Rio Bravo is a 1959 western film, directed by Howard Hawks. It stars John Wayne, Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson, with Angie Dickinson, Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, Estelita Rodriguez and Walter Brennan and was shot at Old Tucson Studios, just outside Tucson, Arizona.
Rio Bravo is generally regarded as one of Hawks' best, and is notable for its lack of close-up shots. It features a long opening scene with absolutely no dialogue.
Sheriff John T. Chance (Wayne) arrests a murderer, Joe Burdette (Claude Akins), the brother of powerful rancher Nathan Burdette (John Russell). The rancher's men then quarantine the town in preparation to breaking Burdette out of jail. The only help Chance has are his deputies Dude (Martin), an alcoholic, and Stumpy (Brennan), a cripple. Tensions are further strained by the presence of a young gunslinger, Colorado Ryan (Nelson), and the arrival of a mysterious woman, Feathers (Dickinson), who becomes romantically involved with Chance.
The film was made as a response to High Noon, which is sometimes thought to be an allegory for blacklisting in Hollywood, as well as a critique of McCarthyism[citation needed].
Wayne teamed up with director Howard Hawks to tell the story his way. Hawks was offended by High Noon as he didn't believe the marshal, played by Gary Cooper, would ask the townsfolk for help. Wayne was a conservative and a firm supporter of blacklisting.
Dean Martin & Ricky Nelson - My Rifle, My Pony, and Me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IpEnsdXwFM Dino only sings a cpl of numbers in Rio Bravo, but rest assured that they're solid GOLD! It's no wonder that Dean Martin is/was the 'King of Cool'.
