Red River is a 1948 Western film directed by Howard Hawks, giving a fictional account of the first cattle drive from Texas to Kansas along the Chisholm Trail. The dramatic tension stems from a growing feud over the management of the drive, between the Texas rancher who initiated it (John Wayne) and his adopted adult son (Montgomery Clift).
The film also starred Joanne Dru, Walter Brennan, Coleen Gray, Harry Carey, John Ireland, Hank Worden, Noah Beery Jr. and Harry Carey, Jr. Borden Chase wrote the script with Charles Schnee, based on Chase's original story (which was first serialized in The Saturday Evening Post in 1946 as "Blazing Guns on the Chisholm Trail").
Red River was filmed in 1946 but not released until September 30, 1948. Footage from Red River was later incorporated into the opening montage of Wayne's last film, The Shootist, to illustrate the backstory of Wayne's character. The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Film Editing (Christian Nyby) and Best Writing, Motion Picture Story. In 1990, Red River was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." John Ford—who worked with Wayne on many films (such as The Searchers, Stagecoach, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance)—was so impressed with Wayne's performance that he is reported to have said, "I didn't know the big son of a bitch could act!" In June 2008, AFI listed Red River as the fifth-best film in the western genre.
John Wayne as Thomas Dunson
Montgomery Clift as Matthew 'Matt' Garth
Joanne Dru as Tess Millay
Walter Brennan as Nadine Groot
Coleen Gray as Fen
Harry Carey as Mr. Melville
John Ireland as Cherry Valance
Noah Beery Jr. as Buster McGee
Harry Carey Jr. as Dan Latimer
Chief Yowlachie as Quo
Paul Fix as Teeler Yacey
Hank Worden as Sims Reeves
Ray Hyke as Walt Jergens
Wally Wales as Old Leather
Mickey Kuhn as Young Matt
Music by Dimitri Tiomkin
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