Katie Elder must have been super old...
because John Wayne is like sixty and he has almost forty years on his youngest brother. This movie should have been called 'The Two Sons, Grandson and Great Grandson of Katie Elder."
shareYou mean she must have been the really elder Elder!
John Elder was played by John Wayne who turned 58 in 1965, the year The Sons of Katie Elder was released.
Tom Elder was played by Dean Martin who turned 48 in 1965.
Matt Elder was played by Earl Holliman who turned 37 in 1965.
Bud Elder was played by Michael Anderson, Jr. who turned 22 in 1965.
The actors might have been a year or two younger than the above ages at the time their scenes were filmed.
If the characters were the same ages as their actors Katie Elder could have been less than 80 when she died. If she was 16 years older than John and John was age 56 to 58 she would have died age 72 to 74. And then she would have been about 50 to 54 when Bud was born, which would have been highly unusually old.
Before modern reproductive medicine, the Guinness Book of World Records listed the oldest proven natural mother as being 57 years older than her daughter.
But I don't know if the characters are supposed to be the same ages as their actors. I don't remember any data about the character ages in the movies.
Their ages are discussed here:
https://moviechat.org/tt0059740/The-Sons-of-Katie-Elder/58c726b75ec57f0478ef1fd5/ages-of-the-sons
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Today, sept. 18, 2021 I did some more checking.
According to IMDB, The sons of Katie Elder was released on 24 June, 1965.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059740/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_ov_rdat
And it was filmed from 5 January to March, 1965.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059740/locations?ref_=ttrel_sa_4
Tom Eldar, the elder Elder, was portrayed by jhn Wayne who was born May 6, 1907 and so was still 57 when filming.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000078/?ref_=tt_cl_t_1
Tom Elder was portrayed by Dean Martin who was born June 7, 1917 and was still 47 when filming.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001509/?ref_=tt_cl_t_2
Matt Elder was portrayed by Earl Holliman who was born September 11, 1928 and was 36 when filming.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0391096/?ref_=tt_cl_t_5
Bud Elder, the junior Elder, was portrayed by Michael Anderson Jr. who was born August 6, 1943 and was 21 during filming.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0026295/?ref_=tt_cl_t_4
So if Katie Elder was at least 15 when John Elder ws born, she would have been at least 51 when Bud Elder was born 36 years later. Which is perfectly possible but rather rare. If movie characters are always the same ages as the actors who portray them.
But it is common for movie and tv actors to older than their characters. So it is perfectly possible that John Elder is much less elder than Budd Elder than John Wayne was older than Michael Anderson Jr.
This other thread about the ages of the Elders has many comments.
https://moviechat.org/tt0059740/The-Sons-of-Katie-Elder/58c726b75ec57f0478ef1fd5/ages-of-the-sons