The Sons of Katie Elder was released by Paramount Pictures on June 24th, 1965. Directed by Henry Hathaway it stars John Wayne and Dean Martin. Inspired by true events, the film tells the story of four brothers who return home for their mother's funeral only to find that she was cheated out of her land by an unscrupulous businessman who is bent on taking over the territory the very night their father was mysteriously murdered.
The original script by William H. Wright was based on the story of the Marlow brothers. As in the film, the brothers were involved in a local feud and framed for robbery. They did fight their way out of an ambush (while still handcuffed) while being transported to Weatherford, Texas (Laredo in the film) for trial. Unlike the film their were five brothers in real life, three of whom were killed (in the film one dies and the fate of two others remains uncertain). The sheriff, in the film, is shot in the back by the bad guys but in realty he was accidently shot by one of the brothers during an altercation. The two deputies, honorable men in the film, were in reality in league with the criminals and both survived the ambush only to be tried for conspiracy to murder. Dean Martin's character, in the film, is wanted for killing a disgruntled barkeep who took a shot at him. The real brother, Boone Marlow, had killed a man named James Holstein who had allegedly been hired to intimidate settlers. Also, their mother was still alive during all of these events...
In any case the script went through quite a few changes before the film was made. The final version is credited to Allan Weiss, Harry Essex and Talbot Jennings in addition to Wright. When Paramount bought the script in 1955 John Sturges was going to direct the picture and Alan Ladd was slated as the lead. After Ladd backed out the project was put on hold for several years before being reborn as a John Wayne vehicle.
It's a solid western with Wayne in top form as the eldest brother, John Elder. John, an infamous gunslinger, is torn throughout the film between his sense of honor in tracking down his father's killer and his sense of guilt for living a violent life that his mother never approved of. Dean Martin brings his unique sense of charm to the role of Tom Elder. A gambler and troublemaker, of the bunch Tom is the most self-serving. Michael Anderson Jr. is overshadowed by his more famous co-stars as the youngest son Bud Elder, who Katie saved up to send to college, hoping to preserve the family name in some way. Finally, Earl Holliman is all but invisible as the middle brother Matt, a failing hardware dealer who wants to leave a better legacy for his deceased mother.
James Gregory brings his usual sense of deviousness to Morgan Hastings, the ambitious businessman who swindled the Elder's father out of his land while George Kennedy is positively dripping with menace as the hired gunfighter Curley. Paul Fix imbues the Sheriff, Billy Wilson, with a real sense of authority and sympathy in contrast to his overeager and temperamental deputy Ben Latta, played by Jeremy Slate. Martha Hyer brings spunk and a sense of matter-of-fact kindness to the role Mary Gordon, the owner of the boarding house who was a good friend of Katie before she passed on. Dennis Hopper, Rhys Williams, John Doucette, Strother Martin and Sheldon Allman are also featured in small but memorable roles.
Henry Hathaway, a veteran director at this point, does a fine job behind the camera. The action is particularly well done with the ambush at the bridge being a highlight. Lucien Ballard, who would go on to shoot many of Sam Peckinpah's most famous movies, puts in some strong work on this, his third film with Hathaway. He beautifully captures the New Mexican landscape and does a great job with the night shooting, which is particularly heavy in this film. Composer Elmer Bernstein, meanwhile, provides yet another rousing score.
The film's biggest shortcoming is Earl Holliman's Matt, the second oldest brother, who is simply not as well defined a character as his three brothers. This is not Holliman's fault, he simply didn't have enough to work with. The most we glean about Matt Elder is that he loved his mother and, like John, is invested in honoring her memory, suggesting they buy a monument for her grave and later fully supporting John in his desire to complete Bud's college education. By the time the third act rolls around and he is tragically killed, we really haven't learned much else. Another issue is that, while the climax is magnificent, the film's denouement is a little rushed and doesn't quite manage to tie up all the loose ends. George Kennedy's gunfighter, who has a growing rivalry with Wayne as the film goes on, has a rather anticlimactic death. The Elder's also clear their name in a somewhat contrived manner. Finally the film leaves certain plot threads hanging. Does Bud go to college? Does Mary fall for John? Do the brothers ever deliver Striker's horses?
Though it falters a little in the last act, The Sons of Katie Elder is still a solid western with a fantastic cast, solid direction, and a memorable score from Elmer Bernstein.
Score: 8/10
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