El Dorado

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The threads about westerns reminded me of my favorite poem, which is the one James Caan keeps quoting in the movie El Dorado (also a favorite)...wouldnt have thought Edgar Allen Poe would have come up with this one.

Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.

But he grew old -
This knight so bold -
And o'er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.

And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow -
"Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be -
This land of Eldorado?"

"Over the mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied -
"If you seek for Eldorado!"
 
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I loved that poem in the movie and even more now. thanks. It was a great interlude that made this a better John wayne vehicle. This movie also has one of my favorite bad guys. Christopher George as Nels McLoed. He had many facets for a movie bad guy. And he was just as good in Chisum.
Now where is that El Dorado DVD...
 
One of my favorite JW movies of all time. Some great actors in that one: Mitchum, George, Charlene Holt (YUM!) and Authur Hunnicutt.

Almost all the principal actors are now dead, what a shame.
 
I had to memorize that poem when I was in the 4th grade back in the '70's. I can still recite it word for word.
 
pilgrim6a said:
I can't remember how many times they used this story. El Dorado is the best.
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Three, IRC: Rio Lobo, Rio Bravo and El Dorado. Essentially all the same movie.

El Dorado is my favorite also, although Rio Lobo is close behind it.
 
Dick Rumbaugh said:
Yes a great movie. Watched it all the time. Enjoyed the part about John buying the 10 Ga. sawed off for Caan because he couldn't anything except with his knife. Great actors also
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JW was very impatient teaching James Caan how to shoot a handgun. He has him shoot real fast at a cactus and when he misses says, "'fraid it's useless!" Then they get that shotgun. But I guess JW had pretty high standards since in that one scene he draws his gun while on a horse and snap shoots Johnny Crawford in the gut at fifty yards. You'd think that kid would be a better rifle shot after hanging out with The Rifleman for all those years!
 
Thanks guys...yep El Dorado is probably in my top 5 favorite John Wayne movies.
I looked the poem up on a whim several years ago, and it happened to be some clubs poem of the week. I could not believe it was a Poe work.
 
I just realized I missed my usual yearly announcement:

John Wayne died 32 years ago last June 11. Hard to believe it's been that long.


:(
 
You will find that Poe was a great poet and writer of more contemporary pieces. It so happens that he is most well known for his darker poems and stories because those were what got published and made him some money. They were also written later in his life after he became an opium user, and hard drinker. Hmmmm, wonder if that shaped the stories any.

Hey Curtis, who wudda thunk we both like El Dorado?? LOL! Ya got Poe questions, just call me. BTW, after seeing the thread title and thread starter....I figured you bought a new car.....
 
I thought this would be about your pink cadillac. :p
 
66TAS said:
You will find that Poe was a great poet and writer of more contemporary pieces. It so happens that he is most well known for his darker poems and stories because those were what got published and made him some money. They were also written later in his life after he became an opium user, and hard drinker. Hmmmm, wonder if that shaped the stories any.

Hey Curtis, who wudda thunk we both like El Dorado?? LOL! Ya got Poe questions, just call me. BTW, after seeing the thread title and thread starter....I figured you bought a new car.....
Click to expand...

I wish. I sold my 95 El Dorado a few years ago and have regretted it ever since. Hope to get another one day
 
El Dorado is at the top of my JW movie list too, and after seeing it on TCM (Turner Classic Movie channel) with the added trivia commentary during the breaks for commercials, I enjoyed it even more knowing some of the info.

My favorite is toward the end of the movie when they are in the jail house, Wayne learns from Bull that Molly is po'ed at him and picks up his crutch to starts to heading toward her place, Robert Mitchum blurts out to Wayne that he has his crutch under the wrong arm... Wayne bellows something like "'Well how do you know? You've been using it first under one side and then the other!!" and storms off.

That was an ad-lib by Wayne, referring to Mitchum, who throughout the movie couldn't remember which side he was supposed to keep his crutch on. He ends up in scenes in the movie with him using his crutch on one side and then the other . The director liked Wayne's quip so much, he put it in the movie.

James Cann's character was supposed to be played a lot more light heartedly, like a comic side kick. But this was one of Cann's early, if not first movie roles, and he went about it as a serious role, not realizing the script written for his character was to be a hapless fool.

The director liked his portrayal much better and canned the original idea for the Mississippi character.
 
Double-O-Dave said:
Yeah, who can forget James Caan who become a very convincing Chinese guy? Fine acting that. Academy award winning performance. Well, I guess he was just channeling the Duke - who once portrayed Ghengis Khan!

Regards,

Dave
Click to expand...
I have the DVD and saw it a million times as a kid, but a couple weeks ago I came across it on TV for a few minutes and they cut out the James Caan Chinese scene. Figures.
 
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