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Paint Your Wagon (film)
Encyclopedia
Paint Your Wagon is a 1969 American musical film
starring Lee Marvin
and Clint Eastwood
. The movie was adapted by Paddy Chayefsky
from the 1951 stage musical by Lerner and Loewe
, set in a mining camp in Gold Rush
-era California
.
Ben Rumson finds two adult male occupants, brothers, one of whom is dead and the other of whom has a broken arm and leg. As the first man is about to be buried, gold dust is discovered at the graveside. Ben stakes a claim on the land and adopts the surviving brother as his "Pardner" while he recuperates. Pardner, is portrayed as initially innocent and romantic, illustrated by him singing a pining love song about a girl named Elisa ("I Still See Elisa"), who he later sheepishly confesses exists only in his imagination. Pardner is originally a farmer who hopes to make enough in the gold rush to buy some land, and is openly suspicious of the drunken and seemingly amoral Ben. Ben claims that while he is willing to fight, steal, and cheat at cards, his system of ethics does not allow him to betray a partner, and that he will share the spoils of Ben's prospecting on the condition that Pardner takes care of Ben in his moments of drunkenness and melancholy.
After the discovery of gold at the grave site, "No Name City" springs up as a tent city with the miners alternating between wild parties ("Hand Me Down That Can o' Beans") and bouts of melancholy ("They Call the Wind Maria
"). The men become increasingly frustrated with the lack of female companionship in the mining town, and the arrival of a Mormon
, Jacob Woodling, with two wives is enough to catch the attention of the entire town. The miners claim it is unfair for the Mormon to have two wives when they have no women, and persuade him to sell one of his wives to the highest bidder. Elizabeth, Jacob's younger and more rebellious wife, agrees to be sold based on the reasoning that whatever she gets, it can't be as bad as what she currently has.
A drunken Ben winds up with the highest bid for Elizabeth. Ben is readied for the wedding by the other miners ("Whoop-Ti-Yay"), and Elizabeth is married to Ben under "mining law," with Ben being granted exclusive rights to "all her mineral resources". Elizabeth, not content to be passively treated as property, threatens to shoot Ben on their wedding night if she is not treated with respect. She explains that she believes that Ben is not the type to truly settle down, and that while this is acceptable she wants him to treat her with respect while he stays and to build her a proper wooden cabin to provide her with some security for when he inevitably leaves. Ben is impressed by Elizabeth's determination, and promises to build her a cabin. He enlists the rest of the men to keep this promise, and Elizabeth rejoices in having a proper home ("A Million Miles Away Behind the Door").
Elizabeth's presence comes to be a novelty in the area, causing all the other miners to become somewhat obsessed with Elizabeth, and Ben to be consumed by jealousy and paranoia. News comes of the pending arrival of "six French tarts" to a neighboring town and a plan is hatched to kidnap the women and bring them to "No Name City" ("There's a Coach Comin' In"), thus providing the other miners with the potential for female companionship, giving Ben less reason to fear that the other men are after his wife, and providing the town with additional sources of income as other miners from outlying regions will likely be willing to spend their money in No Name City if it means a chance to visit prostitutes. Ben heads up the mission and leaves Elizabeth in the care of Pardner. While Ben is gone, the two fall in love ("I Talk to the Trees" by Pardner). Elizabeth says that she also still loves Ben, and convinces them that if a Mormon man can have two wives, a woman can have two husbands.
As the town booms, the arrangement with Ben, Pardner, and Elizabeth works well for a while until the town becomes large enough that more civilized people from the East begin to settle there. A parson begins to make a concerted effort to persuade the people of No Name City to give up their evil ways, warning the townsfolk that they will be swallowed up by God's wrath if they do not repent ("The Ballad of No Name City"). Meanwhile, a group of new settlers is rescued from the snow, and the straight-laced family is invited to spend the winter with Elizabeth and Pardner, who is assumed to be her only husband. Ben is left to fend for himself in town. In revenge Ben introduces one of the family, young Horton Fenty, to the pleasures of Rotten Luck Willie's saloon and cat house
. This leads to Elizabeth dismissing both Ben and Pardner from the log cabin Ben built for her. Pardner takes to gambling in Willie's ("Gold Fever"). As the gold begins to play out Ben and a group of miners discover that gold dust is dropping through the floor boards of many of the saloons. They hatch a plan to tunnel under all the businesses to get at the gold ("The Best Things in Life are Dirty"). This brings the story to its climax when, during a bull and bear fight, the streets collapse into the tunnels dug by Ben and the others and the town is destroyed. A reprise of "The Ballad of No Name City" plays as the town is literally swallowed by the earth. At the end of the film Ben moves on to the next gold field ("Wand'rin' Star
"), and Elizabeth and Pardner are shown reconciling. As Ben departs, he comments that never knew Pardner's real name, which Pardner then reveals: Sylvester Newel.
) has no daughter. The character "Julio" is replaced by "Pardner" (Eastwood
), now an American and Ben's partner in the gold claim. Additionally, in the film it is Pardner who falls in love with Elizabeth (Jean Seberg
), Ben's wife under mining law, rather than the stage musical character Edgar Crocker. The temporary polyamorous solution to the love triangle among Ben, Pardner and Elizabeth appears only in the film as well. In the stage version, Ben Rumson dies at the end; in the film he survives.
. He received $1 million while Eastwood was paid $750,000 and a percentage of the profits. Before Seberg was cast, Diana Rigg
and Julie Andrews
were considered. Eastwood and Marvin did their own singing while Seberg's songs were dubbed. The early incarnation of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
had a cameo in the song "Hand Me Down That Can o' Beans". Some songs from the original musical were dropped and some were added by Alan Jay Lerner
and Andre Previn
, while others were used in different contexts.
Paint Your Wagon was made near Baker City, Oregon
with filming beginning in May 1969 and ending in October. Other locations include Big Bear Lake, California
and San Bernardino National Forest
; the interiors were filmed at Paramount Studios with Joshua Logan
directing. The film's initial budget was $10 million, before it eventually doubled to $20 million. A daily expense of $80,000 was incurred to transport cast and crew to the filming location, as the closest hotel was nearly 60 miles away. The elaborate camp used in the film cost $2.4 million to build.
The film was released at a time when movie musicals were going out of fashion, especially with younger audiences. Its overblown budget and nearly 3 hour length became notorious in the press. Eastwood was frustrated by the long delays in the making of the movie, later saying that the experience strengthened his resolve to become a director. According to Robert Osborne
, Marvin drank heavily during the filming of the movie, which may have enhanced his screen appearance, but led to delays and many retakes.
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
starring Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
and Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
. The movie was adapted by Paddy Chayefsky
Paddy Chayefsky
Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky , was an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for Best Screenplay....
from the 1951 stage musical by Lerner and Loewe
Lerner and Loewe
Lerner and Loewe are the duo of lyricist and librettist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe, known primarily for the music and lyrics of some of Broadway's most successful musical shows, including My Fair Lady, Camelot, and Brigadoon....
, set in a mining camp in Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
-era California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Plot
A wagon crashes into a ravine. ProspectorProspecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
Ben Rumson finds two adult male occupants, brothers, one of whom is dead and the other of whom has a broken arm and leg. As the first man is about to be buried, gold dust is discovered at the graveside. Ben stakes a claim on the land and adopts the surviving brother as his "Pardner" while he recuperates. Pardner, is portrayed as initially innocent and romantic, illustrated by him singing a pining love song about a girl named Elisa ("I Still See Elisa"), who he later sheepishly confesses exists only in his imagination. Pardner is originally a farmer who hopes to make enough in the gold rush to buy some land, and is openly suspicious of the drunken and seemingly amoral Ben. Ben claims that while he is willing to fight, steal, and cheat at cards, his system of ethics does not allow him to betray a partner, and that he will share the spoils of Ben's prospecting on the condition that Pardner takes care of Ben in his moments of drunkenness and melancholy.
After the discovery of gold at the grave site, "No Name City" springs up as a tent city with the miners alternating between wild parties ("Hand Me Down That Can o' Beans") and bouts of melancholy ("They Call the Wind Maria
They Call the Wind Maria
"They Call the Wind Maria" is an American popular song with lyrics written by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe for their 1951 Broadway musical, Paint Your Wagon, which is set in the California Gold Rush. Rufus Smith originally sang the song on Broadway, and Joseph Leader was the...
"). The men become increasingly frustrated with the lack of female companionship in the mining town, and the arrival of a Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
, Jacob Woodling, with two wives is enough to catch the attention of the entire town. The miners claim it is unfair for the Mormon to have two wives when they have no women, and persuade him to sell one of his wives to the highest bidder. Elizabeth, Jacob's younger and more rebellious wife, agrees to be sold based on the reasoning that whatever she gets, it can't be as bad as what she currently has.
A drunken Ben winds up with the highest bid for Elizabeth. Ben is readied for the wedding by the other miners ("Whoop-Ti-Yay"), and Elizabeth is married to Ben under "mining law," with Ben being granted exclusive rights to "all her mineral resources". Elizabeth, not content to be passively treated as property, threatens to shoot Ben on their wedding night if she is not treated with respect. She explains that she believes that Ben is not the type to truly settle down, and that while this is acceptable she wants him to treat her with respect while he stays and to build her a proper wooden cabin to provide her with some security for when he inevitably leaves. Ben is impressed by Elizabeth's determination, and promises to build her a cabin. He enlists the rest of the men to keep this promise, and Elizabeth rejoices in having a proper home ("A Million Miles Away Behind the Door").
Elizabeth's presence comes to be a novelty in the area, causing all the other miners to become somewhat obsessed with Elizabeth, and Ben to be consumed by jealousy and paranoia. News comes of the pending arrival of "six French tarts" to a neighboring town and a plan is hatched to kidnap the women and bring them to "No Name City" ("There's a Coach Comin' In"), thus providing the other miners with the potential for female companionship, giving Ben less reason to fear that the other men are after his wife, and providing the town with additional sources of income as other miners from outlying regions will likely be willing to spend their money in No Name City if it means a chance to visit prostitutes. Ben heads up the mission and leaves Elizabeth in the care of Pardner. While Ben is gone, the two fall in love ("I Talk to the Trees" by Pardner). Elizabeth says that she also still loves Ben, and convinces them that if a Mormon man can have two wives, a woman can have two husbands.
As the town booms, the arrangement with Ben, Pardner, and Elizabeth works well for a while until the town becomes large enough that more civilized people from the East begin to settle there. A parson begins to make a concerted effort to persuade the people of No Name City to give up their evil ways, warning the townsfolk that they will be swallowed up by God's wrath if they do not repent ("The Ballad of No Name City"). Meanwhile, a group of new settlers is rescued from the snow, and the straight-laced family is invited to spend the winter with Elizabeth and Pardner, who is assumed to be her only husband. Ben is left to fend for himself in town. In revenge Ben introduces one of the family, young Horton Fenty, to the pleasures of Rotten Luck Willie's saloon and cat house
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
. This leads to Elizabeth dismissing both Ben and Pardner from the log cabin Ben built for her. Pardner takes to gambling in Willie's ("Gold Fever"). As the gold begins to play out Ben and a group of miners discover that gold dust is dropping through the floor boards of many of the saloons. They hatch a plan to tunnel under all the businesses to get at the gold ("The Best Things in Life are Dirty"). This brings the story to its climax when, during a bull and bear fight, the streets collapse into the tunnels dug by Ben and the others and the town is destroyed. A reprise of "The Ballad of No Name City" plays as the town is literally swallowed by the earth. At the end of the film Ben moves on to the next gold field ("Wand'rin' Star
Wand'rin' Star
"Wand'rin' Star" was a UK number one single for Lee Marvin for three weeks in March 1970.It was originally written by Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe for the stage musical Paint Your Wagon in 1951. When the film of the musical was made in 1969, Lee Marvin took the role of prospector Ben Rumson...
"), and Elizabeth and Pardner are shown reconciling. As Ben departs, he comments that never knew Pardner's real name, which Pardner then reveals: Sylvester Newel.
Cast
- Lee MarvinLee MarvinLee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
as Ben Rumson - Clint EastwoodClint EastwoodClinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
as Pardner - Jean SebergJean SebergJean Dorothy Seberg was an American actress. She starred in 37 films in Hollywood and in France, including Breathless , the musical Paint Your Wagon and the disaster film Airport ....
as Elizabeth - Harve PresnellHarve PresnellHarve Presnell was an American actor and singer. He began his career in the mid 1950s as a classical baritone, singing with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States...
as Rotten Luck Willie - Ray WalstonRay WalstonRay Walston was an American stage, television and film actor best known as the title character on the 1960s situation comedy My Favorite Martian. In addition, he is also remembered for his roles as Luther Billis in South Pacific , Mr. Applegate in Damn Yankees , J.J...
as Mad Jack Duncan - H.B. HaggertyDon StansaukDon Stansauk was a professional wrestler and actor, known by his ring name, Hard Boiled Haggerty. He was previously a professional American football player, and became a successful character actor after his wrestling career.-Career:After attending Pasadena City College and the University of...
as Steve Bull - Eddie Little SkyEddie Little SkyEddie Little Sky , also known as Edward Little, was a Native American actor of the Oglala Sioux tribe. He had parts in 36 feature films and over 60 television shows, mainly westerns in the role of a Native American...
as Native American
Differences between stage and film versions
Chayefsky provided a significantly changed storyline from the stage musical version. In the film "Rumson City" is simply called "No Name City," and Ben Rumson (MarvinLee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
) has no daughter. The character "Julio" is replaced by "Pardner" (Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
), now an American and Ben's partner in the gold claim. Additionally, in the film it is Pardner who falls in love with Elizabeth (Jean Seberg
Jean Seberg
Jean Dorothy Seberg was an American actress. She starred in 37 films in Hollywood and in France, including Breathless , the musical Paint Your Wagon and the disaster film Airport ....
), Ben's wife under mining law, rather than the stage musical character Edgar Crocker. The temporary polyamorous solution to the love triangle among Ben, Pardner and Elizabeth appears only in the film as well. In the stage version, Ben Rumson dies at the end; in the film he survives.
Production
Marvin accepted the lead role instead of appearing in The Wild BunchThe Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch is a 1969 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah about an aging outlaw gang on the Texas-Mexico border, trying to exist in the changing "modern" world of 1913...
. He received $1 million while Eastwood was paid $750,000 and a percentage of the profits. Before Seberg was cast, Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg
Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE is an English actress. She is probably best known for her portrayals of Emma Peel in The Avengers and Countess Teresa di Vicenzo in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service....
and Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
were considered. Eastwood and Marvin did their own singing while Seberg's songs were dubbed. The early incarnation of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded...
had a cameo in the song "Hand Me Down That Can o' Beans". Some songs from the original musical were dropped and some were added by Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre for both the stage and on film...
and Andre Previn
André Previn
André George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
, while others were used in different contexts.
Paint Your Wagon was made near Baker City, Oregon
Baker City, Oregon
Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker. The population was 9,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...
with filming beginning in May 1969 and ending in October. Other locations include Big Bear Lake, California
Big Bear Lake, California
Big Bear Lake is a city in San Bernardino County, California along the south shore of Big Bear Lake, located northeast of the city of San Bernardino. The population was 5,019 at the 2010 census, down from 5,438 at the 2000 census...
and San Bernardino National Forest
San Bernardino National Forest
San Bernardino National Forest is a federally-managed forest covering more than 800,000 acres . There are two main divisions which are the San Bernardino Mountains on the easternmost of the Transverse Range, and the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains on the northernmost of the Peninsular...
; the interiors were filmed at Paramount Studios with Joshua Logan
Joshua Logan
Joshua Lockwood Logan III was an American stage and film director and writer.-Early years:Logan was born in Texarkana, Texas, the son of Susan and Joshua Lockwood Logan. When he was three years old his father committed suicide...
directing. The film's initial budget was $10 million, before it eventually doubled to $20 million. A daily expense of $80,000 was incurred to transport cast and crew to the filming location, as the closest hotel was nearly 60 miles away. The elaborate camp used in the film cost $2.4 million to build.
The film was released at a time when movie musicals were going out of fashion, especially with younger audiences. Its overblown budget and nearly 3 hour length became notorious in the press. Eastwood was frustrated by the long delays in the making of the movie, later saying that the experience strengthened his resolve to become a director. According to Robert Osborne
Robert Osborne
Robert Jolin Osborne is an American actor and film historian best known as the primary host for Turner Classic Movies, and previously a host of The Movie Channel.-Life and career:...
, Marvin drank heavily during the filming of the movie, which may have enhanced his screen appearance, but led to delays and many retakes.
Songs
| Title | Written by | Sung by |
|---|---|---|
| "I'm On My Way" | Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe |
Chorus |
| "I Still See Elisa" | Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe |
Pardner |
| "The First Thing You Know" | Alan Jay Lerner André Previn |
Ben Rumson |
| "Hand Me Down That Can Of Beans" | Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe |
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded... Chorus |
| "They Call the Wind Maria" | Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe |
Rotten Luck Willie Chorus |
| "Whoop-Ti-Ay!" | Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe |
Chorus |
| "A Million Miles Away Behind the Door" | Alan Jay Lerner André Previn |
Elizabeth |
| "I Talk to the Trees" | Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe |
Pardner |
| "There's A Coach Comin' In" | Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe |
Rotten Luck Willie Chorus |
| "The Gospel of No Name City" | Alan Jay Lerner André Previn |
Parson |
| "Best Things" | Alan Jay Lerner André Previn |
Ben Rumson Mad Jack Duncan Pardner |
| "Wand'rin' Star" | Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe |
Ben Rumson Chorus |
| "Gold Fever" | Alan Jay Lerner André Previn |
Pardner Chorus |
| "Finale (I'm On My Way)" | Alan Jay Lerner Frederick Loewe |
Ben Rumson Mad Jack Duncan Chorus |
Release
Paint Your Wagon was released in United States theaters in October 1969. The film became Paramount's sixth largest success up to that point when it earned $15 million over its release, although the earnings never offset the cost of the budget.Popular allusions
- Marvin's deep-voiced rendition of "Wand'rin' Star", accompanied by the film's choir, became a hit in the U.K. His voice was described by Jean SebergJean SebergJean Dorothy Seberg was an American actress. She starred in 37 films in Hollywood and in France, including Breathless , the musical Paint Your Wagon and the disaster film Airport ....
as "like rain gurgling down a rusty pipe". Interviewed on NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, Marvin said that the song was a hit in Australia, and someone there described it as, "The first 33 1/3 recorded at 45." - The film was referenced in the The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "All Singing, All DancingAll Singing, All Dancing"All Singing, All Dancing" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons ninth season and originally aired on the Fox network on January 4, 1998. In it, the fourth clip show aired by The Simpsons, Homer claims he hates singing, so Marge shows family videos of musical numbers from the previous seasons...
" (1998). In the episode, Homer and Bart rent the film, thinking it will be a violent traditional western, and are horrified to learn it's a musical. The characters in the film (including caricatured versions of Eastwood, Marvin and Lee Van Cleef) perform a song called "Gonna Paint That Wagon" which does not appear in the actual film.