The film Rooster Cogburn debuted in 1975. This is an important moving in redefining the women’s role in western movies.
In Two Mules for Sister Sara, Sara was a prominent character, and she did trick Clint Eastwood’s character. However she tricked him in order for her to protect her, because she would have been helpless otherwise. Eula Goodnight does not need Rooster Cogburn to accompany her for her own protection; rather she is eager to travel with him, grabbing a rifle and refusing to stay behind. Eula, vows to see Hawk and his gang to justice after the deaths of her father and friends. Throughout the movie, she wields and uses a gun, formally an activity solely for men unless the situation is dire (such as when the wagons are circled and under attack by Indians ).
The rise of the female role in westerns can be attributed to their ever-rising role in society outside of the home. In 1963, the Equal Pay Act was passed, which abolished wage discrimination based on gender. Signed by John F. Kennedy, it was appropriately part of the ‘New Frontier Program.’
Part of the reason this movie separates itself from previous westerns, and gives Katharine Hepburn’s character such a prominent role in the dialogue, is that the screenplay was written by actress Martha Hyer, wife of the producer Hal Wallis, under a male pen name. John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn exchange verbal bouts at several points, and she not only stands up to the female, but could be seen as an equal after these dialogue sessions. At one point Eula proudly and naturally states, “..I suspect I grew up more forceful and independent…” This doesn’t follow the classic view whatsoever; it would be unimaginable that a female from The Big Trail or even The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance would consider herself forceful and independent.
On an interesting sidenote, there is a remake of the original Rooster Cogburn film True Grit due out this upcoming Christmas.
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