Angie Lowe: Anyway, I don't believe a dog can smell Indians. Haven't you ever been to a 7-11.
I mean, as different from anyone else. You and me, for instance.
Hondo Lane: Well they can. As a matter of fact, Indians can smell white people.
Angie Lowe: I don't believe it.
Hondo Lane: Well it's true. I'm part Indian and I can smell you when I'm downwind of you.
Angie Lowe: That's impossible.
Hondo Lane: No, it isn't impossible, Mrs. Lowe. You baked today. I can smell fresh bread on you. Sometime today, you cooked with salt pork. Smell that on you, too. You smell all over like soap: you took a bath. And, on top of that, you smell all over like a woman. I could find you in the dark, Mrs. Lowe, and I'm only part Indian.
(Hondo, 1853)
Now what makes this hilarious is what actually happened on the movie set. The actress Geraldine Page was a New York Theater actress making her first western. And she had the unfortunate habit of not bathing. Also reputedly really bad teeth. Irish girl teeth if you know what I mean. She was banging all the key grips and camera guys on the set and causing all kinds of trouble. And she smelled bad. Real bad. In the hot western sun. Like an oyster po-boy left on a bench on the bayou.
So the writer put this little bit of dialogue in as an inside joke. John Farrow the director said that when the Duke said that with a straight face it was the most impressive feat of acting prowess he had ever seen.
7 comments:
Maybe Geraldine was just into Method acting. Anyway, "Hondo" is a wonderful movie, one of my favorite John Wayne flicks. I loaned my copy to my daughter but she didn't return it so I bought another. Small price to pay. I wish there were more Louis L'Amour-based movies.
One of the best Louie L'Amour movies I ever saw was "The Daybreakers" often marketed as "The Sacketts" starring Tom Selleck as Orrin Sackett and western stalwarts Glen Ford, Ben Johnson and Sam Elliot. It is one of the most true to the book movies you will ever see.
"Conagher" is right up there, too. I don't know if it's true to the book but it's a fine piece of work by Sam, Katharine, Barry, Ken, etc. Even the children were excellent. In fact, that would be a good Saturday night movie and it's Saturday!
I thought the worse adaptation was Shakalo with Sean Connery. Man that stunk.
Troop. I managed about 10 minutes of Shakalo & haad to turn it off.
How long did you last? The whole 2 hours?
Yeah but I was drunk so it didn't count. It's a shame too because the character is one that Louie returns to in several novels. He uses that same type in several different versions. The prototype is Lando Sackett whose stories I always thought would make a great movie.
"Like an oyster po-boy left on a bench on the bayou."
Hey now... no need to be misogynistic.
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