McLintock! (1963)

A prosperous rancher (John Wayne) gets a visit from his estranged wife (Maureen O'Hara) when their daughter (Stefanie Powers) is returning home after receiving an Eastern education. The wife wants to take their daughter to live with her so she can meet the right people and live a cultured lifestyle. This rambunctious western is an updated version of Shakespeare's TAMING OF THE SHREW and like Shakespeare's comedy, its attitude toward women is often uncomfortable. Even in 1963, was spanking grown women considered amusing? In the 1950s and 1960s, John Wayne was about the biggest star in the world. People went to a John Wayne movie because it was John Wayne. The plot or who else was in it wasn't of much importance, they knew what they were getting with a John Wayne movie and he (usually) delivered. MCLINTOCK is a John Wayne movie and he delivers. But if you're not a fan of the Duke, you might have very little tolerance for this kind of shenanigans. Even as a huge Wayne fan, I know this is far from one of his best films but it's lively and he and O'Hara have an indisputable chemistry (they made five films together). Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. With Yvonne De Carlo, Stefanie Powers, Chill Wills, Patrick Wayne, Bruce Cabot, Perry Lopez, Mari Blanchard and Jerry Van Dyke.