THE INDIAN WHO CUT OFF MEEK

Rod Rondeaux, a Crow Indian, master horseman and stuntman, plays the enigmatic character known only as ‘The Indian’ in the current Western, MEEK’S CUTOFF ( see my review HERE). The fates of seven pioneers who’ve strayed from the Oregon trail are in his hands, and much of the film’s suspense turns on whether he means them well or ill. It’s a lot of responsibility for an actor with no formal training, playing his first major role. When I couldn’t locate Rod, one of his students, actor Cody Jones (read his interview HERE), tracked him down to his ranch in Texas. He took a break from caring for his horses to chat about horses, stuntwork, and tell me how he got his role in MEEK’S CUTOFF, which is a true story. Despite the seriousness of his character in the film, many of his answers were punctuated with laughter.

ROD RONDEAUX: When I got the call to audition for it I was in Montana, not last summer, but the summer before. So I auditioned – sent a tape into them and they said, we like what you sent us, but it was a little too strong. They had somebody else hired, so like three days before the shoot – before they actually started rolling film – they called me up and said, ‘The guy we got came up here, and then declined the part. Are you available?’ And I laughed and said, ‘Sure. Why not?’ I ended up going there on like three day’s notice. Tried to learn my dialogue – I had some dialogue to do. Without the translation of any sort – I thought that was kind of cool. And I haven’t done a whole lot of acting before, I’m mainly a stuntman.
HENRY: I remember you had a nice part as Roman Nose in INTO THE WEST.
ROD: That was a cool part. I got that on accident, too! (laughs) I don’t know what happened to the guy that had that role. It’s really weird.
HENRY: So you got that one because somebody dropped out? Is your role in MEEK’S CUTOFF your biggest role so far?
ROD: So far, yeah it is. I had a little bit of action and stuff in THE MISSING, had some dialogue in THE MISSING. But not compared to what MEEK’S CUTOFF had to offer. I’ve never really acted, so it’s kind of my first one, and I haven’t even seen the movie yet. Supposed to go to (a preview) in New York, and then I was going to go to Los Angeles when they showed it there, but then I was in New Mexico filming COWBOYS & ALIENS. But I’m interested in seeing it now, to see if it lives up to my expectations or not. I’m probably my own worst critic.
HENRY: I think you’re going to be very pleased. It’s a small film, but very well done, and I think you’ll be very pleased with your own work.
ROD: Thank you. It was pretty easy to get into character, because of the professionalism of the actors and the crew. They were so good at making you feel relaxed, and still be able to carry on.
HENRY: You played the character just called The Indian, who gets captured by lost pioneers. You speak no English, and the pioneers can’t speak your language. What’s it like to play a character that no one else understands?
ROD: Like I said, I haven’t done a whole lot of acting, so I really couldn’t compare it to anything on that scale. It was a little hard at first, but I think with the simple gestures and the eye contact, paying attention to the surroundings, really helped me translate, or at least leave the audience with something to (follow). Kind of let them have their own point of view, but still leave the door open to interpretation – it was pretty challenging.
HENRY: Your character interacts mostly with Michelle Williams, as the kindest of the pioneers. What did you think of her?
ROD: This is funny as all get-out, man, because when I finally got up to Oregon, and was signing contracts and filling out paperwork, she was there, we started talking. I had no idea who Michelle Williams was, because I don’t pay a while lot of attention to actors. But when I was sitting at ‘Pioneer Town’, as we called (the airplane hangar) where they were learning to shoot guns, she comes up and stands beside me. We start talking, we find out we’re both from Montana. We had a laugh over that, really got along well, we worked together extremely good. One of the van drivers, I asked who she was, what has she done? He goes ‘Oh my God! You don’t know?’ So they started telling me her credits (DAWSON’S CREEK, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, Oscar-nominated for BLUE VALENTINE). She’s so just down-to-earth; she’s not one of those in-you-face intense people – although she can be if that is what’s called for. She’s a great actress, and her future is really really really bright.
HENRY: How about Bruce Greenwood as Meek, who was not exactly your best friend. He wanted to kill you from the start.
ROD: Bruce is one of those guys that’s just got so much talent, and so fun to be around. He would give you advice without your having to ask; he’s as great guy also. I didn’t have a problem with anybody on the set. It was a great experience, you know?
HENRY: This is a story about people who get off-track on the Oregon Trail, and it really was shot on Oregon?
ROD: Exactly. The director, Kelly Reichardt, chose to go to the actual site, the location (where it happened), and I can see where Meek could have been deadly wrong, hauling people across that route during a really rough time of year, when they’d had a five-six-seven year drought since he was there the first time.
HENRY: Most of the movies you’ve worked on have been big action pictures, and this is much smaller. Did you find it very different?
ROD: Yeah, just in the amount of people you use on a major project. I think there were seven cast members and crew was probably, at the height, twenty people, and that was including your office. So it was pretty small.
HENRY: What’s Kelly like as a director?
ROD: You know, I’ve worked with a few of them before, but not in any role that got me as close to her as we got. On a professional level it was really cool how she could take you off to the side and ask you different questions: What are you thinking? What would she think? How to get her meaning across to the audience. Or how to at least leave them thinking they know. To me it’s definitely a movie something that will make an audience go: Whoa! And the way Kelly was able to help me was really an asset, because I’ve never done anything of this magnitude. It was more challenging than the last five movies worth of stunts! (laughs) And the budget was minimal. I hope we do well on it.
HENRY: In addition to acting, did you do any stunting?
ROD: No, there was nothing to be done. I got slapped or kicked. Just a horse-buck and ride off. Nothing major.
HENRY: Will Patton was also in INTO THE WEST. Did you work together on that one?
ROD: Yeah, we did. I think we were at one point in a council meeting together. But I didn’t really get to know Will until we got out there on the MEEK’S set. But he was another really deep, deep character. When he got into his character he was there all the way. Seeing that kind of devotion and that dedication, I was like, Wow. Everything I learned on that movie, I’ve not forgotten. I’ve kind of been a sponge, so to speak, and there were a couple of pieces (I did) there where the cast was like, wow, that was pretty cool, Rod.
HENRY: You never tell the characters or the audience anything directly. So when you’re playing your part, in your head, why were you following them in the first place? Did you have evil designs on them? Did you think about that when you’re playing it?
ROD (LAUGHS): That was a thought that would have occurred if he’d captured them. But I took the stance that these people were in a bad predicament, and I’m sure my character, if he had decided to do harm or get away, escape – it could happen very easily.
HENRY: You did stuntwork on three of my favorite recent westerns, 3:10 to YUMA, APPALOOSA, and STARRING PANCHO VILLA AS HIMSELF.
ROD: (LAUGHS) That was a lot of fun, working with Antonio Banderas in Mexico. We had a great time down there. We were in the beautiful, beautiful town of San Miguel de Allende – it’s like the Santa Fe of Mexico, it’s got all the artisans. We had a lot of fight scenes, battles, really cool stuff. We had horse-falls, horses falling on top of us, explosions, some fire, some high-fall stuff, getting blow’ed off of walls, that sort of stuff. A lot of hand-to-hand, close contact, just a lot of action. In 3:10 I do a fight scene with Russell Crowe where he ends up killing me, I haven’t seen that all the way through, either. Hand-to-hand stuff, horse-to-wagon – that kind of thing. APPALOOSA it’s just some hard riding and a couple of little skirmish scenes. Mostly riding. I figure if you can’t see me in any of them – can’t recognize me – I’m doing me job.
ROD: HENRY: You’re in a terrific documentary called REEL INJUN, we see you teaching young Indians to do stunt work. In fact it was Cody Jones, one of your students, who suggested I talk to you. Are you still doing that kind of work?
ROD: You know, I do a lot of things when I’m not on location, shooting something, and that’s one of them. Bringing in some of the younger generation, trying to influence them, to show them there’s something out there besides what’s just at home. In the movie business, because there’s some awesome talent out there, but there’s really not enough exposure for them. So they come down and we teach stuff at the house, play around, do a lot of horse stuff, do a lot of hand-to-hand. There’s a lot of they can learn, not just stunts but camera angles, depth of field, that kind of thing. Hopefully there’s more in it for them, as there is for me, down the road, to move onto the next step, as a stunt coordinator. And perhaps from there a second unit director.
HENRY: Are there any particular stuntmen of the past that you look up to?
ROD: There are some really great people out there. My biggest inspirations are Jackson Sundown and Yakima Canutt, two of the greatest horse people and stuntmen that were in the business.
HENRY: I’m not familiar with Jackson Sundown.
ROD: He was a bronc rider way back in the early days of rodeo, and did three or four films that were really pretty cool. After that there’s guys like Walter Scott, Terry Leonard, a number of guys who are coordinators now, who were some of the pioneers.
HENRY: Do you plan to continue on stunt work and acting?
ROD: Well, I’ve been a stunt man ever since I’ve been in this business; it’s a hard thing to get out of your system, because I enjoy that adrenaline charge, the excitement of it all. I love that all. But I’m going more toward the actor, as I’m getting older. I’m 52 years old now, so I've got to start looking ahead. But I’m still doing everything without an agent. The parts I’m getting kind of accidentally or by word-of-mouth. And I felt like I wasn’t ready to submit a resume’ to anybody that had any clout, as far as representation is concerned. But after MEEK’S CUTOOFF I finally feel like I’ve got enough in my suitcase to take before somebody who’d represent me that’s decent. Someone that’s willing to throw me out there in things that are non-traditional, modern, anything.
HENRY: You’ve been specializing in Western films. Are Westerns something that you love, or is it because you like to work with horses?
ROD: I do like them because of the horse-thing first. I’ve worked with horses my whole life. If I knew I could make the kind of money I make doing stunts with horses, I guarantee you I would have started doing it a lot earlier. To me, it’s not a job, being on a set, whether its stunts or acting. Working with horses, it’s enjoyable for me, it’s something I like to do. And I must be pretty good at it because I’m doing it. Apparently I’m not too bad at it.
HENRY: In REEL INJUN they talk a lot about Indian actors, real or fake. Are there any you particularly like or dislike?
ROD: Some of the early stuff, where people like Rock Hudson or somebody was playing our parts, that’s kind of out there, but we’re moving ahead now, we’re doing more of our own stuff, as opposed to having someone come in and do it for us. In both the stunts and the acting part. Because fifteen years ago they were still painting down stunt guys to be Indians. I’m an advocate of us Indians doing our own things if we have the talent.
HENRY: What other movies have we got to look forward to?
ROD: What’s coming out in July, COWBOYS & ALIENS, and I’m hoping to get a coordinating job for a film called THE LOST WARRIOR. I’m hopeful we can get that off the ground because it’s a pretty good story. It goes from 1860 to the present day. Cody’s mom is doing that. It’s a trilogy, and I’m capable of handling everything involved. And I’ll surround myself with people that know -- who you know and what you know really, really helps.
HENRY: What should I know about you that I don’t?
ROD: About some of the work we’re doing with wild mustangs, with inner-city Indian kids. We’ve got a program called The Red Horse Nation, out of L.A. You should go to my site (HERE for Rod's site, HERE for Red Horse Nation) I’m an advocate of trying to save our wild Mustangs, and anytime we can do that we can be saving our children, and ourselves.

HENRY'S WESTERN ROUND-UP IS NOW ON FACEBOOK!

Just a couple of days ago I started a Facebook page, to make it easier to update my readers when interesting things happen. It's the perfect way to know what Western stuff is happening on a regular basis. Please check out the page HERE, and please LIKE the page (I know, I'm sounding like Sally Field). Not only can you find out what's happening, you can ecpress yur opinions, and post things that we ought to know. Thanks! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Henrys-Western-Round-up/220413291305490








SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL APRIL 27TH – MAY 1ST

This event has been going on for decades, but I attended it for the first time just last year, and I had a wonderful time! There are events at the William S. Hart Mansion and the Repertory East Playhouse in Newhall, but most of the action is Saturday and Sunday at Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch, actually owned now by the Veluzat family, an active movie ranch since 1915. It’s a joy to stroll the western streets, visit the Melody Ranch museum, choose from a wide variety of foods, and listen to music at three different main-street venues.

And then there’s the shopping – western clothes and art for every budget, and for you literate types, there’s The Book Corral, run by the fine folks at the OutWest store in Newhall. A long list of fiction and fact authors will be signing western adventures, histories, and biographies of Tom Mix, Amanda Blake (Miss Kitty), Rex Allen and Warren Oates, and focusing on shows like GUNSMOKE and movies like TOMBSTONE and TRUE GRIT. And I urge anyone who is interested in writing westerns themselves to attend one of C. Courtney Joyner’s talks on ‘breaking in’ -- he’s doing one each day. There’s so much to see and do, and it’s just $20 a day. For more information, go HERE:

TCM FILM FESTIVAL SALUTES ROY ROGERS’ 100TH BIRTHDAY

The Turner Classic Movies Festival is in Los Angeles this week, and will be marking the 100th Anniversary of Roy Rogers’ birth with screenings of several of his films, all in 35mm, all attended by his daughter, Cheryl Rogers Burnett. There are several non-Roy films of interest to Western fans as well. On Thursday April 28th 7:45 pm at the Chinese Multi #4 see UNDER WESTERN STARS. It’s followed at 10:00 pm by CASANOVA IN BURLESQUE, Dale Evans’ last film before starting to work with Roy.

Friday April 29th at the Chinese Multi #1 at 9:30 am see 7 BRIDES FOR 7 BROTHERS, with Jane Powell discussing. At 1:00 pm at the Chinese Multi #4 see COWBOY AND THE SENORITA, with about 20 minutes of songs that had been cut for TV put back in, plus the cartoon DRIP-ALONG DAFFY, and a discussion with Ms. Rogers Burnett.

Saturday April 30th at the Multi #4 at 9:45 am see MY PAL TRIGGER. At Grauman’s Chinese at 12:15 pm see Clint Eastwood in THE OUTLAW JOSIE WALES.

Sunday May 1st at the Egyptian Theatre at noon, see THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN, followed by a discussion with Debbie Reynolds. Passes for the entire, gigantic event cost hundreds of dollars. Each individual movie is $20 a piece if seating is available – I’ve never attended the Festival before, so I can’t honestly tell you your chances of getting in. To find out more, click HERE.



‘TOMBSTONE’ AUTHOR DIES

Screenwriter Kevin Jarre, whose work included the iconic TOMBSTONE (1993) and two other terrific westerns, GLORY (1989) and THE TRACKER (1988)for HBO, has died of heart failure at the age of 56. Among his non-western films were RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II (1985), THE DEVIL’S OWN (1997) and THE MUMMY (1999). Actor Leon Rippy, whose first Western role was as Chub Dumont in THE TRACKER, told me, “He wrote a great western. I didn’t get to hang out with him, but I sure liked that script, and anybody that’ll write a western like that will be missed.” Peter Sherayko, actor and western history authority, who played Texas Jack Vermillion in TOMBSTONE recalled, “He had a great knowledge and respect for American history, and he wanted to do it right. That’s why he wrote those wonderful shows, GLORY and TOMBSTONE, and he spent a year researching the TOMBSTONE script, because he wanted to do it right. He always wanted to do the definitive story on Wild Bill Hickok, and I think he would have done a masterful job. The world is going to miss a great Hickok story.” GLORY will air on TCM on Monday, April 25th from 5-7:15pm, Pacific time.




WESTFEST MIXED REVIEWS

Unable to get to the Palm Springs event myself, I emailed friends who attended to find out how it went. Producer/writer Rob Word thought the event was under-attended, but says those who went had a great time. Author and Western history expert Peter Sherayko took part in panels and book-signings, and says he met some interesting folks. Then I heard from author Julie Ream. “Wish that I had good news on this event. I should have listened to that little ‘inner voice’ on this one…. I, along with many others, are still waiting to be paid for my work on this event. According to the show’s producer, Christopher Burkhardt, he owes more than $100,000.00 in unpaid debt, and claims he can’t pay his outstanding bills. And wants sympathy! I’m speechless, horrified, and seeking legal action…. He has more plans in the works, another rodeo in June…and I hate to see anyone else hurt by this guy.”
(l to r, actor Michael Dante, writer/producers Rob Word, Jim Byrnes)


TARANTINO SPAGHETTI WESTERN IS NO ‘DONE DEAL’

For months the internet has buzzed with claims that Quentin Tarantino would next be directing Christoph Waltz – his Oscar-winning Basterd – in a Spaghetti Western: see my rumor rundown in the Feb. 27 Round-up. On Wednesday, Waltz, talking to Kelly Rippa and Christian Slater on REGIS AND KELLY said, “It’s an interesting story how this rumor came about. The great Franco Nero, the spaghetti western Franco Nero, wanted to make a spaghetti western as an homage to Sergio Leone, and he said it would be great to get a director like Quentin Tarantino for it. And some busy blogger said, ‘Hmm, Tarantino, yeah, well….’” And he pantomimed typing.
To which Kelly Rippa responded, “I bet it’ll make it happen. Sometimes all you’ve got to do is put it out there.”
From your lips to Quentin’s ears…



LONE RANGER LOGO REVEALED!

Okay, there's not any new, hard info on the Jerry Bruckheimer LONE RANGER project beyond the very old news that it'll star Johnny Depp as Tonto. But there is now an official logo. It's something!

3 SAM PECKINPAH DOUBLE-BILLS AT THE AERO!

On Thursday, April 28th, starting at 7:30 pm, the Aearo Theatre in Santa Monica will be showing BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA, followed by THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE. On Saturday April 30th it’s THE WILD BUNCH and CONVOY. On Sunday, May 1st it’s STRAW DOGS and JUNIOR BONNER. For more information, go HERE.





ON THE TUBE

HAPPY TRAILS THEATRE THURSDAY ON RFD-TV

If you can’t get to the TCM Festival to see Roy Rogers, don’t despair. Just turn on RFD-TV on Thursday at 2:30 pm Pacific time to see THE GOLDEN STALLION (1949), directed by William Whitney from Sloan Nibley’s original script, and starring Roy, Dale, Trigger, Pat Brady, Estelita Rodriguez, Foy Willing and the Riders Of The Purple Sage. It’s a story of diamond-smuggling over the Mexican border, and keep your eye out for an old man, played by Chester Conklin, one of the original Keystone Kops.

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

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

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

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

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

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


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

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

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

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

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

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

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

There’s plenty to choose from this week, so you’re gonna have to pick and choose. Hope you’re having a happy Easter, and here’s something to put you in the mood, a Gene Autry song about a fuzzy little bunny -- click HERE.

Happy Trails!

Henry

All Contents Copyright April 2011 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

MEEK'S NOT MILD

When I cut short a phone conversation by telling a friend that I had to get to a screening of MEEK’S CUTOFF, he asked me what it was about. I told him, a lost group of pioneers who meet up with an Indian who might be trying to save them, or might be leading them into a trap. My friend, who is not even a Western fan, commented, “Yeah, like there’s a chance that an Indian in a movie could be the bad guy, leading them into a trap.” He had a point. For most of the history of film, the Indian could be friend or foe, but ever since Iron Eyes Cody stood by the side of the road, crying, while people tossed trash at his feet, the ‘Noble Savage’ image has been pretty-much unbreakable. The good news is, this is a story based on fact, and fact is not nearly as pat, and neat, as fiction.

And MEEK’S CUTOFF is not a neat story – it’s a dusty, sweaty, sore-muscled one, as three wagons of emigrants follow one Stephen Meeks through an endless, baking desert. The story-telling is also not neat, but naturalistic, documentary in style – not in the self-conscious, jerky-camera way, but in the sense that you are watching real people, real events, and no one is casually giving you the back-story. You only see people sullenly on-the-move. It takes some time to gather that they followed Meek off the main path of the Oregon Trail because he claimed to know a shortcut, and it takes longer to learn that he promised to have them delivered in two weeks, but it’s already been five. And if you were going by the word of the pompous braggart Meek, you’d never know that they are lost at all.

Meek is played by Bruce Greenwood, unrecognizable under a mass of beard and mustache which provides him a visage somewhere between Bill Cody and Charles Manson. He seems not a conscious villain, but a fool who doesn’t realize how far beyond his depth he is. But one cannot be sure of his motives. Michelle Williams, Oscar-nominated this past year for BLUE VALENTINE, stars as Emily, the least cowed of the pioneers, and Will Patton plays her husband, Solomon.

As the days and weeks stretch on, water getting scarce, and only ten-year-old Jimmy (Tommy Nelson) still finding Meek’s tales inspiring, things are becoming desperate. Then, to add to the growing panic, with all the men off searching for water, Emily spots an Indian watching her! In one of the films most strikingly real moments, she runs back to the wagons to get a rifle and fire a signal – two shots in the air. But because it’s 1845, the rifle is a muzzle-loader, and even moving as quickly as she can, the process of putting shot and wad and powder down the barrel, ramming it home, priming the hammer and firing – and doing it twice – takes what seems like forever, all without a cut.

After much supposition about what the Indian wants -- Meek’s guess being to skin them all alive -- Meek and Solomon capture the Indian (Rod Rondeaux) and lead him back to the camp. In a situation which must have happened often but is rarely dramatized, the pioneers are completely unable to communicate with the Indian, or he with them. We understand what the pioneers want: water, and not to be killed in their sleep. Meek wants to kill the Indian then and there, but the others have no faith in him anymore, and think the Indian may lead them to water. Rondeaux gives an ominous and frequently chilling performance as the enigmatic Indian. His long speeches are sometimes offhand, and often seemingly bitter, and we are often as maddened as the pioneers who cannot fathom what he is saying. Will they let him lead them? If they do, where will he take them?

The look of the film, shot by first-time-feature cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt, is often striking. Comparisons will be made to Terrence Malick’s DAYS OF HEAVEN (1978), for all the women in bonnets doing hard labor, and he manages to communicate the horrid monotony of the situation without making it monotonous to watch – from arid and dusty riverbeds to compositions that bring Charles Russell to mind. There are painfully beautiful shots of the moon shooting through the clouds.

The most visually arresting sequence involves the lowering of a wagon down a hill, beautifully shot by Blauvelt, and directed and edited by Kelly Reichardt. Reichardt, whose previous films include WENDY AND LUCY (2008) and OLD JOY (2006), and screenwriter Jon Raymond, have clearly set out to tell a story that may occur in the ‘West’ without being a traditional ‘Western.’ To a great extent, they succeed, but ironically, though there is little gunplay, what there is is among the most memorable scenes. And the most heart-grabbing moments are the iconically Western images of a watchful Indian glimpsed on a horse, then suddenly disappearing.

And there are some basic rules to filmmaking that are true for any genre, and those rules are broken at the filmmaker’s peril. Just as we know that if you show a gun, you need to fire it eventually, if you show a very pregnant woman in a lost wagon-train, she had better give birth or have a miscarriage at some point. And if, while lost in the desert, you find gold, and mark it for your return, you’d better return, or say something about it.

My biggest complaint is that with such a tiny cast – nine people – several had very little to do. Paul Dano, so good in LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE and THERE WILL BE BLOOD, does little more than calm down his hysterical wife, played by Zoe Kazan. The third couple, Shirley Henderson and Neal Huff, get even less.

I enjoyed this movie, but I do caution you that it is not a traditional Western, and when the lights went up at my screening, I heard an incredulous, “That’s it?” from more than one voice. While it is all well done, not enough happens. While the comparisons to Malick are obvious, the director whose naturalism it brought to my mind – and I consider this a major compliment – is D.W. Griffith. He did RAMONA effectively in 17 minutes. He would have told MEEK’S CUTOFF in two reels at most.









SPAGHETTI WESTERN FESTIVAL DRAWS STARS AND THE STAR-STRUCK

On Saturday, March 19th, the First Los Angeles Spaghetti Western Festival was held at the El Portal Theatre, in North Hollywood. The event, the brainchild of John Antoniou, brought together fans, filmmakers, video-sellers, and seven stars of the genre: Robert Woods, Mark Damon, Richard Harrison, Brett Halsey, Jack Betts (known onscreen as Hunt Powers), Michael Forest and Dan Van Husen. One of the most startling aspects of the phenomenon of Spaghetti Westerns is that, while the American film industry has been making westerns for eight years more than a century (counting 1903’s GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY as the first), Spaghetti Westerns started in 1962 with SAVAGE GUNS, and petered out around ten years later. I don’t know if anyone has counted how many American Westerns there are, but in one decade, the Italians made six hundred! So all the leading men we see are roughly the same age, because they are the only generation of Spaghetti Western stars.

The program began with a 10:30 a.m. screening of GATLING GUN starring Robert Woods. To read my review of the film, click HERE. To buy the DVD from Dorado Films, CLICK HERE.

The screening was followed by a Q&A with star Robert Woods, which was conducted by Tom Betts, editor of the influential magazine and now site, Westerns All’Italiana.
http://westernsallitaliana.blogspot.com/

Among the insights revealed was the reason Woods did most of his own stunts. “I’m so tall (6’7”) that there were no Italians tall enough to double me, so I did all my own stunts.” One of the roughest looking scenes in GATLING GUN is when Woods is dragged by a horse. “I had a sled, under my shirt. It was a breast-plate, a wooden piece that fit over your chest, but with all the twists and turns I was pretty bruised, I’ve got to tell you.” To read my interview with Robert Woods, CLICK HERE.

“The first (Spaghetti Western) I did was in 1963, and that one was bought by MGM. When they saw that there was a market – an American market – for these films, that’s when they came to America to get actors, when Leone came. He wanted Bronson, but Bronson wanted too much money. Then they wanted Eric Fleming, but he was already doing a film, and he called up (his RAWHIDE costar) Clint Eastwood and said, ‘Get over to the Beverly Hills Hotel, they’re casting a film.’” Woods was longer in Italy than most of the others, living in a little colony of American actors. “I was there for 16 years, from 1962 to 1978.”

Next there were trailers, then a screening of DEAD MEN DON’T COUNT, which is available on DVD from Wild East Productions – CLICK HERE to learn more.

This screening was followed by a Q&A with the film’s star, Mark Damon, again conducted by Tom Betts. For some reason, Damon played a lot of characters with the same first name. “I was Johnny in this one, then Johnny Oro, then Johnny Yuma.” Damon won the audience over by asking, “You all clapped a lot, and I wonder if it’s because you really enjoyed this picture, or because you probably knew I was in the audience, and that I was going to talk afterwards.” After our applause convinced him we really like the movie, an early ‘buddy’ picture with Anthony Stephan, he continued. “I did this movie about forty years ago, and since then I’ve acted in another five or six pictures, and quit, and since then I’ve produced seventy pictures and distributed about 300, and I tell you, you forget. Most of what I saw tonight I don’t remember having done. I thought it was kind of cute, actually. I don’t remember seeing it at all. Anthony Stephan was a great guy who was very much a loner, very closed. And very wooden, yes.” Incidentally, among the films Damon has produced are 9 1/2 WEEKS, DAS BOOT, LOST BOYS, THE NEVERENDING STORY and MONSTER, which won Charlize Theron her Oscar.

Looking back at Spaghetti Westerns, one thing that strikes Damon is, “…how many of those films were forerunners of some of the great movies of today. So many movies that had great success afterwards, that were not westerns, were based on so much of what happened in those Spaghetti Western years. The director of this particular film I had not known before, a Spanish director, and what I saw tonight was very interesting, because he had a great eye. Some of the scenes, where you have the bad guys running off in the distance, (seen through) this boy’s legs just swinging – you had a lot of those nice touches. So many of the directors that I have worked with were really very talented. They tried to do much more than was necessary. I was actually very pleased to see this film. Much better than I thought. The title, in Italian, means something different. DEAD MEN DON’T COUNT. In Italian, the title means ‘There Are So Many Dead Men That You Can’t Count Them.’ More dead in this film than in almost any other Western ever!”

Next there were more coming attractions, then the one whose runaway success started it all, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, the film introduced by David Frangioni, author of CLINT EASTWOOD ICON: THE ESSENTIAL FILM ART COLLECTION. Following this was the highpoint of the event, a panel discussion, moderated by Tom Betts, with all of the guests. One of the first questions raised was how each of the guests got into the business of Spaghetti Westerns.

MARK DAMON: I had been acting in America for some years. I went to Italy to do a picture – it was cancelled, I was stuck there. Then I went off to do a picture called THE LONGEST DAY, in Paris. And met a guy, a director named Sergio Corbucci, who said, “You did The Longest Day, right?” I said, “Si.” He said, “Why don’t you come and do a picture for me?” “What’s the name of the picture?” He said, “THE SHORTEST DAY.” It was a spoof on The Longest Day. I believe I’m the only actor in the world who appeared in both The Longest Day and The Shortest Day. Corbucci and I became friends – he was a great director – great, fun comedy director. Of course, all of us here know who Sergio Corbucci was. One day he says, “I’m gonna do a Western. Why don’t you do it?” I said, “Well, I’ve never ridden a horse before.” He said, “You’ll learn.” I said, “Western heroes are usually tall and blond. I’m not tall and I’m not blond.” “It doesn’t matter.” “Why do you want me?” “You’re American.” I said, “That’s the only reason?” He says, “I like you. And you’re American.” Because at that time you had to have American names as stars of Westerns, because they figured that if they had an American name, whether he was a big name or not, they could sell the movies to America. I had never been in a Western before, never rode a horse before, but I got a start simply because I had an American name.

ROBERT WOODS: I was working at a theatre in Paris, I was doing Checkov’s THE CHERRY ORCHARD. A producer came to see it, and he offered me a movie. At the time I said no thank you. The next dy he came with a contract for five pictures, with money I could only dream of. I said, yes that’s how it all began, in Barcelona.

MIKE FOREST: I went to Italy in ’68. There was a film that was going to be done, and I thought if I was there, I’d have a good chance at getting it. It was 100 RILFES, Raquel Welch, Jim Brown, and as luck would have it, I was on that film for three months. We shot it in Spain, and that was the beginning of my career in Italy. Prior to that, though, I had been working in dubbing. And I did an awful lot of what we called ‘dubbage’ in those days.

HUNT POWERS – How I got to Rome, and became Hunt Powers (instead of Jack Betts). It was because of a phone call I made. I was on my way home, stopped off to call my agent Paul Kohner, he said there was an Italian producer who had been in New York for three weeks, can’t find an actor. If you want to drop by… I was there in ten minutes! By then (director) Franco Giraldi had seen some of my stuff, and he spoke very, very little English. But we instantly had a connection. He said to me, “Do you ride the horse?” I said, “Yes, I ride all the time.” I had never been on a horse in my life. He said, “Do you shoot a gun?” I said, “Si. I’ve won several prizes for sharp-shooting.” I’d never had a gun in my hand in my life. But there was something about the meeting between the two of us. And he said, “Can you be in Rome Tuesday at Cinecitta Studios?” I said, “Yes, I can.” He said, “I have only one thing, I never make a decision without my wife. We’re leaving for Rome tonight. Would you mind coming by the hotel to meet my wife and finalize the casting?” I went to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, knocked on the door, and this gorgeous blonde opens the door, and says, “Madonna! It’s Sugar Colt!” Instantly, like that. So the next day I called (a friend) and told him, you’ve got to teach me how to get on a horse!

Moderator Tom Betts pointed out that one of the pleasures of watching a Spaghetti Western was watching our own history from a different point of view. “It’s a European view of our history. I always like them because they showed a roughness, where in a lot of American films, you went into a town, all the building were clean. In the real West, people had to struggle, they didn’t have things being shipped out, they had to make it from what they had. The faces were burned from the sun and hard work, and that’s what shows up here, because they used people who lived (in the villages), so it’s a rougher, maybe truer view of what our west looked like.”

HUNT POWERS: A lot of people don’t realize that these were actual villages. These weren’t sets. They didn’t have telephone wires and TV antennas – even though they look like elaborate sets, the Spanish villages were Spanish villages. The Western towns were built, but the villages were actual villages, and the people who lived there were extras.

RICHARD HARRISON: I loved Italy in the ‘60s, and into the ‘70s. It was the most fantastic place I’d ever been – it was like a little child going to Disneyland. I suppose we were there at the best time. For me it was everything was wonderful, the food was wonderful, people treated us like royalty. I learned one thing though, when they say to you (the Italian phrase that translates to) ‘you are more than a brother to me’, watch out!

MARK DAMON: He’s absolutely right. I remember getting the feeling that the national game among most of the Italian movie-makers was who can you screw the most, who is the closest to you. Other than Sophia Loren. But Richard is right – it was such a magic time, we were treated like Magnificent Strangers (the original title for A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS) -- bigger than life American actors. One of the differences I remember is that if a film role came up for an Italian, and he couldn’t do it, he wouldn’t tell anyone. But if a film role came up and an American couldn’t do it, he’d call up other Americans. We were very close that way.

HUNT POWERS: It was truly delightful to live there – it changed my entire life. La dolce vita. The whole way I live, the way I thought about life. The Italians taught me one thing, in work, play, in play, work. The most important thing to Italians is this moment, right now. Enjoy the moment – the work, the lunch – truly la dolce vita. I miss it very much.

ROBERT WOODS: What I loved about making films in Italy is that it was collaborative. In American filmmaking in general, everything was segregated. You move a light and the grip will kill you. There, everybody collaborates to do a film. Granted, on a low budget, but still we all worked together to get a good result. Every time I left a shoot, after eight or ten weeks of work, I felt like weeping, because these were people I might not see again, and we were a family. If you ever get a chance to go to Europe, the lifestyle is so much healthier. I love America – I’m American – but I’m telling you, the way they live life is the way we all should.

MIKE FOREST: Someone once asked me, what was it like to be in Italy for ten years? I said I was on a party for ten years. It really was – it was like being at a party. Playing – I played a lot of tennis and golf in those days, you were working or you were having a few drinks and dinner and so forth, it was a wonderful time.

MARK DAMON: Very first picture I did in Italy, I had a character, that I decided to give an Irish accent to, so I worked a week, perfecting my accent. And I remember my first day I had a big speech, walking and talking, and I had it down pat, and I couldn’t wait to start. So I start walking, talking, walking – and suddenly I realize that there’s no boom. There was no recorder. I said, “Stop! Where’s the sound?” The guy looks at me like I’m crazy. They explain to the director, who didn’t speak English. And he says, tell the boy to relax. We do all the dubbing afterwards, we don’t care what he sounds like.

Tom asked the group if there was ever trouble with stunts.

RICHARD HARRISON: I admired the stuntmen. I didn’t have to do any stunts, and it’s a stupid thing for actors to do stunts.

ROBERT WOODS: Thank you.

RICHARD HARRISON: I went to the hospital many times. And I saw a lot of people killed. Because as you all know, they really didn’t have many safety precautions. I remember in one film, I had a hatchet I was supposed to throw at a mob, so I go like that (makes a throwing gesture, freezing with the hand extended), I stopped with the hatchet like that. The director said, “What are you doing?” “I can’t go any further.” “Why not?” “Because I can’t really throw the hatchet!” “Why not? They’re only extras.”

MARK DAMON: I remember how they used to have horses fall. These days they have ways to bend down and (make it look like they trip). Then they would just put a wire across, so the horses would really stumble, break legs and everything. It was the beginning of stunt work in Westerns, sword and sandals. And like Richard said, in every single picture I did, I got hurt. And one of the reasons was, I wanted to show the crew that I was macho enough to do some of my own stunts. Being just a mediocre athlete, I pushed myself, to be as good as I could, to show what I could do.

BRETT HALSEY: When I started off making the sword-fighting pictures, (the stunt men) were masters, but when we got to the Westerns, we had to show off. I remember one time I had a scene where I ride a horse right in front of a train, bad guys are chasing me, and I said I can do it. Then when I saw the dailies, it could have been my wife, the figure was so small.

When asked if anyone ever had trouble getting paid, EVERY hand went up.

MARK DAMON: They would offer you something called cambiati, which we all know about. It’s a promissory note – it means you’re supposed to pay at a certain time. You say, “You don’t have the money to pay me now. What if you don’t have the money to pay me then?” He says, “You sue us.”

ROBERT WOODS: And by then they’ve changed their company name.

Why did the genre end?

MARK DAMON: You could make Westerns very cheaply, that sold very very well overseas, and you could make a lot of money. So what happened was, 80% of the production in Italy at that time were Westerns or action pictures. And people just got tired of them. There were just too many, and the quality got worse and worse, and there are just so many ways to tell a Western (story). And in about 1970, ’71, I wasn’t getting any mnore offers for any kind of picture. They said, “Well, you’re a capelloni – a guy in a ten gallon hat” – and the fact was we were all typed as that, and most of us had to seek others areas. I quit acting and went into distribution. Now suddenly it’s all come back, and spaghetti westerns are considered classics, and their stories are being (re)told in so many different ways. I don’t think the Western, as such, will ever come back.

ROBERT WOODS: Tarantino changed everything by using spaghetti Western influence – it’s in all (of) Tarantino’s work. This kind of genre still works, whether it’s modern or it’s Western.

DAN VAN HUSEN: They’re starting to make remakes of some of the Spaghetti westerns. This year I’m in the remake of a Western called CUTTHROATS NINE, with Harvey Keitel, and it’s going to be filmed in Canada. At the same time, I’m talking about a western by Danny Garcia, DOLLARS FROM HELL, so they’re doing Westerns again. (Dan and Brett Hallsey are also both in THE SCARLET WORM).

ROBERT WOODS: I’ve had so many close calls: I fell off a water-wheel on SEVEN GUNS FOR THE MACGREGORS on my back – some really awful stuff. But I loved it! The honest truth was, it was fun; it was all playing cowboys and Indians.

After the panel, there was a signing for David Frangioni’s book, and band The Insect Surfers played a tribute to the classic scores of Ennio Morricone. It was a great event, and all that attended hope that it is only the first of many. If you’d like to get a feel for the event, CLICK HERE to see a brief but excellent video by Salvatore Seberganido.

And speaking of tributes to Morricone, at the event I met a composer named Chris Casey, who gave me a CD of his music. I’ve been listening to it a lot while writing this piece. If you’re in a good, or a bad, or an ugly mood, and you’d like to take a listen, go HERE.

(Spaghetti Western pics: Robert Woods; Mark Damon; Mike Forest;Robert Woods, Mark Damon and Richard Harrison; Brett Halsey and Hunt Powers; Hunt Powers, Mike Forest, Dan Van Husen)



“IF THEY MOVE…KILL ‘EM.”

Today, Sunday April 17, 2011, would have been the 93rd birthday of actor William Holden, who died far too young, at the age of 63. Holden, who won his Oscar for STALAG 17 (1954), and was nominated for SUNSET BOULEVARD (1951) and NETWORK (1977), was wonderful in every kind of film, from sports stories like GOLDEN BOY (1939) to war movies like BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957) to sophisticated comedies like SABRINA (1954), but he certainly excelled in Westerns. For many, his most indelible performance was at Pike in THE WILD BUNCH (1969), but among his others were ARIZONA (1940), TEXAS (1941), THE MAN FROM COLORADO (1948), STREETS OF LAREDO (1949), ESCAPE FROM FT. BRAVO (1953), THE HORSE SOLDIERS (1959), ALVAREZ KELLY (1966), THE WILD ROVERS (1971) and THE REVENGERS (1972).

As part of their series on the Civil War, TCM will be showing a double bill of his best on Monday night, starting with THE HORSE SOLDIERS at 10:00 p.m. Pacific, followed at 12:15 a.m. by ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO.



PAUL HARPER OF ‘THE WILD BUNCH’

Unless you’ve been reading the Round-up almost from the very start, you haven’t read my piece about actor Paul Harper, who played Ross, one of the bounty hunters in THE WILD BUNCH. You can read it HERE.

http://henryswesternroundup.blogspot.com/2010/02/western-events-spaghetti-and-otherwise.html

Yesterday I was surprised and delighted to hear from Oregon Sue, who writes Daily Drivel HERE.
www.OregonSue.blogspot.com.

She’d been searching online for a picture of Paul, and the one she found led her to my write-up. She tells me, “Paul was a friend of ours, and a very funny man. He gave my husband a hat William Holden wore in THE WILD BUNCH. Something you may not have known about him, he was a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for L.A. County. To make his part in The Wild Bunch more “exotic,” for a better word, the studio offered him $20,000 to have all his teeth pulled. He did. Then later he did those Pace (Picante Sauce) commercials – “Get a rope!” – where he snickered and showed off his lack of teeth! Just fyi.” I hadn’t realized that it was Paul Harper driving the wagon in the Pace Picante Sauce commercial, but I found it HERE.

And when I looked at a few more of them – people post everything on Youtube – I was surprised and delighted to learn that at least two other Pace commercials featured cast-members from THE WILD BUNCH! To see Bo Hopkins, click HERE.

To see Dub Taylor, click HERE.

I wonder if the folks at Pace did it on purpose?

EASTER-EGG HUNT WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY!

Los Encinos State Historical Park will be holding their traditional Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 23rd, from 1 pm to 3 pm. In addition to eggs, they’ll have traditional games, a blacksmith, old time music, tours of the historic adobe and performers in period costume. Admission is free. Donations are welcome. Please bring your own baskets.
The Egg Hunts will be grouped as follows:
1:00-1-3 y ears old
1:30: 4-6 years old
2:00: 7 years and up
Los Encinos State Historic Park is located at 16756 Moorpark in Encino, East of the intersection of Balboa and Ventura Blvds.

THE CIVIL WAR LIVES ON TCM!

On Wednesday, April 20th, Turner Classic Movies continues their examination of the War Between The States with a second night of Civil War-themes Westerns. At 5:00 pm it’s ALVAREZ KELLY (1966), directed by Edward Dmytryk from a script by Franklin Coen, and starring William Holden, Richard Widmark, Patrick O’Neal, Don ‘Red’ Barry and Harry Carey Jr. At 7:00 pm Michael Curtiz directs Errol Flynn, Randolph Scott, Miriam Hopkins, Humphrey Bogart and everyone else under Warner Brothers contract in VIRGINIA CITY (1940). There’s a rousing Max Steiner score, Charles Middleton (Ming the Merciless) as Jefferson Davis, and keep your eyes peeled for Tarleton twin and future man of steel George Reeves as a telegrapher. At 9:15 it’s THE SIEGE AT RED RIVER (1954), directed by Victor Mate’ from a Sidney Boehm screenplay, about the battle for possession of a Gatling gun. It stars Van Johnson, lovely Joanne Dru, Richard Boone before he was Paladin, and Milburn Stone before he was Doc. At 10:45 pm it’s GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING (1956) directed by Jacques Tourner, starring Robert Stack, Alex Nicol, Virgina Mayo, Ruth Roman and Raymond Burr. At 12:30 am, HANGMAN’S KNOT (1952), written and directed by Roy Huggins, with second unit direction by Yakima Canutt, stars Randolph Scott, Donna Reed, Lee Marvin and Claude Jarman Jr. Finally, at 2:00 am it’s DEVIL’S DOORWAY (1950), directed by the outstanding Anthony Mann, starring Robert Taylor, Louis Calhern, Edgar Buchanan and Paula Raymond, and featuring costumes by Walter Plunkett, and more 2nd unit by Yakima Canutt. All times are west-coast.

HAPPY TRAILS THEATRE ON RFD-TV

On Thursday, April 21st, from 2:30 pm to 4 pm, Roy and Dale and Pat Brady fight Roy Barcroft and hoof-and-mouth in DOWN DAKOTA WAY (1949), directed by William Whitney from a script by John Butler and Sloan Nibley.




THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

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

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

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

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

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


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

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

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

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

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

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

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

Well Pardners, it's 1:30 in the a.m., so I'm going to post this now, and tomorrow I'll put up the pictures, and a few more items.

Have a great week!

Henry

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

THE CONSPIRATOR - OR WAS SHE?

THE CONSPIRATOR - REVIEW

Back when I was in school, the history of the assassination of Lincoln had been so simplified (or dumbed down) that we were never told that there was a conspiracy – I thought that John Wilkes Booth was a lone lunatic. This movie should be seen by many, but I especially hope it’s a homework assignment for America’s school-kids, because it gets the history right, and is always compelling.

I am told that the current generation of moviegoers thinks of Clint Eastwood as a director rather than an actor, and I wonder if it’s true of Robert Redford as well. Simply put, Redford has become one of our finest directors. He’s long wanted to do a story centering on the Lincoln assassination, and at one point optioned MANHUNT, the excellent book by James L. Swanson detailing the twelve-day hunt for the president’s killers. Frankly, I wish he’d filmed that one instead – it was full of action and fascinating detail.

But THE CONSPIRATOR is very good, and before it becomes a courtroom drama, there is considerable action, from a glimpse of a Civil War battle, to the conspirators’ attempts to bring down the government by simultaneously killing Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Secretary of State William Seward – and they came damned close to succeeding.

James McAvoy, who made a splash as Mr. Tumnus in the first NARNIA movie, and who was excellent as Idi Amin’s personal physician in THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND plays Frederick Aiken, the War Hero-lawyer assigned to defend Mary Surratt, accused den-mother of the conspirators. Robin Wright, de-glamorized, plays the soft-spoken, infinitely sad Surratt, and McAvoy, assuming her to be guilty, only takes on her case with the greatest reluctance. But his belief in her innocence grows, along with his outrage that she is being tried by a military court, that his witnesses are being tampered with, and his belief that she is being railroaded to the gallows because the government can’t get their hands on her elusive son, who is undoubtedly guilty.

Though one knows inevitably how the tale must end (and if you don’t know, I shan’t spoil it for you), the suspense within the backroom legal maneuverings, and the courtroom scenes, are masterfully handled. Aiken’s summation to the trial board is taken word-for-word from the trial transcripts, and that sort of accuracy and authenticity is engrained in the legal scenes. The location-work, photography by Newton Thomas Sigel, production design by Kalina Ivanov and art direction by Mark Garner, creating Civil War Washington D.C. in Savannah, Georgia is wonderfully moody, atmospheric and evocative. In addition to McAvoy and Wright, there are several other strong performances. Tom Wilkerson is excellent as Senator Reverdy Johnson, who by turns bullies and cajoles Aiken into defending Surratt – as a Southerner himself, he knows he could do her no good before a hostile Union military court. Kevin Kline as Secretary of War Edwin Stanton – nearly unrecognizable in his make-up – is chillingly direct in his wish to see Mary Surratt hanged, working with Danny Huston, excellent as Prosecutor Joseph Holt. In fact, it is these three, all of whom you are expected to dislike to varying degrees, who give the most dynamic performances.

Sadly, some of the others are disappointing, not primarily a fault of acting but of writing – one senses that writers James D. Solomon and Gregory Bernstein threw their hearts and souls into the trial, and let the more personal stories go with a first draft. Justin Long, of JEEPERS CREEPERS and LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD fame, plays a fellow war-hero lawyer. Alexis Bledel of GILMORE GIRLS plays Aiken’s love interest, and she has an ethereal quality that makes her look perfect in period pictures. But while we see them throughout the movie, their roles never vary. At the beginning, they tell Aiken he’s crazy to take on Mary Surratt, and they repeat this at measured intervals until the end. In fact, despite a lot of huffing and puffing and threats, the only actual change to Aiken’s situation is that his membership at a club is terminated. Except for Aiken, no one in this movie ever changes their mind about anything, which makes for considerable monotony.

Evan Rachel Wood plays daughter to Mary Surratt, sister to John, and the writing of her speeches rarely rises above the obvious and insipid. John Wilkes Booth, a devilishly handsome matinee idol of his day, who used his attractiveness and celebrity to seduce women and draw men to his conspiracy, is played by Toby Kebbell. While his brief performance is fine, and he has usually looked handsome in other films, as he looks here, he’d have trouble getting laid in a whorehouse. It’s an error that surprises me from Redford, who certainly knows how important looks can be to a character. The casting of the conspirators, who included a 6’6” giant with movie-star looks, and another with almost no chin, are generic and disappointing

Even for someone who’s pretty well-read on the assassination, there are a number of surprises in the race to the finish, which I have been assured are historically accurate. And the implication of the Catholic Church’s involvement is fascinating. (Not even mentioned in the film is the fact that John Surratt was hiding out in Rome, at the Vatican, as a guard for Pope Pius IX!) Historians to this day are split on the question of Mary Surratt’s guilt or innocence. At one point early on, Aiken mentions the conspiracy, and Mary Surratt reveals to him that the original plan of the conspirators was not an assassination, but a kidnapping of the president, which is in fact correct. While I think we were to take this moment as a sign that Mary Surratt is opening up to Aiken, to me it meant something quite different. To me it meant that she was aware of the conspiracy early on, and did nothing to prevent its work. To me, that made her part of the conspiracy. Rope, please?

Incidentally, President Lincoln would probably be astonished to know that two films about him were made one after the other, with Southern capitals standing in for the District of Columbia. This film was shot in Savannah, Georgia. Currently shooting in New Orleans, Louisiana, is ABRAHAM LINCOLN – VAMPIRE HUNTER, produced by Tim Burton, and featuring a friend of the Round-up, Eric Spudic. I’m not sure how tight the history’s going to be on this one.

(Photos, top to bottom: CONSPIRATOR poster; Mary Surratt; John Surratt, in his Zouave uniform, as a guard for the Pope; conspirator Lewis Payne; Mary Surratt's boarding house today, now a Chinese restaurant; KILL THEM ALL AND COME BACK ALONE poster; RAMONA Pageant poster; large open area where Ramona is performed, hacienda on the right; poster from RAMONA film; John Wayne's eye-patch; John Wayne's hat; collection of John Wayne's scripts;Debbie Reynolds in HOW THE WEST WAS WON; GWTW, featuring Scarlet in the curtain-dress; LONELY ARE THE BRAVE title card; Noon Day - Chippeway Chief; Red Bird - Chippeway Chief)

KILL THEM ALL AND COME BACK ALONE – VIDEO REVIEW

In one of those remarkable coincidences, I have just learned from the Tom Betts' Westerns...All'Italiana! site that today, April 10th, would have been Chuck Connor's 90th birthday! What an ideal time to review one of his movies. To those of us who grew up watching TV in the late 50s and early 60s, the images of Chuck Connors and Lucas McCain, his character in THE RIFLEMAN, are inseparable. Created by Sam Peckinpah, as the widower raising a son in an unforgiving world, he tried hard not to be grim and stern, but it was often unavoidable. He was a good guy, though surely not a goodie-two-shoes, and that basic seriousness followed him in his subsequent series, western or not: BRANDED, COWBOY IN AFRICA and ARREST AND TRIAL.

That’s why it’s such a delight to watch Chuck playing a cheerfully wicked rogue in his only Spaghetti Western, KILL THEM ALL AND COME BACK ALONE (1969), from Wild East Productions.

If you’re not hooked by this film in the first seven minutes, check your pulse. The coordinated actions of a group of seemingly unconnected men slipping into town drew me in like a magnet. This Civil War-era Dirty Half-Dozen is helmed by the marvelous action director Enzo G. Castellari, whose other Spaghetti westerns include the excellent ANY GUN CAN PLAY (1967) and the legendary KEOMA (1976). His action is always flawless, and the camerawork – especially the camera placement – is always creative, always giving you a little more than just the action, without drawing attention to itself.

Connors plays Clyde MacKay, a mercenary hired by the Confederacy to assemble a team to rob gold from a Union fortress, and in this case, the bosses are as dirty as the bandits. Their orders to Connors on paying off his accomplices once the job is done? “Kill them all, and come back alone.” Also notable in the cast are Frank Wolff as the Confederate Captain who doesn’t trust Connors, Hercules Cortes as the strong-man of the outfit, and Ken Wood as Blade, the stone-face half Indian, half Mexican knife-wielder.

This video also contains special features, one of which is easily worth the price of the disc: an interview with actor/stuntman Ken Wood, whose real name is Gianfranco Cianfriglia. Rather than a sound-bite, this is a forty-five minute monologue, and yes, he speaks Italian throughout, but the translation on the side of the screen is easy to read, and fascinating. Cinafriglia started out as a stunt double for the great Hercules of the movies, Steve Reeves, then went on to stunt for others, as well as to act. He has much to say about the filmmaking process, stunt horses, and directors like Castellari and Sergio Corbucci. He discusses Spanish Westerns versus Italian Westerns – I had thought there was no difference! His opinions of the stars he’s worked with vary widely, among them Burt Reynolds, Franco Nero, Yul Brynner, Lee Van Cleef, Ty Hardin, Guy Madison and Tomas Milian. It’s a look at the Spaghetti Western – as well as the zombie movie and spy thriller – from point of view rarely heard from.

If you, like me, have bought public domain or bootleg copies of Spaghetti Westerns, you know how poor the quality can be. The picture, color and sound quality of KILL THEM ALL, and of all the Spaghetti Westerns I have thus far seen from Wild East, is stunning, and in the original widescreen format. I recommend it highly. It’s Volume #23 of their Spaghetti Western Collection, and you can learn more HERE.

http://www.wildeast.net/

88TH SEASON OF ‘RAMONA’ STARTS APRIL 16TH

I don’t know if most states have an ‘Official Outdoor Play,’ but California does, and it is RAMONA. Based on the tremendous best-seller of 1884 by Helen Hunt Jackson, the story of a half Scottish, half Mexican girl, her marriage to an Indian shepherd, and their cruel treatment at the hands of Americans and their own people, captured the American imagination just as railroad travel was expanding across California, flooding the area with fans who wanted to visit the story’s actual locations. There is much argument about the history, but none about the entertainment-value of the story.

A pageant based on Ramona has been performed in Hemet every year since 1923. This year it will be presented on April 16th, 17th and 30th, and May 1st and 7th. For tickets or more information, call 800-645-4465, or go HERE.

To see a trailer for the event, CLICK HERE.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1305193788369&ref=mf

Incidentally, Ramona has been filmed several times. D.W. Griffith directed the first version in 1910, starring Mary Pickford and Henry B. Walthall, shortening the tale to 17 minutes – TCM shows it from time to time, and it’s excellent. After two more silent versions, in 1936 Henry King directed it in glorious Technicolor, starring Loretta Young and Don Ameche – also excellent. There was a remake done in Mexico in 1946, and in 2000 it was done on Mexican television as a telenovela.

DUKE’S PATCH UP FOR BIDS!

The family of John Wayne has decided to put up for auction more than 400 personal items, from scripts to props to costumes. Proceeds will go to John Wayne Enterprises, which funds the John Wayne Cancer Foundation. Ethan Wayne, son of the actor and president of John Wayne Enterprises explains: “My father’s fans were very important to him. He was open and accessible to them, and making these items accessible to the public is something that feels right. Museums have large collections of my father’s personal property, and our family has had a chance to select and keep items sentimental to us. There is no need to keep all this memorabilia locked away when it can be enjoyed by his fans.”

Among the items to be put up for bid are his eye-patch and Golden Globe from TRUE GRIT(1969), his hat from ROOSTER COGBURN (1975), costumes from SANDS OF IWO JIMA (1949), and more than 50 annotated scripts, including the movie that made him a star, STAGECOACH (1939), plus THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER (1965) and RIO LOBO (1970). The auction will be conducted by Heritage Auctions, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, October 3rd through the 6th. Prior to the auction, the collection will be exhibited in Dallas, Texas September 16th-18th and New York City September 23rd through 25th. To learn more, Heritage Auctions HERE.
http://historical.ha.com/c/press-release.zx?releaseId=2000&ic=rightcolumn-wayne-040711

Coincidentally, on June 18th, at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, Debbie Reynolds, singer, dancer, actress, and owner of the largest private collection of movie costumes and props in the world, will be putting 700 items up for auction. Although it’s known whether any items from her own Westerns, HOW THE WEST WAS WON (1962) and THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN (1964), will be included, she does own the brass bed from the latter, and will be selling the green velvet dress made from curtains for Scarlet O’Hara in GONE WITH THE WIND (1939). To learn more, visit Profiles in History HERE.

http://profilesinhistory.com/press-releases/debbie-reynolds-the-auction-press-release

WHAT IS A WESTERN? FILM SERIES ANNOUNCED AT THE AUTRY

At the Saturday, April 9th screening of a beautiful 35 mm print of THE MAGNIFICENT 7, the once-a-month screenings for the rest of the year were announced. Jeffrey Richardson, who curates the series, and is Associate Curator of Western History and Popular Culture at the Autry, announced the following:
Saturday, May 14th – LONELY ARE THE BRAVE (1962)
Saturday, June 11th - SHANE (1953)
Saturday, July 9th – ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968)
Saturday, August 13th – To be announced
Saturday, September 17th – TOMBSTONE (1993)
Saturday, October 22nd – WINCHESTER ’73 (1950)
Saturday, November 12 – UNFORGIVEN (1992)

After his informative talk about MAGNIFICENT 7 (I thought I knew a ton about the making of the film, but I learned plenty!), Mr. Richardson explained the reason for the August gap in the schedule for the series, which is done in cooperation with UCLA. They had planned to show THE OX-BOW INCIDENT (1943), but have been unable to locate a 35mm print – and they are determined to show only 35mm prints in this series. They’re currently putting their 2012 schedule together, so if you have suggestions – and know where 35mm prints can be had – let ‘em know!

TCM MARKS 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CIVIL WAR

Turner Classics will screen 34 movies on Mondays and Wednesdays during April to mark the Anniversary of the War Between The States. Monday, April 11th will showcase five Civil War silents, the 13th will feature comedies and musicals, and the 18th and 20th will both feature westerns. On the 25th there will be battlefield stories, and on the 27th the topic will be Reconstruction.

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

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

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

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

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

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


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

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

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

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

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

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

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

MUTTERINGS

I swear I'm gonna have the Spaghetti Western Festival piece next week, as well as a review of MEEK'S CUTOFF.

Adios!

Henry

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