WEST OF THE PODCAST

(Updated Thursday 12/2/2010 see SCREENINGS - LITTLE BIG MAN)
About a year ago at this time, I had just finished reading THE GIFT OF THE MAGI to a 4th grade class, and I told them that its author, O. Henry, was also the creator of The Cisco Kid. It’s the sort of dumb thing I often say to kids – it means as much as telling them, “Aristophanes also wrote ‘The Clouds.’” But to my surprise and delight, a girl said, “Really? I love the Cisco Kid!”
“Where have you seen the Cisco Kid?” I asked.
To my yet greater astonishment, she replied, “I haven’t seen him. I love the radio show. My dad has a collection of them, and when we go on driving trips, he brings them along and plays them.” If you’ve never heard radio drama, or if you have kids who haven’t been exposed to it yet, it’s time.

I’m a big fan of old time radio, or OTR, as the aficionados call it. I mostly listen in transit – on tape or CD, depending on what the car in question plays – and the biggest problem I have with it is the cost. Good collections, which I’ve reviewed in the past and no doubt will again, generally cost $29 and up – a considerable investment for shows I’ll only listen to once – at least only once every few years.

But the good news is that a tremendous amount of great OTR programming – including great Western programming – is available absolutely free online. If you have an iPod, iPhone, or any other gadget that can play mp3 files, you’re good to go – I’ll tell in a moment how to hook yourself up. The reason that these shows are available for free is that most radio shows were never copyrighted: they’re in the public domain. In fact, many radio shows were performed and broadcast live, and never professionally recorded at radio stations; they’d be lost if they hadn’t been copied by fans with amateur equipment.

One of the great podcast-sharing benefactors is known as ‘Botar’ – if you search that name on-line or in the iTunes Store podcast directory, you’ll find a ton of shows, including some of the best Westerns. He told me, “My grandfather used to read through Louis L’amour novels like they were candy. I grew up in Denver, Colorado, and all my kin live in Nebraska, so I do have a little western blood in me. Tales of the Texas Rangers was one of the first OTR series that I fell in love with. Then I started listening to Fort Laramie, and thought that it was the greatest.” It didn’t hurt that, as a child, he’d spent time in both Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming. Each series he found he liked better than the one before. “Then I found Six Shooter, started listening to Frontier Gentleman, then Have Gun Will Travel. And now I’m sixty shows deep into the 480 episodes of Gunsmoke, and I think it was the best OTR series ever.”

(pictures, top to bottom: Gunsmoke cast, William Conrad, Geirgia Ellis, Howard McNear, Parley Baer - as they looked doing the show; as we imagined them; Raymond Burr in his Fort Laramie days; John Dehner in his radio guise; John Dehner onscreen; James Stewart doing a radio show with Roy and Dale; James Stwart in Winchester 73; Young Buffalo Bill poster; two more Chiefs from the series)

Why did he get involved with podcasting? “My website evolved out of frustration at the amount of money ‘they’ charged for OTR CDs, and the free but incomplete and low quality OTR shows available in the early days of ‘peer 2 peer’ (i.e. napster, etc.) sharing. So I keep my site free of charge, and use podcasting to keep OTR listening and collecting as painless as possible.”

For those not familiar with those series mentioned – all of which are available as free podcasts, Tales of the Texas Rangers is a western crime series, based on Texas Rangers files, and starring Joel McCrea as Ranger Jayce Pearson. Six Shooter, starring James Stewart as Britt Ponsett, is a sometimes serious, sometimes light-hearted series about a man famous for his speed with a gun, but who tries not to use it. It later moved to television as The Restless Gun, starring John Payne. Have Gun Will Travel went the opposite direction: already a popular TV series starring Richard Boone, a radio version was created, starring John Dehner in the role of Palladin. Frontier Gentleman had the unusual premise of following a reporter for the London Times as he travelled across the American west, writing his column. This series also starred John Dehner, who rarely tried to sound British, but settled for ‘classy,’ which is how he always sounded. Fort Laramie starred pre-Perry Mason Raymond Burr as Lee Quince, Captain of Cavalry at the Fort, and was pretty dark, adult western stuff.

How do you get the shows? Go to the iTune store and click ‘podcasts.’ In the search window on the upper right, type the title of the show of your choice, followed by the word ‘botar,’ and you’ll be directed to a page where you can choose from at least forty shows from each series, whether you wish to get single episodes, several, or to subscribe and get them weekly – if they’re currently being posted weekly. If you have an iPhone, you need to purchase an ap that’ll cost you two bucks, but that’s it. Otherwise, just like all podcasts, they’re free.

If you’re looking for a wider mix of shows, shows for the whole family, or the classic Gunsmoke, you’ll need to search for programs provided by a company known variously as Radio Nostalgia Network and HD Productions. They offer a regular podcast of Cisco Kid, and one of The Lone Ranger. And of course, they offer the finest of all Western radio series, Gunsmoke, with Matt Dillon portrayed by William Conrad, considered by many (like me for instance) to be the best radio actor of all time. Under the title Western Wednesdays is a wide variety of shows, from Roy Rogers to Tom Mix to Gene Autry, and a host of others. Often you can’t tell what you’re getting until you’ve downloaded it, but that’s part of the fun. They’ve also recently added a few TV episodes, from Wagon Train and Stories of the Century, an early Republic series. Under the titles Wagons West and Cowboy Theatre you’ll find other varied western selections.

I’ve focused on the two outfits who put out the most western shows, and whose material I’ve listened to for a few years. But there are others, and it’s worth searching around, especially if you have a specific want that’s hard to find. For instance, if you want to listen to William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy, the bad news is that no one is doing a regular podcast. But the good news is, if you search under ‘Hopalong Cassidy podcast’ you’ll find 35 individual episodes posted by different outfits.

So happy listening, and if you give OTR podcasts a try, let me know how your experience was.

RFD-TV CONTINUES ROY ROGERS FLICKS WITH ‘YOUNG BUFFALO BILL’

This Saturday, December 4th it’s Young Buffalo Bill (1940), again directed by the great Joe Kane, and featuring Gabby Hayes, and a tale of dubious Spanish land grants. And there’s still another airing or two of this week’s West of the Badlands (aka Border Legion). Dusty and Dustin continue their hosting duties from Mickey Gilley’s Theatre in Branson, and the program wraps up with musical clips of Roy and Dale, and Dusty and the High Riders performing.

And because it’s not too late to correct problems in future episodes, I’m going to make a couple of suggestions. First, giving the cast and crew at the beginning helps get you in the mood, but they’re giving so much of the plot away that, unless you plug your ears and yell (like I do), you’ll know so much going in that there’s no sense in watching it. Second, considering that almost all the commercials are selling Bullet and Trigger gear and subscriptions to the RFD-TV magazine, is it also necessary to have additional ads for those subscriptions running, during the movie, on the bottom of the screen, for minutes at a time?

Also on RFD-TV Wednesday Dec. 1st at 12:30 pm on Equestrian Nation, you can see Roy Rogers in one of his last interviews.


INDIAN CHIEF CIGARETTE INSERT CARDS

Here are the next two cigarette insert cards in the set I started running last week. The actual cards measure 1 ½” by 2 ¾ ”, and are the ‘Celebrated American Indian Chiefs’ collection, from Allen & Ginter of Richmond, Virginia, and date from 1888. The cards are so beautiful that I’ve decided to share the fifty-card set with the Round-up readers, two at a time. I hope you enjoy them.

D. W. GRIFFITH SCREENING

Monday, November 29th, the Academy will present GRIFFITH IN CALIFORNIA – HOLLYWOOD’S EARLIEST FILMS FROM A CENTURY AGO at the Linwood Dunn Theatre. The bad news is that the show is sold out, but the good news is that there are always some no-shows, and people who show up early usually get in. For more details, CLICK HERE.

SCREENING - 'LITTLE BIG MAN' AT THE NEW BEVERLY THURSDAY

In tribute to the late Arthur Penn and the late Dede Allen, the New Beverly Cinema will screen a double bill of BONNIE AND CLYDE and LITTLE BIG MAN. They play at 7:30 and 9:45 respectively. I have great respect for both filmmakers, loved Bonnie and Clyde, but much as I enjoyed Chief Dan George, I absolutely despised Little Big Man. But hey, it's all subjective.

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepeneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permenant galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywood western, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

A staggering number of western TV episodes and movies are available, entirely free, for viewing on your computer at HULU. You do have to sit through the commercials, but that seems like a small price to pay. The series available -- often several entire seasons to choose from -- include THE RIFLEMAN, THE CISCO KID, THE LONE RANGER, BAT MASTERSON, THE BIG VALLEY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, and one I missed from 2003 called PEACEMAKERS starring Tom Berenger. Because they are linked up with the TV LAND website, you can also see BONANZA and GUNSMOKE episodes, but only the ones that are running on the network that week.

The features include a dozen Zane Grey adaptations, and many or most of the others are public domain features. To visit HULU on their western page, CLICK HERE.

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They run a GUNSMOKE Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m., and on Friday they show two, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.. They're not currently running either series on weekends, but that could change at any time.

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

Check out your cable system for WHT, which stands for World Harvest Television. It's a religious network that runs a lot of good western programming. Your times may vary, depending on where you live, but weekdays in Los Angeles they run DANIEL BOONE at 1:00 p.m., and two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. On Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. it's THE RIFLEMAN again, followed at 2:30 by BAT MASTERSON. And unlike many stations in the re-run business, they run the shows in the original airing order. There's an afternoon movie on weekdays at noon, often a western, and they show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.

That's it for now, pards. I've got a few interesting things cooking for the next few report, but I'm not gonna jinx myself for talking about them before they're a done deal.

Henry

All Contents Copyright November 2010 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved

OLD TUCSON GAINS MUCH-NEEDED 'STARDUST'

Stardust and The Bandit, the western-themed comedy pilot recently shot at the historic Old Tucson Studios, was co-written and co-directed by Dick Fisher and Sarah Sher. Its broad comedy and western background is quite a departure from the very Eastern movie Fisher made his reputation with: he produced, photographed and edited The Brothers McMullen. That film, about three Irish brothers in New York, won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, and was a career-maker for both Fisher and writer/director/star Edward Burns. “It was actually Fox Searchlight’s first release, when they started that specialty division at Fox. They’ve just done a magnificent job in marketing it (over the years). I’m hoping they’ll be having a Blu-Ray re-release of it.”

But Fisher started out not in independent features, but on local news in Utica, New York. “Upstate was beautiful. I went to visit my sister, who went to Hamilton College, in Clinton, and I just fell in love with the area. I was an undergraduate, working in construction, building the world’s largest brewery. One day, driving along, I just pulled off the highway at the Newhouse School and said, ‘What do I have to do here to get a Masters degree, because I’m on the wrong track, and I really want to be a filmmaker.’ I got a Masters Degree there, and through connections I had in Syracuse, I got a job at the local television station in Utica in 1978, shooting newsreels. You’d come to work, they’d give you a 400’ can of 16mm film (about ten minutes worth), you’d shoot a few stories, and they had a (film) processor in a garage by the television station. And I got to process my own film, edit my own film, and put it on the air. It was a fantastic experience with the full range of work in film.”

After several years there, he moved to New York City, started his own production company, Technical Services, and began working in the burgeoning tabloid TV field as a location cameraman. Over the next several years, his many clients included HARD COPY, CURRENT AFFAIR, LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS, P.M. MAGAZINE, and ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT. “Entertainment Tonight was one of my early clients, and Ed Burns was my production assistant -- that’s how we got to know each other. And we discovered that we both had a love for film, and an ambition to make film. He engaged me to shoot an earlier film he’d written, called Brandy, and we had a great time, but we couldn’t sell it. So we decided to do it again – we had a very specific idea of why we couldn’t sell it, and how go make a film that we could sell.”

The result was The Brothers McMullen. Unless it’s a one-man movie, it’s unusual for one person to be both cinematographer and editor on a feature. And it’s just about unheard of for someone to be producer as well – generally producers are not at all technical. “Photography is my first love, cinematography, but the fact that I understand editing has certainly made me a very effective cinematographer. Because no matter how beautiful a shot is, if it doesn’t cut into your sequence, you’re just spinning your wheels.

“Working on those (tabloid) shows -- shooting every day, for years and years -- gives you a level of professionalism, gives you the chops to be able to shoot something that’s going to be acceptable to distributers. And it gave me the level of success that allowed me to work on independent films, because I was prepared to finance them. Steven Spielberg, working with his parents’ 8MM camera probably did a great job, but you couldn’t sell them. (It’s not like) now, when you have films like Paranormal Activity – with equipment like the DSLR cameras -- where you can create high definition, high quality images (for so little money). Blair Witch is another example – until Blair Witch, The Brothers McMullen was the most profitable independent – not highest gross, but most profitable. Our delivery cost was between four hundred and five hundred thousand, and they made fourteen or fifteen million in domestic gross. But the Blair Witch people don’t have the same happy story that Eddy and I do. We own The Brothers McMullen and share the profits with Fox Searchlight, and it’s still making money. Blair Witch grossed over a hundred million at the box office, but the guy who made it certainly didn’t get any fraction of that.”

What brought him from New York to Arizona in the mid-90s was an ailing relative, and the conviction that, with his track record as a writer and producer, he could live and work anywhere. And he was looking forward to working there, “…because I was aware of the incredibly rich history of filming in Tucson.” Built in 1939 for Arizona, Old Tucson Studios had been the location of over 300 movie and TV shoots, including Broken Arrow (1950), 3:10 to Yuma (1957), Gunfight At The O.K. Corral (1957), Peckinpah’s first -- The Deadly Companions (1961), Joe Kidd (1972), Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Tom Horn (1980), Tombstone (1993), and a slew of John Waynes – Rio Bravo (1959), McClintock (1963), El Dorado (1966) and Rio Lobo (1970). What Fisher could not anticipate was that in 1995, an arson fire would devastate the studio, destroying sets, the soundstage, and all of the costumes and props for Little House on the Prairie. Most of the destroyed sets were re-built, but, “…they decided not to rebuild their soundstage. At the same time, the American dollar was strong and the Canadian dollar was weak, and Canada came up with the brilliant plan of tax rebates, which moved so much of the work to Canada.

“Losing the soundstage really killed the film business in Tucson, and Arizona in general. New Mexico started giving no-interest loans to stimulate the film business, but Arizona never got their act together about joining that party. Old Tucson’s (situation) is unusual. It’s inside a County Park, which is good, because it means that the vistas in all directions are protected from development: when you’re in the town square, you point the camera in any direction and you see mountains and deserts, you don’t seen houses and buildings. The downside of that for investors is you cannot buy the land – you can only lease it for however many years. So people were reluctant to make a large investment in a new soundstage. The people that own it now have not developed it as an active studio. It’s sort of a roadside attraction.

“A little over a year ago, Sarah Sher said to me, ‘I’m sick of complaining that we don’t have work. Let’s do something. Let’s make a television pilot that has several purposes, one of which is to demonstrate to the world what a great motion picture location this is. To show people that we have the talent here in Tucson to make motion pictures and television. And maybe inspire somebody to spend some money and make another soundstage here and get some work.’”

“If nothing else, I’m pragmatic, so we decided to get the most out of what already exists at Old Tucson. (We wrote) a fish out of water story: an accountant for the mob (Scott Thomas) is put into the Witness Protection Program, and the job that they give him is bookkeeper at Old Tucson, as it exists now – a roadside attraction. He’s a ‘Mr. Bean’ sort of character, in a suit with glasses and a briefcase, supposed to work in a back room, keep his head down. Then, when a performer in their stunt show gets dragged away by a horse, a beautiful chorus line dancer (Shanna Brock) pulls him up on stage; they put him into a cowboy outfit – he ends up being in the show. And of course the mobster he’s supposed to testify against shows up with his family on vacation.

“We wrote the script, and Pete Mangelsdorf, CEO at Old Tucson, liked it, and he signed on as executive producer, and Old Tucson Studios itself as a co-producer. Everyone in the film community jumped on, worked for deferred pay, and we were able to use everything they have at Old Tucson – the stunt performers, the locations. They fed us and picked up the insurance, and did all of the technical things you need even if you’re making a no-budget production. I have the credentials, if you will, for making a successful no-budget production.

“We shot for two weeks and this was just the most fun I’ve had on a set. When we got to the last shot of the last day, I called ‘cut! Any problems?’ And the crew said, ‘Let’s not stop! Let’s do more!’ They all wanted to keep working. Even working deferred it was a joy, just so much fun to be out there, working at Old Tucson – to be directing a Western at Old Tucson – the hairs were standing up on the back of my neck at times just thinking, now I’m part of the history. I’m an Eastern guy, I was born in Brooklyn. But what American boy is not in some way affected by the cowboys? Being an American, for better or worse, there’s the poetry of being a cowboy. If it’s not in our DNA, it’s in our rearing: we’re all cowboys.

“We’re just finishing the rough-cut now, and we have a few technical sound issues, and I want to get some music written. And we’re looking to get it into the marketplace and have people get interested in it.

“And of course, what we would like -- the genesis of the whole idea -- would be to have this create something like HIGH CHAPARRAL, one of the shows that was really part of the fabric of Tucson before. We want to weave ourselves back into the fabric of filmmaking in Southern Arizona, and hopefully that’s what we’ll be able to do.”

Meanwhile, Dick’s next assignment is very different. “I was just engaged to be director of photography on a project that’s being financed and filmed up on the Gila River Indian Community. It’s written and directed by a Native American up there. It’s a contemporary coming-of-age (story) called Second Circle, about a young Indian who has to deal with the gang-bangers and the taggers and drug dealers, and whether he can live more to the traditional ideals of his community, or whether he’ll get drawn to that dark side of American society. It’s a very interesting script. The Gila River tribe runs one of the casinos up there, and the producer, Tony Estrada, who is a Navajo, pitched to them the idea that they would create and own this film, but at the same time have this training (program) for the film industry, for their community members.”

To learn more about Stardust and The Bandit, visit their Facebook page HERE.

FIRST TRAILER FOR ‘COWBOYS AND ALIENS’ RELEASED

CLICK HERE to check it out! The Jon Favreau - directed Sci-Fi Western, starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde is set for a July 29th, 2011 release.


REEL INJUN WINS THREE GEMINI AWARDS

At the star-studded 25th Annual Gemini Awards, the Canadian Oscars, the documentary Reel Injun, see my review HERE, won three awards. The entertaining and informative look at the Indian’s image in Hollywood westerns won Best Direction For a Documentary, Best Visual Research, and the prestigious Canada Award, which recognizes work that explores racial and cultural diversity in Canada. To learn when and where you can see this film, visit the official website HERE.


INDIAN CHIEF CIGARETTE INSERT CARDS

Doing some much-needed office cleaning I came upon a set of cards which my father gave me more than thirty years ago. These are cigarette insert cards, the forerunner of bubble-gum cards, and measure 1 ½” by 2 ¾ ”. They are the ‘Celebrated American Indian Chiefs’ collection, from Allen & Ginter of Richmond, Virginia, and if my on-line research is correct, they date from 1888. The cards are so beautiful that I’ve decided to share the fifty-card set with the Round-up readers, two at a time. I hope you enjoy them.

‘DEATH VALLEY DAYS’ CREATOR’S BIRTHDAY

Sources disagree by ten days, but either last Tuesday the 16th or next Friday the 26th would be the birthday of Ruth Woodman. Born in New York State in 1894, the Vassar graduate, mother of two and wife of an investment banker, was a copywriter for an advertising agency when, in 1930, she was asked to create a radio show for the Pacific Coast Borax Company. The result was the fact-and-folklore-based anthology series, DEATH VALLEY DAYS, which ran on radio from 1930 until 1945. It then moved to television, and ran from 1952 to 1975, producing 558 TV episodes. Woodman wrote the entire first five TV seasons herself, adapting her radio scripts.

Woodman frequently visited Death Valley for inspiration, and on her first trip there ran into Death Valley Scotty. She contributed to other TV series as well, and wrote one feature, Last of The Pony Riders (1953) for Gene Autry. She served as story editor her retirement in 1959, but still contributed scripts until her death in 1970, at the age of 75. You can find every single episode of the TV series for sale if you search on-line. I suspect they’re bootlegs, but I’m no lawman. If you’d like to listen to a couple of the radio shows, CLICK HERE.

D. W. GRIFFITH UPDATE

I was happy to receive some positive feedback about my criticism last week of the Directors Guild of America’s decision, a decade ago, to strip Griffith’s name from an award because of the racially offensive Birth of a Nation – for details, see last week’s entry. To my surprise, I learned there is an on-line petition to get his name put back on. I don’t know anything about who is running the campaign, but if you’re interested in learning more, and signing the petition, CLICK HERE. For those who would like to see some of Griffith’s work, on Monday, November 29th, the Academy will present GRIFFITH IN CALIFORNIA – HOLLYWOOD’S EARLIEST FILMS FROM A CENTURY AGO at the Linwood Dunn Theatre. The bad news is that the show is sold out, but the good news is that there are always some no-shows, and people who show up early usually get in. For more details, CLICK HERE.

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepeneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permenant galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST LOS ENCINOS LIVING HISTORY DAY

On this day, and the third Sunday of every month, Los Encinos State Historic Park, located at 16756 Moorpark St. in Encino,91436, has a Living History Day. From one to three p.m. enjoy music, period crafts, a blacksmith, docents in 1870s attire, tours of the historic buildings, and traditional children’s games.

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywood western, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

A staggering number of western TV episodes and movies are available, entirely free, for viewing on your computer at HULU. You do have to sit through the commercials, but that seems like a small price to pay. The series available -- often several entire seasons to choose from -- include THE RIFLEMAN, THE CISCO KID, THE LONE RANGER, BAT MASTERSON, THE BIG VALLEY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, and one I missed from 2003 called PEACEMAKERS starring Tom Berenger. Because they are linked up with the TV LAND website, you can also see BONANZA and GUNSMOKE episodes, but only the ones that are running on the network that week.

The features include a dozen Zane Grey adaptations, and many or most of the others are public domain features. To visit HULU on their western page, CLICK HERE.

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They run a GUNSMOKE Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m., and on Friday they show two, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.. They're not currently running either series on weekends, but that could change at any time.

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

Check out your cable system for WHT, which stands for World Harvest Television. It's a religious network that runs a lot of good western programming. Your times may vary, depending on where you live, but weekdays in Los Angeles they run DANIEL BOONE at 1:00 p.m., and two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. On Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. it's THE RIFLEMAN again, followed at 2:30 by BAT MASTERSON. And unlike many stations in the re-run business, they run the shows in the original airing order. There's an afternoon movie on weekdays at noon, often a western, and they show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.

Keep those e-mails and cimments comin', and have a great Thanksgiving!

Adios, Pilgrim

Henry

All Contents Copyright November 2010 by Henry C Parke -- All Rights Reserved

BORGNINE SIGNS ON DOTTED LINES

(Updated Friday 11/19/2010 -- see screening ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST)
The line was long and eager as Ernest Borgnine and Western authors William Blinn, Andrew J. Fenady and C. Courtney Joyner autographed their writings yesterday at Dark Delicacies, a Burbank bookstore that specializes in eerie fiction, but also has a penchant for sagebrush sagas. Oscar-winner (for MARTY) Borgnine’s booming laugh and cheerful nature filled the normally gloomy-tomb book-seller, as he autographed his auto-bio, ERNIE, posed for pictures, and answered questions about THE WILD BUNCH, VERA CRUZ, A BULLET FOR SANDOVAL and so many others.
Blinn, who created the series STARSKY AND HUTCH, wrote the Prince movie PURPLE RAIN, and won Emmys for his teleplays of BRIAN’S SONG and ROOTS, returned to his own roots – westerns like GUNSMOKE, RAWHIDE, BONANZA and HIGH CHAPPARAL -- with his most recent western novel, A COLD PLACE IN HELL.

(Photos, top to bottom: Ernest Borgnine, William Blinn saying, "Get that light meter out of my face!", Courtney Joyner and Andrew Fenady pose with a fan, Cowboy (Gene) and Indians (Carmelo family) at the Autry, big tepee and little tepee, silver by the Lees, drums by Bobby Bales, D.W. Griffith stamp, WAY OUT WEST poster, Stan won't give Vivian Oakland the deed)

Like Blinn, both Fenady and Joyner made their names in the screenplay format before moving to the printed word. Fenady, who produced John Wayne’s CHISUM, also adapted the Wayne property HONDO to a TV series, as well as creating THE REBEL and developing BRANDED, among many others. Joyner, author of the terrific THE WESTERNERS, a collection of interviews with western stars both in front of and behind the camera, is best known for his horror and sci-fi screenplays, including PRISON, DR. MORDRID and several TRANCERS outings. Fenady and Joyner were both signing their stories in LAW OF THE GUN, a new collection of western fiction.

AMERICAN INDIAN ARTS MARKETPLACE AT THE AUTRY

More than 160 artists representing over forty tribes converged last weekend at the Autry for the American Indian Arts 2010 Marketplace. While musical and dance performances took place in the courtyard, an immense white tent erected in the area to the east of the museum housed the artists. From silver to painting to sculpture, all imaginable mediums were used. Prices ranged from under ten dollars to well into the thousands. To the left you can see the work of a couple of artists that I particularly admired, the silver work of Clarence and Russell Lee (p.o. box 539, Gallup, New Mexico 87305), and drums made by Bobby Bales (starwater3@yahoo.com). The dancers performing in front of Gene and Champion are the Carmelo family, in a program called Toveema, featuring Southern California native song and dance.

A HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD: MOGULS & MOVIE STARS ON TCM

Every Monday night, starting November 1st and concluding on December 13th, Turner Classic Movies is presenting a new seven chapter documentary series tracing the history of the film industry, and while the focus is on the United States, the importance of the film business in other countries is not minimized.

Each one-hour program airs first on Monday night at 8. p.m., is repeated on Wednesday night, when it will be followed by related movies, and is repeated again the following Monday before the new episode. And I’ve spotted other repeats as well, so you can hopefully track them all down. Narrated by Christopher Plummer, the first two episodes have already aired, and are fine and illuminating pieces of work. Episode #1, PEEPSHOW PIONEERS covered the years 1889 to 1907, and episode #2, THE BIRTH OF HOLLYWOOD, covered 1907 to 1920. On Monday, November 15th, episode #3, THE DREAM MERCHANTS, will cover 1920-1928.

The interviews within the documentary are with historians, critics and descendants of the moguls themselves, and very enlightening. Forgive me if I digress here, but it puts one in mind of the wonderful documentary series HOLLYWOOD – CELEBRATION OF THE AMERICAN SILENT FILM, which the team of David Gill and Kevin Brownlow did in 1980 for Thames Television, which aired here on PBS. That was thirty years ago, and one of the striking differences in the two documentary series is the guests who are interviewed: in the new series, the guests are one and two generations away from the people being discussed. In the old series, those people were speaking for themselves. I had the pleasure of recently hearing Kevin Brownlow speak, introducing a screening of FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE at the Motion Picture Academy, and he revealed that of the 150 people interviewed for his film, only one was still alive. Now here’s the maddening part: HOLLYWOOD, the best documentary of its kind, is virtually impossible to see. It has not been released to DVD, and may never be. The reason? Back more than thirty years ago, when Gill and Brownlow were pulling their film clips together, all of the studios opened their vaults to them for little of no money. Since then, with cable TV, videotape and now DVDs, studios see potential profits where they never did before. And so now, to license those same clips for a DVD release, the studios are asking so much money that, if paid, it would be impossible to make a dime selling the DVDs.

Okay, back on topic, the 2nd chapter of the new documentary dealt with D. W. Griffith’s THE BIRTH OF A NATION, both the brilliance of the filmmaking, and the furor over the racism inherent in the story. Those who haven’t seen the movie may not be aware that the ‘nation’ the title refers to is not the United States but the Ku Klux Klan. I believe the controversy was evenhandedly discussed in the documentary. So I was appalled , after seeing the episode, to watch a discussion, led by Robert Osborn, with a pair of the film critics from the documentary, about Griffith and BIRTH OF A NATION. The woman critic minced around the topic nervously, and finally concluded that while the film, described by President Woodrow Wilson as, “Writing history with lightning!” was, because of its great artistic merit, worthy of our study and respect, Griffith was not. As if the movie had directed itself! Was Griffith a racist? Surely, but 95 years ago that did not leave him far from the middle of the road. Thankfully we’ve come a long way since then, but to try and judge him by today’s standards is ludicrous. And in fact, even in 1915 he was so loudly denounced for his views that it’s generally acknowledged that his follow-up epic, INTOLERANCE, was meant as an apology to those offended by BIRTH. In fact, one of Griffith’s final films, and few talkies, is a sympathetic biography of that enemy of the Klan, the South and the Confederacy, Abraham Lincoln! The contributions Griffith made to the art of filmmaking cannot be overestimated, and yet eleven years ago the smug, ignorant, politically correct morons at the Directors Guild of America saw fit to take his name off the D.W. Griffith Award. If today, prominent members of the DGA were held up to the same standard of conduct that they expect, retroactively, from Griffith, if one single, stupid, offensive public act would mean the end of their careers, then there would be no one left to direct movies!

For those who would like to see some of Griffith’s work, on Monday, November 29th, the Academy will present GRIFFITH IN CALIFORNIA – HOLLYWOOD’S EARLIEST FILMS FROM A CENTURY AGO at the Linwood Dunn Theatre. The bad news is that the show is sold out, but the good news is that there are always some no-shows, and people who show up early usually get in. For more details, CLICK HERE.

OLD TUCSON STUDIOS LOCATION FOR WESTERN COMEDY PILOT

The venerable Arizona western studio, built in 1939 for ARIZONA, starring William Holden and Jean Arthur, has been home to more than 300 movies and TV shows. This September it was the location for a pilot entitled STARDUST AND THE BANDIT. In this contemporary comedy, a former mob-accountant is placed by the Witness Protection Program in a studio/theme park not unlike Old Tucson Studios. But instead of working in the backrooms as an accountant, he is put into a stunt show, and who shows up, on vacation with his family, but the gangster he’s set to testify against.

That’s all I’ve been able to learn so far, but if I find out more I’ll pass it on.

HAPPY TRAILS THEATRE CONTINUES ON RFD-TV

This coming Saturday, November 20th, at 9 a.m. Pacific and noon Eastern, RDF-TV will present DAYS OF JESSE JAMES (1940), another directed and produced by Republic’s best, Joe Kane. Roy stars with – you guessed it – George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, Don ‘Red’ Barry, Scotty Beckett, Monte Blue, Cactus Mack and everyone’s favorite bartender at the Longbranch, Glenn Strange, and of course, Trigger. November 5th would have been Roy’s 99th birthday, and RFD started Happy Trails Theatre the next day with SOUTHWARD HO, following up today with THE ARIZONA KID. The movies are short, and scheduled in 90 minute timeslots, which give the programmers a little wiggle-room to be creative. Roy’s son and grandson, Dusty and Dustin, do the introductions and wrap-ups from the Mickey Gilley Theatre in Branson, Missouri. The first week’s program wrapped up with Dusty and his band performing several songs, and some old Roy Rogers toy commercials. Today’s program ended with a documentary hosted by Dusty, shot some years ago when the Roy Rogers Museum was still in Victorville, and featured a lot of home movies. It’ll be interesting to see what they come up with in the coming weeks. For more information, including merchandise, Trigger and Bullet’s tour, and the Roy Rogers Rider’s Club, CLICK HERE.

AROUND LOS ANGELES

SCREENING

'ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST' FREE SATURDAY NIGHT AT VIDIOTS!

Vidiots, the ecclectic Los Angeles videostore which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, recently opened the Vidiots Annex, a screening room that seats 30, and offers HD projectiona and surround sound. They teach teach classes most nights, but on Saturday nights at 8 p.m. they screen movies, for free, on a first come, first served basis. Saturday, November 20th, at 8 p.m. they'll screen Sergio Leone's immortal ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. I haven't been to this venue yet, so if you go, let us know how it was. 302 Pico Blvd., 310-392-8508.

LAUREL & HARDY IN ‘WAY OUT WEST’ AT THE AUTRY

On Sunday, November 21st, at 2 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Theatre, the Autry, in conjunction with UCLA, will present WAY OUT WEST (1937), a delightful comedy starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy as two good souls trying to deliver a valuable deed to an orphan. The film costars beautiful and innocent Sharon Lynn, beautiful but wicked Vivian Oakland, and James Finlayson, the man who Homer Simpson imitates when he says, “Doh!” Incidentally, when Stan sings bass, that’s Chill Wills, who plays a singer in the film, vocalizing for him. It’s directed by James Horne. Admission is $5 for members, $9 for non-members, $4 for children and $7 for seniors and students – and includes admission to the museum. And if you get to the museum at noon, check out the THIRD SUNDAY JAM WITH THE WESTERN MUSIC ASSOCIATION. Join musicians and cowboy poets as they perform stories and songs of the romantic days of the Old West and contemporary music of the American West.

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepeneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permenant galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST LOS ENCINOS LIVING HISTORY DAY

On this day, and the third Sunday of every month, Los Encinos State Historic Park, located at 16756 Moorpark St. in Encino,91436, has a Living History Day. From one to three p.m. enjoy music, period crafts, a blacksmith, docents in 1870s attire, tours of the historic buildings, and traditional children’s games.

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywood western, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

A staggering number of western TV episodes and movies are available, entirely free, for viewing on your computer at HULU. You do have to sit through the commercials, but that seems like a small price to pay. The series available -- often several entire seasons to choose from -- include THE RIFLEMAN, THE CISCO KID, THE LONE RANGER, BAT MASTERSON, THE BIG VALLEY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, and one I missed from 2003 called PEACEMAKERS starring Tom Berenger. Because they are linked up with the TV LAND website, you can also see BONANZA and GUNSMOKE episodes, but only the ones that are running on the network that week.

The features include a dozen Zane Grey adaptations, and many or most of the others are public domain features. To visit HULU on their western page, CLICK HERE.



TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They run a GUNSMOKE Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m., and on Friday they show two, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.. They're not currently running either series on weekends, but that could change at any time.

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

Check out your cable system for WHT, which stands for World Harvest Television. It's a religious network that runs a lot of good western programming. Your times may vary, depending on where you live, but weekdays in Los Angeles they run DANIEL BOONE at 1:00 p.m., and two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. On Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. it's THE RIFLEMAN again, followed at 2:30 by BAT MASTERSON. And unlike many stations in the re-run business, they run the shows in the original airing order. There's an afternoon movie on weekdays at noon, often a western, and they show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.

That's it for now -- have a great week!

Adios amigos,

Henry

All Contents Copyright November 2010 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved

TONS OF WESTERN FUN THIS WEEKEND!

(updated Thursday, November 11 -- SEE WESTERN BOOK SIGNING,SCREENINGS)

WESTERN BOOK SIGNING FEATURES ERNEST BORGNINE

At 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 13th, DARK DELICACIES, a bookstore located at 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505, will host a signing. Ernest Borgnine, who won his Oscar for MARTY, and is beloved for THE WILD BUNCH, will be siging ERNIE, his autobiography. Western novelist William Blinn, who wrote episodes of RAWHIDE, GUNSMOKE and HERE COME THE BRIDES, and won Emmys for BRIAN'S SONG and ROOTS, will be signing his newest, A COLD PLACE IN HELL. Andrew J. Fenady, writer and producer, who produced CHISUM and created the TV series HONDO, BRANDED and THE REBEL, will be signing his story in the new western anthology LAW OF THE GUN. C. Courtney Joyner, a director and screenwriter whose more than two dozen screen credits include PRISON and several entries in the TRANCERS franchise, will be signing his story in LAW OF THE GUN as well, a collection which also features stories by Elmer Kelton and John Jakes. To read a review of the book in Western Fiction Review, CLICK HERE. To learn more sbout the signing, CLICK HERE.

SCREENINGS

Mel Brooks fans, on Friday, Nov. 12th, at the Downtown Independent, at 251 S. Main Street, L.A. (213-617-1003) you can take part in the 'BLAZING SADDLES, SPACEBALLS Drink-Along and Beer Pong.' BLAZING SADDLES is at 8 p.m., SPACE BALLS is at 10 p.m., with beer pong on the roof until 2 a.m.. I've never even heard of this venue before, so if you attend, please let us know how it went. CLICK HERE for more info.

THE BLACK STALLION (1979)screens for free on Sunday, November 14th, at the BILLY WILDER THEATRE, in the Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd. in Westwood, Los Angeles, CA 90024. Okay, it's not a Western, but it's about a boy and s horse, directed by Carroll Ballard, and anybody who hasn't seen it -- especially any kid, needs to. Starring Mickey Rooney, Kelly Reno (whatever happened to him?) and Clarence Muse.

ROY ROGERS MOVIES PREMIERE SATURDAY ON RFD-TV
Starting this Saturday, November 6th, HAPPY TRAILS THEATER will begin airing Roy Rogers movies, hosted by Roy’s son Dusty, and grandson Dustin!

Beginning with 1939’s SOUTHWARD HO, a Civil War story directed by the great Joe Kane and co-starring Lynn Roberts and Gabby Hayes, the movies will air Saturday in 90 minute time slots, at 9 am Pacific, 10 am Mountain, 11 am Central and Noon Eastern. They’ll repeat twelve hours later, and on Thursdays, 2:30 pm Pacific, 3:30 pm Mountain, 4:30 pm Central and 5:30pm Eastern. For details on upcoming movies, you can CLICK HERE.

Saturday, Nov. 13th it's THE ARIZONA KID (1939), again directed by Joe Kane, and starring Roy, Gabby, lovely Sally March and, in uncredited bits, future stars Spade Cooley, George Montgomery and Dave O'Brien.

RADIO RECREATION EVENT SATURDAY NOV. 6TH
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., SPERDVAC, the Society for the Preservation of Radio Drama, Variety and Comedy, will present a program of panel discussions and classic radio show recreations at Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn, 4222 Vineland Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91602, 818-980-8000. The $50-a-head banquet is sold out, but you can attend everything else for $20. From 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., a panel of old-time radio actors and actresses will discuss their careers and answer questions. Included on this panel will be century-old writer Norman Corwin, the poet laureate of American dramatic radio. A reenactment of an episode of MY FRIEND IRMA, starring Shirley Mitchell and Janet Waldo, will be presented from 1:15 to1:45p.m. Waldo, before she became the undisputed queen of teen girl voices, from Corliss Archer to Judy Jetson, starred on-screen with Don 'Red' Barry in ONE MAN'S LAW, with Dave Sharp in SILVER STALLION, and with Tim Holt in THE BANDIT TRAIL and LAND OF THE OPEN RANGE. From 2 to 3 p.m., Chuck McCann and Tommy ‘Little Beaver’ Cook will perform an episode of NERO WOLFE. At 3:15 p.m., Janet Waldo and Larry Albert will perform THE LOST LETTERS OF ROBERT E. LEE. The play is written by the general’s namesake, playwright Robert E. Lee, who also co-wrote, with Jerome Lawrence, AUNTIE MAME and INHERIT THE WIND. Janet Waldo is his widow. For more information, visit the SPERDVAC website HERE.

7TH ANNUAL RED NATION LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

From Wednesday November 3rd through Tuesday November 9th, the Laemmle Sunset 5 Theater at 8000 W. Sunset Boulevard, L.A., CA 90046, will be the home of the Red Nation Films Festival,celebrating American Indian filmmakers. For details, CLICK HERE.

AMERICAN INDIAN ARTS MARKETPLACE AT THE AUTRY
Saturday and Sunday, November 6th and 7th, the Autry will host it's annual Indian Arts Marketplace. Both days will be packed with education and entertainment for all ages. Over 180 artists representing dozens of tribes will be taking part. For details, CLICK HERE.

DEDICATION OF STEVE MCQUEEN SQUARE IN L.A. SUNDAY!

Steve McQueen, whose Westerns include the series WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE, and such unforgettable movies as THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, NEVADA SMITH, THE REVIERS, JUNIOR BONNER and TOM HORN, will be honored this Sunday, Nov.7th, with the dedication of a square at the intersection of Highland and Santa Monica, the end of Route 66 in Hollywood. The event will begin at eleven a.m. on Hollywood Boulevard with a Steve McQueen Motor Parade, stop by Steve's star on the Walk Of Fame at Hollywood and Highland, and the dedication of the square will take place at around noon. For more information, go to the Jules Verne Adventures website HERE.


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

A staggering number of western TV episodes and movies are available, entirely free, for viewing on your computer at HULU. You do have to sit through the commercials, but that seems like a small price to pay. The series available -- often several entire seasons to choose from -- include THE RIFLEMAN, THE CISCO KID, THE LONE RANGER, BAT MASTERSON, THE BIG VALLEY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, and one I missed from 2003 called PEACEMAKERS starring Tom Berenger. Because they are linked up with the TV LAND website, you can also see BONANZA and GUNSMOKE episodes, but only the ones that are running on the network that week.

The features include a dozen Zane Grey adaptations, and many or most of the others are public domain features. To visit HULU on their western page, CLICK HERE.

AROUND LOS ANGELES

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepeneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permenant galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. Currently they have THE ART OF NATIVE AMERICAN BASKETRY: A LIVING TRADITION, through November 7th. I've seen the show three times, and am continually astonished at the beauty and variety of the work of the various tribes. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywood western, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They run a GUNSMOKE Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m., and on Friday they show two, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.. They're not currently running either series on weekends, but that could change at any time.

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

Check out your cable system for WHT, which stands for World Harvest Television. It's a religious network that runs a lot of good western programming. Your times may vary, depending on where you live, but weekdays in Los Angeles they run DANIEL BOONE at 1:00 p.m., and two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. On Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. it's THE RIFLEMAN again, followed at 2:30 by BAT MASTERSON. And unlike many stations in the re-run business, they run the shows in the original airing order. There's an afternoon movie on weekdays at noon, often a western, and they show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.

That's about it for this weekend. Have a great one!

Adios, amigos!

Henry

All contents Copyright November 2010 by Henry C. Parke - All Rights Reserved