Posts from Gorch in thread „The Magnificent Seven (1960)“

  • The Magnificent Seven (1960)

    Watched this for about the 500th time on TCM the other night and noticed for the first time that the villagers paid the seven $20.00 apiece - the same price as the funeral cost - "For twenty dollars I'd plant anybody, with a hoot and a holler".
    I guess irony is lost on me.



    We deal in lead, friend.

  • The Magnificent Seven (1960)

    Right you are. When Chris recruits his old friend Harry, Harry says "You old Cajun, you don't talk so good but you always know what's goin' on".


    James Coburn once recalled that before each take, Brad Dexter (Harry) would always take deep breaths to inflate the size of his chest.


    We deal in lead, friend.

  • The Magnificent Seven (1960)

    The name "Chris Adams" appears in the introduction of that character in the script, but was never spoken or alluded to elsewhere in either the script or the movie. I have a copy of Screen Stories magazine from 1960 which also uses his last name.
    In the script, Chris is described wearing a dark suit of good cloth, cut well, but threadbare. "In his late thirties, he has been around and, in the course, has developed a considerable manner best described as panache".
    This fits Brynner much, much better than Sturges' original choice to cast Spencer Tracy in the role. Sturges had worked with Tracy before, but around this time, he was playing in "Inherit the Wind" and was well past his prime as a rakish gunsilnger. He did, however, more closely resemble his Japanese inspiration.
    Also in the TV series, Vin has the last name "Tanner" which is not in the movie script.


    We deal in lead, friend.

  • The Magnificent Seven (1960)

    And how about....


    "A dollar bill always looks as big to me as a bedspread".


    "It was the worst. I was aiming at the horse".


    "If God didn't want them sheared, He would not have made them sheep".


    "I've never shared their enthusiasm for fertilizer, and as for women, I became indifferent when I was 83".


    "Well, when it comes to a chance of getting his head blown off, he's downright bigoted".


    "Nah, I'm doing this because I'm an eccentric millionaire".


    "I fell in with a fast crowd last night that hangs out near the fountain. We got to predicting the weather for today and didn't break up until twilight".



    Like "Tombstone", about half the movie is quotable.


    And of course -


    We deal in lead friend.

  • The Magnificent Seven (1960)

    Robert Vaughn's autobiography "A Fortunate Life" devotes some time to Magnificent Seven. He equates Brad Dexter to Bashful of the Seven Dwarfs in that they're the most forgotten of the two groups.
    Dexter did take Vaughn and McQueen to a Mexican brothel one night and promptly disappeared with two ladies, leaving the other two to fend for themselves. As it happened, there were seven ladies left and many margaritas had been consumed. McQueen ordered all seven ladies "Because we are the Magnificent Seven"
    Afterwords, both magnificos realized they didn't have enough dinero to pay for the evening. They bolted in different directions and Vaughn was able to dive off a balcony and get away. McQueen showed on the set the next day late and hung over and didn't relate how he had got away.


    We deal in lead, friend.

  • The Magnificent Seven (1960)

    One interesting bit of trivia is that assistant director Robert Relyea went from assisting Wayne on The Alamo to John Sturges on the Magnificent Seven.
    He developed a bleeding ulcer on Alamo and would have died if the stunt men didn't donate blood. Wayne leaned over Relyea in his hospital bed and growled "If you die, I'll kill you".
    Relyea's autobio "Not so Quiet on the Set" has full chapters on Alamo and Magnificent Seven. There's one argument between Wayne and Widmark that is hilarious, but not fit to print on this forum.




    We deal in lead, friend.