Hondo **** (1953, John Wayne, Geraldine Page, Ward Bond, Michael Pate, Rodolfo Acosta, James Arness) – Classic Movie Review 6727

John Farrow’s 1954 movie Hondo is a particularly well written Western with uniformly fine acting and star John Wayne near his best. Geraldine Page, Oscar nominated as Best Supporting Actress, was horrified by the right-wing views she encountered. 

Director John Farrow’s 1954 movie Hondo is a particularly well written Western with uniformly fine acting (with star John Wayne near his best), fine cinematography from Robert Burks and Archie J Stout and confident, taut and capable direction by Farrow. The film is based on the short story The Gift of Cochise by Louis L’Amour published in Collier’s magazine in July 1952.

Hondo was nominated for two Oscars, for Geraldine Page for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and for Louis L’Amour for Best Writing, Motion Picture Story. But there was controversy over L’Amour’s nomination when the producer and L’Amour questioned the film’s inclusion into the Motion Picture Story category as L’Amour’s short story was not an original motion picture story, so the nomination was withdrawn and only four films were included on the final ballot.

Geraldine Page was cast as co-star by good fortune. When Katharine Hepburn turned down the lead in this Western after the originally written co-star role contracted to a supporting one, Method-style stage actress Page got her first chance to shine here. She plays Angie Lowe, the lonely mother of a boy called Johnny (Lee Aaker). Angie’s husband Ed (Leo Gordon) has abandoned her and their rundown ranch, but luckily cavalryman despatch rider Hondo Lane (Wayne) rides by to protect her and her young son against vengeance-seeking Apaches.

It is only Page’s second film (after an uncredited role in the same year’s Taxi), and was the first of the seven Oscar nominations she received before she finally made it on the eighth attempt with The Trip to Bountiful (1985). Back in 1954 Warner Bros thought she was too ordinary and she returned to the stage for seven years. Incidentally, Page was horrified by the right-wing views of Wayne, James Arness, and especially Ward Bond and Farrow.

Also in the cast are Lee Aaker, Leo Gordon, Ward Bond, Michael Pate, Rodolfo Acosta, James Arness, Tom Irish, Paul Fix, Rayford Barnes and Pal (the original screen Lassie) playing Sam. Leonard Nimoy plays an Indian on the left side of the screen just before Hondo kills the latest chief.

It was originally filmed in 3D with Warner Bros’ newly developed the twin lens all-format All Media Camera, which was bulky and made the film shoot difficult, causing delays in transporting the cameras to desert locations and problems with weather conditions.

Hondo is directed by John Farrow, runs 83 minutes, is a Wayne-Fellows production, a Warner Bros release, it is written by James Edward Grant, shot in 3D and WarnerColor by Robert Burks and Archie J Stout, produced by John Wayne and Robert Fellows, and scored by Emil Newman and Hugo Friedhofer. John Ford directed the climactic battle scenes so Farrow could work on another movie.

Hepburn and Wayne finally teamed up 22 years later on Rooster Cogburn (1975).

The film’s second unit director Andrew V McLaglen went on to direct John Wayne in McLintock! (1963), Hellfighters (1968), The Undefeated (1969), Chisum (1970), and Cahill US Marshal (1973).

Glenn Ford turned down the title role as he disliked working with Farrow on Plunder of the Sun (1953), so Wayne, originally just producer, took on the role.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6727

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