‘WYATT EARP’S REVENGE’ OPENS MARCH 6TH

Due to a title change, you may not have seen this one coming, but on Tuesday, March 6^th, SONY HOME VIDEO will release WYATT EARP’S REVENGE, previously called THE FIRST RIDE OF WYATT EARP.  (I was actually surprised that the original title had the ‘money-name’ as words number five and six; no wonder they switched it!) 

I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of days on the set last March, first at the Caravan West Ranch in Agua Dulce, then at Paramount Ranch in Agoura – you can read my in-depth two part report HERE and HERE.  

The film, scripted by Darren B. Shepherd from a story by Jeffrey Schenk and Peter Sullivan, is directed by Michael Feifer.   Based on a real incident – the murder of Dora Hand – the tale pulls together a great many young lawmen who would become legends.  Val Kilmer plays Wyatt Earp as an older man, and Shawn Roberts plays him in his youth.  Matt Dallas is Bat Masterson, Wilson Bethel plays Doc Holiday, Scott Whyte is Charlie Bassett, and Levi Fiehler is Bill Tilghman.  Daniel Booko and Steven Grayhm play the no-damned-good Kenedy brothers, and singer Trace Adkins plays their politically connected father.  AMERICAN IDOL favorite Diana DeGarmo plays the beloved soiled dove at the center of the story, Dora Hand. 

Shawn Roberts as Wyatt Earp

Producers Jeffrey Schenck and Barry Barnholtz clearly have a commitment to the genre: they produced last year’s AMERICAN BANDITS: FRANK AND JESSE JAMES, and just finished shooting BAD BLOOD – THE HATFIELDS AND MCCOYS.   Here is the trailer!

FOX TRIES FOR ‘HONEST ABE’ MONOPOLY!

Talk about covering your bets!  According to Deadline: Hollywood, 20th Century Fox has partnered to release both the Steven Speilberg-directed ABRAHAM LINCOLN, and the Tim Burton-produced ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER.  Apparently something of an obsession with the studio, they also made the 1939, John Ford directed, Henry Fonda starrer YOUNG MR. LINCOLN.  Lamar Trotti was nominated for an Oscar for his original screenplay.  The two new movies are both based on best-sellers, the Speilberg take on TEAM OF RIVALS by Doris Kerns, and the Burton version on the vampire-titled tome by Seth Grahame Smith. 

A Fox spokesman says they do not currently intend to release both pictures on the same day.  They were mum on rumors that they were also trying to acquire Asylum Film’s ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS. ZOMBIES.  Stay tuned. BOOK REVIEW SARAH GOLDEN HAIR – Original screenplay by Michael B. Druxman I promise to review the book shortly, but a bit of a preamble is necessary first. Before you can evaluate a published screenplay, you must decide why you are reading it in the first place.  Reading a screenplay is not the same as reading a novel.  A novel is a finished work, while a screenplay is a blueprint.  To appreciate a screenplay you cannot speed-read.  You need to pay attention to the description, not only ‘hear’ it but visualize it, to decide if it will work on the screen.  Do the words of the characters sound real to you?  Are they individual voices, or does everyone talk the same?  If you are reading to recall your feelings when you saw a movie, you probably want a screenplay that conforms to the finished film.  But if you want to know what went into making that movie, you want the same blueprint that was handed to the director and the actors and the crew.  This is especially true if you are a writer – you want to see how the words were turned into a finished film.  If you want to become a screenwriter, taking classes is a good idea – assuming they’re not based on Syd Fields’ teachings – but the most important thing you can do is to read as many scripts as you can.  You can learn from both good and bad examples; what works and what doesn’t.  I wrote my first screenplay when I was thirteen, and I actually learned the format from STAR TREK.  Gene Roddenberry used to sell copies of their scripts, and my first was Harlan Ellison’s CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER episode.  It was a great script, and because it was a first draft, I could see the differences between the original ideas and the finished product.  Some changes were good: he opened with a whole subplot of interstellar junkies that there was no time for, and that got dropped.  Some changes were bad: Spock and Kirk, in 1930s New York City, steal clothes off a line so they can blend in, and Ellison makes the point that the clothes should fit badly, since they’re stolen randomly.  Of course, in the show, the clothes are tailored, and it looks ridiculous.   I even took the pages of the script and fed them into my manual typewriter, to set all the tab-stops for DISSOLVE and CUT TO.  Michael B. Druxman is a very talented writer.  His CHEYENNE WARRIOR is the best micro-budget Western I’ve ever seen.  It’s also one of the very best Westerns of the last twenty years, regardless of budget.   What Michael has done with SARAH GOLDEN HAIR is quite audacious: he’s published a screenplay for a movie that has not been made, and is not currently slated to be.  He’d written CHEYENNE WARRIOR for Roger Corman, and it was successful enough that a sequel was considered.  But it didn’t happen, and Michael wrote the screenplay SARAH GOLDEN HAIR, not a sequel exactly, but a story in much the same world, with similar characters.   He wasn’t able to get it made.  A year later, Roger Corman hired him to write a sequel to CHEYENNE WARRIOR, but it’s currently sitting on a shelf. As Michael explains in his introduction, any screenwriter who’s been at it for a while has some scripts that never got made, and often they’re what we consider our best work.  After all, no producer has had you rewrite a part so his girlfriend could play it.  No director has decided to let his actors improvise the dialogue.  Michael considers SARAH GOLDEN HAIR among his best work.  If someone would like to option, he’d be delighted.  If not, he’d like people to have the opportunity to read it. His subject matter is the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, and a group of people caught up in that ghastly event, when a Colorado Militia attacked a village of friendly Cheyenne and Arapaho.  There’s a great deal of tragedy, but there is also love, hope, and adventure.  His characters are mostly Indians and Cavalrymen, with a few civilians, and none are mere symbols – all are flesh-and-blood people with needs and passions.  It’s a beautifully written screenplay, a worthy successor to CHEYENNE WARRIOR, and though it is not a sequel, if you have seen CHEYENNE WARRIOR, you can easily picture Pato Hoffman and Kelly Preston in the leads as Brave Wolf and Sarah.  It’s a bigger story, planned for a bigger budget, and it should be made.  And in the meantime, it should be read.  It’s available on Kindle, and in paperback from Amazon.com.  You can read my review of CHEYENNE WARRIOR, and my interview with Michael Druxman HERE: http://henryswesternroundup.blogspot.com/2011/06/round-up-joins-tcm-for-salute-to.html  FREE GENE DOUBLE-BILL AT THE AUTRY SATURDAY At noon on Saturday, February 4th, the Autry will present HOME IN WYOMIN' (Republic 1942), a murder mystery at a rodeo, with Smiley Burnette, and TWILIGHT ON THE RIO GRANDE (Republic 1947) is anothe rmurder mystery, set in Mexico, and featuring short-time sidekick Sterling Holloway. TV WESTERNS ALL OVER THE DIAL! More and more, classic TV Westerns are available all over the TV universe, but they tend to be on small networks that are easy to miss. Of course, ENCORE WESTERNS is the best continuous source of such programming, and has been for years. Currently they run LAWMAN, WAGON TRAIN, HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, LAREDO, RAWHIDE, GUNSMOKEandMARSHALL DILLON, which is the syndication title for the original half-hour GUNSMOKE.Incidentally, I see on Facebook that a lot of watchers are mad as Hell at losing CHEYENNE and THE VIRGINIAN. RFD-TV is currently showing THE ROY ROGERS SHOW, first at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Pacific Time, then repeated several times a week.They show a Roy feature every Tuesday as well, with repeats -- check your local listings. INSP-TVshows THE BIG VALLEY Monday through Saturday, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE seven days a week, DR. QUINN: MEDICINE WOMAN on weekdays, and BONANZA on Saturdays. WHT runs DANIEL BOONE on weekdays from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., Pacific Time, and on Saturdays they run two episodes of BAT MASTERSON. They often show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic. TVLANDhas dropped GUNSMOKE after all these years, but still shows four episodes ofBONANZA every weekday. GEB is largely a religious-programming cable outlet that runs at least one Western on Saturdays – the ones I’ve caught have been public domain Roy Rogers and John Wayne pictures –and sometimes have weekday afternoon movies as well. For those of you who watch TV with an antenna, there are at least a couple of channels that exist between the standard numbers – largely unavailable on cable or satellite systems – that provide Western fare. ANTENNA TVis currently running RIN TIN TIN, CIRCUS BOY, HERE COME THE BRIDES, andIRON HORSE. Another‘in between’ outfit, ME-TV, which stands for Memorable Entertainment TV, runs a wide collection: BIG VALLEY, BONANZA, BRANDED, DANIEL BOONE, GUNS OF WILL SONNETT, GUNSMOKE, MARSHALL DILLON,RAWHIDE, THE RIFLEMAN, and WILD WILD WEST.Some of these channels are hard to track down, but if they show what you’ve been missing, it’s worth the search. And for those of you on the other side of the pond, our British correspondentNilton Hargrave tells me CBS ACTION has begun showing GUNSMOKE. THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepeneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permenant galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE. HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywood western, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children. WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.

TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!

That's right, the segment I was interviewed for is now viewable here:

That's about it for now, pardners!  On Friday I had the pleasure of interviewing Robert Wolders, Erik Hunter of LAREDO, and that will b in the Round-up very soon!

Happr Trails,

Henry

All original contents Copyright January 2012 by Henry C. Parke - All Rights Reserved

BATTLE OF THE BEARDS – Five Abraham Lincoln Portrayals Are On The Way!

Many folks surfing the internet this week have seen a shot of Academy Award winner Daniel Day Lewis having lunch wearing his Great Emancipator beard.  He’s currently working for Stephen Speilberg in LINCOLN, a film which will tell the story of how our 16^th President steered the Union to its victory over the Confederacy. 

(Daniel Day Lewis - Lincoln at lunch)

In addition to Lewis, who won Oscars for MY LEFT FOOT and THERE WILL BE BLOOD, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, will be played by Sally Field, who won Oscars for NORMA RAE and PLACES IN THE HEART.  Their son, Robert Todd Lincoln, will be played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, soon to be seen in the sci-fier LOOPER and Quentin Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED.  The cast also features Tommy Lee Jones as Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, David Strathairn as Secretary of State Seward, Jared Harris as U.S. Grant, Jackie Earle Haley as Confederate VP Alexander Stephens, as well as James Spader, Hal Holbrook, and a host of others.

It’s based on the book TEAM OF RIVALS: THE GENIUS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN by Doris Kearns Goodwin, the nationally known historian and former aid to President Lyndon Johnson.  The other three writers, credited with the screenplay, are Tony Kushner – Oscar nominated for MUNICH and Emmy winner for ANGELS IN AMERICA, John Logan – Oscar nominated for THE AVIATOR and GLADIATOR, and Paul Webb, who has no previous professional credits.   

As revealed in last week’s Round-up (go HERE if you missed it), SONY Television is producing a miniseries entitled TO APPOMATTOX, starring Stephen Lang, who played Ike Clanton in TOMBSTONE and Gen. Pickett in GETTYSBURG, as Lincoln.

(Stephen Lang)

While Speilberg’s LINCOLN is currently in production, and APPOMATTOX is aiming at a 2013 TV release, another, less scholarly biography of Honest Abe is closer on the horizon.  On June 22, 2012 Benjamin Walker, of FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, will star in ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER.  The film is being produced by Tim Burton and directed by Timur Bekmambetov.  The Lincoln make-up is the work of three-time Oscar winner Greg Cannom. 

(Benjamin Walker as Lincoln)

These are not small projects – the Speilberg LINCOLN is budgeted at around $100 million, and the President-with-a-wooden-stake version is not far behind at $70 million.  When, in an earlier Round-up, I quoted a Paramount insider who opined that VAMPIRE HUNTER was a movie that should be made, but by Asylum Pictures, for $350,000, I heard from Asylum honcho David Latt: “Hey Henry! Thanks for the suggestion...and you'll be happy (sad?) to know that ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS. ZOMBIES is already   in the works. Ours will cost less than $70 million. Promise.” I’m waiting to hear back from him how the project is progressing.

And because I am something of a completeist, also coming soon is FDR: AMERICAN BADDASS, in which HERCULES star Kevin Sorbo will play Lincoln opposite Barry Bostwick’s Roosevelt.  I know I’ll be hearing from historical nit-pickers about the fact that the presidents may never have met, since FDR was born seventeen years after Lincoln’s assassination.

My personal disappointment is that, with all the interest in Lincoln, no one is filming the best Lincoln-related – actually assassination-related – book of the last several years, MANHUNT – THE 12 DAY CHASE FOR LINCOLN’S KILLER by James L. Swanson.  Once optioned by Robert Redford, but dropped when he decided to do the interesting but unsatisfying THE CONSPIRATOR instead, it would make one helluvah movie, even without monsters.

DVD REVIEWS

FINDERS KEEPERS CLASSICS is a great place to get hard-to-find movies and TV shows.  Their pricing is very straight-forward: all single disks and many 2-disk sets are $7 each, larger sets are more, and shipping is a flat $6 no matter how big the order.  They just sent me a crate full of interesting westerns from the ‘30s and ‘40s, and I’m reviewing a pair of them today.  Their site is HERE .  Incidentally, Finders Keepers Classics is the work of Martin Grams, an excellent writer and film and radio historian, and author of more than twenty books.  Here is a link to an article he wrote about HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, one of the very few shows to start on television and move to radio: MARTIN GRAMS. 

DVD REVIEW -- LAWLESS BREED

As a long-time fan of SKY KING, I was eager to take a look at LAWLESS BREED (1946), starring Kirby Grant, with Fuzzy Knight as his sidekick, Tumbleweed.  While Republic and Monogram and PRC Westerns are easy to come by, B westerns from the majors are rarely seen, and this was the last of seven that Grant did for Universal before moving on to Monogram for his Canadian Mountie series.


At first, I was dubious.  It looked like Universal, knowing it was the last of the series, had decided not to spend a dime on it: the opening scene in a sheriff’s office, where Kirby and Fuzzy try to talk themselves out of a murder charge, is static – Kirby tells his story as a way to introduce endless clips of stock footage, and I started to wonder if they’d ever leave the office.  But once they do, the story -- and the new footage -- takes off.  And you have two innocent victims of blind justice, a gang of serial bank-robbers, a good girl who happens to be the sheriff’s daughter (Jane Adams), a bad girl who happens to be a saucy French saloon chanteuse (Claudia Drake), and delightfully broad character actor Dick Curtis playing brothers, one a stodgy banker who is murdered, and the other a sea captain -- with a parrot -- trying to catch his brother’s killer!  There’s also insurance fraud, grave-robbing, and our heroes tricked into taking on a murder contract with a gun loaded with blanks – not to mention several songs, all in under 54 minutes! 

Kirby is all charm when he’s flirting with the ladies or cajoling the Sheriff, but there’s a grimness to his demeanor when things are bad that’s startlingly convincing.  On the other hand, I was surprised to find what a pleasant singing voice he had, when he and Fuzzy take turns vocalizing in the slammer.  LAWLESS BREED is an often exciting and amusing Western, and John Ford favorite Hank Worden is effective in a small role as a deputy who’s out of his depth when things go awry. 

The print it’s taken from is pretty scratched, and splicey in a few spots, but the contrast is very good, giving you a wide range of grays.  There were a few scenes that I thought were too dark, but when I rewound, turned off the lights and watched again, I saw they were fine.  They were just shot to be seen in a darkened theatre.  Because this movie was from a time before all movies were shot with the knowledge that they’d eventually be shown on television – the reason most movies from the mid-sixties on are a succession of flat-lit close-ups. 

DVD REVIEW – CHEROKEE STRIP

Richard Dix and Victor Jory face off in CHEROKEE STRIP (1940), an 86 minute B+ production from Harry ‘Pop’ Sherman, released by Paramount.  Dix, as Dave Morell, has come as the new Federal Marshal to the town of Goliath, gateway to the Cherokee Strip, once the property of the Cherokee Indian Nation, and about to be opened to white settlers.  But he has a hidden agenda: he’s the head of the Morell Clan, which has been feuding for years with the Barrett Clan, led by Coy Barrett, played by Victor Jory.  The two men have actually signed a formal truce, but neither trusts the other farther than they can spit. 

Jory is now a successful and respectable banker, but that’s just a front to run his clan’s stage-robbing and cattle-rustling activity.  And into the mix comes Senator Cross (Charles Trowbridge) and his daughter and son, Florence Rice and William Henry, who are working as federal census takers, the natural allies of Federal Marshal Dix, even before he becomes sweet on Florence Rice. 

CHEROKEE STRIP is an exciting and smart story, and much of the fun is watching the cat-and-mouse game Dix and Jory play, always polite, but always ready to cut the other to pieces if a fair opportunity arises.  The stagecoach trip they take together is a classic of deadly one-ups-man-ship.  

Producer Sherman, who made his first fortune distributing BIRTH OF A NATION, was a savvy businessman and a gifted Western filmmaker.  He’s the man who bought ‘Hopalong Cassidy’, and cast William Boyd.  Beloved by his crews, who called him ‘Pop,’ Sherman infused his low-budget films with high production values, beautiful locations, top technical credits, and a loyal stock company of actors that made his films many cuts above the average with a similar budget.

Unlike so many stars of his time, iron-jawed Dix had successfully made the transition from silent to talking pictures, and had his greatest success in 1931’s CIMARRON, the first Western to win a Best Picture Oscar (the next wasn’t until Eastwood’s UNFORGIVEN in 1992), and for which he was nominated for Best Actor.  Though no longer a top box-office star, his career continued on successfully in the 1940s, and he arguably did his most interesting acting in that period, as the lead in Columbia’s THE WHISTLER series, and as the ‘kindly’ sea captain in Val Lewton’s GHOST SHIP. 

Victor Jory, fresh from his villainous triumph as Tara’s overseer in the previous year’s GONE WITH THE WIND, the former Coast Guard boxing and wrestling champ would have a busy career until 1980.  Also in the cast is Andy Clyde, as an assistant to Dix, but not the traditional sidekick he would later become that same year, when Pop Sherman would cast him as California Carlson, a role he would play in HOPALONG CASSIDY movies, TV and radio episodes for a dozen years.  Among the other stand-out tough guys in the cast were Sherman stock-company actors like Tom Tyler, Morris Ankrum, and Hal Taliaffero, and George E. Stone who, as he did in CIMARRON, plays an obviously Jewish character, someone rarely seen in the traditionally ‘white-bread’ Westerns.

It’s written by Western specialists Norman Houston and Bernard McConville, and directed by Lesley Selander, who directed exactly half of the films Pop Sherman produced – 36 out of 72.  Selander’s work was many cuts above what was done in most B or A westerns, not just in terms of action, but in direction of actors, and creativity – 21 post-World War II Tim Holt Westerns he directed at RKO are among the best B-westerns ever made.  

TV WESTERNS ALL OVER THE DIAL!

More and more, classic TV Westerns are available all over the TV universe, but they tend to be on small networks that are easy to miss. Of course, ENCORE WESTERNS is the best continuous source of such programming, and has been for years. It’s not in my current satellite package, which is why I often forget to mention it, but currently they run CHEYENNE, MAVERICK, LAWMAN, THE VIRGINIAN, WAGON TRAIN, HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, GUNSMOKE, BRET MAVERICK, CIMMARON STRIP, and HOW THE WEST WAS WON. (I’d get it in a minute, if I didn’t have to buy a huge package of STARZ and ENCORE channels just to get the one!)

But there are several new, or at least new-to-me, channels showing sagebrush fare. GEB, which stands for Golden Eagle Broadcasting, is largely a religious-programming cable outlet that runs at least one Western on Saturdays – the ones I’ve caught have been public domain Roy Rogers and John Wayne pictures – and sometimes have weekday afternoon movies as well.

For those of you who watch TV with an antenna, there are at least a couple of channels that exist between the standard numbers – largely unavailable on cable or satellite systems – that provide Western fare. ANTENNA TV is currently running RIN TIN TIN, CIRCUS BOY, HERE COME THE BRIDES, and IRON HORSE.

Another ‘in between’ outfit, ME-TV, which stands for Memorable Entertainment TV, runs a wide collection: BIG VALLEY, BONANZA, BRANDED, DANIEL BOONE, GUNS OF WILL SONNETT, GUNSMOKE, MARSHALL DILLON (the renamed black and white GUNSMOKE), RAWHIDE, THE RIFLEMAN, and WILD WILD WEST. Some of these channels are hard to track down, but if they show what you’ve been missing, it’s worth the search. 

TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!

That's right, the segment I was interviewed for is now viewable here:

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

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

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

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

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

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


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

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

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

BONANZA and BIG VALLEY

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They've stopped running GUNSMOKE.  INSP is showing THE BIG VALLEY every weekday at noon, one p.m. and nine p.m., and Saturdays at 6 p.m., and have just added DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN to their schedule.

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

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

AMC has been airing a block of THE RIFLEMAN episodes early Saturday mornings, usually followed by Western features.

And RFD-TV is currently showing THE ROY ROGERS SHOW at 9:30 Sunday morning, repeated several times a week, and a Roy feature as well -- check your local listings.

That's a wrap for today -- I was hoping to include a story on Tombstone's Boot Hill, but that will have to wait until the next Round-up.

Happy Trails,

Henry

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

WESTERN PRODUCTION PULSE STRONG

With the disappointing grosses for COWBOYS & ALIENS, and the abrupt halt on production of Disney’s THE LONE RANGER, there’s been, understandably, a great deal of hand-wringing over whether we’re hearing the death-knell for the current western revival. I don’t think so. When a New York Magazine blog posed the question, based on the public response to COWBOYS & ALIENS, whether the western was dead, a frequent response was, “Huh? Was that supposed to be a western?” Just to keep things in perspective, C&A, as of Thursday, has grossed a very respectable $92,000,000. This is only a disappointment if you’re dumb enough to spend $230,000,000 making the movie.

Having learned that the plot of THE LONE RANGER involved the masked rider of the plains doing battle with werewolves, I can’t be too upset that Disney has decided to rethink their approach, and try to bring the budget down from a high of $285,000,000. Maybe the industry is learning the lesson they should have gotten from JONAH HEX, that scifi and horror elements rarely mix well with western stories.

Granted, no one lost any money on the very good CURSE OF THE UNDEAD, or the very bad BILLY THE KID VS. DRACULA and JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN’S DAUGHTER -- because no one spent any money on them. We’ll have to wait and see how ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER does with its $70,000,000 outlay. As a Paramount Pictures insider put it to me, it’s a movie that should be made. But it should be made by The Asylum for $250,000. (Incidentally, last year The Asylum made the very watchable western 6 GUNS, and I’ve been bugging them ever since to do 7 GUNS.)

But the good news is that there are a lot of good projects in the pipeline, for big-screen and small!

FEATURES:

‘YELLOW ROCK’ EDITING LOCKED

Lenore Andriel, who co-wrote, co-produced and stars with Michael Biehn and James Russo in this tale of greed and deceit, tells me, “The picture is now ‘locked’. It’s in sound editing, sound design, sound fx at Monkeyland Audio. The score is being composed by Randy Miller, an incredible award winning composer.” You can hear an impressive example of his music when you visit the YELLOW ROCK site.

“We've added pickup shots that Daniel Veluzat was our 2nd Unit Director for, which really add to the levels of tension, production value, and clarity to the film. He did an amazing job, as did the actors, James Russo and Peter Sherayko, and our wonderful crew in the 110 degree heat!” To learn more, visit the YELLOW ROCK website HERE. For Round-up articles on the filming of YELLOW ROCK, read part one HERE, part two HERE.

‘COWBOYS & INDIANS’ READY TO GO TO MARKET




The third feature, and first Western by brother co-writers and co-directors Aaron Burk and Tyler Burk, was shot at the Whitehorse Movie Ranch in the Mojave Desert, and as you can see by the trailer, there’s plenty of action. Aaron tells me, “Our sales agent is currently shopping it around for domestic sales. And we’ll probably be going to AFM (the American Film Market) to sell it internationally.”

I’ll soon have an extensive interview with the Burk brothers in the Round-up, but in the meantime, you can learn more about COWBOYS & INDIANS at their website HERE.



‘THE FIRST RIDE OF WYATT EARP’ NEARS COMPLETION

Toplining Val Kilmer as Earp, THE FIRST RIDE is based on the true story of the murder that brought together the Earp brothers along with Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Charlie Bassett and Bill Tilghman. From ARO ENTERTAINMENT, the cast also includes Trace Adkins, Diana DeGarmo, Shawn Roberts as a young Wyatt, Levi Fiehler, Matt Dallas, Scott Whyte, Wilson Bethel and Daniel Booko. It’s directed by Michael Feifer from a screenplay by Darren Benjamin Shepherd. When I asked producer Jeffrey Schenck how post-production was going, he told me, “We’re almost there. Check with me next month.”

To read the Round-up’s two-part coverage on the shooting on FIRST RIDE, go HERE and HERE.



‘MORGAN KANE: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS’, BEGINS




The folks at WR Films continue to keep development of the Morgan Kane franchise, based on the best-selling Norwegian western series, shrouded in mystery. What I can tell you is that they’ve acquired the right to all 83 of Louis Masterson’s novels, and are planning to start with a trilogy of films, the first, MORGAN KANE: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS, based on two of the books, EL GRINGO and EL GRINGO’S REVENGE. I understand that a first draft was delivered the first week in August, but they’re playing it so cagey that I still haven’t found out the screenwriter’s name. I’ll tell you more when I know more, but in the meantime, you can read about my visit to their set, for the shooting of e-book covers, HERE.

http://henryswesternroundup.blogspot.com/2011/07/who-is-morgan-kane.html

TARANTINO’S ‘DJANGO UNCHAINED’ TO ROLL IN AUTUMN

Aiming for a Christmas 2012 release, the long-rumored Quentin Tarantino ‘spaghetti southern’ is set to roll shortly in Louisiana. With Jamie Foxx as the title character, a freed slave turned bounty-hunter under the tutelage of dentist Christoph Waltz, the film boasts a striking supporting cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, and most recently Kevin Costner, as the sadistic trainer of ‘Mandingo’ fighters at a plantation/brothel known as Candyland. Also rumored to be involved are Treat Williams and Franco Nero, cinema’s original Django.

TONY SCOTT IN TALKS WITH WARNERS TO REMAKE ‘THE WILD BUNCH’

Why?

‘AMERICAN BANDITS: FRANK AND JESSE JAMES’ TO STARZ



Producer Jeffrey Schenck tells me AMERICAN BANDITS will premiere on the STARZ network on September 11th. Written and directed by Fred Olen Ray, it’s the story of what happens when the brothers must split up until the wounded Jesse heals. It stars Peter Fonda, Tim Abel and Jeffrey Combs. At the recent B-MOVIE CELEBRATION, Fred won two Golden Cobs, for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, and Jeffrey Combs won for Best Lead Actor. To read my review, go HERE. To read my interview with Fred Olen Ray, go HERE.

And that's not all! On Wednesday I hope to be on the set of a new Western, GANG OF ROSES II!


ON TELEVISION:

HIGH HOPES FOR ‘SHADOW HILLS’

The pilot for the series about a former buffalo soldier-turned horse breeder in an ethnically mixed town in the Oklahoma Territory is taking shape in the cutting room. Executive Producer Scott Steel tells me, “Things are great! We are in Post and editing. After seeing some of the footage, we really feel we have something special, and know that your readers are really going to love SHADOW HILLS when they see it!”

Lamont Clayton, who wrote, produced, and stars in the show, agrees. “It looks amazing. John Amos (who plays the town’s blacksmith) said he had the same feeling he had about ROOTS that he has for SHADOW HILLS. He and I really think we have something here!” To read my article about the shoot, go HERE.



AMC’S ‘HELL ON WHEEL’S GETS PLAYDATE!



AMC’s long-anticipated Western series, centered on the building of the trans-continental railroad, will premiere on Sunday, November 6th, following an episode of their highly successful THE WALKING DEAD.

Starring Anson Mount, Colm Meany, Wes Studi, and Common, it follows Mount’s character, a former Confederate soldier out to avenge his wife’s death. The title refers to the traveling saloons, brothels and gambling dens that moved on wheels to follow the track-layers -- Historian Stephen Ambrose wrote a wonderful book on the subject by the same title.

HISTORY CHANNEL’S ‘HATFIELDS AND McCOYS – AN AMERICAN VENDETTA

The History Channel will produce it’s first dramatic, non-documentary miniseries, telling the true story of America’s most deadly blood-feud. Kevin Costner will star as Devil Anse Hatfield, and Bill Paxton will star as Randall McCoy. Kevin Reynolds, who directed RED DAWN, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, and previously directed Costner in ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES, will be at the helm. Writers are Rod Mann (DEADWOOD) and Ron Parker (BROKEN TRAIL).

TNT ORDERS ‘GATEWAY’ PILOT

TNT has given a cast-contingent order for a westerns series, GATEWAY, about a Colorado town in the 1880s. A lawman has been killed, and his three sons must step in. The script is by Exec Producer Bruce McKenna (BAND OF BROTHERS, THE PACIFIC), and Danny Cannon (CSI) will direct.

‘RECONSTRUCTION’ GOES FROM FX TO NBC

Developed for FX, RECONSTRUCTION has been shot as a pilot at NBC, directed by Peter Horton and written by three-time Emmy winner Joshua Brand (NORTHERN EXPOSURE, A YEAR IN THE LIFE). Set in Missouri after the Civil War, it’s the story of a war vet who settles in a town where he is greeted as its savior. It stars Martin Henderson (OFF THE MAP), Emma Bell and Rachel Lefevre.

AND IN PRINT:

THE TRADITIONAL WEST

Western fictioneers


A brand new anthology of traditional western stories from The Western Fictioneers, the only writers’ organization devoted solely to traditional Western fiction, has been published in both e-book and print version. The authors include Matthew P. Mayo, Robert J. Randisi, Dusty Richards, James Reasoner, Larry D. Sweazy, L.J. Washburn, Jackson Lowry, Larry Jay Martin, Kerry Newcomb, and C. Courtney Joyner, who has lectured on how to break into Western print (see HERE).
http://henryswesternroundup.blogspot.com/2011/04/winnetou-palooza.html


THE NOT SO TRADITIONAL WEST




Michael Druxman, screenwriter of the excellent CHEYENNE WARRIOR (see my review and interview HERE;), has published a new book of short stories entitled DRACULA MEETS JACK THE RIPPER & Other Revisionist Histories. The story entitled THE OLD COOT is about Jesse James.
http://henryswesternroundup.blogspot.com/search?q=cheyenne+warrior

EXCELLENT ‘GATHERING REMNANTS’ ON THE DOC CHANNEL

Though you might not know by the title, GATHERING REMNANTS is a documentary about cattle-driving cowboys. What they have to say about their way of life is, by turns, fascinating and heartbreaking. Much of it is startlingly beautiful. It’s showing twice on Thursday, August 25th on the Documentary Channel, locally at 6:30 p.m., and again at 9:30 p.m., but systems vary, so check your listings.

CELEBRATE ROY ROGERS’ 100TH BIRTHDAY AT THE DOUBLE R BAR RANCH!

Head to Victorville on Saturday, August 27th, for a celebration of the King of the Cowboys and the Queen of the West! Among those taking part in the festivities will be Roy’s daughter Mimi Rogers and grand-daughter Julie Ashley Pemilla, actors Dick Jones, Ty Hardin, Hugh O’Brien, Andrew Prine, Bo Hopkins, Dan Haggerty, Donna Martell, Darby Hinton and Beverly Washburn, and authors Julia Ann Ream and Charlie LeSueur. For all the particulars, go HERE.



http://cowboyjerryandthepioneers.com/

TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!

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

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

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

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

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


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

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

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

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

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

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

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

RFD-TV has begun airing THE ROY ROGERS SHOW on Sundays at 9:00 a.m., with repeats the following Thursday and Saturday.

Also, AMC has started showing two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN on Saturday mornings.

Just as I was about to shut down, I spotted an interesting email from Nikke Finke's DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD. Disney's Rich Ross attended D23, a sort of Disney-only Comic-con this weekend, and in an interview said he was eager to try again with THE LONE RANGER. He said he was eager to work with everyone involved, and he named them all...except director Gore Verbinski.

Happy Trails!

Henry

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

GREAT EMANCIPATOR VS. BLOODSUCKERS! REPORT FROM THE FRONT

In case you haven’t heard, the Civil War is currently raging once more, this time in Louisiana, where the much-beloved novel ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, is being brought to the screen.

The Round-up is fortunate to have had war-correspondent Michael F. Blake reporting from the front. A well-known historian, biographer and writer on the western film, Mr. Blake was working in his capacity as a make-up artist when he filed his dispatch from the Battle of Gettysburg, portions of which follow:

“The film was okay. I was on second unit, so it was basically Rebs fighting Yanks, some explosions. According to the book and script, the Rebs are vampires, and by the time of Gettysburg the Union Army figures out to fire silver minie-balls. I guess they will do a lot of CGI when the Rebs get hit and dissolve or what have you.

“I had a great time as the re-enactors were an interesting lot and talked a lot about Civil War history. It was great to watch them march to the set, flags billowing in the wind, and hearing the drum & fife carry them along the road. I let my imagination take over and honestly felt I was back in 1862 or 1863.

“I did see pictures of Greg Cannom's makeup for Lincoln and it looks like the genuine article! You'd swear it was the man himself back to life.”

Written for both the page and celluloid by Seth Grahame-Smith, whose previous PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES was a New York Times best-seller, this tale of one of the less-remembered chapters (the vampire part, I mean) of the War Between the States is being produced by Tim Burton and directed Timur Bekmambetov, for a budget reported to be in the $70 million range. The major effects make-up is by the brilliant three-time Oscar winner (for DRACULA [1982], MRS. DOUBTFIRE [1993] and BENJAMIN BUTTON [2008]) Greg Cannom. It stars Benjamin Walker as Honest Abe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mary Todd Lincoln, John Rothman as Jefferson Davis, and Alan Tudyk as Stephen Douglas. I suspect it will be a tonic for those who felt there wasn’t sufficient action in the recent THE CONSPIRATOR.

But here’s what troubles me: I can certainly understand how muskets loaded with silver minie-balls could wreak havoc against an army of werewolves, but wouldn’t it have to be bullet-size wooden stakes against an army of vampires? I fear this movie may not be entirely historically accurate.

HENRY’S WESTERN ROUND-UP ON TCM!

Coming under the heading of shameless self-promotion, the newest TCM FANATIC segment started running last week. Done to go along with their July Salute to The Singing Cowboy, it’s about Westerns, and it features yours truly, Henry Parke, amongst other western-movie crazies. It’s five minutes long, and runs between movies when you least expect it! Let me know if you catch it!

OLD WEST AUCTION BRINGS BIG BUCKAROO BUCKS!

You’ve probably read here or elsewhere that the 22ND ANNUAL BRIAN LEBEL’S OLD WEST AUCTION, held in Denver on June 25th, sold the only authenticated photograph of Billy the Kid for a staggering $2,300,000. This is the photo which gave rise to the myth that the Kid was a southpaw since, being a tintype, the image is reversed, so his pistol appears to be on his left hip. But there were many other items of interest that fell under the auctioneer’s gavel.

Some were related to the Lincoln County Wars, and the Regulators. A receipt signed by Susan McSween, widow of A.A. McSween, employer of Billy, sold for $575. A letter written by Pat Garrett, the lawman who killed the Kid, says in part, “Dear Wife, Going to Santa Fe for the Governor’s inauguration. Send me my dress suit and my Prince Albert coat.” It fetched $1610.

A Colt model 1878 pistol that belonged to Walter Putney, a member of the Hole-In-The-Wall Gang, a.k.a. The Wild Bunch, sold for $8050.

A Portland Police Chief badge presented to Leo ‘Pancho’ Carrillo sold for $8,625. A Yakima Cannutt hat from John Wayne’s BATJAC productions, roped $17,250!

Many items were related to Buffalo Bill and his Wild West. A scrapbook belonging to one of his performers, Jordan Cottle, sold for $20,700. His Colt Double Action sold for $26,450. Photographs, prints, even punch-cards bearing Cody’s image were sold. There was also a note in Cody’s hand describing his killing of Yellowhand after the Battle of Little Big Horn, dated June 15th, 1907: “Dear Sir, Yellowhand a Cheyenne Chief was killed July 17th, 1876. And by my self in the battle of War bonnet creek troops 5th U.S. Cavalry commanded by General Wesley Merritt. Yellow Hand at the time of his death was carrying no saddle bag this known to be a fact as I was there. W.F. Cody” Cody famously scalped Yellowhand and waved the trophy above his head, calling to the troopers, “The first scalp for Custer!” The letter sold for $12,650. (I wish we had the letter he was responding to. I know in my heart it was the Cody equivalent of the Star Trek nerds who torture people with their inanely specific questions at Q & A’s: “Mr. Cody, my research suggests that Yellowhand was carrying a saddle bag in his left had at the time you were scalping him.”)

My favorite item of the sale related to a more private part of Cody’s life: his aborted divorce proceedings, which included allegations of attempted murder (which you can read about HERE). Press and Media person for Lebel’s, Melissa McCracken told me, “My second favorite moment of the night (Billy being the first obviously) was during the sale of the divorce papers. When the bidding stalled at $5,000, the ringman exclaimed, ‘They’re the cheapest divorce papers you’ll ever get!’” They sold for $6,325. You can learn more HERE.
http://www.denveroldwest.com/owaucthighlights.html

‘COVERED WAGON’ AT ACADEMY JULY 11TH

In L.A., the best entertainment deal of the summer has long been the film series at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This year it’s SUMMER OF SILENTS, featuring nine silent features that have won the Photoplay Magazine Medal of Honor, an award that predates the Oscars.

On Monday, July 11th James Cruze’s 1923 epic of the Oregon Trail, THE COVERED WAGON, starring J. Warren Kerrigan, Lois Wilson and Alan Hale, will screen in 35mm, and tickets are still available for $5 a piece. Live musical accompaniment will be by Bill Ryan and the Cactus County Cowboys. Also screened will be the few reels that survive from ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1924). It’s directed by Phil Rosen, who started as a cameraman for Edison in 1912, and is best known for his Charlie Chan movies. The screenplay is by Oscar-winner (for THE BIG HOUSE and THE CHAMP) Frances Marion. An actress who was a child when she appeared in the film will be present to discuss it!

To buy tickets, go to HERE or visit the box office 9 to 5 on weekdays at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90211.
http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/venues-ticketing/index.html

ROBERT MITCHUM WESTERN FEST CONTINUES AT THE BILLY WILDER

On Wednesday, July 13th at 7:30 p.m., it’s his Aussie western, THE SUNDOWNERS (1960), directed by Fred Zinneman. On Sunday, July 17th at 7:00 p.m. it’s TRACK OF THE CAT (1954) written by A.I. Bezzerides and directed by William Wellman. To learn more, go HERE.

http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/calendar


TCM SALUTE’S TEX RITTER & JIMMY WAKELY FRIDAY 7/15

Continuing with their Salute to Singing Cowboys, TCM will be running five movies starting at 5:00 Pacific time. SONG OF THE GRINGO (1935) and at 6:15 P.m., THE OLD CHISOLM TRAIL (1942) both star Tex Ritter. At 7:30 p.m. COWBOY CANTEEN (1944), a War-Effort western musical features Tex Ritter and Jimmy Wakely. At 8:45 p.m., OKLAHOMA BLUES (1948) and at 9:45 p.m., BRAND OF FEAR (1949) both topline Jimmy Wakely.


HOLLYWOOD SHOW SAT. & SUN. JULY 16TH & 17TH

This is a fun event held several times a year, where movie and TV fans can shake hands with stars and buy their autographs. It’s also a big market for movie collectibles – posters, stills, video – you name it! But be warned – in ain’t cheap. It’s $20 admission -- $35 for both days. The stars charge $20 and up for an autograph, whether they provide the picture or you do, so know that if you go in and get a picture signed, you’re already in for $40 minimum. Of particular interest to Western fans, two of the stars of THE WILD BUNCH, Ernest Borgnine and Bo Hopkins, are scheduled to attend. So is former teen idol Leif Garrett, who co-starred in a pair of shot-in-Israel Westerns with Lee Van Cleef in 1977. It’s at the Burbank Airport Marriott, 2500 North Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505, Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m..

NATIONAL DAY OF THE COWBOY NEWS!

As you may know, Saturday, May 23rd, is the 7th annual National Day of the Cowboy. But while we call it national, getting it recognized has been an arduous state by state, volunteer by volunteer, campaign. Word has just come from Bethany Braley, Executive Director of the organization, that Senator Jean Fuller introduced the National Day of the Cowboy resolution in the California Senate. It passed on July 1, officially encouraging Californians to celebrate the National Day of the Cowboy. This is the first time the California Senate has heard and voted on the NDOC resolution! To date in 2011, we have official resolutions from New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Illinois, Georgia and now California. To learn more, visit the official website HERE. www.nationaldayofthecowboy.org

CELEBRATING THE DAY OF THE COWBOY AND COWGIRL AT THE AUTRY!

It’s great news that for the second year, the Autry will be taking part in the celebration – last year was an absolute blast! This year’s festivities will feature a ton of activities for kids and families, leather-craft and blacksmithing, square-dancing, lasso demonstrations, gunslinging by the lightnin’ quick JOEY DILLON, and a musical performance by the delightful and downright legendary RIDERS IN THE SKY!

But wait, there’s more! In the Wells Fargo Theatre, Gene Autry’s delightfully whacky serial, THE PHANTOM EMPIRE will screen. And coinciding with the Day of the Cowboy, the Autry will the grand reopening of THE GREG MARTIN COLT GALLERY, featuring a phenomenal new presentation of the history of the Colt Firearms Company.

READ ‘EM COWBOY BOOKFAIR AT BARNES & NOBLE, REDLANDS ON THE DAY OF THE COWBOY!

On Saturday, July 23rd, from 11 ‘til 3 at the Redlands Barnes & Noble, 27460 Lugonia Ave. Western writer J. R. Sanders says, “Come celebrate the National Day of the Cowboy, and support Western literature, at Read 'em Cowboy! A portion of sales from the event will go directly to the Western Writers of America's Homestead Foundation, which promotes the literary preservation of Western culture, history and traditions.

“Western authors will sign books and give talks, children's authors will do readings and other activities with kids, and there'll be a cowboy/cowgirl costume contest for the youngsters. Along with the authors, there'll be live cowboy music by the Coyote Creek Ramblers, historical displays, roping demonstration, raffles, cowboy vittles in the B&N cafe, and more.” But, you say you don’t live near Redlands! How can you take part? Make a purchase at any B&N from 7/23-28. Just print a copy of the voucher found HERE. (The link takes you to a Facebook page, from which you can print the flyer with the voucher attached.) Show it at checkout. Or, order online at www.bn.com/bookfairs, and enter the Bookfair ID# (10510444) at checkout. Either way, a portion of your sale goes to the Homestead Foundation.

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=221304581236513#!/photo.php?fbid=203670429680595&set=o.221304581236513&type=1&theater

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

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

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

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

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

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


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

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

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

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

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

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

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

RFD-TV has begun airing THE ROY ROGERS SHOW on Sundays at 9:00 a.m., with repeats the following Thursday and Saturday.

Also, AMC has started showing two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN on Saturday mornings.


EVENTS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IF YOU DIDN’T CHECK THE ROUND-UP FACEBOOK PAGE THIS WEEK

This week we featured a link to get into the Autry Day of the Cowboy Celebration for free; COWBOYS & ALIENS director Jon Favreau’s video interview of his producers Ron Howard, Steven Spielberg and Brian Grazer; Saturday’s Autry screening of ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, featuring Paramount’s 35mm archive print. It’s updated almost every day, so check it out!

NEXT WEEK I’ll be sharing an exclusive preview of some of the fascinating items from the upcoming Autry Colt Gallery opening, I’m scheduled to visit the set of a new Western series pilot, and I’ve got some interesting casting news, once I’m given permission to share it! And starting now, you can follow us on Twitter (if that’s your idea of a good time). Have a great week!

Adios,

Henry

All contents copyright July 2011 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved