WESTERN SERIES ANNOUNCE RETURN DATES!

While AMC remains cagey as to their actual season 3 premiere date for the excellent HELL ON WHEELS, only saying ‘2013’, other shows and networks are being more forthcoming. 

(Update 4/16/2013 – On Monday, the day after I chided AMC for being cagey as to when HELL ON WHEELS would return, they announced Season Three would begin on August 3^rd, the series moving to Saturday nights at 9 p.m.)

Below, to whet your appetite, is a link to a behind-the-scenes HELL ON WHEELS documetary)

http://www.amctv.com/hell-on-wheels/videos/inside-episode-206-hell-on-wheels-purged-away-with-blood

LONGMIRE will begin its 2^nd season on Monday, May 27^th on A&E.  If you haven’t caught this modern-day Western lawman series, you should.  Starring Robert Taylor and based on Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire mysteries, they tackle troubling and thought-provoking cowboy and ‘res’ issues head on, including disenrollment.   Below is a clip from the show.

 

BBC AMERICA’s Eastern-Western COPPER returns on Sunday night, June 23^rd, with some new cast members, and thirteen episodes instead of last year’s ten.  Alfre Woodard will join the denizens of Victorian New York’s crime world, along with Andrew Howard of HATFIELDS & MCCOYS, Donal Logue of SONS OFANARCHY, Eamonn Walker of CHICAGO FIRE and Lee Tergesen of THE BIG C.  Below is the teaser trailer for season two

 

SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FEST NEXT WEEKEND!

On Saturday and Sunday, April 20^th and 21^st, the 20th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival will be held at historic Melody Ranch, owned and operated by the Veluzat family, and once the galloping grounds of Gene Autry.  (For a history of Melody Ranch, and the Cowboy Festival, go HERE )  This is a delightful event, and it’s the only once-a-year chance for visitors to visit the historic locale.  The streets are full of full-costume folks and street performers amazing visitors with their skill twirling rope and gun.  In addition to strolling the mean streets you’ve seen countless times on film and TV, recently in DJANGO UNCHAINED and DEADWOOD, you can shop for western clothes and a variety of foods.  There is entertainment and activities for children, and book talks and book signings by a wide range of Western fiction and fact writers.  And then there’s the poetry, and the music: four stages of varying sizes bring you a wide range of Western music acts including Riders in the Sky, Baxter Black, Sons of the San Joaquin, Don Edwards, Band of the California Battalion, Sourdough Slim, and a dozen more.  Bring your kids – it’s a not-to-be-missed event!  It’s $20 a day for adults, $10 for kids under 12.  Get the details HERE .

 

‘HOME OF RAMONA’ - RANCHO CAMULOS EVENT FRIDAY APRIL 19^TH STARRING SOURDOUGH SLIM

Speaking of the Cowboy Festival, on Friday, April 19^th, from 11 a.m. until 3p.m., in conjunction with the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, Rancho Camulos in Piru will be holding a fund-raising event, Californio Fiesta de Camulos Rancho!  This beautiful and fascinating rancho is known as the ‘Home of Ramona’ because it was here that author Helen Hunt Jackson, during a brief stay between trains, was inspired to write her novel, and set it there.  D.W. Griffith, when he filmed RAMONA a century ago, used Rancho Camulos as his studio.  You can read my story about Rancho Camulos HERE    And on Friday, April 19^th you can enjoy a Southwest Vaquero buffet, music, and costumed docent-led tours as you step back in time. Entertainer extraordinaire and the last of the vaudeville cowboys, Sourdough Slim performs in the Will Roger's tradition.  All proceeds benefit the nonprofit museum's mission of historical preservation and education.  The price is $55 per ticket, and you can buy tickets HERE.  And below is a short movie about the Rancho and the event:
 

NAT’L COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE HONORS, APRIL 19-20

In a two-day event, this Friday and Saturday, The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma will induct into their Hall of Great Western Performers actors Wes Studi, Robert Mitchum, Duncan Renaldo, and Leo Carillo.  John Lacey and Kenneth Eade will be inducted into their Hall of Great Westerners.  Films and television shows will also be honored: Outstanding Theatrical Motion Picture, DJANGO UNCHAINED; Outstanding Documentary, THE DUST BOWL; Outstanding Television Feature Film, SHADOW ON THE MESA; Outstanding Fictional Drama, LONGMIRE; and Outstanding Television Docudrama, HATFIELDS & MCCOYS.  There are literary and music honorees as well.  To learn more, and to purchase tickets, go here: http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/default.aspx

‘LAST SUNSET’ MATINEE TUESDAY AT LACMA

Kirk Douglas and Rock Hudson spar over Dorothy Malone on a cattle drive, in this rarely seen Western directed by Robert Aldrich from Dalton Trumbo’s screenplay, based on the novel by Howard Rigsby.  I’ve heard great things about this film, which also stars Joseph Cotton, Neville Brand, Jack Elam and Carol Lynley.  It shows at 1pm at the L.A. County  Museum of Art.  You can learn more HERE.

HOPALONG CASSIDY FESTIVAL MAY 3-4

The original ‘man in black,’ Hopalong Cassidy, as portrayed by William Boyd, will be celebrated at a two-day festival in Cambridge, Ohio at the Pritchard Laughlin Civic Auditorium, with a dinner and entertainment at the Hoppy Museum.  Those stars scheduled to attend include Darby Hinton from DANIEL BOONE, Johnny Crawford from THE RIFLEMAN, and Roberta Shore and Don Quine from THE VIRGINIAN.  To learn more, go HERE.   

AND ACROSS THE POND…

Just heard from a couple of our British correspondents, Nilton Hargrave and Davy Turner, that Hallmark’s SHADOW ON THE MESA will air on Channel 5 on Friday, April 19^th.  Nilton adds that they still haven’t gotten numbers two and three of the GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE film series.  And a new channel called Movie Mix is running the original DJANGO with Franco Nero.

 

‘DAY OF THE GUN’ TO GO-GO THE INDIEGOGO ROUTE

As reported back in December, Maryland-based Western filmmaker Wayne Shipley is making his newest, DAY OF THE GUN.  You can read my story about his outfit, see a trailer, and link to the company, HERE.  I’ve just gotten word that he is using the increasingly popular ‘crowd-funding’ method to raise money through Indiegogo.  You can read the offering HERE.  The perks for contributing run the gamut from DVDs of previous ONE-EYED HORSE productions to tie-in playing cards, poker chips, wardrobe and on-screen associate producer credits. 

 
DR. QUINN AND JESSE JAMES SEPARATE

Married since 1999, stunning actress Jane Seymour and actor/director/writer James Keach have confirmed that they have separated.  Although she has played many roles in her career, Seymour is most identified with the title character in DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN, from 1993-1998.  Her real father was a doctor in England, and her character was named Michaela, after him.  James Keach played Jesse James opposite real brother Stacy Keach as Frank James for Walter Hill in 1980’s THE LONG RIDERS.  His father, Stacy Keach Sr., produced first the radio, then television series TALES OF THE TEXAS RANGERS.  Incidentally, in 1982 James Keach, unbilled, provided the voice of the masked man in LEGEND OF THE LONE RANGER, dubbing ‘actor’ Klinton Spilsbury.  It’s a shame: they have teenaged twins.

‘GUNS OF PARADISE’ ON DVD?  GOOD QUESTION

I received an email from Dan Searles asking a very interesting question: “Is there a legal site to buy Lee Horsley’s GUNS OF PARADISE?”  I don’t know how many people remember that CBS series, which ran for three seasons, starting in 1988, and produced 56 episodes.  Originally called simply PARADISE, starring Lee Horsley as a gunman who suddenly has responsibility for his dead sister’s four children, Aussie beauty Sigrid Thornton as lady banker, and Dehl Berti as Lee’s Indian confidante, I consider it the best Western series to come along since the 1960s, and always thought it shameful how little CBS did to promote it.  Ironically when CBS brought out DR. QUINN two years later, it striking how many elements were so blatantly imitative of PARADISE, down to the casting of look-alike children.

As to Dan’s question, the short answer is, ‘no’; PARADISE was never released on tape, nor has CBS announced any plans to bring it out on DVD.  But if you skip the word ‘legally,’ you get another answer entirely.  An on-line search of GUNS OF PARADISE reveals about a dozen different sources willing to sell the entire series on DVD, with prices ranging from as high as $90 to as low as $39.  Are these copies legal?  I don’t know how they can be.  These are disks made from collector copies, recorded right off of television.  I’m astonished at how openly they’re sold.  While I would never encourage anyone to buy illegal copies of copyrighted material, I must admit that I’ve bought a few such sets, of varying quality, from series I was told were in the public domain – only to be told by the producer of one show in no uncertain terms that it was not in public domain.  Anyone else bought any of these collector-to-collector copies?

 

TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!

And speaking of TCM (okay, nobody was), have I mentioned that the segment I was interviewed for is now viewable here?








THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepreneur 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 permanent 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 Hollywoodwestern, 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.



WELLSFARGO 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.


WESTERN ALL OVER THE DIAL


INSP’s SADDLE-UP SATURDAY features a block of rarely-seen classics THE VIRGINIAN and HIGH CHAPARRAL, along with BONANZA and THE BIG VALLEY. On weekdays they’re showing LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, BIG VALLEY, HIGH CHAPARRAL and DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN.


ME-TV’s Saturday line-up includes THE REBEL and WAGON TRAIN. On weekdays it’s DANIEL BOONE, GUNSMOKE, BONANZA, BIG VALLEY, WILD WILD WEST, and THE RIFLEMAN.


RFD-TV, the channel whose president bought Trigger and Bullet at auction, have a special love for Roy Rogers. They show an episode of The Roy Rogers Show on Sunday mornings, a Roy Rogers movie on Tuesday mornings, and repeat them during the week.


WHT-TV has a weekday afternoon line-up that’s perfect for kids, featuring LASSIE, THE ROY ROGERS SHOW and THE LONE RANGER.


TV-LAND angered viewers by dropping GUNSMOKE, but now it’s back every weekday, along with BONANZA.


THE WRAP-UP -- That's it for this weekend!  Lookin' forward to the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival this weekend, and the TCM Festival next week.  Hope to see you there!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright April 2013 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved

‘SPAGHETTI WESTERNS UNCHAINED’ UNLEASHED!

The Spaghetti Western era was a remarkable time in film history.  With the end of World War II, the quarantine of American films in once-Axis Europe was suddenly over, and a decade of movies poured in.  When Europeans wanted even more Westerns, first the Germans and then the Italians raced to fill the void, and in less than a decade produced more than 300 features set in the American West.  Timed to the home-video release of DJANGO UNCHAINED, Quentin Tarantino’s western, which has brought a main-stream awareness of the Euro Western phenomenon, Blue Underground will be releasing a quartet of their best Euro Westerns as a set under the title SPAGHETTI WESTERNS UNCHAINED.  The choices, the original DJANGO (1966); TEXAS, ADIOS (1966); DJANGO KILL…IF YOU LIVE, SHOOT!(1967); and KEOMA (1976), could not be better.  If you are a spaghetti western aficionado, or someone getting their first exposure to the genre, these films are a must see.  Just as compelling as the movies themselves, the special features are special indeed.

Tomas Milian stars in DJANGO KILL, but all the others star Franco Nero.   I’ve seen three or four other companies’ versions of DJANGO, but Blue Underground’s is undoubtedly the best – no surprise, considering that it’s taken from the original camera negative!  Though never theatrically released in the United States, Franco Nero is as great a Western icon in the rest of the world as Clint Eastwood is here, and this is the movie that made him that way.  One of Sergio Corbucci’s finest Westerns, few who’ve seen it will forget the enigmatic image of the stoic, mysterious Django walking from the desert into the muddy Mexican frontier town, dragging a coffin behind him like an albatross around his neck.  Unlike Eastwood’s ‘Man With No Name’, who also had no past, Django is haunted by his, and his new troubles begin when he spots a woman being abused by a pack of red-hooded apparent vigilantes, rescues her, and brings her to a town where neither of them is welcome.  He soon finds himself in the middle of a battle for control between the military, and a band of outlaws, all of them after gold. This is a physically beautiful film, making full use of the Almeria, Spain locations.  The score by Bruno Nicolai, including the haunting theme that DJANGO UNCHAINED fans will recognize, is stunning.  The plot is clever, the action very exciting and at times brutal.  In addition to the trailer, stills and talent biographies, there is also a fascinating documentary featuring Franco Nero’s and assistant director Ruggero Deodato’s memories of the making of the film, and their other work with Sergio Corbucci.

The same year that he starred in DJANGO, Franco Nero played lawman Burt Sullivan in TEXAS, ADIOS.  He brings his undisciplined kid brother with him south of the border, to track down their father’s killer, who died when they were children.  To their surprise, the murderer is now the most influential and respected man in his town.  Directed by Ferdinando Baldi, this movie seems at times more American than the others in this set.  With excellent plotting, action and production, this film has been rarely seen since its release, and is an unexpected pleasure.  Along with a trailer, there’s an informative interview with Franco Nero.

DJANGO KILL! is not a sequel to DJANGO.  With the success of the Franco Nero film, the name ‘Django’ was added to the titles of dozens of films.  Starting with the bizarre sight of Tomas Milian rising from the grave, he is rescued by a pair of desert-roaming Indians, and we learn via flashbacks that The Stranger (he’s only called Django on the poster) is the lone survivor of a falling-out among thieves who had slaughtered an Army troop that was transporting gold.  The gold and the Stranger reach the nearby town, where thieves and townies fight over the gold.  Directed by documentary filmmaker Guilio Questi, a former Italian Resistance-fighter, he had lived in a world of violence, and DJANGO KILL! is an astonishingly violent film, with oblique references to Italian facism, startling scenes of sadism and, implicitly, predatory homosexuality.  Shocked as American viewers were in 1967, they hadn’t seen it all: some of the roughest scenes, included here for the first time, are in Italian, with English titles, because they were cut before the film was dubbed into English.   Included in the special features are a trailer, posters and stills, and a terrific documentary featuring recent interviews with director Questi, star Milian, and actor Ray Lovelock. 

KEOMA came a full decade after DJANGO and A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, when the cycle was considered at an end, the ideas played out.  Yet KEOMA is one of the few, one of the last, masterpieces of the genre.  Franco Nero as Keoma comes back to the town of his birth, to see his father, and finds the town has descended into a Hellish mess, at least in part because of the behavior of his three half-brothers.    In an echo of DJANGO, the story begins with Keoma rescuing a woman from a group of thugs, and bringing her to town, and again, neither are welcomed.  But this time, she’s thought to be carrying the plague, and Keoma’s presence is a threat to his brothers.  In an echo of BROKEN LANCE and THE BIG VALLEY, Keoma is the half-breed bastard son, rescued by his father after all others in the Indian village were slaughtered.  He was raised with his half-brothers, despised by them as being the favorite.  Also prominent in the cast, with one of the best roles of his career, is Woody Strode, who was a servant at the father’s house, and an inspiration to young Keoma, but now he’s a drunkard and a broken man.  Directed by Enzo Castellari, the story and the structure are enthralling, with unusual use of flashbacks that often have adult Keoma walking through his own childhood.  It is Castellari’s favorite of all his films, and one of Nero’s as well.  My only major criticism is the music: while the melodies are fine, there is frequent use of a shrill and tone-deaf man and woman who screech out descriptions of actions you have already seen.  In addition to an interview with Nero, the disk includes wonderful audio commentary by director Castellari and journalist Waylon Wahl.  And in February, director Castellari announced that he will be making another western, BADLANDERS, with feature roles to be played by Franco Nero and Quentin Tarantino.  The 4-disk set will sell for $29.98.  You can learn more about it HERE. 

‘VIRGINIAN’ CAST FAVORITES MARATHON ON INSP APRIL 27^TH

It’ll be a few weeks, but the folks at INSP have interviewed THE VIRGINIAN cast members to find their personal favorites among the 248 episodes, and will be sharing them on Saturday, April 27^th.  In the meantime, here’s a nice short they put together, with James Drury discussing the original ‘Man With No Name.’ 

 

NEW ‘VIRGINIAN’ ANNOUNCED

Trace Adkins in WYATT EARP'S REVENGE

 

Ron Perlman in MAGNIFICENT 7

 

A new film production based on Owen Wister’s classic novel THE VIRGINIAN has been announced by Nasser Group, North Productions.  Set to star in the title role in singer Trace Adkins, currently on CELEBRITY APPRENTICE and recently seen in WYATT EARP’S REVENGE.  Ron Perlman, currently starring in SONS OF ANARCHY, and well remembered in THE MAGNIFICENT 7 vid-series, will take the Lee J. Cobb role of Judge Henry.  Also in the cast are Brendan Meyer, Brendan Penny and George Canyon.  Film is currently shooting in Canada, with AMERICA’S MOST WANTED director Thomas Makowski working from a screenplay by Bob Thiekle.   

 

‘RAMONA’ TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
 

Tickets are now on sale for the 90^th season of the Ramona Pageant, at the Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre in Hemet.  Based on Helen Hunt Jackson’s fabulously popular novel, attending, and participating in this program has been a tradition for generations of Californians. It’s a remarkably colorful presentation, with about 350 participants, and only the two leads are usually professional actors. Some locals have taken part, in various roles and positions onstage and behind the scenes, for decades. Among the famous actors who have taken part are GONE WITH THE WIND villain Victor Jory, who played the lead early in his career, and was associated with the show for years, and Raquel Welch, who played Ramona in 1959. To learn more, and buy tickets, call 800-645-4465 or go HERE. 

‘HOME OF RAMONA’  - RANCHO CAMULOS EVENT APRIL 19^TH STARRING SOURDOUGH SLIM

 

Speaking of RAMONA, on Friday, April 19^th, from 11 a.m. until 3p.m., in conjunction with the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, Rancho Camulos in Piru will be holding a fund-raising event, Californio Fiesta de Camulos Rancho!  This beautiful and fascinating rancho is known as the ‘Home of Ramona’ because it was here that author Helen Hunt Jackson, during a brief stay between trains, was inspired to write her novel, and set it there.  D.W. Griffith, when he filmed RAMONA a century ago, used Rancho Camulos as his studio.  You can read my story about Rancho Camulos HERE. 

And on Friday, April 19^th you can enjoy a Southwest Vaquero buffet, music, and costumed docent-led tours as you step back in time. Entertainer extraordinaire and the last of the vaudeville cowboys, Sourdough Slim performs in the Will Roger's tradition.  All proceeds benefit the nonprofit museum's mission of historical preservation and education.  The price is $55 per ticket, and you can buy tickets HERE. 

QUICK DRAW – A LOOK AT PARAMOUNT RANCH SETS

I am glad to report that my spies are everywhere!  After I ran a story about HULU’s shoot four weeks shooting episodes of QUICK DRAW at Paramount Ranch (the story is HERE ) I heard from Don Bitz, Paramount Ranch Historian, who sent me pictures of how the sets were dressed for the shoot.  I’m showing them below, along with a couple of pictures from Mike Gaglio, and please remember that these are copyrighted photographs, and Mr. Bitz and Mr. Gaglio retain their rights to them.  Notice the two different jails -- Paramount's western street is being used to portray two different towns. 

 

Photo by Don Bitz

 

Photo by Mike Gaglio

 

Photo by Don Bitz

 

Photo by Don Betz

 

Photo by Don Betz

 

 

Photo by Mike Gaglio

 

Photo of Mike Gaglio

 

 

YOU CAN’T KEEP A GOOD WESTERN DOWN! 

 

Deadline: Hollywood has announced that JANE GOT A GUN, the Natalie Portman western that got slammed when director Lynne Ramsay quit on the first day, has been shooting for two weeks.  Moreover, Jude Law, the villain of the piece, who quit when Ramsay walked, has just been replaced by recent Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper.  Cooper’s first western was 2003’s THE LAST COWBOY.  Yee-haw!

LORETTA YOUNG DISPLAY AT THE HOLLYWOOD MUSEUM

If you’re going to be in Los Angeles before the end of April, drop by the Hollywood Museum in the historic Max Factor building on Highland at Hollywood, and see the appropriately titled 100 Years of Glamour and Grace documenting the life and career of actress Loretta Young, who was so memorable opposite Clark Gable in THE CALL OF THE WILD.  The Museum is opened Wednesday through Sunday, and their other current displays spotlight the careers of Jean Harlow, Bob Hope, Sonja Henie and many others.  Adult tickets are $15; kids and seniors are less. 

MONSTERPALOOZA AT THE MARRIOTT BURBANK APRIL 12-14

Okay, you may think a Monster Show doesn’t relate to Westerns, but among the guests are Oscar-winner Martin Landau of NEVADA SMITH and THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL; Duncan Regher, TV’s later ZORRO; Danny Glover of LONESOME DOVE, SILVERADO and HANNAH’S LAW; Eric Roberts, currently in SIX GUN SAVIOR; Virginia Madsen of HELL ON WHEELS; and Linda Blair, who may never have been in a western, but is an excellent horsewoman.  It’s $20 a day, and all the stars charge for autographs, usually starting at $20.  To learn more, go HERE .

THE HOLLYWOOD SHOW,  APRIL 19^TH – 21^ST

This event has moved recently, and stupidly, to the Westin Airport Hotel from the Marriott Burbank.  Among stars of Western interest are Angie Dickinson of RIO BRAVO; Earl Holliman of GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL and THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER; Johnny Crawford of THE RIFLEMAN; Bobby Crawford of LARAMIE; Charles Dierkop of BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID; and Stella Stevens of THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE.  Tickets are $20 a day, and all the stars charge for autographs, usually starting at $20.  To learn more, go HERE. 

THAT’LL HAVE TO DO for this week.  Next week I’ll have info on the upcoming SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL, THE TCM FESTIVAL, and much more!  Have a great week!

Much obliged,

Henry

ALL ORIGINAL CONTENTS COPYRIGHT APRIL 2013 BY HENRY C. PARKE

PHOTOS WHERE INDICATED COPYRIGHT APRIL 2013 BY DON BITZ

AND COPYRIGHT APRIL 2013 BY MIKE GAGLIO

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

WESTERN PILOTS ORDERED!

Happy Easter!

There are many stages between the twinkling of an idea, and a realized television series.  For all the thousands of pitches that broadcast and cable and internet networks hear or read every year, only a tiny percentage receive the order for a script, and far fewer have a pilot shot.  And of the pilots shot, only a small number will lead to a season of shows.  Last week I wrote about the Hallmark’s WHEN CALLS THE HEART, from the CANADIAN WEST book series by Janette Oke.  It will premiere as a TV movie, and ten one-hour episodes have been ordered.  The series has not yet been cast, so it’s not known yet if the stars of the TV movie (see details HERE)  will continue in their roles.  Spinning a series from a TV movie is known in the industry as a ‘back-door pilot,’ and among the notable successes of this process are DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN and THE WALTONS.  There are two pilots ordered this season that are definite Westerns, as well as one more that is, though not truly Westerns, American-history based.   

BIG THUNDER

 

Speaking of back-door pilots, ABC, which is owned by Disney, has ordered a TV movie of BIG THUNDER, continuing with their pattern of adapting successful E-ticket park-rides into movies -- often with great success, like PIRATES OF CARIBBEAN (and sometimes like THE COUNTRY BEAR JAMBOREE).  The story centers on the gold-rush era mining town of Big Thunder in the Southwest. After a natural disaster, a doctor and his family come to town, in what is supposed to be a great opportunity for them, but soon learn that not everything in Big Thunder is as it seems, especially as it relates to the mysterious tycoon who runs the town.

 

To be shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, the script is by Jason Fuchs, whose ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT was a big hit.  He’ll also exec produce.   Director Rob Bowan is best known for his work on X-FILES, and has also directed eighteen episodes of the current series CASTLE.  Cast in the lead is Irish-born Ed MacLiam, who has been a very busy telly actor across the pond.  Also in the cast are Ana De La Reguera, recently seen in COWBOYS AND ALIENS; Alex Hassell, who had a small role in COLD MOUNTAIN; Alex Meraz, who played Paul in the TWILIGHT films; Ruth Bradley of FLYBOYS and the TITANTIC miniseries; RESIDENT EVIL star Spencer Locke; and the actor Western fans will be happiest about, Zahn McClarnon.  Zahn has been seen in LAKOTA MOON, THE LAZARUS MAN, CRAZY HORSE, DR. QUINN, INTO THE WEST, COMANCHE MOON, BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE, YELLOW ROCK, THE LEGEND OF HELL’S GATE, and is currently playing the very difficult Indian policeman Officer Mathis on LONGMIRE. 

 

THE SIXTH GUN

NBC has ordered THE SIXTH GUN to be produced by UNIVERSAL TV/Oni Press, based on the Oni Press graphic novel of the same title.  It’s an other-worldly western about six mythical guns with supernatural powers – or else six supernatural guns with mythical powers. 

It’s written by Ryan Condal, whose HERCULES: THE THRACIAN WARS, to star Dwayne Johnson, is also in pre-production.  Director Jeffrey Reiner is currently directing DO NO HARM episodes, and did 18 of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.  The pilot will star Laura Ramsey, known for horror films THE RUIN and THE CONVENT; Holland-born Michiel Huisman of THE YOUNG VICTORIA; W. Earl Brown, who was in 2004’s THE ALAMO, and will soon be seen in THE LONE RANGER; HOBBIT actor Graham McTavish; Aldis Hodge of A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD, and Russian-born redhead Elena Satine, currently in the MAGIC CITY series. 

TURN

AMC Studios has ordered a pilot for a Revolutionary War story.  Set in New York in the summer of 1778, farmer Abe Woodhull and a group of childhood friends band together to become spies known as The Culper Ring.  Based on the book WASHINGTON SPIES by Alexander Rose, the script is by Craig Silverstein, whose many TV credits include NIKITA and BONES.  Director Rupert Wyatt recently helmed the excellent RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.   In the cast, lead Jamie Bell was recently the voice of TINTIN; Seth Numrich had a continuing role on GRAVITY; Burn Gorman is in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES; Heather Lind is a regular on BOARDWALK EMPIRE; Kevin McNally plays Gibbs in the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN films; and Angus Macfadyen played Robert the Bruce in BRAVEHEART, was the lead in SHADOWHEART, and just completed the Civil War drama COPPERHEAD.

34^TH ANNUAL VINTAGE PAPERBACK COLLECTOR SHOW APRIL 7

On Sunday, April 7, 2013, the Vintage Paperback Collectors Show will be held at the Valley Inn and Conference Center, at 10621 Sepulveda Boulevard, Mission Hills, CA 91345.  From 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., dozens of dealers will be offering thousands of paperback books, from the pricey, untouched and rare, to the battered, dog-eared books I buy, which are sneeringly described as ‘reader copies’, and for which I rarely pay more than a dollar or two.  I’ve tracked down many a Luke Short here, not to mention plugging the holes in my Edgar Rice Burroughs collections.  Admission is only five bucks, and best of all, about forty well-known authors will be autographing their books – for free!  They tend to mostly be sci-fi and mystery writers, and Brian Garfield, who was to attend, had to drop out.  But Earl ‘The Waltons’ Hamner is still attending.  To get a complete schedule of who will be signing, and when, go HERE.   

 

‘LONE RANGER’ FINED $61G IN WELDER’S DEATH

CalOsha, California’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has fined Silver Bullet Productions $61,000, ruling they were directly at fault in the death of diver and welder Mike Bridger, who died in September, while cleaning an under-water tank.  Among other violations, they ruled that Bridger had been allowed to dive without a tether, without a partner, and without a stand-by diver.

WILL SMITH TURNED DOWN ‘DJANGO’: “HE WASN’T THE LEAD!”

In not the first time in recorded history that an actor has let his ego get the better of his brain, Will Smith revealed, in an Entertainment Weekly interview, why he passed on starring in Quentin Tarantino’s Western blockbuster, ‘DJANGO UNCHAINED.’ 

He felt that Dr. King Schultz, Christoph Waltz’s character, actually had the leading role.  “Django wasn’t the lead.  So it was like, I need to be the lead. The other character was the lead!  I was like, ‘No, Quentin, please, I need to kill the bad guy!’”  Not surprisingly, writer-director Tarantino did not jump at the chance to massage Smith’s ego with a re-write.  And yes, Christoph Waltz won an Oscar, for supporting actor, because of course he was not the lead.  Still, Smith is a fan of the film.  “I thought it was brilliant.  Just not for me.”  Those who have seen WILD WILD WEST will undoubtedly agree.

THE WRAP-UP

There are a lot of exciting events coming in April.  On the 21^st and 22^nd, the Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival will again be held at Melody Ranch.  And from April 25^th through the 28^th, The Turner Classic Movies Festival will be held in Hollywood.  Also this month, Blue Underground will be releasing a quartet of classic Spaghetti Westerns under the title SPAGHETTI WESTERNS UNCHAINED, as well as a beautiful version of Lee Van Cleef in THE GRAND DUEL, to which I and C. Courtney Joyner contributed a commentary track.  There’s plenty more in store.  Hope you had a great Easter!  And brace yourself – Monday is April Fool’s Day!

Happy Trails,

Henry

 

All Original Contents Copyright March 2013 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

HALLMARK GREENLIGHTS ‘WHEN CALLS THE HEART’ - A NEW WESTERN SERIES!

 

The Hallmark TV movie WHEN CALLS THE HEART is in post production, and will serve as an introduction to a series of ten one-hour episodes of the same title.  Based on the best-selling CANADIAN WEST book series by Janette Oke, the movie stars Maggie Grace, Jean Smart, Lori Laughlin, Poppy Drayton and Stephen Amell.  The cast for the TV-series has not yet been announced. 

 

 

Set in 1910, it’s the story of Elizabeth Thatcher, a cultured teacher who, with misgivings, gives up her comfortable city life to become a teacher in a prairie town on the western frontier.  She’s determined to prove her independence to her doubting family, and her doubting self.  She’s helped in part by drawing inspiration from a late Aunt’s secret diary.  It seems the Aunt had a similar adventure, and similarly had a romance with a Royal Canadian Mountie. 

 

Author Janette Oke and the Hallmark Channel have had a long and successful partnership since 2003, when they first adapted her book LOVE COMES SOFTLY.  It’s led to a dozen titles from the series since then, most or all of them westerns, many with LOVE’S (ADJECTIVE) (NOUN) titles.  The WHEN CALLS THE HEART movie was written and directed by Michael Landon, Jr.      

 

MUSICAL CHAIRS CONTINUE ON ‘JANE GOT A GUN’

 

Natalie Portman in COLD MOUNTAIN

 

But the good news is, when the music stops, it looks like they’ve still got a cast, plus a director.  It had been announced recently that Michael Fassbinder, of INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, JONAH HEX, and Magneto of the X-MEN movies, was exiting due to schedule conflicts with another X-MEN movie.  He had been replaced by Australian Joel Edgerton, who plays the Squadron Team Leader in ZERO DARK THIRTY, and will soon be seen as Tom Buchanan in THE GREAT GATSBY. Edgerton had initially been cast as the villain of the piece, but when Fassbinder left, Edgerton was switched to hero, and Jude Law came on board to play the villain.  But no one, least of all star and producer Natalie Portman, was prepared when they reached the set on Monday, March 18^th, for the commencement of principal photography, and learned that director Lynne Ramsay had quit.    

 

The project had begun with an original screenplay by first-timer Brian Duffield, and was a highly touted ‘Black List’ script. (Note: this ‘Black List’ has nothing to do with politics. It is a list of highly respected scripts that haven’t been sold. Stupid name, considering the ‘Black List’ connotation, isn’t it?)  The story concerns Portman’s character, who is married to the head of an outlaw band.  When he comes home, badly wounded, pursued by former underlings who want to finish him off, she turns for help to a former lover, (once Fassbinder, now Edgerton).  Lynne Ramsay, who has garnered great respect as the director of WE’VE GOT TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN, had been actively involved with the project from day one, and her abrupt exit has left the town stunned.

 

Portman’s producing partner, Scott Steindorff of Scott Pictures, was livid, and told DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD: “I have millions of dollars invested, we’re ready to shoot, we have a great script, crew and cast.  I’m shocked and so disappointed someone would do this to 150 crew members who devoted so much time, energy, commitment and loyalty to a project, and then have the director not show up. It is insane somebody would do this to other people. I feel more for the crew and their families, but we are keeping the show going on, directors are flying in, and a replacement is imminent.”

 

Next to leave, it was revealed Wednesday, is Jude Law, whose interest in the project was based on his wish to work with Lynne Ramsay.  Among those being considered to replace him, according to the Los Angeles Times, are Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, and Jake Gyllenhal.  Maguire starred in the rarely seen but excellent Ang Lee-directed western RIDE WITH THE DEVIL; Bridges has starred in a slew of westerns, most recently TRUE GRIT; Gyllenhal was nominated for an Oscar for Ang Lee’s BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (if you consider sheep-movies to be westerns), and also played Billy Crystal’s son in CITY SLICKERS. 

 

Now it’s been announced that WARRIOR director and co-writer Gavin O’Connor will be sitting in the canvas chair.  He directed Edgerton in WARRIOR, which garnered Nick Nolte a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.  He also directed TUMBLEWEEDS (1999), which earned a Best Actress nomination for Janet McTeer, and directed the hugely popular hockey film MIRACLE (2004).  With so much money and so many jobs on the line, this highly talented group should be able to pull it off. 

 

MIKE GAGLIO REPORTS FROM ‘QUICK DRAW’ SET

 

Mike Gaglio (left) in AMERICAN BANDITS: FRANK AND JESSE JAMES

 

When I learned that the folks at Hulu, the downloading site, were making their own western series, I was excited.  They were shooting eight episodes over four weeks at the Paramount Ranch.  But all the people involved were a little…gun shy... when I contacted them.  They weren’t having any press on the set.  Then I learned they were casting dress extras, and I thought I might sneak on-board that way.  But it turned out to be a S.A.G. shoot, so I couldn’t get on that way either.

 

Then I learned that actor, musician and all-around good-guy Mike Gaglio had a part in the show.  Mike has more than forty film and TV credits, including AMERICAN BANDITS: FRANK AND JESSE JAMES, and I thought I might learn a little about it from him.   

 

“I was told I have a part in this movie.  I met up with some friends, and as soon as we got there, this guy goes, ‘So you’re our dead body extras, right?’  And half the cowboys are going, ‘Hell no, I’m not an extra; I’m an actor, and I was guaranteed lines in this movie.’  (Laughs)  They’re all pissed off.  And the kid who’s wrangling us goes, ‘We don’t have any use for that.  What we need is a bunch of dead bodies laying around, that the good guys have shot up.’  They put us across the stream from the big stars, the stream that runs right through Paramount Ranch.

 

“There’s six of us extras; he gave us each a number, and he said, ‘When I call out your number, you fall down dead.’  I was crouched down behind a tree.  They called out my number, I flipped over, dead.  And that was it.  And I laid there, and it rained on me for a little while, and I fell asleep for about an hour.  When I did wake up they had gone on to the dialog part.  But we still had to lie there.”

 

It turned out to be a comedy, and the actors were from Comedy Central.  “There was no script.  It’s all improv.  I was first told I had a week of work; but because I was killed off in the very first scene, they didn’t want me back.  Then I got a call that I had one more day on the show.  This time we were street people, just walking back and forth in front of the saloon.  They were really nice; they fed us extremely well. The costume lady was great.  She did some of the costuming for DEADWOOD.  The costumes were really ratty; they were rentals from Western Costume, but they looked very ‘DEADWOODY’.  A very accurate look to them.”   I guess I shouldn’t be too jealous about not getting to be a dress extra.       

That'll be it for this week's Round-up.  I apologize for the several changes of type in this posting -- the software is giving me a hard time for unknown reasons.  Have a great week!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright March 2013 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved