Exclusive Interview! John Wayne’s THE COWBOYS! 50th Anniversary with A Martinez & Robert Carradine!

John Wayne revisited classic movie RED RIVER territory in 1972 with another cattle drive movie, THE COWBOYS. Duke’s character is about to start moving the herd when his drovers quit to go hunt for gold and he’s left with a group of very young boys for the drive. The film veers from adolescent pranks to a violent rite of passage for the boys.

Unlike many of Duke’s later films, it is not a Batjac Production with the regular cast of characters in front of, and behind, the camera. THE COWBOYS was an A+ western directed by former actor Mark Rydell and was filled with surprises. One of them being Wayne’s brutal murder at the hands of a band of rustlers led by “Longhair” Bruce Dern. When the youngsters set out for retribution for the murder of their beloved father figure, the film’s very dark and violent climax surprised audiences.

For the young actors, many of them Jr Rodeo champions, the film was a wonderful opportunity to see and learn from the talented cast and crew. Hollywood actors A Martinez and Robert Carradine joined Rob Word for a special edition of A WORD ON WESTERNS to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary. Find out what they learned on location and how emotional the death of John Wayne’s character was for them.

THE COWBOYS seems to get more respect and fans as time passes. Join “Cimarron” and “Slim” as they remember a classic in this conversation recorded April 29, 2022.

Also discussed are the series LONGMIRE, KUNG FU and the short lived TV series, THE COWBOYS.