John Wayne might have built his reputation by playing serious characters, but he was allowed to show his funny side in McLintock! John Wayne starred in some war films, but his name is almost synonymous with the Western genre, where he usually played very similar characters. The movies that defined John Wayne’s career usually show him playing sharp-shooting antiheroes, or no-nonsense “tough guy” cowboys who stand up to enemies like outlaws. That said, Wayne grew tired of this monotony, saying that True Grit was his first good part in 20 years after feeling stuck in a rut.

Fortunately for Wayne, he began to branch out later in his career with different character types and genres, appearing in the action comedy Brannigan, the crime drama McQ, and the action adventure Hellfighters. That said, while John Wayne’s non-Western movies were generally well-received, many of his films in the genre also gave him the chance to show his versatility without compromising the interest from fans. Wayne had a funny side, and two movies that showed this were the Western comedies North to Alaska, and McLintock!, where he shared the screen with his long-time acting collaborator, Maureen O’Hara.

John Wayne Is Great In The Romantic-Comedy McLintock!

McLintock! Was Inspired By A Shakespearean Comedy

McLintock! is not generally considered one of John Wayne’s best Western movies, with critics giving it mediocre reviews. That said, it was immensely popular with his fans, and the movie has an 85% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. John Wayne plays the cattle baron and “big man in town” bachelor G.W. McLintock, who reunites with his estranged socialite wife, Katherine, played by Maureen O’Hara. Wayne carries the movie using his charm, chemistry with O’Hara, and his talent for slapstick comedy, which did not often appear in his other Western movies.

It may be surprising to learn that the movie was secretly a Shakespeare adaptation, with the main story in McLintock! being a version of The Taming of the Shrew. The original story does not always age well, as it is about a wild, wayward and disobedient woman, who the leading man must “tame” before he wins her love. While more modern adaptations like 10 Things I Hate About You are better, John Wayne’s likability overshadows some of the more questionable scenes in McLintock!, like the ending in which his character spanks his estranged wife in public before the two reconcile.

John Wayne And Maureen O’Hara Made A Great Pairing In Multiple Movies

McLintock! Is One Of John Wayne And Maureen O’Hara’s Best Movies

While Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne were not officially romantic partners, John Wayne’s biography, John Wayne: The Life and Legend, suggests that they had been in a relationship at one time. Whether or not this is true, the two actors had tremendous chemistry in McLintock! and several other movies. John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara appeared in five movies together, and they always played spouses or romantic interests, with The Quiet Man being their biggest success together. The two had appeared in three movies together before McLintock! so it is understandable that they would work well as a comedic duo.

John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara played several more serious partnerships, but McLintock! shows the two having fun with their roles, and bouncing off each other as a comedic duo. This allowed both actors to show another side to their usual work, showing off their versatility, which had often been doubted in John Wayne’s case, after so many years playing serious characters. Maureen O’Hara could match John Wayne’s on-screen charisma and energy in a way that few other actors were able to do, and this made them compelling (and hilarious) to watch.

John Wayne’s Comedy Movies Make His Other Westerns Even Better

McLintock! Still Had Elements Of A Typical John Wayne Western

John Wayne might have been an icon of the Western movie genre, but if there was one criticism of his acting, it was that he did not have range. However, this was untrue. Even his usual Western characters were different from each other, and even when John Wayne was not the lead actor in his movies, he still stood out. Starring in comedies like McLintock! highlighted Wayne’s range as an actor, and showed that he was willing and able to work on more varied projects, even taking on creative control, as he did in McLintock!

McLintock! was not a total break from type for John Wayne, as while the movie was undoubtedly a comedy, leaning heavily into slapstick, there were also some classic “John Wayne” elements to the story. Wayne’s character is an aging cowboy, which is a typical role for the actor, and the movie contains some great action scenes, but with a comedic twist. McLintock! has one of the most exciting fist fights in a John Wayne movie, with characters having a hilarious brawl in a muddy puddle, where virtually every character has a turn at being knocked into the mud.