The Undefeated (1969)

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:

Colonel | Mexico | Civil War | Bandit | Horse

Cast

John Wayne	...	Col. John Henry Thomas
Rock Hudson	...	Col. James Langdon
Antonio Aguilar	...	Juarista Gen. Rojas (as Tony Aguilar)
Roman Gabriel	...	Blue Boy
Marian McCargo	...	Ann Langdon
Lee Meriwether	...	Margaret Langdon
Merlin Olsen	...	Cpl. Little George
Melissa Newman	...	Charlotte Langdon
Bruce Cabot	...	Sgt. Jeff Newby
Jan-Michael Vincent	...	Lt. Bubba Wilkes (as Michael Vincent)
Ben Johnson	...	Short Grub
Edward Faulkner	...	Capt. Anderson
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Soloman Webster (Thomas rider)
Paul Fix	...	Gen. Joe Masters
Royal Dano	...	Maj. Sanders (one-armed major)
Richard Mulligan	...	Dan Morse
Carlos Rivas	...	Diaz
John Agar	...	Christian
Guy Raymond	...	D.J. Giles
Don Collier	...	Goodyear (Thomas rider)
Big John Hamilton	...	July Mudlow (cowardly Langdon party member)
Dub Taylor	...	McCartney
Henry Beckman	...	Thad Benedict
Víctor Junco	...	Maj. Tapia
Robert Donner	...	Judd Mailer
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.	...	Escalante (as Pedro Armendariz Jr.)
James Dobson	...	Corp. Jamison
Rudy Diaz	...	Sanchez
Richard Angarola	...	Mr. Petain (Maximilian's representative)
James McEachin	...	Jimmy Collins
Gregg Palmer	...	Ezra Parker
Juan García	...	Col. Gomez
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Barbara Faulkner	...	Mrs. Anderson (uncredited)
Barbara Faulkner	...	Anderson's Daughter (uncredited)
Jan Faulkner	...	Anderson's Daughter (uncredited)
Leslie Faulkner	...	Anderson's Daughter (uncredited)
Bob Gravage	...	Bobby Jo Hicks (uncredited)
John Hudkins	...	Whit (uncredited)
Kiel Martin	...	Union corporal with 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

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)
Jack Hayes	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)
Leo Shuken	....	additional orchestrator (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)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (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)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

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 | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | 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:

According to director Andrew V. McLaglen, his first choice for the role of Colonel James Langdon was James Arness, who was willing to do it but backed out just before shooting began. Rock Hudson was brought in as his replacement.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Mrs. Langdon wants to break up the brawl that broke out in the Fourth of July celebration, she grabs a rifle and fires three shots into the air in quick succession. The rifle she used was a single-shot carbine, which requires that the shooter manually eject the shell and reload between each shot. It would have been impossible to fire three shots as quickly as she did without ejecting and reloading.

Quotes:

Col. James Langdon: [on finding his men still in uiform] Captain, it is my impression that General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox some weeks ago; yet everywhere I look I see men in uniform with the battle flag still flying! Take it down!

Movie Connections:

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

THE UNDEFEATED (Andrew V. McLaglen, 1969) **1/2

The late, great British film critic Leslie Halliwell’s verdict on Howard Hawks’ EL DORADO (1966) – “Easy going, semi-somnolent, generally likable but disappointing Western…an old man’s movie all around” – is a bit harsh in my view but it does rather aptly describe John Wayne’s films from DONOVAN’S REEF (1963) onwards – with a couple of obvious exceptions. This, then, is one from that professionally made, solidly entertaining and unassuming bunch; despite having been shown on TV several times over the years, it is not one that I had been familiar with prior to this viewing.

The third of five films the Duke would make with director Andrew V.McLaglen, it is not the best but not the worst either: actually, it has a surprisingly good premise – in post Civil War days, a band of Northerners (led by Wayne, naturally) take to rustling horses and selling them to the highest bidder; when that happens to be Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, they take a hard ride down Mexico way which pits them against several odds: the U.S. and the rebel Juaristas-aiding French armies (who both want to take possession of their herd), as well as a proud group of Confederates (led by a somewhat uncomfortable Rock Hudson) who have been promised shelter from Maximilian himself. During the course of the journey, tensions and friendships flare up as Wayne’s adopted Native American son falls for Hudson’s daughter and both parties engage in a free-for-all drunken fistfight (a pre-requisite John Wayne movie ingredient, especially at this stage in his career) to celebrate the 4th of July. However, when Hudson and his men reach Maximilian territory, they are abducted by the Juaristas who demand the exchange of Wayne’s horses for the Southerners’ lives. Will they comply?

The immediate post-Civil War backdrop provides James Lee Barrett’s script with something to say about tolerance and patriotism; the rugged, larger-than-life action is set in sprawling locations (Louisiana and Durango, Mexico) expertly lighted by frequent Wayne cinematographer William H. Clothier and set to an appropriately grandiose Hugo Montenegro score. The film (running a longish 118 minutes) loses some momentum in the second half and the romantic/youthful interest here is a particular liability – but this is countered by some good quips, delivered in Wayne’s typically dry fashion (especially his classic excuse to shooting a bandit he was supposed to just have a talk with: “The conversation kinda dried up, ma’am”)!

Of course, it would not be a John Wayne movie if it did not have the benefit of a number of reliable character actors featured in the cast and here we have a pretty colorful one, too: Ben Johnson, Bruce Cabot, Harry Carey Jr., Paul Fix, Royal Dano, John Agar, Dub Taylor and Pedro Armendariz Jr; prominent supporting roles are also offered to a very young Jan-Michael Vincent and two professional American football stars, Roman Gabriel and Merlin Olsen. Interestingly enough, Hudson’s role was originally intended for another of Wayne’s stock company of character actors, James Arness; again, Wayne was injured during the making of the film (forcing the director to shoot him from a limited number of angles) but he, ahem, soldiered on because he felt he owed his fans a good show!