50 Fun Facts About True Grit

Who wrote the 1968 novel True Grit?

Portis served as a Marine sergeant in the Korean War and studied journalism at the University of Arkansas before he ever wrote fiction.

In which magazine was True Grit first serialised in 1968?

Only later did it appear as a standalone novel that some critics now call one of the great American novels.

The novel is narrated by Mattie Ross as an elderly woman looking back on events from how far in the past?

She was 14 when she set out to avenge her father, and tells the story as an old spinster.

In the novel, how much money does Frank Ross take with him to buy horses on the trip where he is killed?

He spends only $100 on the horses, and Chaney robs the body of the remaining $150 and two gold pieces.

In which Arkansas county is the Ross family farm, near the town of Dardanelle?

Mattie later has Rooster buried in the family plot in Yell County in the 2010 film.

What is Rooster Cogburn's full first name in the novel?

Marshal Reuben J. Cogburn is described as aging, one-eyed, overweight, trigger-happy and hard-drinking.

How does Portis's novel say the name LaBoeuf is pronounced?

The Texas Ranger has been tracking Chaney for four months for killing a senator and his dog.

Which outlaw leader's gang does Chaney join after the murder?

A future Godfather star played him in 1969, and Barry Pepper, no relation to the character, played him in 2010.

In which Arkansas town does Mattie hire Rooster Cogburn?

Fort Smith sat on the edge of Indian Territory, which is why federal marshals rode out from there.

Why has LaBoeuf been chasing Chaney for four months in the novel?

The Ranger wants to take Chaney back to Texas dead or alive for the reward, while Mattie insists he hang in Arkansas.

Who directed the 1969 film True Grit?

Hathaway said he tried to make the film like "a fairytale... a fantasy that I couched in as realistic terms as possible."

Who played Mattie Ross in the 1969 film?

Darby was a 21-year-old dancer-turned-actress when she was cast as the 14-year-old.

Which singer played the Texas Ranger La Boeuf in the 1969 film?

Campbell said Wayne approached him backstage at one of his shows and asked if he wanted to be in a movie.

Which singer was the original choice for La Boeuf until his agent demanded top billing?

The producers refused to bill anyone above Wayne and Darby, and the part went to a singer with no acting experience.

Which actress, cast as Mattie in 1969, quit after Mitchum warned her about the director?

Farrow asked producer Hal Wallis to replace Hathaway with Roman Polanski, who had just directed her in Rosemary's Baby, and Wallis refused.

John Wayne recommended which future pop star for the role of Mattie after meeting her at a talent show?

The producers turned her down because she had no acting experience.

Who wrote the 1969 screenplay, which Wayne called "the best script he had ever read"?

Roberts had been blacklisted for alleged leftist affiliations, and the conservative Wayne was instrumental in getting her credited.

Where was the 1969 film mainly shot, despite its Arkansas and Oklahoma setting?

The town of Ridgway is now home to the True Grit Cafe, and courtroom scenes used the Ouray County Courthouse.

What was Wayne's eye patch made of so that he could still see?

Hathaway used the patch to calm Wayne's nerves about playing a part outside his comfort zone.

What is the name of Mattie's horse in the 1969 film?

Rooster carries the snakebitten Mattie on Little Blackie in a scene shot at Hot Creek in California's Sierra Nevada.

In the 1969 film's final scene, what does Rooster do to answer Mattie's jibe that he is too old and fat to jump horses?

Wayne insisted on doing the jump himself, on his horse Twinkle Toes, and it was left as the last shot in case he could not make it.

What was Wayne's favourite horse, seen in True Grit's last scene, called?

Wayne would not let anyone else ride Dollor; the lone exception was Robert Wagner, on Hart to Hart after Wayne's death.

What rating did the 1969 film receive after the makers cut "four-letter words" from some scenes?

It had initially been given an M rating by the MPAA.

What did John Wayne win for playing Rooster Cogburn?

It was his only competitive Oscar; he also won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama.

Accepting his Oscar, Wayne joked that if he had known, he would have put on what "35 years earlier"?

The line played on the eye patch that defined his Rooster Cogburn look.

Which real deputy US marshal do historians believe Rooster Cogburn was based on?

Henry "Heck" Thomas brought in some of the toughest outlaws of the Indian Territory era.

Which actor played Ned Pepper in the 1969 film and reportedly nearly came to blows with Wayne?

Hathaway also had constant shouting matches with Duvall during the shoot.

Who co-starred with John Wayne in the 1975 sequel Rooster Cogburn?

Wayne and Hepburn were born two weeks apart in May 1907, yet this was the only film they made together.

What is the name of the spinster who teams up with Rooster in the 1975 sequel?

The plot was widely called a rehash of True Grit mixed with Hepburn's own The African Queen.

What stolen cargo drives the plot of Rooster Cogburn?

The nitro has to be moved slowly by wagon so it does not explode, which sets up the raft finale.

Who directed the 2010 adaptation of True Grit?

The Coens said their version would follow the novel and Mattie's point of view more closely than the 1969 film.

Who played Rooster Cogburn in the 2010 film?

Bridges earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, a year after winning for Crazy Heart.

Roughly how many applicants were considered for Mattie Ross before Hailee Steinfeld was cast?

Steinfeld was 13; Natalia Dyer and Madelyn Cline were among those who auditioned.

Who played Tom Chaney in the 2010 film?

Barry Pepper played the gang leader and Matt Damon played the Texas Ranger.

Under what pseudonym did the Coen brothers edit True Grit?

Roger Deakins shot the film and Carter Burwell scored it, both long-time Coen collaborators.

Which 1887 hymn serves as Mattie's theme and underpins about a quarter of Carter Burwell's 2010 score?

Iris DeMent's recording plays over the end credits, and the hymn-based score was ruled ineligible for the Best Original Score Oscar.

Whose recording of "God's Gonna Cut You Down" was used in the 2010 theatrical trailer?

The trailer's gospel-tinged sound matched the hymns woven through the finished score.

Where was most of the 2010 film shot?

Additional scenes were shot in Bartlett, Granger and Austin, Texas.

How many Academy Award nominations did the 2010 True Grit receive, winning none?

The Coens' response: "Ten seems like an awful lot. We don't want to take anyone else's."

Which Coen brothers film did the 2010 True Grit surpass to become their highest-grossing movie?

It passed No Country's $74.3 million domestic take by its second weekend and finished with $252 million worldwide.

From roughly how far away does LaBoeuf shoot Ned Pepper to save Cogburn in the 2010 film?

LaBoeuf spends the film boasting about his Sharps rifle, and the shot finally proves his point.

In the 2010 film's epilogue, which two outlaws tell the adult Mattie that Cogburn has died?

Cogburn had been performing in a travelling Wild West show alongside them.

Who was cast as the one-armed body double for the adult Mattie in the 2010 film?

Ruth Morris, 29, was found through a nationwide call and doubled for Elizabeth Marvel.

The 2010 True Grit holds what distinction in Netflix history?

In 2023 it closed out Netflix's 25-year-old DVD-by-mail service.

Which novelist wrote the afterword for the 2010 movie tie-in edition of True Grit?

The Overlook Press edition reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list in January 2011.

Before turning to fiction, the author of True Grit worked as London bureau chief for which newspaper?

He left journalism in 1964 and published his first novel, Norwood, two years later.

Where did the 1969 True Grit hold its premiere on June 12, 1969?

It opened at the Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles the next day and took 11 weeks to reach number one at the US box office.

Who played Rooster Cogburn in the 1978 made-for-TV sequel True Grit: A Further Adventure?

Lisa Pelikan played Mattie Ross in that outing, three years after John Wayne's own sequel with Katharine Hepburn.

Roughly how much did the Coen brothers' 2010 True Grit gross worldwide?

Made for $35-38 million, its opening holiday weekend took in $25.6 million, twice the pre-release projections.

Which BAFTA did the 2010 True Grit win from its eight nominations?

Roger Deakins took the prize, while Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld were both nominated in the lead acting categories.