The Shepherd of the Hills

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The Shepherd of the Hills ★★★ 1941

Young Ozark mountain moonshiner Matt Matthews (Wayne) vows to one day find and kill the unknown father who deserted his family, leading to the early death of Matt's mother. His hatred is so strong that his girlfriend Sammy (Field) refuses to marry him because of it. Then a stranger, Daniel Howitt (Carey Sr.), comes to town and his kind deeds have everyone calling him “The Shepherd.” Even Matt warms to the man—until he discovers that Howitt is his father. Based on the novel by Harold Bell Wright. 89m/B VHS, DVD . John Wayne, Harry Carey Sr., Betty Field, Beulah Bondi, James Barton, Marjorie Main, Ward Bond, Fuzzy Knight; D: Henry Hathaway; W: Grover Jones, Stuart Anthony; C: Charles B(ryant) Lang Jr., William Howard Greene; M: Gerard Carbonara.