in 1963 western satire McLintock!Wayne plays George Washington McLintock, a wealthy rancher who serves as the unelected president of his district. This means wrangling with farmers, corrupt government officials, Native American tribes, ranchers, local shopkeepers, and the homeless. He has a lot on his mind, but nothing is more frustrating than his wife, Kate (Maureen O’Hara), who leaves him for no apparent reason to return East and enjoy a more comfortable life. When he returns to get custody of his daughters, old marital fights begin again.

O’Hara One of Wayne’s most frequent starsafter meeting him Rio Grande, The Quiet ManAnd Wings of Eagles. The Irish native was known for her striking red hair and portrayals of brave women. He always did his best when paired with Wayne, but McLintock!The writers and director Andrew V McLaglen decided to push everything a few steps beyond the limits.

At the end of the movie, Kate reveals that she broke up with GW because she thought he was having an affair, so he chased her around town, threw her over his knee, and spanked her in front of the town. Naturally, this leads to an irreconcilable compromise.

Writing about this scene in her memoirs, O’Hara recalled that despite the film’s light tone, the spankings were anything but. He stated that it was “completely original” and that Wayne performed it “with such gusto” that he “had bruises for a week”.

Leaving aside Wayne’s identity as a method actor, the scene in question hasn’t aged well. Perhaps the filmmakers were hoping for this because the story is loosely based on Shakespeare’s work. Domestication of the Mouseaudiences would see it as an outrageous slapstick version of the famous Bard’s otherwise uncontroversial tale of love and conflict. But even the greatest Shakespeare directors have struggled to reinterpret the play in a way that isn’t repulsively sexist, so adding an even more misogynistic interpretation might not be the smartest move.

Still, the scene was found so funny by the producers that it was included on the film’s poster. In the same year, Betty Friedan launched Second Wave Feminism with her book. Feminine Mystery.

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