John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn are two of the biggest and most iconic stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, but they only co-starred in one movie together, 1975’s Rooster Cogburn. The movie is a sequel to Henry Hathaway’s 1969 Western True Grit, which earned Wayne his sole Academy Award, and revives the Duke’s Oscar-winning role, to which its тιтle alludes. Hepburn wasn’t in True Grit, and so appears as the new character Miss Eula Goodnight in Rooster Cogburn.

Apart from Wayne, virtually none of the people involved in the first film came aboard this sequel project, with the exception of producer Hal B. Wallis. Rooster Cogburn was directed by Stuart Millar, who’d only previously helmed one other feature film. It was largely perceived as an attempt to cash in on the role and the movie that won John Wayne his Oscar, with the help of arguably the best actress of Old Hollywood. On the other hand, the idea of Wayne finally working with Katharine Hepburn could have proven to be a landmark moment in Hollywood history.

Rooster Cogburn Was John Wayne & Katharine Hepburn’s Only Movie Together

The 2 Hollywood Golden Age Icons Had Never Shared A Screen Before

Indeed, Katharine Hepburn is widely considered to be one of the best big-screen actors of all time, while Hollywood icons don’t come any bigger than John Wayne. The two stars together in a movie, even at the tail end of their career, was enough to bring moviegoers to theaters in itself.

What’s more, Rooster Cogburn was the first-ever John Wayne sequel, as all of his previous acting credits had been for standalone movies. The Duke wasn’t just returning as any old character, either. Wayne was reviving one of his most iconic roles from six years earlier, and one which earned him the biggest prize in screen acting.

John Wayne Revived His Oscar-Winning Role For The True Grit Sequel

It Was His 1st Performance As Rooster Cogburn That Won Him His Best Actor Oscar

John Wayne won his only Oscar among three career nominations playing Rooster Cogburn in True Grit, and he stepped seamlessly back into the role for the sequel movie named after the character. Cogburn is a hard-as-nails Civil War veteran of the ilk Wayne had made a specialism of playing ever since John Ford’s 1948 classic Fort Apache, and Katharine Hepburn’s Eula Goodnight has come to try and tame him in this follow-up film.

It’s not just Wayne’s character shooting from the hip, however, as Hepburn’s Goodnight fires plenty of rounds herself, including from a high-powered Gatling gun. Like True Grit, Rooster Cogburn is set against the beautiful backdrop of the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas, right on the borderline of the Old West frontier in the Southern United States. While Wayne and Hepburn entertain us with droll back-and-forth dialogue and somewhat cartoonish gunfights, the Ouachitas are the movie’s captivating supporting cast.

Despite Katharine Hepburn, Rooster Cogburn Can’t Compare With True Grit

The Movie Is Gimmicky And Insubstantial Despite Its Great Lead Performances

Nevertheless, despite excellent lead performances from Wayne and Hepburn, Rooster Cogburn is ultimately an insubstantial escapade that never comes close to the movie that inspired it. True Grit has genuine peril and menace in abundance, whereas its sequel leans heavily on gimmicks and star quality. Not even Wayne’s best efforts at bringing the most nuanced role of his career back to life can add enough meat to cover the movie’s bare bones of a script.

It seems a shame that the only time two of Hollywood’s greatest-ever stars appeared on the big screen together was in a movie as ultimately forgettable as Rooster Cogburn. Regardless of the film’s limitations, though, it’s still a joy to watch John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn challenge each other on screen, and the mutual respect between the two actors is palpable. Both stars are at the top of their late-career game. At the very least, we can say that Rooster Cogburn gave each of them the chance to elevate the other’s magnetic screen presence to even higher heights.