MORE CASTING FOR ‘DJANGO UNCHAINED’

James Russo in YELLOW ROCK

Several notable new names have been added to the already impressive cast of Quentin Tarantino’s stateside spaghetti-fest.  James Russo, whose current Western YELLOW ROCK is making the festival circuit, will play Dicky Speck, opposite James Remar as his brother Ace Speck.  Remar plays Harry Morgan on DEXTER, and has done a number of Westerns, including playing the young WINDWALKER (who grows up to be Trevor Howard), and two for Walter Hill, LONG RIDERS and WILD BILL. 

James Remar in WILD BILL

                                  

Actor/writer/comedian and general madman Sacha Baron Cohen will play Scotty.  Cohen is best known for his outrageous BORAT and ALI G characters.   WITHOUT A TRACE star Anthony LaPaglia will portray Roy.  Tom Savini, famed horror make-up specialist who now spends most of his time in front of the camera, will play Ellis Brittle.  Todd Allen, whose Western credits include SILVERADO and BROKEN TRAIL will play Frank Fish.  Tom Wopat, best known as Luke Duke from THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, will play Marshall Gill Tatum.  In addition to small and big-screen work – including the recent JONAH HEX – Wopat has also done a good deal of Broadway, and was Tony-nominated for his performance as Frank Butler in a revival of ANNIE GET YOUR GUN. 

Todd Allen in BROKEN TRAIL

As already discussed here, also in the cast are Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Kenneth Williams, Don Johnson, Kerry Washington, Gerald McRaney, Dennis Christopher, Kurt Russell replacing Kevin Costner, and of course Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx in the title role of Django. 

Tom Wopat and Bernadette Peters in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN

2^ND ‘GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE’ MOVIE AIRS JAN 28^TH

The second film in the Hallmark Movie Channel’s GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE franchise airs late this month, and the third is already before the cameras.  In case this one has slipped below your radar, the films star Luke Perry as John Goodnight, a circuit judge travelling the old West.  The first film, GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE, which costarred Lara Glichrist and Tom Butler, was shot in Alberta in 2011 and directed by Perry’s BEVERLY HILLS 90210 costar Jason Priestly, at least in part because they needed a Canadian to direct for tax reasons. 

This first one will be aired again on January 14^th, and the 2^nd in the series, GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE: THE MEASURE OF A MAN, will play on January 28^th.   This time Perry’s co-stars are Stefanie von Pfetten and Cameron Bright.  The third entry in the franchise, GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE: QUEEN OF HEARTS, will co-star Perry with Rick Schroeder, of LONESOME DOVE fame.  The series is created and co-exec produced by Perry, and written by Tippi and Neal Dobrofsky – Neal produced BRONCO BILLY and WANDA NEVADA.  To see a trailer, go HERE.

PANCHO VILLA’S SADDLE HIGHLIGHTS JAN. 28^TH- 29^TH AUCTION

One of the highlights of the HIGH NOON 22^ND ANNUAL WESTERN ANTIQUE SHOW AND AUCTION, to be held in Mesa, Arizona, will be the auctioning of Mexican Revolutionary Pancho Villa’s last saddle.  As you can see from the pictures, it’s covered in silver-wrapped threads and boldly-domed conchos.  The estimate is from $150,000 to $250,000.  (Oddly enough, my wife and I both have family connections to Villa.  My grandfather and namesake rode with General Blackjack Pershing when he pushed Villa back to his side of the border from New Mexico. My wife’s great-grandfather was a reporter who traveled with Villa and covered his exploits for American newspapers.)

The provenance is as novel as the man who possessed it.  It was given by Villa’s widow (the one of his eight wives he was actually married to) to director Howard Hawks, in recognition of his work during the making of VIVA VILLA (MGM 1934), which was filmed in Mexico.  And before you correct me, I don’t mean it was given to Jack Conway: he was the credited director on that wonderful film, but Hawks did uncredited work both in direction and on the script.  Though Wallace Beery, who plays Villa, bears no great resemblance to the man, it’s one the finest performances by one of the most disliked actors in Hollywood.  Among the legendary problems surrounding the production, Lee Tracy, as the reporter following Villa, had to be hurriedly smuggled out of the country and replaced by Stuart Erwin.  Reportedly, Tracy, awakened from a hangover by noise outside his hotel, staggered to the balcony and urinated from it, onto a passing military parade!  

The real Pancho Villa

Next week I’ll have more about other items up for auction, including beautiful Indian art, and Montie Montana’s spurs.  In the meantime, you can read more about them HERE. 

 REPRIEVE FOR LOS ENCINOS!

Regulars Rounders will recall that on December 26^th I wrote that unless some new source of funding was found, historic Los Encinos Park, which costs $150,000 annually to operate, would be closing.  On Friday morning it was announced that an anonymous donor had contributed $150,000 to keep the Park open for another year!  Nothing about the Good Samaritan was revealed beyond the fact that they were located in the San Fernando Valley. 

It would make a good film location, wouldn't it?

COMMIE WESTERNS IN DENMARK!

If you’ll be in Denmarkthis month, check out the RED WESTERN FILM FESTIVAL at the Danish National Cinematheque, January 4^ththrough the 28^th. I've never seen any communist-produced Westerns except the very funny LEMONADE JOE, but I understand they're the Bizarro West, where individuals are useless, and only communities succeed! You can learn more at the excellent Westerns…All Italiana site HERE.

 

GLENN FORD EVENT WEDNESDAY AT THE DEMILLE BARN

At 7:30 pm on Wednesday, January 11^th, Glenn Ford’s son Peter Ford will host GLENN FORD: A LIFE.  In dramas, comedies, westerns, and film noirs, Glenn Ford was for decades one of Hollywood’s great leading men -- you can read my review of Peter’s fascinating biography of his father HERE.  There will be a video presentation, followed by a Q&A and a book signing.  Admission is $5 for members, $10 for non-members.  Peter tells me he has three large cases of personal items from the family archive on display in the lobby.  And if you’ve never been to the DeMille Barn, Hollywood’s first studio, where THE SQUAW MAN, the first western feature made in Hollywood was shot, it’s a perfect opportunity.  To learn more, go HERE. 

 WESTERN FESTIVAL CONTINUES AT EASTMAN HOUSE

Jake Garner’s ‘Tall In the Saddle’series continues in Rochester, New York on Thursday, June 12^thwith BLOOD ON THE MOON, starring Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes and Robert Preston, and directed by Robert Wise.

TV WESTERNS ALL OVER THE DIAL!

More and more, classic TV Westerns are available all over the TV universe, but they tend to be on small networks that are easy to miss. Of course, ENCORE WESTERNS is the best continuous source of such programming, and has been for years. Currently they run  LAWMAN, WAGON TRAIN, HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, LAREDO, RAWHIDE, GUNSMOKE and MARSHALL DILLON, which is the syndication title for the original half-hour GUNSMOKE.  Incidentally, I see on Facebook that a lot of watchers are mad as Hell at losing CHEYENNE and THE VIRGINIAN.

RFD-TV is currently showing THE ROY ROGERS SHOW, first at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Pacific Time, then repeated several times a week.  They show a Roy feature every Tuesday as well, with repeats -- check your local listings.

INSP-TV shows THE BIG VALLEY Monday through Saturday, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE seven days a week, DR. QUINN: MEDICINE WOMAN on weekdays, and BONANZA on Saturdays.

WHT runs DANIEL BOONE on weekdays from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., Pacific Time, and on Saturdays they run two episodes of BAT MASTERSON. They often show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.

TVLAND has dropped GUNSMOKE after all these years, but still shows four episodes of BONANZA every weekday.

GEB is largely a religious-programming cable outlet that runs at least one Western on Saturdays – the ones I’ve caught have been public domain Roy Rogers and John Wayne pictures – and sometimes have weekday afternoon movies as well.

For those of you who watch TV with an antenna, there are at least a couple of channels that exist between the standard numbers – largely unavailable on cable or satellite systems – that provide Western fare. ANTENNA TV is currently running RIN TIN TIN, CIRCUS BOY, HERE COME THE BRIDES, and IRON HORSE.

Another ‘in between’ outfit, ME-TV, which stands for Memorable Entertainment TV, runs a wide collection: BIG VALLEY, BONANZA, BRANDED, DANIEL BOONE, GUNS OF WILL SONNETT, GUNSMOKE, MARSHALL DILLON, RAWHIDE, THE RIFLEMAN, and WILD WILD WEST. Some of these channels are hard to track down, but if they show what you’ve been missing, it’s worth the search.

And for those of you on the other side of the pond, our British correspondent Nilton Hargrave tells me CBS ACTION has begun showing GUNSMOKE.

That’s it for this week!  Hey, did you check out Trigger and Bullet and Roy and Dale’s son and grandson in the Tournament of Roses Parade?  They did themselves proud, as did the good folks at RFD-TV!  I’m going to post this Round-up now, and go watch the Roy Rogers Show episode I recorded from RFD this morning!

Happy trails!

Henry

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

SEDONA’S LITTLE HOLLYWOOD MUSEUM TO GET PERMANENT HOME

It’s long been felt by Arizona residents that Sedona, with it’s rich movie-making history, deserved a movie museum.  The search for a location was begun in the Spring of 2010, and the Little Hollywood Foundation has just announced that a permanent home has been selected.  Located at 700 SR 89A, the 2.25 acre site, formerly the home of Real Estate Central, is an ideal spot, as you can see from the photograph.  In fact the spectacular landscape that surrounds it was the location for several films, among them VIRGINIA CITY (1939), TALL IN THE SADDLE (1944) and JOHNNY GUITAR (1954).  The Foundation hopes to have the museum up and running in three to five years.

Northern Arizona, particularly Sedona, has been a very popular film locale since the silent days.  In his fascinating ARIZONA’S LITTLE HOLLYWOOD, author Joe McNeil details sixty-three movies shot there between 1923 and 1973 – including RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE (1931), STAGECOACH (1939), VIVA CISCO KID (1940), ANGEL AND THE BADMAN (1947),  CORONER CREEK (1948), BLOOD ON THE MOON) (1948), 3:10 TO YUMA (1957) THE ROUNDERS (1965) and many more.  

One of McNeil’s most interesting discoveries was DER KAISER VON KALIFORNEIN, a.k.a. THE EMPEROR OF CALIFORNIA, a Nazi propaganda film from 1936, which uses the ruin of Gold Rush principal John Sutter to explain the need for a Third Reich! 

And the area is still a filmmaker favorite: you can see it in the current Peter Coyote Western THE GUNDOWN (2011), available at your local Blockbuster.  You can learn more about the planned museum HERE.  You can learn more about McNeil’s book HERE.  

DON’T MISS THE ‘HAPPY TRAILS’ FLOAT!

Don’t forget that the Monday morning Tournament of Roses Parade from Pasadena will feature an RFD-TV float saluting the 100^th Birthday of the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers, will feature Trigger and Bullet and will be accompanied by one hundred palominos!  In addition to parade coverage, a pre-parade special will document the making of the float!  Check your local listings for times. 

‘YELLOW ROCK’ TRAILER IS ONLINE!

Coming attractions for the new Western starring Michael Biehn, James Russo and Lenore Andriel are finally available online (I was bugging them for months to let me put this up, but they wanted to keep tweaking it).   Check it out HERE.

WESTERN FESTIVAL AT EASTMAN HOUSE – THE DETAILS

Jake Garner’s ‘Tall In the Saddle’ series will begin on Thursday, January 5^th, with Wellman’s THE OX-BOW INCIDENT, starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews and Anthony Quinn – the trailer's HERE. .  On Thursday, June 12^th it’s BLOOD ON THE MOON -- which you now know was shot in Sedona – starring Robert Mitchum and directed by Robert Wise.  On Thursday January 19^th it’s John Ford’s WAGONMASTER, which stars Harry Carey Jr., Ben Johnson, Ward Bond, and is what would be called today a back-door pilot for WAGON TRAIN.  Thursday, January 26^th it’s Henry King’s THE GUNFIGHTER, starring Gregory Peck in what many consider his best Western performance.  And there are more movies in February.  As I look at this excellent selection of films, I’m surprised they didn’t call it ‘The Noir West’, because except for WAGONMASTER, that’s precisely what it is. 

GENE AUTRY DOUBLE FEATURE SATURDAY JANUARY 7^TH

At noon the Autry will screen a free (with admission) double bill of Gene’s films.  First it’s IN OLD MONTEREY (Republic 1939).  It’s one of his war-effort films, with Gene as a sergeant, and a plot involving war profiteering.  ON TOP OF OLD SMOKY (1953 Columbia) costarring Smiley Burnette, involves a gambler, an oculist, and a lady with a toll road.  I haven’t seen it, but it sounds like a pip!

INSP-TV ANNOUNCES NEW SCHEDULE

The folks who bring you THE BIG VALLEY Monday through Saturday are adding other Western and semi-Western series to their schedule.   LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE will be on seven days a week, DR. QUINN: MEDICINE WOMAN will be on weekdays, and BONANZA will be seen on Saturdays.  Go HERE for details.

SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL TICKETS

The event doesn’t begin until April 19^th, but you early-bird types can start buying your tickets starting Tuesday, January 3^rd.  It’s not a bad idea, as the separate admission special events always sell out.  Find out more HERE.   

TOMBSTONE’S BOOTHILL 360

This view of the famed burial ground was Facebooked to me, and you can sure feel the heat and taste the dust!  Check it out HERE. 

Happy New Year!  I hope all you Round-up Rounders have an exceptional 2012!  Again, to see my listings for regular places to visit, and what’s available on TV and online, scroll down a ways.  I’ve got to post this, and get back to my writing the ‘bible’ for my proposed Western series!

Happy Trails,



Henry

All original contents copyright January 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!

‘BAD BLOOD’ SPILLS IN KENTUCKY!

(Perry King)

Writer and director Fred Olen Ray, whose AMERICAN BANDITS: FRANK AND JESSE JAMES garnered a number of awards last year, and whose THE SHOOTER (1997) has developed a cult following, will wrap today (Sunday) BAD BLOOD: THE HATFIELDS AND MCCOYS.  Fred tells me the film, which has been shooting in Kentucky, stars Jeff Fahey, Perry King, Tim Abell (Frank James in BANDITS), Priscilla Barnes, Sean Flynn, Ted Monte, “...and a host of other great actors... freezing temperatures can't stop me!” 

(Sean Flynn)

(Tim Abell)

Just heard from Fred a few hours ago that the job is nearly done.  “A few small shots at Stephen Foster's home tomorrow morning and then return the grip truck to Cincinnati and party hardy!”  The film is being produced by the team of Barry Barnholtz and Jeffrey Schenck, whose THE FIRST RIDE OF WYATT EARP, starring Val Kilmer, will open March 30^th, 2012.  (Pictures courtesy of Tim Abell and Fred Olen Ray)

(Director Fred Olen Ray)

(Jeff Fahey)

MORGAN KANE – THE CLAW OF THE DRAGON

eBook #4 in the Morgan Kane series by Louis Masterson, THE CLAW OF THE DRAGON, is now available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all the usual suspects -- all to get you ready for MORGAN KANE: THE LEGEND BEGINS, from WR Films. You can learn more HERE.

CLINT EASTWOOD TO STAR IN E! REALITY SERIES

You don’t have to check your calendars; it’s not April Fool’s Day.  Clint, his wife and two teenaged daughters are going to do a reality show for the E network, produced by the revolting characters who produce all of the revolting Kardashian family shows.  The theory I keep hearing is that he’s doing it for the teenaged daughters.  Personally, if it’s like the rest of the reality stuff, I don’t think teenaged daughters or sons should be allowed to watch it, no less be in it.

BOOK REVIEW – ‘GLENN FORD, A LIFE’ BY PETER FORD

If you’re looking for a Christmas gift for a movie lover, may I suggest Peter Ford’s fascinating biography of his father, one of Hollywood’s greatest leading men, Glenn Ford.  He appeared, almost always as the lead, in nearly eighty movies, two dozen of them Westerns, and if he never was nominated for an Oscar, or received a Lifetime Achievement Award, that is a failing of the Academy and the AFI, not the actor.  Among his indelible performances were his roles in GILDA, THE BIG HEAT, COWBOY, 3:10 TO YUMA, BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE’S FATHER, and THE ROUNDERS.

Biographies by offspring can be tricky.  All too often they are up too close to write objectively, or imagine themselves of equal interest with their subject, or use the biographical form to settle scores.  Also, they often can’t write worth a damn.  But Peter Ford writes very well indeed, and manages to make his close-up perspective a plus rather than a detriment.  And boy, does he have material to work with.  In addition to his own observations, and interviews with many of his father’s friends, costars and coworkers, Glenn kept detailed diaries for his entire life, and frequently tape-recorded his thoughts.  Incredibly, unbeknownst to son Peter at the time, dad hired a man to tap the house phones, so there are hundreds of hours of the conversations of Peter, his mother, and Glenn recorded!  Moreover, Glenn was a good friend of then-President Richard Nixon – it’s kind of fun to know Nixon was being secretly taped by someone else for a change.  

It’s not surprising that Glenn Ford married another movie star, the tap-dancing miracle known as Eleanor Powell.  But what was unusual were their relative career positions.  When wed, he was just establishing himself as a leading man.  Eleanor, though only four years his senior, had been a top star for years, first in vaudeville, then in MGM musicals, and she gave that up to focus entirely on being a wife and mother.  Peter found that in a way, she focused on motherhood too much, and his father, used to being the center of a woman’s attention, felt in competition with his own child.

While A LIFE is not a MOMMY DEAREST, it’s also not a whitewash.  Although Peter had a better relationship with his father as an adult than as a child, that only began to happen after reaching a painful conclusion.  “I made a conscious decision that I would no longer wish for a traditional father, one who would interact with me as I had always dreamed.”  His relationship with his mother was much more satisfactory.  “All I can say is that my mom was an even better mother than a dancer – and as a dancer she was unparalleled.”

Not that Glenn didn’t take an interest in his son’s betterment, but it often took strange forms.  When he wanted Peter to learn about the birds and the bees, instead of having ‘the talk,’ he paid stuntman ‘Buzz’ Henry and his friends to initiate the fourteen-year-old.  But the warm-up, showing the kid stag movies that included bestiality, so unnerved the kid that they never got him to the brothel.  The job wouldn’t be completed until a few years later, with the help of Glenn Ford co-star  Andrew Prine.

While it was not unusual for romances to happen between stars during the making of a movie, it would take this entire Round-up to list all the affairs that Ford engaged in with his leading ladies.  But in the end, loyalty would win out and he would always go back – to Rita Hayworth.  Their on-and-off involvement eventually became so obvious that she went ahead and bought the house next door, and put a gate between their back yards.

Glenn Ford’s career was unusual in many ways.  He was under exclusive contract to a single studio, COLUMBIA PICTURES for decades, much longer than most stars of his stature.  In some ways it was to his detriment, in that for years he took all the roles that Harry Cohn assigned, frequently appearing in films well below his talents.  And sometimes he made mistakes when he did turn down parts.  Two of the leads he nixed were great successes for his close friend William Holden; BORN YESTERDAY and PICNIC.  Other disappointments were beyond his control – he was set to be the lead in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY until the original producer dropped dead.

He could be tremendously loyal.  He hired Howard Clifton, who directed him in his early amateur theatrics, to be his dialogue director for decades.  And his personal friends were often many years his senior; among his close pals on the set were Louis Calhern and Edgar Buchanan.  One his favorite directors was George Marshall, and when starring in the series CADE’S COUNTY, Ford saw to it that his 80-year-old friend directed his first television show.  “You know that man directed his first picture – ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE – in 1916.  D.W. Griffith had just made THE BIRTH OF A NATION…. I wonder how many people working here today realize they’re looking at one of the people who invented the movies and this place called Hollywood.” 

Much of Ford’s life in later years is tragic.  After his divorce from Powell, and one normal marriage, and a series of affairs, his life was taken over by a series of women of a sort that is found in growing numbers in Hollywood: the controllers.  These often attractive younger women (and sometimes men) specialize in insinuating themselves into the lives of wealthy fading stars, cutting them off from family and friends, and bleeding the bank accounts dry. 

But overall, you leave the book with a smile, and a greater understanding of a man who was not only one of the finest actors to grace the silver screen, but one who could sit a horse better than any other – and that’s what every wrangler I’ve asked has told me.  As Ford said, “If I could do whatever I wanted for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t do anything but westerns.”

GLENN FORD – A LIFE by Peter Ford, with an introduction by Patrick McGilligan, is published by the University of Wisconsin Press.

         

DVD REVIEW – ‘WESTERN COURAGE’ STARRING KEN MAYNARD

It’s no coincidence that WESTERN COURAGE came out of Columbia Pictures in 1935, the year after that studio’s Oscars-sweep with Frank Capra's IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT.  The story is set in the modern day, for 1935. Geneva Mitchell plays a spoiled heiress whose father, Charles K. French, is afraid she’ll elope with a twit just after her money, Cornelius Keefe -- sound familiar yet?  But being more proactive than the dad in ONE NIGHT, this dad hustles his daughter and wife off to a dude ranch where he hopes to elude the twit, not knowing the twit got there ahead of him – presumably in an auto-gyro. 

Of course Ken Maynard stars in the Clark Gable role, this time as a wrangler rather than a reporter, whom the lady just loathes.  Granted, Maynard is no Gable as an actor, but he’s amiable, and the script is written to let the girl underestimate him while the audience realizes what a sly game he is playing with her, ala TAMING OF THE SHREW.  And of course, it’s not romance but riding that Maynard’s fans look for, and there are a couple of excellent riding sequences – always clearly featuring Maynard rather than a double, since few stuntmen were any better than him.  And his horse, Tarzan, has a wonderful, if not entirely credible, scene saving our bound hero from a burning shack!

Happily, the last act of the story takes an unexpected turn with the arrival of fleeing robbers, led by Ward Bond – incidentally the bus driver in IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT -- as an educated bandit whose suavity blinds the girl to his menace.  It’s a very enjoyable hour.  It's available from Finders Keepers Classics, for $7, HERE.

TV WESTERNS ALL OVER THE DIAL!

More and more, classic TV Westerns are available all over the TV universe, but they tend to be on small networks that are easy to miss. Of course, ENCORE WESTERNS is the best continuous source of such programming, and has been for years. It’s not in my current satellite package, which is why I often forget to mention it, but currently they run CHEYENNE, MAVERICK, LAWMAN, THE VIRGINIAN, WAGON TRAIN, HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, GUNSMOKE, BRET MAVERICK, CIMMARON STRIP, and HOW THE WEST WAS WON. (I’d get it in a minute, if I didn’t have to buy a huge package of STARZ and ENCORE channels just to get the one!)

But there are several new, or at least new-to-me, channels showing sagebrush fare. GEB, which stands for Golden Eagle Broadcasting, is largely a religious-programming cable outlet that runs at least one Western on Saturdays – the ones I’ve caught have been public domain Roy Rogers and John Wayne pictures – and sometimes have weekday afternoon movies as well.

For those of you who watch TV with an antenna, there are at least a couple of channels that exist between the standard numbers – largely unavailable on cable or satellite systems – that provide Western fare. ANTENNA TV is currently running RIN TIN TIN, CIRCUS BOY, HERE COME THE BRIDES, and IRON HORSE.

Another ‘in between’ outfit, ME-TV, which stands for Memorable Entertainment TV, runs a wide collection: BIG VALLEY, BONANZA, BRANDED, DANIEL BOONE, GUNS OF WILL SONNETT, GUNSMOKE, MARSHALL DILLON (the renamed black and white GUNSMOKE), RAWHIDE, THE RIFLEMAN, and WILD WILD WEST. Some of these channels are hard to track down, but if they show what you’ve been missing, it’s worth the search. 

TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!

That's right, the segment I was interviewed for is now viewable 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.

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.

BONANZA and BIG VALLEY

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They've stopped running GUNSMOKE.  INSP is showing THE BIG VALLEY every weekday at noon, one p.m. and nine p.m., and Saturdays at 6 p.m., and have just added DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN to their schedule.

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. 

AMC has been airing a block of THE RIFLEMAN episodes early Saturday mornings, usually followed by Western features.

And RFD-TV is currently showing THE ROY ROGERS SHOW at 9:30 Sunday morning, repeated several times a week, and a Roy feature as well -- check your local listings.

I just noticed that next Sunday is Christmas Day, so just in case I end up posting a little late, let me take the opportunity now to wish you a very Merry Christmas and/or Happy Chanukah!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright December 2011 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved