hoping to retire to the Rogue River area of Oregon in the future. :rolleyes:

Chester
Below are a couple of more links:-

Critic Time: True Grit and Rooster Cogburn ([Only registered and activated users can see links])

Rooster Cogburn ([Only registered and activated users can see links])

As I've mentioned before, this is one of my favorite JW movies. As previous posts have indicated, it's an easy to find film on DVD -

Deep Discount DVD ([Only registered and activated users can see links]) has both the movie and also movie posters (which they offer for many movies).

Amazon ([Only registered and activated users can see links]) offers a variety, including VHS, DVD, and books.

Most of these are probably available on ebay, but it's hard to beat these prices, especially when you figure in the shipping (free at DDD, and free on Amazon if you buy $25 or more of qualifying merchandise).

Chester :newyear:

I really enjoyed this movie, it is one of my favourite Duke films, one of those big reasons is the pairing with Katherine Hepburn and it was good to see Rooster back again!

I thought that this was a prettly flat movie and Dukes worst since 'The Undefeated'. Duke himself said that the story was stale and the script poor bit he though two spirtited performances from him and Hepburn could bring the movie up a notch or two.

While Duke and Hepburn are excellent as well as the scenary everything else is wrong. Too much time is spent with the bad guys whom pose no threat whatsoever and the finale is quite poor.

This is a rather boring movie from John Wayne and one that I try to avoid, thankfully he had one good movie left in him after this one a minor little western called 'The Shootist'.

:agent:

Originally posted by Robbie@Feb 10 2006, 05:52 PM
I thought that this was a prettly flat movie and Dukes worst since 'The Undefeated'. Duke himself said that the story was stale and the script poor bit he though two spirtited performances from him and Hepburn could bring the movie up a notch or two.

While Duke and Hepburn are excellent as well as the scenary everything else is wrong. Too much time is spent with the bad guys whom pose no threat whatsoever and the finale is quite poor.

This is a rather boring movie from John Wayne and one that I try to avoid, thankfully he had one good movie left in him after this one a minor little western called 'The Shootist'.

:agent:
26924


I think that Robbie's analysis is spot-on, to the point where I'll just echo his comments. The banter between Wayne and Hepburn is memorable and the wilderness scenery is majestic, but the direction is flat and stilted, the script is dull and simplistic, the camerawork is static, and the acting aside from Wayne and Hepburn is largely banal. Thankfully, Wayne would finish on a more engaging note with The Shootist (Don Siegel, 1976).

Have to agree with you on this one. Whilst Hepburn and Wayne portrayals are strong with John reprising one of his best characters in Rooster Cogburn the whole movie has the flavour of a TV movie with poor support from the other actors and weak storyline and direction.

From reading a number of histories of the John Wayne films I think a sequel to True Grit was talked about from 1970 onwards. Its a shame that the opportunity wasnt available to make it happen when John was in better health, with a better script and a more experienced and talented director.

However , on closing it does have redeeming features and I wouldnt consider it his worst western.


Mike

Compared with True Grit, Rooster Cogburn fairs pretty badly in my opinion. Theres a lack of urgency in the screenplay, and a stronger director and script was needed in order to make this movie a respectable sequel to 'True Grit'.

Does anyone know why better directors such as Rydell and Hathaway were not available?

Robbie

:agent:

Originally posted by DukePilgrim@Aug 14 2006, 03:55 AM
. . . it does have redeeming features and I wouldnt consider it his worst western.
33565
I consider the Oregon scenery among the redeeming features, and of course, as others have mentioned, the interaction between Katherine Hepburn and Duke. Too bad they couldn't have been in more movies together.

Chester :newyear:

In this movie I'm very much like the dialog between Duke and Hepburn and beautiful nature of course. Watched it one more time recently and enjoyed. Can't agree that it is one of the worst pictures at all.
Regards,
Senta :rolleyes:

Vera;

I agree with You. Most Films are meant to be Fun to Watch, and some Films are meant to be Art. Rooster Cogburn is just Fun to Watch. :D

How can Anyone Forget Duke as "Rooster Cogburn and and His Lady Hepburn" and the Magic Between Them!!! :rolleyes:

They must of done Something Right, ;) here we are talking about the Film that was made over 30 Years Ago. :o

You can go to ROOSTER AND THE LADY ([Only registered and activated users can see links]) For Pictures and Story. :rolleyes:

Bill :cowboy:

Dear Bill,
Thanks for the support. I'm glad that we have the same view at that point. It's true - it is fun to watch.
Regards,
Vera :rolleyes:

Hey Vera and Bill,

I'm with you guys on this movie as well.

Most Films are meant to be Fun to Watch, and some Films are meant to be Art.

Yep, and Duke did both kinds; I enjoy them both, but watch the fun films, like "Rooster Cogburn" the most. This is to me a very good, very entertaining film. I think it's John Wayne at his comedic best.

By the way, Bill, thanks for all of the links and stories. Very interesting stuff.

Zane

I thought that this was great and laughed as I read it.

The only trouble with Rooster Cogburn, Deputy Marchal for the U.S. District Court for the Western Division of Arkansas, having criminal jurisdiction over the Indian Nation, was that he had perfect vision: 86--12.

(The 86 was proof of Bourbon; the 12 was the percentage of Beer.)

But mind you, this was with one eye. The other, now covered by a black eye patch, was .45 at the time of it's departure.

(That was the caliber of the handgun that dispatched it to obscurity.)

But Rooster Cogburn persevered! Since he could see only half as much, he drank twice as much.

And since he could see only one at a time, he shot twice as many outlaws.

Rooster, however, put up with these small adversities and concentrated on the bigger things in life--like his belly and badmen.

He was awsome in both respects. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Duke's Movie Locations- Oregon

DESCHUTES NATIONAL FOREST

Deschutes National Forest ([Only registered and activated users can see links])

Hi Keith,
Thank you for the beautiful photos of Oregon. Were are you finding all this great stuff and information?
Regards,
Vera :rolleyes:

Wow, Keith, you are working overtime, providing us with all this great information on the filming locations. GREAT scenery!! Thanks!

Chester :newyear:

Rooster tended to be off on his geography. How did he find all those mountains and canyons in Arkansas and Oklahoma in both "Rooster Cogburn" and "True Grit?" I'm not really complaining - loved the scenery in both movies!
Cheers - Jay:beer:

I hope everyone is enjoying the Film Facts, which have been compiled by Clive Woollands (member chisum2), who has given me permission to copy and paste them from his Yahoo forum. In the next week or two, he will be adding them to the respective movie thread himself, and continuing about every other week.

Here we go again. I have another film fact for you. If you have
anything to add to these facts, please do so.

Rooster Cogburn.

Producer: Hal B. Wallis. Screenplay: Martin Julien. Cinematographer:
Harry Stradling Jnr. Art director: Preston Ames. Composer: Laurence
Rosenthal. Editor: Robert Swink. Costume designers: Edith Head,
Luster Bayliss. Distribution: Universal Pictures. Location: Oregon,
USA. Box office takings (US): $8 million. Date of production: 1975.

Jon Lormer, who plays the Reverend Goodnight, was only a year older than Katherine Hepburn, who played his daughter.

The name on the screenplay credit is Martin Julien, but that is actually a pseudonym used by producer Hal Wallis's wife, Martha Hyer.

Rooster's ill-fated deputy in the opening sequence was played by stuntman and actor Richard Farnsworth, but his scenes with Wayne were all cut. Farnsworth went on to find fame in later life as the star on The Straight Story (1999).

The film was also known as Rooster Cogburn and the Lady, a fact that has led some people to mistakenly believe that there were 3 Cogburn films and not 2.

During shooting Wayne suffered a cut eyebrow and a black eye after trying to teach his 8-year-old daughter Marisa how to swing a golf club (he didn't step back quickly enough when she tried to swing). Fortunately, the damage was to his left eye and the patch he had to wear as Rooster covered it up nicely.

Wasn't Martha Hyer also an actress?


Mike

She sure was,

here is the IMDB

Martha Hyer ([Only registered and activated users can see links])

Wasn't Martha Hyer also an actress?
Yes, and she appeared in The Sons of Katie Elder with Duke, as the character Mary Gordon (the one they gave the mother's Bible and rocking chair to).

Thanks Chester

I knew I remembered the name from somewhere.

Mike

This is one of my favorite movies.

I hope you enjoy seeing this poster ~

2049

It's such a shame they took so long to make this film. If only they had filmed "Rooster Cogburn" in about 1971 then they could have made "Sometime" in 1974. As it is, Katharine Hepburn had good chemistry with Duke, even though she was far too old for her part. I think they should have made her father her brother, since they were the same age.

I agree Quirt if they had followed up True Grit with a sequel a year later it would have been a much better movie. A stronger director and cast would have improved things tremendously as well. The movie does it have it moments but as Rooster says" it aint a patch on the original"

Mike

Here's a example of the screenplay in book form. Enjoy!

Mark

[Only registered and activated users can see links]