Two Versions Of `Mclintock!' Come To The Video Market

One of the most-requested movies that's never been available on cassette or disc before, "McLintock!" finally made its debut last week.

In fact, two different companies have released tapes of the 1963 John Wayne/Maureen O'Hara Western comedy, and one is suing the other over copyright infringement. The authorized version comes from MPI Home Video and sells for $20. The other edition is a $15 tape from GoodTimes Home Video.

The tapes have very different packaging, reflecting their strikingly different quality. MPI's version has good color and sound and was taken from original negatives owned by the film's producer, Michael Wayne (John's son). The cassette box features a drawing of Wayne and O'Hara and claims to be "authorized by the estate of John Wayne."

The GoodTimes tape, which features a photograph of John Wayne on the cover, is of inferior quality. Color and sound aren't as vivid, and the widescreen film is so poorly adapted to the video format that key characters are sometimes heard but not seen.

"The GoodTimes version is unconscionably bad," said Wayne, speaking by phone from his Los Angeles home. "I have no idea how they did it. I hate to be involved in litigation, but it's like someone stealing your car. I paid for all this stuff. Even the packaging violates our contracts with the actors.

"It's amazing to me that they would do something like this. I've been getting phone calls blaming me for the way it looks. You

can just forget all the hard work that's gone into this. I'm taking a beating for the mutilation of a film."

Wayne owns four of his father's films, including "Hondo," "The High and the Mighty" and "Island in the Sky," none of them yet released to tape. He has spent several years restoring them after a vault containing the original negatives was flooded.

"The film and sound elements on `McLintock!' were damaged," he said. "Cinetech and Chace Sound did a marvelous job on the restoration. The colors are now rich and deep, and the stereo re-creation is very good. The film was recorded in stereo, but I did not have any of the stereo elements, so they had to recreate that. They came out with something every bit as good as the original."

Although he calls this version "the producer's cut," it has been approved by the film's director, Andrew V. McLaglen, who lives in Friday Harbor. It's been given a 1993 copyright.

Wayne said he will eventually release "The High and the Mighty" on tape, and he'd like to produce a 3-D laserdisc of "Hondo," one of the few high-quality movies that was originally produced in 3-D. "Island in the Sky," the only black-and-white film in the group, is further away.

"I like to maintain public interest by not overexposing the films," said Wayne. "I've learned from Disney that less is more." He said "McLintock!" has not been shown on television since 1981. "The High and the Mighty" and "Island" have not been available for nearly as long. "Hondo" was telecast in 3-D two years ago.

In the past, millions have been lost because copyrights were not renewed on popular films. The most notorious example is the late Frank Capra's 1946 classic, "It's a Wonderful Life," which accidentally became a public-domain movie in the 1970s.

Wayne said he could not discuss the legal aspects of the lawsuit against GoodTimes. But his lawyer, David Gerber, said "a number of copyrights on the film were renewed, including five involving music. But the entirety of the film was not renewed."

And how did that happen?

"I have no idea," said Gerber. "But this picture is not in the public domain."

Video Watch by John Hartl appears Thursdays in Scene. For more information call the Video Hotline on Infoline, a telephone information service of The Seattle Times. Call 464-2000 from a touch-tone phone and enter category 7369. It's a free local call.