#andrew v mclaglen

[hellyeahgeorgekennedy]

Dean Martin, John Hudkins, Andrew V. McLaglen, Harry Carey Jr, Joe Gray, Hal Needham, and George Kennedy on the set of Bandolero! (1968)

[surfingkaliyuga]

The Wild Geese (1978) Poster by Arnaldo Putzu.

[gatutor]

Jerry Van Dyke-Mari Blanchard "El gran McLintock" (McLintock!) 1963, de Andrew V. McLaglen.

[boydswan]

Bandolero! (1968) dir. Andrew V. McLaglen

[lobbycards]

Cahill: United States Marshal, Italian lobby card (Fotobusta), 1973

[watching-pictures-move]

The Roger Moore Morally Compromised Mini-Marathon | Shout at the Devil (Hunt, 1976), Gold (Hunt, 1974) & The Wild Geese (McLaglen, 1978)

Mild spoilers below.

There's plenty you'll have to wince through when watching Shout at the Devil, which depicts the African continent as a playground for white adventurers, which relentlessly infantilizes its black characters while lingering over their dead bodies after they've been violently killed, which has as its most prominent African character a mute played by a white actor who is all too eager to hang villagers, and which has a character go undercover in blackface during the climax, as a cherry on top of a big ol' racist sundae. And this is not to mention that it asks us to root for an entirely self-interested ivory smuggler and features a poaching sequence so exuberant that the heroes are practically high-fiving each other as they kill a shitload of elephants. (Although a disclaimer assures us no animals were harmed during the making of the movie.) Unsurprisingly, the movie was produced in Apartheid era South Africa.

But I think Roger Ebert in his review, despite glossing over the film's issues, gets at its essence pretty succinctly, correctly noting that it's about the unironic embrace of jungle adventure movie with all its pleasures and idiosyncrasies. And if you can wince through all those aforementioned elements (and it's perfectly okay if you can't), you find much to enjoy here, starting with the team-up of Lee Marvin and Roger Moore, in incorrigible scoundrel mode and dashing but self-deprecating mode, respectively. Even the introduction of Barbara Parkins as Marvin's daughter and Moore's love interest doesn't sink the film, as Parkins is able to complement both of their performances pretty nicely and give the movie a bit of heart. Everybody knows all girls have cooties, but Parkins and the movie take measures to mitigate their spread.

There's also the fact that Peter Hunt, who directed one of the best Bond movies and edited a few others of similar pedigree, is a really good action director. There's one great scene where the heroes ambush a German convoy going down a hill, and the sense of diagonal movement snowballs, powered by both the astute editing and the unexpectedly gruesome violence, which, along with all the dicier elements, makes this feel like an exploitation movie despite the A-grade production values.

Compared to Shout at the Devil, Gold, an earlier collaboration between Peter Hunt and Roger Moore is maybe a bit easier to get through, in that it offers some semblance of self critique for choosing to film in Apartheid South Africa. Here, the gold mining industry is depicted as a purely amoral enterprise, the kind that is happy to kill off its own employees for short term gain, or, you could infer, maybe do business with a repressive regime. And it shows at least nominal sympathy for its black characters (and treats them as actual characters). A lot of the movie is about traversing through corporate politics, which I probably find more interesting to watch than the average viewer (a bizarre side effect of being a business major), although it must be said that Moore has great chemistry with his co-star Susannah York, and we get a pretty appealing performance from Ray "Dial M for Murder" Milland as the gruff patriarch. Hunt's talents as an editor are somewhat underused, but I like the way he presents the mine as one big machine, with a series of moving parts working in unison, all integral to its proper functioning. All that being said, the fate meted out to the villains feels like something from a dumber movie, and for some reason there's a Bond style theme song and opening credit sequence but with gold mining instead of racy silhouettes. (If you want more serious Moore, I'll recommend The Man Who Haunted Himself, which makes a pretty nice case for his acting talents and gives him some unexpected vulnerability. Also, he has a mustache.)

And of course I had to cap off my Roger Moore morally compromised mini-marathon with a rewatch of The Wild Geese, a movie that I've grown a real affection for, thanks to both familiarity, and the fact I'm a sucker for these old school men on a mission movies. Listen, the politics here are awful, and even more cringeworthy is the movie's attempt to hide it by pairing the deposed African president the heroes rescue with the most racist member of the group. Winston Ntshona and Hardy Kruger, the actors playing the president and the racist, respectively, both took their roles hoping for a serious movie about racism and African geopolitics. That seriousness did not materialize in the finished film, which resolves these issues with a quick conversation by the one hour thirty-two minute mark, at which point it can get back to shooting and blowing stuff up. For what it's worth, Ntshona and Kruger are actually committing to the material, and Kruger is especially good, although the movie plays its hand by allowing Kruger to articulate his mixture of racial resentment and isolationist views with unusual clarity while saddling Ntshona with vague platitudes. (And if you think racism is the movie's only questionable stance, it also relentlessly pokes fun at the one gay character, although it does eventually give him some good scenes.)

A bit easier to enjoy, perhaps at the movie's expense, are the presence of Richards Burton and Harris. I understand both of them were not allowed to drink during the production, and while I am not a good enough judge of alcoholism to tell if they look hungover from sneaking sips at night between shooting hours, or angry because they haven't been able to drink, there's an undeniable booze-adjacent contempt in their performances. (For what it's worth, Harris looks more cheerful, but I've found him the more innately energetic actor from experience.) The other big star is Moore, who gets by on his natural charisma but isn't as good as he is in Shout at the Devil or Gold or his Bond movies.

Honestly, for the first half, the movie seems to be rather badly made, shooting scenes in the most drab, limp way possible and resolving every confrontation with as few hiccups as possible. An attempt to rescue a character being hunted by the mafia ends with the mafia abruptly lifting all the contract put out on him. The siege on the base where the president is being held ends with no losses for the heroes, the guards all being sprayed with cyanide gas in their sleep or killed instantly with a crossbow. These characters are supposed to be highly trained professionals who can do this in their sleep, and that's basically how it plays, for better or worse. But complications do eventually arise, and the movie thankfully gets a lot more exciting. There's a half hour or so in the third act where the characters are retreating through the bush from a rapidly advancing army while trying to secure an exit, depicted as a near constant stream of close quarters gunfights and on-the-fly defensive tactics. As limp as Andrew V. McLaglen's direction is in the first half, he wisely gets out of his own way here, moving things along at a fast clip and letting the shooting, bleeding, dust and wilderness do the talking. (For something that feels tonally like a classic WWII era actioner, complete with rousing score, it's quite a bit bloodier than you'd expect.) It's a great action scene, and goes a long way in warming me up to this movie.

[spookyfoxdreamer]

[citizenscreen]

Jimmy Stewart and Maureen O’Hara chatting during the filming of Andrew V. McLaglen’s THE RARE BREED (1966) #DailyStewart

[kwebtv]

From the Golden Age of Television

Series Premiere

Have Gun - Will Travel - Three Bells to Perdido - CBS - September 14, 1957

Western

Running Time: 30 minutes

Written by Sam Rolfe and Herb Meadow

Produced by Julian Claman

Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen

Stars:

Richard Boone as Paladin

Janice Rule as Nancy

Jack Lord as Dave Enderby

Judson Pratt as O'Brien

Harry Shannon as Jesse

Francis McDonald as Gotch

Kam Tong as Hey Boy

Ted Marcuse as Bartender

Martin Garralaga as Peon

Gene Roth as Man

[wahwealth]

John Wayne | Rock Hudson |The Undefeated (1969) | Civil War Western Classic

The Undefeated was an American Civil War-era Western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen.  The movie stars John Wayne and Rock Hudson, it was released in 1969.   Cast John Wayne as Colonel John Henry Thomas Rock Hudson as Colonel James Langdon Tony Aguilar as General Rojas Roman Gabriel as Blue Boy Marian McCargo as Ann Lee Meriwether as Margaret Merlin Olsen as George 'Little George' Melissa Newman as Charlotte Bruce Cabot as Confederate Sergeant Jeff Newby Michael Vincent as Lieutenant Bubba Wilkes Ben Johnson as 'Short' Grub Edward Faulkner as Anderson Harry Carey Jr. as Webster Paul Fix as General Joe Masters Royal Dano as Major Sanders Richard Mulligan as Dan Morse Carlos Rivas as Diaz John Agar as Christian Guy Raymond as Giles Don Collier as Goodyear Big John Hamilton as Mudlow Dub Taylor as McCartney Henry Beckman as Thad Benedict Víctor Junco as Major Tapia Robert Donner as Judd Mailer Pedro Armendariz Jr. as Escalante James Dobson as Jamison Rudy Diaz as Sanchez Richard Angarola as Petain James McEachin as Jimmy Collins Gregg Palmer as Parker Juan García as Colonel Gomez Kiel Martin as Union Runner Bob Gravage as Joe Hicks You are invited to join the channel so that Mr. P can notify you when new videos are uploaded, https://www.youtube.com/@nrpsmovieclassics

[the-eternal-quest-for-balance]

Hellfighters

1968 film by Andrew V. McLaglen

John Wayne starred in the 1968 film “Hellfighters,” loosely based on the life of Red Adair, a renowned oil well firefighter. Adair’s company, Red Adair Co., was credited with fighting over 2,000 fires worldwide, earning him the nickname “Hellfighter.” The film showcases Adair’s daring feats, including battling the 1988 Piper Alpha platform explosion in the North Sea, which killed 167 men.

The Film’s Connection to Red Adair

In the movie, John Wayne plays Chance Buckman, a colorful Texan who tames out-of-control oil field fires. While the film takes creative liberties, it remains a tribute to Adair’s remarkable career. Red Adair himself was involved in the production, serving as a fireman on set and providing technical expertise. The film’s director, Andrew V. McLaglen, even captured an unplanned firefighting sequence when a controlled fire got out of hand, featuring John Wayne and Red Adair in action.

Red Adair’s Life and Legacy

Born in 1915, Red Adair began his career as a wildcatter and later founded his company, which specialized in oil well firefighting. He was known for his bravery, innovative techniques, and ability to cap even the most challenging blowouts. Adair’s company worked on numerous high-profile projects, including extinguishing fires in Iran and a massive gas field in Texas.

John Wayne’s Tribute

John Wayne’s portrayal of Chance Buckman in “Hellfighters” pays homage to Red Adair’s remarkable life and work. The film’s success can be attributed to the real-life Adair’s involvement and the on-screen chemistry between Wayne and his co-stars. Although Red Adair passed away in 2004, his legacy lives on through the movie and his numerous achievements in the oil industry.

Interesting Facts

Red Adair’s company was on the verge of bankruptcy before receiving its first three small oilfield fire jobs in Texas, which saved the business.

Adair met John Wayne during the filming of “Hellfighters” and became a close friend.

The film “Hellfighters” was a commercial success, grossing over $10 million at the domestic box office.

Red Adair’s life story has inspired numerous books, articles, and documentaries, cementing his status as a legendary figure in the oil industry.

[beautifulinternetwhispers]

stars : John Wayne, George Kennedy, Gary Grimes and Neville Brand

director : Andrew V. McLaglen

score 2.5 out of 4 stars

another decent enough little western from John Wayne. This time involving two teens getting into more then they can chew as they get involved in a bank robbery to get back at their dad

[gatutor]

Honor Blackman-Brian Keith "La primera ametralladora del oeste" (Something big) 1971, de Andrew V. McLaglen.

[lobbycards]

Cahill: United States Marshal, Italian lobby card (Fotobusta), 1973

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | On Wings of Eagles (McLaglen, 1986)

I picked up a copy of the book this is based a few weeks ago as the church down the street from the Lightbox was holding a book sale during the first few days of TIFF, and basically went through it while waiting for screenings. I'm a notoriously slow reader so the fact that I finished it as quickly as I did is an endorsement. For those not in the know, it's about the rescue mission organized by Ross Perot to rescue two employees of his company EDS who were jailed in Iran right before the Iranian Revolution. I would have been a year old when Perot ran for President, so I admit I have no strong feelings about him beyond vague cultural reference. (His "giant sucking sound" phrase came up in an economics class.) 

The portrait it presents of Perot is pretty fawning, although I suppose if the book presents an accurate portrait of the events, he probably did come off pretty well in this situation. For example, he was supportive of the attempt to rescue his employees, while another notable public figure of similar wealth in more recent years accused the head of the Thai cave rescue mission of being a pedophile. It's worth noting that Perot was a mere multimillionaire at the time of these events rather than a billionaire, so perhaps the corrupting influence of that extra digit hadn't tipped him over to total asshole. Anyway, the book is a breezy read and full of interesting detail, so it's worth a read even beyond the genuinely exciting events it depicts.

This is directed by Andrew V. McLagen, director of The Wild Geese, and I was hoping for some of the schlocky but extremely tasty flavour of that one, but his direction seems especially clumsy within this one's TV movie / miniseries confines. Information that the book conveys through prose is awkwardly turned into dialogue, and the movie tries to spice things up with really stupid and lame action not present in the book. Exhibit A: Kabir Bedi, playing a character not in the book, reveals his allegiance to the Ayatollah and fires an Uzi at a picture of the Shah in the middle of an office with no warning. This also excises the stretch set in Germany, meaning that it loses one of the funniest bits. That part has the characters learning that Germany has something of an extradition treaty with Iran, so they lay low during their layover at a German airport by visiting the movie theatre (apparently that's a thing in Germany), where at least one screen was playing a porno movie. Imagine, if you were flying through Europe and had time to kill between flights, you could slip into a darkened theatre and for a few hours, watch, I dunno, Karin Schubert getting railed. What a country!

Probably the best thing this has going for it is the cast. Perot is played by Richard Crenna, which is like casting William Shatner to play Slim Pickens. It is not a credit to McLaglen's direction that a scene between Perot and his son, played by Crenna's real son, is as awkward as it is. Most fun are Burt Lancaster as Arthur D. "Bull" Simons, the war hero colonel who spends many of his scenes chomping on a cigar, and Esai Morales as the impulsive, quick thinking Rashid, the Iranian EDS employee who frequently saves the day, followed by Paul Le Mat playing EDS executive Jay Coburn like he has mancrushes on his boss and colleagues.

This probably deserves some points for casting actors of Iranian decent, even if the portrayals are not positive and a lot more broad than the book, which definitely took a Western perspective but seemed interested in the nuances of Americans living in Iran and their relationship to the locals. You get Parviz Sayyad as the villainous Dadgar and Mary Apick as his assistant/translator Mrs. Nourbash. Dadgar is the primary villain in the book and hangs over the proceedings thanks to his command of bureaucracy in a fraught political situation, a dynamic the movie can't evoke so instead it has him chasing them in a helicopter. Apick has a bit of a Saundra Santiago thing going on. You don't need to remember any of these names by the way, I'm just rattling them off because I recently finished the book.

Anyway, this is not good, but I like the actors and the TV-grade hamminess keeps this watchable.

[all-action-all-picture]

Poster for Bandolero! (1968). Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen (who also helmed The Wild Geese, North Sea Hijack and The Sea Wolves among others) with a great cast.