TWO BIG WESTERNS FOR CHRISTMAS, PLUS BIG GENE AUTRY GIVEAWAY, NEW FONDA/SORBO OATER, GLENN FORD WEST FEST, WE LOSE CHRIS & PIERRE

2 BIG WESTERNS – THE REVENANT & HATEFUL 8 – TO OPEN CHRISTMAS DAY!

We’re getting a wonderful pair of gifts in our stocking this December 25th: two big Westerns opening on Christmas Day!  The last time this happened, Tom Mix was going up against William S. Hart (don’t do research – I’m making it up!)!  THE REVENANT, starring Leo DiCaprio and Thomas Hardy, is the true story of Hugh Glass, a mountain man who was mauled by a bear and left for dead.  It’s written and helmed by Mexican-born Alejandro Gonzalez Inarruti, who swept the Oscars this year, winning Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay for BIRDMAN.  A previous version of the Hugh Glass story, MAN IN THE WILDERNESS (1971), starred Richard Harris and John Huston, directed by Richard Sarafian from Jack DeWitt’s script. 

While REVENANT had long been heralded as a Yuletide release, just this Friday the Weinstein Company announced that Quentin Tarantino’s THE HATEFUL 8, will also open on December 25^th.  Featuring a huge cast of Tarantino favorites – Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson, Walter Goggins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bruce Dern, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, et al – it’s an all-star ‘bunch-of-people-caught-in-a-snowstorm’ Western.  The writer/director cheerfully revealed that his inspiration was the sort of BONANZA/BIG VALLEY/HIGH CHAPARRAL episodes that would happen mid-season when budgets were tight, and plots would be crafted around a bunch of people caught in a small place.  In spite of those close quarters, the Christmas premiere will be exclusively in 70 mm – the largest 70 mm opening in at least two decades!  It’s been said that Tarantino’s determination to release the movie on actual film, in 70 mm, is what lead Kodak to reverse their decision to shut down their film-stock production entirely.  HATEFUL 8 will broaden its release to crummy new digital theatres on January 8^th. 

I’M IN THE NEW ‘TRUE WEST’ PANCHO VILLA ISSUE!

I’m very proud that my first article as TRUE WEST MAGAZINE’s new Film Editor is in the July ‘All Pancho Villa Issue’, which has just come out.  No surprise, my piece is about the best and worst of the movies about Villa.  Buy several copies today! 

GENE AUTRY FANS!  ENTER THIS GREAT FREE GIVEAWAY!

Gene Autry Entertainment wants to get a verification check-mark on its Youtube channel, and increase their Google + numbers, and they’re giving away THREE great collections of Gene Autry merchandise and collectibles to do it!  Each collection contains DVDs, CDs, books, scarves – each is worth well over a C-note – and to enter to win one, all you have to do is click HERE to subscribe to the Official Gene Autry Youtube Channel, then come back and click HERE to be a Google + follower!  Everyone who does so will be automatically entered to win !  Do it soon – the giveaway ends on June 19^th!

GLENN FORD WESTERNS AND CUSTER FLICKS AT THE NEW BEVERLY!

June is a great month for Westerns at Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema!  Sunday and Monday, June 14^th & 15^th , a rarely seen pair of Westerns about Custer will screen, THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON (1941), starring Errol Flynn as Custer, with Olivia DeHavilland, directed by Raoul Walsh; and CUSTER OF THE WEST (1967), starring Robert Shaw as Custer, with Mary Ure and Ty Hardin, and directed by Robert Siodmak. (That latter film was shot in Spain at the height of the spaghetti western Renaissance, and Ty Hardin told me some very interesting stuff about the making of the film – including what director was fired the first day.  Read that interview HERE )  

On Wednesday and Thursday, June 17^th & 18^th see Glenn Ford in Edna Ferber’s CIMARRON (1960), starring Glenn Ford, directed by Anthony Mann.  Then on Wednesday and Thursday, Jne 24^th & 25^th, catch the Glenn Ford double bill THE FASTEST GUN ALIVE (1956), and the original Elmore Leonard’s 3:10 TO YUMA (1957), directed by Delmer Daves, and co-starring Van Heflin.  Then Sunday, June 28^th through Saturday, July 4^th, you have a full week to catch Sergio Leone’s masterpiece ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST.  Get all the details HERE.

JOIN ‘COPS & COWBOYS’ JULY 18^TH AT LEONIS ADOBE!

After the tremendous success of last year’s event, the annual ‘Cops & Cowboys’ fundraiser for The Mid-Valley Community Police Council will again be held at the historic Leonis Adobe Museum in Calabasas, CA.  Built in 1844 as the home to a Basque farmer and his bride, daughter of a Chumash Chief, the Adobe is one of the oldest existing buildings in Southern California, and the C&C is a wonderful time to visit it!  You can learn about ranch life, bid at the regular and silent auctions, play blackjack and poker, have a few drinks in the saloon, enjoy barbecue, country music, line dancing, and more!  Tickets are $150 each ($50 if you’re in the LAPD), and there are opportunities for sponsorship, buying tables, and buying space in the program.  To learn more, please call 818-994-4661, FAX 818-994-6181, email info@theproperimageevents.com or visit http://www.midvalleypolicecouncil.org/event/cops-cowboys-july-18th-2015/ .

SOLIMA’S ‘BIG GUNDOWN’ INTRO’D BY JOE DANTE JUNE 18 AT LINWOOD DUNN

As part of their THIS IS WIDESCREEN series, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will screen Sergio Solima’s THE BIG GUNDOWN, starring Lee Van Cleef, Thursday, June 18^th, at the Linwood Dunn Theatre in the Mary Pickford Center, 1313 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90028.  (Note, this is the Hollywood venue, not the Academy headquarters in Beverly Hills).  It’s a very unusual, well-told story, with lawman-turned-politician Van Cleef on the hunt for a degenerate criminal (Tomas Milian) who may be not as bad as the men who want him dead.  This is the new restoration from Grindhouse Releasing which Courtney Joyner and I got to see when we were doing audio commentary for their BluRay release, and it looks spectacular.  The ticket price range is from $3 to $5, and you can learn more about the film, and order tickets HERE  

If you’d like to buy the fabulous 4-disc set from Grindhouse, including a CD of the brilliant Ennio Morricone soundtrack, go HERE .

Also featured with THE BIG GUNDOWN at the Linwood Dunn is the martial arts film DRAGON INN (1967), written and directed by King Hu.

FONDA & SORBO STAR IN ‘JESSE JAMES: LAWMAN’

Based on history you may have missed, outlaw Jesse James pins on a badge, working for a lawman who figures you need the help of a bad man to catch a very bad man in JESSE JAMES: LAWMAN, coming soon from Barnholtz Entertainment (read my interview with producer Barry Barnholtz HERE ) .  Starring Andrew Galligan as Jesse, he’s joined by Peter Fonda as the mayor, and Kevin Sorbo as J. Frank Dalton.  Director Bret Kelly and screenwriter Janet Hetherington collaborated last year on another Western, THE LAST OUTLAW.     

FAREWELL PIERRE BRICE AND CHRISTOPHER LEE

One day apart, we lost two of the true icons of International film.   On June 6^th, Pierre Brice passed away at age 86.  Though French, he gained undying fame in German cinema playing a fictional American, Winnetou, the Apache Chief created by the father of the German Western, Karl May.  Starting in 1962 with THE TREASURE OF SILVER LAKE, Brice would play the role eleven times in the original series of films, often opposite American and British stars like Lex Barker, Herbert Lom, Stewart Granger, and Rod Cameron, and indelibly etched his persona as the heroic, dignified and stunningly handsome chief upon the consciousness of non-English-speaking cinema.  He played many other characters, including Zorro twice, but he will always be Winnetou to his loyal fans. 

On June 7^th, Christopher Lee passed away at the age of 93.  To a younger audience he was Count Dooku in the STAR WARS films, or Saruman in the LORD OF THE RINGS movies, but to us grown-ups he will always be Dracula, a role he first played in 1958’s HORROR OF DRACULA.  For Hammer and other studios he would play every conceivable horror-related character; Fu Manchu five times, and he had the unique distinction of playing Sherlock Holmes twice, as well as his brother Mycroft, and Henry Baskerville.  His imposing form, chiseled features, and deadly stare, combined with his inherent dignity and sense of humor, made all of his screen work a delight, sometimes the only thing worth watching in his films.  For those of you with an interest in astrology, someone on Facebook noted that he and Vincent Price shared the same birthday, May 27^th, and Peter Cushing’s birthday was May 26^th.  Not known for a lot of Western roles, he was very effective as the gunsmith in HANNIE CAULDER (1971), and played a Grand Duke opposite James Arness in the HOW THE WEST WAS WON TV series.  On Monday, June 22^nd, TCM will air eight of Lee’s finest films.  Both men shall be sorely missed around the world. 

THAT’S A WRAP!

TEXAS RISING ends today (or next week if you, like me, DVR almost everything you watch).  Let me know what you think of the conclusion (not that I’ll read it for a week), and tell me if you’re enjoying STRANGE EMPIRE so far.  And who’s been watching Hallmark’s WHEN CALLS THE HEART?  One of the downsides of having so many channels is that you lose track of stuff on channels you don’t regularly watch.  How far are we into season two?  Have a great week!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright June 2015 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

‘BEN HALL’ ROLLS! ‘WORD ON WESTERNS’ RIDES AGAIN! PLUS, TCM FEST, S.C. COWBOY FEST, AND MORE!

 ‘THE LEGEND OF BEN HALL’ ROLLS CAMERA THIS WEEK!

On the far side of the globe, in what writer-director Matthew Holmes calls, “…the ‘other’ Wild West – in Australia,” a feature film begins shooting, telling the story of Ben Hall.  Don’t know the name?  “Ben Hall is a famous outlaw over here,” Holmes tells me.  “He’s our version of Jesse James!”  We had our outlaws, the English had their highwaymen, and in Australia they had their bushrangers, and Ben Hall was the most successful of them – for a while. 

For years, Great Britain used Australia as a penal colony, shipping their criminals there; Hall’s mother was an Irish convict, and his father was an English one.  The movie is set in 1865, the last six months of Hall’s career, and Holmes says there will be plenty of excitement: “It’ll be guns, horses, coach hold-ups and frontier life the whole way.” 

Actor Jack Martin and the real Ben Hall

One of the remarkable aspects of the film is how the money was raised: “We raised $100K through crowd-funding to make a short film of Ben Hall and now we're going to make it a two hour feature.”  On-board as executive producer Greg Mclean, who created the popular Aussie WOLF CREEK thriller franchise.  This is Holmes’ second feature – he directed and co-starred with his brother in TWIN RIVERS, about two brothers looking for work, trying to walk the 800 kilometers to Melbourne in 1939. 

Much of the cast of the short will reprise their roles in the feature, and much of that footage will be used.  Starring is screen newcomer Jack Martin as Ben Hall.  Stand by for updates!  And in the meantime, check out the original trailer – it looks terrific!

 ‘WORD ON WESTERNS’ RIDES AGAIN AT THE AUTRY!

Those of us who had so enjoyed Rob Word’s delightful live monthly programs at The Autry, entitled A Word on Westerns, were astonished when they abruptly ended in December.  For a year they’d taken place on the third Wednesday of the month.  With topics as wide-ranging as Spaghetti Westerns, Western Comic Books, Sam Peckinpah, and Audie Murphy, the Crossroads Café was always packed with fans eager to hear the reminiscences of the men and women who made the big and small-screen Westerns we’d so enjoyed. 

Out of the blue, Rob was told that the events would be no more.  While he searched for an alternate venue, Word on Westerns fans began calling and writing and emailing the Autry to denounce their decision.  And happily, their voices have been heard.  The programs will begin again on Wednesday, May 20^th, with A Salute to Duke, celebrating John Wayne’s birthday.  This has happened so suddenly that he can’t yet confirm who will be participating.

One change is that the events will now be every second month, so the next ones will be in July, September and November – no topics are set yet, but I’ll keep you posted!  In the meantime, check out the clip below, from a recent luncheon, with author Richard Bann discussing movie-making at Lone Pine.

‘HIGH CHAPARRAL’ REUNION WRAPS UP!

seated, Henry Darrow and Don Collier with

Lauren Darrow and fans

Today was the finale for the HIGH CHAPARRAL REUNION in Tucson.  Here are a couple of snapshots from the event.  It was, to my knowledge, the first such Western event that offered to offer, for $65, a live webcast for fans who could not attend.  Western historian Charlie LeSueur led many of the conversations, and everything I saw was entertaining and informative.  And subscribers will be able to watch until April 9^th – perfect for guys like me who couldn’t get a chance to watch more than a few minutes at a time!.  I’ll be very grateful if anyone who either attended or watched the webcast would post their comments! 

Charlie LeSeuer and Don Collier

TCM FEST STARTS THURSDAY MARCH 26^TH AT THE CHINESE THEATRE!

On Thursday, March 26^th, the sixth annual orgy of cinema-ecstasy known as the TCM Classic Film Festival will begin at the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.  This year’s theme is History According To Hollywood, and all of the films featured will portray how the past looks in Hollywood’s rear-view mirror.

A red carpet will precede the 5 pm premiere of the new restoration of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, which will be attended by stars Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.  At 6:30, the first screening of particular interest to Western fans will be THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, which will be attended by actor Keith Carradine, son of one of the film’s stars, John Carradine.  It’s a family affair this year – children of many of the films’ stars will be attending, including Peter Fonda, Rory Flynn and David Ladd.  For a complete rundown on Western-interest screenings and events, read my earlier article HERE.  For a complete festival schedule, and information on how to attend, go HERE.

Among the particularly unusual screenings will be HOLLYWOOD HOME MOVIES: TREASURES FROM THE ACADEMY FILM ARCHIVES.  For silent movie fans, RETURN OF THE DREAM MACHINE: 1902-1913 will feature century-old movies shown on a hand-cranked 35 mm projector, including William S. Porter’s THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY.  Also, premiering at the Fest will be a pair of restorations, Buster Keaton’s STEAMBOAT BILL JR. (1928); and long believed lost, THE GRIM GAME (1919), starring Harry Houdini.  All silent films will have a live musical accompaniment. 

‘IRON HORSE’ AT THE AUTRY THURSDAY

John Ford’s rarely seen 1924 silent Western about the building of the transcontinental railroad, THE IRON HORSE will be screened at 7pm on Thursday, March 26^th, in 35mm, at the Autry.  And since, as The Autry reminds us, silent movies were never seen silent, it will be presented with a new soundtrack by Grammy-nominated composer Tom Peters.  It’s a computer-synchronized soundscape that will be partly performed live.  The cost is $10 for Autry members and students with I.D., $20 for non-members, and reservations are warmly suggested.  Visit TheAutry.org

SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FEST AROUND THE CORNER

The Santa Clarita Cowboy Fest will be on Saturday and Sunday April 18^th & 19^th. In addition to the various western entertainments and musical performances I’ve been telling you about (if you’ve missed it, please go HERE ), there are a plethora of separate-ticket events you might want to check out.  

There are two film-location tours.  On Thursday, April 16 at 2 pm, film historians E.J. and Kim Stephens will load you on a bus to show you the many movie-locations in Santa Clarita, including Disney’s Golden Oak Ranch (where they shot OLD YELLER and many others), Vasquez Rocks (where they shot everything), Mystery Mesa, Box Canyon, and the spot on Sierra Highway where Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard walked off into the sunset in MODERN TIMES – the last shot in the last silent movie!  And they’ll end up at Tesoro Adobe, home of Harry Carey.  On Friday at 9 am the bus will whisk you to Hollywood, where you’ll visit the locations of Western poverty row studios; Edendale, where Mack Sennett and Tom Mix made their films; the site of the original Bison Studios; sites associated with William S. Hart and D. W. Griffith, and a stopover at The Autry.  Each tour is about three hours, and each costs $40.

On Friday, April 17, 12:30 pm, cowboy singing legend Don Edwards will perform at the Rancho Camulos Museum the historic ‘Home of Ramona’, where author Helen Hunt Jackson set her beloved novel RAMONA.  The very first film of the story, starring Mary Pickford, and directed by D.W. Griffith, was shot here.  Tickets are $60, which includes lunch. 

Miles Swarthout and C. Courtney Joyner

Friday at 2 pm at the Repertory East Playhouse, Miles Swarthout will present JOHN WAYNE AND ‘THE SHOOTIST’, a ninety-minute talk and film presentation about the making of John Wayne’s last movie.  Spur Award winner Miles wrote THE SHOOTIST screenplay, adapting it from the novel by his father, Glendon Swarthout, who also wrote the novel THE HOMESMAN, on which the recent film was based.  Tickets are $10.  Miles has just published THE LAST SHOOTIST, a sequel to his father’s novel.  I look forward to interviewing Miles at the OutWest Store Buckaroo Bookshop, Saturday at noon.  Saturday at three I’ll be talking with Miles and fellow novelists and screenwriters C. Courtney Joyner, Stephen Lodge and Dale Jackson about their adventures adapting novels into screenplays and screenplays into novels.  If you’d like to read my earlier interview with Miles, check out the Round-up ‘Homesman Issue’ HERE.  

Friday night at Heritage Junction from 6pm to 10 pm it’s Friday Night Flickers!  For $10 you can enjoy William S. Hart short films and SUDDENLY (1954), the rarely seen assassination thriller starring Frank Sinatra, and shot entirely is Saugus!  Popcorn included!

Friday night at 8 pm, the Western swing band Cowbop will perform at the William S. Hart Mansion – tickets are $45.

Saturday night at 8 pm at Heritage Junction, Marie-Wise Hawkins will perform her country western music in the style that made her a finalist on COUNTRY SHOWDOWN IN NASHVILLE.  The $45 tickets include a barbecue chicken dinner.

Saturday night at 8 pm experience An Evening With Buffalo Bill at the William S. Hart Mansion , a one-man-show starring Peter Sherayko, who will be in a perfect location to present the story of one of the most remarkable and controversial figures in the history of the American West.  Tickets are $40. (You can read my review of An Evening With Buffalo Bill HERE. )

Peter Sherayko, me, writers Rolfe Kanefsky and C. Courtney Joyner

Peter Sherayko will also be at the OutWest Store Buckaroo Bookshop, Saturday at 11 am and Sunday at 2 pm, taking part in Wordsmiths: Poets Present Their Favorites, along with poets Alameda Bradshaw, Peter Conway and Andria Kidd. 

On Sunday from 9 am to 3 pm you can take the Santa Clarita Historical Tour by bus.  You will visit 30 points of historical interest, four in depth, and you will be fed a sandwich lunch.  Wear comfortable shoes, be prepared for some rough terrain, and don’t bring anyone under six.  And bring $60.

Sunday at 8 am attend Cowboy Church at Masters College.  Church is free.  You can learn about all of the Buckaroo Bookshop events HERE.  To find out all about the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, go HERE. 

PAPERBACK SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

The 36^th Annual Los Angeles Vintage Paperback Collectors Show was held Sunday at the Glendale Civic Auditorium.  Eighty dealers from around the country sold their wares, and 45 authors signed their books for free.  This event skews pretty sharply towards sci-fi, horror and mystery, so author-wise there was little Western interest.  Two much-anticipated guests who have frequently attended, were not there: THE WALTONS creator and TWILIGHT ZONE writer Earl Hamner Jr. was unable to attend, and sci-fi legend Ib Melchior died last week. 

Thanks for coloring in the 'I', kid.  You 

probably saved me five bucks

Serious paperback collectors are a snobby bunch – they only want their books in pristine condition, and they pay top dollar for it.  I like what they sneeringly call ‘reader copies’ or ‘place-holders’, and there were bargains to be found: many good Westerns books to be had for fifty cents to a dollar.  Among others, I picked up the novelization of the John Wayne movie CAHILL – UNITED STATES MARSHALL, by Joe Millard, who also novelized the Leone Westerns, and wrote a whole MAN WITH NO NAME series. 

SMOKY ROAD by ‘king of the pulps’ Frank Gruber, who also wrote movies for Randolph Scott – RAGE AT DAWN and FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS, and the Sherlock Holmes films, TERROR BY NIGHT and DRESSED TO KILL. 

Seems to high-strung to last in the West

Also grabbed DOUBLE CROSS TRAIL by E.E. Halleran, and STAGECOACH, a novel by Robert W. Krepps, published to tie in with the 1966 movie re-make.  I love this last one particularly because of how many writers’ hands were in it: the novel is based on Joseph Landon’s 1966 screenplay, which is based on Dudley Nichols’ 1939 screenplay, which is based on Ernest Haycox’s 1937 short story STAGE TO LORDSBURG.  You can’t really tell, but the cover design, from the movie poster, is a wonderful painting by Norman Rockwell.

In the past, I don’t remember paying less than a dollar a book at this event, and while I loved getting my literary fix at two for a buck, it troubled me: does the lower price reflect a loss of interest in the Western?  At the next table, DR. WHO books and STAR WARS books were also two for a dollar, so I think all is well.  

THAT’S A WRAP!

I know I promised my Michael Horse interview this week, but I haven’t finished transcribing it yet, and with the TCM Fest starting on Thursday night, I’m not quite sure when I’ll get to!  And speaking of the TCM Fest, Peter Fonda, who will be introducing MY DARLING CLEMENTINE, and giving a talk about his father Henry Fonda, is in town for another reason as well.  He and Kevin Sorbo will spend a couple of days shooting scenes in the Santa Clarita area to flesh out a new Western, JESSE JAMES: LAWMAN, which has mostly been shot in Manitoba, starring Andrew Galligan, and directed by Brett Kelly.  I’ll tell you more when I know more!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Content Copyright March 2015 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved  

JOHN FORD’S LAST PROJECT, ‘COMANCHE STALLION’ FINALLY TO ROLL!

This weekend, director Vic Armstrong and producer Clyde Lucas headed to Monument Valley to scout locations for one of John Ford’s pet projects which never reached the screen.  COMANCHE STALLION.  Based on the novel by Tom Milstead, it’s the story of the Comanche’s search for a mystical horse, while suffering the wrath of General Lathrop.  Ford wanted Burl Ives for the role of the general, but Ives’ health was not up to the task, and Ford’s own health also failed. 

Now famed stuntman and stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong, who just directed Nicholas Cage in LEFT BEHIND, is preparing to finish Ford’s last planned project.   To outline even a fraction of Armstrong’s credits would take hours, so I’ll just mention that he doubled for Richard Harris in RETURN OF A MAN CALLED HORSE, doubled for Harrison Ford in the INDIANA JONES movies, and was just supervising stunt coordinator on THOR.  Clyde Lucas has produced several documentaries, some involving the late Harry Carey Jr.  Sadly, Carey was set to star in what had been the Burl Ives role, but passed away this year.  I’ve not heard many details of casting, but at the moment Tyrone Power Jr. and Robert Carradine are said to be involved.  I hope to have much more to tell you following the location scouting.

Shortly before his death, James Arness, who appeared in HONDO and WAGON MASTER for Ford, recorded the narration for the film.  Below is a sample.

(Note: this clip was playing just fine last night, but isn't running now, here or on Youtube.  Maybe it will come back up.)

SHADOW ON THE MESA – a Movie Review

Back in March of this year, when SHADOW ON THE MESA originally aired on the Hallmark Movie Channel, I interviewed star Kevin Sorbo (HERE is the link if you missed it  ), and I intended to review the movie as well.  But they were still editing it up to the last minute, so I didn’t get to see it prior to the airing.

 

I don’t know if I would have pursued the film afterwards, but when I heard that the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum had presented it with their 2013 Wrangler Award for best Television Movie, I figured I’d better make an effort to track it down, and I’m very glad I did; it’s a fine piece of work.  And the good news is that it will be released on DVD one month from today, on December 17^th – right on-time for Christmas.

One of the immediate appeals of SHADOW ON THE MESA is that, rather than trying to endlessly draw parallels between the Old West and the modern world (to make it more ‘relevant’ to an unsophisticated audience), its story grows out of a situation you would not have today.  Wes Rawlins (Wes Brown), a sometime bounty hunter who’d been raised by his recently murdered widowed mother, learns that she was not widowed at all.  Just prior to his birth, his parents were in a group of settlers who were attacked by Indians, and his father (Kevin Sorbo) was taken prisoner, though he later escaped.  Without the easy communication of the 21^st century, each spouse wrongly concluded that the other was dead, and started new lives.  Now, more than twenty years later, Wes finds that his mother had only recently learned that his father was still living, and had written him a letter.  Had that letter led to her death?

Meredith Baxter, Barry Corbin

Leaving the older couple who took care of him and his mother (Barry Corbin and Meredith Baxter), he heads off to find his long-missing father; and kill him if necessary.  And when he arrives, he finds himself in the middle of a range war between his father and family, and the Dowdy family, led by patriarch Peter Dowdy (Greg Evigan). 

While the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel have long shown a greater commitment to the Western form than any other networks, there has also long been the complaint among oater enthusiasts that Hallmark Westerns were ‘soft’, and lacked action.  Happily, as demonstrated by the recent HANNAH’S LAW, GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE – QUEEN OF HEARTS, and now with SHADOW ON THE MESA, Hallmark has upped their game considerably. 

Shannon Lucio, Wes Brown

With forty features under his belt, director David Cass Sr., has a long career in Westerns that goes back to stunting on MCCLINTOCK! and HERE COME THE BRIDES.  He knows his business, and deftly handles the drama, the humor, and the action.  And there is a good deal of action, starting with Wes Rawlins’ work as a bounty hunter, and after a half-hour break, continuing with growing ferocity as  the range war grows uglier.   As a stuntman, Cass worked on eight features and episodes with the quintessential director of fun Westerns of the 1960s, Burt Kennedy, and some of that may have rubbed off, giving the occasional lighter moments a professional glow so often missing in today’s Western fare.  In particular, an exciting and amusing jail-break sequence harkens back to that style of filmmaking. 

Based on a soon-to-be published book by Western novelist Lee Martin, who also scripted, SHADOW is well-plotted, and populated with characters whose depth and range of emotions have attracted a strong and hardy cast of quality actors, both famous and new on the scene.  As Rawlins’ adoptive grandmother, Meredith Baxter brings a mature beauty, and a pioneer’s grace and strength to the role.  As adoptive grandfather, Barry Corbin tells Wes the story of his parents, and what would be dry exposition in other actors’ hands is deeply felt and deeply moving, without getting sappy.  It seems to me that over the last few years Corbin, in Westerns big (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) and small (REDEMPTION – FOR ROBBING THE DEAD) has earned himself the sort of sagebrush elder statesman position long held by Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr.  He’ll soon be seen in the Western THE HOMESMAN, directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones, and costarring Hillary Swank and Meryl Streep.

Kevin Sorbo is strong and effective, and I rather regret the story-choice of having him on crutches for most of the movie, as it limits his involvement in the action. However, Sorbo brings that seemingly-effortless James Arness-like gravitas that grounds the film just by his presence.     

Blonde, beautiful and twice Emmy nominated Gail O’Grady plays Sorbo’s second wife, who has an agenda all her own.  Shannon Lucio is their lovely and striving-to-be-independent daughter, who fancies Wes (don’t be cross; she doesn’t know they might be related).  As her brother, Micah Alberti plays a lad who lacks confidence until Wes teaches him the way of the shooting-iron.

One of the true pleasures of MESA is Greg Evigan, who plays the suave, sinister and oddly likeable cattle-baron rival to Sorbo; it’s the sort of role Brian Donlevy and Zachary Scott excelled at, and it reveals the style and sophistication that Evigan has developed.  He was also effective in a very different role in 2010’s 6 GUNS.  Dave Florek, whose Western credits go back to GUNSMOKE: THE LAST APACHE, is solid in a small but memorable role as a ranch-hand named Baldy.

Greg Evigan

Of course, such a movie rises and falls on its cowboy lead, and Wes Brown, as Wes Rawlins carries the picture well on his broad shoulders.  He’s handsome without being a pretty-boy, and has the saddest visage of any cowboy actor since William S. Hart.  He plays his part credibly, as a young man with serious problems. 

I had a chance to do an email Q&A with author Lee Martin, who told me, “I thought the cast was wonderful and just right.  Since I named the hero for my brother Wesley, who died when he was ten, I was delighted that the actor was Wes Brown.  Everyone did a great job, as did David Cass, the director.”

It’s her first screenplay sale, and she had a great time visiting the set.  “We were treated like royalty.  It was great fun.  And a real education.  (Producer) Larry Levinson’s outfit is a well-oiled machine with not a moment’s hesitation.” 

Gail O'Grady

I asked her if there were many changes from book to movie, and if we’d likely see more of Wes Rawlins.  “From novel to script to screen brought a lot of changes, some influence by Hallmark.  I had no hand in changes, but am still happy with the end result.  The novel, reflected in my first screenplay, had Wes as a half breed, but that was also changed along the way.  I can see a sequel, and I have ideas for it.”

SHADOW ON THE MESA can be pre-ordered from Amazon  for under $14 .  

CASTING DIRECTOR MARVIN PAIGE DIES

Marvin Paige with Anne Jeffreys

One of Hollywood’s premiere casting directors has died at the age of 86 after a car crash on Laurel Canyon.  Known for casting STAR TREK and many other TV series and movies, of chief interest to Western fans, he cast the series BRANDED, and movies like RIDE BEYOND VENGEANCE, THE REVENGERS, THE HONKERS, MAN IN THE WILDERNESS, and many others.  He was particularly beloved by actors who gained their fame in the 1930s and 1940s.  The late Marcia Mae Jones told me that she and many of her friends had Marvin to thank for their later roles on TV and in film.  In recent years he was best known for squiring the great ladies of cinema’s golden age to events at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, UCLA screenings, and autograph shows.  Word that he was at an event was quickly followed by the question, “Who is he with?”  The answer was likely to be Jane Russell, Anne Jeffreys, June Lockhart, or another star of that ilk.

THAT’S A WRAP!

Next week I’ll have, among other things, a review of TREASURES 5 – THE WEST, a wonderful collection of films from the National Film Preservation Archives!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright November 2013 by Parke – All Rights Reserved