Hellfighters (1968)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writer:

Clair Huffaker (writer)

Release Date:

27 November 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Romance

Tagline:

The Toughest Hellfighter Of All! [Australia Theatrical]

Plot:

The story of macho oil well firefighters and their wives.

Plot Keywords:

Oil | Oil Well | Fire | Male Female Relationship | Family Relationships

Cast

John Wayne	...	Chance Buckman
Vera Miles	...	Madelyn Buckman
Katharine Ross	...	Tish Buckman
Jim Hutton	...	Greg Parker
Jay C. Flippen	...	Jack Lomax
Bruce Cabot	...	Joe Horn
Edward Faulkner	...	George Harris
Barbara Stuart	...	Irene Foster
Edmund Hashim	...	Col. Valdez
Valentin de Vargas	...	Amal Bokru
Frances Fong	...	Madame Loo
Alberto Morin	...	General López
Alan Caillou	...	Harry York
Laraine Stephens	...	Helen Meadows
John Alderson	...	Jim Hatch

Runtime:

121 min | Finland:112 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) | 70 mm 6-Track (Australia)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 (uncut) (1968) (70 mm) | Finland:K-12 (heavily cut) (1969) (35 mm) | Singapore:PG | West Germany:16 (f) | Germany:12 (re-rating) (2008) | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Baytown, Texas, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

John Wayne, Bruce Cabot and Jim Hutton also all starred together in The Green Berets (1968)

Goofs:

Continuity: A rear view of the cockpit shows the doorway to be clear while a view from inside the cockpit shows a curtain over the doorway.

Quotes:

Greg Parker: [after being awakened by a kiss from Tish] What are you doing here?
Chance Buckman: [being awakened by Greg's question] What's Tish doing here?
Madelyn Buckman: That was my idea.
Chance Buckman: Somebody wake me up!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Sopranos: Walk Like a Man (#6.17)" (2007)

One of my favorites from the 1960's

Despite (or maybe because of) the simple plot and even simpler characters, this film remains one of my favorites from the 1960's. John Wayne is utterly believable as both a crusty oil rig firefighter and as a protective father, while Jim Hutton, a fine actor who was lost much too young to liver cancer, is at his supporting-role best as an apprentice firefighter and romantic interest for Wayne's daughter.

At many points this film is more documentary than fiction, a fact that only adds to the film's entertainment value. For example, I wonder how many first-time viewers are aware that oil rig fires are extinguished with dynamite? It's extremely dangerous work, and very interesting to watch.