This is another laid-back action Western from The Duke’s twilight period with a more ambitious scope than usual, since it features historical figures like John Simpson Chisum (the part played by Wayne), Pat Garrett (played by Glenn Corbett) and Billy The Kid (played by Geoffrey Deuel).
Rather than having the typical token appearance by cronies, it provides substantial roles for Ben Johnson (as Wayne’s mumbling sidekick), Forrest Tucker (effectively cast against type as the villain), Bruce Cabot (as the corrupt sheriff), Richard Jaeckel (as Tucker’s lead henchmen), Christopher George (as a trigger-happy replacement for Cabot), Abraham Sofaer (as an Indian chief) and, most surprising of all perhaps, Patrick Knowles (as Wayne’s best friend and fellow patriarch). Having said that, the film is too often side-tracked by the bland affairs of the younger generation – including Garrett and the Kid who, of course, both vie for the hand of Wayne’s niece! It’s interesting to watch Ben Johnson participating in these old-fashioned type of Westerns, when a year earlier he had played a major role in Sam Peckinpah’s ground-breaking THE WILD BUNCH (1969) – a film which both John Wayne and Howard Hawks disliked! CHISUM features an innovative illustrated credit sequence – although Wayne’s stoic posture in the opening and closing shots evokes more unintended mirth than the expected emotion! The busy climax, then, takes in an over-extended but fairly exciting shootout, an outbreak of fire, a fistfight (between Wayne and Tucker), and even a cattle stampede. In the end, this emerges as predictable but good-natured fun – with a flavorful score by Dominic Frontiere which is, unfortunately, occasionally interrupted by some awful country-ish tunes. Incidentally, it was while working on this film that John Wayne won his Golden Globe Award for TRUE GRIT (1969) and learned that he was up for an Academy Award for it (which he proceeded to win as well).
Apart from a promotional featurette (discussed below), the Warners DVD of CHISUM includes a full-length Audio Commentary by director McLaglen which, basically, details the goings on behind-the-scenes – with special mention of the Durango locations (standing in for New Mexico) and, of course, his long-running association with Wayne (in all, they made 5 movies together). It isn’t one of the most compelling Commentaries I’ve heard, but I didn’t expect it to be either.
JOHN WAYNE AND "CHISUM" (TV) (Elliot Geisinger and Ronald Saland, 1970) **1/2
A nine-minute TV special made to promote the release of CHISUM (1970) – available as a supplement on Warners’ DVD of the John Wayne/Andrew V. McLaglen Western – it gives some background on the historical figure of cattle baron John Simpson Chisum and also delineates just how Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid (his friends, but soon to be sworn enemies of each other) came to be involved in his struggle against unscrupulous landowners. Apart from providing rare behind-the-scenes footage of Wayne and company at work in a number of key scenes from the film, at one point, the star is even shown parading the Oscar he had just won for TRUE GRIT (1969)!
Rather than having the typical token appearance by cronies, it provides substantial roles for Ben Johnson (as Wayne’s mumbling sidekick), Forrest Tucker (effectively cast against type as the villain), Bruce Cabot (as the corrupt sheriff), Richard Jaeckel (as Tucker’s lead henchmen), Christopher George (as a trigger-happy replacement for Cabot), Abraham Sofaer (as an Indian chief) and, most surprising of all perhaps, Patrick Knowles (as Wayne’s best friend and fellow patriarch). Having said that, the film is too often side-tracked by the bland affairs of the younger generation – including Garrett and the Kid who, of course, both vie for the hand of Wayne’s niece! It’s interesting to watch Ben Johnson participating in these old-fashioned type of Westerns, when a year earlier he had played a major role in Sam Peckinpah’s ground-breaking THE WILD BUNCH (1969) – a film which both John Wayne and Howard Hawks disliked! CHISUM features an innovative illustrated credit sequence – although Wayne’s stoic posture in the opening and closing shots evokes more unintended mirth than the expected emotion! The busy climax, then, takes in an over-extended but fairly exciting shootout, an outbreak of fire, a fistfight (between Wayne and Tucker), and even a cattle stampede. In the end, this emerges as predictable but good-natured fun – with a flavorful score by Dominic Frontiere which is, unfortunately, occasionally interrupted by some awful country-ish tunes. Incidentally, it was while working on this film that John Wayne won his Golden Globe Award for TRUE GRIT (1969) and learned that he was up for an Academy Award for it (which he proceeded to win as well).
Apart from a promotional featurette (discussed below), the Warners DVD of CHISUM includes a full-length Audio Commentary by director McLaglen which, basically, details the goings on behind-the-scenes – with special mention of the Durango locations (standing in for New Mexico) and, of course, his long-running association with Wayne (in all, they made 5 movies together). It isn’t one of the most compelling Commentaries I’ve heard, but I didn’t expect it to be either.
JOHN WAYNE AND "CHISUM" (TV) (Elliot Geisinger and Ronald Saland, 1970) **1/2
A nine-minute TV special made to promote the release of CHISUM (1970) – available as a supplement on Warners’ DVD of the John Wayne/Andrew V. McLaglen Western – it gives some background on the historical figure of cattle baron John Simpson Chisum and also delineates just how Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid (his friends, but soon to be sworn enemies of each other) came to be involved in his struggle against unscrupulous landowners. Apart from providing rare behind-the-scenes footage of Wayne and company at work in a number of key scenes from the film, at one point, the star is even shown parading the Oscar he had just won for TRUE GRIT (1969)!