John Wayne didn't want to die. At least, not on screen. By 1972, "The Duke" was an institution, a towering figure of American grit who usually rode off into the sunset or, at the very least, went down swinging in a blaze of glory. But The Cowboys was different. It was gritty. It was risky. When Mark Rydell approached Wayne to play Wil Andersen—a rancher forced to hire schoolboys to drive his cattle because all the men had headed for the gold mines—Wayne knew the script required him to do the unthinkable: get shot in the back by a "slimy" villain.
People forget how much of a gamble the cast of the cowboys really was. You had a legendary star at the tail end of his career paired with eleven kids who had almost zero acting experience. It could have been a disaster. Instead, it became a cult classic that bridged the gap between the Golden Age of Hollywood and the raw, cynical Westerns of the 1970s.
The Boys Who Became Men
The heart of the film wasn't actually Wayne; it was the "boys." They weren't just background extras. They were the emotional engine.
Take A Martinez. Before he was a soap opera icon on Santa Barbara, he was Cimarron, the rough-edged kid with a chip on his shoulder. Martinez brought a certain intensity that felt dangerous compared to the "goody-two-shoes" vibe of some of the younger kids. He actually had to learn how to ride for the role, a common theme among the younger cast of the cowboys.
Then there’s Robert Carradine. Yes, that Robert Carradine. Long before Revenge of the Nerds, he played Slim. He was part of the Carradine acting dynasty, but on set, he was just another kid trying not to get trampled by a steer. He’s gone on record saying that Wayne was surprisingly patient with them, despite his reputation for being a tough taskmaster. It wasn't all sunshine, though. Wayne expected you to know your lines. If you didn't? You'd hear about it.
The Standouts
- A Martinez (Cimarron): He’s perhaps the most successful of the "boys" in terms of longevity. He transitioned from Westerns to a massive career in television.
- Robert Carradine (Slim): He used this film as a springboard into 70s indie cinema before hitting it big in the 80s.
- Sean Kelly (Bob): While he didn't stay in the limelight as long as the others, his performance as the stuttering boy who finds his voice is still the emotional peak of the movie.
Bruce Dern: The Man Who Killed John Wayne
We have to talk about Bruce Dern. Honestly, the guy is a legend, but for years after 1972, he couldn't walk down the street without someone yelling at him for killing Liberty Valance—wait, no, for killing Wil Andersen.
Dern played "Long Hair," the lead rustler. He was terrifying. Not because he was a bodybuilder or a monster, but because he was twitchy and unpredictable. When he shoots Andersen in the back, it felt like a betrayal of the entire Western genre. Dern once joked that when he told Wayne he was going to be hated for the role, Wayne replied, "Yeah, but they'll love you in Berkeley."
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That’s the thing about the cast of the cowboys. It wasn't just about heroes. It was about creating a villain so loathsome that the audience would cheer when a group of children eventually took him down. It was dark. For 1972, it was borderline experimental.
Roscoe Lee Browne and the Nuance of Nightlinger
If Bruce Dern provided the malice, Roscoe Lee Browne provided the soul. As Jebediah Nightlinger, the camp cook, Browne gave a performance that was years ahead of its time. In an era where Black actors were often relegated to sidekicks or stereotypes, Nightlinger was the smartest man in the room.
He was sophisticated. He was well-spoken. He took no crap from Wil Andersen.
The chemistry between Wayne and Browne is fascinating to watch. They represent two different worlds colliding on the trail. Browne was a Shakespearean-trained actor, and you can hear it in every syllable. He didn't just play a cook; he played a mentor who eventually had to lead those boys through the trauma of losing their father figure.
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The Logistics of a Cattle Drive
They actually did it. Mostly.
The production wasn't just some backlot shoot in Burbank. They filmed in New Mexico and Colorado. The dust was real. The heat was real. When you see the cast of the cowboys struggling with those cows, it’s because moving 1,500 head of cattle is a nightmare even if you aren't trying to film a movie at the same time.
Director Mark Rydell insisted on a certain level of authenticity. He wanted the kids to look tired. He wanted them to look like they’d been sleeping in the dirt. Because they had. The "Cowboy School" they attended before filming wasn't a PR stunt; it was a survival necessity. If those kids couldn't handle a horse, the movie would have looked like a parody.
Why This Cast Still Matters
Westerns usually die out. They become relics of a specific time. But The Cowboys persists because it’s a coming-of-age story wrapped in a leather holster.
The cast of the cowboys represented a changing of the guard. You had the old guard (Wayne), the prestige actors (Browne), the method-adjacent villains (Dern), and the new generation of Hollywood (the kids). It’s a microcosm of the film industry in the early 70s—transitioning from the studio system's polish to the New Hollywood's grit.
There was even a short-lived TV series in 1974. Most of the original kids returned, which is almost unheard of. Usually, TV spin-offs recast everyone with cheaper talent. But the bond between those actors was so strong that they wanted to keep the story going, even without Wayne. It didn't last long—only one season—but it cemented the legacy of that specific group of actors.
Misconceptions About the Set
You'll hear stories that John Wayne hated the kids. Not true.
You'll hear stories that Bruce Dern and Wayne got into real fights. Also not true.
By all accounts, the set was professional, though rigorous. Wayne was dealing with health issues—he’d already lost a lung to cancer years prior—but he never let it show to the "boys." He felt a responsibility to mentor them. In a way, the movie mirrored real life. He was teaching them how to be professionals, just as Wil Andersen was teaching them how to be men.
What to Do if You’re a Fan
If you want to truly appreciate the cast of the cowboys, don't just stop at the 1972 film. There are layers to this history that most people skip over.
- Watch the 1974 TV Series: It’s hard to find, but it features several of the original "boys" including A Martinez and Robert Carradine. It gives a glimpse into what the characters might have become.
- Track the "Boys" Careers: Look up the work of Steve Benedict or Nicolas Beauvy. Seeing where they went after such a massive childhood experience is a fascinating lesson in the volatility of child stardom.
- Read Bruce Dern’s Memoirs: He talks extensively about the "Long Hair" role and the psychological toll of being the guy who killed an American icon.
- Compare with "The Searchers": To see how much Wayne’s acting evolved, watch his performance in The Searchers (1956) back-to-back with The Cowboys. The vulnerability in his final scenes with the boys is a masterclass in aging a character.
The film remains a staple of cable TV for a reason. It isn't just a "John Wayne movie." It’s a testament to a group of young actors who stepped into the boots of giants and didn't trip. Whether you're watching for the cinematography or the sheer shock of that final confrontation, the ensemble remains one of the most unique groups ever assembled for a Western.