The Silver Screen Oasis

I've recently began to wonder which was the better John Wayne film True Grit or it's sequal Rooster Gogburn.

Certainly TG got more acclaim winning an Oscar for Wayne, but I also think RG is an underrated westrern with lots going for it. In TG Wayne was younger and despite working on one lung was still convincing as an action hero. While RG is also an action western, I felt Wayne, who may have had heart surgery by this point, had the younger members of the cast like Louis Jordon and Anthony Zerbe do the action stuff around him. That said Wayne still gave a credible performance as the gruff U.S Marshal.

In RGs favour against TG was IMO the leading lady. The very young Kim Darby IMO doesn't light a candle to the legandary late 60 something Katharine Hepburn. In RG we have two giants of the cinema working together in Kate and the Duke. I kind of wish that there could have been a romantic involvement between Kate and Duke, just as there was with her and Bogie in The African Queen which RG closely resembles, though I thing the producers thought Kate was now to old to play a romantic female lead. I would disagree and would quote Peter O'Toole's opinion of her when they made Lion In Winter together by calling her A Good Looking Bird.
I must admit to prefering Rooster Gogburn

MissGoddess wrote:Kim Darby annoys me and I love Kate and the Duke together, so casting-wise, Rooster Cogburn is a real delight to me.
I love True Grit and think the story is tighter in many respects. The villains are MUCH more
compelling than in RC, but I like them both just about equally.

I agree too.

Darby annoys me too. She is hard to like. I like "Rooster Cogburn" just to watch Wayne and Hepburn. Never mind the Indian boy and some of the implausible parts of the story. Those two are a real treat.

Anyone who wants to see what a great character Mattie Ross can be should see Hallie Steinfeld in the Coen brothers new version of True Grit. You won't be disappointed.

I have to admit that I've never seen the original version of True Grit, but I did see the remake and liked it very much. My only real exposure to Kim Darby is as the daffy mom in the 1980's comedy Better Off Dead, so I have a hard time picturing her as Mattie Ross! However, I thought that Hailee Steinfeld's performance as Mattie was SUPERB. She is completely believable as the determined 14 year old with a vendetta.

Sandy K

I will take True Grit I and True Grit II over Rooster anytime, anyplace, and anywhere.