THE WESTERN FAN’S GUIDE TO THE TCM FEST, PLUS SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FEST, ALL-STAR WORD-ON-WESTERNS, MEMBERS NIGHT AND ‘UNION PACIFIC’ AT THE AUTRY!

THE WESTERN FAN’S GUIDE TO THE TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL!

The 10^th Annual TCM Classic Film Festival arrives in Hollywood this Thursday, April 11^th, for four days and nights of wonderful movies seen as they should be, on big screens, introduced by knowledgeable and often famous guests, and attended by folks who love movies - and know as much about them - as you and I do.   This year’s theme is Follow Your Heart – Love At The Movies, and there are films for all interests.  I’ll have a link below to connect you to the entire schedule, but for this report I’m focusing on Westerns and attendees of Western interest.  You can’t see everything, because so many films are screened simultaneously, so it’s wise to plan ahead, and make sure you give yourself enough time to get from theatre to theatre. Rather than skip movies to eat meals, I often carry a briefcase full of Smuckers Uncrustables.

TICKETS: The various festival passes, which run from $2,149 down to a paltry $299, are all sold out. But, individual passes are available for most movies on a first-come, first-served basis, for twenty buck a pop, with the Sunday evening screening of Gone With The Wind for $30.  Lots of movies do fill up, so your advised to get to movies at least a half-hour early.

VENUES: The vast majority of films are screened at the Chinese complex, either the historic Chinese Theatre IMAX or the Chinese 6 Theatres Multiplex, on Hollywood Blvd., near Highland. Some films are shown a few blocks East on Hollywood Blvd., at the equally historic Egyptian Theatre. You may need to drive to films at Arclight Cinema’s Cinerama Dome on Sunset Blvd. A few movies are screened poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, across the street from the Chinese Theatres.  A new venue added this year is the American Legion Theatre at Post 43, chartered in 1919 by World War I film-industry veterans, and now with a stunningly renovated theatre. It’s about a fifteen-minute walk from the Hollywood Roosevelt, and click HERE to get more details.

THURSDAY NIGHT begins with an invitation-only, Chinese IMAX Theatre 6:30 pm premiere, of a restoration of WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (not a Western), whic director Rob Reiner and stars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal (of CITY SLICKERS) will attend.

At 7:30 pm, Poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt, the original OCEAN’S 11 will screen, preceded by a discussion with lovely Angie Dickinson (RIO BRAVO, among others).

At 8 pm at the Legion Theatre at Post 43, SERGEANT YORK will be presented, with a discussion beforehand with two of Sgt. York’s sons!

FRIDAY MORNING at 10:30 am, in the forecourt of the fabled Chinese Theatre, Billy Crystal will follow the long Hollywood tradition of placing his handprints and footprints in cement!

At 12 noon at the Legion Theatre at Post 43, there’s WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT REPUBLIC SERIALS? It’s a program of shorts hosted by Andrea Kalas, Paramount Pictures Archivist – Paramount now owns the Republic library.

At 9:30 pm, in Chinese Multiplex #1, WINCHESTER ’73! The premiere of a new restoration, done with the input of Martin Scorcese and Steven Speilberg, the brilliantly dark Anthony Mann Western starring James Stewart will be introduced by author Jeremy Arnold.

Do it Jimmy! Dan Duryea's got it coming to him!

SATURDAY MORNING, at 9:45 am, THE LITTLE COLONEL, starring Shirley Temple, Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson, and Lionel Barrymore, plays at the Legion Theatre at Post 43, introduced by film critic Tara McNamara.

At 2:45 pm at the Legion Theatre at Post 43, a double-feature of rarely seen Tom Mix Westerns, THE GREAT K&A TRAIN ROBBERY, and OUTLAWS OF RED RIVER, will be introduced by N.Y. Museum of Modern Art Film Curator Anne Morra. The films will be presented  with a live musical score by famed Silent Film Organist Ben Model.

At 6:30 pm at the Chinese Theatre IMAX, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID will be introduced by composer Burt Bacharach, who won Oscars for both the Original Score, and Best Song, “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.”

At 9:45 pm at the Chinese Multiplex #1, Director John Carpenter and star Kurt Russell will present ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK.

SUNDAY morning, April 14^th, at 11:30 am at the Legion Theatre at Post 43, the Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball comedy YOURS, MINE AND OURS will be presented with stars Tracy Nelson, frequent TV Western guest star Kevin Burkett, BONANZA’s Jamie Cartwright, Mitch Vogel, and film historian Leonard Maltin.

At 2:30 pm at the Chinese Multiplex #1, Don Seigal’s and Ernest Hemingway’s THE KILLERS will screen. Star Angie Dickinson will speak before the film, which co-stars Western stalwarts Lee Marvin, Clu Gulager, John Cassavetes and, in his final screen role before moving on to another demanding job, Academy Award Winner Ronald Reagan.

Finally, at 4:30 pm at the Chinese Theatre IMAX, there’s GONE WITH THE WIND.  Hope to see you there! You can get details on all of the films programs, and all of the guests HERE.

THE SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL SAT & SUN, APRIL 13^TH & 14^TH!

Held at silent-movie cowboy legend William S. Hart’s own ranch in Newhall, now the William S. Hart Park, this annual FREE event gives real and wanna-be cowpokes an opportunity to immerse themselves in a world of western fun and entertainment.

While most of the action occurs on the weekend, there are activities leading up, and on Thursday, April 11^th,  at 5 pm, on Main Street in Old Town Newhall, three new inductees will be added to the Western Walk of Stars: TV’s THE VIRGINIAN, James Drury; LARAMIE and WAGON TRAIN star Robert Fuller; and posthumously, Western character actor – generally a villain – Dan White.  Everyone is welcome!

Me and Bobbi Jean Bell

At Hart Park, on Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm, Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm, visitors can roam the park and hear 22 different Western music acts perform throughout both days, including Krystyn Harris, John Bergstrom, Almeda Bradshaw, Shannon Rae and 100 Proof, The Hanson Family, and Sourdough Slim. Also, be dazzled by gun-spinning virtuoso Joey Dillon and rope twirling maestro Dave Thornbury!

Joey Dillon double-spinning!

You can also visit the Buckaroo Book Shop and meet your favorite Western authors, visit a Native American lodge, and shop for Western clothing and accessories. You can tour the Hart Mansion, and test your skills at archery, tomahawk throwing, mechanical bull-riding, gold panning and more.

And when it comes to food many fans come year after year just for the Cowboy Peach Cobbler, but there’s also barbecue, soul food, Thai food, sausage – you name it! There’s a special parking area, and shuttle buses to take you to the venue. For details, click HERE.

STARS TO PACK ‘WORD ON WESTERNS’ LOOK AT OVERLOOKED WESTERNS!

On Tuesday, April 16^th, Western historian and raconteur Rob Word will present his free bi-monthly Western film program at The Autry’s Wells Fargo Theatre. The program is dedicated to the late, great character actor Morgan Woodward. The topic is Overlooked Westerns, and the stars who plan to discuss their movies are Keith Carradine, Tim Matheson, Donna Mills and Dennis Quaid. Rob always does well with his guests, but I can’t remember when he had so much firepower in one program.

Doors open at 10:30 am, and the program is from 11 am to 1 pm, after which most folks mosey across the courtyard for lunch at the Autry’s Crossroads West Café.  Don’t miss it!

‘UNION PACIFIC’ SATURDAY APRIL 13^TH AT THE AUTRY

A beautiful 35mm print of Cecil B. DeMille’s UNION PACIFIC will screen at the Autry’s Wells Fargo Theatre at 1:30 pm, as part of their long-running What is a Western? series.  The film, from a novel by STAGECOACH author Ernest Haycox, stars Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Preston and Akim Tamiroff. It will be introduced by James D’Arc, film historian and author of When Hollywood Came to Town: The History of Movie Making in Utah. Admission is free with Museum admission.

MEMBERS’ NIGHT AT THE AUTRY – SATURDAY, APRIL 20^th!

The Autry celebrates its loyal members (and up to four guests) with a great evening of fun, starting at 5 pm with games on the plaza, and an in-gallery scavenger hunt. Dinner is available for purchase from Crossroads West Cafe (member discount applies!) There will be free popcorn, snacks, lemonade, and soft drinks, complimentary beer and wine.

And at 6:30 pm, there will be a special live performance by the delightful Bob Baker MarionetteTheater, followed by a screening of Gene Autry’s 1941 classic, BACK IN THE SADDLE!

EXTENDED VERSION OF ‘MAJOR DUNDEE’ APRIL 26 & 27 AT THE NEW BEVERLY!

Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 pm, an extended version of Sam Peckinpah’s heavily re-edited classic, MAJOR DUNDEE will be screened.  It stars Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Jim Hutton and James Coburn.

…AND THAT’S A WRAP!

Me and Morgan Woodward, who starred 

in my first film, SPEEDTRAP!

Sorry the Round-up appears so erratically; I’ve been up to my ears writing for True West Magazine! The current issue features my interview with Kevin Costner (notice my name on the cover for the first time!), and a look at the wonderful YouTube series THE FORSAKEN WESTERNS.  More good stuff coming soon! Happy Easter and Passover!

Henry

All Original Content Copyright April 2019 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

NEW SPAGHETTI WESTERN – ‘BOUNTY KILLER’ – PLUS ‘HOW TV WEST IS WRITTEN’, AUTRY EVENTS, DVD REVIEWS AND MORE!

THIS JUST IN! STARTING TUESDAY, JANUARY 15^TH, THE AUTRY WILL EXTEND FREE ADMISSION TO LAUSD STUDENTS AND THEIR CHAPERONES DURING THE LAUSD TEACHERS’ STRIKE!

‘BOUNTY KILLER’ OPENS JAN. 25^TH IN L.A.!

‘BOUNTY KILLER’, the new Spaghetti Western from Chip Baker Films, opens Friday, January 25^th, at the Arena Cinelounge, 6464 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA 90028. When a young woman, played by Naila Mansour, is abducted during her wedding, her father, Eurowestern stalwart Antonio Mayans (MORE DOLLARS FOR THE MACGREGORS, A TOWN CALLED HELL) hires bounty hunter Crispian Belfrage to rescue the woman, and kill the men. Also in the cast are Aaron Stielstra (THE SCARLET WORM, 6 BULLETS TO HELL) and Lenore Andriel (YELLOW ROCK). Directed by Chip Baker, written by Baker and Danny Garcia, Jose Villanueva and Nick Reynolds, many of the folks who made the fine 6 BULLETS TO HELL are also part of BOUNTY KILLER. Cinematographer of both films Olivier Merckx may be the first to use a drone in a Western, and did so to striking effect.

It’s filmed in classic sets and locations in Tabernas, Almeria, and Andalucia, Spain, much of it on the McBain Ranch from ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. The film will be playing from Friday the 25 through Thursday the 31, and since the times vary from day to day, visit the Cinelounge website HERE for details.

‘HOW TV WEST IS WRITTEN’ AND MORE EVENTS AT THE AUTRY

TUESDAY JAN. 15 – A WORD ON WESTERNS SALUTES BURT LANCASTER

Detail from Thomas Hart Benton's 'The Kentuckian' poster 

Tuesday, at 11 a.m., join Western authority Rob Word and his merry band at the Wells Fargo Theatre for another delightful ‘Word on Westerns’. The topic will be Burt Lancaster, whose Westerns include GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL, VERA CRUZ, APACHE, and THE KENTUCKIAN. Word notes, “Lancaster cared greatly about quality and, when he directed and starred in THE KENTUCKIAN (1955), hired Bernard Herrmann for the music and Thomas Hart Benton to do the movie poster!” Among the guests joining Rob will be Burt’s stunt double from ULZANA’S RAID and POSSE, Billy Burton, and from Burt’s last Western, CATTLE ANNIE AND LITTLE BRITCHES, producer Rupert Hitzig and actors William Russ and Kenny Call. Did I mention this event is free with your Autry admission?  Doors open at 10:30.

WEDNESDAY JAN. 16 – HOW THE WEST IS WRITTEN: INSIDE MODERN TV WESTERNS

A must-attend for any would-be Western screenwriters, Wednesday night at 7 p.m., writers and producers from the latest crop of TV Westerns share insight into the creation of their series, how they’re reimagining the genre, and why stories out of the American West continue to inspire. Panelists include LONGMIRE writer and exec producer Hunt Baldwin, THE SON writer and exec producer Kevin Murphy, and HELL ON WHEELS and BRISCO COUNTY, JR. writer and exec producer John Wirth. This one costs $20 for members & students, $25 for non-members, and reservations are advised.

SATURDAY JAN. 26 – SILENT TREATMENT – ‘CLASH OF THE WOLVES’

The Silent Treatment is the Autry’s new series of silent Westerns with live musical accompaniment. 1925’s CLASH OF THE WOLVES stars Rin-Tin-Tin, his sweetheart Nanette, 7^TH HEAVEN star Charles Farrell, and original Keystone Kop Heinie Conklin, in a tale of Borax miners and claim-jumpers. Presented at 2 p.m. in 35mm, with piano by Cliff Retallick.  It’s free with admission.

SUNDAY, JAN. 27^TH -- THE MUSIC OF ENNIO MORRICONE!

Morricone conducting the Hateful 8 score recording --

and no, he won't be there.

At 1 p.m. – the 5 p.m. performance is sold out -- a concert of music from film scores by the maestro of the Spaghetti Western, performed by a special ensemble of world-class musicians and singers. It’s $10 for members, $20 for non-members, and you’d better make your reservations now.

COWBOYS AND INDIANS AND VIKINGS! – A DVD REVIEW

Wild East Productions presents Volume 60 of their Spaghetti Western Collection, a Giuliano Gemma double feature, DAYS OF VENGEANCE and ERIK THE VIKING. In VENGEANCE (1967), Gemma stars as man framed and imprisoned not for just any crime, but the murder of his own father! His old girlfriend, Nieves Navarro, is now with the lawman who set him up, and Gemma teams up with a traveling charlatan (Manuel Muniz as his comic character Pajarito) and his granddaughter (gorgeous Grabriella Giorgelli) to get justice, and uncover a startlingly baroque conspiracy. It’s elegantly made and highly enjoyable.

The second film, ERIK THE VIKING (1965) is goofy, exuberant fun. Gemma is Erik, nephew of Viking King Thorwald, and when the old man is on his deathbed, he says he wants his power to pass to his nephew, not his own son Erloff (Lucio De Santis). It’s a tough time for Vikings, who get no end of abuse from the more militarily organized Danes. Erik convinces several Vikings that they should find a new land far away from the Danes, and sails off in search of it. They arrive in – you guessed it – the New World, where they make friends with some Indians and enemies with others.

This action-packed daffy little history lesson is surprisingly entertaining, capturing the spirit of the Warner Brothers swashbucklers of the 1930s and ‘40s, and borrowing plot elements from them as well. Yes, there is a beautiful Indian princess (Elisa Montes), and evil plotters working for Erloff, including the indispensable muscleman Gordon Mitchell.

Among the special features is an excellent interview with actress Nieves Navarro conducted by Western screenwriter Danny Garcia (6 BULLETS TO HELL, THE BOUNTY KILLER). The double feature sells for $21.72, and can be purchased HERE. 

A NEW SOURCE FOR TV WESTERNS – JEWISH LIFE TV!

Gail Davis and Jimmy Hawkins

Next time you’re spinning the dial – remember when TVs had dials? – looking for a Western, you might just find one in an unexpected location: JLTV, aka Jewish Life Television, has added oaters to the line-up! Episodes of BONANZA, ANNIE OAKLEY, and the 1954 Western anthology series STORIES OF THE CENTURY have joined THE JACK BENNY SHOW and YOU BET YOUR LIFE, with Groucho Marx, as reasons to watch. Lorne Green, Michael Landon, and BONANZA-creator David Dortort were all Jewish, so perhaps that’s the connection, but whatever the reason, thanks JLTV!  

‘UNSPOOLED’ LOOKS AT ‘THE SEARCHERS’

Paul Scheer and Amy Nicholson, the film critics who are re-examining all of the films on the  AFI 100 Best Movies of All-Time list, with 100 individual podcasts, are up to #34, THE SEARCHERS. They are knowledgeable, but not big Western fans – it’s the first John Wayne Western Scheer has seen (!)  – so their takes on it are by turns fascinating and infuriating. Well worth a listen. And I must give them credit on one point in particular: it NEVER occurred to me that John Wayne might be searching not for his brother’s daughter, but his own!  THE SEARCHERS is #34. The episode about HIGH NOON, where I was guest, is #19. You can hear them all HERE. 

I HAVE 5 ARTICLES IN THE FEBRUARY ‘TRUE WEST’!

It’s a personal record for one issue! If you’d like to read ‘em…

p.19 – ‘Cowboy Pens Best Rodeo Movie Ever Made’

p. 26 – ‘Remembering Jeb Rosebrook’

p. 52 – ‘Max Evans in Hollywood’

p. 54 – ‘Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ review

p. 55 – ‘Fire Engulfs Paramount Western Ranch’

ONE MORE THING…

Every spring there are two events in the Los Angeles area that movie nuts, western nuts, and especially western movie nuts dream about all year. One is the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, a great get-together of all things cowboyish, at the estate of the great movie cowboy William S. Hart. The other is the annual TCM Classic Film Festival, one of the great and rare chances to see classic movies, and especially westerns, the way they should be seen, on a big screen. Well, after years of having them one weekend after another, the Cowboy Festival has been moved up, so they will both be on the weekend of April 13 and 14. TCM is actually the 11^th through the 14^th, and before you say, “Then just go to TCM on Thursday and Friday,” it doesn’t work that way, since the movies you want to see are generally scattered through the four days. They’ve just started to announce films, and included are BUTCH CASSIDY, a new restoration of WINCHESTER ’73, and a Tom Mix double bill with live music, THE GREAT K & A TRAIN ROBBERY and OUTLAWS OF RED RIVER. Cowboy Festival hasn’t started announcing their events yet, but it should be noted that for the second year, the Cowboy Festival will be free, while TCM costs a fortune, and even individual movies are $20 a pop.  I’ll keep you informed as I learn more!

AND THAT’S A WRAP!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Material Copyright January 2019 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

TOM WOPAT & JEFF FAHEY IN ‘COUNTY LINE’ PREMIERES SAT ON INSP, PLUS SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FEST AND MORE!

COUNTY LINE – A MOVIE REVIEW

Tom Wopat and Jeff Fahey take their 

shots back to back

Alden Rockwell (Tom Wopat) and Clint Thorne (Jeff Fahey), sheriffs of neighboring Georgia counties, have been good-old-boy friends since before Vietnam. Then Alden loses his reelection bid, is widowed, and settles into a half-hearted existence as a pig-farmer who won’t slaughter his livestock because he’s given them names. Things change when Clint is shot while investigating a redneck crime family, and their links to a shadowy and sinister organization. With no legal authority, but decades of experience, Alden, at the request of Clint’s wife (Dendrie Taylor) starts poking his unauthorized nose in, and the fireworks begin.

The Prattler brothers have the drop on Jeff Fahey

Part contemporary Western, part mystery, the vigorous and enjoyable COUNTY LINE, which premieres Saturday night on INSP, has wisely teamed two stars who’ve covered lots of miles, but still have plenty of tread left. Wopat will, of course, always be remembered as Luke Duke in seven boisterous seasons of THE DUKES OF HAZARD. But he’s also appeared in the recent Westerns JONAH HEX and DJANGO UNCHAINED, on LONGMIRE, and his impressive string of Broadway Musical credits include a Tony Nomination for ANNIE GET YOUR GUN. Indie film favorite Jeff Fahey played Tyree in SILVERADO, was Ike Clanton to Kevin Costner’s WYATT EARP, and was Devil Anse Hatfield in BAD BLOOD – HATFIELDS AND MCCOYS. Recently on television, he was the Texas Secretary of War in TEXAS RISING, and impressed as Zachariah on JUSTIFIED.

Patricia Richardson plays Wopat’s potential romantic interest, a waitress at a diner that straddles the county border, with a blue stripe dividing it down the middle. Emmy-nominated four times for playing Tim Allen’s wife in HOME IMPROVEMENT, she played more dramatic roles on STRONG MEDICINE and THE WEST WING, and starred opposite Peter Fonda in ULEE’S GOLD. Abbi Butler plays Wopat’s strong and handsome daughter, who’s enlisted in the Army, and about to go overseas.

While the term ‘contemporary Western’ has lately been bestowed on any film where someone wears a Resistol hat, COUNTY LINE, written by Jon Nappa, Shea Sizemore and Jason White, and directed by Shea, earns the label. There is a clear underlying pioneer spirit to the story, a philosophy of self-reliance. It is full of likable folks who all carry guns, and aren’t coy about using them – it is said derisively of a Deputy, “He carries a shotgun like it’s a broomstick.”

Davis Osborn, Michael Ruff and Brian Durkin

as the Prattler Brothers

Along with a complex plot, there is a surprising amount of convincing choking, punching, general brawling and specific shooting, and the ladies are every bit as dangerous as the gents. Western fans will be particularly amused by the Prattler Brothers, a family of dumb but malevolent thugs who call to mind the similar trios you’d find on a BIG VALLEY or GUNSMOKE, always with a young Warren Oates or Bruce Dern, and one, Sly Prattler, played by Davis Osborne, is practically the spitting image of the king of what Strother Martin termed prairie scum, L.Q. Jones!  With considerable humor, heart, action and smarts, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it begat COUNTY LINE II, or even a series.

SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL’S 25^TH ANNIVERSARY!

Singer Almeda M. Bradshaw

On Saturday and Sunday, April 21^st and 22^nd, the 25^th anniversary of the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival was marked in a highly unusual way: free admission! Held at William S. Hart Park in Old Town Newhall, the event originally started as a cowboy poetry reading at Santa Clarita High School. Then on January 14, 1994, the Northridge Earthquake hit Southern California, destroying, among so many other structures, the gymnasium where the readings were always held. The event was going to be cancelled for lack of a venue when the Veluzat brothers, owners and operators of Melody Ranch, Gene Autry’s old Western movie town, offered the ranch as an alternative location.   

Gunspinner Joey Dillon shows a 

volunteer the ropes

With the move, the event expanded to include music, merchandise, and all manner of activities, and it grew steadily for twenty years. Then four years ago, the resurgence of the Western movie and TV show began. Melody Ranch, which had only been sporadically busy since the demise of DEADWOOD, suddenly became in demand. Quentin Tarantino leased it for a year to shoot DJANGO UNCHAINED.  HBO has leased it for multiple years to film WESTWORLD. Again, a new venue was required, and what could be more appropriate than William S. Hart Park, the home range of one of the Western film’s great stars and philanthropists.

A Buffalo Soldier and his horse

Indian dancer

Hart Park is full of historical buildings, some built there, some moved there, and on this weekend it was also full of people, couples and families and packs of friends, there to do some shopping and eating, and to soak up cowboy atmosphere, and maybe some cowboy and Indian history as well.

As long as I have been attending – about a decade now – the center of activities for me has always been The Buckaroo Book Shop which was for years run by Bobbi Jean and Jim Bell, from their nearby OutWest Boutique. Bobbi and Jim recently packed up their cowpoke finery and moved home and operations to Albuquerque, New Mexico. But they came to town on Saturday to see how the event was going. Jim Christina, a Western author often featured at the event, took over the reins of the Book Shop this year. Other Western authors who attended included SHOTGUN series creator C. Courtney Joyner, Johnny D. Boggs, D.B. Jackson, Peter Sherayko, J.R. Sanders, Bob Brill, Eric Heisner, and artist and illustrator Al Bringas.  Also ran into Western author and entertainer Troy Andrew Smith by the cowboy coffee and peach cobbler.

Susie Arredondo, Troy Andrew Smith, with Bobbi Jean

and Jim Bell

Right beside the Book Shop tent, who had just set up shop but Johnny Crawford, Mark McCain from THE RIFLEMAN, and fresh a West Virginia film shoot, where he was portraying William S. Hart in the new Western film, BILL TILGHMAN AND THE OUTLAWS.

Tea-time for this Southern Belle

Union surrender

Among the high points of the event was the twice daily Civil War reenactment. Here's a quick and sloppy glance at it --hopefully it’ll give you a sense of the event. Hope to see you there next year!

RAMONA OLD WEST DAYS SAT & SUN MAY 5&6!

Photo by Paul Wood

This weekend the Reenactment Guild of America will be taking part in the 6^th annual Ramona Old West Days in Ramona, California.  Large 19^th century encampments will represent pioneers, the American Indian Wars, and the life of the cowboy. There will be hearty grub, western collectibles, and a Showdown at Sundown, where reenactment groups compete for prizes. For more information, go here:  http://www.ramonaoldwestdays.com/

TOM CORRIGAN DIES AT AGE 73

Tom Corrigan with his dad, Ray 'Crash' Corrigan

Tom Corrigan, the Thousand Oaks restaurateur who kept the memory of his father, Ray “Crash” Corrigan, alive for decades, had died.  For more than thirty years he ran the popular Corrigan’s Steak House, which was packed with memorabilia from his father’s long career as a Western star, stunt man, gorilla portrayer, and builder and operator of Corriganville, one of filmdom’s premiere Western movie towns. Tom died in his home on March 14^th, with his wife and niece by his side.

…AND THAT’S A WRAP!

And no, I’m not dissing WESTWORLD, I just haven’t had a chance to sit down and watch it.  If you have, what do you think?

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Material Copyright May 2018 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved