TCM CLASSICS FEST, PLUS AUTRY EVENTS, NEW FREE WESTERNS ON-LINE!

Laurel 'helps' Hardy in WAY OUT WEST

TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL THURS-SUN APRIL 6-9!

America’s finest classic film festival begins this Thursday in Hollywood.  Ever since 2010, Turner Classic Movies has brought attendees the finest movies in history under the best of circumstances, and this year is no exception.  ‘Make ‘em laugh!’ is this year’s theme, and comedies outnumber everything else, but there is enough Western interest to keep us placated until next year.

The main venues are the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (technically the TCL Chinese) with its immense IMAX screen; three theatres within the Chinese Multiplex; Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre; The ArcLight Cinerama Dome – and yes, there will be films in Cinerama; The Montalban Theatre; and poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt.

Dawson's busy Main Street

Thursday night at 6:15 they’re showing a new documentary, DAWSON CITY: FROZEN TIME.  Back at the turn of the 20^th century, in the middle of the Yukon gold rush, Dawson was the last stop for movie prints that had been shipped from town to town across the country.  No one thought it was worth the expense to ship them back to Los Angeles, so more than 500 reels of film – tons of them Westerns, several about the gold rush -- were used as landfill under a skating rink, and the land was so cold that the permafrost preserved many thought-to-be-lost films starring William S. Hart, Lionel Barrymore, Lon Chaney, Douglas Fairbanks, Harold Lloyd, and many others.

On Friday night at 7:15 with THE GREAT NICKELODEON SHOW, the earliest days of movies, when shorts were played as part of vaudeville shows – will be celebrated.  I think it’s a mix of film and live performance.  At 9:15, the festival will premier the restoration of a very rarely seen Western musical – the first 3-D musical ever – THOSE REDHEADS FROM SEATTLE (1953).  It stars Agnes Moorehead as the mother of four beautiful daughters, including Rhonda Fleming, who brings them to the Gold Rush in Dawson! (Agnes also had a son in the Gold Rush named Charles Foster Kane.) It also stars Gene Barry and Guy Mitchell.  The TCM Festival is much like Ringling Brothers’ Circus, in that there is always much more going on than you can see.  At the same time as REDHEADS, other venues will be screening the classic mystery LAURA (1944) starring Gene Tierney; THE TWENTIETH CENTURY (1934), featuring John Barrymore’s finest comedy performance; Val Lewton’s terrifyingly sexy THE CAT PEOPLE (1942) starring Simone Simon; and Mel Brooks will be introducing his comedy HIGH ANXIETY (1977). 

Wayne & Clift in RED RIVER

Saturday morning starts at 9 with a screening of the best movie about cowboys and cattle drives ever made Howard Hawk’s RED RIVER.  At 3:45 pm, Laurel and Hardy’s Gold Rush comedy, WAY OUT WEST (1937) will be introduced by Dick Cavett.  Incidentally, when they sing The Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and Stan sings a bass solo, that’s actually future Oscar nominee, for THE ALAMO, and voice of Francis, the Talking Mule, Chill Wills.

On Sunday morning at nine, DR. STRANGELOVE (1964), that movie that made Slim Pickens a star, will screen.  At ten it’s the new restoration of THE EGG AND I (1947), starring Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert as city-folk who move to the sticks to become chicken farmers – for better or worse, it was the birth of the Ma and Pa Kettle series, and co-stars Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride.  Kate MacMurray, daughter of Fred MacMurray and June Haver, will attend. 

Finally, at 2 pm they’ll be showing a new documentary, REPUBLIC PRESERVED.  Paramount Pictures now owns Republic Pictures’ film library, and is restoring it – the film features clips from many of their westerns with John Wayne and Roy Rogers, serials, and British quota films, many that haven’t been seen since the original release.

Sadly the festival will lack the great Robert Osborne, but among the many great talents who will be attending will be Carl and Rob Reiner – who will be getting their footprints in cement, Beau Bridges, Dana Delaney, Keir Dullea, Peter Bogdonavich, James L. Brooks, Buck Henry, Norman Jewison, Qunicy Jones, John Landis, Ruta Lee, Leonard Maltin, Bob Newhart, Sidney Poitier, Martin Sheen… the list goes on and on.

While the Festival Passes can get very pricey – packages run from $299 to $2,149, the good news is that you can attend single movies for $20, ten if you have a student i.d.  The singles are stand-bys, so there’s no guarantee that you’ll get in, but it’s certainly worth a try!

To see the complete schedule, visit the official website HERE.

‘SMOKY’ SCREENING AT THE AUTRY SAT., APRIL 8 AT 1:30 PM

As Part of the Autry’s continuing ‘What is a Western?’ series, SMOKY (1946), will screen in glorious 35mm!  It stars Fred Mac Murray and Anne Baxter, and is directed by Louis King.

‘A WORD ON WESTERNS’ TUES., APRIL 18 AT THE AUTRY!

Once again, producer, film historian and Western crazy Rob Word will bring his ‘A Word on Westerns’ presentation to the Autry’s Wells Fargo Theatre -- doors open at 10:30, program starts at 11 -- this time examining the elusive world of the Western TV movie and miniseries.  There’s a good argument that most of the best Westerns of the last few decades have been created for the small screen – can any feature top LONESOME DOVE?  Tom Selleck is one of the finest Western leads to come along in years, but aside from QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER, all of his Westerns have been made for TV.  Guests will include stars Stephanie Powers and Jeff Osterhage.  Admission is free with Museum admission – but you have to buy your own lunch!

‘WESTERN RELIGION’ FREE ON-LINE!

One of the great frustrations for Western fans is that over the past few years, some of the very best new Westerns have been low-budget independents, which can be extremely hard to track down. Recently WESTERN RELIGION director James O’Brien took a break from preparing his next project, a pirate film, to let me know that WR is now available, for free, online, through Popcornflix, on YouTube.  “Popcornflix is an arm of Screen Media Films, the distributor of WR. They released it free on that venue for the ad revenue. It's not delivered widescreen, how it was shot, but it does get a lot of eyes on it, which at this point is the main objective.”  You can read my review HERE.

Popcornflix offers some other fine films as well, including the dark Australian Western DARK FRONTIER (review HERE), and the comedic New Zealand Western GOOD FOR NOTHING (review HERE).

…AND THAT’S A WRAP!

In next week’s Round-up I’ll have details about the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, coming from April 19^th through the 23^rd at William S. Hart Park – in the meantime you can learn all about it HERE.

I’ll also be paying tribute to a pair of fine talents we recently lost, Western novelist and screenwriter Stephen Lodge, and Alessandro Allesandroni, a musician and whistler who will always be best-remembered for his contribution to Ennio Morricone’s score of A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS.  He did it live for the BBC, above.  Have a great week, and hope to see you at TCM, and at The Autry!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright April 2017 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

NATIONAL DAY OF THE COWBOY, PLUS ‘RED RIVER’ GETS CRITEREON TREATMENT!

(Note:  I learned of the death of James Garner too late to include in this week’s Round-up, but I will next week.)

NATIONAL DAY OF THE COWBOY NEXT SATURDAY! – 2014

This coming Saturday, July 26^th, 2014, will be the Tenth Annual National Day of the Cowboy!  Over forty events are planned all over the country – in New Hampshire, New York, California, Texas, Kansas, Nevada, Idaho, Indiana, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Illinois, Ohio, Mississippi, Nebraska, and Colorado!  To find the events nearest to you, go HERE.

In Griffith Park, the Day of the Cowboy & Cowgirl At The Autry will feature a full day of cowpoke family fun, which in addition to visiting the museum galleries includes trick-roping demonstrations, leather-craft, square-dancing, drop-in roping, sketching with live horses at the corral, scavenger hunts, hands-on work with cowboy tools, storytelling, screenings of GENE AUTRY SHOW episodes, barbecue, and a root-beer saloon!  It’s free for members, $10 for non-members, $6 for students and seniors, and $4 for kids 12 and under. 

Bethany Braley, Executive Director of the NDOC has been spearheading the campaign, crisscrossing the country for a decade, and she’ll be celebrating in Chatsworth, at the Valley Relics Museum, 21630 Marilla Street 91311, home to an astonishing collection of items highlighting the history of the San Fernando Valley.  The $20 per-person event, a fund-raiser for the Museum and the NDOC, will feature music by Steve Hill and by The Bob Staley Band.  Highlights include a 90^th birthday celebration for WAGON TRAIN star Robert Horton – with a special Western Legends Award presentation by Martin Kove.  There will be a celebrity item auction, meet-and-greets with actor Dan ‘Grizzly Adams’ Haggerty and daughter of Clayton ‘Lone Ranger’ Moore, Dawn Moore, as well as Ben Costello, author of GUNSMOKE: AN AMERICAN INSTITUTION, author and NDOC spokeswoman Julie Ann Ream.   There will be an exhibit of clothes and vehicles by legendary designer-to-the-western stars Nudie Cohn, and the all-important food trucks! 

RED RIVER – from the Criterion Collection – A Review

I’ve heard friends talk about a movie getting ‘The Criterion treatment,’ but I never fully understood what was meant until now: there is nothing a sane person could want in a video of Howard Hawks’ classic RED RIVER that is not provided in spades in this set!

First, the quality of sound and image is without flaw.  Russell Harlan shot it, and I believe it’s one of the most breathtakingly beautiful black and white movies ever made.  The set includes both DVD and BluRay formats, and while the DVD is stunning, the clarity of the BluRay is even more so.  Made in 1948, it was Howard Hawks’ 32^nd film, but incredibly, his first Western – although he did uncredited work on both VIVA VILLA and THE OUTLAW.   Hawks’ ability to place you in the action is unsurpassed.  You will feel that you are in the heart of a cattle drive, with exhilaration, monotony, exhaustion and panic that were a part of them.

Based on Borden Chase’s novel, BLAZING GUNS ON THE CHISHOLM TRAIL, which is included – yes, the whole novel – it’s the story of two men and a boy, and the first great cattle drive.  Thomas Dunsan (John Wayne) and Nadine Groot (Walter Brennan), leave a wagon train to start a ranch, and are soon joined by an orphaned boy, Matt Garth (Mickey Kuhn – whose character will grow up to be Montgomery Clift).  Fourteen years later, Matt comes back from the Civil War to find Dunsan rich in cattle, but broke.  There is no money in the south, hence no market for beef, and Dunsan has decided to drive the cattle, on what will become the Chisholm Trail, to Missouri.  That drive, and the character relationships with each other, drovers like Harry Carey Jr., Noah Beery Jr., Paul Fix, Hank Worden, Chief Yowlachie, and ‘the Hawks woman’ in the person of Joanne Dru, make up the bulk of the movie which has been described as MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY on a cattle-drive. 

The three leads are at the absolute top of their game.  Brennan is the worshipful but still cantankerous unequal partner of Wayne, who still states his mind when he must – a younger version of the role he’ll play to Wayne in Hawk’s RIO BRAVO a decade later.   Wayne’s Dunsun is so icily determined to succeed at all costs that it opened up a new career for him, playing heroes so mean and tough you hate to love them.  Clift’s performance is fascinating in its quirky intensity – he plays it somewhere between a war hero and a bashful juvenile delinquent.   John Ireland plays Cherry Valance, by turns a rival and friend to Clift.  With an overlooked but extensive catalog of excellent western performances, Ireland would go on to play Billy Clanton in Ford’s MY DARLING CLEMENTINE, Bob Ford in Sam Fuller’s I SHOT JESSE JAMES, and Johnny Ringo in John Sturges’ GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL.  In Europe, he was excellent as a hateful villain opposite Robert Woods in GATLING GUN, and even starred as Ben Cartwright’s brother in a failed attempt to revive BONANZA.

The two women in the film, Colleen Grey and Joanne Dru, are terrific as the sort of tough and independent-minded but feminine women that Hawk’s loved, though Hawks says he was disappointed in Dru: she was a rush replacement for Margaret Sheridan, who showed up for work noticeably pregnant. 

A couple of once-big cowboy stars turn up for small but striking roles.  Old Leather is played by six-time Wayne co-star Hal Talliafero, who was a popular leading man going back to the 1920s, as Wally Wales.  The chillingly monotone Tom Tyler, who plays a cattle-drive deserter here, was also a leading man in silent and talkie westerns, starred as CAPTAIN MARVEL, but among his five roles with Wayne is best-remembered as nemesis Luke Plummer in STAGECOACH. 

The score by Dimitri Tiomkin is one of the finest ever written for a western, or any movie.  Interestingly, he would use the theme again for Hawks and Wayne in RIO BRAVO, with new lyrics to make it into My Rifle, My Pony and Me.  The editing by Christian Nyby is uncluttered and almost invisible in its perfect efficiency. 

There are four discs, because there are two different versions of the film, both presented in DVD and BluRay, the pre-release version and the release version.  The main difference is that in the earlier, previewed version, frequent shots of a hand-written journal bridge the sequences.  Hawks decided to take the shots out in favor of a narration by Brennan.  The ending is a bit different as well, due to the interference of Howard Hughes, and as the story is told well in the extra features, I won’t give it away here.

And speaking of those features, you have on-camera interviews with Peter Bogdanovich, Molly Haskell, and Lee Mitchell.  You have an audio interview with Hawks, conducted by Bogdanovich.  You have an audio interview with novelist and co-screenwriter (with Charles Schnee) Borden Chase – and Chase’s life-story alone is worth the price of admission!  You have a paperback of the original novel.  You have a booklet with an essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien, and an interview with editor Chris Nyby.  You have the trailer.  You even have the LUX PRESENTS HOLLYWOOD radio show, featuring Wayne, Brennan, Dru, and in Clift’s role, Jeff Chandler (he does a fine audio job, but on camera, such a big guy would have been all wrong!).  

Simply put, this is the best possible presentation of one of the finest movies ever made in any genre.  I can’t recommend it highly enough.  To link up with Criterion, go HERE.

WRITER JOHN FASANO – THE MAN WHO SAVED ‘TOMBSTONE’ – DIES AT 52

John Fasano in HANNAH'S LAW

Properly, much will be written about John Fasano’s career in horror and crime films, but he also had a passionate interest in westerns and in firearms.  He wrote frequent articles for gun magazines, and in August, one of his last articles, about the weapons of Commodore Perry Owens, will appear in GUNS OF THE OLD WEST MAGAZINE. 

He wrote three western films: THE HUNLEY (1999), about the Civil War submarine; THE LEGEND OF BUTCH AND SUNDANCE (2006); and HANNAH’S LAW (2012).  But for his most important contribution to the genre, he neither sought nor received credit: he saved TOMBSTONE (1993).  Writer-director Kevin Jarre had written a brilliant but over-long script for the movie.  An inexperienced director, he soon ran behind schedule and over budget, and was fired by the producers.  George Cosmatos took over the direction, but it was Fasano -- working in conjunction with Cosmatos, and a cast that had committed to the project based on the screenplay -- who reshaped the script without extensive rewriting, preserving the essence of it, and saving the film.      

Longtime friend and associate writer C. Courtney Joyner says of Fasano, “He was a true, devoted writer, a devotee of the industry 100%, and his legacy with TOMBSTONE is going to stand.”  Peter Sherayko, who played Texas Jack Vermillion in TOMBSTONE, and worked with John on a half-dozen other films, had three more co-projects in the works.  “He was a friend for 26 years, and in this town he was a friend I could always count on.”    

When I interviewed John for the Round-up in 2012, I told him, “An on-line list of your credits included a passing reference that you’d done script doctoring on TOMBSTONE.  Which in my circle is like casually mentioning that you did a draft of the New Testament.” 

John laughed.  “Thank you.  That’s the script that, when I get to Heaven, Saint Peter says, ‘He wrote JUDGE DREDD?’  And I say, ‘No, no – look just before that.’  And he says, ‘He wrote TOMBSTONE? Come on in.’  That’s the film that’ll get me into heaven, because everyone I’ve ever met not only saw it; they bought it.”

You can read the rest of my interview with John HERE.  

AND DON’T FORGET ‘COPS & COWBOYS’ JULY 26!

On Saturday night, July 26^th, head to the historic Leonis Adobe Museum in Calabasas for the annual Mid-Valley Community Police Council  COPS & COWBOYS celebration!  There’ll be toe-tappin’ music, dancing, delicious barbecue, Black Jack and Poker in the saloon, silent and live auctions and more!  To learn more, read my write-up HERE.

‘GUNSLINGERS’ – 6 PART DOCUDRAMA, PREMIERES ON ‘AMERICAN HEROES’ TONIGHT!

Don’t know much about this mix of reenactments, commentary and historical photos, but it features all of our favorite people – Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickock, John Wesley Hardin and Tom Horn – so I’ll certainly give it a shot!  I haven’t been able to get any of the videos to play, but follow the link and maybe you’ll have better luck! http://www.ahctv.com/tv-shows/gunslingers/gunslingers-video/gunslingers.htm

EGYPTIAN TO SHOW TWO SERGIO LEONES AND D.W. GRIFFITH SILENTS NEXT WEEKEND!

On Friday, July 25th, the Egyptian Theatre will play ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, on Saturday, July 26^th THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY.  On Sunday, July 27^th, the Retroformat 8mm series of D.W. Griffith films continues.  For details, visit their link:  http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/egyptian_theatre_events

That’s a wrap!

Have a great week, and I’ll catch you next weekend!

Happy Trails,

Henry

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