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:

Male Female Relationship | Jeep | Family Relationships | Army | Firefighting

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
Lal Chand Mehra	...	Dr. Songla
Rudy Diaz	...	Zamora
Chris Chandler	...	Houston TV reporter
William Hardy
Howard Finch	...	Ed 'Cal' Calhoun
Richard 'Cactus' Pryor	...	Chance's doctor (as Cactus Pryor)
Big John Hamilton
Bebe Louie	...	Gumdrop
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bella Jarrett
Edward Colmans	...	Senor Caldez (uncredited)
Elizabeth Germaine	...	(uncredited)
Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez	...	Hernando (houseboy) (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	...	Firefighter in airplane (uncredited)
John Stephenson	...	Mr. Chapman (U.S. Embassy, Venezuela) (uncredited)

Directed by
Andrew V. McLaglen

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Clair Huffaker		writer

Produced by
Robert Arthur	....	producer

Original Music by
Leonard Rosenman

Cinematography by
William H. Clothier

Film Editing by
Folmar Blangsted

Art Direction by
Frank Arrigo
Alexander Golitzen

Set Decoration by
John McCarthy Jr.
James Redd		(as James S. Redd)

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Larry Germain	....	hair stylist
Bud Westmore	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Robert E. Larson	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robin S. Clark	....	second assistant director
Joe Florence	....	second second assistant director
Harry Hogan III	....	third assistant director
Terry Morse Jr.	....	first assistant director
Ted Swanson	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Lyle Cain	....	sound
Ronald Pierce	....	sound
Waldon O. Watson	....	sound

Special Effects by
Fred Knoth	....	special effects
Whitey McMahon	....	special effects
Herman E. Townsley	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	matte supervisor

Stunts
Hal Needham	....	stunt coordinator
Stan Barrett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Bullock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Burk	....	stunts (uncredited)
Roydon Clark	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary Combs	....	stunts (uncredited)
Everett Creach	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alan Gibbs	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary McLarty	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hal Needham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ronnie Rondell Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Rock A. Walker	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert Warner	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Berry	....	director of photography: second unit

Music Department
Joseph Gershenson	....	music supervisor

Other crew
'Red' Adair	....	technical advisor
Orin Borsten	....	publicist
Robert Forrest	....	dialogue coach
'Boots' Hansen	....	technical advisor
'Coots' Matthews	....	technical advisor

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1968) (USA) (theatrical)
• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (1969) (UK) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1971) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• Universal Home Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (1969) (West Germany) (theatrical)

Runtime:

121 min | Finland:112 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

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:

A burning oil well prompted the owner, present-day billionaire Phillip Anschutz, to call Red Adair, a famous firefighter who later put out the oil well fires during the Gulf War, to put out the blaze. To pay Adair, Anschutz persuaded Universal Studios to pay him $100,000 to film Adair putting out his well fire for "Hellfighters."

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the office scenes, looking through the office window, obvious toy cars were used to simulate the highway (that could be seen from outside when the helicopter first landed).

Quotes:

Chance Buckman: Exactly WHAT did you tell her about Madame Loo?
Greg Parker: Only that she's 80 years old, weighs 300 pounds and is one of your oldest friends.

Movie Connections:

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

The Duke battles blazing Texas Tea.

One thing about John Wayne movies are the great first names he always had in them. Singin Sandy, Spig, Taw, John Henry, Cord, Rockwell, Rooster, Wedge. This ones no exception "Chance" Chance Buckman played by Wayne is the CEO of a company that fights fires. Oil well fires that is. Along with a number of character actors in supporting roles who teamed with the Duke in many of his films. The action is plenty and the story entertaining. The women in this movie are there as the faithful ladies whose husbands battle the flaming liquid from the bowels of the earth.

No film had been made about oil well fire fighters so this made it an original. This is one of those movies that would excite a person to the point of saying "That's the life for me. Good pay, travel, good-looking women all the time. A job of never ending excitement'! Don't miss this John Wayne classic. Also don't miss an A&E documentary about the real exploits of Oil Well Fire Fighters.