McLintock

Plot

The year is 1895. Cattle baron and town namesake George Washington "G.W." McLintock lives as a bachelor on his ranch on the Mesa Verde. His wife, Katherine, abandoned him with no explanation and became a socialite back East two years prior; his daughter, Rebecca "Becky" McLintock, is away finishing her college degree. In town, G.W. is disliked by bureaucrat Matt Douglas, Indian agent Agard, and Governor Cuthbert H. Humphrey. Despite this, he is a friend to many, including Sheriff Lord, general store owner Jake Birnbaum, and the local beggars and Comanche Indians.

While inspecting a shipment of cattle, G.W. warns a group of homesteaders that the Mesa Verde is unsuitable for farming; an earlier group of homesteaders tried, but failed because of insufficient rain for growing crops. Devlin "Dev" Warren, a young man with a widowed mother and sister to support, asks G.W. for a job. G.W. initially refuses, but relents after Dev resorts to begging at the advice of aged drifter Bunny. Dev then lashes out in disgust after having to beg for a job. However, G.W. still hires him and also hires Dev's mother, Mrs. Warren, after tasting her cooking. G.W. then learns Katherine is in town seeking a divorce, which will give her a excuse to take Becky back East with her; hearing this, G.W. refuses. Katherine then decides to move back onto the ranch, and starts bossing everyone around, including Mrs. Warren.

The Comanche, led by Running Buffalo, come into town to meet a train carrying their newly-released chiefs; Sheriff Lord settles them near the homesteaders despite protests from Douglas. When a homesteader's daughter wanders off with her suitor, Douglas and the homesteaders assume the Comanche took her, and attempt to lynch Running Buffalo in retaliation. G.W. and his men try to defuse the situation, but a brawl ensues, with Katherine joining in on G.W.'s side.

The next day, Becky arrives home from college with a would-be suitor, Douglas' son "Junior." G.W. disapproves of Junior, so Katherine makes a show of approving to spite him. Also aboard Becky's train are four Comanche chiefs, one of whom is G.W.'s old enemy and blood brother Paramount Chief Puma. They have arrived for a hearing to determine if their people will be sent to a reservation in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. G.W. agrees to speak at the hearing on their behalf.

While preparing for Becky's welcome-home party, Dev and Becky get into an argument when he accuses Junior of being a "dude." At the party, Dev gets into a fistfight to protect Birnbaum's assistant Davy, and impresses everyone with his boxing skills. Later, after being deliberately taunted by Becky and Junior, Dev accuses Becky of being a trollop for kissing Junior before they were properly engaged. Becky demands G.W. shoot Dev for insulting her; G.W. relents and "shoots" him with a starter's pistol to teach Becky a lesson. Dev, angry that he could have been killed, spanks Becky with a coal shovel, which angers Katherine.

At the hearing the next day, G.W. delivers a plea from Puma to Governor Humphrey, but is ignored; as a result, the Comanche are ordered to be imprisoned until they can be sent to Fort Sill. Getting drunk that night, G.W. suggests to Bunny that, if the Comanche were to go out fighting as they requested, the Government might realize Humphrey's mismanagement of the territory and intervene.

G.W. returns home and pressures Mrs. Warren into drinking with him; while she tries to explain to G.W. that she is quitting as cook, Mrs. Warren eventually gives in. The two end up falling down the stairs while trying to turn in for the night. Katherine, overhearing their conversation, assumes the worst when she sees Mrs. Warren on G.W.'s lap at the foot of the stairs. Mrs. Warren then explains she is quitting because Sheriff Lord has asked her to marry him.

At the Fourth of July celebrations the next day, Katherine refuses Humphrey's advances, but continues to treat her husband harshly. Bunny, who took G.W. seriously, helps set the Comanches free by suppyling them with Krag-Jorgensen military rifles from a military boxcar. The Comanches then charge through town, free their chiefs, and escape with the cavalry in hot pursuit. While hiding in a haystack during the raid, Dev and Becky reconcile and become engaged. Encouraged by this, and on advice from Birnbaum, G.W. confronts Katherine, getting her to admit that she left because she found lipstick on his shirt and incorrectly assumed he was having an affair. After pursuing her through town and publicly spanking her, G.W. tells Katherine that she is now free to divorce him, and leaves for home. However, she follows him, and the two reconcile.