COWBOY FESTIVAL LASSOS 7000!

Updated April 26th, 2010 - See America: The Story of Us, Tom Mix movie, TV listings

According to Arts and Events Supervisor Pat Downing, between 5,000 and 7,000 wanna-be cowpokes attended the 17th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival at Gene Autry's Melody Ranch on Saturday, and if you haven't gotten there yet, today, Sunday, is your last chance to walk the boards of those famed western streets until next year.

Back in 1994, shortly after the Northridge earthquake, the first event, then called the Santa Clarita Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival, was held at the ranch, and it has been growing ever since. The focus is on western music and poetry, and the long, winding western street provides five separate stages, with continuous performances at all of them. In addition, there are all manner of artists and artisans selling their wares, and western tack, clothes and toys. There are numerous western authors signing their books as well, and a large food court – I can personally recommend the pulled pork sandwich, but it all looked good.

For me, the high point of the event is the opportunity to visit the Melody Ranch Museum, and stroll the western streets. Built as a working ranch in 1915, it soon became a movie ranch and eventually was bought by Monogram, and became the Monogram Ranch. It’s been the location for 750 ‘B’ and ‘A’ westerns, starring William S. Hart, Tom Mix, Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, Bob Steele, Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, Tex Ritter, Duncan Renaldo, Gilbert Roland, Johnny Mack Brown, Roy Rogers, Gary Cooper, William ‘Hoppy’ Boyd, and John Wayne among many others.

In 1952, Gene Autry, having left Republic to produce his own films for Columbia, bought the studio and christened it Melody Ranch. There he made his own movies, his various Flying A TV series, and rented it to other shows such as The Lone Ranger, Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke and Rin Tin Tin. After a fire destroyed much of the western street in 1962, Gene maintained the ranch mostly as a home for his horse, Champion. When Champion died in 1990, Gene sold Melody Ranch to the Veluzat brothers, who have beautifully restored it. Among the movies you’ve seen it used in recently are Wild Bill, The Last Man Standing, and the series Deadwood.

This is the last day -- don't waste it! For directions and other info, CLICK HERE. If you go, send us your comments!

Pics, top to bottom: Quebe Sisters Band, tired dance-hall girl, authors Miles Hood Swarthout and C. Courtney Joyner, Buffalo Soldiers, stage B, lariat spinner, the street, museum sign.


AMERICA: THE STORY OF US ON HISTORY CHANNEL – STARTING TONIGHT

The first of six two-hour documentaries telling the history of the United States, will air tonight. The first chapter, entitled REBELS will cover from the early settlers to the start of the Revolutionary War. On Sunday, May 2nd, REVOLUTION and WESTWARD will air. I’ve not had a chance to see any of these – I never heard of them until Friday’s Variety review, and they hated them. I’ll give ‘em a chance myself. If you take a look, please post your comments on the blog!

UPDATE: Having seen the first half hour of AMERICA: THE STORY OF US, I think The Variety was harsh in their analysis. Granted, it’s not Ken Burns, and a lot of the celebrity cutaways seemed a bit arbitrary, but the showing and the telling of history is surprisingly effective –surprising because it may sound odd to juxtapose CGI with early American history, but a lot of it works. It’s being shown in two-hour weekly chunks for six weeks, and I’m certainly looking forward to next week’s entry. If I were to make one criticism thus far, it’s the advertising. Bank of America has underwritten the series, which is a fine thing for them to do, and I certainly understand them creating an ad campaign specifically to tie in with the series. However, the history-clips-and-interviews format of the ads is so close to that of the show itself that you can’t clearly tell where one ends and the other begins, and that’s unseemly.

TRUE GRIT COMPSER TURNS TO CHUCH FOR MUSIC

According to writer Eric Eisenberg, composer Carter Burwell will be taking his cue for the film’s score from Protestant hymns. Burwell, who has worked frequently with the Coen Brothers since Blood Simple, was speaking at the Nashville Film Festival. It’s the story of a young girl, Mattie Ross, played by Hailee Steinfeld, searching for her father’s killer. And as Mattie is a girl “convinced of her own righteousness,” and possess “misplaced rectitude,” backing her with hymns would underscore that idea.


SWEETGRASS AT LANDMARK THEATERS

Here is the official blurb about a new documentary. "SWEETGRASS is an unsentimental elegy to the American West. The documentary follows the last modern-day cowboys to lead their flocks of sheep up into Montana's breathtaking and often dangerous Absaroka-Beartooth mountains for summer pasture. The astonishingly beautiful yet unsparing film reveals a world in which nature and culture, animals and humans, vulnerability and violence are all intimately meshed. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times calls the film 'a really intimate, beautifully shot examination of the connection between man and beast,' while Ronnie Scheib of Variety considers it 'a one-of-a-kind experience...at once epic-scale and earthbound.'" Okay, none of those Brokeback Mountain (2005) cheap-shots -- I'm sure these poor shepherds have heard 'em all. Sweetgrass is playing at the Edina Cinema in Minneapolis. The trailer looks beautiful -- check it out HERE.

TOM MIX IN ‘DICK TURPIN’ AT THE MUSIC HALL

From Friday, April 30th through Sunday, May 2nd, The Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo will present DICK TURPIN (1923), a silent starring Tom Mix (as Turpin) and Tony, his horse (as Black Bess). The cast also includes Kathleen Myers, the wonderful Alan Hale Sr., Bull Montana, Fred Kohler. And if you’re fast, you may be able to catch extras Gary Cooper, Buck Jones and Carole Lombard! Directed by J.G. Blystone and written by Charles Darnton, Charles Kenyon and Don W. Lee, the movie is, in truth, not a western, but an adventure story set in 18th century England. But c’mon, it’s still Tom Mix and Tony, and a live score on the Mighty Wurlitzer! Admission is $8, with Friday and Saturday night performances at 8:15 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30. The address is 140 Richmond Street, El Segundo, CA 90245. 310-322-2592.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD AT LANDMARK THEATRES

It's a South Korean 'western' set in Manchuria in the 1930s, and the trailer looks great. CHECK OUT THE TRAILER HERE. On Friday April 30th it will be opening at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles and Kendall Square Cinema in Boston for a one-week run.

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.

WESTERN MOVIES ON TV
Note:AMC=American Movie Classics, EXT= Showtime Extreme, FMC=Fox Movie Channel, TCM=Turner Classic Movies. All times given are Pacific Standard Time.

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.

Monday April 26th

FMC 3:00 a.m. VIVA CISCO KID - Caesar Romero dons the sombrero for this adventure, with Chris-Pin Martin as Pancho, and featuring lovely Jean Rogers, Stanley Fields and Minor Watson. Beautifully shot around Lone Pine, it's great fun, though as with all the Cisco Kid films, it has nearly nothing to do with the O. Henry character -- who was no hero at all. Screenplay by Samuel G. Engel. It's directed by Norman Foster, who excelled at fast fun, from MR. MOTO to the Disney ZORRO TV series. Once a matinee idol married to Claudette Colbert, he was beaten by a jealous rival, his looks damaged, and he turned to direction -- with great results.

FMC 4:30 a.m. CALL OF THE WILD (1935) Clark Gable, Loretta Young, Jack Oakie, Buck, D:William Wellman, W:Gene Fowler - from Jack London's novel. (Great stuff, and Gable at his best - no wonder Loretta got impregnated by him on the shoot!)

TCM 3:00 p.m. TENDER MERCIES (1983) Bruce Beresford directs Horton Foote's brilliant story and screenplay about an alcoholic country singer, played wonderfully by Robert Duvall, finding love and redemption in a small town. If this plot sounds suspiciously like this year's Oscar-winning CRAZY HEART, it's no coincidence. With Tess Harper, Ellen Barkin and Wilford Brimley.

Tuesday March 27th

TCM 8:45 p.m. THE LAST HUNT (1956) Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger, Lloyd Nolan and 3,000 angry buffalo! The very talented and tough Richard Brooks wrote and directed this story about frontiersmen clashing over a buffalo slaughter. From the novel by Milton Lott.

TCM 10:30 p.m. THE LAW AND JAKE WADE (1958) Evil Richard Widmark (is there any other kind?) forces his old reformed pal Robert Taylor to lead him hidden loot. With a great bunch of 1950s bad guys – Robert Middleton, Henry Silva and DeForest Kelley (yes, Trekies, he had a whole career before he was Bones McCoy). Directed by John Sturges from William Bowers’ screenplay, from Marvin Albert’s novel.

Wednesday April 28, 2010

TCM 5:15 a.m. SADDLE THE WIND (1958) Robert Taylor stars in this story of a rancher with a doubtful past who tries to stop his outlaw brother. With John Cassavetes, Julie London, directd by Robert Parrish. The story is by Thomas Thompson, who went on to write a ton of BONANZA episodes before becoming a best-selling writer, screenplay by the great Rod Serling.

TCM 8:30 a.m. CATTLE KING (1963) Another written by Thomas Thompson, with cattle-ranchers battling over a piece of prime grazing land. With Robert Taylor, Joan Caulfield and Robert Loggia. Directed by Tay Garnett.

TCM 10:15 a.m. HONDO AND THE APACHES (1967) Following up the John Wayne movie HONDO, this one is cut together from two episodes of the TV series, with Ralph Taeger in the Duke's role, Kathie Brown and Michael Rennie. Directed by Lee H. Katzin, it's scripted by Andrew J. Fenady, based on the Louis L'Amour story THE GIFT OF COCHISE.

Saturday May 1st

FMC 9:00 a.m. HOMBRE (1967) Elmore Leonard's taught novel about an Apache-raised white man protecting stagecoach passengers gives Paul Newman his best western role (yes, I know BUTCH CASSIDY is good, too), with a fine screenplay by husband-and-wife Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr., and crisp direction by Martin Ritt. Co-stars Frederic March and Richard Boone.

AMC 9:00 a.m. THE SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS (1941) Harold Bell Wright's novel - the first to sell a million copies - is te story of Ozark moonshiner John Wayne, who is haunted by his past, with Betty Field as the love interest, and Harry Carey as a mysterious stranger. Directed by Henry Hathaway, acripted by Stuart Anthony and Grover Jones.

TCM 9:00 a.m. SERGEANTS 3 (1962) A western remake of GUNGA DIN, based on Kipling's poem, scripted by W.R. Burnett, directed by John Sturges. One of the Rat-Pack movies with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Peter Lawford as cavalry officers, Sammy Davis Jr. in the Sam Jaffe role as the regimental beastie, and Indians on the warpath standing in for the Thugs. It was an okay idea, and has its moments, but even with talents like Burnett and Stuges, it pales badly next to the George Stevens film, and some of the soundstage work that's supposed to be outdoors is embarassingly fake.

11:00 a.m. THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER (1965) Henry Hathaway directs the story of brothers -- John Wayne, Dean Martin, Earl Holleman and Michael Anderson Jr. -- determined to find their father's killer. Written by William Wright and Allan Weiss. One of the great ones from the 1960s.

FMC 11:00 a.m. BANDOLERO! (1968)Great fun with Stewart and Martin as feuding brother outlaws. Featuring Raquel Welch, Harry Carey Jr., Jock Mahoney, Don 'Red' Barry, Roy Barcroft, D:Andrew McLaglen, W:James Lee Barrett (If you want to see an incredible list on stuntmen, check out the listing on IMDB)

AMC 11:15 a.m. THE WILD AND THE INNOCENT (1959) Country folks Audie Murphie and Sandra Dee get in trouble inthe big, bad city. Directed by Jack Sher, written by Sy Gomberg and Sher. With Gilbert Roland and Strother Martin.

AMC 1:15 p.m. THE GUNFIGHTER (1950) Classic story of Gregory Peck as Johnny Ringo, whose reputation for a fast draw puts a permanent target on his back. Directed with icy restraint by Henry King, story by William Bowers and director Andre De Toth, screenplay by Bowers and William Sellers. Featuring Jean Parker in her comeback role, and Karl Malden.

TCM 1:15 p.m. MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (1946) John Ford's wonderful telling of the Tombstone legend, with Henry Fonda, Ward Bond and Tim Holt as the Earps, Walter Brennan and John Ireland as the Clantons, and Victor Mature in one of his best performances, as Doc Holliday. Screenplay by Samuel G. Engal and Winston Miller, from Stuart Lake's novel and Sam Hellman's story. A must-see!

AMC 3:15 p.m. THE WONDERFUL COUNTRY (1959) Gunman Robert Mitchum woos Major Gary Merrill's wife, Julie London, during a border fight. I haven't seen it, but I bet poor Merrill doesn't stand a chance. Directed by Robert Parrish, written by Robert Andrey from Tom Lea's novel.

AMC 5:30 p.m. JEREMIAH JOHNSON (1972) Sydney Pollack directs Robert Redford in the story of a real mountain man, culled from several different writers: Vardis Fisher, Raymond W. Thorp and Robert Bunker. The screenplay is by John Milius and Edward Anholt, and is co-stars Will Geer. Probably Redford's best western role (yes, I know SUNDANCE KID is good, too), and it was a wise move to eliminate his character's nickname: Liver-Eating Johnson.

There's plenty of other stuff coming up on TV -- I wanted to make sure I got CISCO up before you missed it - but I'll get the other stuff up later!

Adios amigos!

Henry

All contents copyright April 2010 by Henry C. Parke -- all rights reserved.

COWBOY STAMPS ISSUED AT THE AUTRY

This morning at the Autry National Center of the American West, the U.S. Postal Service officially issued the ‘Cowboys of the Silver Screen’ stamps, a block of four featuring portraits of William S. Hart, Tom Mix, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. The stamps, much in the style of movie posters, were painted by Robert Rodriguez, whose distinctive style you may recall from his posters for City Slickers II, The Two Jakes and Jewel of the Nile. He has now designed nineteen stamps, and having been a kid who rushed home after school to watch westerns on TV, he felt greatly honored.

Outside, long lines of collectors bought the just-issued stamps, affixed them to first day cover envelopes and had them hand-cancelled. Inside, a mix of numismatists and guys with hats watched the presentation by Autry organization officials, USPS representatives, Mrs. Gene Autry, and other members of both the Autry and the Roy Rogers family. Mrs. Jackie Autry commented, “I think it’s also special that Gene is put together with Roy, because they were the best of friends.” The gallery’s walls are covered with a mural that shows the history of the American west in fact and myth, and she pointed out that on the wall directly behind the audience were large images of Roy, Gene, Tom and Will. The program ended with Roy’s grandson, Rob Johnson, leading the audience in spirited renditions of ‘Back in the Saddle Again’, and ‘Happy Trails to You.’ Upstairs, on display in the lobby gallery are mementos of all four men, including a pair of 1860 revolvers that belonged to Hart, a white plastic saddle Rogers rode in the Rose Parade, and the floral bib-front cowboy shirt Mix was wearing when he had his fatal car crash.
(Photos - above left, l to r, Mrs. Gene Autry, Mrs. Monte Hale, Cheryl Rogers-Barnett. Above right, l to r, USPS L.A. District Manager Ed Ruiz, artist Robert Rodriguez, Autry Pres. John L. Gray.)

AUTRY MUSEUM ACQUIRES ROGERS ARCHIVE

During the presentation, Autry President and CEO John L. Gray announced that the Autry had acquired the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans archives. This is great news – and a great relief – to those of us who were worried that, with the closing of the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Missouri, the entire collection might have been sold off piecemeal and lost. This good news comes on the heels – or hooves – of the recent announcement that the Autry had acquired the David Dortort archives, Dortort being the nonagenarian television producer behind BONANZA and THE HIGH CHAPARRAL.

Gray also announced that starting in mid June, The Autry would present a western film festival, commencing with a Roy Rogers picture, although no titles were revealed.

JONAH HEX TRAILER TO DEBUT APRIL 29TH

I know, I know -- the premiere of coming attractions isn't exactly earth-shaking news, but sometimes that's all you get. It'll be on Syfy that night, and it'll also be spliced onto the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET re-hash that opens in theatres on April 30th. And if you act like those Star Wars nerds who buy tickets to a movie so they can see the new STAR WARS trailer, then try and get their money back, DON'T tell 'em you heard about it here. It stars Josh Brolin, Megan Fox and that alternative universe king of the cowboys, John Malkovich, and is set to open on June 18th. (Reportedly, Bret Hinds of the heavy-metal band Mastodon, who are doing the soundtrack, opined that from the footage he'd seen, he didn't think the film would be ready on time. But what do mastodons know about film editing?)

SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL!

The 17th Annual Festival will be taking place at the fabled Melody Ranch, of Gene Autry fame, April 22nd-25th. There are many different events and activities, including eating, shopping, touring the Melody Ranch Museum, a wide range of music and dance performances -- including my personal favorites, The Quebe Sisters Band, screenings of High Noon, and of The Shootist - featuring screenwriter Miles Swarthout. There are a ton of different individual events and packages, so for more information and tickets, click here. I just checked out the website an hour or so ago, and a lot of events are already sold out, so if you're planning to attend, don't delay getting tickets for the programs you want to see!

LEE VAN CLEEF DOUBLE-BILL!

Monday, April 19th, The New Beverly Cinema at 7165 West Beverly Boulevard in L.A. will be showing a pair of Mr. Bad's pasta-western treats: Death Rides A Horse (1967) and Sabata (1969). Horse co-stars John Phillip Law, and features a wonderful Ennio Morricone score. Sabata is produced by Sergio Leonce's producer, Alberto Grimaldi, and features production design and costumes by Carlo Simi. Tickets are $7. For showtimes, call 323-938-4038 or visit their website here.

FRED HARVEY BOOK SIGNING AT THE AUTRY TUESDAY, APRIL 20TH

From one to two p.m. Stephen Fried will sign APPETITE FOR AMERICA: HOW VISIONARY BUSINESSMAN FRED HARVEY BUILT A RAILROAD HOSPITALITY EMPIRE THAT CIVILIZED THE WILD WEST. RSVP at 323-667-2000 ext 233. Following the lecture, the Golden Spur Cafe will be serving a special course from the Fred Harvey cookbook!

CLINT EASTWOOD BOOK SIGNING WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21ST

Author David Frangioni will be signing CLINT EASTWOOD: ICON, THE ESSENTIAL FILM ART COLLECTION, and there will be a display of Eastwood posters on display. It's a7 p.m. at Larry Edmunds Boostore, 6644 Hollywood Boulevard. For more information, click here.

HOLLYWOOD AUTOGRAPH SHOW FRIDAY APRIL 23RD THROUGH SUNDAY APRIL 25TH

If you've never attended an autograph show before, you'll get a kick out of it. You can hobnob with roughly 90 celebs who will be selling and signing pictures, and there will be many dealers of film-related paper as well. Among the stars expected to attend are Bo Hopkins of WILD BUNCH fame, Joe Lando from DR QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN, Johnny Crawford from THE RIFLEMAN (Saturday only), Mike Connors, Ryan O'Neal, Stella Stevens, Tommy Kirk, Paul Lemat, and James McArthur. You can see the whole list here . But be warned -- the admission is in the $25 range, and stars charge for every signature, usually $20 and up. Check the website -- they sometimes have money-off coupons that you can download.

CHRIS HOPKINS PAINTINGS

It sounds a little weird sending people to a cemetery to see art, but the Forest Lawn Museum at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Glendale, is featuring a show of paintings by Chris Hopkins honoring the Northwest Coast Native Culture. The pictures on the invitation I received are strikingly handsome. The exhibit continues through April 25th -- the museum is closed on Mondays. The address is 1712South Glendale Avenue, Glendale, CA 91205. For more information, visit the website here.

SWEETGRASS AT LANDMARK THEATERS

Here is the official blurb about a new documentary. "SWEETGRASS is an unsentimental elegy to the American West. The documentary follows the last modern-day cowboys to lead their flocks of sheep up into Montana's breathtaking and often dangerous Absaroka-Beartooth mountains for summer pasture. The astonishingly beautiful yet unsparing film reveals a world in which nature and culture, animals and humans, vulnerability and violence are all intimately meshed. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times calls the film 'a really intimate, beautifully shot examination of the connection between man and beast,' while Ronnie Scheib of Variety considers it 'a one-of-a-kind experience...at once epic-scale and earthbound.'" Okay, none of those Brokeback Mountain (2005) cheap-shots -- I'm sure these poor shepherds have heard 'em all. Sweetgrass is playing at the Varsity Theatre in Seattle, and the Edina Cinema in Minneapolis. The trailer looks beautiful -- check it out HERE.

WESTERN MOVIES ON TV
Note:AMC=American Movie Classics, FMC=Fox Movie Channel, TCM=Turner Classic Movies. All times given are Pacific Standard Time.

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.

Monday April 19th

FMC 5:00 a.m. SECRET OF CONVICT LAKE (1951)- Escaped convicts stumble upon a town of women with guns and $40,00 of stolen loot. Starring Zachary Scott, Ethel Barrymore, Glenn Ford, Cyril Cusack, Ann Dvorak. Diredtec by Michael Gordon, screenplay by Oscar Saul, from a story by Anna Hunger and Jack Pollexfen, adapted by Victor Trivas.
That's it for tonight -- on Sunday I'll put up next week's TV listings!

FMC 6:30 a.m. THE OX-BOX INCIDENT (1943) One of the best of the dark ones, directed by William Wellman from Larmar Trotti's adaptation of Walter Van Tilburg Clark's novel. When we see so many bloated movies, it's amazing what pros can do with 75 taut minutes. Stars Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn, and a ton of familiar faces, most of whom you'll want to smash with a rock before it's over.

TCM 7:00 a.m. THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON (1941) Romanticized telling of the life of George Armstrong Custer (Errol Flynn) and Custer's Last Stand, with Olivia de Havilland, Arthur Kennedy, directed by Raoul Walsh from a screenplay by Wally Kline and Aeneas MacKenzie.

Wednesday April 21st

FMC 5:00 a.m. NORTH TO ALASKA -- Misplaced my notes on this, but I remember it's John Wayne and Randolph Scott and gold prospecting -- I'll get bacj to it later.

TCM 5:00 a.m. RIDE, VAQUERO! (1953)Robert Taylor helps ranchers face off against bandits and Indians. With Eleanor Parker, Howard Keel. Directed by John Farrow, who helped Frank Fenton, uncredited, with the script.

AMC 5:00 p.m. THE OUTLAW JOSIE WALES (1976) Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, John Vernon and Sheb Wooley. Clint's a Missouri farmer who becaomes a Confederate guerilla -- reportedly Clints favorite among his films. Screenplay by Philip Kaufman, from Forrest Carton's novel.

AMC 8:00 p.m. PALE RIDER (1985) Clint Eastwood directs and stars as a mysterious stranger (can you believe it?) protecting a town from bad guys. Moody and effective, script by Michael Butler and Dennis Shyrack, and featuring Carrie Snodgrass and Michael Moriarty.

TCM 9:00 a.m. WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1951) Frank Capra wrote this story to direct Gary Cooper in. But when he couldn't get it made, he let William Wellman do it. Robert Taylor leads an wagon-train of mail-order brides. Lot's of fun -- with Denise Taylor, John McIntire (who led a wagon train of his own later on). Screenplay by Charles Schnee.

Thursday April 22nd

TCM 12 - midnight JUNIOR BONNER (1972) Sam Peckinpah directs Jeb Rosebrook's involving story about second generation rodeo champ Steve McQueen nearing the end of his career, and having to make peace with his father (Robert Preston), mother (Ida Lupino) and more successful brother (Joe Don Baker). With Dub Taylor and Ben Johnson.

TCM 2:00 a.m. SEVEN WOMEN FOR THE MACGREGORS (1967) Director Franco Giraldi re-teams with writers Enzo Dellaquila and Fernando DiLeo in this sequel to the very popular and exuberant SEVEN GUNS FOR THE MACGREGORS. Starring David Bailey and Agata Flori, and boasting an Ennio Morricone score.

FMC 8:30 a.m. SHERIFF OF FRACTURED JAW (1959) Comedy western, D:Raoul Walsh, W:Howard Dimsdale, starring Jayne Mansfield, Kenneth More, Henry Hull, Bruce Cabot

AMC 11:30 a.m. PALE RIDER (1985) Clint Eastwood directs and stars as a mysterious stranger (can you believe it?) protecting a town from bad guys. Moody and effective, script by Michael Butler and Dennis Shyrack, and featuring Carrie Snodgrass and Michael Moriarty.

AMC 2:00 p.m. THE OUTLAW JOSIE WALES (1976) Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, John Vernon and Sheb Wooley. Clint's a Missouri farmer who becaomes a Confederate guerilla -- reportedly Clints favorite among his films. Screenplay by Philip Kaufman, from Forrest Carton's novel.

TCM 7:30 p.m. - ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1969) Sergio Leone's masterpiece, about the fight for a prime spot of land, and the widow, Claudia Cardinale, who will not give up on her husband's plans. Among the many writers involved were directors Dario Argento, Bernardo Berolucci and Sergio Donati. Starring Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards Jr., and perhaps Ennio Morricone's most beautiful and haunting score. Leone's gives every scene the time it needs. The opening scenes, at the train depot and at the farm, are among the most fully-realized and effective sequences ever put on celluloid.

Friday April 23rd


FMC 3:00 a.m. RIO CONCHOS (1964) Richard Boone, Anthony Francisoa, STuart Whitman and Edmund O'Brien fight over a shipment of guns. Directed by Gordon Douglas. Clair Huffaker adapted his own novel, with the help of Joe Landon.

FMC 5:00 a.m. The Big Trail (1930) Raoul Walsh directed John Wayne in his first lead in this epic from Hal G. Evarts' story, and good as it was, it was a box-office disappointment, sending the Duke to do leads in Bs until Stagecoach (1939). Beautiful telling of the story of a wagon train, with Marguerite Churchill, El Brendel, Ty Power Sr., with uncredited early roles by Ward Bond and Iron Eyes Cody. Shot in 35 MM by Lucien Andriot, and 70MM by Arthur Edeson -- I don't know which version they show.

TCM 11:30 a.m. FORT APACHE (1948) One of John Ford's marvelous Cavalry Trilogy. Experienced Cavalryman John Wayne tries to steer his posturing by-the-books commander (Henry Fonda)from military disaster. Frank Nugent scripted from James Warner Bellah's story, MASSACRE. With Anna Lee, Ward Bond, George O'Brien, Shirley Temple and her then-husband John Agar.

Saturday April 24th

FMC 3:00 a.m. SHERIFF OF FRACTURED JAW (1959) Comedy western, D:Raoul Walsh, W:Howard Dimsdale, starring Jayne Mansfield, Kenneth More, Henry Hull, Bruce Cabot.

TCM 3:00 a.m. NORTHWEST PASSAGE - The true story of Roger's Rangers, and their fight with Algonquins and Frenchmen in the French and Indian War. Kenneth Roberts wrote the novel, and King Vidor directed -- there were eleven uncredited writers involved, in addition to Laurence Stallings and Talbot Jennings. Starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Young and Walter Brennan.

FMC 5:00 a.m. O. HENRY'S FULL HOUSE (1952) A collection of five O. Henry short stories directed by five directors: Henry Hathaway, Henry King, Henry Koster, Jean Negulesco, and doing the western segment, The Ransom of Red Chief, Howard Hawks. Writing this one segement, uncredited, were Ben Hecht, Nunnally Johnson and Charles Lederer! Starring Fed Allen and Oscar Levant as the kidnappers, and Rin Tin Tin star Lee Aaker as the 'victim', narrated by John Steinbeck!

AMC 6:15 a.m. GARDEN OF EVIL - Deep in Baja, Mexico, desperate and beautiful Susan Hayward hires three stranded adventurers -- Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark and Cameron Mitchell -- to rescue her husband, Hugh Marlowe. Director Henry Hathaway works his macho magic with Frank Fenton's script from Fred Freiberger's story -- great stuff!

TCM 7:30 a.m. BOWERY BUCKAROOS (1947) The Bowery Boys head west: it's about time! Starring Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bernard Gorcey and Iron Eyes Cody. Directed by One-take William Beaudine (once Mary Pickford's personal director), with a screenply by the often clever Tim Ryan and Edmond Seaward.

AMC 8:30 a.m. GERONIMO: AN AMERICAN LEGEND (1993) Walter Hill directs from the John Milius script, the Apache chief's life story, starring Wes Studi in the title role, with Jason Partic, Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall and Matt Damon.

FMC 9:00 a.m. BROKEN ARROW (1950) James Stewart is an ex-soldier, and Jeff Chandler is Apache Chief Cochise, trying together for peace. D:Delmer Daves, W:Albert Maltz(another writer's name may be one the credits -- Maltz was blacklisted and had someone 'front' for him).

Sunday April 25th

FMC 3:00 a.m. THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940) A delight! Rouben Mamoulian directs John Taintor Foote's adaptation of the Johnston McCulley story. Ty Power, Basil Rathbone, Linda Darnell et al have great fun, and the audience has even more.

FMC 11:00 a.m. FLAMING STAR (1960) An early film from the soon-to-be-great Don Siegal, working from Nunnally Johnson's script of a Clair Huffaker novel. Elvis Presley, playing a role planned for Marlon Brando, is the half-breed son of white John McIntire and Kiowa Dolores Del Rio, forced to take sides in a local war between white and Indian. Surprisingly good, you realize how good an actor Elvis could have been if Col. Parker hadn't steered him into mostly inane crap. With Steve Forrest and Barbara Eden.

FMC 12:32 p.m. THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER (1982) An Australian 'western' based on a poem by A. B. 'Banjo' Paterson, scripted by Cul Cullen, directed by George Miller. Stars Jack Thompson, Tom Burlinson, Kirk Douglas, and the lovely gal from the under-appreciated series, PARADISE, Sigrid Thornton.

FMC 10:32 p.m. THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER (1982) An Australian 'western' based on a poem by A. B. 'Banjo' Paterson, scripted by Cul Cullen, directed by George Miller. Stars Jack Thompson, Tom Burlinson, Kirk Douglas, and the lovely gal from the under-appreciated series, PARADISE, Sigrid Thornton.


Adios!

Henry

All contents copyright April 2010 by Henry C. Parke

HEATH'S REVENGE! Lee Majors to Play Tom Barkley In 'Big Valley' Feature!

UPDATED THURSDAY 4/15/2010 -- ON FRIDAY SEE 'BUTCH CASSIDY', 'TELL THEM WILLIE BOY IS HERE', KATHERINE ROSS IN PERSON.

ON SATURDAY SEE 'TOMBSTONE', POWERS BOOTHE IN PERSON -- DETAILS BELOW.

ON SUNDAY SEE 'THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD' AT USC - DETAILS BELOW

UPDATED WEDNESDAY 4/14/2010 -- SEE AUTRY AND 'VARIETY' ITEMS BELOW

Lee Majors, who became a major TV heartthrob playing the bastard son on The Big Valley from 1965 to 1969 will now play his own (character's) father in the movie which should go to camera this summer. As mentioned here before, the matriarchal role of Victoria Barkley, played by four-time Oscar nominee Barbara Stanwyck, will be taken on by Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon. Also in the cast, not as family members, are Richard Dreyfus and Bruce Dern, and, according to rumor, Billy Bob Thornton. The eldest son, Jarrod, originally Richard Long, will be portrayed by Ryan Phillipe, of Crash (2004) and Flags of Our Fathers (2006). Jason Alan Smith will portray the hot-headed brother Nick, who was Peter Breck in the series. No one has yet been cast as Audra (Linda Evans), nor is there any word as to whether either Evans or Breck might appear in the film, along with Majors. The film is being produced by Kate Edelman Johnson, whose father, Louis Edelman, was one of the original show's creators. It's being written and directed by Daniel Adams.

HARRISON FORD JOINS 'COWBOYS AND ALIENS' CAST

Director Jon Favreau has confirmed, on Twitter, that Harrison Ford has joined the cast of the sci-fi western comic-book feature. The Indiana Jones star who gained fame in a battered fedora last wore a Stetson in The Frisco Kid (1979), (see above, right)with Gene Wilder, although he also appeared in episodes of THE VIRGINIAN and GUNSMOKE.

GRANGER, TEXAS RESIDENTS SHOWING THEIR 'TRUE GRIT'

This rural crossroads, population 1,400, has been selected to represent Fort Smith, Arkansas, where much of the action in the Charles Portis story takes place. Wooden walkways are being built over concrete sidewalks, and dirt is being poured over the town's locally famous brick street-paving. According to location manager Robbie Friedmann, "We chose Granger because it's appearance...matched the reference photos we have of Ft. Smith. Also, Granger has a lot of empty lots between brick buildings. There are a couple of buildings, a vacant lot, then more buildings. We are constructing wood buildings on these lots from rough sawn lumber, which is what Fort Smith looked like."

Local men with facial hair, and women with long, uncolored hair, are picking up work as extras, and all the construction has been helpful to the local economy. Mayor Scott Murrah says, "Business has picked up. They've purchased as much material in town as they could. They gave us an economic boost for sales taxes and such. And they've hired a lot of local labor." To read the entire news story, by Harper Scott Clark for the Temple Daily Telegraph, click here.

DVD REVIEWS - NEW TO HOME VIDEO FROM DORADO FILMS

'GATLING GUN' (1968) and 'NOW THEY CALL HIM SACRAMENTO'(1972)

In GATLING GUN, in the midst of the Civil War, a prototype for the weapon is stolen, its inventor is kidnapped, and both are held for ransom, each offered to a different side. Robert Woods is U.S. Army Captain Chris Tanner, sent to recover them before the Confederacy can get their hands on either one. Although important higher-ups are in the shadows, it is John Ireland as the swarthy and evil Tapas whom Tanner must deal with. Directed by Edmondo Amati, GATLING GUN is a major step above the average spaghetti western -- the plotting is clever, the women are beautiful, the photography is striking, the tech credits are strong, and so is the action. In addition to all the fighting and shooting, poor Robert Woods has TWO dragging scenes that are at times hard to watch, and gives a solid performance as the troubled hero. If you didn't read Woods' interview in the blog last month, you can by clicking here. Ireland, normally a suave sophisticate, plays very much against type as a feared and despised 'half-breed' whom even whores think themselves too good for -- it's a performance that compares well to Eli Wallach's as Tuco, without being imitative of it. The condition of the movie image is pristine, and show in the original aspect ratio. More unexpectedly, this version contains three or four sequences not seen in the original English-language release. As a result, since these scene were never dubbed, you'll occasionally find yourself hearing not English but Italian, and reading subtitles. I know it sounds jarring, but it's really not. Also included are nearly a dozen coming attractions for other westerns -- no surprise since Dorado Films has about 65 European westerns in their archives.

Back in the 1920s, Charlie Chaplin's 'Little Tramp' was such an international sensation that he was shamelessly imitated, to provide more two-reelers than Charlie could possibly supply. To this day, people stumble upon old Billy West comedies and think they've found a 'Lost Chaplin.' In the days of the spaghetti western, the 'Trinity' comedies, starring Terrence Hill and Bud Spenser, were so popular that their style was imitated, but I didn't know that anyone ever tried to counterfeit a Trinity film until I saw NOW THEY CALL HIM SACRAMENTO. Michael Forest, an American with many stateside and European credits, only resembles Terence Hill in height. But with the meticulously copied costume and an unconquerable cheerfulness, he makes a convincing and likable Trinity. And Terrence Hill has no right to complain -- he got his big break because Franco Nero wouldn't do another DJANGO picture, and the producers slipped Hill in as a carbon copy. Fred Harrison, in the Bud Spenser role, is not fat enough to fool you, but his attitude and mannerisms -- and shtick -- can often make you forget that he is not Spenser. The plot centers around the robbery of a train carrying money for farmers to pay off the banker, and the possibility that the banker and the robbers are in cahoots -- until our boys rob the robbers. It's frequently amusing, and some of the best business, early on involves the crazy interplay between Forest and his horse. The film includes the surprisingly elaborate burning of a western town. Both films are available from Dorado Films, which can be reached here.

FRIDAY, APRIL 16TH AT THE AERO - SANTA MONICA 7:30 P.M.

DOUBLE FEATURE - BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, TELL THEM WILLIE BOY IS HERE,
KATHERINE ROSS ATTENDING!

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID
Dir. George Roy Hill
1969, 20th Century Fox, 110 min.

"Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch?" drawls blue-eyed, laid-back train robber Robert Redford to his equally charming partner-in-crime Paul Newman. Hill’s hilarious and wildly romantic look at the infamous Hole in the Wall gang is brilliantly scripted by William Goldman. Co-starring a lovely Katharine Ross (winner of the BAFTA Award for Best Actress) as the woman who joins Butch and Sundance on their adventure.

TELL THEM WILLIE BOY IS HERE
1969, Universal, 98 min.

Blacklisted filmmaker Abraham Polonsky returned to the director's chair for the first time in 21 years for this tale of a Native American man (Robert Blake) on the run from the law after he kills his lover's father in self-defense. Robert Redford is the sheriff leading the posse, and Katharine Ross plays Willie Boy's girlfriend Lola.

**IN PERSON: Discussion in between films with actress Katharine Ross.

SATURDAY, APRIL 17TH AT 7:30 P.M.

DOUBLE FEATURE - THE EMERALD FOREST & TOMBSTONE, POWERS BOOTHE ATTENDING!

THE EMERALD FOREST
Dir. John Boorman
1985, Embassy Pictures, 114 min.

When the young son of engineer Bill Markham (Powers Boothe) is kidnapped into the wilds of the rainforest by an aboriginal tribe, Markham dedicates the next 10 years of his life to finding the boy. As in DELIVERANCE, director John Boorman proves his expert eye for the simultaneous awe and horror of nature untamed.

TOMBSTONE
Dir. George P. Cosmatos
1993, Buena Vista Pictures, 130 min.

Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton and Powers Boothe all pack a wallop in this star-laced revisionist Western. Lawman Wyatt Earp (Russell) is under the mistaken impression that retirement in Tombstone, Arizona, will mean a rest from his successful but exhausting career of chasing and eliminating outlaws. Instead, the town is plagued by an array of nasty villains, and Earp must get back into full-throttle butt-whoopin' mode one last time.

**IN PERSON: Discussion between films with actor Powers Boothe. Prior to the screening, we’ll present a Powers Boothe clip show from the soon-to-be-released MACGRUBER (based on the "Saturday Night Live" sketch) provided by Universal Pictures.

(Yes, I know THE EMERALD FOREST isn't a western, but it's with TOMBSTONE, which is, and Powers Booth is there.)

SUNDAY, APRIL 18TH -- U.S.C. - OUTSIDE THE BOX (OFFICE) SERIES PRESENTS

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD. It's a South Korean 'western' set in Manchuria in the 1930s, and the trailer looks great. CHECK OUT THE TRAILER HERE. As to where it's showing, I don't quite get it -- it's at USC, but I usually don't go that far downtown unless I'm packing. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS -- maybe you can figure it out.

EVENTS AT THE AUTRY THIS WEEKEND

OPENING FRIDAY APRIL 16TH: HOME LANDS - HOW WOMEN MADE THE WEST
THROUGH AUGUST 22ND

SATURDAY APRIL 17TH 9:30 A.M. 11:00 A.M.
Cowboys of the Silver Screen Stamp Ceremony
rsvp: 818.752.7770

On April 17, the United States Postal Service will release the "Cowboys of the Silver Screen" commemorative set featuring Gene Autry, William S. Hart, Tom Mix, and Roy Rogers. An official unveiling will take place at the Autry National Center, where the USPS will be hand-canceling the stamps with the official First Day of Sale postmark.

SATURDAY APRIL 17TH from 2:00 pm to 4:00 p.m. in the Autry Store
KNOTTS PRESERVED: FROM BOYSENBERRY TO THEME PARK, THE HISTORY OF KNOTT'S BERRY FARM

Christopher Merritt and J. Eric Lynxwiler discuss their latest book,which represents 20 years of research on the designs and history of the varied attractions at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. With over 200 photos, rarely seen conceptual art, and interviews with the original designers and the Knott family, Knott’s Preserved gives an overview of the farm from its earliest years to present day.

VARIETY PROFILE OF WESTERN PRODUCER ARTHUR GARDNER

CLICK HERE to read Brian Lowry's Wednesday column about Arthur Gardner who, with partners Arthur Laven and Jules Levy, produced THE RIFLEMAN and THE BIG VALLEY. He'll turn 100 this June!

CHRIS HOPKINS PAINTINGS

It sounds a little weird sending people to a cemetery to see art, but the Forest Lawn Museum at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Glendale, is featuring a show of paintings by Chris Hopkins honoring the Northwest Coast Native Culture. The pictures on the invitation I received are strikingly handsome. The exhibit continues through April 25th -- the museum is closed on Mondays. The address is 1712South Glendale Avenue, Glendale, CA 91205. For more information, visit the website here.

LOS ENCINOS STATE HISTORIC PARK

Sunday 4/12 Living History. From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. you can step back in time! The living history program features a working blacksmith shop, 19th Century children's games, traditional music, tours of the historic structures, and strolling folks in period costume -- great fun for kids and adults, and you can feed the ducks! They do this program on the third Sunday of every month. Los Encinos is located at 16756 Moorpark St., Encino, CA 91436-1068. (818)784-4849. For more information, click here.

LEE VAN CLEEF DOUBLE-BILL!

Sunday and Monday, April 18th and 19th, The New Beverly Cinema at 7165 West Beverly Boulevard in L.A. will be showing a pair of Mr. Bad's pasta-western treats: Death Rides A Horse (1967) and Sabata (1969). Horse co-stars John Phillip Law, and features a wonderful Ennio Morricone score. Sabata is produced by Sergio Leonce's producer, Alberto Grimaldi, and features production design and costumes by Carlo Simi. Tickets are $7. For showtimes, call 323-938-4038 or visit their website here.

SWEETGRASS AT LANDMARK THEATERS

Here is the official blurb about a new documentary. "SWEETGRASS is an unsentimental elegy to the American West. The documentary follows the last modern-day cowboys to lead their flocks of sheep up into Montana's breathtaking and often dangerous Absaroka-Beartooth mountains for summer pasture. The astonishingly beautiful yet unsparing film reveals a world in which nature and culture, animals and humans, vulnerability and violence are all intimately meshed. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times calls the film 'a really intimate, beautifully shot examination of the connection between man and beast,' while Ronnie Scheib of Variety considers it 'a one-of-a-kind experience...at once epic-scale and earthbound.'" Okay, none of those Brokeback Mountain (2005) cheap-shots -- I'm sure these poor shepherds have heard 'em all. Sweetgrass is playing at the Varsity Theatre in Seattle, and the Lagoon Theatre in Minneapolis.

SILENT WESTERNS IN AT THE DRYDEN IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK!

Silent Cinema -- Broncho Billy and Beyond: Early Westerns
Tuesday, April 13, 8 p.m.

This program of short films from the pioneering days of cinema puts the spotlight on a genre that’s been with us almost as long as the medium: the Western. We begin with the legendary and influential THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (Edwin S. Porter, US 1903, 12 min.); Western icon Gilbert M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson stars in WHY BRONCHO BILLY LEFT BEAR COUNTY (Gilbert Anderson, US 1913, 9 min.); early Western auteur Romaine Fielding wrote, directed, and stars in THE RATTLESNAKE (Romaine Fielding, US 1913, 29 min.); and a stagecoach chase filmed by a moving camera is the highlight of THE STRUGGLE (Thomas Ince, US 1913, 29 min.). Live piano by Philip C. Carli. For more information, click here.

WESTERN MOVIES ON TV
Note:AMC=American Movie Classics, EXT= Showtime Extreme, FMC=Fox Movie Channel, TCM=Turner Classic Movies. All times given are Pacific Standard Time.

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.

Monday, April 12th

TCM 4:45 a.m. GO WEST, YOUNG LADY (1941) A sheriff's girl friend tries to discover the identity of a masked bandit chief. Penny Singleton, Glenn Ford, Ann Miller. Directed by Frank Strayer from a script by Karen DeWolf. This was supposed to be Penny's chance to play someone other than BLONDIE, but I'm told that it plays rather like Blondie Out West Without Dagwood -- not that that's a bad thing!

Tuesday, April 13th

TCM 4:30 a.m. AMBUSH (1949) Robert Taylor searches for a white woman held captive by Apaches. With John Hodiak and Arlene Dahl, directed by Sam Wood. The screenplay by Marguerite Roberts is based on a story by the great Luke Short.

TCM 9:15 a.m. DEVIL'S DOORWAY (1950) An Indian Civil War hero returns home to fight for his people. Starring Robert Taylor, Louis Calhern, Paula Raymond, directed by the great Anthony Mann from Guy Trosper's screenplay.

Wednesday, April 14th

AMC 6:00 a.m. BLAZING SADDLES (1974)Mel Brooks directed and co-wrote, with Norman Steinberg, this delightfully broad western comedy about a town getting it's first black sheriff, Cleavon Little, helped only by Gene Wilder as the Waco Kid. With Slim Pickens and Madeline Kahn, and featuring a rousing theme sung by Frankie Laine.

Thursday, April 15th

FMC 9:00 a.m. TREASURE OF THE GOLDEN CONDOR (1953) The remake of 'Son of Fury' concerns a young man (Cornel Wilde) cheated out of his inheritance by his uncle (George Macready) who travels to the Mayan hills of Guatamala seeking a hidden treasure. Based on the Edison Marshall novel, written and directed by the excellent Delmer Daves.

Friday, April 15th

FMC 5:00 a.m. THE PROUD ONES (1956) Marshal Robert Ryan must protect his town when a Texas herd arrives with murderous Jeffrey Hunter. Directed by Robert D. Webb, also starring Virginia Mayo, Walter Brennan, Robert Middleton. Verne Athanas's novel was adapted by Edmund North and Joseph Petraca.

Saturday, April 17th

AMC 6:30 a.m. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) Actor Kevin Costner's directorial debut won him an Oscar, and there were seven more: best picture; Dean Semler for cinematography; Neil Travis for editing; John Barry for his score; Michael Blake for his adapted screenplay; and Russell Williams II, Jeffrey Perkins, Bill W. Benton and Gregory H. Watkins for sound. Starring Costner as an army officer who befriends the Lakota Souix. With Mary McDonnel.

AMC 10:30 a.m. SILVERADO (1985) Larry Kasdan directs from a script he wrote with his brother Mark. Lots of good stuff in it, but at 133 minutes, it's at least a half hour too long. Starring Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn and Kevin Costner.

TCM 11:00 a.m. THE YEARLING (1946) Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's novel comes vividly to life in this story of a boy (Claude Jarman) whose pet deer threatens the family farm. With Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman as his parents, directed by Clarence Brown from Paul Osborne's screenplay.

AMC 1:30 p.m. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (2009) Disappointing telling of the tale, with Brad Pitt as Jesse, and Casey Affleck dribbling and hyperventilating as Ford: he's so nuts from the start that he has nowhere to go, and Pitt comes off as a moron for trusting him. Beautiful photography by Roger Deakins, but not worth 160 minutes out of your life. Sam Fuller did so much better with I SHOT JESSE JAMES (1949) in 81 minutes, with Reed Hadley as Jesse and John Ireland as Ford. Written and directed by Andrew Dominik from Ron Hansen's novel.

TCM 9:00 p.m. ROSEANNA MCCOY (1943) The famous Hatfield-McCoy feud gets the Romeo and Juliet treatment. Starring Farley Granger, Joan Evans, Charles Bickford, Raymond Massey and Richard Basehart. Directed by Irving Reis, with uncredited assistance by Nicholas Ray. From the novel by Alberta Hannum, scripted by one of the greatest of creepy writers, John 'Evening Primrose' Collier.

AMC 11:00 p.m. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) Actor Kevin Costner's directorial debut won him an Oscar, and there were seven more: best picture; Dean Semler for cinematography; Neil Travis for editing; John Barry for his score; Michael Blake for his adapted screenplay; and Russell Williams II, Jeffrey Perkins, Bill W. Benton and Gregory H. Watkins for sound. Starring Costner as an army officer who befriends the Lakota Souix. With Mary McDonnel.

Sunday, April 18th

FMC 3:00 a.m. THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940) A delight! Rouben Mamoulian directs John Taintor Foote's adaptation of the Johnston McCulley story. Ty Power, Basil Rathbone, Linda Darnell et al have great fun, and the audience has even more.

AMC 4:00 a.m. SILVERADO (1985) Larry Kasdan directs from a script he wrote with his brother Mark. Lots of good stuff in it, but at 133 minutes, it's at least a half hour too long. Starring Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn and Kevin Costner.

AMC 7:00 a.m. JEREMIAH JOHNSON (1972) Sydney Pollack directs Robert Redford in the story of a real mountain man, culled from several different writers: Vardis Fisher, Raymond W. Thorp and Robert Bunker. The screenplay is by John Milius and Edward Anholt, and is co-stars Will Geer. Probably Redford's best western role (yes, I know SUNDANCE KID is good, too), and it was a wise move to eliminate his character's nickname: Liver-Eating Johnson.

AMC 9:30 a.m. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (2009) Disappointing telling of the tale, with Brad Pitt as Jesse, and Casey Affleck dribbling and hyperventilating as Ford: he's so nuts from the start that he has nowhere to go, and Pitt comes off as a moron for trusting him. Beautiful photography by Roger Deakins, but not worth 160 minutes out of your life. Sam Fuller did so much better with I SHOT JESSE JAMES (1949) in 81 minutes, with Reed Hadley as Jesse and John Ireland as Ford. Written and directed by Andrew Dominik from Ron Hansen's novel.

AMC 11:30 p.m. JEREMIAH JOHNSON (1972) Sydney Pollack directs Robert Redford in the story of a real mountain man, culled from several different writers: Vardis Fisher, Raymond W. Thorp and Robert Bunker. The screenplay is by John Milius and Edward Anholt, and is co-stars Will Geer. Probably Redford's best western role (yes, I know SUNDANCE KID is good, too), and it was a wise move to eliminate his character's nickname: Liver-Eating Johnson.

That's all until next week!

Adios!

Henry

All contents copyright April 2010 by Henry C. Parke

TRUE GRIT CASTING ALERT! GEEZER ROLES!

Let me quickly say here how delighted I am to overnight go from two to six followers, and to get my first comment on a post! Update -- I've got a second comment! I usually don't post as early as lunch-time Friday, and I have several interesting updates, a review of the new film 6 GUNS, and an interview with its writer and co-star GEOFF MEED, which will be appearing this weekend. But for right now I am just puting up one item, in case anyone out there is a Texas-based actor or knows one. The following comes courtesy of the Acting Auditions website:

The Austin, TX casting director for the Paramount Pictures feature TRUE GRIT is urgently seeking the following roles:

FRANK JAMES – Late 60s- 80s. Must be able to portray a menacing look through his eyes!! Beady-eyed bastard. Very mean looking! Thug. Son-of-a-gun. Not a nice guy.

GRANDMA TURNER – Late 60s-80s. Must be able to portray a mean woman – decrepit & pruney looking (great wrinkles/facial lines). She snores loudly! 2 options: Old crone (mean old lady) OR a very large woman (too big to share bed w/Mattie)

GENERAL WOMEN – Frontier, hard-bitten types of WOMEN. Must have interesting faces (facial lines, crooked teeth, larger noses, weathered skin-type, hard features) Preferably longer hair w/no artificial color. They need rough frontier types – NOT modern looking. No makeup!

Filming will take place in the Austin area, Granger, and Blanco for 3 months.

Interested applicants should call the casting office asap! 512-637-6775.

People can mail photos – but calling them is preferred – as this is time sensitive!

True Grit Casting/Debbie DeLisi
c/o DW Studios Productions LLC
1901 E. 51st St., Red Bldg
Austin, TX 78723
512-637-6775

6 GUNS - REVIEW

Most of the westerns we’ve got on the horizon have budgets from the tens to the hundreds of millions of dollars. They have expensive stars and are based on familiar properties – remakes of hits, feature versions of TV series, popular comic books. I hope they’re all good, and I hope they all do well, because every successful western helps all the others, and every failure hurts everyone. Unfortunately, almost by definition, their stories tend to be too familiar.

So it’s refreshing when someone comes up with a movie that may not have a colossal budget, but enough to do the job. Not huge stars, but familiar faces and talented actors. Not a safe literary property, but a well-written original story. And that’s what you have with 6 GUNS. It’s the first western from The Asylum, a studio with more than a hundred films to its credit.

6 GUNS is the story of a young wife and mother, Selena, played by comparative newcomer Sage Mears, who witnesses her family’s slaughter at the hands of men from her husband’s past. She falls into a deadly spiral of self-destruction, and what saves her is a little kindness, and a plan for revenge. Essential to that plan is Frank Allison, a bounty hunter played by Barry Van Dyke. Best remembered from his father Dick Van Dyke’s series, Diagnosis: Murder, Barry is at the perfect career-time for such a role: his lined and weathered face give him precisely the gravitas needed. Also on their side is Sheriff Barr, played by Greg Evigan, of B.J. And The Bear fame. He’s the sort of lawman who was probably very common in the old west, but is rarely portrayed in film – I’d spoil it if I said much more.

And they have worthy opponents -- a pack of five rattlesnakes, led by Geoff Meed, a villain whose face you’ll know immediately (see above), who not only plays the most despicable character in the story, but wrote the part for himself! Among the rest of the prairie scum is the film’s director, Shane Van Dyke, and his brother Carey, both sons of Barry.

Granted, a woman’s fight for revenge is not a new theme for a western, but when we’ve seen Raquel Welch or Sharon Stone go for it, they’ve gone through a nearly Sarah Connor/TERMINATOR-like transformation which gives it an almost comic-book unreality. Sage Mears’ Selena is so human, so frail and vulnerable, that the conclusion is not a given. Meed’s script, and Shane Van Dyke’s measured direction don’t rush the anguish to get to the shooting. But don’t worry: you get there. Cinematographer Alexander Yellin makes excellent use of striking locations and the White Horse Ranch, where most of the movie was shot, the camera thoughtfully placed to reveal more than just the action.

Some cruel and ugly things happen in this movie, but the camera doesn’t dwell voyeuristically on them. The action, like the acting, is well-handled. My immediate thought when the end titles rolled was: When do we get 7 GUNS? 6 GUNS is available now from Blockbuster, Netflix, Amazon, and wherever you buy or rent movies. To see the trailer, CLICK HERE.

DISAPPOINTING UPDATE FOR APPALOOSA II

The folks at Groundswell Productions, New Line's partners in APPALOOSA (2008)inform me that as of now, there are no plans for a sequel. On the positive side, as mentioned here before, G.P. Putnam's Sons will be publishing the last novel of the late Robert B. Parker's Virgil Long series, BLUE-EYED DEVIL, and will simultaneously issue the current hard-cover release, BRIMSTONE, in paperback, next month.

ENCOURAGING UPDATE FROM FRED OLEN RAY

I managed to briefly touch base with prolific action specialist, writer/director Fred Olen Ray, whose AMERICAN BANDITS: FRANK AND JESSE JAMES, toplining Peter Fonda, will be in video stores on May 18th. When I caught up with him, he was scouting locations in Yosemite. When I asked if that meant he was in pre-production for another western, he replied slyly, "Quite possibly."

JULIE ADAMS AT 'MONSTERPALOOZA' APRIL 9-11

Granted, Monsterpalooza is not, strictly speaking, a western event, but a celebration of 'The Art of Monsters', featuring make-up artists from the legendary Westmore and Burman families. But more relevant to our readers, along with other actors and actresses, Julie Adams, who starred in BEND OF THE RIVER, MAN FROM THE ALAMO, HORIZON'S WEST, and many other fine westerns (as well as CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON) will be present. You can read an interview with Adams in C. Courtney Joyner's fine book, THE WESTERNERS (reviewed in last week's issue). The event is at the Burbank Airport Marriott, admission is twenty bucks a day, and for more info, CLICK HERE.

SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL!

The 17th Annual Festival will be taking place at the fabled Melody Ranch, of Gene Autry fame, April 22nd-25th. There are many different events and activities, including eating, shopping, touring the Melody Ranch Museum, a wide range of music and dance performances -- including my personal favorites, The Quebe Sisters Band, screenings of High Noon, and of The Shootist - featuring screenwriter Miles Swarthout. There are a ton of different individual events and packages, so for more information and tickets, click here.

INTERVIEW WITH GEOFF MEED OF '6 GUNS'

As I waited to meet Geoff Meed, the author and co-star of 6 GUNS, at a Starbucks in Sherman Oaks, I idly wondered if I’d recognize him. I had nothing to worry about: he’s a very familiar, very mean-looking, face from movies and TV (see above). With a long string of acting credits, and three movies produced from his screenplays, I asked if he thought of himself more as a writer or an actor. “Pretty much just the guest-star bad-guy.”

When Geoff came from his home in Houston, Texas, to L.A. at the age of 23, he had two goals. “To either be a cop or be an actor.” With a laugh, he tells why he gave up on the LAPD. “I passed the test but failed the psychological interview. I gave the answers that the cop wanted to hear, but the schoolteacher didn’t want to hear it. And right after that I got a couple of (acting) jobs in a row, so I kinda let the cop thing go by.”

He’s been acting ever since, not always on the screen. He did a stint at the Universal Studios’ now defunct Western Stunt Show. “I’d been out here about a year, waiting tables, (working as a) bouncer, and a friend of mine saw an ad in Dramalogue. It was a great job. I did the high-fall in the west show. I think I did five western (shows), and then I went over and did three or four Conan (The Barbarian Stunt) Shows. I guess I did nine shows a day. I was pretty beat after that.”

What are his earliest cowboy memories? “The first western I ever saw, and it’s still my favorite, is ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. I loved anything Sergio Leone did -- all the ‘Man With No Name’ films: FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE. RED RIVER I liked, I liked Montgomery Clift. What’s the one with Clark Gable? THE MISFITS. But I really haven’t been a fan of any (new) westerns in a long time. TOMBSTONE I liked, because I know Michael Biehn. I did like 3:10 TO YUMA, but I’m thinking of those big Hollywood ones.”

His own experience with westerns started on TV. “I did a DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN. Played a sadistic bounty hunter. I remember I had a knife fight with Joe Lando. I did a real big episode of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN back in 1998, called VENDETTA. Tyne Daly has seven sons. Ed Lauter killed the eldest son. So I’m the leader of the brothers, and we all go after Ed Lauter, and get into a big gunfight with the magnificent seven. I think that episode won an Emmy for wardrobe.”

Geoff has been associated with The Asylum, the producers of 6 GUNS, for several years. I asked him how that association came about. It turns out that it started with the Universal Stunt Show. “Paul Bales, who is one of the Asylum officials, was one of the talent show managers at Universal Studios. I was always writing to keep myself busy. And myself and a couple of the guys thought, ‘Well, why not try and make a movie?’ So I wrote the script, for what would become UNIVERSAL SOLDIERS, and I found out that Paul Bales had left Universal, and was now the head of S.A.G. (Screen Actors Guild) Independent Filmmaking. I gave him a call, pitched him the script. And probably a year later, after he’d left and gone to The Asylum, he called and said, ‘Hey, you still got that script?’ So they bought it. That got my foot in the door over there.”

Interestingly, Geoff is not the first writer of westerns in his family. His father wrote several. “Douglas V. Meed. He wrote a lot of non-fiction stories. BLOODY BORDER was my favorite. Several short stories. Another was THEY NEVER SURRENDERED. That was about raiding Apache Indians that stole a baby and took off into the mountains. He’s passed away, but he wrote nine books. The characters in 6 GUNS I based on a lot of the real-life characters he had written about. Like Frank Allison was based on Dave Allison. Tommy Kleiber was based on Tommy Kleiber. The Cole brothers were good guys, tough good guys, but I made them bad guys for this, so I changed the names all around. Lee Horn (Geoff’s own character) was based on John Van Horn. Not big, famous guys, but pretty bloody guys. I think Dave Allison was pretty well-known. He was a sheriff out of Bisbee and Tucson Arizona.”

I asked Geoff how many drafts he wrote for 6 GUNS. “By the last day of shooting, thirteen. And the first draft I think I wrote in five days. There was a time when we had a little bit of romance with the two. We cut that out. And the sixth draft, originally I had (in the gang) a Jose and a Percy. I wanted a really grimy Jose, and a really sleazy-looking Percy. And they got a really good-looking kid for Percy, so I figured Tommy Kleiber, the El Paso Kid, fit him. And then Peter Sherayko (who replaced Jose) said he was Russian, so we made him Russian Pete. From the 7th to the 13th draft, I had to deal with location changes. Originally we were going to build the saloon at the Asylum (soundstage), but when we got to the wild west town, we figured, let’s just put it outside. The twelfth draft was literally like one page-full of changes.”

When you think of writer/actors, you think of Stallone writing ROCKY, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck writing GOOD WILL HUNTING, usually so they can write themselves a romantic lead. Geoff wrote himself the Jack Palance role. Did he ever consider playing the good guy in this one? “Did you read the 6th draft? My idea was that the only difference between the hero and the bad guy was literally side of the law – a flip of the coin. But Barry (Van Dyke) felt he should be a little more compassionate. The original vision I had for the hero, I could play that, but you want to get a star for that anyhow. So I just wrote the meanest bad guy I could, because that’s what I usually do anyway.”

Director Shane Van Dyke came onto the project without much lead time. “He came in two days before shooting. C. Thomas Howell was supposed to direct (and star in) this originally. And there were all sorts of complications. Shane had just done something for the Asylum two weeks before, and they asked Shane to do this like two days out. Glen Miller, the first a.d.(assistant director), and Alexander Yellin, the d.p.(director of photography), I don’t know how it would have turned out if those two hadn’t been involved.”

Most screenwriters jobs are finished when the cameras roll, but Geoff was on the set every day. Did he have any input? “Actually I did – that was one thing I really appreciated. Shane stuck 100% to what I wrote. There were things where things weren’t working, and he would always call me over, and we’d discuss it. I really appreciated Shane doing that.” And what’s it like having a director tell you how to deliver lines that you wrote? “I think the only line-reading that Shane gave me was when we’re at the bar, and I call to Scarlet, ‘Send one of your girls down.’ Shane said play it dismissively; don’t even look at her. And it played good – that’s the take they used.”

The lead female character, Selena Stevens, played by Sage Mears, is unusual, because she’s so frail and vulnerable, and we see her anguish -- she doesn’t transform overnight into a master gunfighter. “I’ve actually got to give full credit to The Asylum for that. Having seen Asylum pictures, I thought they’d probably want to get right to the gun battle -- that’s actually how the first draft was. And the three producers really wanted to show that long process, and I was really happy that they wanted to do that. I just took it and ran with it.”

The sheriff, played by Greg Evigan, is also unusual: he one of the weakest lawmen in western fiction. “I guess living in L.A. you see so much of that, false bravado. What was cool was Greg Evigan had read it, and he thought I wrote it to be this big, macho guy, so he read into it, ‘I see this guy as the big man on campus, but he’s actually a wimp.’ And I said, ‘That’s exactly how I wrote it.’ Only I didn’t want to hammer it. That scene where we (the gang) interrogated him, And I (hold up my own wanted poster and) say,‘does this look like anybody you know?’ That was the end of the scene as written. And Greg looks at it, looks at me, and says, ‘Nope.’ That was all improv. And all our laughter was real. Greg just did it so well.”

“Barry Van Dyke was really cool, and the thing I appreciated is he hung out all day. He was even there days he didn’t work. Which is admirable. I know Shane was there, but there are plenty of actors that wouldn’t care, that wouldn’t be there if his son was directing or not. He would be over on the monitor, if Shane was on the set he’d be watching, and it was cool having his experience and his eye, his contributions and suggestions.”

What’s next on the acting front? He laughs, “I just did a GUSHERS (gum) commercial. And I did another Asylum picture, AIRLINE DISASTER. I usually only act in whatever I write for them. But they called me up and asked me to do them a favor. I said I’ll do you the favor of playing the bad guy if you’ll do me the favor of letting me do the martial arts fight choreography in it.”

And how about writing? “I’m writing the story for a SyFy channel movie.” Are we likely to see a follow-up to 6 GUNS? “ Actually the word was that after copies of 6 GUNS showed up at the Asylum office, (sales and distribution partner) David Rimawi’s first e-mail of the day was, ‘When are we making 7 GUNS?’”



WESTERN MOVIES ON TV
Note:AMC=American Movie Classics, EXT= Showtime Extreme, FMC=Fox Movie Channel, TCM=Turner Classic Movies. All times given are Pacific Standard Time.

BEST DERN THING ON TV ALL WEEK!

Saturday, April 10th, from 9:00 a.m. on TCM, a QUADRUPLE BILL OF GREAT WESTERNS!
9:00 a.m. THE MAN FROM LARAMIE (1955) Tough-as-nails Anthony Mann/James Stewart story about a wandering cowpoke caught between an elderly rancher's ruthless sons. With Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp, Alex Nicol -- great performance. Story by Thomas Flynn, screenply by Philip Yordan and Frank Burt.
11:00 a.m. COLORADO TERRITORY (1949) Raoul Walsh directed HIGH SIERRA (1941), and he directs this western re-make, about an ex-con drawn back into a life of crime. Stars Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo, Dorothy Malone, and Henry Hull -- who's in both versions. From the W.R. Burnett novel, screenplay by Edmund North and John Twist.
1:00 p.m. A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (1964) Sergio Leone started the Spaghetti Western Revolution with this story of a loner who drifts into the middle of a divided town, and plays one side against the other. Akira Kurasawa was not happy that his YOJIMBO was remade without permission or payment, but after all, YOJIMBO was a rip-off of Dashiell Hammett's RED HARVEST. Stars Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volonte. There are fourteen writers who claim some credit. Screenplay by Victor Andres Catena and Jaime Comas Gil.
3:00 p.m. THE SHOOTIST (1976) John Wayne, James Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, Richard Boone, John Carradine, Henry Morgan. Poingnant yet exciting tale of a dying gunfighter. Duke's last, and one of his very best. D:Don Siegel, W:Miles Wood Swarthout, Scott Hale.

2ND BEST DERN THING ON TV ALL WEEK

Friday, April 9th, from 5:00 p.m. on TCM, a triple-bill of Inger Stevens westerns!
5:00 p.m. HANG 'EM HIGH (1968) Clint Eastwood came back from Spain for this Italianized western, a mysterious drifter seeking revenge. With Inger Stevens, Ed Begley. Directed by Ted Post, written by Leonard Freeman and Mel Goldberg.
7:00 p.m. FIRECREEK (1968) Pacifist sheriff Henry Fonda has to get tough when the outlaws come. With James Stewart, Inger Stevens. Directed by Vincent McEveety, written by Calvin Clements Sr.
9:00 p.m. A TIME FOR KILLING (1967) Confederate soldiers try to keep a low profile, to escape to Mexico. Stars an amazing cast -- Glenn Ford, Inger Stevens, Paul Petersen, Timothy Carey, Max Baer Jr., and very young George Hamilton and Harrison Ford. Directed by Phil Karlson, with uncredited work by Roger Corman. Screenplay by Halston Welles from a novel by Shirley and Nelson Wolford.

Monday April 5th
TCM 4:30 a.m. THREE GODFATHERS (1938) John Ford and Howard Hawks used to joke about whose turn it was to remake this story next -- this version directed on a tight budget by Richard Boleslawski may well be the best: it's certainly the toughest. Three outlaws risk their skins to save a newborn baby in the desert. Starring Chester Morris, Walter Brennan, and Lewis Stone -- good Ole' Judge Hardy as you've never seen him before. From the novel by Peter B. Kyne, screenplay by Edward E. Paramore Jr, and Manuel Self.

FMC 5:00 a.m. O. HENRY'S FULL HOUSE (1952) A collection of five O. Henry short stories directed by five directors: Henry Hathaway, Henry King, Henry Koster, Jean Negulesco, and doing the western segment, The Ransom of Red Chief, Howard Hawks. Writing this one segement, uncredited, were Ben Hecht, Nunnally Johnson and Charles Lederer! Starring Fred Allen and Oscar Levant as the kidnappers, and Rin Tin Tin star Lee Aaker as the 'victim', narrated by John Steinbeck!

TCM 6:00 a.m. BLOOD ON THE MOON (1949) Luke Short story of gun-hand Robert Mitchem hired to run out a rancher, then falling for his daughter. With Robert Preston, Barbara Bel Geddes, Iron Eyes Cody and Harry Carey Jr., directed by Robert Wise. Screenplay by Lillie Hayward.

TCM 3:00 p.m. Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, D:John Sturges, W:Millard Kaufman.

TCM 10:30 p.m. SHANE (1953) - Director George Stevens' masterpiece, from the Jack Schaeffer novel, screenplay by A.B. Guthrie Jr. Although all the leads -- Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin and Brandon de Wilde -- are excellent, to me it's the performances by Jack Palance and Elisha Cook Jr. that are unforgettable.

Tuesday April 6th
TCM 12:45 a.m. ANNIE OAKLEY (1935) George Stevens' delightful biopic of Little Sure-shot, starring lovely and gutsy Barbara Stanwyck, Preston Foster, Melvyn Douglas, and Delmar Watson as her kid brother. Story by Joseph Fields and Ewart Adamson, screenplay by Joe L. Sayre and John Twist.

FMC 3:00 A.M. BROKEN ARROW (1950) James Stewart is an ex-soldier, and Jeff Chandler is Apache Chief Cochise, trying together for peace. D:Delmer Daves, W:Albert Maltz(another writer's name may be one the credits -- Maltz was blacklisted and had someone 'front' for him).

TCM 11:00 p.m. Billy The Kid (1941) Robert Taylor, Brian Donlevy, D:David Miller, W:Gene Fowler. (Robert Taylor's 1st western!)

Wednesday April 7th
FMC 3:00 a.m. NORTH TO ALASKA (1960) Directed by Henry Hathaway. Gold prospectors Stewart Granger and John Wayne strike it rich. Stewart sends Wayne to Seattle to bring back Stewart's fiance, but finding her already hitched, he brings back Capucine instead. Sounds like a plan! With Ernie Kovacs. Written by John Lee Mahin and Martin Rackin.

AMC 8:45 a.m. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) Actor Kevin Costner's directorial debut won him an Oscar, and there were seven more: best picture; Dean Semler for cinematography; Neil Travis for editing; John Barry for his score; Michael Blake for his adapted screenplay; and Russell Williams II, Jeffrey Perkins, Bill W. Benton and Gregory H. Watkins for sound. Starring Costner as an army officer who befriends the Lakota Souix. With Mary McDonnel.

Thursday April 8th
AMC 10:00 p.m. SILVERADO (1985) Larry Kasdan directs from a script he wrote with his brother Mark. Lots of good stuff in it, but at 133 minutes, it's at least a half hour too long. Starring Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn and Kevin Costner.

Friday April 9th
AMC 9:00 a.m. THE COMANCHEROS (1961) John Wayne arrests Stuart Whitman, but they must join forces to defeat evil gun-running comanchero Lee Marvin. Great fun, written by James Edward Grant from a novel by Paul Wellman. It was Michael Curtiz's last film. When he became too ill, John Wayne took over the directorial reins, but refused credit. Fine Elmer Bernstein score. Biggest weakness: Lee Marvin is supposed to be horribly scared from surviving being scalped, but he actually looks like he's wearing a horse-shoe crab on top of his head.

FMC 11:00 a.m. THE UNDEFEATED (1969) D:Andrew V. McLaglen, W:James Lee Barrett, from a story by Stanley Hough. At the close of the Civil War, Confederate officer Rock Hudson leads a group of southern loyalists to Mexico and Emperor Maximillian -- unless John Wayne can stop him. Rock Hudson later described the movies as "crap." Ironic, considering it's one of his more convincing performances. With Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr.


AMC 11:30 a.m. JEREMIAH JOHNSON (1972) Sydney Pollack directs Robert Redford in the story of a real mountain man, culled from several different writers: Vardis Fisher, Raymond W. Thorp and Robert Bunker. The screenplay is by John Milius and Edward Anholt, and is co-stars Will Geer. Probably Redford's best western role (yes, I know SUNDANCE KID is good, too), and it was a wise move to eliminate his character's nickname: Liver-Eating Johnson.

FMC 1:00 p.m. THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER (1982) An Australian 'western' based on a poem by A. B. 'Banjo' Paterson, scripted by Cul Cullen, directed by George Miller. Stars Jack Thompson, Tom Burlinson, Kirk Douglas, and the lovely gal from the under-appreciated series, PARADISE, Sigrid Thornton.

AMC 2:00 p.m. SILVERADO (1985) Larry Kasdan directs from a script he wrote with his brother Mark. Lots of good stuff in it, but at 133 minutes, it's at least a half hour too long. Starring Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn and Kevin Costner.

AMC 5:00 p.m. THE OUTLAW JOSIE WALES (1976) Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, John Vernon and Sheb Wooley. Clint's a Missouri farmer who becaomes a Confederate guerilla -- reportedly Clints favorite among his films. Screenplay by Philip Kaufman, from Forrest Carton's novel.

AMC 8:00 p.m. PALE RIDER (1985) Clint Eastwood directs and stars as a mysterious stranger (can you believe it?) protecting a town from bad guys. Moody and effective, script by Michael Butler and Dennis Shyrack, and featuring Carrie Snodgrass and Michael Moriarty.

Saturday April 10th
TCM 12:30 a.m. THE FASTEST GUITAR ALIVE (1967) Confederate spies will ill-gotten gains at the end of the Civil War. Starring singer Roy Orbison, Sammy Jackson, Maggoe Pierce. Directed by Michael Moore, written by Robert E. Kent.

AMC 7:00 a.m. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF -- I'll write a capsule review this week

AMC 9:15 a.m. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GUNFIGHTER - I'll write a capsule review this week

FMC 11:00 a.m. Rio Conchos (1964) D: Gordon Douglas, W:Joseph Landon and Clair Huffaker. Stars Richard Boone, Stuart Whitman, Anthony Franciosa.

AMC 11:30 a.m. PALE RIDER (1985) Clint Eastwood directs and stars as a mysterious stranger (can you believe it?) protecting a town from bad guys. Moody and effective, script by Michael Butler and Dennis Shyrack, and featuring Carrie Snodgrass and Michael Moriarty.

AMC 2:00 p.m. THE OUTLAW JOSIE WALES (1976) Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, John Vernon and Sheb Wooley. Clint's a Missouri farmer who becaomes a Confederate guerilla -- reportedly Clints favorite among his films. Screenplay by Philip Kaufman, from Forrest Carton's novel.

AMC 5:00 p.m. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (2009) Disappointing telling of the tale, with Brad Pitt as Jesse, and Casey Affleck dribbling and hyperventilating as Ford: he's so nuts from the start that he has nowhere to go, and Pitt comes off as a moron for trusting him. Beautiful photography by Roger Deakins, but not worth 160 minutes out of your life. Sam Fuller did so much better with I SHOT JESSE JAMES (1949) in 81 minutes, with Reed Hadley as Jesse and John Ireland as Ford. Written and directed by Andrew Dominik from Ron Hansen's novel.

AMC 8:30 p.m. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (2009) Disappointing telling of the tale, with Brad Pitt as Jesse, and Casey Affleck dribbling and hyperventillating as Ford. He's so nuts from the start that he has nowhere to go, and Pitt comes off as a moron for trusting him. Beautiful photography by Roger Deakins, but not worth 160 minutes out of your life. Sam Fuller did so much better with I SHOT JESSE JAMES (1949) in 81 minutes, with Reed Hadley as Jesse and John Ireland as Ford. Written and directed by Andrew Dominik from Ron Hansen's novel.

That's just about it. I'm too tired to make sure everything is in bold that should be, and I've got a couple of capsule reviews to write -- I'll do it when I can. And next week I'll have reviews of a couple of new Spaghetti Western DVD releases from Dorado Films!

Hasta la vista, and Happy Easter,

Henry