The Cowboys (1972)

The 1972 classic John Wayne movie THE COWBOYS is the story of an aging rancher who has to hire schoolboys to help drive his cattle to market. Director Mark Rydell combined the two in a dynamic mixture of child actors and Jr rodeo competitors. Actors who couldn’t ride and riders who’d never acted! All this and working with a legend. A hero! What was it like for the actors? For the Jr Rodeo riders?

There were eleven altogether. In the second of our multipart tribute to THE COWBOYS for a special A WORD ON WESTERNS anniversary tribute, producer Rob Word interviews child actor Stephen Hudis, “Charlie,” and young wrangler Albert Barker, Jr., “Fats,” for a look back at a film that continues to gain new fans and still thrills those who watched it on its first release.

In addition to sharing emotional memories, Stephen Hudis performs an original song written especially for the occasion, taped at The Autry Museum on May 17, 2022. His song is entitled “Eleven Lucky Boys.” They sure were!

Enjoy this special program and then check out previous A WORD ON WESTERNS episodes in our library devoted to THE COWBOYS with actors Robert Carradine and A Martinez.

Bruce Dern knew he would be hated by John Wayne fans if he accepted a "killer" part in "The Cowboys" (1972). He took it anyway! As "Longhair," the grinning, evil rustle who eventually murders Wayne's character, Dern was unforgettable! The scene took place at night. While his crew of young drovers watch, Wayne beats Dern solidly in hand-to-hand combat. Then, Dern shoots him in the back. To find out what the filming the final confrontation between Duke and Dern was like, I invited one of the film's young cowboy witnesses, Robert Carradine, to join me and share his memories. Only 17 years old, Robert, at the time living with his actor brother, David, was making his feature film debut as the oldest of the young cowboys in the now revered western. It was an auspicious debut for a career that has included starring in the hit movie franchise, "Revenge of the Nerds" (1984), co-starring with his brothers David and Keith in Tom Selleck's remake of "Monte Walsh" (2003), portraying Sam McGuire in Disney's long running comedy, "Lizzie McQuire" (2001-2004), and in the 2020 re-boot. Plus, Carradine joined Bruce Dern again in the award-winning feature, "Coming Home" (1978). Find out what more he remembers from "The Cowboys" in this special edition of A WORD ON WESTERNS. Recorded May 21, 2019.

John Wayne Western Movie Praised For Its Accuracy Is One He Called "The Greatest Experience Of My Life" - JWAYNE.com

Share this with your friendsJohn Wayne’s The Cowboys has been praised for its authenticity and also provided its star with one of his best moviemaking…

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Nice write up on The he Cowboys