John Wayne was quite public about his feelings towards his 1965 Western with Dean Martin titled The Sons Of Katie Elder. While not often considered among John Wayne’s best movies, The Sons of Katie Elder earned a critic score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Wayne stars as John Elder, one of four brothers who reunite in their hometown of Texas for their mother’s funeral. The film was shot entirely in Mexico but takes place in northeast Texas, east of Dallas.
Directed by Henry Hathaway, The Sons of Katie Elder was released in theaters in Panavision on June 24, 1965, and was distributed by Paramount Pictures. Wayne had just come off starring in Otto Preminger’s In Harm’s Way and George Stevens’ The Greatest Storey Ever Told, which were both released in early 1965. Dean Martin, who was also a successful singer and comedian, was just coming off 1964’s Kiss Me, Stupid and Robin and the 7 Hoods. The film also stars Martha Hyer and Dennis Hopper.
Why John Wayne Didn’t “Care For” The Sons Of Katie Elder
He had health concerns and the production was grueling
The Sons of Katie Elder is universally celebrated by critics but not by Wayne himself. Wayne sat down with legendary film critic Roger Ebert to discuss why he “didn’t care” for The Sons of Katie Elder and its entire production process. “I don’t care for it much, myself. I had just got over that cancer operation and I thought I could hear myself breathing all the time. Everybody said it was my imagination.” He describes the director Hathaway asking him to do physically demanding things such as jumping into ice water.
Wayne joked sarcastically with Ebert about the grueling production on the set of The Sons of Katie Elder. “Well, old Henry was very thoughtful of me, of course, since I was recuperating and all. He took me up to 8,500 feet to shoot the damned thing and the fourth day of shooting he had me jumping into ice water. Very considerate.” Wayne doesn’t comment much on his opinion of the actual film, although he compares it to Hathaway’s other notable John Wayne project, True Grit (1969), which he had much higher praise for. “Give Hathaway a good story, and that’s what ‘True Grit’ is, and he’s great.”
John Wayne’s Comments About The Sons Of Katie Elder Make His Performance More Impressive
Wayne maintains his classic demeanor despite his health issues
Considering what Wayne was dealing with at the time, his performance in The Sons of Katie Elder is even more impressive. Despite his health concerns, Wayne would go on to star in a number of exceptional Westerns such as El Dorado, True Grit, and Chisum. After 1970, however, Wayne only appeared in a handful of films. His final film credit is remarkably in George Lucas’s Star Wars as an uncredited role while his last film appearance was in 1976’s The Shootist. Although Wayne didn’t seem to love his experience making The Sons of Katie Elder, it remains an all-time great Western and a rare collab with Dean Martin.