

The Sons of Katie Elder
From the four winds they came, the four brothers, their eyes smoking and their fingers itching...
The four sons of Katie Elder reunite in their hometown of Clearwater, Texas for her funeral and discover that the family ranch is now in the hands of Morgan Hastings, a corrupt businessman who wants to exploit the area around the town.
Runtime
2h 2m
Language
EN
Budget
$6.5M
Revenue
$23M
Cast
Faces behind the story

John Wayne
John Elder

Dean Martin
Tom Elder

Martha Hyer
Mary Gordon

Michael Anderson Jr.
Bud Elder

Earl Holliman
Matt Elder

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Gallery
Frames that sell the world






Reviews
Audience signals
The Magnificent Four! John, Tom, Matt and Bud, these are the Elder boys, who upon meeting up at the funeral of their recently deceased mother, find that their father may have been murdered over a card game. The boys must cast off sibling rivalries and find out just what has been happening in their childhood town of Clearwater, Texas. Unfairly given harsh treatment upon its release by the critics and beset with behind the scenes problems, The Sons Of Katie Elder actually holds up rather well in this day and age. All the required traits are in the film to make it an oater of some worth, a splendid cast with as much macho beef as you can shake a stick at, a top Elmer Bernstein score, the wonderful use of the Casa Blanca location and a revenge driven plot of some note. So why is it hard to actually sell this picture to the staunch Western crowd? Well coming as it did in 1965 it certainly has something of a modern sheen to it, an uneasy bed fellow with the wild west theme of the picture. The casting of the brothers just about works, but Michael Anderson Jr (Bud) and Earl Holliman (Matt) do seem to be overawed by the presence of John Wayne (John) and Dean Martin (Tom), meaning as a foursome it never quite gets to being a tight acting unit. The length of the picture may also be an issue to some? Long periods of inaction work to me personally because the characters (family unit) are gaining much needed depth, but for those wanting guns a toting at frequent intervals are not exactly catered for. Yet what action there is surely more than makes it worth the viewers patience? From the Duke swinging a nice piece of hickory to a wonderful riverside shootout, Henry Hathaway's Western is not found wanting for memorable sequences, in fact if you ask me then the mere sight of the Duke blasting away with a six shooter in each hand is a truly blood pumping joy, and don't get me started on a delightful Dean Martin scene as he raffles his glass eye! So all in all it's not without its itches, but as 60s Westerns go, The Sons Of Katie Elder is a hugely enjoyable picture to enjoy by the fireside on a Sunday afternoon. 7/10
When "John" (John Wayne) returns home for the funeral of his mother and to reunite with his three brothers, he sets the cat amongst the pigeons. It turns out that their ranch now belongs to gunsmith "Hastings" (James Gregory) and with their father having been shot in the back, they start to investigate. Now "John" is a notable man with a gun, so tensions heighten when "Curley" (George Kennedy) arrives in town as a bit of muscle for the ambitious "Hastings". It's all a little predictable this but it builds to quite an explosive denouement and there's an enjoyable degree of chemistry between Wayne and kid brothers "Tom" (Dean Martin) and the baby of the pack "Bud" (Michael Anderson Jr) who has a notion to put a marble angel on top of his mother's grave - that or an horse. What ensues delivers quite an entertaining western with plenty of shoot 'em ups, quite a menacing baddie and a pretty wimpish Dennis Hopper in there too. It's a solidly written and paced action adventure that showcases some of the less laudable elements of the pioneering spirit - with plenty of splinters.
Recommendations
Films that continue this mood and momentum.

Duel in the Sun
1946 / Western, Drama

Nevada Smith
1966 / Western

Giant
1956 / Drama, Western

Gunman's Walk
1958 / Western

Red River
1948 / Western

The Searchers
1956 / Western

Tall in the Saddle
1944 / Western

Cat Ballou
1965 / Western, Comedy

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
1962 / Western

Man in the Shadow
1957 / Thriller, Drama

Bandidas
2006 / Action, Comedy

McLintock!
1963 / Western, Comedy

Ramrod
1947 / Western

The Furies
1950 / Western

Rancho Notorious
1952 / Drama, Western

Rio Bravo
1959 / Western, Drama

Legends of the Fall
1994 / Drama, Western

No Name on the Bullet
1959 / Action, Thriller

Hud
1963 / Drama, Western

Barbarosa
1982 / Western, Action
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The Outlaw Josey Wales
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Legends of the Fall
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Nevada Smith
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The Man from Thunder River
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Shanghai Knights
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Guns of Hate
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Navajo Joe
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The Wonderful Country
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Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
1954 / Comedy, Drama

Powderkeg
1971 / Action, Adventure

Six-Gun Rhythm
1939 / Western

The Homesman
2014 / Western, Drama

Border Roundup
1942 / Western

Carry On Cowboy
1965 / Comedy, Western

5 Card Stud
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