MCQUEEN’S BACK, ‘DEAD OR ALIVE’ ON ME-TV, plus COMIC WESTERN ‘QUICKDRAW’ NEW ON HULU!

UPDATED 9/4/2013 – See change of date on ‘AROUND THE BARN’ story.

UPDATED 9/2/13 11:08 A.M.

Labor Day triggers a new schedule for the Me-TV network – and they’re bringing back Steve McQueen in his star-making role of bounty hunter Josh Randall in WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE.  A series not seen on television for many years, McQueen did 94 episodes from 1958 to 1961, and in my humble opinion it was one of the great half-hour westerns, right up there with HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, THE REBEL, THE RIFLEMAN, and the first six years of GUNSMOKE.  It’ll play weekdays at 5 am, and Saturdays at 4 pm. 

F-TROOP, the delightful western comedy series, will play Monday through Thursday nights at 9:30 pm.  It stars Forrest Tucker as Sgt. O’Rourke, and Larry Storch – soon to be seen in the new Western feature KNIGHT OF THE GUN – as Cpl. Agarn, playing a pair of lovable Bilko-like old west connivers, with Ken Berry as the well-meaning but clueless Captain Parmenter, their hapless foil, and beautiful, feisty Melody Patterson – jail bait at the time! – as Wrangler Jane.  Also standouts in the cast are James Hampton as Dobbs, Frank DeKova as Chief Wild Eagle, Don Diamond as Crazy Cat, and in a tremendous break from his B-western heroics, Bob Steele in a terrific comic turn as Duffy.

WAGON TRAIN will continue Saturdays, but at 11:30 am; RAWHIDE will be seen Saturdays at 3 pm; THE RIFLEMAN continues with its hour block weeknights at 6 pm, plus Saturdays at 5 pm; and DANIEL BOONE will continue weekdays at 9 am.  

‘QUICKDRAW’ – a TV Review

The folks at HULU have been making new and old movies and TV shows available online for a few years, but only recently decided to produce their own exclusive content.  I got word in February that they were set to make a western comedy series, QUICKDRAW.  The show stars John Lehr, who toplined the series 10 ITEMS OR LESS, but is perhaps most familiar as one of the resentful cavemen in the very dry and funny series of GEICO INSURANCE commercials.   He and Nancy Hower created QUICKDRAW; they write it together, and she directs. 

Under considerable secrecy their company took over Paramount Ranch in Agoura for the month of March, and shot a season of eight half-hour (okay, 23 minutes) episodes.  I so wanted to see what was going on that, when they wouldn’t permit press, I tried to get on as an extra, but they were a SAG show, so that didn’t work either.  Well, with virtually no fanfare, the shows have been completed, and the first five episodes are available for free right now online – here’s the link to episode 1 on HULU:   http://www.hulu.com/#!watch/511696#i0,p0,d0

John Lehr plays lawman John Henry Hoyle, newly appointed sheriff in a town where you can place a bet at the local saloon on the time and day that the new sheriff will die.  Sheriff Hoyle, unlike his predecessors, is a Harvard man, and absolutely full of himself, convinced that, being an educated man, he knows more about everything – include subjects he knows nothing about -- than any of the simple dolts in town.  In truth, he is a horse’s ass, although good with a gun.  He is assisted by Deputy Eli Brocius (Nick Brown), who is also not that bright, but not self-deluded.  (Whenever Oliver Hardy, the fat one of Laurel and Hardy, was asked whose character was dumber, he always said his own.  He reasoned that Stan was dumb, and knew it.  Ollie was dumb, and thought he was smart, which made him really dumb.)  In fact, every man in the show is a dimwit, and every woman is smart, sassy, sexy, and a whore.  This is a PC updating of the old burlesque tradition where the men were dumb but sly, and all the women were sexy, but dumber than the men. 

In tone, QUICKDRAW is BLAZING SADDLES meets ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT.  It’s vulgar like BLAZING SADDLES, but played largely straight-faced like ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, and a lot of the humor comes from having very modern-seeming characters, especially Hoyle, in a period situation where, in reality, they wouldn’t survive long.  Surprisingly, while the show has no intention of being ‘good history,’ there is an obvious awareness of history in the setting up of gags.   Cole Younger, Belle Starr, Pearl Starr, and the Bender family all turn up, as do small-pox-infested Army blankets. 

The production makes optimum use of the Paramount Ranch facilities, and costume and art direction credits are admirable.  There is a bit of riding and frequent gunplay, the latter not surprisingly played for laughs. 

One of the stand-outs in the supporting cast is Bob Clendenin as Vernon Shank, the undertaker; his bald pate and long, sorrowful face are as familiar from neo-noirs like L.A. CONFIDENTIAL and THE 13^TH FLOOR as they are from comedies.  Also notable are Allison Dunbar as a whore and saloon-keeper named Honey, and Alexis Dox as Pearl. 

A couple of years ago, when the success of the 3:10 TO YUMA and TRUE GRIT remakes brought heat to the Western genre, every network had at least one series in development, and at least two proposed drama series dealt with an educated easterner going west to apply modern scientific methods to crime investigation.  I’d be willing to bet the creators of QUICKDRAW saw the obvious humorous possibilities in the premise, and accidentally had their parody beat the dramas to the marketplace. 

I wouldn’t recommend showing this ‘DIRTY F-TROOP’ to kids, as the language tends to be, perhaps in a nod to DEADWOOD, but more likely as an easy laugh, peppered with not four-letter words, but the occasional ‘vagina,’ ‘testicle’ and ‘intercourse.’  And the visuals often go for shock-value; one episode opens with a stage-coach riding into town driven by a decapitated driver, the coach full of corpses that are later handled without a modicum of respect. 

The show is a continuing saga, so it makes sense to watch it from the beginning.  I’ve seen the first three episodes, and I plan to watch the whole season.  My biggest reservation with the show is also my most basic.  While I found many things to amuse me, moments to smile about, I don’t know that I laughed out loud even once. 

R.I.P.D. ARRIVES D.O.A.

The Round-up had been following this comic-book adaptation ever since it was announced a couple of years ago.  Granted, a sci-fier about dead cops tracking dead criminals for the Rest In Peace Department isn’t exactly a natural for the Round-up.  But I figured with Jeff Bridges playing a long dead old-west lawman, partnered with newly dead partner Ryan Reynolds, it would be of interest to Western fans. 

I was a little annoyed when all of my requests for a screener copy, or admission to a press preview, were ignored.  Then I found out there were no screeners or previews, and I understood it was nothing personal.  Then last night I caught the film at a ‘dollar’ theatre, and I understood completely.  The filmmakers had nothing to gain by letting the press get an early peek.

R. I. P. D. is sewn together from stolen parts in much the same way Frankenstein’s monster was.   If you remove the elements jacked from GHOSTBUSTERS, GHOST and the MEN IN BLACK films, what you have left is…Jeff Bridges.  And typically, the filmmakers don’t understand the films they steal from.  (‘GHOST’ spoiler alert!)  It took a long time, and was a helluvah shock, to realize that Tony Goldwyn was the villain of the piece; but Kevin Bacon, playing that role in R.I.P.D., is revealed in the first few minutes, and as a result has virtually nothing to do for the rest of the film except cackle with glee. 

In a nutshell, Ryan Reynolds is an almost-clean Boston cop who, with partner Kevin Bacon, stole a big gold whatsit from some meth dealers they were busting.  Reynolds feels guilty, wants to turn it in, hence Bacon can’t afford to let him live.   The whatsit turns out to have much greater significance than its monetary value, and saying more would give away what painfully little non-obvious plot there is.

Some of the technical credits are very good.  The art direction goes from the so-so to the occasionally stunning – a tornado of souls traveling to and from the other side is particularly memorable.  The endless effects are competent, and some of the chase stuff at the end is very exciting, except that by that point you’re looking more closely at your watch than the screen.  And the design of the creatures is so obviously copied from the previously sited films that it’s embarrassing.

While Jeff Bridges is amusing in his swagger, and particularly enjoyable in his by-play with Mary Louise Parker as a emotionless and hyper-competent office-runner who regrets their dalliance, there is little sense of chemistry between Bridges and Reynolds.  For me, the most pleasant surprise was the simple sincerity of Reynolds’ performance.  Whenever he played to the pain of the cop who had lost the love of his life (Stephanie Szostack), all the crap fell away, and for all-too-brief moments the story became utterly believable. 

‘ROUND-UP’ ON THE AIR AND ‘AROUND THE BARN’ ON SAT. DEC 14TH!

Bobbi Jean with her commendation from the L.A. County

Board of Supervisors

(Please note:  I would not normally plug my radio appearance three months in advance.  It was originally scheduled for this coming Saturday, but we were just preempted by a Dodger baseball game.  Go Dodger Blue (I guess)!

On Saturday, December 14th, I will be a guest of Bobbi Jean Bell on her Saturday morning show on  KHTS AM 1220, ‘Around The Barn.’  Heard every Saturday from 9 to 10 a.m., hosts Bobbi Jean Bell and Julie Fox Pomilia discuss western culture, music and lifestyle.  Bobbi Jean is the lady behind the Outwest Western Boutique and Cultural Center in Santa Clarita:

http://www.outwestmktg.com/  But don't wait until December -- you can hear the program live every Saturday (except September 7th) by clicking the following link, and clicking on ‘Listen Live.’  http://hometownstation.com/content/saturday-program-schedule

‘RAMONA DAY(S)’ SATURDAY, SEPT. 7^TH!

I had a great time last year attending RAMONA DAYS, at Piru, the home of Rancho Camulos, also known as The Home of Ramona.   The del Valle family received is as a huge land- grant (48,612 acres!) from the government of Mexico in 1839; it achieved international fame when author Helen Hunt Jackson visited in 1882, and decided to set her novel, RAMONA, there.  (You can read my detailed description of my visit HERE . )

I understand that this year’s celebration will feature the Ramona Pageant Players and Dancers, Flamenco dancers, historical re-enactors, tours of the beautiful grounds and gardens, and the historic 1853 adobe, special children's activities, food, specialty vendors, and an exciting raffle with great prizes. Advance tickets are now on sale for only $7 per adult ($10 at the gate). Children are free. To learn more, and to purchase tickets, go here: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e7zw7m3k37d4d78c&llr=nvg6ppmab

THE CONTINUING SAGA OF JAMES FENIMORE COOPER’S HOME AND PLAQUE!

The onetime address of James Fenimore Cooper, a

gay steam-bath, and a video store.  Col. Hamilton's

home is on the right.

What an interesting can of worms I opened up!  As regular readers know, when I was back in New York City a couple of weeks ago, I hiked with fellow NYU alum and Round-up contributor Jonathan Boorstein over to St. Marks Place, an old block on the Lower East Side.  In our college days we would often walk past a building, The St. Marks Baths, which a plaque announced had been the home of Leatherstocking Tales author James Fenimore Cooper; I thought I’d snap a picture of the building and plaque for the Round-up.   

We trudged up and down the two-block length of St. Marks Place, but never found the plaque.  I snapped a picture of what I thought to be the right building, at 4 St. Marks.  I’d sent an inquiry to the folks at the James Fenimore Cooper Society, about the address and the plaque, and received a response from Hugh MacDougall, Corresponding Secretary:

“You are quite correct. Cooper lived at 4 St. Marks Place (pictured in your attachment) for a time after his return from Europe in 1833. Specifically, he lived there from May 1, 1834 until May 1, 1836 (May 1 was the standard period for leases in New York to begin and end). He, and sometimes his family also, made a number of trips to Cooperstown during that period, as he arranged to buy back and remodel his old family home (Otsego Hall) originally built about 1800 by his father William Cooper.”  He also included a photograph of the house from Mary Phillips’ 1913 biography, JAMES FENIMORE COOPER.  “It is clearly the one you photographed.”  (Click HERE to see the photos and article from last week’s Round-up. )

I pressed him for information on the plaque, and heard back from Mr. MacDougall with details about the building’s history.   The entire block of St. Marks Place between 2^nd and 3^rd Avenues was built by English-born real estate developer Thomas E. Davis in the 1830s.  The house at 4 St. Marks is known as the Hamilton-Holly House as it was bought in 1833 by Colonel Alexander Hamilton, son of the former Secretary of the Treasury, who had been killed in a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr.  It was a very elegant block of one-family homes, but had become run-down, and most of the grand homes had become boarding-houses by the time of the Civil War (you know a house is old when you talk about the neighborhood going bad in the 1860s).

Mr. MacDougall told me that he’d passed my inquiry about the plaque to the New York Historical Society.   A couple of days later I received a startling update: we were looking at the wrong building!  The house pictured in a century-old photograph and described in the Cooper biography, described in numerous historical texts, and by myself, the Hamilton-Holly is next door to Cooper’s home!  The correct address is 6 St. Marks Place.  Mr. MacDougall forwarded the letter from Joseph Ditta, Reference Librarian of the NYHS, to me.  It contains several links to documents and articles.  One, by Jeff Weinstein for his Out There blog in 2008, detailed that until fairly recently, 6 St. Marks had been the home of Kim’s Video, a vast and fabled New York video store that catered to knowledgeable and voracious movie-lovers much as Eddie Brandt’s Saturday Matinee does to West-coasters to this day.  “Kim branches opened and closed, but the move to a spacious site at 6 St. Marks Place allowed the addition of CDs and digital paraphernalia. But only the videos drew me and other addicts into the moldy elevator week after week. The building had before housed the New St. Marks Baths, a gay-sex meeting place shuttered because of AIDS (a complex story in itself), and a semigay Turkish bath before that. Mr. Kim had plenty of cleaning to do — not all of it completed, as far as I could tell. I also recall a plaque on the old building: ‘On this site stood the winter residence from 1834-1836 and the last New York City home of the novelist James Fenimore Cooper.’”  You could in fact rent LAST OF THE MOHICANS in the former home of its author. 

Well, that answers that.  And I am grateful to The James Fenimore Cooper Society, and The New York Historical Society, and Jeff Weinstein, for setting the matter straight.  Now if we could only get the plaque put back up!  And one more postscript.  I also asked Mr. MacDougall how far west Cooper, whose western tales were often set farther east than later writers, had travelled.  “The farthest west Cooper ever traveled in America was Kalamazoo, Michigan and its area – which he visited several times towards the end of his life because of some property he had acquired there, and (as was often the case) made use of the occasion to scout out the background for a novel (The Oak Openings, or The Bee Hunter, published in 1848, and the last of his “Indian” tales).”

THE WRAP-UP

That's it for this week -- hope you're having a great Labor Day Weekend!  I know -- here's a salute to both the Jerry Lewis MD Telethon, and the King of the Cowboys!

Happy trails!

Henry

All Original Content Copyright September 2013 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved

COWBOY FESTIVAL BRINGS ‘DEADWOOD’ PROM

Elijah Veluzat & Bree Wall at Melody Ranch Saturday

 

Saturday and Sunday, April 21^st and 22^nd, the Veluzat family’s Melody Ranch Motion Picture Studio hosted the 20^th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival.  I was there on Saturday, and while they haven’t compiled official figures yet, there’s no doubt that attendance will top all previous records.  But the Ranch is so big that once you got in, you never felt crowded.  I’ll have complete coverage of the event in next week’s Round-up, but there’s one story I wanted to share right now.  I was talking to Daniel Veluzat, trail-boss of the outfit, and he pointed out an attractive couple standing on a porch and posing for pictures.   The story actually goes back about a decade, because that’s how many years ago the tremendously popular and influential HBO series DEADWOOD was shot at Melody Ranch.

Bree Wall, Molly Parker & Paula Malcomson in DEADWOOD

 

“The young lady is Bree Wall, who is the actress who played Sofia in DEADWOOD.”  Sofia was the little girl whose parents were killed, and much of the series turned on how much she might or might not be able to remember.  “She was about ten years old at the time.  And the boy with her, ElijahVeluzat, he was the snot-nose trouble-maker boy in the show.”  He’s also Daniel’s son.  “They just stayed in touch over the years, and here we are a decade later, reuniting at the house she grew up in with Alma, and they’re going to the prom.”   

Daniel Veluzat

It’s been a good, busy time at the ranch, which gained recent attention when Quentin Tarantino shot much of DJANGO UNCHAINED there.  “They were here, had close to six months of prep, and they shot about fourteen, fifteen days; they got a lot shot in that short time.  It’s good to keep a big movie, a big production like that, in our state, let alone here (at the Ranch).  Quentin shared an interesting story with us on a tech scout.  His mother named him ‘Quentin’ after a character on GUNSMOKE.  We were standing right in front of the saloon, the Longbranch, and he said, ‘Longbranch!?’  And we told him this is where they did GUNSMOKE.  I don’t know if that made up his mind (to shoot here), but it excited him.”   Incidentally, Burt Reynolds, who played the half-Indian blacksmith ‘Quint’ also named a son ‘Quentin’ after the character.

If you’d like a look at the ranch, here’s a link to a current T-Mobile commercial that was shot there:

TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL OPENS AT THE CHINESE THTR THURSDAY NIGHT

On Thursday night, April 25^th, the Annual TCM Classic Film Festival will open with a red-carpet gala event, the world premiere of the digital restoration of FUNNY GIRL.  Throughout the weekend there will be numerous screenings, panel discussions and other events, with many star appearances.  The Chinese Theatre has several screens, so as many as six different films may be screening at once.  Of particular interest to Western movie fans, on Friday at noon, THE RIVER OF NO RETURN will be screened, with producer Stanley Rubin attending, and there will be a discussion.  At 2:30, RUGGLES OF RED GAP will screen, with Norman Lloyd and Todd McCarthy in attendance.  At 9:15, HONDO will screen in 3D. 

On Saturday at 11:45 a.m., DELIVERENCE will screen, with a discussion including Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, and director John Boorman.  At 2:00 p.m., a new digital restoration of GIANT will screen, with a discussion by Jane Withers.  At 7p.m., SHANE will screen, with Kid Essentials host Bill Hader attending.  At the same time, THE TALL TARGET, an Anthony Mann-directed film about an attempted assassination of President Lincoln, starring Dick Powell, screens, with writer Donald Bogle attending.  On Sunday night at 7:15 a digital restoration of Buster Keaton’s THE GENERAL will premiere, with a live musical accompaniment by the Alloy Orchestra.   I want to stress that Westerns are the tip of the iceberg here – there’s a tremendous array films of every imaginable genre screening, most that are very rarely seen on a screen, and individual tickets are available.  For more information, please go HERE.  http://filmfestival.tcm.com/  

‘THE SCARLET WORM’ - A Movie Review

 

What do you expect from a Western entitled THE SCARLET WORM?  Something unusual; and something unusual, to say the least, is what you get.  THE SCARLET WORM is a remarkable, compelling, fascinating western film, though not for the easily shocked, and especially not for kids.

The story makes no compromises to meet the viewers’ expectations.  The story is the story: take it or leave it.  The hero, or rather the protagonist, is neither hero nor antihero – he’s the guy who moves the action along, often at a puzzling and erratic pace.  He doesn’t look like a western lead – Aaron Steilstra as ‘Print’ has nothing rural about his face; he looks like a sociopathic Tony Shaloub, and dresses like a cross between a New York gangster and an over-paid country parson.   He works for a rancher named Mr. Paul, and his job is to discourage rustlers.  That is, until Mr. Paul has a more urgent assignment for him: to kill Heinrich Kley, a brothel-owner who has the temerity to perform abortions on his pregnant whores. 

If it sounds a little odd that Mr. Paul should be so up-in-arms about Mr. Kley’s actions, that’s not a mistake.  SCARLET WORM resembles the stories of Jim Thompson (THE KILLER INSIDE ME, THE GRIFTERS) far more than it does any traditional western story-teller.  As with Thompson’s tales, you’re getting the story from the point-of-view of someone who’s not all there, and doesn’t understand what is often more clear to the viewer.  It’s a maddening and enthralling sort of suspense.

Aaron Steilstra and Brett Halsey, alias Montgomery Ford

Some of the desert locales are beautiful, but not all, and in a startling nod to realism, the people of the desert are often remarkably dirty.  Even the whores, who you see completely, unself-consciously, and anti-erotically naked, all need a bath badly.  Even more queasy-making is the unflinching scene of Mr. Kley performing an abortion, his seeming kindliness making it all the more unnerving. 

This is a film by very talented filmmakers who know precisely what effects they are going for, and how to achieve them.  Remarkably, writer David Lambert and director Michael Fredianelli have pulled it off for what co-producer and actor Mike Malloy tells me was a budget of $7500.  No, there are no missing zeroes: they shot it for under eight grand!

Dan Van Husen and Eric Zaldivar

And what an eclectic cast!  Spaghetti Western fans will delight to see the three stars, Brett Halsey as Mr. Paul, performing under his Eurowestern non-de-plume of Montgomery Ford; Dan Van Husen as Heinrich Kley; and Michael Forest as a judge.   Also worth noting is Kevin Giffin as Hank, who knows Mr. Paul better than Print does, but whose advice is often unheeded.

The action is exciting and well-handled, as are the visuals by cinematographer Michael Martinez.  The use of locations as familiar as Vasquez Rocks, and the streets of Pioneertown, give the picture a grounding in the familiar elements of the western, then spin it off-balance, and give it a shove.  If you are a purist and a traditionalist, this is not the western for you.  But if you have an open mind and a wish to see something truly different, you’ll find it here.  Highly recommended.  This film has been ‘out’ for some time – I found out about it late, so I don’t know where it would be currently available to rent or to stream, but it is available for sale at Amazon  HERE.  Also, the enthusiastic critical reception it received has led to another very intriguing project.  Producer Mike Malloy confirmed to me that they are developing DJANGO LIVES, a follow-up not to the Tarantino film, but to the Sergio Corbucci original, and the original Django, Franco Nero, has confirmed that he’s interested in playing the character again.  All that I’ve heard beyond that is that it would be set in Los Angeles in the early 20^th century, and Django would be working as a technical expert on westerns.

‘VIRGINIAN’ CAST FAVORITES MARATHON ON INSP APRIL 27^TH

The good folks at INSP have interviewed THE VIRGINIAN cast members to find their personal favorites among the 248 episodes, and will be sharing them in an all-day marathon on Saturday, April 27^th starting at one p.m., Eastern time.  Gary Clarke (Steve Hill), Diane Roter (Jennifer Sommers), Don Quine (Stacy Granger), Sarah Lane (Elizabeth Granger), Roberta Shore (Betsy Garth), and the original ‘Man With No Name,’ James Drury, all took part.  And who could have guessed that Roberta Shore’s fave would also happen to be the episode where Robert Redford was her romantic interest?  To get a good overview of THE VIRGINIAN series, and where the stars are today, here are the links to my multi-part series on the VIRGINIAN 50^TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION at THE AUTRY.  Part ONE; Part TWO; Part THREE ; and Part FOUR. 
 

 

TWO WEEKENDS LEFT TO CATCH ‘RAMONA’!

 

The 90^th season of the Ramona Pageant, at the Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre in Hemet, will have four more performances, on the weekends of April 27^th & 28^th, and May 4^th & 5th.  Based on Helen Hunt Jackson’s fabulously popular novel, attending, and participating in this program has been a tradition for generations of Californians. It’s a remarkably colorful presentation, with about 350 participants, and only the two leads are usually professional actors. Some locals have taken part, in various roles and positions onstage and behind the scenes, for decades. Among the famous actors who have taken part are GONE WITH THE WIND villain Victor Jory, who played the lead early in his career, and was associated with the show for years, and Raquel Welch, who played Ramona in 1959. To learn more, and buy tickets, call 800-645-4465 or go HERE. 

R.I.P.D. FIRST TRAILER!

Jeff Bridges plays a dead old-west lawman and Ryan Reynolds plays a dead S.W.A.T., working for the Rest In Peace Department. Here's the first look!

 

NEW LONE RANGER TRAILER

Here's the link to the 'Final Official Trailer'.  Speaking as an editor, I thought it was a terrific piece of work, but I’m startled, after posting it on Facebook, how many people absolutely hate it.  Take a look and tell me what you think. 

 

 PAUL HOGAN CLAIMS TAX ADVISOR ABSCONDED WITH $34 MILLION!

 

The writer and star of the CROCODILE DUNDEE movies and the Western LIGHTNING JACK had been in trouble with the Australian government – in 2010 he was kept from leaving the country until he settled a $150 million tax debt.  In 2012, Hogan and tax advisor Philip Eggilshaw reached a settlement with Aussie tax authorities.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is Eggilshaw, who is named on an international arrest warrant, is nowhere to be found, and Hogan claims Eggilshaw has cleaned out Hogan’s $34 million Swiss bank account.  Details comin’, mate!

 

TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!

And speaking of TCM (okay, nobody was), have I mentioned that the segment I was interviewed for is now viewable here?








THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepreneur 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 permanent 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 Hollywoodwestern, 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.



WELLSFARGO 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.


WESTERNS ALL OVER THE DIAL


INSP’s SADDLE-UP SATURDAY features a block of rarely-seen classics THE VIRGINIAN and HIGH CHAPARRAL, along with BONANZA and THE BIG VALLEY. On weekdays they’re showing LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, BIG VALLEY, HIGH CHAPARRAL and DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN.


ME-TV’s Saturday line-up includes THE REBEL and WAGON TRAIN. On weekdays it’s DANIEL BOONE, GUNSMOKE, BONANZA, BIG VALLEY, WILD WILD WEST, and THE RIFLEMAN.


RFD-TV, the channel whose president bought Trigger and Bullet at auction, have a special love for Roy Rogers. They show an episode of The Roy Rogers Show on Sunday mornings, a Roy Rogers movie on Tuesday mornings, and repeat them during the week.


WHT-TV has a weekday afternoon line-up that’s perfect for kids, featuring LASSIE, THE ROY ROGERS SHOW and THE LONE RANGER.


TV-LAND angered viewers by dropping GUNSMOKE, but now it’s back every weekday, along with BONANZA.

AMC usually devotes much of Saturday to westerns, often with multi-hour blocks of THE RIFLEMAN, and just this week began running RAWHIDE as well.  Coming soon, LONESOME DOVE and RETURN TO LONESOME DOVE miniseries!


THE WRAP-UP

That'll have to do for today.  Next week I hope to have a full report on The Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, the Western Fictioneers nominees for their Peacemaker Awards, and a review of the new DVD release of THE GRAND DUEL, starring Lee Van Cleef.  And a report on the TCM Fest will be coming soon!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright April 2013 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved