Hi Cole -
I noticed the same thing a couple of months ago when TCM showed "McLintock" before. And my VHS version is the same way even though it is touted as "The Director's Cut. I think it may have something to do with not having been processed in wide screen yet. It was definitly filmed in wide screen. I don't know what has to be done to process movies this way - whether they have to be transfered to VHS or DVD with involved technical steps or what. Anyway, it's a theory.
Cheers - Jay