DEPP AND HAMMER SHINE AS NEW TONTO AND LONE RANGER!

THE LONE RANGER – Film Review

It looks like director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and writers Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio, and Justin Haythe have done what no one else has managed to do in decades: make a new Western that will delight and satisfy die-hard fans of the genre and the characters, and introduce the form to a young and fresh audience who will hopefully want to come back again and again.  (Note: I originally has a sentence here saying I was thrilled that they were already working on LONE RANGER II, but I have since learned that there are, as of yet, no plans for a sequel.)

Among the fine major Westerns of the last several years, 3:10 TO YUMA (2007), APPALOOSA (2008), and DJANGO UNCHAINED (2012) were rated ‘R’. TRUE GRIT (2010), like LONE RANGER, was ‘PG-13’, and featured a child protagonist in Mattie Ross, but there was no great ‘reach-out’ to a younger audience.  But The Lone Ranger, since its inception in Depression-era radio, through two Republic serials and 217 TV episodes and three feature films, has always been for kids, and this new version, as the same production team did with their PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN franchise, has built a movie that will draw in the interest of kids while exposing them to the classic elements of westerns, which have delighted audiences for generations, nay, for over a century. 

I know there will be classicists who will accept no substitutes for Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels, and I can only tell them that they’re missing out on something they would thoroughly enjoy – a Western made with so much money that there is nothing left out because of budgetary restraints, made by people who have a clear love, respect for and knowledge of the genre, and who flex the art and craft they’ve honed for years.  Is it perfect?  No.  Will you love it so much that you’ll forgive any imperfections?  Hell, yeah!  This is not a museum piece, it is living, breathing – sometimes hyperventilating – art that builds on the past without requiring a knowledge of the past to be appreciated.

The story opens, unexpectedly, at a carnival in San Francisco in 1933, perhaps not coincidentally the year The Lone Ranger premiered on WXYZ radio.  Will, a little boy with astonished and astonishingly large brown eyes, all dressed up in a cowboy suit and six-guns, is visiting a nearly-empty side-show, examining the stuffed bison and other displays, and jumps with surprise when an ancient Indian figure sitting outside a tepee, a crow atop his head, suddenly comes to life, and seeing the boy with a black mask on, addresses him as “Kemo Sabe.”  It is, you guessed it, Tonto, looking easily ninety.  They talk, the boy frightened at first, but soon fascinated, as Tonto tells him the story of his relationship with John Reid.  Soon the old Indian’s words take on visuals, and the story of how Tonto and John Reid met, and how Reid becomes the Lone Ranger, begins. 

Most of the story revolves around Promontory, Utah, and the upcoming event of driving the golden railroad spike that will complete the laying of track for the Transcontinental Railroad, linking the East and West coasts of these United States together.  As a demonstration that peace and civilization have come to the frontier, railroad magnate Cole has ordered that the most despicable of villains, Butch Cavendish, already sentenced to die, be brought there by train, to hang.  Also being transported is a lesser criminal named Tonto.  A group of Texas Rangers are on the way to assist, while the Cavendish gang is on the way to thwart the law.  On the train is John Reid, a young lawyer from a family of lawmen, coming out west to reunite with his family. 

When all of these people with differing plans collide, you have one of the two tremendous train-bound extended action sequences that book-end the movie, and it is so beautifully constructed that’s it exalting to watch – it’s everything you’re hoping for, and more.  I hope it’s not a spoiler to say they don’t get to hang Butch Cavendish that day.  The hunt for Cavendish and his gang, and his hostages, and the search for an insidious conspiracy, drives the movie through two hours and twenty minutes of thrills, action and humor.

Much has been said, in anticipation of this film, about the diminishing of the Lone Ranger to build up Tonto.  That isn’t what happened.  Instead, the story is, as it always has been, about the creation of the man, the identity, of the Lone Ranger; but this time, it is told from Tonto’s point of view.  And it works – after all, Tonto is who he always is.  It’s John Reid who takes on the new identity, and telling the ‘why’ is the purpose of the film.   

The original masked man and faithful Indian companion had little back-story, and these have been expanded, giving more heart and humanity and motivation to the characters, and not a few surprises.  John Reid still has a brother, Texas Ranger Dan Reid, but there is also a woman in his heart, who just happens to be, awkwardly enough, not his wife, but his sister-in-law.  We learn about John Reid’s background early on, but only discover the astonishing truth about Tonto as the story races along.  The mask is there.  The silver bullets are there, but while they were a minor part of the story of the original Lone Ranger, they take on startling significance in this telling. 

Johnny Depp’s characterization of Tonto borrows nothing from Jay Silverheels, which is good, because we don’t want an imitation, we want a performance, and we get it.  It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen Depp do before, diametrically opposed to his theatrical-to-swishy personification of Captain Jack Sparrow.  But it is still Depp, and his dramatic work, as well as his comedic timing, are spot-on as always.  More poker-faced then stoic, he reveals his emotions with his words and actions, almost never his expression.  Depp is virtually unrecognizable in his two distinct make-ups, as the young, and as the very old Tonto, and the masterful work by the make-up department under the direction of Joel Harlow is worthy of Oscar consideration.  Incidentally, Depp’s previous westerns are the highly regarded DEADMAN, directed by Jim Jarmusch, and last year’s RANGO.      

As the man who transitions from by-the-book lawyer to masked crime-fighter, Armie Hammer impressed as twins in THE SOCIAL NETWORK and as J. Edgar Hoover’s lover in HOOVER.  His look of doe-eyed innocence works perfectly with his character’s self-assured arrogance early in the story.  But in addition to the comedy, and he does play Costello to Tonto’s Abbott, he has a sincere believability which makes the pain of his many personal losses in the story moving to the audience. 

Striking British actress Ruth Wilson is effective as brother Dan Reid’s wife and mother of their son Danny (Bryant Prince), and projects that sort of inner strength we associate with frontier ladies.  She also has a lovely face for period stories.   James Badge Dale plays John’s more down-to-earth and down-and-dirty brother, Ranger Dan Reid, with the traditional restraint of the western hero, but with heart and courage.

 

Among the less likable characters is Tom Wilkinson as Cole, the railroad mogul more interested in profit than progress.  As Butch Cavendish, William Fichtner, star of the series CROSSING LINES, excels, portraying a character so revolting in his passions that I wouldn’t dare spoil things by giving it away here.  His make-up, including a hair-lip is, like Depp’s Oscar-worthy. 

 

Barry Pepper

Other performances of note include Helena Bonham Carter as Red, a madam with valuable information and an ivory leg.  Barry Pepper plays the dashing Fuller, a character modeled on Custer.  No stranger to westerns, he was Lucky Ned Pepper in the TRUE GRIT remake, and even turned up on episodes of both LONESOME DOVE spin-off series.  Saginaw Grant impresses as Chief Big Bear in a scene where the Lone Ranger learns about the earlier life of Tonto.  Mason Cook, who plays the little cowboy in the introductory scene is, surprisingly, a western veteran, having well-played a key role in last year’s WYATT EARP’S REVENGE.

Leon Rippy as Collins

Leon Rippy, who plays the key role of the tracker Collins, is disguised from his DEADWOOD fans (where he played Tom Nuttal) with a revolting spray of facial hair, gives a sometimes comic, sometimes emotional, and dramatically critical performance.  And though it’s just a cameo, it’s nice to see Western veteran Rance Howard as a train engineer.

From the moment the action moves from Depression San Francisco to the old west, the delights are many, with extra kicks for we western nerds.  The filmmakers express their reverence for Sergio Leone’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST frequently, and in a way that cleverly extends the honors farther still.   The building-of-the-railroad through Monument Valley echoes not only Segio Leone’s similar use of the location in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, but also reminds us that Leone was paying his respects to John Ford.  An early scene at a railroad station brings back not just the opening of IN THE WEST, but it’s homage to Zinneman’s HIGH NOON.  A later scene of growing menace in an isolated farm acknowledges not just IN THE WEST, but Leone’s love of George Steven’s SHANE.  For that matter, when a train-board revival meeting features, “We Will Gather At The River,” it’s not just a salute to Sam Peckinpah’s THE WILD BUNCH, but to John Ford and all of the other filmmaker who’ve used it.  And if you don’t know that guns will be drawn before the end of that hymn, then this must be your first rodeo. 

Are there some flaws?  Sure.  It’s funny when it should be, but sometimes it gets too jokey, and after you’ve been emotionally involved, you’re pulled out of the story by the silliness.  There’s a visit to ‘hell on wheels’, a traveling amalgam of sinful entertainments to entice the track-layers, that is amusing, but grinds the action to a halt for too long.    

I saw the movie at Disney Studios, with an audience of other press and industry types, but mostly with families with exuberant kids who just ate it up.  The one criticism I heard the most?  “The Lone Ranger spends too much time being stupid.”  Dramatically, it’s logical to delay the transition from dope to hero for as long as possible, but for those of us who knew what must ultimately be coming, the wait was sometimes frustrating.  But don’t worry – you do get the William Tell Overture in the nick of time, and from that moment on the film is an enthralling gun-battle and two-train chase to the finish.    

Yugoslavian-born cinematographer Bojan Bazelli shoots like he’s been doing westerns all of his life.  Hans Zimmer’s score is big and grand as it should be, and while there are musical motifs that are a nod of respect to Ennio Morricone, they are nods, and not imitations. Art Director Jeff Gonchor was nominated for an Oscar for TRUE GRIT, and continues to do meticulous work, including the three trains and two towns which were all built from scratch.  Penny Rose, who has done the costumes for all of the PIRATES films, has a beautiful eye for westerns as well.  I’ve seen five big new summer movies in the past week, and THE LONE RANGER is miles ahead of all the rest!  Hi-yo Silver!  Away!

‘YELLOW ROCK’ DVD AND SOUNDTRACK SIGNING SATURDAY

On Saturday, July 6^th, at Raindance Book Store in Long Beach, YELLOW ROCK leading lady, co-writer and producer Lenore Andriel, co-writer and producer Steve Doucette, and actor Rick Mora, who plays Crow Runner in the film, will be signing the DVD, and the just released soundtrack album composed and conducted by Randy Miller.  I recently interviewed Miller, and the interview will be appearing in the Round-up very soon.  If you would like to hear some of the music from the Intrada album, click HERE.  And below is the film’s trailer.

 

 

The address of Raindance Book Store is 419 Shoreline Village Dr. Long Beach, Ca 90802. The phone is 562 432 0199.  The signing will be from 3 to 7 p.m.

 

JAMES ARNESS ESTATE SALE JULY 12^TH-14^TH

I’ve just heard from Julie Ann Ream that she has been working with Jim’s widow, Janet Arness, to arrange an estate sale of the property of TV’s Matt Dillon.  I’ve no details yet on what manner of items will be offered, or the address of the event, but I promise to keep you informed as I learn more.

 

THE WRAP-UP

That’s all for right now.  Monday is the start of the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.  If you know of any events marking the Battle, please share them here and/or on the Facebook page.  If you have a good photo, please send it along!  And if you are one of the reenactors who took part in the making of the movie GETTYSBURG, why not drop us a line.

 

Hi-yo Silver!  Away!

 

Henry

 

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

LONE RANGER – LEON RIPPY’S REPORT FROM MONUMENT VALLEY

Actor Leon Rippy, who plays Collins in THE LONE RANGER, has just returned from several weeks of location shooting, much in and near Monument Valley and Canyon DeShay. 

I asked him how the shoot had gone.  “I had a blast.  What a magnificent experience it is, and will continue to be:  I get to go back in another six or eight weeks.  So I’m excited, and can feel the spirit of John Ford, John Wayne and all the countless character actors who galloped across that sacred ground before me.  I would step outside the trailer and think, I cannot believe that I’m actually in this place.  You’d have to slap me to get the smile off my face.”

Leon Rippy in THE ALAMO

I asked him what he could tell us about his character, Collins.  “Well, he’s a crusty old tracker.  Not much of a stretch for me – that’s what I see in the mirror every morning.  Interesting character: he plays both sides of the fence.  There’s room for some fun, and alcoholism and emotion; all the things that a character actor looks for in a role.” 

New Lone Ranger Armie Hammer

It’s his first time working for director Gore Verbinski.  “And it didn’t take long to notice his excellent eye for detail.  The slightest nuance, he’s very interested in.  I had a great time working with him. 

“Monument Valley is all on a Navajo Reservation.  Just to be there, with the history of the Spaniards trying to take control; being in those same canyons and hearing those gunshot reports from on top of those cliffs echo throughout those canyons – it was chilling.  Wondering what it was like so many years before.  I had a ride that ended where White Corn Woman was taken by Kit Carson back in the day, and you can still see the remains of her home, the foundation.   Historical chills.”

Johnny Depp's stunt double

I knew he hadn’t had any scenes with Johnny Depp yet, but wanted to know what he thought of the other actors.  “Excellent, everybody was great.  I spent time with some incredible actors.  Their riding skills were great – we had a lot of riding to do.  I had a small scene with Armie Hammer (The Lone Ranger), which was excellent; had a fun time.  I’ve loved riding ever since I was a kid, and don’t get to do much of it in L.A.  To do it, and get paid for it!  I had known several of these wranglers from other films I had done in the past, so it was a treat to be put back with them, this time as an elder,”  he laughed. 

“I got to meet (producer) Jerry Bruckheimer, and he made an interesting comment.  Carol and I were having our breakfast in the hotel one morning, and I told him it was unsettling, after being cast, when Disney pulled the money out and said it was too expensive, leaving us in limbo.  He said, ‘Yes, that was a shock.  But the long and short of it is it wouldn’t have made any difference to me because I’m bound and determined to bring the Western back.’  To hear this coming from the mouth of someone like him gave me reason to quietly celebrate.  There’s so much to be said for the Westerns, and I live for Saturday morning and watching reruns of THE RIFLEMAN and what have you.  There was some moral content in all of it and it was clear-cut, who was good and who was bad.  I think Hollywood gets cold feet after the dismal box-office of one or two things that they’ve invested hundreds of millions of dollars in, so everyone kinda gets gun-shy.  And hats off again to Gore for saying, ‘No, we’re going to do this there.’  It’s not an easy thing to truck that many people and that many tractor trailers and horses (so far).  They’re going to Moab, Utah; Santa Fe; Colorado and other locations.  It feels like they’re putting together something very special.” 

‘BAD BLOOD: THE HATFIELDS AND MCCOYS’ PREVIEWED

Sunday morning at ten, a crowd of invited guests packed theatre 1 of the Laemmle Town Center in Encino, to be the first to see Fred Olen Ray’s story of the famous blood feud. To this day there is no firm agreement as to the number of lives the Hatfield and McCoy feud claimed in Kentucky and West Virginia at the time of the Civil War. 

Lisa Rotondi, Perry King, Jerry Lacy, Kassandra Clementi

Fred and his cast and crew braved freezing December weather to make the film in Kentucky, where the events actually occurred.  Among cast members who attended were Perry King, who plays Ran’l McCoy, patriarch of his clan; Priscilla Barnes, who plays Vicey Hatfield; Lisa Rotandi and Kassandra Clementi, who play Sarah and Rosanna Hatfield; Dylan Vox, who plays Elias Hatfield; Griffin Winters, who plays Tennyson Hatfield; Ted Monte, who plays Special Agent Frank Phillips; and Jerry Lacy, who plays General Burbridge.  Among other attendees of note were director Jim Wynorski and beautiful Sybil Danning. 

Priscilla Barnes

Also attending were executive producers Barry Barnholtz and Jeffrey Schenck and writer/director/producer Fred Olen Ray.  All three men spoke before the movie, and voiced their gratitude to the hard-working cast and crew, and to each other.  In a nod to some of his recent movies, just before the lights went down, Fred added, “I just want to say that this is not a Christmas movie, there are no sharks in the movie, and none of our female leads have to land a disabled plane.” 

Fred Olen Ray

BAD BLOOD: THE HATFIELDS AND MCCOYS, which will be released on June 5^th, also stars Jeff Fahey as Devil Anse Hatfield, Christian Slater as Governor Bramlette, Sean Flynn as Johnse Hatfield and, in one of the stand-out performances of the movie, Tim Abel as Uncle Jim Vance.

Exec. Producer Barry Barnholtz

When the lights came up, more than one person commented that it might be the best film Fred has ever directed.  For a man with more than 120 directing credits, that is no small compliment.  My review will be in next week’s Round-up.

TOMMY LEE JONES TO SCRIBE, HELM, AND STAR IN ‘THE HOMESMAN’

On the eve of the release of his new starrer, MEN IN BLACK 3, Tommy Lee Jones is set to adapt, direct and star in THE HOMESMAN.  It’s based on the novel of the same title by Glendon Swarthout, whose previously filmed novels and stories include the unforgettable THE SHOOTIST, as well as THEY CAME TO CORDURA, BLESS THE BEATS AND CHILDREN, WHERE THE BOYS ARE, and the Randolph Scott starrer 7^TH CAVALRY. 

It’s the story of a man with dubious morals who undertakes the transporting of three insane women from Nebraska to Iowa.  A project that has been in the works for decades, it had long been owned by Paul Newman, who at one time had it set up at First Artists, with John Milius slated to direct.

It will be produced by Michael Fitzgerald, who previously produced THE PLEDGE and THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA.  THE THREE BURIALS was Tommy Lee Jones’ feature directorial debut.  Jones, who was in last year’s CAPTAIN AMERICA, will also be seen in Steven Speilberg’s LINCOLN, portraying Thaddeus Stevens.  My thanks to C. Courtney Joyner for historical details on this project.

CELEBRATING A CENTURY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES ON BOTH COASTS

100 years of Universal Studios film history is being celebrated, in May and June in California at the Billy Wilder Theatre of UCLA, and in July and August in New York at the Film Forum.  Taking part here in the west is Carla Laemmle.  Not only is she a niece of Uncle Carl Laemmle, who built the studio, and an actress who appeared in their films, including DRACULA; she is also proud of the fact that she pre-dates the studio by three years!  The representation of Western movies is woefully small: at UCLA on June 17^th there’s a double bill of HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER and WINCHESTER 73, and at Film Forum on July 21^st there’s a double bill of WINCHESTER 73 and DESTRY RIDES AGAIN.  But they both have a wonderful selection of non-westerns scheduled.  You can find details for UCLA here: http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2012-05-04/universal-pictures-celebrating-100-years.  Details for Film Forum are here: http://www.filmforum.org/

On the plus side, next week I’ll tell you about Film Forum’s mind-blowing three-week festival of Spaghetti Westerns in June!

MORGAN KANE UPDATE

As I first reported here last July (see HERE), WR Films is planning at least a trio of movies about Morgan Kane, Louis Masterson’s western hero of 83 novels written between 1966 and 1978.  Masterson’s real name was Kjell Hellbing, and his Kane is the most popular fictional character in the history of Norwegian literature.   The adventures of a Texas Ranger and U.S. Marshall, they’ve sold twenty-million copies internationally – ten million in Norway alone, which has a population of only five million! They’re popular in Spain and France and Germany and, translated into English, they sold well in Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Canada by Corgi Books.

But they’ve never been available before in the United States, and by way of introducing the character to American readers, a new e-book has been released every month or so.  There are ten available now, with number eleven coming soon.  The screenplay for the first film is still in the development stage, but it will be based on the first two novels in the series, EL GRINGO and EL GRINGO’S REVENGE, and will be entitled MORGAN KANE: THE LEGEND BEGINS.  The intention is to make him a Western James Bond-like hero.  One of the things that strikes you when reading them is the influence that Ernest Hemingway had on Masterson.  It’s an influence he clearly acknowledges by naming one of his female protagonists ‘Pilar,’ after a similar character in FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS.  It’s not an exaggeration to say that, if not for the template of FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, the first two Morgan Kane novels would not exist.  They are fast and exciting reads, and often more emotional than traditional westerns.  The first ten e-books are all available from iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobobooks.  Number eleven, THE DEVIL’S MARSHALL, will appear shortly.    

WESTERN FILM FESTIVAL IN ORVIETO, ITALY

I am hugely jealous of anyone who gets to attend the event Sara Monacelli is organizing on May 11-13, in Orvieto. In addition to a great line-up of films to be screened, here are some of the guests who will be making personal appearances: composer Ennio Morricone; Spaghetti Western stars Tomas Milian, Fabio Testi and Gianni Garko; director Giancarlo Santi (The Grand Duel); screenwriter Sergio Donati (Once Upon A Time In The West); editor Nino Baragli (all of Leone’s Westerns!); and producer Claudio Mancini (many Leone films). For more information, go here: http://www.westernfestival.it/

 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, GUNSMOKE, THE REBEL, and MARSHALL DILLON, which is the syndication title for the original half-hour GUNSMOKE.



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 VALLEYMonday 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.

TVLAND has dropped GUNSMOKE after all these years, but still shows four episodes of BONANZA every weekday.

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, 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,RAWHIDE, THE RIFLEMAN, THE REBEL, 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.


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.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for tonight, but be sure to check our Facebook page during the week for updates and news.

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright May 2012 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

‘LONE RANGER’ SHOOTING IN JOHN FORD COUNTRY

John Ford Point, Monument Valley

THE LONE RANGER is currently on location in Monument Valley.  Director Gore Verbinski, Johnny Depp (Tonto) and Armie Hammer (Lone Ranger) are working among the buttes immortalized by John Ford in STAGECOACH, FORT APACHE, SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON, MY DARLING CLEMENTINE, THE SEARCHERS, and several others.

Leon Rippy in YOUNG GUNS II

Leon Rippy, late of ALCATRAZ and DEADWOOD, plays Collins in the re-telling of the story of the masked man.  Leon’s wife Carol tells me, “Monument Valley is incredible! The Navajo people are everywhere, many in their native attire. The Tribal Leaders came out with their families and blessed the film. Johnny spent time with them, truly interested in their issues.”  More updates to come!

 

 

 

GOOD FOR NOTHING – Movie Review

GOOD FOR NOTHING is a damned good Western!  It’s a five year labor-of-love by newlyweds who decided to make a movie instead of buying a home.  If it does half as well as it should at the box-office, they’ll be buying a mansion.   Writer-director Mike Wallis and producer-star Inge Rademeyer met working at Peter Jackson’s celebrated Weta Digital, the New Zealand FX house responsible for some of the astonishing sights in RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, AVATAR, and the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy among many others.  For three years they spent their vacations western location-hunting throughout New Zealand, and it was worth it. 

At a time when film stories have become maddeningly convoluted, GOOD FOR NOTHING’s plot is refreshingly direct.  Englishwoman Isabella Montgomery (Inge Rademeyer) is on her way to her uncle’s ranch when she witnesses a killing, and is kidnapped by the man who did it (Cohen Holloway).  The man, in a nod to Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name is simply The Man.  Cowboy heroes traditionally are men of few words, but The Man takes taciturn to a level that approaches William S. Hart.  He says not a word for the first sixteen minutes of the film, and he doesn’t say anything to Isabella for the first 28 minutes, although they are together almost continually from the moment they meet.   And when they finally do speak, here is their first exchange:

Isabella: What do you plan to do with me?

The Man: Give you a poke.

And yes, that’s what propels much of the story.  Because The Man finds to his humiliation that he has a…problem, and captor and captive travel together throughout the West looking for a cure.  So no, it’s not even slightly politically correct, and no, you might not want to take a young kid, unless you want to explain the oblique references to erectile dysfunction. 

The Man is not someone who will ever say a word, or even throw a fist, when a bullet will do.   Holloway is completely convincing as a lightning-fast and deadly shot, and one of the men he kills is a lawman.  That brings his sheriff brother, a deputy friend, and a handful (fistful?) of scurvy gunmen on the trail of The Man, and what they suppose to be The Whore he’s traveling with.  And I don’t think it will be considered a spoiler to say that as the Isabella and The Man travel together, against all her intentions, a romance blooms.  

Writer-director Wallis’ script crackles with crisp but natural dialogue and sly humor; ala Lubitsch, he respects the audience, and expects them to catch the slight inflections in voice, facial expression or gesture to understand things would be much more coarse and less funny if they were directly stated.  The infrequency of the vulgarity is what makes it so funny when it does occur.  His direction of actors and staging of action seems deceptively effortless, the result of a clear vision of his story and characters down to the slightest detail.

Director of Photography Mathew Knight, who has shot documentaries and commercials worldwide, does a stunning job of turning New Zealand into the America West, capturing broad vistas, desert, and rock formations that bring Monument Valley to mind.  The western town they visit at night is notable for being lit believably, with neither too much light nor impenetrable shadows.  Isabella is photographed attractively without being over-glamorized; not surprisingly she looks more feminine and attractive as she progressively wears less and less clothes – though it’s nothing revealing by modern standards.  Actually, one of the most pleasing images is of the two riding double, Isabella behind The Man, her long petticoat covering the rump of their horse, whose tails juts out just below the hem.

In the silent movie that GOOD FOR NOTHING is for long stretches, John Psathas’ score is soaring, stirring and dramatic.  At times it suggests Morricone, but without aping him, and the Elmer Bernstein influence is there as well.  And speaking of sound, every gunshot is so clear that you can hear the metal clink of the hammer hitting the shell.  The combination of that audio with the haze of black-powder smoke subtly underlines the seriousness, as does the fact that The Man frequently takes time to do something rarely seen in even the best Westerns: he reloads!

While much has been made of GOOD FOR NOTHING’s perceived homage to Sergio Leone’s work, to me it is much more reminiscent of the better American Westerns of the early 70’s, especially Don Siegel’s TWO MULES FOR SISTER and Richard Sarafian’s THE MAN WHO LOVED CAT DANCING.  Not that GOOD FOR NOTHING is imitative of either, but it manages to tread the same tricky line of balancing tough action, romance and humor.  And speaking of humor, the depraved and inept posse that trails the couple could have come straight out of a Burt Kennedy Western like HANNIE CAULDER.   

The success of such an intimate story rises and falls on the two romantic leads, and whether the audience cares about what happens to them.  Happily, Cohen Holloway, a star in New Zealand television, and South African-born Inge Rademeyer, who is making her feature debut, are both up to the task.  They are natural and believable, attractive (except for that disconcerting cut across his nose) and at times admirable. 

I don’t know yet what the distribution plans are world-wide – I know it played a festival in New York City last month – but I’ll find out.  It’s well worth seeking out.

HATFIELDS & MCCOYS’ TRAILER

The History Channel miniseries, toplining Kevin Costner as Devil Anse Hatfield, will play for three nights over Memorial Day Weekend.  Here’s a first look!

SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL APRIL 21^st & 22nd

Saturday and Sunday, April 21^st and 22^nd you can stroll the streets of Melody Ranch, where all the greats, from Gene Autry to Matt Dillon to Maverick, to the DEADWOOD folks, and most recently Quentin Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED cast have trod.  This is a wonderful not-to-be-missed event. 

Admission is $20 a day for adults, $10 for kids, with discounts for two days.  There will be a wide variety of musical performances at four stages.  The Melody Ranch Museum will be open to give you a peek into movie history.  Every manner of Western art, crafts, clothing, boots, and hats imaginable will be available.

Authors of Western fiction and fact will be signing and selling their tomes.   Entertainers like champion gun-spinner Joey Dillon, saloon pianist Professor David Bourne and magician Pop Haydn will be performing.  Cowboy poets and story-tellers will be rhyming words and spinning yarns.  And there will be a ton of activities aimed at kids of all ages.

On Thursday, April 19^th -- no admission for this – at Old Town Newhall on Main St. from 7 PM to 11PM, join the party filled with Music, Dancing, Food Trucks, Western vendors, and the unveiling of two new Stars in Old Town Newhall. The plaques for the new inductees into the Walk of Western Stars will be unveiled at 7:30 p.m. on the West side of Main Street. The inductees are Glenn Ford, who will be represented by his son Peter Ford, and Oscar-winning editor Joel Cox, who will attend.

On Friday, April 20^th, at 3:00 p.m. at the Repertory East Playhouse 24266 Main St. in Old Town Newhall, join Peter Ford, son of the great Glenn Ford, and author of Glenn Ford – His life and Movies.  They’ll be screening "The Rounders" and afterwards Peter will discuss his father's life and movie career.

And there’s so much more!  For details and directions, go HERE. 

That’s all for this weekend!  Next weekend, among other things, we’ll look at the fight to save 35mm film, which is getting buried by digital projection.

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Content Copyright April 2012 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

NATIONAL COWBOY MUSEUM NAMES ‘WRANGLER’ WINNERS

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has announced its Wrangler Award winners for 2012, and YELLOW ROCK has won for Outstanding Theatrical Feature.  That puts the Michael Biehn/James Russo/Lenore Andriel starrer in some pretty heady company: recent winners include TRUE GRIT (2011),  APPALOOSSA (2009), 3:10 TO YUMA (2008), and OPEN RANGE (2004).  The Museum has been bestowing their honors since 1961’s THE ALAMO, and they’re not shy about their opinions: many’s the year that no award is presented in a category if there isn’t enough quality to choose from.

The Outstanding Television Feature is LOVE’S CHRISTMAS JOURNEY, for the Hallmark Channel, starring Natalie Hall and Dylan Bruce, and featuring Sean Astin, JoBeth Williams and the great Ernest Borgnine.  The winner for Outstanding Documentary is MAIN STREET WYOMING, directed by Kyle Nicholoff and written and produced by Tom Manning.

Their awards for outstanding literature include RODE by Thomas Fox Averill for western novel, MILAGRO OF THE SPANISH BEAN POT, by Emerita-Romero Anderson for juvenile fiction, AFTER CUSTER by Paul Hedren for non-fiction, SHOOTING FROM THE HIP by J. Don Cook for photography, WHEN WYNKOOP WAS SHERIFF by Louis Kraft in Wild West Magazine for best article, and MARRIED INTO IT by Patricia Frolander for poetry. 

Their music awards go to R. J. Vandygriff’s KEEP THE CAMPFIRE A BURNIN’ for Outstanding Original Composition and Dan Robert’s BEST OF VOL. 1 for Outstanding Traditional Western Music Album. 

Inductees into the Hall of Great Westerners and Western Performers include the late Fess Parker, Bruce Boxleitner, author Temple Grandin, and the late historian Walter Prescott Webb.  The Chester A. Reynolds Memorial Award will be given in honor of Jerry Cates.   The black tie event will be held on Saturday, April 21^st, hosted by Katherine Ross.  To learn more, go to the Museum’s websiteHERE. 

PETER FORD: A LITTLE PRINCE – SCREENING WELL-ATTENDED

This morning, Sunday, March 4^th, guests at the Laemmle Theatre in North Hollywood got to see the documentary A LITTLE PRINCE – A HOLLYWOOD STORY with its subject, Peter Ford, who was also seeing the finished work for the first time.  Peter is the only child of movie stars Eleanor Powell and Glenn Ford, and Peter’s bio of his dad, GLENN FORD, A LIFE was reviewed HERE in the Roundup. 

The forty-minute documentary, produced and directed by Alexander Roman, is an extended interview with Ford, and utilizes hundreds – maybe thousands – of images, home movie footage, and clips from a featurette featuring Glenn and Peter but, interestingly, no movie clips.  There’s just a moment from the 3:10 TO YUMA trailer, and all of the Eleanor Powell dancing clips, even those from the sets of her MGM musicals, were home movie footage.  All of which makes sense, because this is a film about how Peter, and not the public, saw his parents.  Much of it is very sad; the collapse of the marriage; the lack of a relationship between father and son – all the more ironic considering the endless stream of posed pictures of the two together doing ‘guy stuff.’

Alexander Roman and Peter Ford

It’s an eye-opener for all of us who’ve ever thought we’d be happier growing up in a 32-room mansion full of servants.   There are definite perks, but there can be a tremendous price to pay, as the all-too-familiar stories of Hollywood offspring who have crashed and burned can attest.  Roman has done an impressive job of assembling the material, with a use of imagery that often borders on the hypnotic.

Among the friends who attended were child star Jane Withers; legendary Paramount producer A.C. Lyles – who took time to praise Ford’s book; actor Bo Hopkins, who appeared with Glenn in BEGGARMAN, THIEF; and RIFLEMAN star Johnny Crawford, who did an episode of CADE’S COUNTY with Glenn Ford.

KARIN MCKECHNIE DESIGNING ‘WHAT HAVE I DONE?’ FROM SCRACTH

Period costume designer Karin McKechnie is very excited to be designing the costumes for Bob Buhrl’s western musical short, WHAT HAVE I DONE?, set in 1883.  Buhrl is directing and starring, “And he’s got some good people on board.  He decided to switch his project (from one) where they use a lot of reenactors, to actually use actors, and get a real costume designer, and that was me.  It’s a great project for me because, except for a few reenactors in the background, everything is mine.  Everything is out of my own studio.  It’s not going to look like your typical western, because there’s going to be a lot of antiques, a lot of original clothing, and a lot of things that have been made from scratch, by yours truly.  I’ve been working on it for a month.  Usually everything is last minute: people show up at my house and rent what I have.  This time I got to make everything from the ground up.”

She’s costuming about thirty characters in all.  “There’s townspeople, there’s ladies of the evening, there’s cowboys…it’s going to be a lot of fun.  And it’s going to be at the Whitehorse Ranch.  I think they’re going to use every building on the set.”

Karin and German Peter on the WYATT EARP'S REVENGE set

Karin is a particular fan of Whitehorse Ranch, which was built by German Peter and his son in Landers.  “They built it from scratch, and the look of the town is kind of western decay.  It looks like you’re on a spaghetti western set, where everything is like Bodie (the famous ghost town), but usable.  That level of arrested decay.”      

LEON RIPPY PREPARES TO ESCAPE ‘ALCATRAZ’ FOR ‘LONE RANGER’

When I asked Leon, who’ll be portraying a tracker, for an update on THE LONE RANGER situation, he told me he couldn’t tell me a ton.  “I really don’t know anything about The Lone Ranger, not having been there; I’m just thankful that I’m a part of it.  I’ve got some fittings and stuff to do.  And there’s a beard on this character.  And not having one of my own, it will have to be one of their creation.   Hey, I’m giddy about doing it, man.   I’m excited to get over there and get on the back of a hopefully spirited animal, and just have some fun. Any day I’m paid to ride a horse is a good day.

“My heart’s in this Lone Ranger thing – any time I get to step back in time for a little bit is an amazing thing.  It’s like living out every childhood fantasy I ever had.  I remember standing on my little section of the wall when we did THE ALAMO (2004).  These reenactors were positioned up there with me, and looking out over these 150 Hispanic soldiers charging, and guns firing, and I…I’ve gone to heaven.”

And where do things stand with the mysterious Dr. Beauregard?  “With ALCATRAZ, I don’t know what’s going on there.  I finished my turn in it, and I thought I was going for only two episodes, but it wound up being a lot more, so I guess they were pleased with my offering.   He’s getting stranger by the minute, it seemed.  Halfway through, the director was giving me a little direction, and I said, ‘Well, I have no idea what’s happening here.’  And he said, ‘Nor do I.’ I’m sure the powers that be have some master plan.”  The master plan for Leon and the Lone Ranger is to start shooting near Albuquerque, New Mexico in late March.

PETER SHERAYKO ‘CARAVAN WEST RANCH’ IS BUZZING

Leon Rippy had mentioned that, prior to heading out for the masked-man adventure, he’d be doing some riding with Peter Sherayko, the actor/writer/all-around western expert who owns the Caravan West Ranch.  I checked in with Peter, whose ranch has been busy of late, though not exclusively with westerns.  “Last week I had three little films at the ranch.  One was from Wisconsin, to be used as a fundraiser, to build a school on the Pine Ridge Reservation.  This week I just did an episode of AUCTION HUNTERS.  And tomorrow we’ve got AMERICAN DIGGERS for SPIKE-TV.  It’s a new show.  They dig up artifacts at battle fields and so forth.  So they come out one day a week, and I recreate for them what they found.  So they found an 1851 Navy (Colt revolver), but all rusted.   So I brought a working 1851 Navy, loaded it, fired it, showed them how it shoots.  Also a ’58 Remington.  And there was a Sharps, and a Springfield.  And buttons, dice. 

“Tomorrow we’re shooting a pepperbox, a flare-gun, a .32 Smith & Wesson, a Forehand and Wadsworth.  I’ve got two other shows coming out.  One’s a show for Justin Boots.  A webisode series.  And on the 18^th we have a documentary on the Civil War battles of the west.  Glorietta Pass and two or three others.  So they’re going to bring some cannons out and stage some battles out there.  I got a call for a commercial the other day.  I don’t know what it’s about, they’re just taking bids on it, but I hope we get that because he wants me to play the bad poker player.   And Adam Sandler is doing a new movie, WALTER MITTY, and they called me to make twenty saddles, bridles and breast collars for Bedouins.  I sent them the photos the other day, and I waiting to hear back from them.” 

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 it for today!  Have a great week, and if you do anything of a western nature, fill me in!


Happy Trails 'til then!

Henry

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