As part of Paramount's John Wayne 100th birtday celebration, the studio has released a deluxe collector's edition of his 1963 western comedy McLintock! On the surface, this would seem to be a strange film to get the royal treatment on DVD. It's a modest, unpretentious blockhouse comedy - yet, it remains one of Wayne's most popular films. It was not only a very big box-office hit at the time of its initial release (despite coming out during the week of the JFK assassination) but proved to be a ratings blockbuster that was telecast by the major networks for many years. In the early 1990s, Wayne's production company Batjac made a foolish error by neglecting to file the paperwork extending the copyright. Consequently, the market has been deluged ever since with dime store versions of the film on no-name video labels. Don't be fooled: there is no comparison to these versions and Paramount's gorgeous new transfer. Additionally, the public domain versions usually have soundtrack music substituted because the music retained its proper copyright. If you care about The Duke's films at all, this will remain the McLintock! of record.