Two Humphreys and John Wayne

Did you know that John Wayne so disliked Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey that he had the governor character, Cuthbert H. Humphrey, named as a parody of the senator in McLintock! (1963)? Wayne's production company, Batjac Productions, produced the movie.

The character is described as an insipid "cull" and ineffective governor that was played by Robert Lowery. 

Above, Hubert H. Humphrey, senator and vice president.

According to Four Star Films:

But there’s also a pointed jab at Hubert Humphries in the form of the spineless, insensitive governor Cuthbert H. Humphrey, proving that even Wayne’s politics are channeled into the picture.

 

Above, Robert Lowery as Gov. Cuthbert H. Humphrey.

By the way, Lowery was the second actor to play a live-action Batman. He also appeared in the Adventures of Superman.

Some "McLintock!" Trivia

Some John Wayne/McLintock! trivia for you on a Sunday afternoon.

From IMDb:

John Wayne insisted that the role of the weak, insipid Governor be called "Cuthbert H. Humphrey", with the intention that he be seen as a parody of liberal Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey, whom Wayne intensely disliked.

Above, former Vice President and Senator Hubert H. Humphrey.

Above, Robert Lowery as Gov. Cuthbert H. Humphrey in McLintock!

John Wayne Mini Film Festival

For some unknown reason, I've been in the mood for watching John Wayne movies.

Last night, I went to El Paso Barbecue for dinner. A few doors away is the CD Trader, where new and used CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays and LPs can be bought. Before going to dinner, I decided to go over to CD Trader after dinner to see if I can get two specific John Wayne movies: Donovan's Reef (1963) and McLintock! (1963). I have both on VHS, but I need to re-connect my VCR and stuff in order to use it.

So, after dinner, I headed over to CD Trader and I was in luck. They had both movies. They were used DVDs and Donovan's Reef was priced at $3.99 and McLintock! was priced at $5.99. I bought both and headed home for a "mini-John Wayne film festival".

Donovan's Reef was set in the South Pacific and it had a number of stars whose heydays were back in the 1940s such as Dorothy Lamour and Dick Foran. It was the last movie John Ford directed John Wayne in. It also co-starred Lee Marvin, Jack Warden, Cesar Romero and Elizabeth Allen. It was filmed on location in Hawaii.

McLintock! is a version of The Taming of the Shrew in a western setting with Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. McLintock! was a big box office hit when it was released. It co-starred Chill Wills, Patrick Wayne, Yvonne DeCarlo and Robert Lowery (who once played Batman in a movie serial). A new actress, Stefanie Powers, played Wayne's daughter.

Both Donovan's Reef and McLintock! were light comedies, I first saw Donovan's Reef at the Balboa Theater in Los Angeles. The second feature of the double-bill was King Kong vs. Godzilla. 

Jane Adams, R.I.P.

Above, Jane Adams in "The Ghost Wolf" episode of the Adventures of Superman in 1951.

Jane Adams, best known to genre fans as Nina, the hunchbacked lab assistant in Universal's House of Dracula (1945) and as Babette in the 1951 "The Ghost Wolf" episode of the Adventures of Superman, has died.

She passed away May 21 in Bellingham, Washington.

Above, Jane Adams and Glenn Strange in House of Dracula in 1945.

She was born Betty Jane Bierce in San Antonio, Texas on August 7, 1918 (or 1921, depending upon the source).

She also played Vicki Vale in the 1949 serial, Batman and Robin with Robert Lowery as Batman/Bruce Wayne.