Loosely based on Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” “McLintock!” is one of my dad’s favorite John Wayne films. In my quest to broaden my knowledge of classic Hollywood, I gave this one a try.
Wayne stars as G. W. McLintock, a cattle baron who owns a town. Well, he doesn’t own all of it, but just about, and it’s named after him, too. With all that wealth and prestige, you’d think he’d have it made in the shade, but he doesn’t. His estranged wife Kate (Maureen O’Hara) really is a shrew. They were much happier in the days before he struck it rich, but as the money rolled in, Kate began to place herself higher in society and has turned into a real snob. She left him two years previously, accusing him of adultery, but I think he was pretty glad to get rid of her.
Their daughter, Becky (Stefanie Powers) has been away at school, and her parents are expecting her return. This and only this brought Kate back to town. She wants to see Becky and take her home with her, but McLintock has other ideas. He thinks Becky should stay on the ranch with him. Kate isn’t amused, but she decides to stay and see what can be worked out.
She’s really not amused at some of the changes that have taken place on the ranch in her absence. The new cook is a beautiful widow, and Kate immediately accuses the woman of making eyes at McLintock. She feels G. W. has gotten a little high-handed with how he’s run things, but what else was he supposed to do? She wasn’t there to do it.
When Becky comes home from school, things really get complicated as the parents vie for her custody, discuss divorce, and break up the hanging of an Indian. All in all, they make a good team, but neither one of them really wants to admit that.
I liked the story, much better than I did “The Quiet Man,” starring the same actors. However, I really felt that Maureen O’Hara overacted this role. She was supposed to be an uptight control-freak, but her gestures and the way her voice carried reminded me more of a play on Broadway than a filmed movie.
This film was not rated.
Related Blogs:
What Really Killed John Wayne?