SCHWARZENEGGER’S COMING, WESTWORLD’S RETURNING, ‘HIGH CHAPARRAL’ P.M. IS TALKING, TCM’S FEST-ING, AND MORE!

UPDATED 10:11 AM 2-16-18 -- SEE 'LOS ANGELES ITALIA FESTIVAL'

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER TO STAR IN WESTERN ‘OUTRIDER’

Okay, he’s not the King yet, but maybe the Kaiser of the Cowboys? The body-building champ, movie star and former Governor of California, whose only previous Western was Hal Needham’s 1979 comedy THE VILLAIN -- in which he played Handsome Stranger to Ann-Margaret’s Charming Jones, and Kirk Douglas’s Cactus Jack -- will be heading to the Amazon West, to star in the series OUTRIDER, for Producer Mace Neufield, who previously produced GODS AND GENERALS.

Set in the late 1800s, when Oklahoma was still Indian Territory, the story centers on a deputy assigned to capture a famous outlaw, with the help of a ruthless Federal Marshal (Schwarzenegger). As the tale progresses, alliances will shift, and the demarcation between hero and villain will be obscured.  The show will be co-written and exec-produced by Trey Callaway and Mark Montgomery.

‘WESTWORLD’ RETURNS IN APRIL!

As Superbowl fans learned last Sunday, WESTWORLD will be starting its second season, on HBO, on April 22^nd. The teaser trailer, seen below, doesn’t give too much story away, but it does confirm that it will be a western WESTWORLD, not the eastern Samurai variation last season’s ending hinted at (Whew!). As with season one, HBO remains tight-lipped. So fasten your seatbelts!

AUTRY ‘SERGEANT RUTLEDGE’ SCREENING 2/17 INTRO’ED BY ‘LEFTY BROWN’ DIR.

As part of the Autry’s long-running ‘What is a Western?’ film series, they will be screening John Ford’s classic Western courtroom mystery, 1960’s SERGEANT RUTLEDGE. Tremendously daring for its subject matter even today, and one of the high points of Woody Strode’s career. He star as a Buffalo Soldier on trial for the rape and murder of a white child. The film also stars Constance Towers and Jeffrey Hunter.  I wrote an article on RUTLEDGE, and other Buffalo Soldier films, for True West Magazine, and had the privilege of speaking to both Ms. Towers, and Olympic Decathlon Gold Medalist Rafer Johnson, who played a Buffalo Soldier in the film. To read ‘Ford Set The Bar High’, click HERE.  The film will be introduced by Jared Moshé, director of the current Western THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN. The program in the Wells Fargo Theatre begins at 1:30 pm, and admission is free with your museum admission. 

‘L.A. ITALIA FESTIVAL’ FEB. 25TH!
UPDATED 10:12 AM 2-16-18 -- DIRECTOR/STAR RICHARD HARRISON WILL INTRODUCE HIS FILM 'TWO BROTHERS IN TRINITY'

In two weeks the L. A. Italia Festival, the 13^th annual celebration of Italian culture and especially Italian cinema, will begin on Sunday, February 25^th, at the Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood, and run for a week, through Saturday, March 3^rd, Oscar eve. This year’s festival will be dedicated to legendary Italian directors Franco Zeffirelli and Lina Wertmuller.  There are screenings of dozens of Italian movies, both new and classics, all free, on a first come, first seated basis. There are also special programs that require reservations, and the red carpet is often packed with stars. The schedule of films was announced last night, and there is just one Italian Western on the bill. On Saturday, at 4:50 pm, TWO BROTHERS IN A PLACE CALLED TRINITY, starring Richard Harrison, will be screened. The program notes, “Harrison wrote, produced and directed the film, and understandably, it is his personal favorite among the Italian westerns he appeared in.” It doesn’t say whether or not Harrison will attend; I’ll try to find out. To find out about all of the films being screened, and their times, go HERE.

TCM FESTIVAL – LOOKING FORWARD AND BACK

I was surprised to find this shot of me and Shirley

Jones on the Red Carpet at the TCM site!

The annual TCM Classic Movie Festival returns to the Chinese Theatre Complex and elsewhere around Hollywood, starting April 26^th, and running through the 29^th. This year’s theme will be that all-too-often ignored aspect of movies, the written word. According to TCM, “From original screenplays to unique adaptations to portrayals of writers real and imagined, we will celebrate the foundation of great film: the written word.”  The Fest will open with a screening at the Chinese IMAX of THE PRODUCERS, with writer/director Mel Brooks attending. Other guests already announced include writer/director Robert Benton, and actress Marsha Hunt.  

Dick Cavett introducing a film

Last year, although the number of Westerns featured was small, what there was, was choice. DAWSON CITY – FROZEN TIME is a fascinating documentary by Bill Morrison. A boomtown in the heart of the Yukon Gold Rush that started in1898, Dawson’s movie theatres were not only the hub of entertainment, they were the end of the line for movie prints that had made their way around the world. In 1978, a construction crew bulldozed an old sports club, and found hundreds of reels of film buried, some of them preserved, in the permafrost, most of them films thought to be lost forever. And that’s only the beginning of the story. The film is available from Kino-Lorber.

A frame from POLLY OF THE CIRCUS (1917)

partly decomposed, from DAWSON CITY

1952’s THOSE REDHEADS FROM SEATTLE was re-premiered at the Fest, not just restored, but seen in 3-D for the first time since its release. This lively movie from Paramount’s famous ‘Dollar Bills’, Bill Pine and Bill Thomas, was the first 3-D musical. It stars Gene Barry, Rhonda Fleming, Agnes Moorhead, and a bevy of singers and dancers, including the Bell Sisters, one of whom, to the audience’s delight, attended. It tells the story of a family of women that head to -- you guessed it -- Dawson City during the Gold Rush to be entertainers. This one is also available from Kino-Lorber. With their story overlap, I’m surprised REDHEADS and DAWSON aren’t offered as a set. 

Paramount Studio Head Archivist Andrea Kalas presented a talk, and clips from dozens of Republic Pictures in all imaginable genres. Paramount has acquired the entire Republic Library (minus, I assume, Gene Autry’s films, as he acquired all of them), and have for seven years been restoring them at the rate of 100 a year. Needless to say, this left all the Western fans in attendance salivating, but at the moment, no definite plans for releasing the films has been announced.

Peter Bogdonovich and Illeana Douglas

And speaking of things not yet announced, thus far only eighteen films have been announced for this year’s Fest, and there’s not a Western in the bunch. But last year they showed 83 films, so there’s plenty of space to squeeze in some oaters. Stand by for updates as we get closer to the event.

SPEND ST. PATRICK’S DAY WITH KENT MCCRAY!

Kent McCray with High Chaparral stuntwoman

Jackie Fuller

On Saturday, March 17^th, Kent McCray, who produced or production-managed BONANZA, THE HIGH CHAPARRAL, and THE LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, will be au the Autry, speaking about his career, and signing his new autobiography, KENT MCCRAY: THE MAN BEHIND THE MOST BELOVED TELEVISION SHOWS. A Q&A will be hosted by Dean Butler, who played Almanzo Wilder on LITTLE HOUSE, and other guests from McCray shows are expected. In addition to his extensive Western work, McCray spent years managing Bob Hope’s travels to entertain our troops around the globe. His friendship with Michael Landon, developed on the BONANZA set, led to a producing partnership on LITTLE HOUSE and HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN.

My next Round-up will feature an interview with McCray. And HERE is a link to the current True West Magazine, about McCray’s recent celebration of HIGH CHAPARRAL’s 50^th Anniversary.

TWO-GUN HART – BY JEFF McARTHUR

A Book Review by Henry C. Parke

It’s not so surprising that a young man’s early association with Western actor William S. Hart would inspire him to become a real-life western lawman. It’s not the first time a man changed his name in tribute to his idol – magician Eric Weiss dubbed himself Harry Houdini after French illusionist Robert-Houdin. The stunner is the name that he changed: lawman and prohibition agent Richard ‘Two-Gun’ Hart had been Christened in Sicily as Vicenzo Capone, and his brother, Al Capone, would make quite a name for himself on the other side of the law!

Jeff McArthur tells a fascinating, and entirely fresh, story of a man who reinvented himself totally, yet could never totally escape his family’s influence. Hart was a remarkable complex man, and his successes and struggles throughout the Great Depression are, by turns, inspiring and infuriating.

As a teenager, I was obsessed with Depression-era gangsters, and I devoured every word I could find on Al Capone. There is more information on the life of Scarface Al, and insight into his character and personality here, than I have ever seen before, and with a good reason. For the first time, the Capone family has opened up to an author, and granted unprecedented access to MacArthur.

Whether your interest is in lawmen, criminals, or simply humanity, you will be astonished. TWO-GUN HART is published by Bandwagon Books.               

HEAVIES PLAY HEROES IN ALPHA RELEASE

Tom Tyler had a few standout sympathetic roles, as Captain Marvel in the Republic serial, and as Stony Brooke in some of the THREE MESQUITEERS entries. But most of his other outstanding, and best remembered roles were villains: Luke Plummer, the man who killed John Wayne’s brother in 1939’s STAGECOACH; King Evans in William Wyler’s THE WESTERNER (1940); and as the seemingly soulless gunman in POWDERSMOKE RANGE (1935). Likable, strong-jawed Kermit Maynard was as good an actor, and handsomer, than his superstar brother Ken Maynard, but no one else could do what Ken could with a horse. Kermit played countless drovers and henchmen and stagecoach drivers.  But once in a blue moon, these supporting players got a chance to shine, and in a new double-bill from Alpha Video, each man proves that he could carry a movie on their own.

In RIDIN’ THRU (1934), Tom Tyler and sidekick Ben Corbett come to the aid of a rancher-turned-dude-rancher friend whose horses are being rustled, and determine they’re being led away by a mysterious white stallion. In FIGHTING TROOPER (1934) Kermit Maynard stars as a Mountie sergeant whose superior, and personal antagonist, is murdered. While undercover, investigating a likely suspect, fur trapper LeFarge (LeRoy Mason), he grows to suspect LeFarge is being framed.

Also from Alpha is the long-thought-lost B Western DESERT MESA (1935), starring Wally West, a stuntman-turned-actor who pretty quickly turned back to stuntman. It's a story about two men, West and an old rancher (William McCall), whose paths cross as both seek the same man, who ruined their lives by killing West’s father and McCall’s wife. Not a great movie, but a surprisingly good print, it’s curious to note that as late as 1935, some poverty row Westerns felt almost like silents, between the stilted performances and West’s mascara. One of the more natural performances, as an unbilled sidekick named Art, is the film’s producer and director Art Mix, real name Victor Adamson, who was sued by Tom Mix to stop borrowing his last name.  It’s double billed with THE TEXAS TORNADO, aka RANCH DYNAMITE, from 1932, starring Lane Chandler as a Texas Ranger who takes on the identity of a Chicago gangster to infiltrate a gang. Master stuntman Yakima Canutt plays a henchman, and does stunt doubling in the spirited fights. It’s written and directed by Oliver Drake, who decades later would co-author Canutt’s excellent autobiography, STUNTMAN.

…and that’s a wrap! 

For your amusement, here are a few not quite 2” by 3” Swedish gum cards. My favorite is the one that identifies our most decorated soldier of World War II, and a fine Western actor, as Audrey Murphy. Things get lost in translation.

In the next Round-up, I’ll have my interview with Kent McCray, and a look at two upcoming Spaghetti Westerns from the folks who brought you 6 BULLETS TO HELL! And I’ll be updating this Round-up as titles become available for the TCM Classic Movie Festival.

Happy Trails!

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright February 2018 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

‘SPAGHETTI WESTERNS UNCHAINED’ UNLEASHED!

The Spaghetti Western era was a remarkable time in film history.  With the end of World War II, the quarantine of American films in once-Axis Europe was suddenly over, and a decade of movies poured in.  When Europeans wanted even more Westerns, first the Germans and then the Italians raced to fill the void, and in less than a decade produced more than 300 features set in the American West.  Timed to the home-video release of DJANGO UNCHAINED, Quentin Tarantino’s western, which has brought a main-stream awareness of the Euro Western phenomenon, Blue Underground will be releasing a quartet of their best Euro Westerns as a set under the title SPAGHETTI WESTERNS UNCHAINED.  The choices, the original DJANGO (1966); TEXAS, ADIOS (1966); DJANGO KILL…IF YOU LIVE, SHOOT!(1967); and KEOMA (1976), could not be better.  If you are a spaghetti western aficionado, or someone getting their first exposure to the genre, these films are a must see.  Just as compelling as the movies themselves, the special features are special indeed.

Tomas Milian stars in DJANGO KILL, but all the others star Franco Nero.   I’ve seen three or four other companies’ versions of DJANGO, but Blue Underground’s is undoubtedly the best – no surprise, considering that it’s taken from the original camera negative!  Though never theatrically released in the United States, Franco Nero is as great a Western icon in the rest of the world as Clint Eastwood is here, and this is the movie that made him that way.  One of Sergio Corbucci’s finest Westerns, few who’ve seen it will forget the enigmatic image of the stoic, mysterious Django walking from the desert into the muddy Mexican frontier town, dragging a coffin behind him like an albatross around his neck.  Unlike Eastwood’s ‘Man With No Name’, who also had no past, Django is haunted by his, and his new troubles begin when he spots a woman being abused by a pack of red-hooded apparent vigilantes, rescues her, and brings her to a town where neither of them is welcome.  He soon finds himself in the middle of a battle for control between the military, and a band of outlaws, all of them after gold. This is a physically beautiful film, making full use of the Almeria, Spain locations.  The score by Bruno Nicolai, including the haunting theme that DJANGO UNCHAINED fans will recognize, is stunning.  The plot is clever, the action very exciting and at times brutal.  In addition to the trailer, stills and talent biographies, there is also a fascinating documentary featuring Franco Nero’s and assistant director Ruggero Deodato’s memories of the making of the film, and their other work with Sergio Corbucci.

The same year that he starred in DJANGO, Franco Nero played lawman Burt Sullivan in TEXAS, ADIOS.  He brings his undisciplined kid brother with him south of the border, to track down their father’s killer, who died when they were children.  To their surprise, the murderer is now the most influential and respected man in his town.  Directed by Ferdinando Baldi, this movie seems at times more American than the others in this set.  With excellent plotting, action and production, this film has been rarely seen since its release, and is an unexpected pleasure.  Along with a trailer, there’s an informative interview with Franco Nero.

DJANGO KILL! is not a sequel to DJANGO.  With the success of the Franco Nero film, the name ‘Django’ was added to the titles of dozens of films.  Starting with the bizarre sight of Tomas Milian rising from the grave, he is rescued by a pair of desert-roaming Indians, and we learn via flashbacks that The Stranger (he’s only called Django on the poster) is the lone survivor of a falling-out among thieves who had slaughtered an Army troop that was transporting gold.  The gold and the Stranger reach the nearby town, where thieves and townies fight over the gold.  Directed by documentary filmmaker Guilio Questi, a former Italian Resistance-fighter, he had lived in a world of violence, and DJANGO KILL! is an astonishingly violent film, with oblique references to Italian facism, startling scenes of sadism and, implicitly, predatory homosexuality.  Shocked as American viewers were in 1967, they hadn’t seen it all: some of the roughest scenes, included here for the first time, are in Italian, with English titles, because they were cut before the film was dubbed into English.   Included in the special features are a trailer, posters and stills, and a terrific documentary featuring recent interviews with director Questi, star Milian, and actor Ray Lovelock. 

KEOMA came a full decade after DJANGO and A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, when the cycle was considered at an end, the ideas played out.  Yet KEOMA is one of the few, one of the last, masterpieces of the genre.  Franco Nero as Keoma comes back to the town of his birth, to see his father, and finds the town has descended into a Hellish mess, at least in part because of the behavior of his three half-brothers.    In an echo of DJANGO, the story begins with Keoma rescuing a woman from a group of thugs, and bringing her to town, and again, neither are welcomed.  But this time, she’s thought to be carrying the plague, and Keoma’s presence is a threat to his brothers.  In an echo of BROKEN LANCE and THE BIG VALLEY, Keoma is the half-breed bastard son, rescued by his father after all others in the Indian village were slaughtered.  He was raised with his half-brothers, despised by them as being the favorite.  Also prominent in the cast, with one of the best roles of his career, is Woody Strode, who was a servant at the father’s house, and an inspiration to young Keoma, but now he’s a drunkard and a broken man.  Directed by Enzo Castellari, the story and the structure are enthralling, with unusual use of flashbacks that often have adult Keoma walking through his own childhood.  It is Castellari’s favorite of all his films, and one of Nero’s as well.  My only major criticism is the music: while the melodies are fine, there is frequent use of a shrill and tone-deaf man and woman who screech out descriptions of actions you have already seen.  In addition to an interview with Nero, the disk includes wonderful audio commentary by director Castellari and journalist Waylon Wahl.  And in February, director Castellari announced that he will be making another western, BADLANDERS, with feature roles to be played by Franco Nero and Quentin Tarantino.  The 4-disk set will sell for $29.98.  You can learn more about it HERE. 

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

It’ll be a few weeks, but the folks at INSP have interviewed THE VIRGINIAN cast members to find their personal favorites among the 248 episodes, and will be sharing them on Saturday, April 27^th.  In the meantime, here’s a nice short they put together, with James Drury discussing the original ‘Man With No Name.’ 

 

NEW ‘VIRGINIAN’ ANNOUNCED

Trace Adkins in WYATT EARP'S REVENGE

 

Ron Perlman in MAGNIFICENT 7

 

A new film production based on Owen Wister’s classic novel THE VIRGINIAN has been announced by Nasser Group, North Productions.  Set to star in the title role in singer Trace Adkins, currently on CELEBRITY APPRENTICE and recently seen in WYATT EARP’S REVENGE.  Ron Perlman, currently starring in SONS OF ANARCHY, and well remembered in THE MAGNIFICENT 7 vid-series, will take the Lee J. Cobb role of Judge Henry.  Also in the cast are Brendan Meyer, Brendan Penny and George Canyon.  Film is currently shooting in Canada, with AMERICA’S MOST WANTED director Thomas Makowski working from a screenplay by Bob Thiekle.   

 

‘RAMONA’ TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
 

Tickets are now on sale for the 90^th season of the Ramona Pageant, at the Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre in Hemet.  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. 

‘HOME OF RAMONA’  - RANCHO CAMULOS EVENT APRIL 19^TH STARRING SOURDOUGH SLIM

 

Speaking of RAMONA, on Friday, April 19^th, from 11 a.m. until 3p.m., in conjunction with the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, Rancho Camulos in Piru will be holding a fund-raising event, Californio Fiesta de Camulos Rancho!  This beautiful and fascinating rancho is known as the ‘Home of Ramona’ because it was here that author Helen Hunt Jackson, during a brief stay between trains, was inspired to write her novel, and set it there.  D.W. Griffith, when he filmed RAMONA a century ago, used Rancho Camulos as his studio.  You can read my story about Rancho Camulos HERE. 

And on Friday, April 19^th you can enjoy a Southwest Vaquero buffet, music, and costumed docent-led tours as you step back in time. Entertainer extraordinaire and the last of the vaudeville cowboys, Sourdough Slim performs in the Will Roger's tradition.  All proceeds benefit the nonprofit museum's mission of historical preservation and education.  The price is $55 per ticket, and you can buy tickets HERE. 

QUICK DRAW – A LOOK AT PARAMOUNT RANCH SETS

I am glad to report that my spies are everywhere!  After I ran a story about HULU’s shoot four weeks shooting episodes of QUICK DRAW at Paramount Ranch (the story is HERE ) I heard from Don Bitz, Paramount Ranch Historian, who sent me pictures of how the sets were dressed for the shoot.  I’m showing them below, along with a couple of pictures from Mike Gaglio, and please remember that these are copyrighted photographs, and Mr. Bitz and Mr. Gaglio retain their rights to them.  Notice the two different jails -- Paramount's western street is being used to portray two different towns. 

 

Photo by Don Bitz

 

Photo by Mike Gaglio

 

Photo by Don Bitz

 

Photo by Don Betz

 

Photo by Don Betz

 

 

Photo by Mike Gaglio

 

Photo of Mike Gaglio

 

 

YOU CAN’T KEEP A GOOD WESTERN DOWN! 

 

Deadline: Hollywood has announced that JANE GOT A GUN, the Natalie Portman western that got slammed when director Lynne Ramsay quit on the first day, has been shooting for two weeks.  Moreover, Jude Law, the villain of the piece, who quit when Ramsay walked, has just been replaced by recent Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper.  Cooper’s first western was 2003’s THE LAST COWBOY.  Yee-haw!

LORETTA YOUNG DISPLAY AT THE HOLLYWOOD MUSEUM

If you’re going to be in Los Angeles before the end of April, drop by the Hollywood Museum in the historic Max Factor building on Highland at Hollywood, and see the appropriately titled 100 Years of Glamour and Grace documenting the life and career of actress Loretta Young, who was so memorable opposite Clark Gable in THE CALL OF THE WILD.  The Museum is opened Wednesday through Sunday, and their other current displays spotlight the careers of Jean Harlow, Bob Hope, Sonja Henie and many others.  Adult tickets are $15; kids and seniors are less. 

MONSTERPALOOZA AT THE MARRIOTT BURBANK APRIL 12-14

Okay, you may think a Monster Show doesn’t relate to Westerns, but among the guests are Oscar-winner Martin Landau of NEVADA SMITH and THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL; Duncan Regher, TV’s later ZORRO; Danny Glover of LONESOME DOVE, SILVERADO and HANNAH’S LAW; Eric Roberts, currently in SIX GUN SAVIOR; Virginia Madsen of HELL ON WHEELS; and Linda Blair, who may never have been in a western, but is an excellent horsewoman.  It’s $20 a day, and all the stars charge for autographs, usually starting at $20.  To learn more, go HERE .

THE HOLLYWOOD SHOW,  APRIL 19^TH – 21^ST

This event has moved recently, and stupidly, to the Westin Airport Hotel from the Marriott Burbank.  Among stars of Western interest are Angie Dickinson of RIO BRAVO; Earl Holliman of GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL and THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER; Johnny Crawford of THE RIFLEMAN; Bobby Crawford of LARAMIE; Charles Dierkop of BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID; and Stella Stevens of THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE.  Tickets are $20 a day, and all the stars charge for autographs, usually starting at $20.  To learn more, go HERE. 

THAT’LL HAVE TO DO for this week.  Next week I’ll have info on the upcoming SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL, THE TCM FESTIVAL, and much more!  Have a great week!

Much obliged,

Henry

ALL ORIGINAL CONTENTS COPYRIGHT APRIL 2013 BY HENRY C. PARKE

PHOTOS WHERE INDICATED COPYRIGHT APRIL 2013 BY DON BITZ

AND COPYRIGHT APRIL 2013 BY MIKE GAGLIO

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

REPUBLIC PICTURES 75th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!

UPDATED 9/17/2010 (SEE LOS ENCINOS LIVING HISTORY)

On Saturday, September 25th, CBS Studio Center in Studio City will revert for one day to its earlier identity: the headquarters of Republic Pictures, the great Western and Serial thrill-factory! This FREE EVENT will run from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., and will include screenings of features, serial chapters and trailers, live swing and western music, guest speakers, celebrities, gun spinners, rope twirlers, trick horses, cowboy poets, memorabilia, a special Republic Pictures stamp cancellation ceremony of the Cowboys of the Silver Screen postage stamps, food – all the stuff that right-thinking kids of all ages love – because after all, Republic’s business was, above all, to entertain kids, and they did it like no other studio!

Among the Republic alumni who will be attending are Theodore Bikel, Adrian Booth, Michael Chapin, Ben Cooper, Robert Easton, Coleen Gray, Eilene Janssen, Anne Jeffreys, Dickie Jones, Jane Kean, Joan Leslie, Marjorie Lord,
Jimmy Lydon, Donna Martell, Hugh O'Brian, Peggy Stewart and Jane Withers. Other special guests will include Diana Canova, Ty Hardin, Herb Jeffries, Andrew Prine and William Smith. Panel Moderator will be Leonard Maltin.

The site of Republic Studios is steeped in movie history. Mack Sennett bought the land to move his Comedy Factory from Edendale to the San Fernando Valley, but this was just when sound was coming in, and Sennett’s style of comedy was going out. Here W.C. Fields starred in his great Sennett shorts, THE PHARMACIST, THE BARBER SHOP, THE DENTIST and THE FATAL GLASS OF BEER, and Bing Crosby starred in his Sennett two-reelers, but soon Sennett had to sell. Next came Nat Levine’s Mascot Studios, where Tom Mix made his last films, and John Wayne made three serials.

Meanwhile, Herbert J. Yates ran Consolidated Film Laboratories, a lab that processed most of the poverty row studios’ footage. Such companies were always behind in their payments, and in 1935, Yates called in everyone’s paper, took over several small companies, including Monogram Pictures (which would later rise again as an independent) and combined them into Republic Pictures, locating them at the old Sennett/Mascot lot.

In addition to the main event,on Wednesday, September 15th (THAT'S THIS WEDNESDAY), at 7:30 p.m., The Egyptian Theatre will mark the 75th Anniversary of Republic Studios with a special program: "Meet the Stars #7: Meet Roy Rogers," 1941, Republic Pictures, 10 min. Dir. Harriet Parsons. "It’s a Grand Old Nag," 1947, Republic Pictures, 8 min. Dir. Robert Clampett, probably the only cartoon Republic ever made, UNDER WESTERN STARS, 1938, Republic Pictures, 54 min. Dir. Joseph Kane. This is the one that started it all for Roy Rogers – Gene Autry was on strike, and Republic re-tailored the script, about a cowboy elected to Congress, fighting for his constituents’ water rights, to fit Roy. There are tons of parallels with MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, which came out a year later! The listing says 54 minutes, but I’m betting they’ll show the version shown recently at the Autry, with the missing scenes back in place. SOUTH OF THE BORDER, 1939, Republic Pictures, 70 min. Dir. George Sherman. It is the eve of World War II, and Federal agents Gene Autry and Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnett) head to Mexico to foil the schemes of a fleet of foreign spies at a submarine base.

And on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 7:00 p.m., noted Hollywood historian Marc Wanamaker will speak at the Studio City Branch Library to discuss the history of Studio City and Republic Pictures. Studio City Branch Library, 12511 Moorpark Street, Studio City, 91604

I’ll be having more details as the main event nears, and you can CLICK HERE to go to the official website.

SHORT STORY CONTEST AT ‘ROPE AND WIRE’

Rope and Wire, a website that describes itself as, “ a gathering place for Western Writers, Cowboys Poets and Old Western Movies Buffs,” is sponsoring a Western short story contest. Entries need to be unpublished, in English, between 2,500 and 4,000 words. The deadline is November 30th, and there is a $15 entrance fee – you can enter more than one story, but you pay each time. The more entries, the bigger the prizes – 1st prize wins $5 out of each entry, 2nd prize wins $3 of each entry, and 3rd prize wins $2 from each entry. For more details, CLICK HERE for the Rope and Wire site. Good luck! And by the way, the site has links to TONS of on-line B-westerns!

A MESSAGE FROM WOODY STRODE’S SON, KALAI

Those of you who read last week’s article about the making of YELLOW ROCK (if you haven’t, CLICK HERE) may remember actor Zahn McClarnon’s fond memories of being a child on the set of WINTERHAWK, and meeting star Woody Strode – and meeting him again, as an adult, in Hollywood. Kalai Strode, son of Woody and Luana Strode (you’ll remember her as the Indian woman at the train station in the opening of ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST), and a very busy second unit director and assistant director, remembers making WINTERHAWK as well.

“I'm watching the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy telethon and was thinking about when I last saw it back in 1974. My father, Woody Strode, asked me to fly to Montana to write up his part in the movie "Winterhawk." I flew out during the telethon weekend. In Montana I saw many of the Native American extras, many were Blackfoot from a nearby reservation. It was a tremendous experience and I had a lot of fun there with my father. If the Outlaw Inn is still there, you might see two arrows embedded in the ceiling which my father shot there. Of course, that was a long time ago and the arrows may be gone now.”

If any of our readers out Montana way can check out the ceiling of the Outlaw Inn, we’d be most grateful!

SCREENING - VIVA ZAPATA AT THE BILLY WILDER!

Thursday Sept. 16th
Co-presented with the UCLA Film & Television Archive
Celebrate the 100th Aniversario of the Mexican Revolution with a screening of Elia Kazan’s sweeping biopic following Emiliano Zapata Salazar’s life from reluctant advocate for peasant land rights, to legendary general of the revolution. Marlon Brando’s intense performance as Zapata and Kazan’s powerful direction act as weighty correctives to Hollywood’s typical portrayal of the revolution. Print courtesy of the Academy Archive. (1952, 113 min. Dir. Elia Kazan, 35mm, B/W). Note, this is a FREE SCREENING, but tickets are required!

OLD WEST DAYS – RANDSBURG Sept. 18

Western and bluegrass music, pancake breakfast, antiques and collectibles, food vendors and reenactments in this “Living Ghost Town” of the high desert. Downtown (760)371-0965, randdesertmueum.com

CIVIL WAR REENACTMENTS – LEBEC Sept. 19

Union and Confederate Army encampments, battle demonstrations and living history presentations. Fort Tejon State Historic Park (661) 248-6692 forttejon.org

GRAND WESTERN GRUB FEST – SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO Sept. 26

Chili cook-off, vendors, country music, Old West shootout, food, beer and wine, carnival booths, dunk tank, pie-eating contest, kids’ activities. Proceeds benefit U.S. military troops and their families. St. Margaret’s Episcopal School at Gateway Field. 949) 248-9468 gwgf.org


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

A staggering number of western TV episodes and movies are available, entirely free, for viewing on your computer at HULU. You do have to sit through the commercials, but that seems like a small price to pay. The series available -- often several entire seasons to choose from -- include THE RIFLEMAN, THE CISCO KID, THE LONE RANGER, BAT MASTERSON, THE BIG VALLEY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, and one I missed from 2003 called PEACEMAKERS starring Tom Berenger. Because they are linked up with the TV LAND website, you can also see BONANZA and GUNSMOKE episodes, but only the ones that are running on the network that week.

The features include a dozen Zane Grey adaptations, and many or most of the others are public domain features. To visit HULU on their western page, CLICK HERE.

AROUND LOS ANGELES

SUNDAY, SEPT. 19TH LOS ENCINOS LIVING HISTORY DAY

On this day, and the third Sunday of every month, Los Encinos State Historic Park, located at 16756 Moorpark St. in Encino,91436, has a Living History Day. From one to three p.m. enjoy music, period crafts,a blacksmith, docents in 1870s attire, tours of the historic buildings, and traditional children’s games.

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. Currently they have THE ART OF NATIVE AMERICAN BASKETRY: A LIVING TRADITION, through November 7th. I've seen the show three times, and am continually astonished at the beauty and variety of the work of the various tribes. 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.

ON TV

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They run a GUNSMOKE Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m., and on Friday they show two, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.. They're not currently running either series on weekends, but that could change at any time.

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

Check out your cable system for WHT, which stands for World Harvest Television. It's a religious network that runs a lot of good western programming. Your times may vary, depending on where you live, but weekdays in Los Angeles they run THE LONE RANGER at 1:30 p.m., and two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. On Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. it's THE RIFLEMAN again, followed at 2:30 by BAT MASTERSON. And unlike many stations in the re-run business, they run the shows in the original airing order. There's an afternoon movie on weekdays at noon, often a western, and they show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.

Sorry this post went up on Monday rather than Sunday, but my wife and I just got back from a week in Sedona and at the Grand Canyon. Next week I hope to have Part 2 of my YELLOW ROCK story, about the crew.

Have a great week!

Henry

ALL CONTENTS COPYRIGHT SEPTEMBER 2010 BY HENRY C. PARKE - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WILLIAM BONNEY UP FOR PAROLE!

(Updated Wednesday 8/4/2010 -- see WOODY STRODE below)

No, I’m not kidding. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is considering granting a posthumous pardon to Billy the Kid. Among those objecting most vigorously to the historical whitewashing are three grandchildren of lawman Pat Garrett. Garrett, who had at one time been a friend to Bonney, shot and killed him on July 14, 1881, following the outlaw’s escape from the Lincoln County Jail, an escape that left two deputies dead.

A letter sent to Richardson this week by three Garrett grandchildren stated that to grant the pardon would represent an "inexcusable defamation" of the lawman. "If Billy the Kid was living amongst us now, would you issue a pardon for someone who made his living as a thief and, more egregiously, who killed four law enforcement officers and numerous others?"

Among those being brought into the debate is a descendant of Bonney’s employer, rancher John Henry Tunstall, whose 1878 murder ignited the Lincoln County War. Hilary Tunstall-Behrens, a great-nephew of the rancher, who came from London to meet with Garretts, is taking sides against Bonney. "I wouldn't join the cause. There is so much strong feelings."

Personally, I am never happy to see people blithely rewriting history. I understand in the case of Dr. Mudd. His name became synonymous with ‘traitor’ – as in ‘his name was Mudd,’ – after he treated John Wilkes Booth’s wounds without turning him in. An argument can at least be made that he didn’t know his patient was Lincoln’s assassin, and if his descendants feel better with his pardon, fine. You might expect me to support Bonney, us both being Brooklyn boys, but while there is some doubt whether he murdered as few as nine or as many as twenty-one before he reached his majority, the fact is he was a prolific killer. He was guilty as charged. If there is a Hell, and if Billy is currently burning in it, I doubt the authorities there will be much impressed by the authority of Governor Richardson in the matter.

If you’d like to read an excellent article on the subject by Barry Massey for the Associated Press, CLICK HERE. If you’d like to get Pat Garrett’s own perspective, CLICK HERE to read his fascinating biography of Billy the Kid.

AND PLEASE WEIGH IN WITH YOUR OWN OPINION – MAKE A COMMENT BELOW.

BIG VALLEY CASTING SWITCH

Not long ago, Susan Sarandon was out and Jessica Lange was in as Victoria Barkley, the role made famous by Barbara Stanwyck. Now, in the role of Charles Crocker, the real railroad magnate, Richard Dreyfus is out and Sam Neill is in. Unlike the fictional Barkleys, Crocker was a real man. He, Mark Hopkins, Collis Huntington and Leland Stanford formed ‘the big four,’ built the Central Pacific Railroad, which became the western section of the Transcontinental Railroad.

(Pictures, top left to bottom: Pat Garrett, William Bonney, Charles Crocker)


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

A staggering number of western TV episodes and movies are available, entirely free, for viewing on your computer at HULU. You do have to sit through the commercials, but that seems like a small price to pay. The series available -- often several entire seasons to choose from -- include THE RIFLEMAN, THE CISCO KID, THE LONE RANGER, BAT MASTERSON, THE BIG VALLEY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, and one I missed from 2003 called PEACEMAKERS starring Tom Berenger. Because they are linked up with the TV LAND website, you can also see BONANZA and GUNSMOKE episodes, but only the ones that are running on the network that week.

The features include a dozen Zane Grey adaptations, and many or most of the others are public domain features. To visit HULU on their western page, CLICK HERE.

WOODY STRODE DAY AT TCM!

Every day in August for several years, TCM has featured a single actor's movies for a full day and night. For the first time to my recollection, they are featuring a full day of Woody Strode movies on Thursday -- yes, tomorrow, August 5th! In addition to BOMBA THE JUNGLE BOY and TARZAN films, and more 'classy' fare later on, they are showing, starting at 9:15 a.m., SHALAKO, at 1:00 p.m. THE LAST REBEL, at 3:00 p.m. TWO RODE TOGETHER, and at 5:00 p.m. SGT. RUTLEDGE. THESE ARE ALL PACIFIC TIMES -- CHECK YOUR LOCAL SCHEDULE! How cool that Woody is finally getting his due!

AROUND LOS ANGELES

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. Currently they have HOMELANDS: HOW WOMEN MADE THE WEST through August 22nd, and THE ART OF NATIVE AMERICAN BASKETRY: A LIVING TRADITION, through November 7th. I've seen the basketry show three times, and am continually astonished at the beauty and variety of the work of the various tribes. 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.

ON TV

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They run a GUNSMOKE Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m., and on Friday they show two, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.. They're not currently running either series on weekends, but that could change at any time.

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

Check out your cable system for WHT, which stands for World Harvest Television. It's a religious network that runs a lot of good western programming. Your times may vary, depending on where you live, but weekdays in Los Angeles they run THE LONE RANGER at 1:30 p.m., and two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. On Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. it's THE RIFLEMAN again, followed at 2:30 by BAT MASTERSON. And unlike many stations in the re-run business, they run the shows in the original airing order. There's an afternoon movie on weekdays at noon, often a western, and they show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.

I guess that'll have to do for now.

Adios!

Henry

Copyright July 2010 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved