Rooster Cogburn - SJC

Rooster Cogburn and the Lady was produced in 1975 and is considered a “revisionist” film. In this film John Wayne is once again playing the alpha-male cowboy role of Rooster Cogburn; however, this time he is partnered with a woman who is just as strong as he is. The lady in Rooster Cogburn is named Eula Goodnight and she does not represent the classical woman of westerns in any way. Eula Goodnight is at first treated like the standard female by Rooster Cogburn, Rooster tells her to turn away because the West wilderness is too dangerous for women. Ironically Eula manages to save Rooster’s life multiple times throughout their journey and he learns to respect and treat Eula as an equal not a woman. In one of the beginning battles Eula shoots and kills a bandit who is sneaking up on Rooster to kill him. The fact that Eula killed a man stunned Rooster, and the fact that the shot was incredibly difficult to pull off added to his amazement. Soon Rooster learns that Eula is just as good of a shot if not better than him and he utilizes her skill to help him win the day. Eula is also different than the normal western woman in the fact that while she does talk more than Rooster, what she says is always intelligent and important and she always has the last word. Besides being a great shot and smart, Eula is also strong. Eula proves to Rooster that she can handle the wilderness and harshness of the Western environment. Thriving in the wilderness was a role reserved only for the alpha-male cowboy, but now Eula matches Rooster’s strength and savageness. This proves that Eula is no ordinary woman and that women of the 1970’s are far more empowered than their 1950’s counterparts.