Although I haven't gotten a western made yet, there's interest in a western series I've created (on paper). If you'd like to take a look at the sort of things I write, please visit my website, www.henrycparke.com. Thanks for looking!
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Turner Classic Movies for a short piece about Western movie fanatics. See it HERE.
MY ‘TRUE WEST’ COLUMNS
As Film Editor of TRUE WEST MAGAZINE, every month I explore the world of Western film and television. Below are links to my columns, beginning with the most recent.
On July 30th, 2015, I was the guest of hosts Bobbi Jean Bell and Jim Christina on ‘Writer’s Block’, their L.A. TALK-RADIO talk-show about the art and craft of writing. You can click PLAY to hear it, or DOWNLOAD to download it.
ROUND-UP ON THE RADIO!
Last Christmastime I was a guest on AROUND THE BARN, and had a great time talking about the Round-up, my writing, and Gene Autry’s Christmas music. To listen, click HERE.
Other Stuff I Write
While this blog is strictly about Western stuff, I also write another blog, Stalling Tactics, which is about anything else. If you'd like to read my most recent post, COSTUME DRAMA TRAUMA, go HERE.
I first met Doug Butts, Senior Vice President of Programming
for the INSP Network on Saturday, September 22nd, at the Autry.It was a day celebrating the 50th
Anniversary of the TV series THE VIRGINIAN, and eight regulars from the series
were in attendance (you can see my four-part coverage of the event here: Part 1
,Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 )
In addition to the anniversary itself, attendees were
celebrating the fact that THE VIRGINIAN had returned to television that very
day, on INSP.I’d become aware of the
network a year or so before, when they brought THE BIG VALLEY, long unseen,
back to the airwaves, and just recently they had done the same with another
rarely played and excellent Western series, THE HIGH CHAPARRAL.
In fact, INSP’s Saddle Up Saturday is the finest block of
Western programming on basic cable today, featuring the three series mentioned,
as well as BONANZA.I wanted to learn
more about the network, and the man who’d so improved my weekends.
HENRY: What was your first job?
DOUG:Well, I worked
with my father.He was a Pastor for
fifty years, but he also did home renovation, and painting, building decks and
that kind of thing.From the age of
thirteen I worked with him.My very first job, now that I think about
it, is I delivered a newspaper that they don’t even publish anymore, called
GRIT.
H: I remember ads in the back of comics saying, “Boys, sell
Grit!”
DOUG: I started delivering Grit when I was ten years old.That was fun.And then I became a photographer, and that’s
how I got into the TV business.I went
to work at a local TV station, WJJS, Channel 16 in Greenville, South Carolina
as a still photographer.And I found out that I had a pretty good eye
for television.We did a lot of live TV,
which really helped me out a lot.
H: Were you covering news stories?
DOUG: They didn’t have a huge budget, so they were looking
for ways that they could create commercials, without buying expensive
television equipment.A friend that
worked there recommended me, so I went to work there, and I would take
slides.I would go to a jewelry story,
or an appliance store, take photos of their specials for that week, model them
with lighting, take them back to the TV station and edit together a
commercial.I wrote the copy and I
usually did the voice-over work as well.I just kind of jumped in – it was a small local TV station, and they
needed people who could do things, and didn’t cost a whole lot of money.I tell people now, who are getting into the
business, that’s probably a good place to start.Find a local cable operator who does football
games or something like that, and they’ll be giving you all kinds of
responsibility, and you’ll learn the business that way, from a production
side.It’s a good way to start.It’s hard to get into television.Everyone you talk to, they will give you a
different career path.
H: If you’d gone into a field unrelated to entertainment, do
you know what IT would have been?
DOUG: I wanted to be a draftsman.I wanted to be an architect.And actually, after I got into television, it
became a real passion for me, designing sets.I have designed several sets here for this network, and some of them are
still being used.
H: I understand INSP has been around for 20 years, but it’s
had a low profile until now. Why the change?
DOUG: So many people in our society find themselves facing
dark moments with feelings of loneliness and defeat. There is so much in life
to be thankful for. We want to turn on their light. So our brand has changed
and we are all about the celebration of life, family and the need to rely on
our creator and one another.
H: What brought you to INSP?
DOUG: My wife and I were living in Dallas, Texas
in 1994. I was working as a freelance Director/Producer. We wanted to get back
closer to family so I was hired by INSP to direct a live event from Disney
World. After that, they offered me a position. I’ve been with them ever since.
It’s been an incredible ride and very rewarding to be a part of this
organization.
H: What were your favorite Western TV shows and movies
growing up?
DOUG: As for TV I remember watching WAGON TRAIN, RAWHIDE,
BONANZA, GUNSMOKE, THE BIG VALLEY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, THE HIGH CHAPARRAL,
THE VIRGINIAN, THE WILD WILD WEST, and I even liked KUNG FU. As for movies, I still love those old westerns
like SHENANDOAH, WINCHESTER73 or THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE with Jimmy Stewart, SHANE with Alan Ladd. Any
western movie that John Ford directed or John Wayne starred in. RIO BRAVO is one of my favorites. Of course you have to
mention Clint Eastwood’s collections. There are so many to mention. I loved
watching westerns with my dad.
H: I first heard about INSP when you brought THE BIG VALLEY,
long off the air,back. Recently you’ve brought back the long unseen HIGH
CHAPARRAL and THE VIRGINIAN. Is bringing classic western shows back a big part
of your plan?
DOUG: Yes. So far we have a great line up of westerns and plan to continue
offering this brand of programming. So far our viewers love it.
H: What do you look for when selecting a show, western or
otherwise?
DOUG: The goal of INSP is to deliver safe, family-friendly
entertainment. The family and community connection is such an important part of
our daily lives. It is refreshing and rejuvenating to know that you belong. Our
programming highlights these connections with moving stories of hope and struggle,
like The High Chaparral, Bonanza and The Big Valley. Barbara Stanwyck’s character is one who loves
family and community. She will risk all for family and stand up for her friends
and neighbors at all costs. She is an individual of great character, integrity
and warmth. But also one capable of chasing off the bad guys with a Winchester. You can
certainly say the same about Ben Cartwright. We look for period dramas which
focus on telling the story of the family unit. Stories that express loyalty, devotion
and commitment. We feature period pieces like THE WALTONS and LITTLE HOUSE ON
THE PRAIRIE that take you to a different time and place. Helping you to escape
the regular routine. We are blessed to be a part of this great country. We want
our programming to be an enjoyable experience that highlights these
connections. The westerns help us highlight good versus evil. Faith, family and
American life is great. Let’s celebrate life - together.
H: What is the idea behind SADDLE-UP SATURDAY?
DOUG: Saddle Up
Saturday was created to be a place to sit back and just binge view on
westerns, (and it’s) proving to be a viewers’ favorite. As you mentioned we
feature a great line up of some of the most popular TV western dramas in cable:
The Virginian, The Big Valley and The
High Chaparral are exclusive to INSP. We also feature Bonanza, and DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN. We
will also occasionally feature some of your favorite classic western movies in
our Saturday primetime line up in 2013.
H: How is INSP different from other family-friendly channels
like Hallmark or Me-TV?
DOUG: We’ve tried to create a network that viewers can
trust. We call this “lunge-free TV.” People can relax any time of day because
we respect them, and select programs that will be welcome visitors in the home.
We try to foster a spirit of community. As we listen to viewers, we know that
millions are hungry for a simpler, less cluttered lifestyle, and a time when
families were close and heritage was celebrated. Throughout our schedule you’ll
see everything from Westerns and contemporary dramas to situation comedies. But
all programs stay true to timeless values consistent with our Judeo-Christian
heritage. And we constantly look for programs with positive role models and
stories that both entertain and inspire.
Ruta Lee, Doug Butts, Gary Clarke
H: Are we likely to see more movies, western or otherwise,
on INSP?
DOUG: Yes. We will continue to feature western classics and ‘open range’ movies with wide open
spaces on both Saturday and Sunday nights.
H: Have you considered original programming?
DOUG: We are putting plans together to start developing
original content in the very near future. Stay tuned!
H: What are your long-range plans for INSP?
DOUG: To continue offering quality values-based,
family-friendly entertainment. INSP is a great place to land for wonderful and
safe family programming. Viewers who watch INSP are very loyal and we’re
finding that they tune us in and leave us on for long lengths of time. INSP is
a great alternative for inspiring entertainment with heart for family.
Incidentally, INSP is already doing some original
production, one and two minute interstitials under the title MOMENTS.They are thoughtful and
thought-provoking.Their most recent,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, was featured on THE VIEW, on the Friday before
Veterans Day, introduced by Whoopi Goldberg.You can see this, and many other films from INSP’s Moments Initiative
HERE.
HISTORY CHANNEL RE-TEAMS ‘HATFIELDS & MCCOYS’ PRODUCER
& SCRIBE
TEXAS RISING is the tentative title for a six-hour
miniseries about the creation of the Texas Rangers, North
America’s oldest law enforcement body.It will tell the story of the organization’s
start following a call-to-arms by Stephen Austin in 1823, and deal with its
role during the Civil War.It’s being
developed at the History Channel, with Hatfield exec producer Leslie Greif
again holding the reins.Ted Mann, who
co-wrote the Hatfield mini, and was a writer and producer on DEADWOOD, will
script.Ratings powerhouse Hatfield was
nominated for sixteen Emmys, and won five: Outstanding Actor Kevin Cosnter,
Outstanding Supporting Actor Tom Berenger, Outstanding Make-up Francesca Tampieri and Mario Michisanti,
Outstanding Single-Camera Editing Don Cassidy,
and Outstanding Sound Mixing Christian T.
Cooke, Stanomir
Dragos, and Brad Zoern.
ERNEST BORGNINE’S LAST MOVIE, ‘MAN WHO SHOOK THE HAND…’
OPENS DECEMBER 7
Back in July of 2011, when I asked Ernest Borgnine, Oscar
winner for MARTY, and unforgettable in THE WILD BUNCH, when he was going to do
another Western, he laughed, “I'm doing one right now! It's called THE MAN WHO SHOOK THE HAND OF VINCENTE
FERNANDEZ. It's a Western, but it takes place in a nursing home.”
In it, Borgnine plays Rex, a bitter and neglected old man
wasting away in a Latino-staffed nursing home.But his life takes a turn when they learn that he once shook hands with
an idolized Mexican celebrity.The film
also features Barry Corbin, Robert Morse and Larry Minnetti.I’m curious if it’s significant that the
movie opens on Pearl Harbor Day.Though
perhaps best known for MCHALE’S NAVY, he served in our Navy in World War II,
and ironically played a homicidal sergeant in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, in which Pearl Harbor is an important factor.
DID YOU KNOW IT’S NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH?
A few days ago I was watching television, and a commercial
came on, talking about American Indian culture, and mentioning that this month,
November, is officially Native American Heritage Month.I was startled, because here the month is
nearly over, and it’s the first I’ve heard of it!Granted, it’s an odd choice giving them the
month with Thanksgiving, which some Indians celebrate and others consider a day
of mourning.As a schoolteacher, I can
assure you that when it’s Black History Month (February), Hispanic Culture
Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15), you hear about it in the schools!Columbus Day is a huge day for Italian
Americans, and St. Patrick’s Day is a huge one for Irish Americans.It’s always all over television.But the Indians get nothing!Not even a public service announcement!The ad I saw wasn’t a PSA, it was a
commercial paid for by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.If you’d like to see their short film, and
several others they’ve made, go here: http://www.sanmanuel-nsn.gov/
FREE GENE AUTRY DOUBLE FEATURE SAT. DEC. 1 AT THE AUTRY
At noon the Autry will show a free double bill of Autry hits, PRAIRIE MOON (Republic 1938), and THE COWBOY AND THE INDIANS (Columbia 1949).The latter features Gene singing HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS, and co stars Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels just before they were teamed as The Long Ranger and Tonto!Doors open 7:30 pm Event begins at 8:00 pm FREE
Christmas is tied up with traditions and OutWest is starting a new one! Come for an evening of Christmas Tales and Music like you've never heard before-creepy as only Western Fictioneers members can write them. We'll be reading aloud "heart stopping yuletide tales" from this newly published collection and enjoy live music in the same, vein...Cowboy Creepy, Mysterious and Horrific.
Participants include contributing author C. Courtney Joyner, musicians Mike Gaglio, John Bergstrom and Gency Brown, Readers Carol Rock, Jim Christina, and Bobbi Jean Bell.
CREEPY COWBOY CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION IN NEWHALL!
On Saturday, December 1st at 8 p.m., you’re
invited to OutWest, 24265 Main Street, Newhall, California 91321 for Rendezvous
With A Writer, An Evening of Live Readings and Music Featuring Stories from "Six-Guns
and Slay Bells: A Creepy Cowboy Christmas.”Author C. Courtney Joyner will be there to read and sign, and music will
be provided by Mike Gaglio, John Bergstrom and Gency Brown.For more info call: 661-255-7087.
Doors open 7:30 pm Event begins at 8:00 pm
FREE
Christmas is tied up with traditions and OutWest is starting a new one! Come
for an evening of Christmas Tales and Music like you've never heard before-
creepy as only Western Fictioneers members can write them. We'll be reading
aloud "heart stopping yuletide tales" from this newly published
collection and enjoy live music in the same, vein...Cowboy Creepy, Mysterious
and Horrific.
Participants include contributing author C. Courtney Joyner, musicians Mike
Gaglio, John Bergstrom and Gency Brown, Readers Carol Rock, Jim Christina, and
Bobbi J
TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!
And speaking of TCM (okay, nobody was), have I mentioned that the segment I was interviewed for is now viewable here?
THE AUTRY NATIONALCENTER
Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepreneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permanent galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.
HOLLYWOOD HERITAGEMUSEUM
Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywoodwestern, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.
WELLSFARGOHISTORY MUSEUM
This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.
WESTERN ALL OVER THE DIAL
INSP’s SADDLE-UP SATURDAY features a block of rarely-seen classics THE VIRGINIAN and HIGH CHAPARRAL, along with BONANZA and THE BIG VALLEY.On weekdays they’re showing LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, BIG VALLEY, HIGH CHAPARRAL and DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN.
ME-TV’s Saturday line-up includes BRANDED, THE REBEL and THE GUNS OF WILL SONNETT.On weekdays it’s DANIEL BOONE, GUNSMOKE, BONANZA, BIG VALLEY, WILD WILD WEST, and THE RIFLEMAN.
RFD-TV, the channel whose president bought Trigger and Bullet at auction, have a special love for Roy Rogers.They show an episode of The Roy Rogers Show on Sunday mornings, a Roy Rogers movie on Tuesday mornings, and repeat themduring the week.
WHT-TV has a weekday afternoon line-up that’s perfect for kids, featuring LASSIE, THE ROY ROGERS SHOW and THE LONE RANGER.
TV-LAND angered viewers by dropping GUNSMOKE, but now it’s back every weekday, along with BONANZA.
That’s it for another Round-up! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! No one came up with any
Thanksgiving-themed Westerns. It's not too late! Have a great week!
Happy Trails,
Henry
All Original Contents Copyright November 2012 by Henry C.
Parke – All Rights Reserved
Season 3 of HELL ON WHEELS is on hold for the moment,
because there’s no engineer in the locomotive.While the show was renewed by AMC for a ten episode third season, the
contracts of creators/writers/producers Joe and Tony Gayton have not been
renewed.There is some talk that they
may be back to consult.
John Shiban, a writer and producer who made his bones on
X-FILES, and this season wrote four HELL ON WHEELS episodes, and exec produced
the entire season, was announced as show-runner, but less than a week later
bowed out.AMC notes that all of their
series renewals are conditioned on their approval of the show-runner, so the
start will be delayed unless and until a suitable replacement is found.Stand by for details as they become
available.
NEWS ON SEMI-WESTERNS BRIGHTER
There are no such problems for the nearly-westerns that have proliferated around the dial.JUSTIFIED returns to FX with season four on
Tuesday, January 17th. LONGMIRE will be back on A&E next year for
a second season.COPPER will be coming
back to BBC America with an expanded season two – thirteen episodes instead of
ten. There was talk of a possible
HATFIELDS & MCCOYS II, but it’s unlikely, since everyone’s dead.
TWO NEW ‘WESTERN INTEREST’ SHOWS ON THE HORIZON
‘GHOST TOWN GOLD’
There are two new series heading our way which, while not
technically Westerns, should be of interest to many Western fans.One of them, GHOST TOWN GOLD, actually
premiered on Discovery Channel this past Thursday, and will play for five more
Thursdays.It’s a reality show of the
Pawn/Storage/Pickers/Diggers variety, following a pair of ‘present-day
explorers,’ Brit Eaton and Scott Glaves, as they travel the Old West, hunting
through ghost town in search of treasure.
If you’ve watched this genre of show, you know they run the
gamut from the highly entertaining to the painfully forced.My one ‘negative’ about this kind of show is
that I’ve known enough people who’ve worked on them to know that when not
enough great stuff is found in the storage locker or brought to the hock shop,
great stuff is planted.This often gives
the unsophisticated viewer the impression that striking it rich is much easier
than it is.I would hate to see such a
show lead to ghost towns being plundered.
‘WASHINGTON’
NBC is developing a drama about the life of our first
president based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times bestseller WASHINGTON: A LIFE, by
Ron Chernow.It’s to be produced by the
Oscar-winning director of RAIN MAN, Barry Levinson.Levinson, who has a long string of impressive
film and TV credits, going back to writing the CAROL BURNETT SHOW, is currently
exec producer of BBC America’s COPPER.
GEORGE WASHINGTON, as the project is currently titled, is to
be scripted by David Seidler, who earned an Oscar last year for his excellent
THE KING’S SPEECH screenplay.Other producers involved are Gareth Neame of DOWNTON ABBEY,
Jason Sosnoff and Tom Fontana.
Apparently it’s
not going to be about chopping down cherry trees.Seidler says, "There's George Washington
the national icon, gazing out from the dollar bill with his mouthful of
supposedly wooden teeth, and then there's the George Washington who had an
adulterous affair with his best friend's wife.The George Washington obsessed with social status, finely tailored
clothes, his image. Not an icon, a very human human being, who learned how to
lead. That’s the man I want to understand.”
Levinson concurs,
“What’s so interesting is here was a man who was more instrumental to what our
country is today and more famous than any other figure in our history, and yet
no one knows anything about him. We know the myth of the man, but the reality
was he was a flawed and troubled character who overcame his flaws to become one
of the foremost leaders of this nation.”Recalling the tremendous success of the JOHN ADAMS miniseries a couple
of seasons back, this could be a big one.
SPOOK SHOWS
UTILIZE ‘PIONEERCEMETERY’
The PioneerCemetery
in Sylmar is the second oldest cemetery in the San
Fernando Valley.A victim
of neglect and vandalism in the 1960s and 1970s, it’s now managed by the San
Fernando Valley Historical Society, and fixing it up has been an on-going
project.(If you didn’t read my piece
about the SFVHS last July, you can read it HERE .)
Happily, the
cemetery has recently been filmed twice for a pair of reality spook shows, MY
GHOST STORY, which runs on Biography, and a new series, GHOST GIRLS, which
premieres in January.Amazingly, GHOST
GIRLS is a production of the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, which was
D. W. Griffith’s old outfit!The MY
GHOST STORY segment will air the day after Thanksgiving, November 23rd.They’re running two episodes in a row, and I
don’t know which it is, but you may want to check it out on Biography.
6THL.A. SKINS FEST AT THE
AUTRY
Today was the
final day of the L.A. Skins Fest, which highlights Native American
Filmmakers.More than 100 films have
been featured in their programs since the event began.A mix of features and shorts, dramas,
comedies and documentaries were screened.Saturday afternoon’s student films program was hosted by Zahn McClarnon,
one of the stars of LONGMIRE.A program
later that day featured films from the Skins Film Workshop in Agadir,
Morocco by members of the
Amazigh, an Indigenous tribe of North Africa.
from the Native American in Film program
The program I
attended this afternoon featured a wide range of short films.Among the most effective were a pair of
comedies, EAGLEFALLS, directed by Carrie Madariaga, and
RUGGED GUY, written and directed by Jason Asenap, about a young filmmaker who
wants to collaborate on a film with a favorite writer who is a nightmare to
deal with.Also striking is the black
& white RED GIRL’S REASONING, from Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, about a beautiful
chopper-riding Indian woman in the revenge business.It
would be very interesting to see what these folks would do with a feature
budget.
from RED GIRL'S REASONING
‘DR. WHO’ WESTERN AIRS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH
FortBravo, in Almeria, Spain, a core of the spaghetti western world, was just the location for the Almeria Western Film Festival.But it also remains a very active shooting location, and this summer the BBC sent their DR. WHO crew to FortBravo to shoot A TOWN CALLED MERCY.In this episode, Matt Smith, as Dr. Who, becomes the reluctant sheriff of a Western town which is under siege by a cyborg.It’s airing on BBC America on Monday, November 19th, check your local time.
TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!
And speaking of TCM (okay, nobody was), have I mentioned that the segment I was interviewed for is now viewable here?
THE AUTRY NATIONALCENTER
Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepreneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permanent galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.
HOLLYWOOD HERITAGEMUSEUM
Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywoodwestern, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.
WELLSFARGOHISTORY MUSEUM
This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.
WESTERN ALL OVER THE DIAL
INSP’s SADDLE-UP SATURDAY features a block of rarely-seen classics THE VIRGINIAN and HIGH CHAPARRAL, along with BONANZA and THE BIG VALLEY.On weekdays they’re showing LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, BIG VALLEY, HIGH CHAPARRAL and DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN.
ME-TV’s Saturday line-up includes BRANDED, THE REBEL and THE GUNS OF WILL SONNETT.On weekdays it’s DANIEL BOONE, GUNSMOKE, BONANZA, BIG VALLEY, WILD WILD WEST, and THE RIFLEMAN.
RFD-TV, the channel whose president bought Trigger and Bullet at auction, have a special love for Roy Rogers.They show an episode of The Roy Rogers Show on Sunday mornings, a Roy Rogers movie on Tuesday mornings, and repeat themduring the week.
WHT-TV has a weekday afternoon line-up that’s perfect for kids, featuring LASSIE, THE ROY ROGERS SHOW and THE LONE RANGER.
TV-LAND angered viewers by dropping GUNSMOKE, but now it’s back every weekday, along with BONANZA.
That’s it for another Round-up!Happy Thanksgiving!Does anyone know of any good
Thanksgiving-themed Westerns?It seems
to me that there must be a few, but I’m coming up empty.If you can think of any, shoot us a line!
Happy Trails, and hope you get a drumstick,
Henry
All Original Contents Copyright November 2012 by Henry C.
Parke – All Rights Reserved
Back on the 4th
of July, 2010, I wrote an article to give a special nod of gratitude to the Westerners,
both in front of and behind the camera, who did their part to keep us
free.I’m doing an update for Veterans
Day, but I know that there are many names left out, and I would be grateful if
readers will contribute names for inclusion.
Charles Durning
Tom Mix was an artillery sergeant in the Philippine
campaign from 1898-1901. Ken Maynard fought with Gen.
Pershing against Pancho Villa, and served in the
First World War. Hoot Gibson was an Army Sergeant in the Tank
Corps during World War One. With the outbreak of World War One, Tim
McCoy organized a regiment of cavalry, and was commissioned Captain of
Cavalry, later transferred to the Horse Artillery, was a Colonel by age thirty,
and was appointed Adjutant General of Wyoming. He also served in the Second
World War, and again achieved the rank of Colonel. Buck Jones
enlisted in the Army in his teens, served first on the U.S. – Mexico
border, then in the Moro uprising in the Philippines. Buck reenlisted in
World War One, training horses for the Allies. During World War II, Buck took
part in a cross-country series of Bond Rallies. He died with hundreds of others
when a fire tore through Boston’s
Cocoanut Grove nightclub.
Neville Brand
The two most highly decorated American soldiers of the Second World War both
went on to acting careers: Audie Murphy and Charles
Durning. Not far behind in honors was Neville Brand,
who won the Silver Star, Purple Heart, and three Battle Stars among many other
decorations. One of the Hollywood cowboys who did not return from the war was Lee
Powell, U.S.M.C., the screen’s first Lone Ranger, who was killed in
action on Tinian, MarianasIslands.
Among the many western actors who served in the Navy during World War II
were Richard Boone, Ernest Borgnine, Charlton Heston, Earl Holliman,
Kirk Douglas, Strother Martin, Robert Montgomery, Jack Lemmon, Wayne Morris,
Rock Hudson, Paul Newman, Strother Martin, Jeffrey Hunter, Robert Stack,
Richard Jaekal, Lee Van Cleef, GUNSMOKE’s Dennis Weaver, and GUNSMOKE
on radio’s Matt and Doc, William Conrad and Howard
McNear. Harry Carey Jr. was a Navy Medical Corpsman
in the Pacific. Henry Fonda won the Navy Bronze Star for Valor, Jason Robards
Jr. was a radioman on duty in Pearl Harbor when Japan attacked, and Glenn Ford
served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, retiring as Captain in the
Naval Reserve. Humphrey Bogart, who was injured in World War
One, tried to enlist in World War Two, but was turned down because of his age.
Those who served in the Army included John Agar, Charles Bronson,
George Kennedy, Eli Wallach, Robert Mitchum, James Coburn, and Gene
Evans. Forrest Tucker was in the Cavalry, Dale Robertson was in a tank battalion
in North Africa,Burt Lancaster was
in the Army Special Services, and James Arness was wounded at Anzio. Mel Brooks
(we’re counting BLAZING SADDLES as a western), a combat
engineer, cleared German mines after the Battle
of the Bulge. Gene Autry was an Army Flight Officer in the Air
Transport Command.
Those in the Army Air Corps included Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable,
Jack Palance, Ronald Reagan, Lee J. Cobb, Joseph Cotten, Van Heflin, Tim Holt,
Arthur Kennedy, Alan Ladd, Ray Milland, Cameron Mitchell, George Montgomery,
Clayton Moore, Robert Preston, George Reeves, Ken Curtis and Robert
Taylor.Parley Baer, radio’s Chester, was a Captain.Morgan Woodward was in the Air Corps in
World War II, and in the Air Force in Korea.
Among those who served in the Coast Guard were Alan Hale Jr., Buddy
Ebsen, Cesar Romero, Jim Davis and Victor Mature.
And in the Marine Corps were Brian Keith, Lee Marvin, Steve McQueen,
Tyrone Power, John Russell, Robert Ryan, Sterling Hayden and Jock
Mahoney.
Clint Walker served in the
Merchant Marine.
And because actors don’t make movies by themselves, Director John
Ford commanded the photography group of the OSS
and was present when the troops landed on Normandy. Ford left the Navy as a Rear
Admiral. Director Howard Hawks was a Lieutenant in the Signal
Corps during the First World War before joining the Army Air Corps and serving
in France.
Directors George Roy Hill and Sam Peckinpah
were Marines. Directors William Wyler, Sam Fuller, John Sturges
and Don Taylor served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, as did
producers Jack Warner and Daryl F. Zanuck. Writer
and director Burt Kennedy was in the
Army Cavalry.Producer Saul
David served in the Army. And Yakima Canutt, stunt
man extraordinaire, was in the Navy during World War I.
Among those who have served since World War II are Clint Eastwood, Army; Peter
Graves, Air Force; Buck Taylor, Navy;
Luke Askew, Air Force and Navy; Robert Vaughn, Army drill sergeant; Clu Gulager, U.S.M.C., and
James Garner and Ty Hardin, both Army in Korea.
MARK OF THE GUN, ‘NEW’
B&W 1969 WESTERN COMING SOON!
Western fans will soon have the unique opportunity of seeing
a ‘new’ black & white 1969 Western for the first time.Fred
Olen Ray, the talented and prolific director of films like BAD BLOOD: HATFIELDS & MCCOYS and AMERICAN BANDITS – FRANK AND JESSE JAMES, will
be releasing the film to DVD this December.The movie stars Ross Hagen, the
handsome, gravel-voiced character actor that played likeable tough guys on both
sides of the law, in cop shows and westerns.He passed away in 2011.
Ross Hagen
Making his first credited appearance on THE BIG VALLEY, Ross was a busy actor from the mid-sixties, when he
made multiple appearances on series like GUNSMOKE, THE VIRGINIAN and HERE COME
THE BRIDES.He continued throughout
his life, also writing and directing films like MURDER ON THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD (2006), and his final credits
included the Western SHADOWHEART
(2009), and the voice of Landon Ricketts in the RED DEAD REDEMPTION video games.
Hagen
starred in MARK OF THE GUN in
1969.Shot at or around the famed
Iverson Movie Ranch, it’s the only directing credit of actor Wally Campo, who is still active, and
worked frequently for Roger Corman
in the 1960s.Here’s the kicker – it was
shot by one of the greatest cinematographers of all time, Laszlo Kovacs, just before he shot EASY RIDER!
Fred Olen Ray and Ross Hagen worked together on more than
twenty projects.“I bought the copyright
and negative (from Ross’ estate)”, Fred told me.“I couldn’t let it disappear.I don’t know if it ever had a release.There’s no evidence I can find.”Although there is some info at IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312950/),
there are absolutely zero comments, suggesting no one has seen this movie.When Fred releases it in December, there will
be extras, but I don’t yet know what they are.I’ll be back with more details soon.
Just heard from writer/co-director John Douglas Sinclair that HEATHENS &
THIEVES is now available on DVD from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, CD
Universe and Family Video. It’s available streaming video-on-demand at iTunes, Amazon, Bright House, Charter, CinemaNOW,
Comcast, Cox, Dish Network, Google Play, Time Warner, Verizon, Vudu, Xbox Live,
YouTube Movies and Walmart.com.It’ll be
available at Walmart and Redbox some time in December.John and company got a particular kick when
they checked out the YouTube Movie Page ‘Staff Picks’ last week, and found out
they were #1, ahead of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and the TWILIGHT SAGA.
‘SIX-GUNS AND SLAY BELLS’ SIGNING
If you’re looking
for the perfect Western book to both delight and creep out your loved ones,
don’t overlook SIX-GUNS AND SLAY BELLS – you can read my review
HERE.http://www.henryswesternroundup.blogspot.com/2012/10/slay-bells-ring-for-holidays.html.And if you’re in Southern California, and
would like a signed copy one of the authors, Courtney Joyner will be signing at
Dark Delicacies on Friday, November 16th, at 6 p.m. http://www.darkdel.com/
.
TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!
And speaking of TCM (okay, nobody was), have I mentioned that the segment I was interviewed for is now viewable here?
THE AUTRY NATIONALCENTER
Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepreneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permanent galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.
HOLLYWOOD HERITAGEMUSEUM
Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywoodwestern, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.
WELLSFARGOHISTORY MUSEUM
This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.
WESTERN ALL OVER THE DIAL
INSP’s SADDLE-UP SATURDAY features a block of rarely-seen classics THE VIRGINIAN and HIGH CHAPARRAL, along with BONANZA and THE BIG VALLEY.On weekdays they’re showing LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, BIG VALLEY, HIGH CHAPARRAL and DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN.
ME-TV’s Saturday line-up includes BRANDED, THE REBEL and THE GUNS OF WILL SONNETT.On weekdays it’s DANIEL BOONE, GUNSMOKE, BONANZA, BIG VALLEY, WILD WILD WEST, and THE RIFLEMAN.
RFD-TV, the channel whose president bought Trigger and Bullet at auction, have a special love for Roy Rogers.They show an episode of The Roy Rogers Show on Sunday mornings, a Roy Rogers movie on Tuesday mornings, and repeat themduring the week.
WHT-TV has a weekday afternoon line-up that’s perfect for kids, featuring LASSIE, THE ROY ROGERS SHOW and THE LONE RANGER.
TV-LAND angered viewers by dropping GUNSMOKE, but now it’s back every weekday, along with BONANZA.
Veterans Day Weekend is a three-day weekend, so if you haven't had a chance to thank a vet for his or her service, you've got another chance tomorrow. And if you already have, find another to thank. There are plenty of men and women out there who have put their lives on the line to make us free!
Happy Trails,
Henry
All Original Contents Copyright November 2012 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved
At the AMERICAN FILM MARKET, which has packed the hotels of Santa Monica all week,
many of the movies and TV series represented had a notable sameness – case in
point, there are at least four DRACULA movies, three in 3D!There were Westerns, but not a ton of them,
and there surely weren’t many anthology Western series.Truth be told, there never were all that
many, series television always being dominated by continuing characters.Anthology series like DEATH VALLEY DAYS,
which ran for eighteen years, and ZANE GREY THEATRE, which spawned both THE
RIFLEMAN and WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE, had disappeared by the end of the 1960s.But lo and behold, there is a new one represented
at the FILM MARKET: TALES OF THE FRONTIER.
Quietly shooting at some of the more distant Western locales
like White Horse Ranch, Wooden Nickel Ranch, and even the fabled Pioneertown,
director/producer Tino Luciano has put fifteen episodes in the can, and rolls
on a new episode, entitled FATE, on Monday.In addition to being a Chaplain with the Sheriff’s Department of San
Bernadino County, he’s been involved with westerns for about twenty years.He’s been on-camera on the History Channel,
Discovery Channel, and in shows like WILD WEST TECH.“I own a stunt company called Real-Time
Stunts, and all the stunts, the fights, the falls are choreographed by yours
truly.On Wednesday we have a body-drag
being done, one of the bad guys rides into town, and he’s dragging the deputy
behind him.And I will be the
stunt-dummy on that one.My DP has to
step up and play the director role when I’m on the ground.”
When I caught up with him last night, at his home in Apple Valley, I told him
that with a name like Tino Luciano, I’d expect him to make spaghetti westerns.
TINO LUCIANO:(laughs) Not at all.We’re true
to the old west. We started Law Dog Productions in early 2012.I’ve always been involved in Old West
reenactment groups..You ask any of the youth of today who Wyatt
Earp was, and they have no idea.It’s a
terrible thing.But the minute you ask
who Justin Bieber is, they get all goo-goo eyed.I really want to preserve the old west, to
keep the history alive.
HENRY: Are you a big fan of any western series, anthology or
otherwise?
TINO:No, never got
into those.Never watched HAVE GUN, WILL
TRAVEL.I hated BONANZA, WAGON TRAIN
(laughs) – you do know I’m being
facetious, right?We’re going back to
the days of old.One thing is we’re
family-friendly – our goal is to bring families back together to where they can
sit and watch TV, and not have to worry about language, nudity, violence, blood
and guts.Go back to a HAVE GUN WILL
TRAVEL; when somebody got shot, they dropped.Well, I love nothing more than putting squibs on somebody and watching
the chest explode, but we don’t do that on TALES OF THE FRONTIER.
HENRY:Do you have
any continuing characters, or is it a completely different cast for every
episode?
TINO: Out of the fifteen episodes we’ve got in the can, all
of them have different casts except for one.We brought one person back.
HENRY:GUNSMOKE was
originally a half-hour show, then switched to an hour format.I understand, due to the needs of the
marketplace, you made the switch from a half to a full hour as well.
TINO:What we’re
doing right now is putting together a six episode boxed set of hour shows, with
one 30-minute run-time, we’re calling it a bonus.And this is what’s going to be shopped
around, showing what we can do.Instead
of going to a distributor or a network with a treatment on a piece of paper,
saying ‘this is what we’re thinking about doing,’ we actually have product in
hand.This is what we have done, and
this is what we are capable of doing.
HENRY:I’m impressed
that you travel so much for a single episode.I know you have four locations scheduled for this show.
TINO:We definitely
try to get ‘out there.’There’s nothing
worse than watching an episode and it all takes place on the same exact location.They start in the kitchen, and they remain in
the kitchen.I like to bounce around and
get a variety of places.The script
calls for two different towns, and the Wooden Nickel Ranch was kind to us.They let us get in there and dress the set
and build what we wanted to.It’s
actually a horse-boarding and training facility.They have an old town front that they
actually purchased from Audie Murphy’s ranch and brought to their ranch.
HENRY: What is the new episode about?
TINO: FATE is about a town drunk, who receives a second
chance at life; he foils a bank robbery, and goes from town drunk to hero.But then there are some bad men coming after
him, and he has to make a decision: does he run, or does he stand up for this
town.
Amy Jennings, who played Martha, Dr. Sarah’s right hand in
YELLOW ROCK, is the female lead, the town-drunk-turned-hero’s romantic
interest.“There’s a prostitute, and
there’s my character, and we’re both widows.And because of his alcoholism he’s kind of gone down the wrong path.
Tino and I actually met about another project, and he said, ‘I’ve got this
thing going on right now.Would you be
interested?’I’m working with them on a
feature that’s going to be shooting next spring.It’s also a western.And that’s something we’re really just in the
beginning stages of writing.”
Amy Jennings, right with Lenore Andriel at Melody Ranch
I asked Tino about the feature, and he told me, “We’re
slated for principal photography on March the 4th.”Tino told me what it’s about, and it’s a
terrific premise.When he gives me the
go-ahead, I’ll share it in the Round-up.In the meantime, to see the trailer for the TALES OF THE FRONTIER
episode entitled RETRIBUTION, click the link below.
WESLEY SNIPES IS BACK IN ‘GALLOWWALKERS’ HORROR-WESTERN
He won’t be out of prison, for income tax evasion, until the
summer of 2013, but Wesley Snipes has a new movie that just premiered as part
of the UK’s FILM4 FrightFest
in London’s West End.
Shot in Namibia’s breathtakingly beautiful and stark Namib
Desert in 2006, just prior to Snipes incarceration (he was allowed to go back
to Africa and finish the film before entering lock-up), the story follows
Snipes character, Aman, a gunslinger with a curse: anyone he kills will return
from the dead to hunt him, so they’ll presumably have to be killed again,
perhaps frequently.Also in the cast are
BEVERLY HILLS
90210 regular Riley Smith, beautiful Simona Brhlikova of CASINO ROYALE, and
Patrick Bergin, who stars in my film, DOUBLE CROSS.
Check out the trailer!
NEW WESTERN ‘MAGNIFICENT DEATH’ ANNOUNCED AT AFM
Nick Nolte, Jeremy Irons and Thomas Jane will star in A
MAGNIFICENT DEATH FROM A SHATTERED HAND, to be directed by Jane from a script
by Jane and Jose Prendes.In what
suggests a western take on THE FUGITIVE, a former soldier falsely accused of rape
and murder must keep on the run as he tries to discover the truth behind the
crime, and clear his name.Jane told
Dave McNary in VARIETY, “My intention is for the movie to utilize themes that
characterize the classic Western films – of rugged individualism versus civic
duty, of personal valor versus the violence of pre-civil worlds (pre Civil
War?) – to create…rousing entertainment.”
Jeremy Irons, Oscar-winner for REVERSAL OF FORTUNE, made an
impressive Western debut as the lead villain in 2008’s APPALOOSA.Thrice Oscar-nominated Nick Nolte has done
little Western-work aside from a GUNSMOKE episode, but his first lead was in a
1969 WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY episode, ‘The Feather Farm,’ where he played a
cowboy at an ostrich farm, and did a damned fine job of riding one of the
birds!
‘LUCKY LUKE’ CARTOONS ON ‘CINEMOI’ AMERICAN TV!
Many English-speaking fans of the delightfully goofy movies
and TV episodes starring Terence Hill as the cowboy hero Lucky Luke are unaware
that the character first appeared in French comic strips in 1946, and has been
tremendously popular ever since.Cinemoi,
a cable channel with a French accent, is now running THE NEW ADVENTURES OF
LUCKY LUKE cartoons in an hour block starting at 5:00 a.m. Western time.Both an homage and a spoof of Westerns, what
I saw (admittedly not a whole episode yet) was pretty funny stuff.
BRANDO’S ‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ AT THE AUTRY SAT.NOV. 10
On Saturday, November 10th, at 1:30 PM, the
Autry, in their continuing series, ‘What Is A Western?’ will show the only
movie Marlon Brando ever directed, ONE-EYED JACKS (1961).Brando plays an outlaw freed from prison, who
tracks down his accomplice Karl Malden, now a respectable lawman.With a dream Western cast that includes Katy
Jurado, Ben Johnson, Slim Pickens, Timothy Carey, Elisha Cook Jr., Rodolfo
Acosta, Hank Worden, and even Snub Pollard (Tex Ritter’s old sidekick).Before the great Calder Willingham and Guy
Trosper finished the final screenplay, Rod Serling and Sam Peckinpah had taken
a whack at it.Curator Jeffrey
Richardson will introduce the film.
TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!
And speaking of TCM (okay, nobody was), have I mentioned that the segment I was interviewed for is now viewable here?
THE AUTRY NATIONALCENTER
Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepreneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permanent galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.
HOLLYWOOD HERITAGEMUSEUM
Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywoodwestern, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.
WELLSFARGOHISTORY MUSEUM
This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.
WESTERN ALL OVER THE DIAL
INSP’s SADDLE-UP SATURDAY features a block of rarely-seen classics THE VIRGINIAN and HIGH CHAPARRAL, along with BONANZA and THE BIG VALLEY.On weekdays they’re showing LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, BIG VALLEY, HIGH CHAPARRAL and DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN.
ME-TV’s Saturday line-up includes BRANDED, THE REBEL and THE GUNS OF WILL SONNETT.On weekdays it’s DANIEL BOONE, GUNSMOKE, BONANZA, BIG VALLEY, WILD WILD WEST, and THE RIFLEMAN.
RFD-TV, the channel whose president bought Trigger and Bullet at auction, have a special love for Roy Rogers.They show an episode of The Roy Rogers Show on Sunday mornings, a Roy Rogers movie on Tuesday mornings, and repeat themduring the week.
WHT-TV has a weekday afternoon line-up that’s perfect for kids, featuring LASSIE, THE ROY ROGERS SHOW and THE LONE RANGER.
TV-LAND angered viewers by dropping GUNSMOKE, but now it’s back every weekday, along with BONANZA.
That's it for tonight's Round-up. We've got a lot of good stuff to look forward to: Speilberg's LINCOLN opens next week, and DJANGO UNCHAINED opens next month!
Happy Trails,
Henry
All Original Contents Copyright November 2012 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved