THE WESTERN FAN’S GUIDE TO THE TCM FEST, PLUS SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FEST, ALL-STAR WORD-ON-WESTERNS, MEMBERS NIGHT AND ‘UNION PACIFIC’ AT THE AUTRY!

THE WESTERN FAN’S GUIDE TO THE TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL!

The 10^th Annual TCM Classic Film Festival arrives in Hollywood this Thursday, April 11^th, for four days and nights of wonderful movies seen as they should be, on big screens, introduced by knowledgeable and often famous guests, and attended by folks who love movies - and know as much about them - as you and I do.   This year’s theme is Follow Your Heart – Love At The Movies, and there are films for all interests.  I’ll have a link below to connect you to the entire schedule, but for this report I’m focusing on Westerns and attendees of Western interest.  You can’t see everything, because so many films are screened simultaneously, so it’s wise to plan ahead, and make sure you give yourself enough time to get from theatre to theatre. Rather than skip movies to eat meals, I often carry a briefcase full of Smuckers Uncrustables.

TICKETS: The various festival passes, which run from $2,149 down to a paltry $299, are all sold out. But, individual passes are available for most movies on a first-come, first-served basis, for twenty buck a pop, with the Sunday evening screening of Gone With The Wind for $30.  Lots of movies do fill up, so your advised to get to movies at least a half-hour early.

VENUES: The vast majority of films are screened at the Chinese complex, either the historic Chinese Theatre IMAX or the Chinese 6 Theatres Multiplex, on Hollywood Blvd., near Highland. Some films are shown a few blocks East on Hollywood Blvd., at the equally historic Egyptian Theatre. You may need to drive to films at Arclight Cinema’s Cinerama Dome on Sunset Blvd. A few movies are screened poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, across the street from the Chinese Theatres.  A new venue added this year is the American Legion Theatre at Post 43, chartered in 1919 by World War I film-industry veterans, and now with a stunningly renovated theatre. It’s about a fifteen-minute walk from the Hollywood Roosevelt, and click HERE to get more details.

THURSDAY NIGHT begins with an invitation-only, Chinese IMAX Theatre 6:30 pm premiere, of a restoration of WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (not a Western), whic director Rob Reiner and stars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal (of CITY SLICKERS) will attend.

At 7:30 pm, Poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt, the original OCEAN’S 11 will screen, preceded by a discussion with lovely Angie Dickinson (RIO BRAVO, among others).

At 8 pm at the Legion Theatre at Post 43, SERGEANT YORK will be presented, with a discussion beforehand with two of Sgt. York’s sons!

FRIDAY MORNING at 10:30 am, in the forecourt of the fabled Chinese Theatre, Billy Crystal will follow the long Hollywood tradition of placing his handprints and footprints in cement!

At 12 noon at the Legion Theatre at Post 43, there’s WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT REPUBLIC SERIALS? It’s a program of shorts hosted by Andrea Kalas, Paramount Pictures Archivist – Paramount now owns the Republic library.

At 9:30 pm, in Chinese Multiplex #1, WINCHESTER ’73! The premiere of a new restoration, done with the input of Martin Scorcese and Steven Speilberg, the brilliantly dark Anthony Mann Western starring James Stewart will be introduced by author Jeremy Arnold.

Do it Jimmy! Dan Duryea's got it coming to him!

SATURDAY MORNING, at 9:45 am, THE LITTLE COLONEL, starring Shirley Temple, Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson, and Lionel Barrymore, plays at the Legion Theatre at Post 43, introduced by film critic Tara McNamara.

At 2:45 pm at the Legion Theatre at Post 43, a double-feature of rarely seen Tom Mix Westerns, THE GREAT K&A TRAIN ROBBERY, and OUTLAWS OF RED RIVER, will be introduced by N.Y. Museum of Modern Art Film Curator Anne Morra. The films will be presented  with a live musical score by famed Silent Film Organist Ben Model.

At 6:30 pm at the Chinese Theatre IMAX, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID will be introduced by composer Burt Bacharach, who won Oscars for both the Original Score, and Best Song, “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.”

At 9:45 pm at the Chinese Multiplex #1, Director John Carpenter and star Kurt Russell will present ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK.

SUNDAY morning, April 14^th, at 11:30 am at the Legion Theatre at Post 43, the Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball comedy YOURS, MINE AND OURS will be presented with stars Tracy Nelson, frequent TV Western guest star Kevin Burkett, BONANZA’s Jamie Cartwright, Mitch Vogel, and film historian Leonard Maltin.

At 2:30 pm at the Chinese Multiplex #1, Don Seigal’s and Ernest Hemingway’s THE KILLERS will screen. Star Angie Dickinson will speak before the film, which co-stars Western stalwarts Lee Marvin, Clu Gulager, John Cassavetes and, in his final screen role before moving on to another demanding job, Academy Award Winner Ronald Reagan.

Finally, at 4:30 pm at the Chinese Theatre IMAX, there’s GONE WITH THE WIND.  Hope to see you there! You can get details on all of the films programs, and all of the guests HERE.

THE SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL SAT & SUN, APRIL 13^TH & 14^TH!

Held at silent-movie cowboy legend William S. Hart’s own ranch in Newhall, now the William S. Hart Park, this annual FREE event gives real and wanna-be cowpokes an opportunity to immerse themselves in a world of western fun and entertainment.

While most of the action occurs on the weekend, there are activities leading up, and on Thursday, April 11^th,  at 5 pm, on Main Street in Old Town Newhall, three new inductees will be added to the Western Walk of Stars: TV’s THE VIRGINIAN, James Drury; LARAMIE and WAGON TRAIN star Robert Fuller; and posthumously, Western character actor – generally a villain – Dan White.  Everyone is welcome!

Me and Bobbi Jean Bell

At Hart Park, on Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm, Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm, visitors can roam the park and hear 22 different Western music acts perform throughout both days, including Krystyn Harris, John Bergstrom, Almeda Bradshaw, Shannon Rae and 100 Proof, The Hanson Family, and Sourdough Slim. Also, be dazzled by gun-spinning virtuoso Joey Dillon and rope twirling maestro Dave Thornbury!

Joey Dillon double-spinning!

You can also visit the Buckaroo Book Shop and meet your favorite Western authors, visit a Native American lodge, and shop for Western clothing and accessories. You can tour the Hart Mansion, and test your skills at archery, tomahawk throwing, mechanical bull-riding, gold panning and more.

And when it comes to food many fans come year after year just for the Cowboy Peach Cobbler, but there’s also barbecue, soul food, Thai food, sausage – you name it! There’s a special parking area, and shuttle buses to take you to the venue. For details, click HERE.

STARS TO PACK ‘WORD ON WESTERNS’ LOOK AT OVERLOOKED WESTERNS!

On Tuesday, April 16^th, Western historian and raconteur Rob Word will present his free bi-monthly Western film program at The Autry’s Wells Fargo Theatre. The program is dedicated to the late, great character actor Morgan Woodward. The topic is Overlooked Westerns, and the stars who plan to discuss their movies are Keith Carradine, Tim Matheson, Donna Mills and Dennis Quaid. Rob always does well with his guests, but I can’t remember when he had so much firepower in one program.

Doors open at 10:30 am, and the program is from 11 am to 1 pm, after which most folks mosey across the courtyard for lunch at the Autry’s Crossroads West Café.  Don’t miss it!

‘UNION PACIFIC’ SATURDAY APRIL 13^TH AT THE AUTRY

A beautiful 35mm print of Cecil B. DeMille’s UNION PACIFIC will screen at the Autry’s Wells Fargo Theatre at 1:30 pm, as part of their long-running What is a Western? series.  The film, from a novel by STAGECOACH author Ernest Haycox, stars Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Preston and Akim Tamiroff. It will be introduced by James D’Arc, film historian and author of When Hollywood Came to Town: The History of Movie Making in Utah. Admission is free with Museum admission.

MEMBERS’ NIGHT AT THE AUTRY – SATURDAY, APRIL 20^th!

The Autry celebrates its loyal members (and up to four guests) with a great evening of fun, starting at 5 pm with games on the plaza, and an in-gallery scavenger hunt. Dinner is available for purchase from Crossroads West Cafe (member discount applies!) There will be free popcorn, snacks, lemonade, and soft drinks, complimentary beer and wine.

And at 6:30 pm, there will be a special live performance by the delightful Bob Baker MarionetteTheater, followed by a screening of Gene Autry’s 1941 classic, BACK IN THE SADDLE!

EXTENDED VERSION OF ‘MAJOR DUNDEE’ APRIL 26 & 27 AT THE NEW BEVERLY!

Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 pm, an extended version of Sam Peckinpah’s heavily re-edited classic, MAJOR DUNDEE will be screened.  It stars Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Jim Hutton and James Coburn.

…AND THAT’S A WRAP!

Me and Morgan Woodward, who starred 

in my first film, SPEEDTRAP!

Sorry the Round-up appears so erratically; I’ve been up to my ears writing for True West Magazine! The current issue features my interview with Kevin Costner (notice my name on the cover for the first time!), and a look at the wonderful YouTube series THE FORSAKEN WESTERNS.  More good stuff coming soon! Happy Easter and Passover!

Henry

All Original Content Copyright April 2019 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

WEDNESDAY ‘BUTCH CASSIDY’, ‘WORD ON WESTERNS’, PLUS ‘HIGH CHAPARRAL’ REUNION, FAREWELL DAN ‘GRIZZLY ADAMS’ HAGGERTY!

NATIONWIDE ‘BUTCH CASSIDY’ SCREENINGS WEDNESDAY!

4-Oscar-winner BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) will be showing in 650 theatres across the nation, on Wednesday, January 20^th.  This event comes to you from the fine folks at Fathom Events, TCM, and 20^th Century Fox, and is the kick-off for a year of national screenings of classic movies.  If you’re a Round-up Facebook follower, you’ll know that I gave away two sets of tickets to a pair of readers who successfully answered the following:

Two classic Westerns, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID and THE WILD BUNCH, were released in 1969, and both told the story of the same group of men.  One actor was in both films.  Who?  Did you know the answer was Strother Martin? 

Strother Martin in BUTCH CASSIDY

BUTCH won Best Original Screenplay, William Goldman; Best Cinematography, Conrad Hall; Best Score, Burt Bacharach; Best Song, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, for ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.

There are two shows on Wednesday, at 2 pm and 7 pm. THIS LINK will take you to the official Fathom site, with all of the theatres listed by city, and you can buy tickets there as well! 

Peter Duel & Ben Murphy in the...uh...

derivative ALIAS SMITH & JONES 

I saw the movie on Sunday, and was struck by how beautiful Conrad Hall’s photography is, and how many things I saw on the big screen that were lost on television.  I went home and watched, of all things, the pilot TV movie for a series that was an homage – or shameless rip-off – of BUTCH CASSIDY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES.  And now we’re getting pretty obscure, but for no prize at all, what actor is in both BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, and the TV movie ALIAS SMITH AND JONES?  Familiar character actor Charles Dierkop, who plays Flat Nose Curry in BUTCH, and an outlaw named Shields in SMITH. 

Charles Dierkop

I guess next I’ll be re-watching BLACKTHORN (2011), starring Sam Shepard as an aging Butch Cassidy, living in Bolivia, and wanting to go home. 

WEDNESDAY ‘WORD ON WESTERNS’ LUNCHEON AT THE AUTRY!

Clu Gulager in THE TALL MAN

At noon on Wednesday, January 20^th, the first WORD ON WESTERNS luncheon at the Autry for 2016 will feature three very interesting gentlemen discussing their Western-making memories:  CLU GULAGER, who starred as Billy the Kid in the series THE TALL MAN (see it Saturdays on getTV) and Sheriff Ryker in THE VIRGINIAN (see it on INSP).

Bruce Davison & Burt Lancaster in ULZANA'S RAID

BRUCE DAVISON, (who to me will always be WILLARD, the kid who sic’d the rats on Ernest Borgnine), who starred with Burt Lancaster in ULZANA’S RAID, and just completed a new Western, ANY BULLET WILL DO.

And PHILIP PROCTOR, founding member of the brilliant comedy troupe THE FIRESIGN THEATRE, who also co-wrote ZACHARIAH, The First Electric Western!  It should be a great show – get there early, buy your lunch and snag a seat!

‘HIGH CHAPARRAL’ REUNION REGISTRATION DEADLINE FEBRUARY 1^ST!

March 17^th through the 20^th, Old Tucson Studios, the original home of the HIGH CHAPARRAL series, where the ranch-house still proudly stands, will be the site of the HIGH CHAPARRAL REUNION 2016!  Coming back to their old galloping-grounds will be series stars Don Collier, Rudy Ramos and BarBara Luna.  They’ll be joined by a posse of stars from other Western series, including Robert Fuller from LARAMIE and WAGON TRAIN, Darby Hinton from DANIEL BOONE and the recent TEXAS RISING, Roberta Shore from THE VIRGINIAN, frequent John Wayne co-star Eddie Falkner, and Stan Ivar from LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE.  Also on-board are HIGH CHAPARRAL producers Kent and Susan McCray, and writers and historians Boyd Magers, Charlie LeSueur, Neil Summers, and Joel McCrea’s son Wyatt McCrea. 

The packages vary from a bare-bones $30-per-day deal to $475 with all the trimmings.  To take your pick and make your reservations, check out the official site HERE.

And here’s something special for all HIGH CHAPARRAL fans, and it’s free!  Last year the Reunion inaugurated a live Webcast of the event.  It was not cheap, but it was very entertaining and informative.  HIGH CHAPARRAL REUNION Top Hand Penny McQueen has decided that this year’s Webcast will be FREE!  You’ll be able to watch it HERE starting March 17^th! 

DAN HAGGERTY – FILM & TV’S GRIZZLY ADAMS DIES

It’s been a rough week for passings.  About 100 days after the death of Kevin Corcoran, the Disney child star who will forever be remembered as Moochie; and as Arliss, the younger brother in OLD YELLER, his sister Noreen Corcoran died.  Known best for starring in the series BACHELOR FATHER, Noreen also appeared in episodes of ADVENTURES OF KIT CARSON, RIN TIN TIN, GUNSMOKE, and her last onscreen appearance was in an episode of THE BIG VALLEY. 

Rocker David Bowie, who starred in one spaghetti western, GUNSLINGER’S REVENGE, died, as did screen-villain Alan Rickman, who made one very memorable Western appearance, opposite Tom Sellick in the Aussie-oater QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER.

The loss that hit Western fans the hardest, of course, was Dan Haggerty, the screen’s Grizzly Adams.  A big bear of a man with a manly, handsome face, irresistible grin, and a wreath of hair, Haggerty was mostly seen in biker films until 1974, when he was cast as the 19^th century mountain man and animal trainer.  That tiny, outdoor picture, shot without synchronized sound, became an astonishing hit due to the charm and talents of Haggerty.  Made for a reported $140,000 (and I suspect a lot less) it would take in $45,000,000 (the franchise, including the TV series, would gross $140 million), and create the ‘wilderness family’ western subgenre. 

Haggerty would go on to star as the title pioneer in THE ADVENTURES OF FRONTIER FREMONT (1976), play Grizzly Adams in several other films, and make many other film and TV appearances, in big roles and small.  He also lent his baritone voice to many cartoon characters.  Among his better later performances was as the trading-post operator in CHEYENNE WARRIOR (1994). 

A few months ago I wrote an article for TRUE WEST MAGAZINE about the ten best Mountain Man movies, anticipating THE REVENANT, and sought out Haggerty.  He had recently been diagnosed with cancer, and when I reached him by phone, he was in the hospital.  I apologized, and almost hung up, but he wanted to talk, and we did for a few minutes, about the movies, the character, and even more about the historical Adams.  Then he had to go for an MRI.  He asked me to call him back the next morning to continue the interview, but when I did, he had lost his voice.  We said we’d try again in a couple of weeks, and I tried, but it never worked out.  The last thing he said to me in our interview was, “Thanks for remembering me.”  I will.

‘RAMONA’ AUTHOR HELEN HUNT JACKSON RETURNS TO RANCHO CAMULOS JAN.31! 

Okay, she returns in spirit. On January 31, at 1:00 PM, experience Helen Hunt Jackson’s January 23, 1882 visit to Rancho Camulos which inspired her to include this vestige of the Californio lifestyle as one of the settings for her novel Ramona. Re-enactors will engage and delight you as they portray this event which forever changed the peaceful life at Rancho Camulos. “A Women with a Mission”, a presentation on the life of HHJ by author Patricia Clark Doerner will follow the reenactment.

The museum is located on Highway 126, 10 miles west of the I-5 freeway near Piru. Details at (805) 521-1501, info@ranchocamulos.org, or www.ranchocamulos.org.

Also, docent-led tours are available Sundays at 1, 2, and 3 and by appointment.  See the “Home of Ramona” including the 1853 adobe, 1867 chapel and winery, 1930 schoolhouse, and beautiful grounds.  View the 1910 silent film “Ramona” starring Mary Pickford that was filmed on location at Rancho Camulos. The suggested donation for the tours is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children over 5.  Entrance to the non-profit museum which is on private property is only allowed with a docent escort.  Check the website before going in case of closures due to weather or special activities. The museum is located on Highway 126, 10 miles west of the I-5 freeway near Piru. INFO: (805) 521-1501, info@ranchocamulos.org, or www.ranchocamulos.org.

WONDERFUL INTERVIEWS – ROBERT DUVALL AND JAMES DRURY!

I’m sorry for the lengthy delay of the Round-up, but I’ve got a great excuse!  Over the past couple of weeks, both for The Round-up and True West, I’ve been conducting a slew of interviews with personnel involved in several up-coming Westerns.  I’ve been talking to stars, writers, directors and producers of THE KEEPING ROOM, FORSAKEN, and THE PRICE OF DEATH.  But best of all, I’ve had the chance to speak at considerable length with a pair of icons of the genre, and personal heroes of mine, THE VIRGINIAN’s James Drury, and LONESOME DOVE’s Robert Duvall!  Doing it right takes a lot of time to prepare, and a lot of time to transcribe.  You’ll be seeing the results soon, and I’ll bet you’ll say it was worth the wait!

AND THAT’S A WRAP!

GREETINGS, RUSSIAN ROUND-UP READERS!

One of the true joys of writing the Round-up is the knowledge that it’s read in over one hundred countries across the globe.  It’s always fun to check and see who is reading, and what posts are the most popular.  Generally I’m read more in the United States than anywhere else, with other English-speaking countries usually next in numbers, often followed by Germany or France.  The remarkable pattern of the past couple of months is that the Round-up is often read by greater numbers in Russia than in the U.S.!   I’m delighted to have found such a large following in Russia, and I would love to know what about the Round-up appeals to them.  If you are a Russian Round-up Reader, I’d be grateful if you took a minute to leave a comment about it.  Of course I’m very eager to hear from any and all of my readers everywhere!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright January 2014 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved