John Wayne Maureen O'Hara from lobby card

Maureen O'Hara John Wayne from lobby card

''Rio Grande'' is a 1950 American

romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

film directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

and starring John Wayne and

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was a native Irish and naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for pl ...

. It is the third installment of Ford's "cavalry trilogy", following two

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

releases: '' Fort Apache'' (1948) and ''

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon ''She Wore a Yellow Ribbon'' is a 1949 American Technicolor Western film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne. It is the second film in Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy", along with '' Fort Apache'' (1948) and ''Rio Grande'' (1950). With a bud ...

'' (1949). Wayne plays the lead in all three films, as Captain Kirby York in ''Fort Apache'', then as Captain Nathan Brittles in ''She Wore a Yellow Ribbon'', and finally as a promoted Lieutenant Colonel Kirby Yorke in ''Rio Grande'' (scripts and production billing spell the York character's surname differently in ''Fort Apache'' and ''Rio Grande''). ''Rio Grandes supporting cast features Ben Johnson, Claude Jarman Jr.,

Harry Carey Jr. Henry George Carey Jr. (May 16, 1921 – December 27, 2012) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 90 films, including several John Ford Westerns, as well as numerous television series. Early life Carey was born on a ranch near ...

, Chill Wills, J. Carrol Naish,

Victor McLaglen Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen (10 December 1886 – 7 November 1959) was a British boxer-turned-Hollywood actor.Obituary '' Variety'', 11 November 1959, page 79. He was known as a character actor, particularly in Westerns, and made s ...

, Grant Withers, the Western singing group the

Sons of the Pioneers The Sons of the Pioneers are one of the United States' earliest Western singing groups. Known for their vocal performances, their musicianship, and their songwriting, they produced innovative recordings that have inspired many Western music perf ...

and Stan Jones.

Plot

in the summer of 1879, "fifteen years after the Shenandoah", Lieutenant Colonel Kirby Yorke (Wayne) is posted on the

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

frontier with the 2nd U.S. Cavalry Regiment to defend settlers against attacks by marauding Apaches. Yorke has just captured the Aoache's leader. Heis under considerable pressure due to the Apaches using

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

as a sanctuary from pursuit, and by a serious shortage of troops in his command. Yorke's son (whom he has not seen in 15 years), Trooper Jefferson Yorke ( Claude Jarman Jr.), is one of 18 recruits sent to the regiment. He had flunked out of

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

, but immediately enlisted as a private in the Army. In a private "father-son" meeting in the commanding officer's tent, Trooper Yorke informs his father that he does not expect, nor want, any special treatment because he is his son. He asks that he be treated like any other soldier—to which the colonel agrees. By his willingness to undergo any test and trial, Jefferson is befriended by a pair of older recruits, Travis Tyree ( Ben Johnson) (who is on the run from the law) and Daniel "Sandy" Boone (

), who take him under their wings. Two U.S. marshals from Texas arrive at the post with a warrant for Trooper Tyree's arrest on a manslaughter charge, but he hides behind the horses and the marshals leave without discovering him. Yorke's estranged wife, Kathleen (

), arrives unexpectedly to take the underage Jefferson home by buying him out of his enlistment. During the Civil War, Yorke had been forced by circumstances to burn Bridesdale, his wife's plantation home in the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Rid ...

. Sergeant Major Quincannon (

), who put the torch to Bridesdale, is still with Yorke and is a constant reminder to Kathleen of the episode. In a showdown with his mother, Jeff refuses her attempt to buy him out of the Army by reminding her that not only the commander's signature is required to discharge him, but his own is needed, as well, and he chooses to stay in the Army. The struggle over their son's future (and possibly the attentions shown to her by Yorke's junior officers) rekindles the romance the couple once felt for each other. The Apaches attack the fort one night. Many of them are killed by the awakened troopers, but they succeed in freeing their leader. One of the U.S. marshals return and arrests Tyree and he is confined to the post hospital while they await Yorke's return from patrol to sign the warrant. When Yorke's patrol reaches the Rio Grande, too late to capture the Apaches he was following, he meets a Mexican patrol. They exchange cordialities and both confirm that the US troops cannot cross into Mexico. After his return to the fort, Tyree, with the connivance of the regimental surgeon ( Chill Wills) and Quincannon, breaks jail, steals Yorke's horse, and goes on the run, intending to stay away until the marshal leaves. Yorke is visited by his former

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

commander,

Philip Sheridan General of the Army Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close as ...

( J. Carrol Naish), now Commanding General of the Military Division of the Missouri, the headquarters responsible for pacifying the Great Plains. Sheridan has decided to order Yorke to cross the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio ...

into Mexico in pursuit of the Apaches and kill them all, an action with serious political implications, since it violates the sovereignty of another nation. If Yorke fails in his mission to destroy the Apache threat, he will have to face a court-martial. Sheridan, in quiet acknowledgment of what he is asking Yorke to risk, promises that if it comes to that, "the members of the court will be the men who rode down the Shenandoah with us" during the Civil War. Yorke accepts the assignment. Before Yorke leads his men toward Mexico, he sends the women and children to Ft. Bliss for safety, with an escort including Jefferson. Jefferson and Boone meet Tyree who informs them that there are Apaches in the area. The Apaches attack the wagons and capture the one carrying the children and corporal Bell's wife. While the remaining escort fends of the Apache, Jefferson is sent back to the fort to tell them what has happened. He is nearly caught by three Apaches but is saved by Tyree who was following the escort. The regiment meets the remainder of the escort, which lost four troopers killed, and then follows the Apache. They discover the burnt out wagon and corporal Bell's wife who has been killed, but there is no sign of the children. In the meantime, Tyree rejoins to the regiment and tells them he trailed the Apaches to their hideout in Mexico. Yorke and Tyree then form a plan to rescue the children. After permitting three troopers, Tyree, Boone, and Jefferson, to infiltrate the ruined church in the Mexican village where the Apaches have taken the children, Yorke leads his regiment in an all-out attack. The cavalrymen rescue all of the children unharmed, though Colonel Yorke is wounded by an arrow that he orders Jeff to remove. He is taken back to the fort by his victorious troops, where Kathleen meets him and holds his hand as he is carried on a travois into the post. After Colonel Yorke recovers, Tyree, Boone, Jeff, Navajo Scout Son of Many Mules, and Corporal Bell are decorated. At the ceremony, when one of the Texas marshals reappears, Trooper Tyree is given a furlough to continue his run from the law, stealing General Sheridan's horse for the purpose. As the troops pass in review the regimental band plays ''

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cove ...

'' at the General's request, apparently to please Mrs. Yorke.

Cast

* John Wayne as Lieutenant Colonel Kirby Yorke *

as Kathleen Yorke * Ben Johnson as Trooper Travis Tyree * Claude Jarman Jr. as Trooper Jefferson Yorke *

as Trooper Daniel "Sandy" Boone * Chill Wills as Dr. Wilkins, Regimental Surgeon * J. Carrol Naish as General

as Sergeant Major Quincannon * Grant Withers as Deputy Marshal *

as the Regimental Singers * Peter Ortiz as Captain St. Jacques * Steve Pendleton as Captain Prescott * Karolyn Grimes as Margaret Mary * Alberto Morin as Mexican Lieutenant * Stan Jones as Sergeant * Fred Kennedy as Trooper Heinze

Production

Background

With the completion of '' Wagon Master'', Ford did not want to make another Western. Instead, he wanted to film the Ireland-set

comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

'' The Quiet Man'' with Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, but Herbert Yates, the studio president of

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

, insisted that Ford first make ''Rio Grande'' with the same pairing of Wayne and O'Hara because he thought the script of ''The Quiet Man'' was weak and that the story was of little general interest. Yates insisted that ''Rio Grande'' be made before ''The Quiet Man'', to offset the anticipated losses on that film. When ''The Quiet Man'' was eventually released in 1952, though, it vastly out performed ''Rio Grande'' by grossing $3.8 million in its first year and giving Yates and Republic Pictures one of the top-10 hits of the year.

Writing

The script for ''Rio Grande'' was written by Irish-born screenwriter James Kevin McGuinness. It is based on a short story "Mission With No Record" by James Warner Bellah that appeared in ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...

'' on September 27, 1947. Parts of the story loosely resemble the expedition of the

4th Cavalry Regiment (United States) The 4th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment, whose lineage is traced back to the mid-19th century. It was one of the most effective units of the Army against American Indians on the Texas frontier. Today, the regiment exi ...

under Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie when they conducted a military campaign in Mexico in 1873. McGuinness died in December 1950, just four weeks after the film's premiere in November.

Casting

Former rodeo world champion Ben Johnson had played the leading role in John Ford's '' Wagon Master'', released seven months before ''Rio Grande''. Johnson would later win the

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role while work ...

for his performance in Peter Bogdanovich's '' The Last Picture Show'' in 1971. ''Rio Grande'' was the first of three films directed by Ford starring the pairing of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, followed by ''The Quiet Man'' in 1952 and '' The Wings of Eagles'' in 1957. Wayne and O'Hara also starred together in '' McLintock!'' (1963) and '' Big Jake'' (1971). ''Rio Grande'' marked the uncredited debut of 11-year-old Patrick Wayne, Wayne's second son.

Filming

The film was shot entirely on location in

Moab, Utah Moab () is the largest city and county seat of Grand County in eastern Utah in the western United States, known for its dramatic scenery. The population was 5,366 at the 2020 census. Moab attracts many tourists annually, mostly visitors to th ...

, during the extremely hot summer of 1950. Cast and crew struggled with the heat. Sets and stages had to be built in the difficult conditions, while actors were required to perform their scenes in heavy period costumes. The location shoot was a prime example of Ford's legendary efficiency—according to Ford scholar Tag Gallagher, ''Rio Grande'' was shot in just 32 days, with only 352 takes from 332 camera setups.

Music

The film contains folk songs led by the

, one of whom is Ken Curtis (Ford's son-in-law and best known for his role as Festus Haggen on ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

''). Bob Nolan had previously serenaded

Charles Starrett Charles Robert Starrett (March 28, 1903 – March 22, 1986) was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the ''Durango Kid'' westerns. Starrett still holds the record for starring in the longest series of theatrical features: ...

, lead actor in ''Rio Grande'' directed by Sam Nelson in 1938.

Reception

A review by ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described it as a "familiar story" that "travels a well-rutted road". It was also noted for its similarities to the 1935

epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extr ...

film '' The Lives of a Bengal Lancer''. Praise was given, though, for the Western-style ballads sung by the Sons of the Pioneers. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

the film has a 71% rating based on reviews from 17 critics.

Accolades

The film was recognized by the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

in 2008: AFI's 10 Top 10: Nominated Western film.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rio Grande (Film) 1950 films 1950 Western (genre) films 1950 romantic drama films American black-and-white films American Western (genre) films Films based on short fiction Films directed by John Ford Films scored by Victor Young Films set in 1879 Films set in Texas Films shot in Utah Republic Pictures films Western (genre) cavalry films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films