El Dorado ( 1966 film ) - wikipedia El Dorado ( 1966 film ) This article is about the 1966 film. For other uses, see El Dorado ( disambiguation ). El Dorado Theatrical release poster Directed by Howard Hawks Produced by Howard Hawks Screenplay by Leigh Brackett Based on The Stars in Their Courses 1960 novel by Harry Brown Starring John Wayne Robert Mitchum James Caan Charlene Holt Paul Fix Music by Nelson Riddle Cinematography Harold Rosson Edited by John Woodcock Production company Laurel Productions Distributed by Paramount Pictures Release date December 17, 1966 ( 1966 - 12 - 17 ) ( Japan ) June 7, 1967 ( 1967 - 06 - 07 ) ( USA ) Running time 126 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $4,653,000 Box office $5,950,000 ( US / Canada ) El Dorado is a 1966 American Western film produced and directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. Written by Leigh Brackett and loosely based on the novel The Stars in Their Courses by Harry Brown, the film is about a gunfighter who comes to the aid of an old friend -- a drunken sheriff struggling to defend a rancher and his family against another rancher trying to steal their water. The gunfighter and drunken sheriff are helped by an aging Indian fighter and a young gambler. The supporting cast features James Caan as the young gambler, Charlene Holt, Ed Asner, Paul Fix, Arthur Hunnicutt, Michele Carey, and Christopher George. El Dorado was filmed on location in Tucson, Arizona and Kanab, Utah, and was shot in Technicolor. The paintings in the credits are by artist Olaf Wieghorst, who makes a brief appearance as Swede Larsen in the film. The musical score was composed by Nelson Riddle. Paramount Pictures delayed the release of the film in the United States to avoid competing against another Paramount film, Nevada Smith with Steve McQueen. The film was first released in Japan on December 17, 1966, and was finally released in the United States on June 7, 1967. The film received critical praise and was successful at the box office, generating North American rentals of $5,950,000 on box - office receipts of $12 million. El Dorado is the second of three films directed by Hawks about a sheriff defending his office against belligerent outlaw elements in the town, after Rio Bravo ( 1959 ) and before Rio Lobo ( 1970 ), both also starring Wayne in approximately the same role. The plotlines of all three films are almost similar enough to qualify El Dorado and Rio Lobo as remakes. Dean Martin had portrayed the drunken sheriff in Rio Bravo, preceding Mitchum in the part, while Walter Brennan played the wild old man role later rendered by Arthur Hunnicutt, and Ricky Nelson appeared as a gunslinging newcomer similar to Caan in El Dorado. Members of the Western Writers of America chose the film 's theme as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Poem 5 Reception 5.1 Critical response 6 Comic book adaption 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Plot Cole Thornton, a gunslinger - for - hire, is hired by wealthy rancher Bart Jason to help him in a range war with the McDonald family in the Texas town of El Dorado. The local sheriff, an old friend of Thornton, J. P. Harrah gives Cole more details that Jason had deliberately left out, including the possibility of having to side against Harrah. Unwilling to fight his friend, Thornton quits, to the relief of saloon owner Maudie, who is in love with Thornton ( and was for a time a romantic interest of Harrah 's ). The McDonalds learn of Thornton 's presence in town. Fearing that he might come for them, Kevin McDonald puts his youngest son, Luke, on guard. When Thornton passes by on his way back from rejecting Jason 's offer, Luke, who has fallen asleep, wakes and fires a wild warning shot whereupon Thornton reflexively shoots him. Luke is still alive when Thornton finds him, but he refuses treatment based upon the belief that a gut - shot man would n't have a chance anyway and commits suicide when Thornton turns his back on him. Thornton subsequently brings the boy 's body to the McDonald ranch and offers an explanation. The only McDonald daughter, Joey, impulsively rides off before Thornton can finish his story and ambushes him shortly thereafter. Her shot is not fatal, but the bullet lodges next to Thornton 's spine and in time begins to trouble him by occasionally pressing against the spinal cord, causing temporary paralysis of his right side. The local doctor, Dr. Miller, does not have the skill to remove the bullet and Thornton soon departs El Dorado for a new job. Several months later, Thornton runs into another gunslinger - for - hire named Nelson McLeod and a young greenhorn named Mississippi, who has come for revenge against one of McLeod 's men for the murder of his old friend and mentor, Johnny Diamond. McLeod has been hired by Jason for the same job Thornton turned down and Thornton hears from McLeod about how Harrah has turned into a drunk after an unhappy love affair. Thornton decides to return to El Dorado, hoping to save Harrah from being gunned down by McLeod and his men. He is followed by Mississippi who also wishes to help, despite his lack of experience and terrible aim with a gun. Once Thornton and Mississippi arrive in El Dorado, they hear more of the story behind Harrah 's change. The two men then join with Deputy Sheriff Bull in order to get Harrah sober and cleaned up. Mississippi contributes an old folk recipe for a hangover that he learned from Johnny Diamond, promising it will make any man unable to drink liquor for a while. The concoction proves to be violently effective, and leaves Harrah sober and furious. Within a day of their arrival, McLeod and his men also come to El Dorado and are hired on by Bart Jason. When one of them shoots one of the McDonalds, Thornton, Harrah, Bull and Mississippi chase the shooter and his friends into an old church and then into Jason 's saloon. Harrah arrests Jason and takes him to the jail for his part in the shooting of the McDonald. Later that night, Thornton and Mississippi decide to patrol the town in the hope of keeping the peace and are deputized by Bull. There is another shoot - out with McLeod and his men, which results in a minor leg injury for Harrah. The next day, Maudie sends a message to Thornton and his friends, stating that McLeod 's men are frightening her and her patrons. When Thornton and Mississippi go to help her, they are ambushed and Thornton has an attack that leaves him partially paralyzed and captured by McLeod. Subsequently, McLeod trades the injured Thornton for Bart Jason, a trade to which Harrah agrees, despite knowing that doing so will mean that nothing will stand in the way of McLeod going after the McDonalds. Sure enough, McLeod and his men shortly thereafter kidnap one of the McDonalds in order to force Kevin McDonald to sign over his water rights to Jason. Thornton and the others are forced to quickly come up with a plan to rescue Kevin McDonald 's son and neutralize Jason and McLeod. Despite Thornton 's paralysis and Harrah 's leg injury, the two of them, along with Bull and Mississippi, return to town on wagons. While Thornton distracts Jason and McLeod outside of the front of the saloon, Mississippi, Harrah and Bull attack from the rear. The kidnapped McDonald is rescued, with a little help from Joey McDonald. Jason, McLeod and his men are killed, and order is restored to El Dorado. Thornton also begins to imply that he may discontinue his wandering ways in order to stay in the town with Maudie. Cast John Wayne as Cole Thornton Robert Mitchum as Sheriff J.P. Harrah James Caan as Alan Bourdillion Traherne, nicknamed `` Mississippi '' Charlene Holt as Maudie Paul Fix as Dr. Miller Arthur Hunnicutt as Bull Harris Michele Carey as Josephine `` Joey '' MacDonald R.G. Armstrong as Kevin MacDonald Ed Asner as Bart Jason Christopher George as Nelson McLeod Marina Ghane as Maria Robert Donner as Milt ( McLeod gang ) John Gabriel as Pedro Johnny Crawford as Luke MacDonald Jim Davis as Jim Purvis ( Bart Jason 's foreman ) Adam Roarke as Matt MacDonald John Mitchum as Elmer ( Jason 's bartender ) Chuck Roberson as Jason 's gunman Don Collier as Deputy Joe Braddock Olaf Wieghorst as Swede Larsen Production Leigh Brackett wrote the original script which she described as `` the best script I had ever done in my life. It was n't tragic, but it was one of those things where Wayne died at the end. '' However she says the closer they got to production `` the more we got into doing Rio Bravo over again the sicker I got, because I hate doing things over again. And I kept saying to Howard I did that, and he 'd say it was okay, we could do it over again. '' Mitchum later said, `` When Howard called me, I said, ' What 's the story ? ' and he said, ' No story, just characters ' and that 's the way it was. Did one scene, put it away, did another, put it away. '' Shot at Old Tucson Studios just west of Tucson, Arizona, as well as in and around Kanab, Utah, from October 1965 to January 1966, the film was Wayne 's 138th picture and was actually filmed before The War Wagon, but its release was delayed so that Paramount 's Nevada Smith with Steve McQueen would not have to compete with a John Wayne film at the box office. El Dorado finally reached the theatres in June 1967, a month after The War Wagon had opened. Film footage from El Dorado was later incorporated into the opening montage of Wayne 's final film, The Shootist, to illustrate the backstory of Wayne 's character. Director Don Siegel used no scenes from any film shot before 1948 in The Shootist 's frontispiece even though Wayne 's career as a leading man began in 1930 with Raoul Walsh 's lavish widescreen epic The Big Trail and had continued throughout the following two decades. Cinematographer Harold Rosson had retired in 1958, but Hawks persuaded him to come back to work. In a 1970 interview with Leonard Maltin, Rosson said, `` I was out of my mind I 'd ever quit, '' but went back into retirement -- for good -- afterwards, citing his age as a reason ( 75 at the time of the interview ). Caan was somehow unable to pronounce the word `` boldly '' as he recited `` Ride boldly ride '' during the course of the film, leaving audience members unfamiliar with Poe 's poem to wonder what or whom `` bodie '' was. In the film, Mississippi gives Sheriff Harrah a concoction meant to deter him from further drinking. The ingredients include ( among others ) Cayenne pepper, ipecac ( an emetic ), mustard, croton oil ( which induces diarrhea ), asafoetida ( often misspelled acifedida ) and gunpowder. The movie marked the only time Wayne and Mitchum worked together in a theatrical film unless one counts The Longest Day, an ensemble epic in which they share no scenes. Poem The poem repeated in the film and paraphrased in the theme song is `` Eldorado '', a ballad poem by Edgar Allan Poe. Reception Critical response The film maintains a high critical praise, earning a 100 percent perfect rating on review compiler Rotten Tomatoes, based on 14 reviews. Popular critic Roger Ebert gave the film a near - perfect rating at 3 1 / 2 out of four stars, stating `` El Dorado is a tightly directed, humorous, altogether successful Western, turned out almost effortlessly, it would seem, by three old pros : John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and director Howard Hawks ''. Praised film poll, They Shoot Pictures, Do n't They ? ranked the film 799 out of 1,000 for the list of greatest films of all time. Comic book adaption Dell Movie Classic : El Dorado ( October 1967 ) See also List of American films of 1967 List of American films of 1966 John Wayne filmography References Notes Jump up ^ Please note these figures refer to rentals accruing to the distributors. Citations Jump up ^ Dick 2001, p. 105. Jump up ^ `` Big Rental Films of 1967 ''. Variety, January 3, 1968, p. 25. Jump up ^ `` El Dorado, Box Office Information. '' The Numbers. Retrieved : April 16, 2012. Jump up ^ McCarthy, p. 625. Jump up ^ Western Writers of America ( 2010 ). `` The Top 100 Western Songs ''. American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Jump up ^ `` Tangent Online Presents : An Interview with Leigh Brackett & Edmond Hamilton, Interviewers : Dave Truesdale and Paul McGuire III Location : Minneapolis, Minnesota Event & Date : Minicon 11, April 16 - 18, 1976 accessed 28 May 2014 Jump up ^ Frank Broughton, ed. ( 1998 ). Time Out Interviews 1968 - 1998. Penguin. p. 168. ISBN 0140279636. Jump up ^ Davis, 1998, pp. 274 -- 275. Jump up ^ `` El Dorado. '' Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved : February 7, 2014. Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger. `` El Dorado. '' RogerEbert.com, August 4, 1967. Retrieved : February 7, 2014. Jump up ^ `` The 1,000 Greatest Films. '' theyshootpictures. com. Retrieved : February 7, 2014. Jump up ^ Dell Movie Classic : El Dorado at the Grand Comics Database Jump up ^ Dell Movie Classic : El Dorado at the Comic Book DB Bibliography Davis, Ronald L. ( 1998 ). Duke : The Life and Image of John Wayne. Norman : University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978 - 0806133294. Dick, Bernard F. ( 2001 ). Engulfed : The Death of Paramount Pictures and the Birth of Corporate Hollywood. Lexington : The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978 - 0813122021. McCarthy, Todd ( 1997 ). Howard Hawks : The Grey Fox of Hollywood. New York : Grove Press. ISBN 978 - 0802115980. External links El Dorado on IMDb El Dorado at the TCM Movie Database El Dorado at AllMovie El Dorado at the American Film Institute Catalog Films directed by Howard Hawks The Road to Glory ( 1926 ) Fig Leaves ( 1926 ) Cradle Snatchers ( 1927 ) Paid to Love ( 1927 ) A Girl in Every Port ( 1928 ) Fazil ( 1928 ) The Air Circus ( 1928 ) Trent 's Last Case ( 1929 ) The Dawn Patrol ( 1930 ) The Criminal Code ( 1931 ) Scarface ( 1932 ) The Crowd Roars ( 1932 ) Tiger Shark ( 1932 ) Today We Live ( 1933 ) The Prizefighter and the Lady ( 1933 ) Viva Villa ! ( 1934 ) Twentieth Century ( 1934 ) Barbary Coast ( 1935 ) Ceiling Zero ( 1936 ) The Road to Glory ( 1936 ) Come and Get It ( 1936 ) Bringing Up Baby ( 1938 ) Only Angels Have Wings ( 1939 ) His Girl Friday ( 1940 ) Sergeant York ( 1941 ) Ball of Fire ( 1941 ) Air Force ( 1943 ) The Outlaw ( 1943 ) ( uncredited ) To Have and Have Not ( 1944 ) The Big Sleep ( 1946 ) Red River ( 1948 ) A Song Is Born ( 1948 ) I Was a Male War Bride ( 1949 ) The Big Sky ( 1951 ) Monkey Business ( 1952 ) O. Henry 's Full House ( 1952 ) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ( 1953 ) Land of the Pharaohs ( 1955 ) Rio Bravo ( 1959 ) Hatari ! ( 1962 ) Man 's Favorite Sport ? ( 1964 ) Red Line 7000 ( 1965 ) El Dorado ( 1966 ) Rio Lobo ( 1970 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=El_Dorado_(1966_film)&oldid=853718834 '' Categories : 1966 films English - language films 1967 films 1960s Western ( genre ) films American Western ( genre ) films Films about alcoholism Films based on American novels Films based on Western ( genre ) novels Films directed by Howard Hawks Paramount Pictures films Screenplays by Leigh Brackett Films shot in Arizona Films shot in Utah American films Siege films Films adapted into comics Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2015 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français Italiano Lëtzebuergesch Magyar Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska 中文 11 more Edit links This page was last edited on 6 August 2018, at 15 : 22 ( UTC ). 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Question: who played mississippi in the movie el dorado
Answer: James Caan