The Rare Breed
| The Rare Breed | |
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| Directed by | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| Produced by | William Alland |
| Written by | Ric Hardman |
| Starring |
James Stewart Maureen O'Hara Brian Keith Juliet Mills Don Galloway Jack Elam Ben Johnson Harry Carey, Jr. |
| Music by | John Williams |
| Cinematography | William H. Clothier |
| Edited by | Russell F. Schoengarth |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2 million (est. US/ Canada rentals) |
The Rare Breed is a 1966 American western film starring James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, Juliet Mills and Ben Johnson and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. Loosely based on the life of rancher Col. John William Burgess, the film follows Martha Price's (O'Hara) quest to fulfill her deceased husband's dream of introducing Hereford cattle to the American West. The film was one of the early major productions to be scored by John Williams, who was billed as "Johnny Williams" in the opening credits.
English women Martha Price (Maureen O'Hara) and her daughter Hilary (Juliet Mills) come to the US via boat with Hereford stock pursuing the dream of Martha's husband, who accidentally died on board, to bring Hereford to the West. They're now left with Hilary's bull, a result of years of European breeding, named Vindicator. Vindicator exhibits all the gentility of breeding, including an odd willingness to follow Hilary merely at the whistle of "God Save the Queen".
At auction, he results in a bidding war and is ultimately won by Charles Ellsworth (David Brian), who has come to purchase stock for the wealthy Texas rancher Alexander Bowen (Brian Keith). Sam Burnett (James Stewart), a local wrangler known for being able to take down bulls just by looking at them, is hired to transport the bull to Bowen's ranch. Ellsworth has bought the bull primarily to woo Martha, and when she is confronted by him when trying to claim her payment for the bull she decides to ensure Vindicator's delivery by accompanying him en route.
Martha Price is told by daughter Hilary about a conversation she overheard between Burnett and two men working for competing rancher John Taylor (Alan Caillou). Burnett has made a deal with Taylor to steal the bull. Hilary doesn't yet know that Burnett has made the deal mostly to ensure another wrangler doublecrossed by Taylor would receive some money to take care of himself after an injury. One of Taylor's men, Deke Simons (Jack Elam), gets into a fight with Burnett in the saloon over terms. Price, witnessing the brawl, comes to trust Burnett. Despite Burnett's objections, he accepts responsibility for the Price women through the train ride to the west and the following wagon trail.
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Wikipedia