Rio Grande (movie)
"Rio Grande" (1950) is the third installment of John Ford's "cavalry trilogy" ("Fort Apache"; (1948), "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon"; (1949), are the first two). John Wayne stars in all three films, in the first one "Fort Apache", as Captain Kirby Yorke (York), then as Capt. of Cavalry Nathan Cutting Brittles in "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon", finally as a promoted Lieutenant Colonel Kirby Yorke (York) in "Rio Grande".
John Ford wanted to make "The Quiet Man" (1952) first, but the man pulling the purse strings at Republic Pictures (1935-1959), Herbert (Herb) Yates, insisted that Ford make "Rio Grande" first, using the same combination of Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. Yates didn’t feel that the script of "The Quiet Man" was that good, and wanted "Rio Grande" out first to pay for "The Quiet Man". To Yates’s surprise "The Quiet Man" would become Republic’s number one film, garnering twelve award nominations (including five Academy Award nominations-one for Best Picture and a win for Best Director for Ford from the Directors Guild of America) and becoming a favorite of Ford/Wayne fans.
In "Rio Grande" Col. Yorke is posted on the frontier to defend settlers against renegade Apaches. Col. Yorke is under incredible stress between the Apaches and the young-raw recruits sent to the post. Tension is added when Yorke’s son (who he hasn’t seen in fifteen years), Trooper Jeff Yorke (Claude Jarman Jr.), is posted to the fort. Not wanting the other men to think he is favoring his son, he ends up being harder on him. More tension needed? Enter the estranged Mrs. Kathleen Yorke (Maureen O'Hara) who has come to take the under age Yorke home with her. The Col., and Mrs. Yorke, figure out it would be best to let young Jeff grow up and make the decision weather to stay or leave up to him, he chooses to stay. The tension brought about in the fight for their son produces the love they once had for each other to be rekindled. Maybe under the pressure brought by his wife and son, Col. Yorke comes up with a plan of attack against the Apaches that isn’t very highly thought of by command, this leads to the threat of court-martial. Now Col. Yorke must fight to save, and put back together, his family and his honor.
Look for the “John Ford Stock Company” regulars again: Victor McLaglen, Harry Carey Jr., and Ben Johnson.
CREDITS:
Directed by:
John Ford
Story:
James Warner Bellah
Screenplay:
James Kevin McGuinness
Produced by:
John Ford, Merian C. Cooper, & Herbert J. Yates
Cast:
John Wayne as Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke (Commanding Officer, Fort Stark)
Maureen O'Hara as Mrs. Yorke
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