Novelist and screenwriter Clair Huffaker published the novel Badman in 1958. The title character is a guy named Jack Tawlin (called "Taw"), who has just gotten out of prison and who has a reputation as a gunman and a trouble maker.
Taw, though, wants to go straight and live a quiet life. He arrives at the town of Pawnee Fork, where his brother Jess works as a shipping clerk for a mining company. His good intentions don't last very long after that, since Jess and several others are planning to rob the mining company's next gold shipment and want Taw to be a part of this. When Taw has to kill a man in self-defense, he comes to the conclusion that he'll never be allowed to leave his past behind. He might as well join in on the robbery.
There are several aspects to all this that make it interesting. The first interesting thing is the wagon that will carry the gold. It's armor plated and guarded by over two dozen men. To separate the wagon from the guards and then get the wagon to wreck itself in a gully will require a complex, multi-part plan that includes--among other things--blowing up a bridge at just the right moment and tricking a tribe of Sioux into attacking the guards at also just the right moment. If any one part of the plan goes awry, the whole thing can fall apart.
The second interesting thing is the way Jess is obviously manipulating his brother into becoming a part of the gang. It's easy to see--but Taw can't see it. He sees his little brother as a friend and someone who is in need of guidance. Taw cannot see Jess for what the despicable worm he is. Heck, Jess' wife Christine warns Taw that he's being set up as a fall guy and will never live to see his share of the gold. But Taw's blind spot regarding his sibling cannot be overcome.
That's the irony of the title. Badman apparently refers to Taw, but many of those involved in the gold robbery are probably worse than he is.
The novel is a really, really good one. Huffaker builds tension steadily in the events leading up to the robbery and during the unexpectedly rainy night in which the gang pulls off the job. Then events spiral out of control for pretty much everyone involved, with Taw getting a chance to do something noble that makes us feel he's earned a happy ending.
If he can live long enough to get a happy ending, that is.
In 1967, Huffaker wrote the screenplay for a movie version that would star John Wayne. The film takes the basic premise (coming up with an intricate plan to rob an armored wagon carrying gold) and plugs in new characters and an entirely different atmosphere. The novel was full of dark tension and moments of violent action. The movie is full of a sense of fun and, though it still has its share of violent action, it has a completely different feel to the story.
Jack Tawlin becomes Taw Jackson, played by the Duke. He's still getting out of prison, but this time its after being framed by mine owner Frank Pierce, who wanted Taw's ranch after gold was discovered on it. Pierce also hired a gunman to shoot Taw, though the tough rancher survives the wound. Now that Taw is out, he plans to rob the War Wagon to get payment for the ranch he was cheated out of. So where the novel version of Taw needed a chance to redeem himself before we could really root for him, the movie version of Taw is simply given a moral justification for the robbery right from the get-go.
The first act of the movie involves Taw putting the gang he needs together. This includes a gunfighter and safe cracker named Lomax, who also happens to be the guy who shot Taw. But Lomax is the only safe cracker Taw knows.
Lomax is played by Kirk Douglas and its the pairing of Wayne and Douglas that really makes the movie stand out. The two play off each other perfectly and both at least appear to be having enormous fun playing their parts.
The movie was directed by Burt Kennedy, who also added some humor to the script--something Huffaker apparently disliked but which the finished product shows to be the right decision. Both production crew and actors were vets at making Westerns and the end result is 101 minutes of solid entertainment.
Also, the War Wagon just looks cool. One interesting thing about the movie version of the wagon is the addition of a gatling gun. In the book, it is mentioned that a gatling gun was considered for the wagon, but dismissed as unnecessary. But in the movie, the wagon actually has a gatling-armed turret on top. The idea of that weapon was probably just too visually cool to leave out of the film.
95 times out of 100, the movie version of a book is never quite as good as the book itself. But in this case, the book and the movie split too far apart in characterization, theme and atmosphere to make them comparable. Each is its own animal and each is great in its own right.
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