When you sit down to watch a John Wayne flick, you usually know what you’re getting. There’s a horse, a dusty trail, and the Duke standing tall against some injustice. But McLintock! is different. It’s loud, it’s sweaty, and it’s basically a family reunion caught on 35mm film. If you look closely at the cast of McLintock with John Wayne, you’ll realize this wasn’t just another job for the biggest star in Hollywood. It was a personal project, a comedy-western loosely based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, and a chance for Wayne to stack the deck with people he actually liked.
The 1963 film centers on George Washington "G.W." McLintock, a cattle baron who has everything under control except his estranged wife and his headstrong daughter. Honestly, the movie works because the chemistry isn't faked. These people knew each other.
The Iconic Pairing: Wayne and O'Hara
You can't talk about the cast without starting at the top. Maureen O’Hara played Katherine McLintock, and let’s be real, she was the only woman on the planet who could trade verbal (and physical) blows with John Wayne and make it look like a fair fight. This was their fourth film together. By the time they got to the set in Tucson, they had a rhythm that most actors would kill for.
O’Hara wasn't just a damsel. She was a powerhouse. She famously did many of her own stunts, including that chaotic tumble into the mud pit. There’s a legendary story that during the "spanking" scene at the end of the film—which definitely hasn't aged well by modern standards—Wayne didn't pull his punches. O'Hara later said her backside was black and blue for weeks. That's the kind of gritty, "all-in" commitment the two of them brought to the screen.
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A True Family Affair
One of the coolest things about the cast of McLintock with John Wayne is how much it actually belonged to the Wayne family. This wasn't just John's movie; it was a Batjac Production (his company), and he filled the roster with his own kin.
- Patrick Wayne: John’s son played Devlin Warren, the young, hardworking hand who eventually wins over the McLintock daughter. Patrick had been appearing in his father's films since he was 11, but here he finally got to flex some comedic muscle.
- Aissa Wayne: John’s daughter appeared as Alice Warren, Devlin’s younger sister.
- Michael Wayne: He didn't appear on camera, but John's eldest son produced the film.
It’s kinda funny when you think about it. Most people try to get away from their family at work. John Wayne just invited them all to the desert to have a giant mud fight.
The Supporting Players Who Stole the Show
Beyond the big names, the supporting cast is a "who’s who" of character actors from the Golden Age.
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Stefanie Powers played Becky McLintock, the daughter returning home from college with "big city" ideas. Long before she was a household name in Hart to Hart, she was holding her own against the Duke. Then you have Yvonne De Carlo as Louise Warren. Wayne actually insisted on hiring her because her husband, stuntman Bob Morgan, had been seriously injured while filming How the West Was Won. Wayne wanted to make sure she had a paycheck coming in. That's the side of the Duke people don't always mention—the guy was fiercely loyal.
The comedic heavy lifting often fell to Chill Wills as Drago, G.W.'s right-hand man, and Jack Kruschen as Jake Birnbaum. They provided that classic western levity that kept the movie from feeling too much like a domestic drama. And we can't forget Jerry Van Dyke. Playing the bumbling Matt Douglas Jr., he brought a sort of "city slicker" absurdity that balanced out the ruggedness of the ranch.
Why This Cast Still Resonates
People still search for the cast of McLintock with John Wayne because the movie feels authentic in its chaos. It wasn't a polished, studio-driven product. It was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, who was the son of Victor McLaglen (another longtime Wayne collaborator). The whole production felt like a passing of the torch.
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The film tackles some surprisingly heavy themes for a comedy—Native American rights, the struggle of homesteaders, and the shifting power dynamics of the Old West. But it coats it all in a layer of slapstick. That mud fight scene? It took days to film, and it involved almost the entire principal cast. It’s one of the most famous brawls in cinema history, mostly because you can tell the actors are actually having a blast.
The Full Primary Cast List
If you're looking for a quick breakdown of who was who, here's the roster:
- John Wayne: George Washington "G.W." McLintock
- Maureen O'Hara: Katherine Gilhooley McLintock
- Patrick Wayne: Devlin Warren
- Stefanie Powers: Rebecca "Becky" McLintock
- Yvonne De Carlo: Louise Warren
- Jack Kruschen: Jake Birnbaum
- Chill Wills: Drago
- Jerry Van Dyke: Matt Douglas Jr.
- Edgar Buchanan: Bunny Dull
- Bruce Cabot: Ben Sage
- Strother Martin: Agard
Real-World Legacy and Where to Watch
Even though McLintock! fell into the public domain for a while—which is why you might see some grainy, low-quality versions floating around—it remains a staple of American Western history. It’s a snapshot of a time when movie stars were larger than life and "family business" meant something very literal.
If you want to dive deeper into the world of 1960s Westerns, your best bet is to look for the digitally restored versions of the film. They preserve the vibrant Technicolor that made the Arizona landscapes (and Maureen O'Hara's red hair) pop.
Next Steps:
To truly appreciate the chemistry of this cast, watch The Quiet Man immediately after McLintock!. You’ll see the same leads in a completely different setting, which highlights just how versatile the Wayne-O'Hara partnership really was. If you're a trivia buff, check out the behind-the-scenes documentaries often included on the 50th Anniversary Blu-ray releases; they feature interviews with Stefanie Powers and Patrick Wayne that give a much more intimate look at what it was like on that set.