McLintock (western film)(john Wayne)

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Thematic masculinity and Sexism in Mclintock.
The American Western film genre is the womanizing, Indian-hunting, gun totting tribute to all the things that were considered masculine in the conservative US media’s tradition. Centered on the perception that the Western ‘wars’ can be conquered through the utilization of a dangerous mix of saloon girls, brown liquor, and horseback riding, the film genre has utilized any stereotypical, overblown idea of the ‘ultimate man’ and utilized it in a scenario where such a ‘phenomenon’ would survive – a story that is fictional. It is for these reasons that most western films have been accused of being sexists and having an essence of thematic masculinity. John Wayne’s movie “Mclintock!” is one of these movies; the film somehow managed to convincingly support the idea of a sexist stereotypical manhood. Accordingly, the paper herein will discuss various contemporary issues with respect to thematic masculinity and sexism in John Wayne’s movie ‘Mclintock’ with the aim of giving insight into the issue.
The romance/action/adventure movie McLintock was initially released on November 13, 1963, with a budget of two million dollars to make the film (Grant 12). The film was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen  Considering that it did pretty well at the box office with about a 14.5 million USD profit, it’s not very often that the main character in a film is also the director. McLintock is a rare exception with John Wayne helping to direct the film along with director Andrew V.

McLaglen (Wormser 23). James Edward Grant had a great imagination and a clear vision for this piece as the writer. When fans sat down for the movie premiere, they knew they were going to be in for some comedy as well. Putting John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in a scene together was bound to get some laughs. John was a manly man, which was in his nature. He walked and talked and acted like the rough and rugged cowboy he ironically was. Maureen O’Hara was not overshadowed even a bit by the rugged cowboy. She held her own and was the equal woman. With her fiery red hair and strong, spunky attitude, she matched the appearance of the character.
Since Mclintock is closely based on the “The Taming of the Shrew,” by William Shakespeare, it lends itself to a similar sex-related tension as the Shakespeare’s play and in the process brings into light an unresolved and longstanding array of questions about thematic masculine dominance while positioning those issues in the 1960s liberal America’s social revolution that was implication riddled. The ironic show of such a high level of blatantly sexist masculinity, similar to what was portrayed in Petruccio’s role in Shakespeare’s play, makes the efficiency of such statements very suspect at best (Brunvand 56). An individual must question whether or not the movie successfully assimilates the western film genre, the actor’s skills, and the similarity of the plot to “The Taming of the Shrew,” in such a manner to persuade the viewers of the movie’s validity as a statement supporting conservatism. In that case, the movie might be justifiable as a movie that is geared towards delivering a satirical jab against the stereotypical critics of the conservative American masculine mine who were constantly being scrutinized in the 1960s.
Indeed, in order to substantiate the ironical nature of Mclintock’s G.W. approach to making his women ‘tame,’ one must be conscious of the fact that Shakespeare designed Petruccio’s role as an individual that is sexist and inappropriate in how he handles marital conflict even if one might argue that his wife was difficult. In relation to the “The Taming of the Shrew,” Petruccio tries to ‘tame’ the temper of his wife, Kate, through forcing her to fight, refusing her sleep, and starving her. This is somewhat similar to how G.W. attempts to subdue his wife through spanking her in front of everyone in town and humiliating her. Greenblatt, The Norton Shakespeare’s editor, delves into how people received Petruccio’s character and links this perception with English masculinity, although Petruccio is an Italian. He states that the real Englishman shows his level of manhood through the cruel and firm mastery of his servants and wife (Greenbalt 162). Greenbalt then proceeds to elaborate that in the context of the lifetime of Shakespeare, many times females would be punished for something as mere as speaking excessively. The definition of ‘shrews, in the context of the play, were women who had ‘wagging tongues,’ in that they talked too much (Greenbalt 164). Such women were commonly punished using scold’s bridles and cucking stools, both of which were devices meant to torture and humiliate the woman into submission. This is similar to the scene in ‘Mclintock’ where Kathrin is running from GW down the middle of the street picnic in her bloomers. The commotion all ends comically with a good spanking. This is shown to ‘tame’ Kathrin as she follows G.W. as he rides off in his carriage.
Given that ‘Mclintock’ was adapted from the play, “The Taming of the Shrew,” and is the modern version of the original play, it is vital to see ‘Mclintock’ for what is really is; a sexist and unnecessary adaptation of Shakespeare’s original play aimed at portraying thematic masculinity. It is clear that the movie contained many aspects of thematic masculinity and sexism although it was cunningly packaged in a comical manner.
Works Cited
Brunvand, Jan. “Taming Of The Shrew.” Western Folklore 19.1 (1960): 56. Web.
Grant, James Edward. Mclintock!. 1st ed. United Artists, 1963. Print.
Greenblatt, Stephen. Introduction. “The Taming of the Shrew.” The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Greenblatt, Stephen, et al. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. New York: Norton, 2008. 159-168.
Wormser, Richard. Mclintock. 1st ed. Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett Publications, 1963. Print.