MARYLAND WESTERN ‘DAY OF THE GUN’ REVIEWED, PLUS ‘STARDUST COWBOYS’ TICKET GIVEAWAY!

MARYLAND-LENSED WESTERN ‘DAY OF THE GUN’ – A Film Review

Eric Roberts as Tanner

Over the years we’ve gotten used to seeing Westerns made in Spain and Italy; in Germany and Croatia – the Karl May films; Australia and New Zealand; and even the Canary Islands – okay, just once, with TAKE A HARD RIDE.  But somehow, making a Western in Maryland seems the most bizarre of all.  Yet Maryland-based filmmaker Wayne Shipley and his One-Eyed Horse Productions has recently completed their second Western feature there, DAY OF THE GUN.  GUN and his previous feature, ONE-EYED HORSE, along with several shorts, have all been set in the fictional frontier town of Singletree, Montana, and for this newest film, his crew actually ventured to Montana, though the vast majority was shot in that neighbor to New England, Maryland.   

For Shipley’s most ambitious, and I would assume most costly, film to date, he has reached outside of his stock-company of actors to Hollywood, and hired Eric Roberts to play a crucial role.  The story concerns a widow, Maggie Carter (LaDon Hart Hall), who has taken over the reins of the family spread from her late husband.  An opinionated and aggressive woman, she is not welcomed to the fold by the other local cattle ranchers, and when one of them (Jim Osborn) starts fencing in open range to combat rustling, a line has been crossed which she cannot forgive: a range war is inevitable.  Into this battleground comes her son (Ned Carter), still smarting from disfiguring face scars; and her daughter (Rachel McCall), just home from an eastern college.  And the daughter’s romantic interest is none other than the son (Jason Brown) of the fence-raising cattleman.  The son was once Maggie’s son’s best friend, and even introduced him to the girl who took a broken bottle to his face.

This is an unusually big story for recent westerns, especially low-budget ones, a throwback to family-centered Western stories like BROKEN LANCE and FLAMING STAR and TV’s BONANZA and BIG VALLEY.  Shipley succeeds in making the production seem big enough.  The Western town is extensive and well-detailed, the rolling stock and horse-flesh substantial.  The location is attractively lush and green, and the gun-action is long and loud, well-staged, with plenty of participants.  The weapons and, by-and-large the wardrobe, are attractive and, with the exception of some of the ladies’ hats, historically accurate.  

Cinematographer and editor Jeff Herberger frames his shots to good effect – sometimes spectacular effect in the Montana sequences – and edits well.  Standout sequences include an extended shoot-out with the rustlers, and an unusual climax filmed on a mountain-top.

Writer- director Shipley stages the action well.  His manner of writing dialogue is not the naturalistic style mostly favored today, but a much more literary one.  That calls for precise delivery to not sound stilted, and not all of the cast is up to that challenge.  And there is one bit of casting for a central role that seems so off-the-mark that it’s hard for the film to recover.  But when, late in the story, Eric Roberts appears as a hired gun with a personal stake in the events, the professionalism of the project is kicked up several notches. 

Very recently completed, DAY OF THE GUN is making the rounds of film festivals, and we’ll let you know when it’s available.  To learn more about One-Eyed Horse Productions, HERE’s the link to their site.  

WIN TICKETS TO SEE ‘THE STARDUST COWBOYS’ MARCH 20^TH!

The Stardust Cowboys, having played Western Swing at concerts, rodeos, conventions, fairs and cowboy gatherings all over Northern California for two decades, will make their much-anticipated premiere Los Angeles-area appearance on Thursday, March 20^th.  It’s part of the OutWest Concert Series at the Repertory East Playhouse, at 24266 Main Street, Newhall, CA 91321.   The Stardust Cowboys draw their inspiration from the fabled Bob Wills who, with his Texas Playboys, invented Western Swing, that delightful mash-up of cowboy and big band music.  They play a mix of traditional western songs as well as their own originals, and their live shows are full of humor and high energy.

You can buy tickets for $20 by calling OutWest at 661-255-7087. This concert is part of the OutWest series -- in case you haven’t noticed, we have a new sponsor here at the Round-up, the OutWest Western Boutique and Cultural Center in Newhall – just go to the top left corner of the Round-up, click their logo, and you’ll be magically transported to their wonderful store.  The doors open at 7 p.m., and the concert begins at 8, and Bobbi Jean Bell, purveyor of OutWest, tells me that Newhall is having their 3^rd Thursday of the month block party, SENSES (as in delighting the same), so you might want to arrive early for dinner from the food trucks, live music – and to find parking.   Bobbi also tells me that if you’re coming to the concert, you might want to dress up!  SCTV will be filming the show, and you just may be on TV! 

So you say you’d like to win a free pair of tickets to see The Stardust Cowboys?  Here’s what you need to do.  Number one, before you enter, make sure you live someplace where you can actually get to the concert from (I just checked, and right now folks are reading the Round-up in Thailand, The Netherlands and China, but I doubt most can make it here).  Number two, send an email to swansongmail@sbcglobal.net, with ‘Stardust Cowboys ticket giveaway’ in the subject line.  Make sure to include your name, snail-mail address, and phone number.  And here’s the challenging part: name the band leader other than Bob Wills, who was also called The King of Western Swing, and who used to be a movie stand-in for Roy Rogers!  Please be sure to send your entry by 11 pm Saturday, March 15th.  The winner will be selected randomly from all correct entries.  And below is a sneak preview of The Stardust Cowboys. 

SEE ‘3:10 TO YUMA’ MON. AT AERO WITH DIR.  JAMES MANGOLD

Monday, March 10^th, at 7:30 p.m., you can see one of the best and most important Westerns of recent years, 3:10 TO YUMA (2007), to be followed by a discussion with director James Mangold, moderated by Geoff Boucher.  The film stars Russell Crowe as an outlaw being transported to jail, and Christian Bale as the failing farmer who agrees to put Crowe on the train of the title, no matter what the cost.  Also starring are Ben Foster (who’s so good he steals the picture) and Peter Fonda.  One of those rare cases where the remake is comparable to the original, the Elmore Leonard story was first filmed in 1957, with Delmer Daves directing Glenn Ford in the Crowe role, and Van Heflin in the Bale role.  Go HERE for more information, and tickets. 

PAPERBACK SHOW MOVES TO GLENDALE!

DO go to the Paperback Collectors Show on Sunday, March 16^th, but DO NOT go to that hotel on Sepulveda where it’s been for a decade – now it’s at the Glendale Civic Auditorium, 1401 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA 91208.   Parking is free, admission is five clams.  This is a great annual event, and a wonderful opportunity to fill in the gaps in your collection.  This is where I track down all my hard-to-find Luke Shorts and Donald Hamiltons and the like.  You can find not just westerns, but sci-fi, crime, horror, and lots of pulps.  The pristine stuff gets pricey, but speaking as a paperback slob rather than a snob, I’ve never paid more than $2.50 for anything.  Authors will be there to sign your books for free, and while there are no big  western guys, some of the civilian authors of note include Earl ‘The Waltons’ Hamner, George Clayton Jackson, David Gerrold, Ib Melchior, William F. Nolan, Larry Niven, and Harlan Ellison (Harlie will sign two of your books if you buy one from him – and don’t tell him I called him Harlie!) To find the authors signing times, go here: http://la-vintage-paperback-show.com/#sthash.bPAEwAhx.dpbs

ANTHONY MANN RETROSPECTIVE CONTINUES AT BILLY WILDER/UCLA

The two-month retrospective entitled Dark City, Open Country: The Films of Anthony Mann.  Which opened in January at the UCLA Motion Picture & Television Archive at the Billy Wilder Theatre, continues. Best known for his post-war western collaborations with James Stewart at Universal, he also directed many other excellent westerns, as well as gritty crime stories, at all of the major studios as well as the poverty row outfits.  On Wednesday, March 12^th, it’s T-MEN (1947) and RAW DEAL (1948).  March 15^th SIDE STREET (1950) and WINCHESTER ’73 (1950).  March 23^rd THE TALL TARGET (1951) and THE FAR COUNTRY (1954).  And finally, on March 30^th MAN OF THE WEST (1958) and THE TIN STAR (1957).

SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FEST BOOKSIGNERS ANNOUNCED

One of the high points of the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, which will be April 26 & 27 at Melody Ranch, is the Buckaroo Book Shop, where author of Western fact and fiction will be signing their books and meeting their fans.  The Book Shop is run by the folks at OutWest, and they’ve just finalized their list of authors who’ll be attending.   Cheryl Rogers-Barnett (daughter of Roy and Dale), Margaret Brownley, Jim Christina, Peter Conway, Steve Deming, Edward M. Erdelac, J.P. Gorman, Dale B. Jackson, Jim Jones, C. Courtney Joyner (see my review of his SHOTGUN in next week’s Round-up), Andria Kidd, Antoinette Lane, Jerry Nickle (a descendant of Harry Longabaugh, alias the Sundance Kid), J.R. Sanders, Tony Sanders, Janet Squires, ‘Cowgirl Peg’ Sundberg, Miles Hood Swarthout (who scripted THE SHOOTIST), Rod Thompson, and Nancy Pitchford-Zee.  We’ll have a schedule as the date gets closer.

DESERT PAST COMES ALIVE AT 8^TH ANNUAL ‘VALLECITO DAY’ SAT. MARCH 15

Held at and around the original Vallecito stage station, this one-day event will feature tours, a reenactment of California soldiers’ historic march along the southern Overland Trail at the start of the Civil War, how-to demonstrations for throwing a tomahawk, archery, flint and steel fire making, soap-making and how to cook on an open hearth.  There will be mountain man demonstrations as well.  You are encouraged to come in 1850s and 1860s attire, and encouraged to bring food, as none will be available.  Learn more details, including how to get there. At this link: http://www.co.san-diego.ca.us/parks/press/VallecitoDay.html

 

‘ZORRO’ REBOOT IN THE WORKS AT SONY

 

According to Deadline Hollywood, Chris Boal has been signed to script a new Zorro, to be produced by Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald.  Playwright Boal has lately scripted three upcoming films: sci-fier OLD MAN’S WAR for Paramount, and Viking pic VANGUARD for Wolfgang Peterson, and CESAR for Warner Brothers.

NOT A HALLUCINATION!  NEW VIDEO STORE OPENS IN SHERMAN OAKS, CA!

Just about cracked up the Toyota on the way to Sharky’s when I saw the ‘Grand Opening’ sign!  The new Video Hut at 13326 Burbank Boulevard in Sherman Oaks 91401, has been open just a week, still getting organized, so they don’t have a Westerns section yet.  But a casual glance around showed more than a dozen Western titles, including DJANGO UNCHAINED, new and old TRUE GRIT, A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, OPEN RANGE, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, SWEETWATER, LAST RITES OF RANSOM PRIDE, GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE – MEASURE OF A MAN, GUNDOWN, the HATFIELDS & MCCOYS miniseries, and Fred Olen Ray’s film on the same subject, TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARAH, 3:10 TO YUMA, ACE HIGH, ACES & 8S, APALOOSA, AMERICAN BANDITS – FRANK AND JESSE JAMES, AMERICAN OUTLAWS, BLAZING SADDLES, BROKEN BULLET, and LONE RANGER both for rent and for sale.  I rented DEAD IN TOMBSTONE on BluRay, and will soon have a review (take THAT, Universal, who wouldn’t answer my requests for a review copy!).  They also had multiples of the Oscar pics, and the HUNGER GAMES movies.  They’re open 7 days a week, from ten ‘til midnight, and all rentals are $1.50, $1.62 with tax.  Their phone is 818-994-5878.

THAT'S A WRAP!

Every time someone has a monopoly, the customers get burned.  We saw it when Blockbuster drove the mom and pop stores out of business with their huge selection, then dumped 3/4s of their films.  Blockbuster got killed by Netflix, and now Netflix is dumping tons of their content.  I tried to catch up with Oscar movies through VOD on DirecTV, it worked twice, and then it took 36 hours to download half of 12 YEARS A SLAVE – during which my internet was dead (wish I’d realized the connection sooner).  And have I mentioned lately that DirecTV dropped INSP?  My point is, the more choices we have, the better.  Support your local video store if you still have one!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright March 2014 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