Middle-aged cowboy James Stewart agrees to transport Maureen O'Hara's Hereford bull (the first in North America) to to it's new owner Brian Keith, while at the same time making an underhanded deal to deliver it to a rival cattleman. Things get complicated when O'Hara and her daughter take it upon themselves to accompany Stewart.This light-hearted western is offbeat and original enough to provide some entertainment and Stewart is great as the reluctant champion of a new breed of bull, but the story just isn't as compelling as it should have been and sometimes pretty silly, especially Keith (under a mountain of hair!) as a backwards Scottish rancher.Jack Elam and Ben Johnson make the most of their limited roles as a vicious saddle-tramp and Stewart's aging, crippled mentor.

Recently widowed, Martha Price {Maureen O'Hara} and her daughter Hilary {Juliet Mills} travel from England to Texas to sell their prized Hereford Bull, Vindicator. Along the way, a drifter, Sam Burnett, aids them on their journey and is very tempted to bluff the duo and bag himself some easy cash. But as the journey starts to become perilous, Sam finds himself strongly drawn to Martha, but he's also not the only one.The Rare Breed is a fictionalised account of how British bred cattle came to be part of the American beef industry. Coming as it did in James Stewart's late 60s mellow period, it has an air of cartooned dramatics, it works to a degree, but the joke quickly wears thin and the drama never has the desired impact. Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and tidily shot by William H. Clothier {tho the cheap shots are evident}, the picture appears to have been cut in one or two places because we lurch from a couple of scenes to completely different scenarios, and its quite off putting. The acting is fine, all the cast give it gusto, with Brian Keith having a ball playing a raging Scotsman, i mean swigging whiskey in the bath at frequent intervals has to be a bonus to me!. One or two punch ups are safely handled by McLagen, and a stampede is watchable if a touch let down by the sloppy editing from Russell F. Schoengarth, to leave us with a fare little film that is instantly forgettable afterwards. 4/10

The Rare Breed I saw this movie in the theatre when it came out in 1966 (I was 12 years old). I just today on American Movie Classics. I suppose that 37 years of growth has changed my perspective a little bit. When I was 12 I was not too much into westerns. The closest I came to liking westerns was Cat Ballou, which may succeed more as a comic western than The Rare Breed does. Still I liked, and still like, any-thing with James Stewart. I think, however, that The Rare Breed succeeds as a romance. In 1966 I might have seen the romance as `mushy stuff.' Although James Stewart did Westerns (`Classic' and `Modern') as well as Fantasy (It's A Wonderful Life) and biography (Charles Lindbergh, Glenn Miller) I think of him as a comic actor (The Philadelphia Story; Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation; Take Her, She's Mine). For this reason, I have to view The Rare Breed as a Comedy as much as a Western.I can see the phoniness of the fist fights now and I might have seen them in 1966 as well. I also have one observation: Even after Brian Keith shaves off his beard, he sometimes doesn't look like the Brian Keith we all know and love from, say, Family Affair. He certainly doesn't SOUND the same because he does a VERY strong Scottish brogue in The Rare Breed.

A fifty year old Jimmy Stewart wrestling cattle? Did anyone stop and think about this for a second? James Stewart has solidified himself as one of the best actors in the history of film. But even his prestige and talent cannot save this picture. An overly long epic about cattle breeding is not what greats like Stewart should be used for. It's almost sad to see how hard he tries, in a role with little substance, supported by a dry script. Of course there are some good points. Stewart finding a lost calf is a good moment, but that's solely his doing. (If there were other good moments I was probably asleep). Rare Breed was a disappointment to say the least. It's depressing to think that there weren't other roles available for an aging actor. I miss the "Hitchcock" Stewart, and the "Capra" Stewart, and the "Ford" Stewart. As painful as it is to admit, this may be one of his worst performances. Any other actor would have drowned in such a bad picture, but Stewart stays afloat, just barely.