'DJANGO' UNCHAINS TARANTINO!

DJANGO UNCHAINED -- Film Review

 

Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx

 

It’s virtually impossible for any film to live up to the anticipation of whatever is the next Quentin Tarantino project, but DJANGO UNCHAINED makes a pretty good stab at it.  The long-awaited ‘Spaghetti Southern’ would seem to owe as much of a debt to the Blaxploitation Westerns of the 60s and 70s as it does to the Spaghetti Westerns.  But in truth, the black Westerns of that period were so uniformly lousy that the debt is pretty thin, whereas the skills of the best Spaghetti Westerns filmmakers – the Leones, Corbuccis and Castellaris – were so fresh and original that virtually all good Westerns of the last few decades owe them plenty, this one included.

DJANGO UNCHAINED is neither a sequel nor a remake of Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 classic DJANGO, which established Franco Nero as Europe’s greatest Western star.  While to Americans, ‘Spaghetti Western’ has always been synonymous with Clint Eastwood and ‘The Man With No Name’, in Europe I am told that Nero and the character of ‘Django’ have always had a slight edge.  (You can read my brief chat with Franco Nero about his Corbucci Westerns HERE ) This led to roughly forty so-called Django films, and I say ‘so-called’ because European copyright laws are different from the U.S. ones, meaning anyone can call their film and their character Django. 

 

Franco Nero as DJANGO (1966)

 

Nero played many similar characters in other westerns, and a pre-TRINITY Terence Hill, made up to pass for Nero, played Django, but Nero only played Django once more, twenty-one years later, in 1987’s DJANGO STRIKES BACK, shot in Columbia, and co-starring Donald Pleasance.  Fortuitously, the new interest in the original Django character stimulated by the Tarantino movie has created the possibility of Nero playing him once again (see last week’s Round-up HERE  ). 

 

 

Franco Nero in DJANGO UNCHAINED (2012)

 

While Nero’s Django roamed the Spanish West dragging a coffin, and searching for his wife’s killers, Jamie Foxx plays a slave whose wife is very much alive, but after being caught trying to escape together, they’ve been recaptured and in a bit of cruel revenge, owner Bruce Dern sells them separately. 

 

As the picture opens, Django is among a group of slaves being transported by brothers James Russo and James Remar.  Dentist Dr. King (Christoph Waltz) meets up with them, offering to buy one of the slaves who came from a particular plantation – but it’s a ruse.  He’s quit dentistry for bounty-hunting, and when they won’t sell Django, who can identify three high-bounty brothers for Waltz, the guns blaze.

Bounty hunter and slave become friends – their friendship is the heart of the movie – and strike a deal: Django will assist Dr. King, learning the trade, and when the change in seasons permits, they’ll go to Candieland, the brothel-cum-plantation of the thoroughly despicable Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), where they will try to liberate Django’s bride, German-speaking Broomhilda (Kerry Washington).  

 

From here the story is a swirling Techniscope kaleidoscope of beautiful vistas, invigorating action, unexpected humor, and a thirst for revenge.  While the plot, in broad strokes, holds no startling surprises, there are plenty of jolts for seen-it-all western fans, both in stirring fond memories of favorite shootings, and I-never-saw-it-done-quite-that-way moments. 

I’ll let the other critics point out each and every real and imagined reference to specific Spaghetti Westerns (“Is Christoph Waltz’s Dr. King a German in a nod to Klaus Kinski, or in a nod to the German Western stories of Karl May, or because Waltz has a German accent, and is he a dentist because Doc Holliday really was one, or because Bob Hope played one in THE PALEFACE…?) 

 

DeCaprio, Waltz, Jackson, Foxx

 

As is true in the best Western work of Leone and Corbucci, and Peckinpah and Hawks and Ford for that matter, there is plenty of humor.  Among the high points are a just-freed slave’s choice of clothing, and a pair of sequences, one beginning with a mixed-race visit to a saloon, and another, reportedly tacked on at the last minute, involving Klansmen and their hoods, that clearly contain a nod to Mel Brooks’ BLAZING SADDLES, even utilizing a Slim Pickens sound-alike. 

 

All must inevitably lead us to Candieland, the Mandingo fighters -- slaves who fight to the death for the entertainment of the decadent plantation owners -- the rouse to try and liberate Broomhilda, and the film’s ultimate climax.  There’s a lot of buzz about DeCaprio’s performance, and there is a lot to like in it.  In fact, there is too damned much to like in it, and in much of the film.  While Tarantino doesn’t present his story in chapters, as he has in previous films, there are several set-pieces, all of them good-to-excellent, and all of them a little too long.  One of the toughest jobs for a writer is to tell when a scene needs to end, no matter how much more good dialogue you’ve thought up.  There needs to be a sense of urgency to get to the next event, especially in a story where a man is trying to save his wife from ‘a fate worse than death,’ and the easy-going pace undercuts that urgency.  It’s true that Spaghetti Westerns tend to run long, but in Europe they were always shown with an intermission.  DJANGO UNCHAINED doesn’t need an intermission, but it needs a half-hour of trims of the excessive good stuff.

The performances are excellent – Foxx, Waltz, Don Johnson as a plantation owner, Dennis Christopher as DeCaprio’s consigliore.  DeCaprio is particularly striking in his Ante Bellum metrosexuality – the epitome of the rich and privileged guy who surrounds himself with hired real men, and kids himself that he is one.  Samuel L. Jackson, hardly recognizable, made up to look like the face on a box of Uncle Ben’s Rice, is chillinging real as the ‘old family retainer’ who terrorizes all of the other slaves.  In fact, one of the very effective themes throughout the movie is the social position of blacks: free blacks versus house slaves versus field hands, and can any black man be allowed to ride a horse?

 

Two Djangos meet.

 

The cast not only of characters but of cameos was impossible to keep up with.  Franco Nero makes much of his part, long on camera but with just enough dialogue.  James Remar plays two characters, and while I caught Tom Wopat, Michael Parks and Tom Savini, I missed Russ Tamblyn, Lee Horsley, Don Stroud and Robert Carradine.  I’ll try again on the next viewing.

In a movie world that largely believes that only the lead characters matter, Tarantino continues to think that all men are created equal – a capper line is as likely to come from an unnamed character as it is a star.  He excels in directing actors and action.

 

Thrice-Oscared DP Robert Richardson does his usual magnificent job, as he has repeatedly for Tarantino and Scorcese. 

 

The score is a mix of some new music, a new Ennio Morricone song, and others snagged from other sources, including of course Luis Bacolov’s original DJANGO theme, as well as his HIS NAME WAS KING theme, and one of the very best, Morricone’s theme from TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARAH.

I highly recommend DJANGO UNCHAINED.  No, it’s not Tarantino’s very best, but what he does is always so good, and so off-center from the mainstream that its faults are forgiven.  I’d just like to have seen what he could have done with less money and time.

Also, I feel I must comment on Tarantino’s recent interview, where he denounces D.W. Griffith, and says he’s no fan of John Ford.  The Griffith comment saddens me, because it’s kicking a man not only when he’s down, but when he’s dead and unable to defend himself.  Yes, Griffith directed BIRTH OF A NATION, the nation in the title being not the U.S., but the Ku Klux Klan.  I certainly understand and agree with the criticism for glorifying such an awful organization.  But it should be remembered that Griffith was widely denounced at the time, and not only apologized, but had his eyes so opened that he made the film INTOLERENCE as an apology, and a denunciation of man’s intolerance of man.  One of his very last films was an excellent portrait of his former ‘villain’, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, starring Walter Huston, scripted by the great Stephen Vincent Benet.  And while his artistry and contributions to the language of film can not be overestimated, Griffith’s even had his name stripped from a Director’s Guild annual award.  He didn’t murder anyone, and it’s been just shy of a century: will we never accept his apology?

As for John Ford, Tarantino criticizes him for being an extra in BIRTH OF A NATION, and playing a Klansman.  C’mon!  And despite what Tarantino may think of some of the portrayals of Indians in some of his films, even when they were playing the enemy they were always treated with respect.  Certainly the Indian actors who worked for Ford loved the experience and we eager to do it again.  John Ford is the one who made CHEYENNE AUTUMN, portraying the mistreatment of Indians by a hostile and contemptuous government who consistently signed and then violated treaties with the Indians.  And as for his treatment of blacks on film, Ford made SERGEANT RUTLEDGE in 1960, when the story of a black sergeant falsely accused of the rape and murder of a white woman was unbelievably daring.

 

MARK OF THE GUN – Film Review

 

 

One of the fascinating things about a time capsule is that, when someone opens it years after it was buried, the contents are a complete surprise.  MARK OF THE GUN is such a time capsule.  Made in 1966, forty-six years ago, this tiny, independent black & white Western was not only forgotten, it was as far as can be ascertained, never even seen!

Ross Hagen, a big, handsome tough guy with a trademark gravelly voice, was a prolific character actor in television and drive-in movies.  On film he appeared with Elvis in SPEEDWAY.  On television he guested frequently on GUNSMOKE, THE VIRGINIAN, HERE COME THE BRIDES, LANCER, as well as on many cop shows.  He produced, starred in, and sometimes wrote and directed, a number of low-budget epics like THE SIDEHACKERS, PUSHING UP DAISIES, BAD CHARLESTON CHARLIE and WONDER WOMEN.  Apparently, the first film he produced and starred in was MARK OF THE GUN.  Shortly before Hagen’s death in 2011, he found the negative of this never-released oater.  Director, producer and close friend Fred Olen Ray decided to snatch this film from the gaping jaws of oblivion, and give it its very first release through his company, Retromedia Entertainment. 

One of the novelties of a period picture that was made some time ago is that it reflects two periods, when the story was set, and when it was shot, and that is a lot of the campy fun of MARK OF THE GUN.  Set around the 1870s, but shot in the 1960s, all the girls have heavily sprayed hair, and many of the bad guys act more like juvenile delinquents than outlaws.  This is backed by the anachronistic jazz score by low-budget music stalwart Jaime Mendoza-Nava.  In fact, they treat the outlaws’ hideout so much like a nightclub that a girl gets upset that her sister won’t let her sing there, as if it’s a swank dinner spot rather than the hangout of the gang. 

 

Amazingly, this tiny black & white orphan of a movie is photographed by none other than the great Hungarian-born cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs.  Just before he made his mark shooting TARGETS for Peter Bogdonavich, EASY RIDER for Dennis Hopper and FIVE EASY PIECES for Bob Rafelson, Laszlo shot a number of soft-porn, biker, and no-budget horror films, although as far as I can determine, this is his only black & white feature.  He does a marvelous job composing his images and, as the great cameramen always did, using rich contrast in place of color.

 

Ross Hagen

 

Not willing to risk the audience making any mistakes about who to root for, the opening credits announce, ‘The Hero – Ross Hagen.  The Villain – Brad Thomas.’  The other actor title-cards are headed, ‘The Girls’, ‘The Gang’, and ‘The Law.’  There aren’t a lot of familiar names and faces, but there are at least a few: the goofy member of the gang is comic character actor Buck Kartalian, the man who, in the original PLANET OF THE APES, said of Charlton Heston’s behavior, “Human see, human do,” and then sprayed him with a high-pressure hose.  Another outlaw, Ned Romero, has played many an Indian, cowboy, and the occasional Klingon.  Tony Lorea, yet another outlaw, has played many a bartender, and specializes in Humphrey Bogart characterizations.  Under ‘The Law’, Paul Sorenson had a long career playing cops, deputies and gunmen, and ended up as a regular on DALLAS, playing Andy Bradley.  Among the ladies, Rita D’Amico did a lot of television in the 1960s, but only pretty blonde Gabrielle St. Claire is familiar, and she was Ross Hagen’s wife, usually acting as Claire Polon, and seen in many of Ross’ films.

 

The story begins with Ross getting the crap beaten out of him by Sorenson, as two deputies watch, until he gives them the slip.  He ends up at what he takes for an inn, but it’s actually the hideout for a gang of bank-robbers.  Being an outlaw himself, he fits right in, and they decide to take him into the gang for the next job – they’re down one man since he inadvertently shot one.  But there are problems within the gang.  There may be a spy in their midst – the last couple of jobs they cased were pulled off by a mysterious rival gang using their same plans.  Also, there are too many women around, which leads the men to constantly fight over them, and when Ross goes after pretty young Abigail, he is sternly warned off by her older sister, who owns the house.

 

Claire Polon as Abigail

 

When the gang heads out, they start fighting amongst themselves, and then they reach the scene of the planned crime just in time to see the rival gang pulling the heist.  Naturally, all Hell breaks loose.

 

The budget being tiny, most of the film takes place at the hide-out – they don’t head out for the bank robbery until halfway through the movie.  And when they get to the town, apparently the Iverson Movie Ranch, they don’t actually enter town, but watch it from above – I’ll bet money they didn’t pay the Iversons!

The horse riding is professional, the rural scenery attractive, and the gun- and fist-fighting is good except when it’s bad.  I won’t pretend MARK OF THE GUN is a great Western.  Author Earl Graves never wrote anything again, to my knowledge, and director Wally Campo quickly went back to what he did best – acting in Roger Corman movies.  But it’s a fun, camp Western, and everything that’s wrong about it makes it fun to watch, especially with friends.  Included in the special features are a collection of trailers for some of Ross Hagen’s wildest films, and an excerpt from his action-comedy PUSHING UP DAISIES.  It’s available from Retromedia Entertainment and Amazon.

 

HARRY CAREY JR. DIES

 

THREE GODFATHERS - Harry Carey Jr. flanked

by John Wayne and Pedro Armendariz

 

Sad news -- a last link with the films of John Ford is gone. Harry Carey Jr., son of silent Western star Harry Carey, was a fine actor and a good man. He appeared in sixty-nine television series and nearly ninety movies, the majority Westerns, and he always brought an understated integrity to all of his roles, serious or comic.  He wrote an excellent book, A COMPANY OF HEROES, about the John Ford stock company.  I met him at several signings, but actually got to know him better through e-mails. Some years ago, seeing that it was his birthday, I emailed him, wishing him well, and commenting that my wife and I always knew a movie that he was in was worth seeing.  Within minutes I’d heard back from him: “You obviously haven’t seen BILLY THE KID VS. DRACULA.”  He was not exactly crazy about his work in it, but he was proud of his mother, Olive Carey, who played the mad scientist in it.  We exchanged a number of emails after that, and he was always warm, funny and insightful.  Then a year or so ago, an email bounced back with a message that he wasn’t up to answering emails anymore.  All of us fans of Westerns, SPIN AND MARTY, and everything in between, will miss him.  Here’s to you, Dobe!

 

ENCORE WESTERN FANS UP IN ARMS OVER CHANGES

Encore Western Channel’s Facebook page is full of angry comments over two series being dropped from the line-up; RAWHIDE and WAGON TRAIN.  The good news is that METV will begin showing WAGON TRAIN on Saturdays, although they’re dropping BRANDED to make room for it.

 

HAPPY NEW YEARS, ROUND-UP ROUNDERS!

 

All Original Contents Copyright December 2012 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

SPEILBERG’S ‘LINCOLN’ A GRAND OLD PORTRAIT

Steven Speilberg has directed so many wonderful films over his long and still-thriving career that it is daunting to try and pick the best; but LINCOLN is clearly one of his finest and most completely realized films.  At a time when all too many movies insult the audiences’ intelligence with the simplicity of their stories, LINCOLN compliments the audiences’ intelligence, assuming that they will be able to follow a very complex and compelling political plot.  And it never shies away from the uncomfortable to discuss, but necessary to understand, differences in the many sides of the political battle.  We see the clear division not only between those who were for slavery and those who were against it, but also those who thought all men were created equal, and those who thought that thought all men should have equal rights, but were not equals at all.

 

Not a biography of our 16^th president, LINCOLN is the story of the race to pass the 13^th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery, why it became a race to ratify before the Confederacy could surrender, and the wonderfully wicked backroom scheming and negotiating that pulled it off.  It’s also the story of a President we already thought we knew, but with many unfamiliar facets to his personality.  He was a man who felt great despair, but who also had a strong sense of humor, and loved to tell jokes.  He was a man who was trapped in a marriage with a woman he respected but did not love, and who he had threatened to put in a madhouse.  He was a man who turned to this same woman to interpret his dreams, in hopes that they might foretell the future.  He was a man who should have sounded like Raymond Massey or Royal Dano, but whose voice was actually several octaves higher.

The performances by a large ensemble cast are uniformly excellent.  Abraham Lincoln is portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis, and will surely be our image of Lincoln for decades to come.  Sally Field campaigned relentlessly for the part of Mary Todd Lincoln, and it is among the finest performances of her career.  Other standout performances include Jackie Earle Haley as Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens; Tommy Lee Jones as abolitionist Senator Thaddeus Stevens; Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Lincoln’s desperate-to-enlist son; and James Spader as W.N. Bilbo, who uses every trick in the book to try to get Lincoln the votes he needs.

 

The script is Tony Kushner, who wrote ANGELS IN AMERICA, and scripted Speilberg’s previous MUNICH.  It is based in part on the book TEAM OF RIVALS: THE POLITICAL GENIUS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, by Doris Kearns Goodwin.  The cinematography by Speilberg’s frequent collaborator Janusz Kaminski, is evocative without calling attention to itself.  The production design by Rick Carter, costumes by Joanna Johnston, and make-up and hair by a team of over forty combine to bring the viewer into a Washington, D.C. of the 1860s that seems unquestionable genuine.  I would not recommend LINCOLN for young children – the brutality of war is something they should be spared, and the details of the political fight would be beyond their understanding.  But it is a movie that should be seen by all adults and teenagers – and the latter will learn from it far more about the Civil War, and the workings of government, then they ever will by studying their dumbed-down and politically correct textbooks.  Incidentally, LINCOLN was budgeted at $65,000,000.  ABRAHAM LINCOLN, VAMPIRE HUNTER, was originally budgeted at $85,000,000 (now they say it’s $69,000,000).  To be fair, I haven't yet seen VAMPIRE HUNTER, but I think I can predict which will have a longer shelf life.   

 

3:10 TO YUMA ADDED TO NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY

 

 

 

The original 1957 version of ‘3:10 TO YUMA’, directed by Delmer Daves, from a story by Elmore Leonard and screenplay by Halsted Welles, is one of twenty-five films selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry, a major honour.  The film stars Van Heflin and Glenn Ford in two of the finest performances of their exceptional careers, with Ford playing very against type as the ruthless but charming outlaw whom farmer Heflin must safely deliver to a train, and the law. Other films so recognized, of particular interest to Western fans, include CHRISTMAS STORY (1983), directed by Bob Clark, from Jean Shepherd’s novel, IN GOD WE TRUST, ALL OTHERS PAY CASH, and scripted by Shep, with Clark and Leigh Brown.  It’s the story of a boy, Peter Billingsley, growing up in Depression Era-Indiana, and his obsession with getting a Red Ryder BB-Gun for Christmas.   The 1914 version of UNCLE TOM’S CABIN, from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s world-changing novel, stars Sam Lucas as the title character, and was the first feature film ever to star a black actor. 

 

 

FRANCO NERO MAY RETURN IN 'DJANGO LIVES'!

 

 

 

The near-frantic anticipation for Quentin Tarantino's DJANGO UNCHAINED has created tremendous interest in Spaghetti Westerns throughout the film industry.  One of the many hopeful results is that Franco Nero, the original Django, who makes an appearance in the Tarantino film, may soon star once again as Django in DJANGO LIVES!  

 

Mike Malloy and Eric Zaldivar, producers of 2011's THE SCARLET WORM, have a letter of interest from Nero, for their plot about an older Django living in Los Angeles in 1915, and working as a technical advisor on Western movies, something several lawmen like Wyatt Earp, and outlaws like Al Jennings, actually did.   

 

I'll be seeing and reviewing SCARLET WORM soon.  I've heard very positive buzz about the film, whose cast includes Spaghetti Western stalwarts like Dan Van Husen, Brett Halsey, and Mike Forest, and was stunned when Malloy told me they made the movie for $7500!  I'll have more details soon!

 

 

TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!

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






 

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

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



HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

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



WELLSFARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

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


WESTERN ALL OVER THE DIAL


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


ME-TV’s Saturday line-up includes 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 them during the week.


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


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


Well, it's 12:36 a.m., and officially Christmas Eve as I type this. I've got a ton of good stuff stockpiled for the next several Round-ups!  In addition to my previously mentioned interviews with HIGH CHAPARRAL star Henry Darrow, and writer/actor/director Tom Jane, this week I interviewed George Schenck.  Not only is George a writer and Executive Producer on NCIS,  he started out writing Westerns, and has wonderful stories about writing movies for Clint Walker, Lee Van Cleef, Warren Oates, and scripting the first episode of THE WILD WILD WEST!  Stay tuned.  

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, and Santa brings you everything you want the most, like that Red Ryder BB Gun (Don't shoot your eye out!). 

Happy Trails,

 

Henry

 

All Original Contents Copyright December 2012 by Henry C. Parke  - All Rights Reserved

 

STALLED ‘HELL ON WHEELS’ ROLLING AGAIN FOR SEASON THREE!

STALLED ‘HELL ON WHEELS’ ROLLING AGAIN FOR SEASON THREE!

 

As reported here on November 18^th, AMC’s commitment to a third season of HELL was put on hold when newly signed show-runner John Shiban bowed out.  Previously, the contracts of series creators/writers/producers Joe and Tony Gayton had not been renewed.

 

Happily, AMC has just announced that there will be more HELL, this time overseen by exec producer and showrunner John Wirth, who has previously performed similar duties on PICKET FENCES, FALLEN SKIES, TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, and several other series.  Most heartening of all, back in 1993 he was a writer and producer on THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY JR. 

 

No, it's not from HELL, it's from BRISCO COUNTY, JR. 

 

You can hear the collective sigh of relief from the various producers.  Jeremy Gold, Endemol Studio’s exec producer on HELL, said "We are delighted that John Wirth will be joining us on this remarkable journey. John is a proven showrunner with a terrific voice and a deep passion for our show."  Entertainment One Television’s Michael Rosenberg concurs.  "We're delighted to continue our relationship with AMC, Endemol and Nomadic Pictures.  John Wirth is an incredible talent who will drive our roaring series and build on the strength and success of the HELL ON WHEELS brand." Season three’s ten episodes are scheduled to premiere in the third quarter of 2013.

FROM SUNDANCE TO THE WEB TO MARYLAND, 4 NEW WESTERNS IN THE WORKS!

‘SWEETWATER’ AT SUNDANCE

This New Mexico-lensed Western from Kickstart Productions is heading for the Sundance Film Festival in January.  Set in post Civil War New Mexico, it’s the story of the collision between a renegade lawman, a religious fanatic and a once-soiled dove. 

 

 

Ed Harris in APPALOOSA

Toplining as Sheriff Jackson is Ed Harris, who did a terrific job adapting Robert B. Parker’s APPALOOSA, as well as directing and starring, and who, back in 1996, starred in Ted Turner’s version of Zane Grey’s RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE.  Playing Sara is MAD MEN’S beautiful January Jones, who also starred in Tommy Lee Jones’ THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA.  Reverend Armstrong is portrayed by Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the HARRY POTTER films.  Eduardo Noriega, who plays Miguel Ramirez, starred in last year’s BLACKTHORN, playing opposite Sam Shepard’s Butch Cassidy.  He will soon be seen with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the modern-day Western THE LAST STAND.  Chad Brummett, who plays Sid, was Kane in 3:10 TO YUMA, and will be seen next year in THE LONE RANGER.

 

Eduardo Noriega in BLACKTHORN

Co-directors Logan Miller and Noah Miller previously collaborated on TOUCHING HOME, which also starred Ed Harris. 

‘SIX GUN SAVIOR’ – FROM WEBISODE TO FEATURE

When I spoke to Western actor Martin Kove at a NATIONAL DAY OF THE COWBOY event back in August, I asked him what his next Western would be.  “I’m doing an internet series called SIX GUN SAVIOR, a supernatural western.”  That internet series has since been promoted to feature status, and as the accompanying stills attest, they’ve been filming at Melody Ranch.

 

 

Jyll King touches up Martin Kove's make-up

while he studies the script

 

 

Eric Roberts?  The Devil it is!

The plot concerns gunman Lane McCrea (Kaleo Griffith), who has become the Devil’s bounty hunter since selling his soul to save his wounded brother’s life.  In trying to get free of his obligations, Lane is helped by The Mentor (Martin Kove), and must face up to The Devil (Eric Roberts). 

 

Don't trust that smile!

 

 

Katherine McEwan

‘DAY OF THE GUN’ SECOND MARYLAND WESTERN

A tip from actor Dan Searles turned me on to DAY OF THE GUN, a Western shot in Maryland by Wayne Shipley.  It turns out that writer/director Shipley started One-Eyed Horse Production back in 2007, to make his first Maryland-lensed (but not set) Western, ONE-EYED HORSE, so this is his second New England oater.  Although I haven’t got a synopsis, the accompanying six-minute trailer will give you a good taste of a very professional-looking production.  And they certainly take their weapons and their history seriously – there’s even an S.A.S.S. (Single Action Shooting Society) Special Edition of ONE-EYED HORSE available.  You can learn more at their site, HERE.

 

‘JANE GOT A GUN’, AND SHE’S GOT MORE CAST MEMBERS

 

Natalie Portman in COLD MOUNTAIN

Back in May we reported that Natalie Portman, who previously starred in the Western COLD MOUNTAIN (2003), was set to star in another Western, JANE GOT A GUN.  It’s about a woman whose bandit spouse comes home shot to pieces and nearly dead. When his former associates come to finish him off, Jane turns to an ex-beau to save them.  Michael Fassbender, of BAND OF BROTHERS, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, and JONAH HEX fame, will play her former lover.  Now just added, Joel Edgerton, who played Owen Lars in the later STAR WARS films, and will soon be seen in ZERO DARK THIRTY and as Tom Buchanan in THE GREAT GATSBY, will play the leader of the gang out to kill Jane’s husband. 

The role of the husband is not yet cast, but according to IMBDPro, the top two contenders are Chris Pine, soon to be seen as Capt. Kirk in the next STAR TREK movie, and Joel Kinnaman, currently filming the ROBOCOP reboot, playing the title character. 

 

JANE is an original screenplay by first-timer Brian Duffield, and was a highly touted ‘Black List’ script. (Note: this ‘Black List’ has nothing to do with politics. It is a list of highly respected scripts that haven’t been sold. Stupid name, considering the ‘Black List’ connotation, isn’t it?) It is to be directed by Lynne Ramsay, helmer of WE’VE GOT TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN.


 

 

TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!

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






 

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

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



HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

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



WELLSFARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

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


WESTERN ALL OVER THE DIAL


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


ME-TV’s Saturday line-up includes 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 them during the week.


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


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


That's a wrap for this week!  I hope to have me Henry Darrow interview ready for next week, and coming soon I'll have an interview with actor/director To Jane about his soon-to-lens Western A MAGNIFICENT DEATH FROM A SHATTERED HAND!  I may even have my review of LINCOLN if I ever get to see it!

Happy Trails,

 

Henry

 

All Original Contents Copyright December 2012 by Henry C. Parke  - All Rights Reserved

 

LUKE PERRY'S THIRD ‘GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE’

 

 

The third entry in star and creator Luke Perry’s Hallmark Movie Channel Western franchise, GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE will premiere on Saturday, January 26^th.  Luke Perry continues as circuit judge John Goodnight, and in GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE: QUEEN OF HEARTS a stagecoach hold-up brings Goodnight face-to-face with beautiful woman-on-the-run Lucy Thoreau, played by Katherine Isabelle of ENDGAME.  Best of all, the man who stands in her way is Rick Schroder, Newt from LONESOME DOVE, and it’s about time we had him back in the saddle again!  More details as the date gets closer.

 

INVEST IN ‘ANDRE DE TOTH – THE DIRECTOR’S DIRECTOR’

 

Filmmaker Patrick Francis first met legendary director Andre de Toth at a party at Leonard Maltin’s, and they hit off immediately.  The normally reticent director opened up to Francis, and their many long conversations led to the documentary which Francis is fund-raising to finish. 

 

 

Known to the general public for his Vincent Price 3D starrer HOUSE OF WAX, Hungary-born de Toth worked in England for the Korda’s before coming to America.  He excelled in films noir, and smart, tough and unflinching Westerns like DAY OF THE OUTLAW, RIDING SHOTGUN, INDIAN FIRE, and RAMROD, reteaming his wife, Veronica Lake, with her SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS co-star Joel McCrea.  De Toth directed a string of Randolph Scott pictures, and directed episodes of some of the best Western TV series: ZANE GREY THEATRE, MAVERICK, BRONCO, and Sam Peckinpah’s THE WESTERNER. 

 

This documentary is not just a ‘potential’ movie – it exists.  The purpose of the Indiegogo campaign is to raise completion money, to pay for post-production fees, the rights to use film-clips, and other nuts-and-bolts needs.  I’ll be talking more to Patrick Francis about Andre de Toth in the Round-up very soon.  But at the moment, there are just nine days left to this fund-raiser.  If you’d like to learn more, and hopefully contribute, please go here: http://www.indiegogo.com/Andre-deToth

 

 

CHRISTMAS BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

 

Personally, I can’t think of a better Christmas or Hanukkah gift than a good book, and I’ve got four great ones to recommend.  Though I’ll be doing detailed reviews of each soon, I wanted to get the word out early for those of you who haven’t finished your holiday shopping (and those like me that haven’t started our shopping!). 

 

COL. WILLIAM SELIG -- THE MAN WHO INVENTED HOLLYWOOD, is a fascinating biography of one of the most important men in the history of film.  All the more remarkable, although his contributions equal those of D.W. Griffith, and surpass those of DeMille, until Andrew Erish wrote this fine biography, Selig’s work was virtually unknown even among the top tier of film historians.  In addition to being a highly entertaining read, SELIG is an essential addition to the library of any serious film buff.   I’ll be featuring my interview with Andy Erish in the Round-up shortly.

 

ARIZONA’S LITTLE HOLLYWOOD – SEDONA AND NORTHERN ARIZONA’S FORGOTTEN FILM HISTORY 1923 -1973, by Joe McNeill, is a lively and informative telling of the busy history of Western movie production in one of the most beautiful spots on Earth.  Joe covers it all in remarkable detail, from the silent days of Rex the Wonder Horse, and early Zane Grey stories, through THE OUTLAW, ANGEL AND THE BADMAN, LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN,  the original 3:10 TO YUMA and THE ROUNDERS, even unearthing details of a Nazi-propaganda Western! 

 

HENRY DARROW – LIGHTNING IN THE BOTTLE by Jan Pippins and Henry Darrow, is the delightful biography of the actor we all discovered as Manolito Montoya on THE HIGH CHAPARRAL.  While I always loved the series (happily playing now on INSP), and particularly the character of Manolito, I had no idea of the character’s and the actor’s importance to the Hispanic community, being, with costar Linda Cristal, the first Latino actors to star as Latino characters in a TV series.  Darrow went on to be the first Latino to play ZORRO as well, a character he portrayed in three separate productions.  This book is not only the life and career story of a highly talented actor, it is also an in-depth study of HIGH CHAPARRAL, and any fan of the series will enjoy it.  Just this week I interviewed Mr. Darrow, who was not only charming and informative, but kept me laughing practically from ‘Hello’ on.  I’ll be running the interview asap.

 

GUNSMOKE – AN AMERICAN INSTITUTION by Ben Costello is an in-depth look at twenty years and 600 episodes of one of the absolutely finest TV series of any genre, and why it’s still popular and relevant half a century after it transitioned from radio to TV.  A big, beautiful coffee-table book, generously illustrated, painstakingly researched; it draws on the memories of dozens of actors, directors and writers.  It features a capsule description of every episode, and in-depth interviews with cast members Dennis Weaver, Buck Taylor and Burt Reynolds.

 

 

‘WILD HORSE, WILD RIDE’ ON DVD FOR CHRISTMAS

 

 

 

This beautiful, inspiring documentary is about folks who take part in a competition whose purpose is to raise money to rescue wild horses on government land.  100 people each take on a completely wild mustang, and have 100 days to train it for a competition.  (If you haven’t read my review, see it HERE)

It’s now available on DVD – the flyer above has the details.

 

NO "THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES"! 

 

If you're as big a fan of the late Bob Hope as I am, you may have been planning to go to his Toluca Lake home today or Sunday for his garage sale, where, it was said, tons of Christmas decorations and stuff were going on sale to the public for cheap.  I'll save you a trip: although they announced an opening time of 9:00 a.m., they started letting people in at 7:00.  There is NOTHING left!  My daughter, who got there before 8:30, described the scene as post-apocalyptic, with crowds surging from one empty table to the next in near panic.  There are two-hour lines of ‘Sooners’ waiting to pay for everything.  Too bad.  Just did a search, and the only Bob Hope movies on schedule are on TCM.  A week from tomorrow it’s THE IRON PETTICOAT, co-starring him with Kate Hepburn, and said to be one of his worst.  The following Tuesday there’s the delightful SEVEN LITTLE FOYS.  In the meantime, I’m gonna dig out my VHS copy of PALEFACE.

 

TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!

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






 

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

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



HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

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



WELLSFARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

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


WESTERN ALL OVER THE DIAL


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


ME-TV’s Saturday line-up includes 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 them during the week.


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


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


That’ll do it for this week.  Coming soon in the Round-up I’ll have word of a new Western starring APPALOOSA’S Ed Harris, another Western that started as a web series but is going to be a feature, my interview with Henry Darrow, and some Spaghetti Western suggestions to put you in a DJANGO UNCHAINED frame of mind!

 

Happy Trails,

 

Henry

 

All Original Contents Copyright December 2012 by Henry C. Parke  - All Rights Reserved