The Undefeated (1969)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

James Lee Barrett (screenplay)
Stanley Hough (story)
(more)

Release Date:

27 November 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

After the Civil War, ex-Union Colonel John Henry Thomas and ex-Confederate Colonel James Langdon are...

Plot Keywords:

American Civil War | Bandit | Horse | Mexican Revolution | Mexico

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Oct. 18

11:00 AM

AMC

Cast

John Wayne	...	Col. John Henry Thomas
Rock Hudson	...	Col. James Langdon
Antonio Aguilar	...	Juarista Gen. Rojas (as Tony Aguilar)
Roman Gabriel	...	Blue Boy (John Henry's Cherokee Indian adopted son)
Marian McCargo	...	Ann Langdon
Lee Meriwether	...	Margaret Langdon
Merlin Olsen	...	Cpl. Little George, CSA
Melissa Newman	...	Charlotte Langdon
Bruce Cabot	...	Sgt. Jeff Newby CSA
Jan-Michael Vincent	...	Lt. Bubba Wilkes CSA (as Michael Vincent)
Ben Johnson	...	Short Grub
Edward Faulkner	...	Capt. Anderson, CSA (Col. Langdon's aide)
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Soloman Webster (Thomas rider)
Paul Fix	...	Gen. Joe Masters
Royal Dano	...	Maj. Sanders, CSA (one-armed major)
Richard Mulligan	...	Dan Morse
Carlos Rivas	...	Diaz
John Agar	...	Christian
Guy Raymond	...	D.J. Giles (government purchasing agent)
Don Collier	...	Goodyear (Thomas rider)
Big John Hamilton	...	July Mudlow (cowardly Langdon party member)
Dub Taylor	...	McCartney (Thomas outfit cook)
Henry Beckman	...	Thad Benedict (carpetbagger who tries to buy Langdon plantation)
Víctor Junco	...	Maj. Tapia
Robert Donner	...	Judd Mailer
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.	...	Escalante (as Pedro Armendariz Jr.)
James Dobson	...	Cpl. Jamison, CSA
Rudy Diaz	...	Sanchez
Richard Angarola	...	Mr. Petain (Maximilian's representative)
James McEachin	...	Jimmy Collins (black carpetbagger with Benedict)
Gregg Palmer	...	Ezra Parker (government purchasing agent)
Juan García	...	Col. Gomez
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bob Gravage	...	Bobby Jo Hicks (Thomas rider) (uncredited)
Kiel Martin	...	Union corporal who brings message that the war is over (uncredited)
Hal Needham	...	Yankee corporal at river crossing (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	...	Yankee sergeant at river (uncredited)

Directed by
Andrew V. McLaglen

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
James Lee Barrett		screenplay
Stanley Hough		story (as Stanley L. Hough)
Lewis B. Patten		novel (uncredited)

Produced by
Robert L. Jacks	....	producer

Original Music by
Hugo Montenegro

Cinematography by
William H. Clothier		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Robert L. Simpson		(as Robert Simpson)

Art Direction by
Carl Anderson

Set Decoration by
Chester L. Bayhi
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Bill Thomas

Makeup Department
Edith Lindon	....	hair stylist
Leo Lotito Jr.	....	makeup artist (as Leo Lotito)
Daniel C. Striepeke	....	makeup supervisor (as Dan Striepeke)
Dave Grayson	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Clarence Eurist	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Cunningham	....	assistant director

Sound Department
David Dockendorf	....	sound
Richard Overton	....	sound

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
Art Cruickshank	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Hal Needham	....	stunt coordinator
Denny Arnold	....	stunts (uncredited)
Stan Barrett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Bullock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Burk	....	stunts (uncredited)
William H. Burton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tap Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Roydon Clark	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Couch	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Couch	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alan Gibbs	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunts (uncredited)
Kent Hays	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Hudkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Clyde Hudkins Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary McLarty	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hal Needham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Nuckles	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Orrison	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
J.N. Roberts	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Robotham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Wally Rose	....	stunts (uncredited)
Danny Sands	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred M. Waugh	....	stunts (uncredited)
Walter Wyatt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Ziker	....	stunts (uncredited)

Music Department
Hugo Montenegro	....	conductor
Herbert W. Spencer	....	orchestrator (as Herbert Spencer)
Kenneth Hall	....	music editor (uncredited)

Other crew
'Chema' Hernandez	....	livestock coordinator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1969) (USA) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1969) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1969) (France) (theatrical)
• CBS Television (1972) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (19??) (USA) (DVD)
• Fox Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Fox Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Magnetic Video (video)

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | French

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Australia:PG (TV rating) | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rated) | West Germany:16 (f) (original rating) | New Zealand:PG | Finland:K-12 | South Korea:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:G | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

During filming John Wayne fell from his horse and fractured three ribs. He couldn't work for almost two weeks. Then he tore a ligament in his shoulder and couldn't use one arm at all. The director, Andrew V. McLaglen, could only film him from an angle for the rest of the picture. His only concern throughout was not to disappoint his fans, despite being in terrible pain.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: After the Civil War (1861-65) when the cowboys are around the campfire, Webster talks of sending a letter and that it could go Pony Express. The Pony Express dissolved in October of 1861. It also did not go into South Texas where the cowboys apparently where traveling.

Quotes:

Col. John Henry Thomas: [Thomas and Langdon are talking to the Mexican bandit] Is the flap on your holster snapped or unsnapped, my Confederate friend?
Col. James Langdon: Snapped, my Yankee friend.
Col. John Henry Thomas: Then, I guess I'm his pigeon.
[Draws and fires as the Mexican goes for his gun]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Jan-Michael Vincent Is My Muse (2002)

The conversation sorta dried up

"The Undefeated" is perhaps the finest of John Wayne's later westerns, "True Grit" excepted and taking into consideration that "Big Jake" is nothing to slouch at.

"The Undefeated" is the Duke's biggest large-scale epic since "The Alamo" a decade earlier. The battle scenes and the shots of the horse drive are stirring and impressive.

Another thing that separates this film from other post-1965 Wayne westerns (except for "The Cowboys") is the dialog. It's sharp, crisp, witty and often fun.

Here's a good example of that sharp, wityt & pointed dialogue: John Wayne and Rock Hudson had just returned to their camp after being forced to kill a Mexican bandit leader, who with his gang wanted Rock & Duke's valuables, their horses and their women. When one of the women asks the Duke why he had to kill him, he replied matter of factly, "The conversation dorta dried up." Classic stuff!

And Hugo Montenegro's memorable score is terrific. It helps perpetuate the whole notion that this is indeed an epic western.

"The Undefeated" is long on length and even longer on entertainment. This is a grand western.