The Undefeated (1969)

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

James Lee Barrett (screenplay)
Stanley Hough (story)

Release Date:

27 November 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

After the Civil War, ex-Union Colonel John Henry Thomas and ex-Confederate Colonel James Langdon are...

Plot Keywords:

American Civil War | Bandit | Horse | Mexican Revolution | Mexico

US TV Schedule:

Tue. July 8	3:15 PM	AMC
Sat. July 12	9:30 AM	AMC

Cast

John Wayne	...	Col. John Henry Thomas
Rock Hudson	...	Col. James Langdon
Antonio Aguilar	...	Juarista Gen. Rojas (as Tony Aguilar)
Roman Gabriel	...	Blue Boy (John Henry's Cherokee Indian adopted son)
Marian McCargo	...	Ann Langdon
Lee Meriwether	...	Margaret Langdon
Merlin Olsen	...	Cpl. Little George, CSA
Melissa Newman	...	Charlotte Langdon
Bruce Cabot	...	Sgt. Jeff Newby CSA
Jan-Michael Vincent	...	Lt. Bubba Wilkes CSA (as Michael Vincent)
Ben Johnson	...	Short Grub
Edward Faulkner	...	Capt. Anderson, CSA (Col. Langdon's aide)
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Soloman Webster (Thomas rider)
Paul Fix	...	Gen. Joe Masters
Royal Dano	...	Maj. Sanders, CSA (one-armed major)

Also Known As:

Unbesiegten, Die (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Aittitoi, Oi (Greece) [el]
Batinin devleri (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Dúo invencible, El (Venezuela) [es]
Due invincibili, I (Italy) [it]
Géants de l'Ouest, Les (France) [fr]
Indestructibles, Los (Spain) [es]
Invencibles, Los (Mexico) [es]
Niezwyciezeni (Poland) [pl]
Nunca Foram Vencidos (Portugal) [pt]
Obesegrade, De (Sweden) [sv]
Ubesejrede, De (Denmark) [da]
Voittamattomat (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Australia:PG (TV rating) | West Germany:16 (f) (original rating) | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rated) | New Zealand:PG | Finland:K-12 | South Korea:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:G | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

According to director Andrew V. McLaglen, his first choice for the role of Colonel James Langdon was James Arness, who was willing to do it but backed out just before shooting began. Rock Hudson was brought in as his replacement.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Looking closely, you can see the rifle of the tenth member of the firing squad. Also you can plainly see his shadow on the ground at a 10 o' clock position. There are several other shots that confirm the number.

Quotes:

Col. John Henry Thomas: Americans in Mexico are delivering horses to a very unpopular government... Why should we expect trouble?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Rock Hudson's Home Movies (1992)

Diverting, though not compelling

The Undefeated is fun to watch, but most of the cast--especially John Wayne--could have phoned in their performances. If you've watched westerns, you've seen most of this before, aside from a somewhat ambiguous ending that suggests a definition for heroism at odds with more typical John Wayne fare. But everyone on screen seems to be having fun, approaching the movie more as a lark than a challenge, which rubs off on the audience. Don't hold your expectations too high, and you'll pass a pleasant hour or two.