McQ
Encyclopedia
McQ is a 1974
crime drama
starring John Wayne
, Eddie Albert
, Diana Muldaur
, and Colleen Dewhurst
. The film made extensive use of actual Seattle
locations. The beach scenes were filmed on the Pacific
coast at Moclips
.
The film features a young Roger E. Mosley
as a police informer, Clu Gulager
of The Hidden
, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and The Return of the Living Dead as a corrupt police detective, Colleen Dewhurst
as a cocaine addict and Al Lettieri
as the most visible villain of the film, the drug king Santiago, in one of Lettieri's final roles.
Wayne had been passed over for the lead in Dirty Harry
a few years prior to this film. The producers of that film chose Seattle as its location in an earlier version of the script; it was later changed to San Francisco when Clint Eastwood
became connected with the project. The film has a dramatic car chase, with Wayne in a green
1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
'Green Hornet', influenced by Steve McQueen
in Bullitt
.
One of Wayne's more famous lines from this movie was after the character of Lon McQ was trapped inside of his car after it was crushed between two large trucks, he states to one of the reporting officers: "I'm up to my butt in gas."
) of the Seattle PD. When a car pulls up Boyle gives the driver a satchel containing the 9 mm. and proceeds to his own car - but is shot in the back.
The police department, headed by Captain Edward Kosterman (Eddie Albert
), believe the shootings are the work of street militants and Kosterman orders an immediate dragnet. Detective Lt. Lon McHugh (Wayne), however, barely escapes an attempt on his own life by professional hitman Patty Samuels, which convinces him that local shipping magnate Manny Santiago (Al Lettieri
), a known drug dealer, is responsible; McQ is doubly driven because Stan Boyle was his longtime partner and close friend. Despite a warning from Kosterman, McQ, after seeing Boyle's wife Lois (Diana Muldaur
), tails Santiago; when he sees a news report that Boyle has died of his injuries, he rages after Santiago and beats him viciously in a mens room.
Confined to desk duty by the department, McQ angrily resigns, despite pleading from his friend, local politician Franklyn Toms (Clu Gulager
). Continuing to investigate the case privately through a partnership with local PI "Pinky" Farrell (David Huddleston
), McQ learns that Santiago has assembled a team to steal confiscated heroin from the police department. He pursues Santiago's men but they escape. After getting a far harsher warning from the increasingly exasperated Kosterman, McQ acquires for himself an Ingram submachine gun.
But when he presses his investigation, McQ uncovers corruption within the department when he learns from Santiago himself that the drugs he stole turn out to be powdered sugar - and that Santiago was not responsible for Stan Boyle's death. McQ's investigation then leads to the shooting of one of his sources, bartender Myra (Colleen Dewhurst
), and an attempt on McQ's life where his car is crushed between two huge trucks. McQ escapes, but when he reexamines the wreckage he finally discovers who is behind the killings of Boyle and two other officers, and also who is behind the theft of drugs from the police, leading to a climactic chase and shootout along a beach with Santiago and his men.
1974 in film
The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...
crime drama
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
starring John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, Eddie Albert
Eddie Albert
Edward Albert Heimberger , known professionally as Eddie Albert, was an American actor and activist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid.Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing...
, Diana Muldaur
Diana Muldaur
Diana Muldaur is an Emmy-nominated American film and television actress.-Career:Born in New York City, but raised on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Muldaur started acting in high school and continued on through college, graduating from Sweet Briar College in Virginia in 1960. She studied acting...
, and Colleen Dewhurst
Colleen Dewhurst
Colleen Rose Dewhurst was a Canadian-American actress known for a while as "the Queen of Off-Broadway." In her autobiography, Dewhurst wrote: "I had moved so quickly from one Off-Broadway production to the next that I was known, at one point, as the 'Queen of Off-Broadway'...
. The film made extensive use of actual Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
locations. The beach scenes were filmed on the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
coast at Moclips
Moclips, Washington
Moclips is a census-designated place in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 207 at the 2010 census. It is located near the mouth of the Moclips River....
.
The film features a young Roger E. Mosley
Roger E. Mosley
Roger Earl Mosley is an American actor best known for his role as the helicopter pilot Theodore "T.C." Calvin on the long running television series, Magnum, P.I., which starred Tom Selleck as the title character.-Early life:...
as a police informer, Clu Gulager
Clu Gulager
Clu Gulager is an American television and film actor. He is particularly noted for his co-starring role as William H. Bonney in the 1960–62 NBC TV series The Tall Man and for his role in the later NBC series The Virginian...
of The Hidden
The Hidden
The Hidden is an American science fiction film produced and released in 1987 by New Line Cinema. The film was written by Bob Hunt and directed by Jack Sholder...
, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and The Return of the Living Dead as a corrupt police detective, Colleen Dewhurst
Colleen Dewhurst
Colleen Rose Dewhurst was a Canadian-American actress known for a while as "the Queen of Off-Broadway." In her autobiography, Dewhurst wrote: "I had moved so quickly from one Off-Broadway production to the next that I was known, at one point, as the 'Queen of Off-Broadway'...
as a cocaine addict and Al Lettieri
Al Lettieri
Alfred Lettieri was an American actor, known for his portrayal of Virgil Sollozzo, in The Godfather....
as the most visible villain of the film, the drug king Santiago, in one of Lettieri's final roles.
Wayne had been passed over for the lead in Dirty Harry
Dirty Harry
Dirty Harry is a 1971 American crime thriller produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the Dirty Harry series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan....
a few years prior to this film. The producers of that film chose Seattle as its location in an earlier version of the script; it was later changed to San Francisco when 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...
became connected with the project. The film has a dramatic car chase, with Wayne in a green
1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Pontiac Firebird
The Pontiac Firebird was built by the Pontiac division of General Motors between 1967 and 2002. The Firebird was introduced the same year as the automaker's platform-sharing model, the Chevrolet Camaro...
'Green Hornet', influenced by Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
in Bullitt
Bullitt
Bullitt is a 1968 American police procedural film starring Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Vaughn. It was directed by Peter Yates and distributed by Warner Bros. The story was adapted for the screen by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner, based on the 1963 novel Mute Witness by Robert L....
.
One of Wayne's more famous lines from this movie was after the character of Lon McQ was trapped inside of his car after it was crushed between two large trucks, he states to one of the reporting officers: "I'm up to my butt in gas."
Plot
It is just before dawn in Seattle. A man dons dark glasses and gloves and loads a 9 mm. silenced automatic handgun. He then drives into town where he shoots a policeman (Seattle Police Officer Philip Forsell) on his beat, then drives to a police impound yard and shoots the officer on duty. He then waits at a luncheonette; as he washes his hands he momentarily flashes his police badge, for it is Detective Sgt. Stan Boyle (William BryantWilliam Bryant (actor)
-Career:Born in Los Angeles, California, U.S.., Bryant was a character actor who appeared in films such as King Dinosaur , Escape from San Quentin , Experiment in Terror , with Glenn Ford, How to Murder Your Wife and The Great Race with Jack Lemmon, What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? , McQ ,...
) of the Seattle PD. When a car pulls up Boyle gives the driver a satchel containing the 9 mm. and proceeds to his own car - but is shot in the back.
The police department, headed by Captain Edward Kosterman (Eddie Albert
Eddie Albert
Edward Albert Heimberger , known professionally as Eddie Albert, was an American actor and activist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid.Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing...
), believe the shootings are the work of street militants and Kosterman orders an immediate dragnet. Detective Lt. Lon McHugh (Wayne), however, barely escapes an attempt on his own life by professional hitman Patty Samuels, which convinces him that local shipping magnate Manny Santiago (Al Lettieri
Al Lettieri
Alfred Lettieri was an American actor, known for his portrayal of Virgil Sollozzo, in The Godfather....
), a known drug dealer, is responsible; McQ is doubly driven because Stan Boyle was his longtime partner and close friend. Despite a warning from Kosterman, McQ, after seeing Boyle's wife Lois (Diana Muldaur
Diana Muldaur
Diana Muldaur is an Emmy-nominated American film and television actress.-Career:Born in New York City, but raised on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Muldaur started acting in high school and continued on through college, graduating from Sweet Briar College in Virginia in 1960. She studied acting...
), tails Santiago; when he sees a news report that Boyle has died of his injuries, he rages after Santiago and beats him viciously in a mens room.
Confined to desk duty by the department, McQ angrily resigns, despite pleading from his friend, local politician Franklyn Toms (Clu Gulager
Clu Gulager
Clu Gulager is an American television and film actor. He is particularly noted for his co-starring role as William H. Bonney in the 1960–62 NBC TV series The Tall Man and for his role in the later NBC series The Virginian...
). Continuing to investigate the case privately through a partnership with local PI "Pinky" Farrell (David Huddleston
David Huddleston
David William Huddleston is an American actor, best known for his roles in Blazing Saddles, Santa Claus: The Movie and The Big Lebowski.-Early life:...
), McQ learns that Santiago has assembled a team to steal confiscated heroin from the police department. He pursues Santiago's men but they escape. After getting a far harsher warning from the increasingly exasperated Kosterman, McQ acquires for himself an Ingram submachine gun.
But when he presses his investigation, McQ uncovers corruption within the department when he learns from Santiago himself that the drugs he stole turn out to be powdered sugar - and that Santiago was not responsible for Stan Boyle's death. McQ's investigation then leads to the shooting of one of his sources, bartender Myra (Colleen Dewhurst
Colleen Dewhurst
Colleen Rose Dewhurst was a Canadian-American actress known for a while as "the Queen of Off-Broadway." In her autobiography, Dewhurst wrote: "I had moved so quickly from one Off-Broadway production to the next that I was known, at one point, as the 'Queen of Off-Broadway'...
), and an attempt on McQ's life where his car is crushed between two huge trucks. McQ escapes, but when he reexamines the wreckage he finally discovers who is behind the killings of Boyle and two other officers, and also who is behind the theft of drugs from the police, leading to a climactic chase and shootout along a beach with Santiago and his men.
Cast
- John WayneJohn WayneMarion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
... Det. Lt. Lon "McQ" McHugh - Eddie AlbertEddie AlbertEdward Albert Heimberger , known professionally as Eddie Albert, was an American actor and activist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid.Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing...
... Capt. Ed Kosterman - Diana MuldaurDiana MuldaurDiana Muldaur is an Emmy-nominated American film and television actress.-Career:Born in New York City, but raised on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Muldaur started acting in high school and continued on through college, graduating from Sweet Briar College in Virginia in 1960. She studied acting...
... Lois Boyle - Colleen DewhurstColleen DewhurstColleen Rose Dewhurst was a Canadian-American actress known for a while as "the Queen of Off-Broadway." In her autobiography, Dewhurst wrote: "I had moved so quickly from one Off-Broadway production to the next that I was known, at one point, as the 'Queen of Off-Broadway'...
... Myra - Clu GulagerClu GulagerClu Gulager is an American television and film actor. He is particularly noted for his co-starring role as William H. Bonney in the 1960–62 NBC TV series The Tall Man and for his role in the later NBC series The Virginian...
... Sgt. Franklin Toms - David HuddlestonDavid HuddlestonDavid William Huddleston is an American actor, best known for his roles in Blazing Saddles, Santa Claus: The Movie and The Big Lebowski.-Early life:...
... Edward M. 'Pinky' Farrow - Jim WatkinsJim WatkinsJim Watkins was the anchor of the weekend editions of "PIX News at Six" and "PIX News at Ten" on WPIX-TV. He joined the station in 1998 where he co-anchored the weeknight news at 10 pm with Kaity Tong after three years working at WNBC-TV in New York. While at WNBC, Watkins anchored the weekend...
... J.C. Davis - Al LettieriAl LettieriAlfred Lettieri was an American actor, known for his portrayal of Virgil Sollozzo, in The Godfather....
... Manny Santiago - Julie AdamsJulie AdamsJulie Adams is an American film and television actress, sometimes credited as Julia Adams or Betty Adams.-Life and career:...
... Elaine Forrester - Roger E. MosleyRoger E. MosleyRoger Earl Mosley is an American actor best known for his role as the helicopter pilot Theodore "T.C." Calvin on the long running television series, Magnum, P.I., which starred Tom Selleck as the title character.-Early life:...
... Rosey - William BryantWilliam Bryant (actor)-Career:Born in Los Angeles, California, U.S.., Bryant was a character actor who appeared in films such as King Dinosaur , Escape from San Quentin , Experiment in Terror , with Glenn Ford, How to Murder Your Wife and The Great Race with Jack Lemmon, What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? , McQ ,...
... Sgt. Stan Boyle - Richard Kelton ... Radical
See also
- List of American films of 1974
- BranniganBrannigan (film)Brannigan is a British action film set principally in London, directed by Douglas Hickox, and starring John Wayne and Richard Attenborough...
- John Wayne filmography (1961–1976)