He Tamed Their Wild Hearts With His Courage and Won Them With His Love
Young Matt Matthews, an Ozark Mountains moonshiner, hates the father he has never seen, who apparently deserted Matt's mother and left her to die. His obsession contributes to the hatred rampant in the mountains. However, the arrival of a stranger, Daniel Howitt, begins to positively affect the mountain people, who learn to shed their hatred under his gentle influence.
The Shepherd of the Hills (1941) is a drama and western film directed by Henry Hathaway, released on July 18, 1941 with a runtime of 1h 38m. It stars John Wayne, Betty Field, Harry Carey and Beulah Bondi. Viewers rate it 6.6 out of 10 across 64 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Shepherd of the Hills before you stream it.
John Wayne
as Young Matt Matthews
Betty Field
as Sammy Lane
Harry Carey
as Daniel Howitt
Beulah Bondi
as Aunt Mollie Matthews
James Barton
as Old Matt Matthews
Samuel S. Hinds
as Andy Beeler
Marjorie Main
as Granny Becky
Ward Bond
as Wash Gibbs
Marc Lawrence
as Pete Matthews
John Qualen
as Coot Royal
Fuzzy Knight
as Mr. Palestrom
Tom Fadden
as Jim Lane
Directed by Henry Hathaway, written by Grover Jones, Harold Bell Wright and Stuart Anthony, produced by Jack Moss.
Average viewer score of 6.6/10 from 64 ratings.
Riddled with bitterness and resentment, “Matt” (John Wayne) lives in a small farming community that seems tormented, generally, by events from it’s past. Then the arrival of the kindly stranger “Daniel” (Harry Carey) causes some consternation as he makes clear he wants to buy some land. Luckily, one of the few sane folk around, “Sammy” (Betty Field) takes a liking to him after he proves quite adept at removing…
Reviewed on February 9, 2026
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The Shepherd of the Hills (1941) is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Prime Video with Ads, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of The Shepherd of the Hills (1941) includes John Wayne, Betty Field, Harry Carey, Beulah Bondi and James Barton. The film was directed by Henry Hathaway. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Shepherd of the Hills was released on July 18, 1941 and runs for 1h 38m.
The Shepherd of the Hills (1941) holds an average rating of 6.6 out of 10 from 64 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy drama and western films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Shepherd of the Hills trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
