THIS JUST IN! STARTING
TUESDAY, JANUARY 15TH, THE AUTRY WILL EXTEND FREE ADMISSION TO LAUSD
STUDENTS AND THEIR CHAPERONES DURING THE LAUSD TEACHERS’ STRIKE!
‘BOUNTY KILLER’ OPENS
JAN. 25TH IN L.A.!
‘BOUNTY KILLER’, the new
Spaghetti Western from Chip Baker Films,
opens Friday, January 25th, at the Arena Cinelounge, 6464 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA 90028. When
a young woman, played by Naila Mansour, is abducted during her wedding, her
father, Eurowestern stalwart Antonio Mayans (MORE DOLLARS FOR THE MACGREGORS, A
TOWN CALLED HELL) hires bounty hunter Crispian Belfrage to rescue the woman,
and kill the men. Also in the cast are Aaron Stielstra (THE SCARLET WORM, 6
BULLETS TO HELL) and Lenore Andriel (YELLOW ROCK). Directed by Chip Baker,
written by Baker and Danny Garcia, Jose Villanueva and Nick Reynolds, many of
the folks who made the fine 6 BULLETS TO HELL are also part of BOUNTY KILLER. Cinematographer
of both films Olivier Merckx may be the first to use a drone in a Western, and
did so to striking effect.
It’s filmed in classic
sets and locations in Tabernas, Almeria, and Andalucia, Spain, much of it on
the McBain Ranch from ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. The film will be playing
from Friday the 25 through Thursday the 31, and since the times vary from day
to day, visit the Cinelounge website
HERE for details.
‘HOW TV WEST IS WRITTEN’
AND MORE EVENTS AT THE AUTRY
TUESDAY JAN. 15 – A WORD
ON WESTERNS SALUTES BURT LANCASTER
Detail from Thomas Hart Benton's 'The Kentuckian' poster
Tuesday, at 11 a.m., join
Western authority Rob Word and his merry band at the Wells Fargo Theatre for
another delightful ‘Word on Westerns’. The topic will be Burt Lancaster, whose
Westerns include GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL, VERA CRUZ, APACHE, and THE
KENTUCKIAN. Word notes, “Lancaster cared greatly about quality and, when he
directed and starred in THE KENTUCKIAN (1955), hired Bernard Herrmann for the
music and Thomas Hart Benton to do the movie poster!” Among the guests joining
Rob will be Burt’s stunt double from ULZANA’S RAID and POSSE, Billy Burton, and
from Burt’s last Western, CATTLE ANNIE AND LITTLE BRITCHES, producer Rupert
Hitzig and actors William Russ and Kenny Call. Did I mention this event is free
with your Autry admission? Doors open at
10:30.
WEDNESDAY JAN. 16 – HOW
THE WEST IS WRITTEN: INSIDE MODERN TV WESTERNS
A must-attend for any
would-be Western screenwriters, Wednesday night at 7 p.m., writers and
producers from the latest crop of TV Westerns share insight into the creation
of their series, how they’re reimagining the genre, and why stories out of the
American West continue to inspire. Panelists include LONGMIRE writer and
exec producer Hunt Baldwin, THE SON writer and exec producer Kevin Murphy,
and HELL ON WHEELS and BRISCO COUNTY, JR. writer and exec producer John
Wirth. This one costs $20 for members & students, $25 for non-members, and
reservations are advised.
SATURDAY JAN. 26 – SILENT
TREATMENT – ‘CLASH OF THE WOLVES’
The Silent Treatment is
the Autry’s new series of silent Westerns with live musical accompaniment. 1925’s
CLASH OF THE WOLVES stars Rin-Tin-Tin, his sweetheart Nanette, 7TH
HEAVEN star Charles Farrell, and original Keystone Kop Heinie Conklin, in a
tale of Borax miners and claim-jumpers. Presented at 2 p.m. in 35mm, with piano
by Cliff Retallick. It’s free with
admission.
SUNDAY, JAN. 27TH
-- THE MUSIC OF ENNIO MORRICONE!
Morricone conducting the Hateful 8 score recording --
and no, he won't be there.
At 1 p.m. – the 5 p.m. performance
is sold out -- a concert of music from film scores by the maestro of the
Spaghetti Western, performed by a special ensemble of world-class musicians and
singers. It’s $10 for members, $20 for non-members, and you’d better make your
reservations now.
COWBOYS AND INDIANS AND VIKINGS! – A DVD REVIEW
Wild East Productions
presents Volume 60 of their Spaghetti Western Collection, a Giuliano Gemma double
feature, DAYS OF VENGEANCE and ERIK THE VIKING. In VENGEANCE (1967), Gemma
stars as man framed and imprisoned not for just any crime, but the murder of
his own father! His old girlfriend, Nieves Navarro, is now with the lawman who
set him up, and Gemma teams up with a traveling charlatan (Manuel Muniz as his
comic character Pajarito) and his granddaughter (gorgeous Grabriella Giorgelli)
to get justice, and uncover a startlingly baroque conspiracy. It’s elegantly
made and highly enjoyable.
The second film, ERIK THE
VIKING (1965) is goofy, exuberant fun. Gemma is Erik, nephew of Viking King
Thorwald, and when the old man is on his deathbed, he says he wants his power
to pass to his nephew, not his own son Erloff (Lucio De Santis). It’s a tough
time for Vikings, who get no end of abuse from the more militarily organized
Danes. Erik convinces several Vikings that they should find a new land far away
from the Danes, and sails off in search of it. They arrive in – you guessed it
– the New World, where they make friends with some Indians and enemies with
others.
This action-packed daffy
little history lesson is surprisingly entertaining, capturing the spirit of the
Warner Brothers swashbucklers of the 1930s and ‘40s, and borrowing plot
elements from them as well. Yes, there is a beautiful Indian princess (Elisa
Montes), and evil plotters working for Erloff, including the indispensable muscleman
Gordon Mitchell.
Among the special
features is an excellent interview with actress Nieves Navarro conducted by
Western screenwriter Danny Garcia (6 BULLETS TO HELL, THE BOUNTY KILLER). The
double feature sells for $21.72, and can be purchased HERE.
A NEW SOURCE FOR TV
WESTERNS – JEWISH LIFE TV!
Gail Davis and Jimmy Hawkins
Next time you’re spinning
the dial – remember when TVs had dials? – looking for a Western, you might just
find one in an unexpected location: JLTV, aka Jewish Life Television, has added
oaters to the line-up! Episodes of BONANZA, ANNIE OAKLEY, and the 1954 Western
anthology series STORIES OF THE CENTURY have joined THE JACK BENNY SHOW and YOU
BET YOUR LIFE, with Groucho Marx, as reasons to watch. Lorne Green, Michael
Landon, and BONANZA-creator David Dortort were all Jewish, so perhaps that’s
the connection, but whatever the reason, thanks JLTV!
‘UNSPOOLED’ LOOKS AT ‘THE
SEARCHERS’
Paul Scheer and Amy
Nicholson, the film critics who are re-examining all of the films on
the AFI 100 Best Movies of All-Time list, with 100 individual
podcasts, are up to #34, THE SEARCHERS. They are knowledgeable, but not big
Western fans – it’s the first John Wayne Western Scheer has seen (!) – so their takes on it are by turns
fascinating and infuriating. Well worth a listen. And I must give them credit
on one point in particular: it NEVER occurred to me that John Wayne might be
searching not for his brother’s daughter, but his own! THE SEARCHERS is #34. The episode about HIGH
NOON, where I was guest, is #19. You can hear them all HERE.
I HAVE 5 ARTICLES IN THE FEBRUARY
‘TRUE WEST’!
It’s a personal record
for one issue! If you’d like to read ‘em…
p.19 – ‘Cowboy Pens Best
Rodeo Movie Ever Made’
p. 26 – ‘Remembering Jeb
Rosebrook’
p. 52 – ‘Max Evans in
Hollywood’
p. 54 – ‘Ballad of Buster
Scruggs’ review
p. 55 – ‘Fire Engulfs
Paramount Western Ranch’
ONE MORE THING…
Every spring there are
two events in the Los Angeles area that movie nuts, western nuts, and
especially western movie nuts dream about all year. One is the Santa Clarita
Cowboy Festival, a great get-together of all things cowboyish, at the estate of
the great movie cowboy William S. Hart. The other is the annual TCM Classic
Film Festival, one of the great and rare chances to see classic movies, and
especially westerns, the way they should be seen, on a big screen. Well, after
years of having them one weekend after another, the Cowboy Festival has been moved
up, so they will both be on the weekend of April 13 and 14. TCM is actually the
11th through the 14th, and before you say, “Then just go
to TCM on Thursday and Friday,” it doesn’t work that way, since the movies you
want to see are generally scattered through the four days. They’ve just started
to announce films, and included are BUTCH CASSIDY, a new restoration of
WINCHESTER ’73, and a Tom Mix double bill with live music, THE GREAT K & A
TRAIN ROBBERY and OUTLAWS OF RED RIVER. Cowboy Festival hasn’t started
announcing their events yet, but it should be noted that for the second year,
the Cowboy Festival will be free, while TCM costs a fortune, and even individual
movies are $20 a pop. I’ll keep you
informed as I learn more!
AND THAT’S A WRAP!
Happy Trails,
Henry
All
Original Material Copyright January 2019 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights
Reserved
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