Hondo (1953)

Hondo Lane: Destarti. You remind me of her some.
Angie Lowe: Of an Indian girl? Was she fair?
Hondo Lane: Her hair was black as ten feet down. Did you ever see a crow's wing, how black and gleaming it is?
Angie Lowe: Yes.
Hondo Lane: That's the way her hair shined. I'd like to pay you for that rope. Ridin' dispatch, I have the right to give you a script.
Angie Lowe: You loved her?
Hondo Lane: I don't know. I needed her.
Angie Lowe: But if she was dark and I'm fair...
Hondo Lane: Why you reminded me of her?
Angie Lowe: Yes
Hondo Lane: I don't know. I've thought about it. You don't look anything like her.
Angie Lowe: I am fully aware that I am a homely woman, Mr. Lane.
Hondo Lane: I didn't mean that. I got a bad habit of tellin' the truth, but being pretty isn't much. I know a lot of pretty people I wouldn't trust with a busted nickle-plated watch. But some others, somethin' comes outa the inside of 'em and you know you can trust 'em. Destarti had that. And you've got it too.
[he kisses her]
Angie Lowe: I'm a married woman.
Hondo Lane: I thought about that, too. I guess I kissed you because you remind me of Destarti. Or maybe it's because I hate to think of your hair hangin' from the center pole of an Apache wickiup. But a long time ago, I made me a rule. I let people do what they want to do.
Angie Lowe: You're a strange man, Mr. Lane.
Hondo Lane: I don't know about that. Bye, Mrs. Lowe.

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Hondo Lane: A man oughta do what he thinks is right.

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Hondo Lane: Mrs. Lowe, you're a liar. And an almighty poor liar.
Angie Lowe: I don't understand.
Hondo Lane: These horses haven't been shod in a couple of months. It's a cinch that ax hasn't had an edge on it in two months. And your tea can - a five-pound tea can in your house - is empty. Your husband's been gone a long time.
Angie Lowe: Now look here, Mr. Lane, I don't think you have any right to talk...
Hondo Lane: I'm not talkin' about rights, I'm talkin' about lies. Why'd you lie to me, Mrs Lowe? Were you afraid that maybe you wouldn't be safe here with me with your husband away? That it?
Angie Lowe: That's partly it.
Hondo Lane: Women always figure every man comes along wants 'em.

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In the Married with Children episode "Assault and Batteries," Al Bundy says that Hondo is his favorite movie of all time, and he spends the entire episode trying to watch it in peace.
John Wayne attributed the film's moderate performance at the box office to its similarity with Shane.
According to TCM, John Wayne won the well-trained dog Sam from his owner/trainer in a poker game after the movie wrapped.
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