JOHN WESLEY HARDIN BIOPIC TO ROLL SOON!

Outlaw-turned-lawyer John Wesley Hardin is one of the most fabled characters of the Old West, and has been portrayed, on big-screen and small, by actors as talented and varied as Randy Quaid, Jack Elam, Charles Bronson, John Dehner, Neville Brand, James Griffith, Scott Marlowe, Richard Boone, Richard Webb, Rock Hudson, and Lash LaRue.  But he’s never been the lead character – it’s never been Hardin’s own story.  But that is about to change.  Partners Miguel Corona, Justin Ament, and Larry Zeug have announced HARDIN, their biographical film of the notorious badman.

The real John Wesley Hardin

Miguel, whose company is Southwest Pistolero Productions, tells me, “Larry wrote the script, I pulled the team together, and Justin is the one who is getting us our financing.  We’re working together.  Larry’s in Washington, I’m in California, and Justin’s in Oregon.  We’re buddies; we’ve all worked on films together in the past.  Last time, Justin had a movie called SHADOWHEART (2009).  Larry and I were actors in that film.  Now we’ve come up with our own film between the three of us.” 

“Where we plan to shoot is Texas, hopefully in or near Brackettville.  Larry has already been in touch with the Texas Film Commission, researching possible locations.  Because John Wesley Hardin was a son of Texas.  We’re going to do a historically accurate film.  The script is accurate, the guns are accurate, the wardrobe will be accurate. 

“He killed more men in the Old West than Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok and Doc Holliday put together.  He killed forty or more men.  Nobody else has a record like that, and yet no one has told his story.  We’re telling his whole life story, from when he was small, up until the end.

Producer Miguel Corona

“Larry did two or three years of research, and (based) a lot of it on Hardin’s own autobiography.  We’re really excited.  We hope to shoot sometime next year.  There’s not much more to tell you right now: it’s early in the production.”  I’ll be keeping in touch with Miguel, and keeping the Round-up informed.  

 23^RD LEBEL OLD WEST AUCTION SATURDAY, JUNE 23^RD, IN DENVER!

Sharpshooter Frank Butler's Shotgun

Once again, Brian Lebel’s Old West Show and Auction astonishes, with their amazing collection of art, artifacts and weaponry of the old west.  For Western movie fans, there are posters from Col. Tim McCoy’s movies and Wild West shows; hats of Tom Mix, John Wayne and Hoot Gibson; and Nudie-made Republic costumes of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.  For lovers of real-west paper ephemera there’s an arrest warrant signed by Pat Garrett; an autograph of bank-robber Emmett Dalton; and on a single slip of paper, signatures of lawman Bat Masterson and bandit Al Jennings. 

Wyatt Earp

There’s a ‘wanted’ dodger for Jesse and Frank James that I particularly covet, because it looks nothing like the fake wanted posters we used to see in the movies and on TV.  There is one of Zane Grey’s own photo albums; a collection of Pawnee Bill ephemera; and pages of Buffalo Bill Cody items.  There are weapons remarkable for who owned them; others remarkable for their rarity and beauty; and oddly enough, ‘relic’ guns valued for their degree of corrosion.  There’s a striking portrait of Wyatt Earp by Frederic Mizen, probably commissioned for Stuart Lake’s celebrated bio.  There’s even a drawing, by White Bull, of the killing of Custer, notable because, not only was White Bull there, he is thought by many to be the man who did the deed.  With over 400 lots, I can only whet your appetite.  To see the entire catalog online, and to bid, go HERE: http://www.denveroldwest.com/index.html.  While the auction is Saturday, the show is Friday through Sunday.

Black Bart

White Bull's Custer sketch

HATFIELDS VS. MCCOYS ROUND THREE HEADS TO NBC!

Just in case you watched Fred Olen Ray’s BAD BLOOD: HATFIELDS & MCCOYS, then watched Kevin Costner in the History Channel’s HATFIELDS & MCCOYS mini-series, and said to yourself, “What I need is more Hatfields and McCoys,” you’re in luck!  NBC has announced that they’ve acquired an H&M project from ABC, which will be produced by actress Charlize Theron, with EAGLE EYE writer John Glenn set to script.

This disappointing news is that (a) it will be not a period story, but a contemporary one, and (b) Charlize Theron, who has previously produced several movies, including her Oscar-winner MONSTER, is not, for now, set to appear in it.  Isn’t it time Charlize Theron did a Western?

ROBERT BLAKE TO SIGN NEW BOOK AT HOLLYWOOD SHOW!

Robert Blake, who first gained attention as Mickey Gubitosi in the MGM Our Gang comedies, then fame as Little Beaver in Republic’s Red Ryder film series, and as an adult starred in IN COLD BLOOD and the BARETTA series, will be attending the Hollywood Show at the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel & Convention Center on August 3^rd-5th.   Blake, who has kept a generally low profile since his acquittal for the murder of his wife, did show up unannounced at the Republic Pictures 75^th Anniversary celebration.  In February of 2011, he attended the Hollywood Show, and signed autographs for free.  This caused delight to the fans, and consternation among some stars who were there to sell their autographs, and Blake was eventually forced out by security!

This time he will be signing his new book, TALES OF A RASCAL, WHAT I DID FOR LOVE.  Priced at $25, it’s self-published, and while I haven’t seen any professional reviews yet, all six reader-reviews posted on Amazon are overwhelmingly enthusiastic.  Other stars attending the show who will be of interest to Western fans include Walt Disney’s Elfago Baca (and star of my film, SPEEDTRAP) Robert Loggia, DALLAS and TRIGGER FAST star Christopher Atkins, CAT BALLOU star Michael Callan, and MY NAME IS NOBODY and DALLAS star Steve Kanaly.

Blake with fan Mike Stern at Republic 75th

ROBERT HORTON NOMINATED FOR COWBOY HALL OF FAME

Robert Horton played Flint McCullough in 187 episodes of WAGON TRAIN, starred in the Western mystery series A MAN CALLED SHENANDOAH, and has appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows.  As a kid I always was happy when WAGON TRAIN focused on Flint, and I feel the same way today when I catch the show on Encore Westerns.  He’s an excellent actor, from Westerns to sci-fi to romance. 

Oren Truitt put a notice up on the Wild West History Association Facebook page, which I wanted to share.  “Robert Horton’s name has been listed for consideration for the next Cowboy Hall of Fame award.  All the proper papers have been file.  We now need to send letters encouraging the committee to finally make this award, long deserved, and long delayed.

“Please write to: The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63^rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73111.  Letters are more effective than emails in this case.

“Bob deserves this award for his iconic role as Flint McCullough in WAGON TRAIN, A MAN CALLED SHENANDOAH and his other roles in Westerns.  He has been an avid supporter of the Western genre and has received several awards for his contribution to Western films, and the ideals of a true Westerner.

“Let’s do this for Bob.  He is now 87.  Let’s not wait until it is too late for him to know how much we appreciate his contributions.”

I think this is a great idea, and I urge you to write a letter, and to pass this on to your friends who might do the same.

ANN RUTHERFORD DIES AT 94

The brunette with the huge, innocent eyes, who gained fame as Scarlett O’Hara’s youngest sister in GONE WITH THE WIND, has died.  Loved as Mickey Rooney’s love interest, Polly Benedict, in the ANDY HARDY films, and as Red Skelton’s girlfriend in the WHISTLING comedy series (which are delightful, by the way), she is also well-remembered as a favorite leading lady to Gene Autry, in THE SINGING VAGABOND, MELODY TRAIL, COMIN’ ROUND THE MOUNTAIN and PUBLIC COWBOY #1.  She also costarred with a very young John Wayne three times, in THE LONELY TRAIL, THE OREGON TRAIL, and THE LAWLESS NINETIES.  She took particular pride in being the only actress Gene ever kissed in a movie.  "I was Gene Autry's first leading lady and the only one he ever kissed.  After that, he kissed his horse."

That's about all for the Round-up.  Next week I'll feature details on the upcomng BBC America series COPPER, and reviews of two books by Peter Sherayko.

Happy Trails,

Henry

All original contents copyright June 2012 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved

BILLY THE KID & CUSTER IN ‘AMERICAN EXPERIENCE’

Get your Tivos set, because on Tuesday, January 10^th, PBS will premiere a new episode in their excellent AMERICAN EXPERIENCE documentary series.  BILLY THE KID will be the first documentary to run under their THE WILD WEST grouping.  To see a preview/teaser, click HERE.  The following Tuesday, January 17^th, another episode will premiere, CUSTER’S LAST STAND.  To see the preview/teaser, click HERE.

Then each successive Tuesday, previously aired episodes will play, the subjects being WYATT EARP, GERONIMO, ANNIE OAKLEY, JESSE JAMES, BUFFALO BILL and KIT CARSON. 

AMC RENEWS 'HELL ON WHEELS' FOR 2ND SEASON!

WESTERNS ‘TALL IN THE SADDLE’ AT EASTMAN HOUSE JAN & FEB

Beginning on Thursday, January 5^th with THE OX-BOX INCIDENT and continuing for most Thursdays in February, Eastman House in Rochester, New York, will present ‘Tall in the Saddle’, a Western film festival curated by Jack Garner.  Other films to be shown will include HIGH NOON, THE BIG COUNTRY, BLOOD ON THE MOON, WAGON MASTER, THE GUNFIGHTER and Walter Hill’s THE LONG RIDERS.  I’ll have more details soon.

LOS ENCINOS SLATED FOR 2012 CLOSING

Often known simply as ‘The Duck Park’ or ‘The Duck Pond’, for the natural spring that attracts flocks of varied breeds of ducks, geese and other birds, both migratory and resident, Los Encinos State Park has a history that stretches back centuries.  But it’s a history which may abruptly end, as it is one of seventy State Parks currently slated for closure due to a $22 million cut in the budget for state parks.

At the corner of Balboa and Ventura Avenues in Encino, an Indian village was for centuries the home of the Tongva, most of whom left around 1797 to relocate at the then new San Fernando Mission.  In 1834, when Mexico dissolved the Mission system, three mission Indians were given a 4,400 acre land grant for the Los Encinos area.  The area, eventually the De La Osa Rancho, would become a center of beef-raising with the coming of the Gold Rush, and in fact the two standing adobe buildings were built in 1849.  They were at various times the homes of Spanish families, Basque shepherds, and a busy stage-coach stop when Ventura Boulevard was better known as El Camino Real. 

A popular park, famous for their monthly ‘living history’ presentation, Los Encinos is no stranger to strife.  Just weeks after the buildings’ 1994 reopening after an expensive renovation, the Northridge Earthquake hit, closing the buildings for more than another decade.  At brainstorming meetings this month, docents, local residents, business representatives and politicians have to come up with ideas on how to raise the money to save the park.  One clear fact is that it costs about $150,000 a year to operate the park, and the park has turned a paltry $50 profit two years running.  Even to close the park to the public, but maintain it, would cost $15,000 to $30,000 a year. 

Among the politicians who are trying to help save the place are State Senator Fran Pavley, who describes the park as “a hidden treasure,” and L.A. Councilman Paul Koretz.  Ironically, in the midst of California’s (and America’s) financial woes, L. A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is campaigning to open fifty new parks, and there’s no reason why Los Encinos couldn’t be one of them.  If you’d like to know more, and to help, please visit the docent website HERE. 

ROBERT EASTON, 'HENRY HIGGINS OF HOLLYWOOD', DIES AT 81

Born in Milwaukee in 1930, the smiling giant of a man played likable bumpkins, and frequently has his casting cancelled by short leading men.  Fearful of being typecast as a 'rube', he moved to London to study accents and became a master of accents, coaching everyone from Robert Duvall to Forest Whitaker to John Travolta.

When I had a chance to chat with his last year, he pointed out that among his many Westerns in all media, he played Chester's brother, Magnus, on GUNSMOKE, first on radio, then TV. It's a great Christmas show, andHERE's the link.  To read about his memories of working at Republic, go HERE.

WATCH TRIGGER AND BULLET ON NEW YEARS DAY

The Annual New Years Day Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena will feature anRFD-TV-sponsored float honoring the 100^th birthday of the King Of The Cowboys, Roy Rogers! And though they’ve been gone longer than Roy, riding the float will be Trigger, the smartest horse in the movies, and Roy’s wonder-dog, Bullet! The artfully taxidermied pair has been touring the country, making public appearances, for about a year, since network owner Patrick Gottsch purchased the dynamic duo at the big Roy Rogers Estate Auction. RFD-TV shows an episode of theRoy Rogers Show every Sunday, and a Roy Rogers movie every Tuesday, with repeats. .

 I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.  If you want to find out more about Westerns on TV, and the usual stuff I have at the bottom of my blog entries, I need you to scroll down to last week's Round-up.  I've finished writing a pilot for a Western series, and I've got to get back to work plotting out the first season.

Happy New Year and Happy Trails,

Henry

All original contents copyright December 2011 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved!

GENTLEMEN, WHAT AM I OFFERED?

Profiles In History, the auction house that specializes in show-biz memorabilia, will be holding HOLLYWOOD AUCTION 40 on July 10th, 11th and 12th. While most items are movie or music-related, there are some mighty interesting western items offered. As you can see above, there is lot #219, a written question and answer page from Buffalo Bill Cody, #221, a Carte de Viste of and signed by George Armstrong Custer, photographed by Matthew Brady, #150, a signed picture of Tom Mix – one of thirty-five pictures in the lot, and #220 a signed picture of Emmett Dalton. My favorite is the last, in that the auction catalogue describes him as a “lawman,” kinda like describing John Wilkes Booth as an “actor.” To see the whole catalogue online, CLICK HERE.

ADAM BEACH CHOOSES COWBOYS OVER ALIENS!

Adam Beach, the American Indian actor who played Ira Hayes in Clint Eastwood’s FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS (2007), and whose many credits include the excellent SMOKE SIGNALS (1998), the character Blue Duck COMANCHE MOON (2008), and a continuing role in this season’s BIG LOVE, will join Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell and Wes Studi in DreamWorks’ production of COWBOYS AND ALIENS, directed by Jon Favreau and written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof. The comic-book derived tale revolves around the town of Absolution, in 1973, in the Arizona Territory. Jake (Craig), the amnesiac who wanders into town, finds the people crushed under the heel of iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). Beach will portray Nat Colorado, a half-Apache who works for Dolarhyde. The film is shooting this summer, with a release on July 29, 2011.

ANTHONY MANN FESTIVAL AT NEW YORK’S FILM FORUM

What a treat for all of you that live East but love West! From June 25th through July 15th, the Forum will be presenting 26 movies – most in double features and a few in triple bills! -- directed by the great Anthony Mann, whose post-war westerns brought a new-found maturity to the form, and gave James Stewart a chance to stretch as an actor as never before. In addition to the westerns being shown, Mann's fine crime and war stories will also be on view. Among the westerns: NAKED SPUR (1953) and WINCHESTER '73 (1950) on Friday and Saturday June 25th and 26th; BORDER INCIDENT (1949) and DEVIL'S DOORWAY (1950) on Wednesday, June 30th; THE LAST FRONTIER (1956) and GOD'S LITTLE ACRE (1958) on Thursday July 1st; MAN OF THE WEST (1958) and a new 35MM print of THE MAN FROM LARAMIE (1955) on Friday and Saturday July 2nd and 3rd; BEND OF THE RIVER (1952) and a new 35mm print of THUNDER BAY (1953) on Sunday and Monday, July 4th and 5th; CIMARRON (1960) on Monday July 5th, THE FURIES (1950) and THE TIN STAR (1957) on Tuesday July 6th; THE FAR COUNTRY (1955) and THE TALL TARGET (1951) on Friday and Saturday, July 9th and 10th. I know you've got a couple of weeks to wait, but to whet your appetite -- and this is for everyone, not just New Yorkers - CLICK HERE to see trailers of several of the Anthony Mann westerns.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD AT LANDMARK THEATRES

To read my review of The Good, The Bad and The Weird, check out May 9th's entry. It's currently playing at the Main Arts Theatre in Royal Oak, MI.

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 THE LONE RANGER at 1:30 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.
More stuff is coming as the day progresses!

Adios,

Henry

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