Hondo (1953),
Director: John Farrow, rated PG-13
Heat of the
plains in his veins... the gunfighter's stain on his name, and
now a woman's life in his hands!
 Starring: John
Wayne, Geraldine Page, Ward Bond, Michael Pate, James Arness,
Leo Gordon, Lassie
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"You baked today. I can
smell fresh bread on you. You smell all over like soap. You took
a bath,
and on top of that you smell all over like a woman.
I
could find you in the dark, Mrs. Lowe, and I'm only part
Indian." - Hondo Lane
Why watch this?
This was John Wayne's favorite Western novel and film. Mine, too.
Plot Summary:
Set in Apache territory, cavalry dispatch rider Hondo Lane
encounters Angie Lowe, a courageous woman raising her young son
alone on an isolated ranch. He tries to convince her to abandon
the dangerous area, but she insists on staying. A complex
dynamic develops between Hondo, Angie, and the Apaches as
tensions rise on the frontier.
Dad's Preview:
John Wayne had a special place in his heart for this treasure. His
estate kept the film out of public distribution for many years
after the Duke's death in 1972. In 1990, I was working in
California for EDS. It was announced that a local cable TV
channel was going to air Hondo - in 3D! Special 3-D
glasses were available at the station! It is so easy to watch. Wayne's so very comfortable as the
independent, quiet, honorable man-of-action. Here he comes
across a
woman and her young son, living in Indian territory, and her husband
hasn't been home for some time.

Batjac
Productions, Wayne-Fellows Productions; Warner Bros. |