My 4th of July movie was a John Wayne Western, Howard Hawks’s “Rio Bravo,” and it don’t get more American than that.
According to Robert Osborne on Turner Classic Movies, the film was a direct response to “High Noon” (it’s been a long while since I’ve seen it, but I think it’s a bit overrated myself) in that a sheriff would never go around asking for help.
In my mind, this meant to me that “Rio Bravo” would be one of Wayne’s gruffer, stubborn performances for not asking for help, but after arresting the murderer Joe Burdette, his real reason is a noble one; he’d rather not see a bunch of innocent amateurs serve as “more targets to shoot at” for the wealthy Nathan Burdette’s men.
In fact, all of “Rio Bravo” is built on this sense of misguided morality, not logic, and it establishes a long-running formula of a hero, a hotshot kid, a drunk and an old man fighting for what’s right. Wayne’s John T. Chance (T for Trouble) is only the sheriff because it’s a job he’s been doing for a long time and is good at. Dude (Dean Martin) doesn’t have anywhere else to be because he’s a pathetic alcoholic. Stumpy (Walter Brennan) is a sly, funny old coot, but is best served staying put inside the jail. Colorado (Ricky Nelson) is good enough that he could move on if he wanted, but he sticks around because he feels needed. Continue reading “Rapid Response: Rio Bravo”