McLintock! 60th anniversary

[hugob00m]

In just two weeks, on November 13th, it will be 60 years since the original release date of McLintock! I didn't see the film on the big screen back then, but what I remember the most was the pre-release publicity that began to be seen about a week before the movie itself hit the theaters.

There was this poster, featuring Maureen O'Hara turned over the Duke's knee!

McLintock! poster.jpg (207.96 KiB) Viewed 17590 times

Oh boy did that make an impression on a ten-year-old boy who was just starting to experience erotic feelings!

And here's a frame from the trailer:

McLintock trailer.jpg (89.27 KiB) Viewed 17590 times

A gorgeous redheaded woman, in her undies! ...AND SOAKING WET! is chased all over town by her angry husband, and when he catches her, what's he do? HE GIVES HER A *SPANKING!* WOW!

To this day, Katherine Gilhooley McLintock is my favorite movie character who ever got spanked on screen! I love the way Maureen O'Hara played the part... so bitchy, but still lovable! Lovable enough that we can understand why her husband, G.W. would still want her in spite of all the frustration she's caused him... and bitchy enough to make us believe that the whole town would gather 'round to watch and cheer when her exasperated man finally loses the last shred of his patience... and decides that the only way to deal with her is to paddle her behind!

We all know that McLintock! had its share of flaws, but still, for what it was, it was an enloyable film!

Spolers? Well, in this case, the spoilers didn't really spoil anything. Audiences watched McLintock! knowing from the get-go that they were eventually going to see Maureen O'Hara get spanked. I think the "spoilers" in this case were anticipation-builders... Every time Katherine was rude to someone... and every time the Duke just took it... we in the audience would say to ourselves, "Just wait! Heh heh! You're gonna get what's coming to you!"

[daneldorado]

Hi b00m... Thanks for posting your favorite memories about the release of McLintock! (1963) I was around then too, and i remember how the posters for the movie left absolutely no doubt that Maureen O'Hara was in for a spanking. And yet, it was one of the most popular "date" movies of that season. Apparently the young ladies had no complaints about seeing a lady being spanked by a man. They probably enjoyed it.

As I'm sure you noticed, the posters for the movie showed us a slightly altered pose for the spanking. We all know that Katherine McLintock gets her spanking in the picture via a small coal shovel, but the posters eliminated the "weapon" and showed us Wayne spanking Ms. O'Hara with his hand. It was, I am sure, a much more "palatable" picture.

In the finished film itself, Ms. O'Hara was seen to receive only six (6) smacks with that shovel on her darling derriere. But there is a VHS copy floating around, profiling the career of John Wayne himself, in which we can see a black&white promo trailer for "McLintock!", and in that clip, we see her receiving a rousing NINE (9!) smacks. My guess is that the producers felt it would seem too brutal to show the Duke smacking Ms. O'Hara with a hard steel "weapon," so they pulled back on the full ferocity of the spanking... one, by showing us a seeming handspanking instead of the coal shovel, and two, by not showing the full number of actual swats in the release print.

Again, b00m, thanks for reminding us of the Golden Anniversary of "McLintock!" in the fall of 1963. It may have been a trifle, but it was an entertaining trifle early in Nov 1963... compared to the major tragedy that would strike the U.S. on November 22.

Cheers,
Dan

[overbarrel49]

hi Boom,

thanks for the trip down memory lane ...............especially since this lane had a nice place for a spanking at the end of it . i didn't realize that this movie was going to be 50 years old soon. i don't think i can add much to what you and Dan have already said about Maureen O'Hara's spanking in this movie. it was the great conclusion to that epic chase through town . of course, there was another spanking in this movie. Stefanie Powers also gets her bottom paddled with one of those coal shovels .............and for behaving much like her movie mother . that spanking scene wasn't as good but i did enjoy the forceful way she was taken OTK and i also liked her yelling and pleading during the spanking as well as her obvious worry just before she is taken OTK . fond memories. thanks for the reminder. phil

[hugob00m]

of course, there was another spanking in this movie. Stefanie Powers also gets her bottom paddled with one of those coal shovels .............and for behaving much like her movie mother.

Yes! I didn't know until the movie came to television four years later that there was a "bonus spanking" given to Katherine's daughter, Becky, by the hired hand, Devlin! When I finally saw McLintock in its entirety, I was surprised (pleasantly, of course) that the storyline contained two spankings: one for the daughter shortly after the midpoint, and one for the mother at the end! And not only that, but the girl's father is actually inspired by his daughter's suitor! When he learns that Becky has fallen in love with the man who paddled her backside two days ago... and intends to marry him... That's when he makes up his mind that maybe it's high time that someone should give the girl's mother a good spanking too!

AND when G.W. is finished spanking his wife, he hands the shovel back to his future son-in-law, saying, "Keep it! You may need it!" I like to imagine that a family tradition began on that day! No, I don't think anyone will ever make McLintock! The Next Generation, but what fun it would be if they did! Becky and Devlin's daughter could grow up to be a flapper! Plenty of spanking potential there... right?

Well, anyway, I digress. The main point I was making when I began this thread was that the McLintock! spanking was one of the most advertised ever (second only to Kiss Me, Kate as far as I can tell), and the ad campaign began shortly before the movie hit the theaters, which was about 50 years ago, either this week or next. Posters, lobby cards, moviehouse trailers, newspaper ads, and television commercials, promoted McLintock with images of a pantaloon-clad Maureen O'Hara turned over John Wayne's knee! Mmmmm!

[willjohn]

And to keep it in the family, the spanking son in law was Patrick Wayne, The Duke's son in real life!

Two generations of paddlers in the one film.

[bobj7188]

I once read a quote from Maureen O'Hara's autobiography, Tis Herself, in which she described the paddling as very real and said something like "my behind was black and blue for several days." Apparently the director didn't believe in stunt doubles or camera tricks!

[willjohn]

Then again, Maureen took a few spankings, paddlings etc in her career. Apart from the spanking by Wayne in McLintock & a few whacks with a tree branch by same actor in "The Quiet Man", she took a good one slapper from Henry Fonda in "Spencer's Mountain" and a few across the rump with a riding whip from Jeff Chandler in "Flame of Araby."

I got the impression she liked it rough.

[bobj7188]

I thought in the Quiet Man she was threatened, but not actually switched with the branch. As I recall, an Irish woman hands Wayne the branch and says "Here's a stick to beat the lovely lady." But I didn't think he actually used it. Later in the movie, I know O'Hara brings him the branch but he declines to use it. Am I forgetting something?

[willjohn]

Long time since I saw the film. I remember she took a swing at him, he may have kicked her in the arse.
He was holding the branch.

[web-ed]

Certainly one of the all-time great movie spankings! Interesting that Maureen O'Hara said she was black-and-blue for several days - that sounds like they used a real coal shovel (too severe a spanking implement), and I'd always assumed it was a plastic or cardboard prop with a Whang! sound effect added later. But I can readily believe that John Wayne favored realistic spankings, for in Donovan's Reef, he paddles the seat of Elizabeth Allen's dress hard enough to make the dust fly! Wonder what she thought about that?

[web-ed]

Well it's been more than three years since the last post on this thread, but I've finally got the comic-book version of the spanking from McLintock! posted. Of course there's a link under "Weekly Updates" but just in case a new CSR reader starts following this McLintock! thread here I wanted them to be able to find the comic-book version over on the main site.

[Sweetspot]

McLintockpaperbackcover.jpg (25.72 KiB) Viewed 17580 times

This is the cover of the 1964 tie-in paperback book of the movie McLintock. I believe that the book was based on an earlier draft of James Edward Grant's screenplay. The first spanking that takes place in both book and movie is between Stephanie Powers and Patrick Wayne (with an assist from John Wayne). In the movie the implement used for the spanking is a blacksmith (coal) shovel. In the book Becky is spanked with the chess board!. This reminds me of the old joke: Mrs. - "My husband loves ping-pong and last night he spanked me with one of his ping-pong paddles." Her friend - "You need to get him to take up a new hobby, I suggest checkers."
Anyway, the second and more famous spanking in the movie (John Wayne/Maureen O'Hara) is not even in the paperback! Even though it's on the cover of the book! That's right. After she is dunked in the water trough G.W. grabs her and they go home. What a let down. I imagine that the comic book is a product of viewing dailies of the movie or of a final draft of the screenplay.

[Sweetspot]

McLintock!-cf.collectorsweekly.com-stories.jpg (369.11 KiB) Viewed 17580 times

Could this possibly be the real-deal!!! As far as I can tell, as of four months ago, this famous "Blacksmith Shovel" was located in a shop in Princeton, NJ. cf.collectorsweekly.com-stories. It bears a strong resemblance to the shovel in the photo. It seems to be in pristine condition. The reflection on the glass case seems to indicate that there is a spotlight being used to illuminate the display. I wonder how much this would sell for? Can you imagine bringing this to a spanking party? There's not a female bottom (spanko) in the states that wouldn't want to be spanked with this iconic shovel and receive the famous 11 whacks just like Maureen did. I wonder if it was an actual shovel or a movie prop fabricated in 1963? Seen this way it doesn't look quite as formidable as it does in the movie, more akin to the back of a hard hairbrush or perhaps a paddle.
Phil S.

[Sweetspot]

s-l1600_LI.jpg (3.28 MiB) Viewed 17577 times

This is an item I found on eBay but did not purchase. It appears to be a complete set of collectible cards telling the story of McLintock! in still photography. Each card is listed as being one of 45 although the actual number of cards turns out to be well over 50. This was a collectible tie-in to the movie and features an image of both of the spankings. I don't know if there is further information on the back of the cards - you know like stats on the back of a baseball trading card - but I find the photos to be very interesting. In particular look at the photos that show the prelude to the famous fight in the mud hole between settlers, ranchers and anyone else interested in brawling and general mayhem. The young woman on the horse with "young Ben Sage" (Edward Faulkner) is Millie Jones played by Kari Noven, it's her father who is about to have a confrontation with G.W. McLintock. Jones (no first name known) is played by popular character actor Leo Gordon. What brings G.W. and his "staff" to the scene is that a general alarm has gone out that the settlers, lead by Jones, are about to lynch Running Buffalo (John Stanley). Jones believes that Running Buffalo is somehow to blame for the fact that his daughter has gone missing. Right on cue, Millie and young Ben show up giving the lame excuse that while on a little sightseeing excursion their horse threw a shoe (the 1800s equivalent of "we had a flat tire"). Running Buffalo is off the hook, so to speak. Here's the important part - Jones tells Millie to get off the horse and heads her towards home informing her, "I'LL TEND TO YOU LATER" That can only mean one thing in the late 1800s and only one thing to anyone reading this rant - Millie is going to get a spanking! Before he spanks her though, Jones will have a lot of cleaning up to do because G.W. has not taken kindly to the fact that Jones has pointed and poked a rifle at his belly. Punches are thrown and eventually most of the cast ends up at the bottom of the mud hole. Jones takes his anger out on young Ben with a thunderous punch to his jaw - Millie will be experiencing thunderous blows of a different kind soon enough. As Running Buffalo proclaims it's a "great party but no whiskey we go home" A good time is had by all even, seemingly, by Katherine who suffers the first of many indignities. I consider Millie Jones to receive the third but alas the "missing spanking" of the movie McLintock! I have always thought a short story would be a good way to tell the story of the lost spanking of McLintock!
Phil S.

[web-ed]

Wow - this is great stuff, Phil - thanks!

As to the shovel, I would never have guessed that anyone would have preserved it as movie memorabilia, but now that I think about it, I believe most spankos would rather own this shovel than Judy Garland's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz or the sled from Citizen Kane . It does testify as to just how memorable most spanking scenes are; they tend to be the most-remembered moments in the plays and films in which they appear. (Which do you remember better from the move version of Kiss Me Kate: the dance scene with Bob Fosse to the music of "From this Moment On" or the spanking scene?)

The collectible cards are most interesting also. Such cards were occasionally put out - I remember a set from Planet of the Apes which I believe was put out by Topps bubble gum (I bought a couple of packages back in 1968 or 69) - but I didn't know about the ones from McLintock!. Naturally the spankings had to be included! I separated those two out and have reproduced them below:


The caption reads, "A Good Spanking"


This caption is hard to read, and I can't help seeing it as "One Sore Butt!" but I don't think that's correct .

[overbarrel49]

Hi Phil,

I really like the display with the coal shovel and the photo of the spanking. I agree with web-ed about most of us wanting this more than the ruby slippers . I would love to have this hanging on a wall in my house Of course, my wife might have other ideas . The cards are an interesting find too. I had no idea either the display or the cards existed. Thanks for sharing these with us . Phil O

[daneldorado]

Of course I am glad (sort of) that someone posted that comic strip depicting the main spanking scene from "McLintock!" (1963). But in my humble opinion, the drawings do not do the scene justice; maybe just the opposite.

Consider: In the original film, Katie McLintock gets her very public spanking while clad only in her underwear, and this is one of the scene's most attractive attributes. In the comic strip, Katie is wearing a full-length dress or nightie. The tantalizing frisson of the movie version is completely missing here.

Also, please note that at no time, in any of the comic's panels, do we get to see the "frying pan" and its eventual target (Katie's butt) together in the same panel. What in the hell was going on in the artist's mind? You would think that a panel depicting "contact" would be one of the most important parts of the comic strip... and yet, he left it out; probably by design. Oh, and a frying pan is surely too big for this task. The small coal shovel used in the spankings in the movie is actually a little too large also, but we accept it because it's all we've got.

There is absolutely NOTHING "sexy" about the spanking shown in the comic panels. But those of us who saw the scene in the film itself were thrilled by the action on screen. I was young the first time I saw it, and I could not think of that scene without developing a boner for at least a week afterwards.

I wonder, WHY did the artist produce such a wimpy version of this originally very sexy scene? Was he (or she) under orders to "tone it down?" I don't get it.

But thanks for posting it.

Cheers,
Dan

[hugob00m]

There is absolutely NOTHING "sexy" about the spanking shown in the comic panels. But those of us who saw the scene in the film itself were thrilled by the action on screen. I was young the first time I saw it, and I could not think of that scene without developing a boner for at least a week afterwards.

I wonder, WHY did the artist produce such a wimpy version of this originally very sexy scene? Was he (or she) under orders to "tone it down?" I don't get it.

I think that was exactly it. Remember, this was during the "comics code" era, and I'm sure the artist was under tremendous pressure to "tone it down". Plus, I think they selected an artist that may not have been one of their best. The characters don't look like the actors, the way they would've if Mort Drucker of MAD had drawn them.

It has long been my contention that the scene in the movie would've been even sexier than it already was if it had not been for that stupid shovel... but that was probably the very reason they put it in there... to appease some censor. I can imagine there being negotiations between the writer and the censor. "Alright then... How's this? We get to keep the spanking... we get to keep Maureen in her skivvies... but the Duke's hand won't come in contact with her backside! We'll use something ridiculous... something to keep it all slapstick... like a... fireplace shovel! Will that work?"

[hugob00m]

This is an item I found on eBay but did not purchase. It appears to be a complete set of collectible cards telling the story of McLintock! in still photography. Each card is listed as being one of 45 although the actual number of cards turns out to be well over 50. This was a collectible tie-in to the movie and features an image of both of the spankings.

Great find!

I'd like to know if they had some useful information on the backs.

[web-ed]

I appreciate everyone's comments on the McLintock! comic update. There was general agreement about certain things, and dissatisfaction with the way the artist rendered the scene. Why did he do it that way?

One seemingly probable reason is indeed the Comics Code, as B00m mentioned: 1964 was in what I call the "dead zone" of 1956-1965, in which only a few non-parental, non-robot M/F spankings appeared because the "Code Ladies" didn't like them. I'll mention this again during February, but none of the four romance comic spankings I've located this past year came from the Dead Zone but were all pre-1956. There's only one problem with this theory: like their business partner Dell Comics, Gold Key/Whitman never displayed the code seal on their books, from which we can deduce they never submitted them for Code approval! (Take a look at the cover of McLintock! - no Code seal). They were one of the few publishers who managed to get their books distributed without having to go through the Code.


No seal of the CCA here!

How they got away with it is an interesting question. Perhaps the parent company, Dell, had enough clout with the distributors to force them to carry the books anyway, or perhaps the distributors were satisfied that the licensors (the companies who owned the source material on which the comics were based) wouldn't allow anything allegedly harmful to children, although I find this latter theory rather tenuous.

So if it wasn't the code, and it wasn't the licensor (a guess on my part - would John Wayne's production company have insisted on watering down the spanking? I don't think so), we come back to the writer, who may have tried to tone things down for his own reasons, and and the artist, whom I believe to have been Mike Sekowsky.

I never liked Sekowsky's art much, although he was fairly well-regarded among his peers from what I can tell. I thought he was o.k. with humor because his work was so strange anatomically, but it was never sexy, so his drawings of Dumb Bunny (in The Inferior Five), Wonder Woman (various titles) and Supergirl (in Adventure Comics) always disappointed me. I suppose I should produce some examples here for everyone to look at, but perhaps there's really no point: Sekowsky was definitely not a "Good Girl" artist, and if you wanted a sexy spanking scene he was certainly not the first guy to come to mind.