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

HALLMARK WRAPS NEWEST WESTERN, ‘HANNAH’S LAW’

Happily, lots of broadcast and cable networks have jumped on the Western bandwagon lately, but none has shown a longer-tern commitment to the form than the HALLMARK CHANNEL and HALLMARK MOVIE CHANNEL, who have produced at least two Westerns a year for longer than I can recall.

In late January they presented Luke Perry in the second GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE feature, THE MEASURE OF A MAN, and they already have number three in the can.   And I ran into a friend yesterday who’s just back from working on SHADOW ON THE MESA, with Kevin Sorbo.  On Saturday, June 9^th they’ll premiere HANNAH’S LAW.  The story of an orphaned girl-turned bounty hunter, determined to track her family’s killers, Hannah is portrayed by VAMPIRE DIARIES star Sara Canning.  Her best friend, Stagecoach Mary, is played by FOR COLORED GIRLS star Kimberly Elise. 

Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday seem to be as busy on the screen today as Gabby Hayes was in his prime.  In this version, DURHAM COUNTY star Greyston Holt is Earp and HELLCATS star Ryan Kennedy is Doc.  Of greatest interest to Western aficionados is the presence of Danny Glover and Billy Zane.  Glover, who became a star with the LETHAL WEAPON franchise, was last in the saddle in 1997’s BUFFALO SOLDIERS. He also starred in Lawrence Kasdan’s SILVERADO (1985), and did some of his best work as Joshua Deets in 1989’s groundbreaking LONESOME DOVE, the miniseries that began the resuscitation of the Western.  Billy Zane, one of the few ‘pale-faces’ in Mario Van Peebles POSSE (1993), made his Western mark with his daring portrayal of the actor Mr. Fabian in TOMBSTONE.  

Director Rachel Talalay first gained attention with the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET entry FREDDY’S DEAD (1991) and TANK GIRL (1995), and has since been a very busy TV director.  Script is by John Fasano, who wrote THE LEGEND OF BUTCH AND SUNDANCE (2006), and in 1999 wrote the story for THE HUNLEY, the remarkable true tale of the Confederate submarine of the same name.  We’ll have more information on this production soon. 

PANCHO VILLA SADDLE SETS AUCTION RECORD

High Noon’s Western Americana Auction and Antique Show, held in Mesa, Arizona on January 28^th, set a record for the highest price ever paid for a saddle.  Once the property of Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa, then given by his widow to movie director Howard Hawks, the saddle was expected to go for between $150,000 and $250,000.  The final selling price was $718,750!

Montie Montana’s Bohlin spurs, estimated at ten to fifteen thousand, went for $14,375.  Montie’s boots and a Nudie shirt, estimated at one thousand to fifteen hundred, took $1,725.  VANISHING AMERICAN author Zane Grey’s saddle may not have been in the Pancho Villa league, but estimated at $4,000, it took more than double, selling for $9,200.

Tom Mix’s belt and Bohlin buckle was predicted to go for twelve to sixteen thousand, but actually raised $20,700.  I predicted that Hopalong Cassidy’s leather director’s chair would get more than twice the estimated two to three thousand.  In fact, it took less than the bottom estimate, just $1955.  In the future I will avoid such bold predictions.

The two items I found of the greatest historical interest were an autograph of Apache Chief Geronimo, and a 42” Cheyenne longbow recovered from the Little Bighorn.  The signature, estimated at $1500 to $2000, sold for $4600.  The bow, estimated at $3000 to $5000, brought $7475 and, I am sure, a big smile to the lady who sold it because of her son’s lack of interest in inheriting it.  For more about the auction, go HERE.

‘DAY OF THE COWBOY’ SUCCESSES IN MISSOURI, CALIFORNIA

Bethany Braley, Executive Director of the National Day of the Cowboy campaign, tells me there have been two major successes this week.  Already this year, Texas and Arizona passed the resolution, and Wyoming became the first state to pass it in perpetuity. 

On Wednesday, March 21^st, the Missouri State Legislature passed the resolution, and the next day the California Senate voted unanimously to pass the resolution, like Wyoming, in perpetuity.  “This means the 4^th Saturday in July will forever be recognized as the National Day of the Cowboy in California.” 

To find out more about the National Day of the Cowboy, go HERE.

TCM CLASSICS FESTIVAL RETURNS TO L.A. APRIL 12-15

This annual celebration of film returns on April 12^th, but even before it arrives, there are the Road To Hollywood events around the country.  Of special interest to Western fans, on Tuesday, April 3^rd, 7 BRIDES FOR 7 BROTHERS will screen in Denver, at the Landmark Mayan Theatre.  It’s hosted by Leonard Maltin, with special guest Jane Powell.  And on Thursday, April 5^th, in Portland, at the Northwest Film Center, MARTY will be screened, hosted by Ben Mankiewicz, with special guest Ernest Borgnine.

 The event is pricey: festival passes cost from $300 to $1200.  Single event tickets are $20 a pop, but cannot be bought in advance, and are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.  Western events include the screening of Howards Hawks’ RIO BRAVO, with Angie Dickinson attending, and a newly reconstructed Cinerama print of HOW THE WEST WAS WON, which will be attended by Debbie Reynolds.   To find out more, visit the TCM Festival site HERE. 

SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL IN APRIL

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 Motion Picture 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.

In addition, there will be separate events, some at different locations, different dates and separate charges.  On Saturday, April 14 at 7:00 p.m. in the Hasley Hall Theatre at College of the Canyons, attend AN EVENING WITH JOEL COX, the Oscar-winning editor of UNFORGIVEN, and thirty other Clint Eastwood films (he was even an assistant editor on THE WILD BUNCH!). 

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 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. 

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 this week!  In the next Round-up I hope to have the second part of our interview with BRANDED producer Andrew J. Fenady, and a review of GOOD FOR NOTHING, the new Western from New Zealand. 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

MORE CASTING FOR ‘DJANGO UNCHAINED’

James Russo in YELLOW ROCK

Several notable new names have been added to the already impressive cast of Quentin Tarantino’s stateside spaghetti-fest.  James Russo, whose current Western YELLOW ROCK is making the festival circuit, will play Dicky Speck, opposite James Remar as his brother Ace Speck.  Remar plays Harry Morgan on DEXTER, and has done a number of Westerns, including playing the young WINDWALKER (who grows up to be Trevor Howard), and two for Walter Hill, LONG RIDERS and WILD BILL. 

James Remar in WILD BILL

                                  

Actor/writer/comedian and general madman Sacha Baron Cohen will play Scotty.  Cohen is best known for his outrageous BORAT and ALI G characters.   WITHOUT A TRACE star Anthony LaPaglia will portray Roy.  Tom Savini, famed horror make-up specialist who now spends most of his time in front of the camera, will play Ellis Brittle.  Todd Allen, whose Western credits include SILVERADO and BROKEN TRAIL will play Frank Fish.  Tom Wopat, best known as Luke Duke from THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, will play Marshall Gill Tatum.  In addition to small and big-screen work – including the recent JONAH HEX – Wopat has also done a good deal of Broadway, and was Tony-nominated for his performance as Frank Butler in a revival of ANNIE GET YOUR GUN. 

Todd Allen in BROKEN TRAIL

As already discussed here, also in the cast are Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Kenneth Williams, Don Johnson, Kerry Washington, Gerald McRaney, Dennis Christopher, Kurt Russell replacing Kevin Costner, and of course Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx in the title role of Django. 

Tom Wopat and Bernadette Peters in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN

2^ND ‘GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE’ MOVIE AIRS JAN 28^TH

The second film in the Hallmark Movie Channel’s GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE franchise airs late this month, and the third is already before the cameras.  In case this one has slipped below your radar, the films star Luke Perry as John Goodnight, a circuit judge travelling the old West.  The first film, GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE, which costarred Lara Glichrist and Tom Butler, was shot in Alberta in 2011 and directed by Perry’s BEVERLY HILLS 90210 costar Jason Priestly, at least in part because they needed a Canadian to direct for tax reasons. 

This first one will be aired again on January 14^th, and the 2^nd in the series, GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE: THE MEASURE OF A MAN, will play on January 28^th.   This time Perry’s co-stars are Stefanie von Pfetten and Cameron Bright.  The third entry in the franchise, GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE: QUEEN OF HEARTS, will co-star Perry with Rick Schroeder, of LONESOME DOVE fame.  The series is created and co-exec produced by Perry, and written by Tippi and Neal Dobrofsky – Neal produced BRONCO BILLY and WANDA NEVADA.  To see a trailer, go HERE.

PANCHO VILLA’S SADDLE HIGHLIGHTS JAN. 28^TH- 29^TH AUCTION

One of the highlights of the HIGH NOON 22^ND ANNUAL WESTERN ANTIQUE SHOW AND AUCTION, to be held in Mesa, Arizona, will be the auctioning of Mexican Revolutionary Pancho Villa’s last saddle.  As you can see from the pictures, it’s covered in silver-wrapped threads and boldly-domed conchos.  The estimate is from $150,000 to $250,000.  (Oddly enough, my wife and I both have family connections to Villa.  My grandfather and namesake rode with General Blackjack Pershing when he pushed Villa back to his side of the border from New Mexico. My wife’s great-grandfather was a reporter who traveled with Villa and covered his exploits for American newspapers.)

The provenance is as novel as the man who possessed it.  It was given by Villa’s widow (the one of his eight wives he was actually married to) to director Howard Hawks, in recognition of his work during the making of VIVA VILLA (MGM 1934), which was filmed in Mexico.  And before you correct me, I don’t mean it was given to Jack Conway: he was the credited director on that wonderful film, but Hawks did uncredited work both in direction and on the script.  Though Wallace Beery, who plays Villa, bears no great resemblance to the man, it’s one the finest performances by one of the most disliked actors in Hollywood.  Among the legendary problems surrounding the production, Lee Tracy, as the reporter following Villa, had to be hurriedly smuggled out of the country and replaced by Stuart Erwin.  Reportedly, Tracy, awakened from a hangover by noise outside his hotel, staggered to the balcony and urinated from it, onto a passing military parade!  

The real Pancho Villa

Next week I’ll have more about other items up for auction, including beautiful Indian art, and Montie Montana’s spurs.  In the meantime, you can read more about them HERE. 

 REPRIEVE FOR LOS ENCINOS!

Regulars Rounders will recall that on December 26^th I wrote that unless some new source of funding was found, historic Los Encinos Park, which costs $150,000 annually to operate, would be closing.  On Friday morning it was announced that an anonymous donor had contributed $150,000 to keep the Park open for another year!  Nothing about the Good Samaritan was revealed beyond the fact that they were located in the San Fernando Valley. 

It would make a good film location, wouldn't it?

COMMIE WESTERNS IN DENMARK!

If you’ll be in Denmarkthis month, check out the RED WESTERN FILM FESTIVAL at the Danish National Cinematheque, January 4^ththrough the 28^th. I've never seen any communist-produced Westerns except the very funny LEMONADE JOE, but I understand they're the Bizarro West, where individuals are useless, and only communities succeed! You can learn more at the excellent Westerns…All Italiana site HERE.

 

GLENN FORD EVENT WEDNESDAY AT THE DEMILLE BARN

At 7:30 pm on Wednesday, January 11^th, Glenn Ford’s son Peter Ford will host GLENN FORD: A LIFE.  In dramas, comedies, westerns, and film noirs, Glenn Ford was for decades one of Hollywood’s great leading men -- you can read my review of Peter’s fascinating biography of his father HERE.  There will be a video presentation, followed by a Q&A and a book signing.  Admission is $5 for members, $10 for non-members.  Peter tells me he has three large cases of personal items from the family archive on display in the lobby.  And if you’ve never been to the DeMille Barn, Hollywood’s first studio, where THE SQUAW MAN, the first western feature made in Hollywood was shot, it’s a perfect opportunity.  To learn more, go HERE. 

 WESTERN FESTIVAL CONTINUES AT EASTMAN HOUSE

Jake Garner’s ‘Tall In the Saddle’series continues in Rochester, New York on Thursday, June 12^thwith BLOOD ON THE MOON, starring Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes and Robert Preston, and directed by Robert Wise.

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 and MARSHALL 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-TV shows 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.

TVLAND has dropped GUNSMOKE after all these years, but still shows four episodes of BONANZA 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 TV is currently running RIN TIN TIN, CIRCUS BOY, HERE COME THE BRIDES, and IRON HORSE.

Another ‘in between’ outfit, ME-TV, which stands for Memorable Entertainment TV, runs a wide collection: BIG VALLEY, BONANZA, BRANDED, DANIEL BOONE, GUNS OF WILL SONNETT, GUNSMOKE, MARSHALL DILLON, 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 correspondent Nilton Hargrave tells me CBS ACTION has begun showing GUNSMOKE.

That’s it for this week!  Hey, did you check out Trigger and Bullet and Roy and Dale’s son and grandson in the Tournament of Roses Parade?  They did themselves proud, as did the good folks at RFD-TV!  I’m going to post this Round-up now, and go watch the Roy Rogers Show episode I recorded from RFD this morning!

Happy trails!

Henry

All original contents copyright 2012 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved