Mackenna's Gold

Mackenna's Gold
Theatrical release poster by Howard Terpning
Directed byJ. Lee Thompson
Screenplay byCarl Foreman
Based onMackenna's Gold
1963 novel
by Will Henry
Produced byCarl Foreman
Dimitri Tiomkin
Starring
Narrated byVictor Jory
CinematographyJoseph MacDonald
Edited byBill Lenny
Music byQuincy Jones
Color processTechnicolor
Production
companies
Highroad Productions, Inc.
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release dates
  • March 18, 1969 (1969-03-18) (Premiere)
  • May 10, 1969 (1969-05-10) (Phoenix)
Running time
128 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7 million[1]
Box office$41 million (est.)

Mackenna's Gold is a 1969 American Western film directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring an ensemble cast featuring Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Ted Cassidy, Camilla Sparv and Julie Newmar in lead roles. It was photographed in Super Panavision 70 and Technicolor by Joseph MacDonald, with original music by Quincy Jones.

Mackenna's Gold is based on the novel of the same name by Heck Allen using the pen name Will Henry, telling the story of how the lure of gold corrupts a diverse group of people. The novel was loosely based on the legend of the Lost Adams Diggings, crediting the Frank Dobie account of the legend (Apache Gold and Yaqui Silver) in the author's note. The film was a box-office failure in North America, but went on to become a major success in the Soviet Union and the Indian subcontinent.

  1. ^ Champlin, Charles (October 10, 1966). "Foreman Hopes to Reverse Runaway". Los Angeles Times. p. C23.