The War wagon - wikipedia The War wagon For other uses, see War Wagon. The War Wagon Theatrical release poster Directed by Burt Kennedy Produced by Marvin Schwartz Written by Clair Huffaker ( novel and screenplay ) Starring John Wayne Kirk Douglas Howard Keel Robert Walker Jr. Keenan Wynn Bruce Dern Gene Evans Joanna Barnes Bruce Cabot Music by Dimitri Tiomkin Cinematography William H. Clothier Edited by Harry W. Gerstad Jim Clark Production company Batjac Productions Distributed by Universal Pictures Release date May 27, 1967 ( 1967 - 05 - 27 ) Running time 101 minutes Country United States Language English Box office $9,528,000 The War Wagon is a 1967 Western film starring John Wayne and Kirk Douglas, released by Universal Pictures, directed by Burt Kennedy, produced by Marvin Schwartz, and adapted by Clair Huffaker from his own novel. The supporting cast includes Howard Keel, Robert Walker Jr., Keenan Wynn, Joanna Barnes and Bruce Dern. The picture received generally positive reviews. Filming took place in Sierra de Órganos National Park in the town of Sombrerete, Mexico Wayne and Douglas had earlier made In Harm 's Way ( 1965 ) and Cast a Giant Shadow ( 1966 ) together within the previous rwo years. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Comic book adaptation 5 Reception 5.1 Box office 5.2 Critical response 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Plot Rancher Taw Jackson ( John Wayne ) returns to his hometown to settle a score ; he was released early for good behavior. Three years earlier, he was framed by corrupt businessman Frank Pierce ( Bruce Cabot ) and wrongfully imprisoned ; Pierce then appropriated Jackson 's land, where he discovered gold. Jackson has returned to steal a shipment of gold from Pierce. He hires Lomax ( Kirk Douglas ) to assist him, even though Lomax had worked as a hired gun for Pierce and was instrumental in sending Jackson to prison. Jackson needs Lomax not only because of his marksmanship, but also because he is a safecracker. The gold shipment is being transported in a `` war wagon '', a heavily armored stagecoach armed with a deadly Gatling gun in a top - mounted steerable turret. Jackson and Lomax assemble a gang and plan to rob the war wagon at the weakest point in the route it travels. Things do not quite work out as planned. Pierce dies in a shootout with one of his own men trying to escape from the war wagon. The wagon crashes into a ravine, Lomax opens the safe, and the men move the gold into a separate wagon. However, before they can haul it away, a group of Kiowas try to take it from them. During the ensuing gunfight, the horses are spooked and run away with the wagon, and most of the gold is lost as a result. Nevertheless, Taw manages to recover a portion of it, and they agree to meet in six months to divide it, since `` it would n't be very smart to flash gold around after a robbery ''. Cast John Wayne as Taw Jackson Kirk Douglas as Lomax Howard Keel as Levi Walking Bear Robert Walker Jr. as Billy Hyatt Keenan Wynn as Wes Fletcher Bruce Cabot as Frank Pierce Joanna Barnes as Lola Valora Noland as Kate Fletcher Bruce Dern as Hammond Gene Evans as Deputy Hoag Terry Wilson as Sheriff Strike Don Collier as Shack Sheb Wooley as Snyder Ann McCrea as Felicia Emilio Fernández as Calita ( as Emilio Fernandez ) Frank McGrath as Bartender Chuck Roberson as Brown Boyd `` Red '' Morgan as Early ( as Red Morgan ) Hal Needham as Hite Marco Antonio as Chief Wild Horse Perla Walters as Rosita Production The film was based on the Claire Huffaker novel Badman which was published in 1957. He later said he wrote the novel in ten days. In September 1962 Huffaker announced he would adapt the novel into a script at Producers Studio for his own Lucifer Productions. They were also going to make Guns of Rio Conchos, The Day Before Tomorrow and Ship on Highway 7. The project eventually went to Universal. Huffaker spent three months writing the script. In June 1966 John Wayne announced he had signed a two picture deal with Universal, the movies being The War Wagon and The Green Berets. The film would be a co production between Wayne 's company, Batjac, and producer Marvin Schwartz. It was the eleventh book of Huffaker 's that he had sold to the movies. As a result Trident Publishing put him under contract to write a book a year for five years. In July 1967 Kirk Douglas was announced for the co-starring role. The same month Burt Kennedy signed to direct. Filming started 19 September 1967 and went for q2 weeks. The film was shot in Durango, Mexico and Curubusco Studios in Mexico City. `` We have great, manly cynical humor going for us now, '' said Wayne. One cute scene and we 're dead. '' He added that `` We 're gaining a day every week. This combined Hollywood and Mexican crew is great. If we can come home a week under schedule, we 'll all be home with our families for turkey dinner. '' Huffaker was present on set for the first and last three weeks of production. While there he made a number of further changes to the script. Kennedy said he let Wayne direct himself. Comic book adaptation Dell Movie Classic : The War Wagon ( September 1967 ) Reception Box office Movie poster by Howard Terpning The film opened at number one at the domestic box office in 1967. It grossed $9,563,000 in total, making it a success. One account called it a `` smash success ''. Critical response The War Wagon was met with generally positive reviews from critics. Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, who called it `` that comparative rarity, a Western filmed with quiet good humor. It is also a point of departure for John Wayne, who plays a bad guy for just about the first time in his career. '' The movie holds an 83 % `` Fresh '' score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 6 reviews. See also List of American films of 1967 John Wayne filmography References Jump up ^ `` Big Rental Films of 1967 '', Variety, 3 January 1968 p 25. Please note these figures refer to rentals accruing to the distributors. Jump up ^ https://www.imdb.com/search/title?locations=Sierra%20de%20Organos,%20Sombrerete,%20Zacatecas,%20Mexico Jump up ^ Western : Roundup By HOFFMAN BIRNEY. New York Times ( 1923 - Current file ) ; New York, N.Y. ( New York, N.Y ) 04 Aug 1957 : BR11. ^ Jump up to : The One - Man Revolt in Hollywood Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times 13 Aug 1967 : c14. Jump up ^ Entertainment : Barbara Eden Forms Own Film Company Los Angeles Times 4 Sep 1962 : C13. Jump up ^ Kirk Douglas Will Produce and Star Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times ( 1923 - 1995 ) ; Los Angeles, Calif. ( Los Angeles, Calif ) 24 June 1966 : c13. Jump up ^ Film Shapes Up for Beatles Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 7 July 1966 : c15. Jump up ^ Hope, Diller Team for ' Lam ' Los Angeles Times 18 July 1966 : c25. Jump up ^ ' The War Wagon ' Rolls in Mexico Los Angeles Times 9 Oct 1966 : B13. Jump up ^ THE LAST COWBOY SAINT : `` Marion Michael Morrison is an old man... but when he bellows you know he 's still John Wayne '' COWBOY SAINT Goldstein, Richard. Los Angeles Times 5 Feb 1967 : a20. Jump up ^ A Hard Ride to Top of Western Heap : BURT KENNEDY Thomas, Kevin. Los Angeles Times ( 1923 - 1995 ) ; Los Angeles, Calif. ( Los Angeles, Calif ) 29 Aug 1967 : d1. Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger ( 1 June 1967 ). `` The War Wagon ''. Retrieved 21 March 2018. Jump up ^ Dell Movie Classic : The War Wagon at the Grand Comics Database Jump up ^ Dell Movie Classic : The War Wagon at the Comic Book DB External links The War Wagon on IMDb The War Wagon at AllMovie The War Wagon at the TCM Movie Database Films directed by Burt Kennedy The Canadians ( 1961 ) Mail Order Bride ( 1964 ) The Rounders ( 1965 ) The Money Trap ( 1965 ) Return of the Seven ( 1966 ) Welcome to Hard Times ( 1967 ) The War Wagon ( 1967 ) Support Your Local Sheriff ! ( 1969 ) Young Billy Young ( 1969 ) The Good Guys and the Bad Guys ( 1969 ) Dirty Dingus Magee ( 1970 ) The Deserter ( 1971 ) Support Your Local Gunfighter ( 1971 ) Hannie Caulder ( 1971 ) The Train Robbers ( 1973 ) Sidekicks ( 1974 ) All the Kind Strangers ( 1974 ) Shootout in a One - Dog Town ( 1974 ) The Killer Inside Me ( 1976 ) Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid ( 1978 ) ( TV ) Wolf Lake ( 1978 ) The Alamo : 13 Days to Glory ( 1987 ) The Trouble with Spies ( 1987 ) Once Upon a Texas Train ( 1988 ) Big Bad John ( 1990 ) Suburban Commando ( 1991 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_War_Wagon&oldid=866059552 '' Categories : 1967 films English - language films 1960s heist films 1960s Western ( genre ) films American films American heist films American Western ( genre ) films Films adapted into comics Films directed by Burt Kennedy Films produced by John Wayne Films scored by Dimitri Tiomkin Batjac Productions films Universal Pictures films Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Français Italiano Lietuvių Nederlands Polski Português Русский Svenska Українська 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 28 October 2018, at 00 : 20 ( UTC ). 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Question: where was the movie war wagon filmed at
Answer: in Sierra de Órganos National Park in the town of Sombrerete, Mexico