One of our favorite westerns of the 1960s is Henry Hathaway's
The Sons of Katie Elder starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Michael Anderson Jr and Earl Holliman as four estranged brothers reunited for their beloved mother's funeral. They soon learn that there was a scandal attached to her death and their efforts to uncover the mystery puts their lives in danger. A great supporting cast includes Dennis Hopper, George Kennedy, Paul Fix, Martha Hyer, Jeremy Slate and James Gregory. The film is so entertaining that you forget the absurdity of Wayne (who was in his fifties at the time) being cast as Michael Anderson Jr.'s
brother! (Anderson was 22 when he shot the film). In addition to Hathaway's expert direction, the movie is enhanced tremendously by Elmer Bernstein's rousing score.
Click here to view the trailer.Â
Click here to order The Sons of Katie Elder and The Shootist double feature DVD from Amazon for only $13.49!