"True Grit" Rifle Bloopers

Above, John Wayne takes aim with his Winchester 1892 carbine. IMFDB photo.

The 1969 True Grit is the beloved movie that garnered John Wayne his one and only Oscar.

However, there are some goofs in the movie when it comes to firearms.

True Grit was also a breakout movie for actor Robert Duvall as the outlaw Ned Pepper. In the movie Pepper carries a Winchester 1894 rifle. There's only one problem with this.

Above, Robert Duvall fires his Winchester 1894. IMFDB photo.

The story was set in 1880, before the Winchester 1894 was made.

Duvall wasn't the only one in the movie who carried a Winchester 1894. Actor Myron Healey also carried one during the scene where Rooster Cogburn (Wayne) unloads a wagon of prisoners.

From the Internet Movie Firearms Database:

A U.S. Marshal helping unload outlaws from the Indian Territory is seen armed with a Winchester Model 1894 Saddle Ring Carbine. He is seen with it in hand when telling Mattie to wait another day to talk to Rooster Cogburn. Later in the film, Ned Pepper is seen with a '94 rifle and fires it into the air to let Rooster know where he is. It clearly has a longer receiver and the more complex lever system under the gun helping tell it from an 1892 rifle. It is anachronistic for the film, which is set in 1880.

John Wayne carried a Winchester 1892 carbine in the movie. That rifle wasn't also around in 1880.

At least Glen Campbell used the correct rifle for the period.

According to the IMFDB:

La Boeuf (Glen Campbell) uses a Sharps 1874 Cavalry Carbine as his rifle of choice throughout the film.

 

Above, Glen Campbell and his Sharps 1874 carbine. IMFDB photo.

Hollywood is notorious for having props that were wrong for different eras. Some sharp-eyed fans have spotted that wrong Jeeps were used in Patton (1970), for example.

Why Elvis Turned Down "True Grit"

Above, an original movie poster for True Grit at the True Grit Cafe in Ridgway, Colorado.

According to an article in the Daily Express (U.K.), Elvis Presley was originally approached to co-star with John Wayne in True Grit (1969) in a role that eventually went to Glen Campbell. But Presley declined.

They wrote:

The storyline saw Duke play Rooster Cogburn, a tough one-eyed old United States Marshal who helps a 14-year-old girl track down the drunk who killed her father.

They did this with the help of Texan Ranger LaBoeuf, a part that initially was set for Elvis.

However, in the late 1960s, Elvis was tired of making poor musical rom-coms and returned his focus to live performances with his 1968 Comeback Special and subsequent Las Vegas residencies.

The King’s cousin Billy Smith described on his son Danny’s Memphis Mafia Kid YouTube channel how John Wayne asked Elvis to co-star in a few of his movies. He said: “In fact, he asked him a couple of times.” 

In the end, his manager The Colonel pushed it too far by demanding that  Elvis should receive top billing above Wayne if he were to play the Texan in True Grit.

To read the full article, go here. 

"True Grit" Locations In Ridgway, Colorado

Above, the park that was used for the public hanging scene. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today, Mitch Geriminsky and I roamed around the historic district of Ridgway, Colorado, the location of True Grit (1969) starring John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall and Jeff Corey.

Above, the old fire station that was shown in the movie and
was actually used as a fire station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Some of the locations used are still recognizable and some have changed over the years. Some of the buildings used had facades put over them, while others (such as the courthouse) were false buildings (facades only).

After arriving, we walked around the park that was used for the hanging scene. It looked pretty much the same as it did back in 1969.

Above, Rooster Cogburn's paddy wagon at the museum yard. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

From there, after getting directions from a nice lady in an antique shop, we went to the museum to see Rooster Cogburn's (John Wayne) horse-drawn paddy wagon. It is on display in the museum yard.

Afterwards, after discovering plaques on buildings used in the movie, I wandered around to take pictures of the plaques and the corresponding buildings describing what they were specifically used for.

Above, inside the True Grit Cafe is the painted wall sign featured in the movie when Rooster Cogburn
 delivered some prisoners to the courthouse. The building that the cafe is in was added in 1986 and
 the original building's exterior wall is preserved inside. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a shy waitress holds up a photo from True Grit showing the painted wall
 sign and John Wayne in front of the same wall today. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I was done with that, we did some shopping in an antique store next to the True Grit Cafe. Then, we had lunch in the True Grit Cafe. The staff at the cafe were quite friendly and gave us some information and took our photos. Photos of the cafe to follow.

The following are photos of each building's plaque along with the buildings as they are today:

Inside the True Grit Cafe.

The True Grit Cafe (built in 1986) is loaded with lots of John Wayne True Grit memorabilia as well as other films from his career. There is an upstairs dining area (we didn't go up there). We did partake in some lunch (I had their beef chili, which was quite good).

"True Grit" (1969) Japanese Poster

Here's a rare Japanese poster for the 1969 True Grit starring John Wayne:

Thanks to Jeff Bean Green for providing it!

See "True Grit" On The Big Screen

For those who have never seen 1969's True Grit on the big screen, here's your chance!

According to Cowboys & Indians:

Just in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of True Grit, the classic 1969 western that showcased John Wayne in his only Oscar-winning performance, Fathom Events is bringing it back to the big screen as part of TMC’s aptly named Big Screen Classics series. Screenings are scheduled for 1 and 4 pm (local time) Sunday, May 5, and 12 noon and 7 pm (local time) Wednesday, May 8, at more than 600 theaters nationwide. 

But wait, there's more: The film will be accompanied by specially produced introductory and closing commentary from TCM host Ben Mankiewicz.

There's a link to Fathom Events website what has theater information. The nearest theaters to me screening True Grit are in Albuquerque.

To read more, go here.

Any Which Way You Can

While grocery shopping this morning, I found a DVD copy of Any Which Way You Can (1980) in a bin for $5.99. I already have this movie on VHS but figured that I'd get the DVD anyway since the price was right.

I watched it this afternoon. This is the second Philo Beddoe and orangutan Clyde movie. It is hard to believe that this sequel to 1978's Every Which Way But Loose is 31 years old!

It was directed by Buddy Van Horn and starred Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis and Ruth Gordon.

This one involves bare-knuckled brawler Philo Beddoe (Eastwood) having a big fight forced on him after Lynn Halsey-Taylor (Locke) is kidnapped by New York gambling goons. The fight took place in Jackson, Wyoming. A lot of great scenery of Wyoming is featured.

Every Which Way But Loose was not critically acclaimed, but it did make over $75 million at the box office. A sequel was a natural. Unfortunately, Any Which Way You Can was poorly-paced and it lacked a music score. The only music were the music interludes in various nightclubs. Glen Campbell, who announced that he is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease this week, has one of them (singing the title song).

A bit of trivia: During the movie, Beddoe and Halsey-Taylor decide to go to Bakersfield, California for a weekend getaway and stay at the Pink Cloud Motel. The motel, although supposed to be in Bakersfield, is actually on Sepulveda Blvd. in the San Fernando Valley in the North Hills area. It is still there.

Like in Every Which Way But Loose, North Hollywood's Palomino nightclub was prominently featured. It still stands but it ceased being the Palomino in the mid-1990s. It is now a Latino nightclub.

Any Which Way You Can was released on December 17, 1980. A month prior to the movie's release, I attended a private reception at the Century Plaza Hotel on Election Night to celebrate the election of Ronald Reagan to the presidency. Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke were also at the reception and I managed to get Eastwood's autograph on my pass ticket (below).