‘LONE RANGER’ UP FOR BIDS AND ON DVDS!

BRIAN LEBEL’S OLD WEST SHOW & AUCTION

From Friday through Sunday, June 21^st through the 24^th, Denver, Colorado will draw collectors of Western art, artifacts and memorabilia from around the globe for Brian Lebel’s 24TH ANNUAL OLD WEST SHOW & AUCTION.  While the three-day event features a marketplace with over 200 antique and collectible dealers, the centerpiece is Saturday’s auction, where 337 lots will be sold, comprising an astonishing collection of Western items.  

They say that timing is everything, and what could be better timing for the daughter of Clayton Moore, TV’s THE LONE RANGER, to part with some of her mementoes on the eve of the release of the new LONE RANGER movie?   Says Clayton’s only child, Dawn Moore, “He always said that when he was gone I should keep whatever pieces have particular meaning to me, with the rest to be enjoyed by whoever would appreciate them.” 

Cigar store Indian

 

I was on Hollywood Boulevard in 1987 when Clayton Moore got his star on the Walk of Fame, and among the fans present were MCGYVER star Richard Dean Anderson, for whom he was a role model.  When Moore wrote his autobiography, I WAS THAT MASKED MAN, and I stood on line at a book signing, along with my wife, and Tex Ritter’s son, attorney Tom Ritter, and we were all struck by how many LAPD officers, and CHP officers, helmets in hand, were waiting for autographs.  Dawn says that even now, thirteen years after her father’s death, she still receives his fan mail, mostly from baby-boomers who are now police officers, firefighters and teachers.  “These were the young viewers who decided to become protectors in some capacity because of my father’s role on television.  Talk about paying it forward – it’s very powerful stuff.”  Among the Clayton Moore Lone Ranger clothing items up for bids are a Nudie’s Stetson, a Bohlin Buscadero Lone Ranger double holster gun rig, four pairs of boots, a Nudie’s Lone Ranger costume, a Manuel Lone Ranger costume, shirts, pants, and a red neckerchief. Among personal items are a Winchester presentation rifle, gold records, posters, toys, toupees, and a silver bullet that comes with a signed picture of Clayton Moore and Richard Nixon. 

Pistol and papers of Wyoming Sheriff Nottage

 

And speaking of TV heroes, let’s give equal time to TV heroines.  Gail Davis starred in ANNIE OAKLEY in the 1950s, and now her daughter Terrie is selling some of her personal affects.  There are movie posters, toys, magazines, books, and playing cards – all emblazoned with Davis’ image as the woman who, in the star’s own words, “…had to deal with the same ruthless characters--rustlers and killers--that the cowboys dealt with. And she did it without ever killing a one of them.”  There’s a beautiful red Nudie costume as well, but I bet I know what item the women who grew up on the show would give their eye-teeth for: a Nudie-made miniature Annie Oakley costume that little Terrie Davis wore when mother and daughter made public appearances together.  And because Annie Oakley was, after all, a real person, there is also a signed cabinet card of the original ‘Little Sure-Shot’ offered for bid.

If you’re in the market for a hat, there are two Tom Mix Stetsons, Robert Mitchum’s sombrero from THE WONDERFUL COUNTRY (the hat is believed to be pre-Mexican Revolution), and a Stetson that belonged to Robert “Believe it of Not!” Ripley.  There is a wide range of art, both cowboy and Indian-made, and the usual mind-blowing selection of bits and spurs, saddles and sidearms, and some fascinating documents.  There’s a large collection of Tom Mix papers, calling cards and letters from Buffalo Bill Cody, Frederic Remington, and Pat Garrett’s life insurance policy (don't know if they paid off).  From Dodge City there’s a collection of documents carried by City Sheriff Ham Bell.  From Tombstone a collection of documents includes a $1.50 receipt to Wyatt Earp for removing a dead dog, a photograph of Bat’s brother Ed Masterson, and a petition directed to Sheriff John Behan, relating to a writ of Habeas Corpus for Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.  There’s a collection of letters from famous people to the last survivor of the James gang.  There’s even a full-size, working Concord stage-coach!  If you’d like to learn more, get a catalog, or find out how to get to Denver pronto, go HERE.  http://www.denveroldwest.com/owshow.html

 

‘LONE RANGER’ – NEW DVD RELEASES REVIEWED

With the greatly anticipated LONE RANGER movie on the not-too-distant horizon, it’s no surprise that the original LONE RANGER TV series is being made available for those whose appetite will be whetted for more of the masked rider of the plains and his faithful Indian companion.  DreamWorks Classics has released a complete set that includes all 221 episodes on 30 DVDs, as well as two features films, a radio show, a complete episode guide, reproduction of a comic-book, and all manner of extras.  This deluxe edition will run you $199; but if you’d like to get your toes wet before you dive in headfirst, you’ll be glad to know that they’re also putting out three surprisingly inexpensive sampler disks, each featuring eight episodes, and each retailing for a paltry $6.99! Titled HI-YO SILVER, AWAY!; KEMO SABE; and WHO WAS THAT MASKED MAN?, they’re a great way to relive your own childhood, or to introduce the shows to your children or grandchildren. 

 

The BIG set!

The LONE RANGER first appeared on Detroit radio station WXYZ in early 1933, and when it went off the air in 1954, it had produced around 3,000 episodes starring Brace Beemer as the Lone Ranger, and Shakespearean actor John Todd as Tonto.  Starting in 1949, the first eight years of the TV show were produced by the man who created the radio series, George W. Trendle (though many claim that head-writer Fran Striker was the true creator of the Masked Man as well as his direct descendant, The Green Hornet). 

 

Brace Beemer at the microphone

 

Although Brace Beemer was perfect on radio, a younger and more fit man was needed on-screen, and Clayton Moore was perfect.  A busy but undistinguished actor with an unusually distinctive voice, his portrayal came alive when the mask went on, and he made an indelible impression as the Lone Ranger.  Jay Silverheels, a Mohawk, played Tonto, and although his dialogue was written to make it clear that English was his second language, his characterization was subtle and memorable.  And they didn’t soft-pedal the racial elements; until they learned better, many white folk started the episodes addressing Tonto as “Indian,” as though he didn’t have a name.     

Coming with a tremendous backlog of already-produced half-hour stories, the shows at first relied heavily on adapting radio scripts, which caused them to be rather stiff and stilted.  In early episodes, actor Gerald Mohr, who spoke those well-remembered words from the opening – “…Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear!  From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver!  The Lone Ranger Rides again!” – voiced much un-needed and distracting narration that was carried over from radio, but soon, growing used to the new visual medium, they cut back noticeably on the exposition.  The production values are high in the early shows, with plenty of location work, and a bit of stock footage thrown in.  Later on the series became famous for cutting corners.  Dick Jones who guested on the LONE RANGER, recalled that the camera was mounted on a tripod in the back of a truck at all times, so they could change set-ups that much quicker.  There was also extensive shooting on ‘green sets,’ fake exteriors that were convincing on tiny old TV screens of the day, but are jarringly phony-looking today.

Overall, the shows hold up remarkably well, due in great degree to the iconic performances by Moore and Silverheels, clever – if occasionally nutty – plotting, and a subtle but ever-present moral core: good people, tempted to do bad, could be saved, and even killers who had irreparably crossed the line, could be redeemed through self-sacrifice.  Although nothing you’d notice as a kid wrapped up in a story, the Lone Ranger never shot to kill – he was always shooting guns out of villains’ hands.

In 1954, oil-man Jack Wrather bought the rights to the LONE RANGER from Trendle for the staggering sum of $3,000,000.  He produced two feature films, and audiences for the first time got to see the Lone Ranger in glorious color, in THE LONE RANGER (1956), costarring Rather’s wife and the screen’s ‘Nancy Drew,’ Bonita Granville; and THE LONE RANGER AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD (1958).  The final season of the series was shot in color, and the budgets boosted to a then-phenomenal $25,000 per episode, many shot in scenic Kanab, Utah, and perhaps to take advantage of their colorful attire, those episodes usually focus on the Ranger’s dealings with Indians.  Wrather also hoped to make the series appeal to an older audience as well, and the one noticeable change is that the Lone Ranger is a tad less stoic and more slyly humorous in his patter with Tonto.  Many of the color episodes are directed by the prolific and talented Earl Bellamy, who helmed many movies, and more than 1,600 TV episodes, more than any other director.  (He also was a friend, and directed the first movie I wrote, SPEEDTRAP.)  One surprise in the color shows is that some forward-looking person decided, back in 1949, to shoot the show’s opening in color – it’s the exact same footage they’d been showing in black & white for years, only now we could see that the Ranger’s outfit was blue, and his kerchief red.

The three individual collections

The quality of image in the new DVD releases, HI-YO SILVER, AWAY!; KEMO SABE; and WHO WAS THAT MASKED MAN?, is stunning, absolutely pristine.  The black & white prints are crisp and sharp, with rich blacks and a wide range of greys that display the often beautiful cinematography.  The color episodes are rich in hue and beauty, whether showing sets, wardrobe, or remarkable desert locations.  As far as I can tell, they’ve been unedited. 

The episodes on each disk are in chronological order, but on two of the three collections – and this is my only serious criticism – the selection seems completely random: there is no apparent attempt to order or group the shows.  This is most noticeable with HI-YO SILVER, AWAY!  The first episode, THE LONE RANGER FIGHTS ON, is actually the 2^nd episode of the series, and the middle section of a three-part telling of the outlaw ambush of a group of Texas Rangers which leaves only one alive, hence the lone ranger.  So we come into the story in the middle, see Walter Sande as a lawman and Glenn Strange (Sam of GUNSMOKE) as Butch Cavendish, and the story ends with a cliffhanger, and a rarely seen cereal plug.  Then we are told to be sure to return for the next episode, but the next episode is not #3, but #43, OUTLAWS OF THE PLAINS.  This is followed by MR. TROUBLE from season 2, which is followed by three episodes from season 3 which star not Clayton Moore, but John Hart as the Lone Ranger!  After two seasons of playing the lead, Clayton Moore tried for more money, and was promptly fired, replaced by Hart for 52 episodes.  Hart was a good actor, but Trendle and company had to admit that, even with the mask, audiences could tell the difference; they renegotiated, and Clayton Moore returned, and played Lone Ranger for the rest of the run.  Incidentally, John Hart, who would go on to star as Hawkeye in HAWKEYE AND THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS series, told interviewer Sunset Carson that he didn’t blame Moore for holding out for more money; Hart was paid less per episode for playing the Lone Ranger than for any other acting job he ever had!  But Even without Moore, these episodes are worth seeing.  THE BROWN PONY stars Lee Van Cleef as an escaped convict who holds the evidence to free and innocent man.  Next is THE OLD COWBOY, followed by THE MIDNIGHT RIDER, starring Darryl Hickman playing, ironically, a caped and masked Zorro-like character.  Then Clayton Moore is back for TRAPPED, episode #178, followed by the 9^th color episode, QUARTER-HORSE WAR, filmed in gorgeous Kanab, Utah, featuring a big budget, a lot of action, and guest-starring fine Western villain Harry Lauter.

 

The KEMO SABE collection starts with TROUBLE FOR TONTO from season 1, then THE FUGITIVE, ENFIELD RIFLE and THE TELL-TALE BULLET from season 4.  TELL-TALE features excellent villain Anthony Caruso, and a pre-Chester Dennis Weaver.  FRAMED FOR MURDER stars the still handsome and active James Best (this weekend he was performing his one-man-show at the Memphis Film Festival).  The last three episodes, COURAGE OF TONTO, MISSION FOR TONTO and THE BANKER’S SON are all in color, so if you’re trying to interest a young kid in the Lone Ranger, this would be the set to start with: if you can get them hooked with the color shows, they’ll be willing to watch the black & white ones after.  (Over the years I’ve introduced thousands of L.A. school kids to Laurel & Hardy, but the trick was to show them the colorized ones first; most kids simply won’t watch anything black & white).  Incidentally, COURAGE OF TONTO guest-stars former screen ‘Red Ryder’ Jim Bannon.

The WHO WAS THAT MASKED MAN? collection does have a theme, about identity, and features stories about masks, people impersonating the Lone Ranger but, best of all, features several episodes where Moore gets to shed his mask and don outrageous disguises.  The first episode is THE MASKED RIDER, episode #14 from the first season.  The next one, GOLD TRAIN, episode #27, features a pre-STAR TREK DeForrest Kelly; and little Billy Bletcher, a Mack Sennett comic who voiced The Big Bad Wolf and Peg-Leg Pete for Disney.  From Season 2, BAD MEDICINE features primo Western villain Dick Curtis, and Clayton Moore made up as a hysterical Italian farmer.  THE HOODED MEN from season two continues the disguise theme, and guest-stars Walter Sande.  From Season 4, TWO FOR JUAN RINGO guest stars Lyle Talbot, and features Moore disguised as a Mexican bandito; WANTED: THE LONE RANGER guest stars Jesse White, and both Moore and Silverheels dress up as circus clowns.  The last two episodes are color, from the final season.  THE RETURN OF DON PEDRO O’SULLIVAN features Moore as a red-headed, red-bearded Irishman, and best of all, in OUTLAWS IN GREASEPAINT, the Lone Ranger plays Othello!  GREASEPAINT, incidentally, is the very last episode of the series, although there is no sense of finality, as when it was shot, yet another season was being planned. 

Moore and Silverheels would play their iconic characters in commercials for GENO’S PIZZA ROLLS and AQUA VELVA aftershave, but producer Jack Wrather alienated fans when, after announcing production of THE  LEGEND OF THE LONE RANGER (1981), he forbade Clayton Moore from dressing as the Lone Ranger, or wearing the mask.  Despite direction by the great cinematographer Bill Fraker, and a cast that included Jason Robards as President Grant, Christopher Lloyd as Butch Cavendish and Richard Farnsworth as Wild Bill Hickock (and perhaps as a slap-in-the-face to Clayton Moore, featuring John Hart in a cameo), it also featured first-time (and last-time) actor Klinton Spilsbury as the Lone Ranger.  It bombed, and combined with the previous year’s financial disaster HEAVEN’S GATE, dealt the cause of Western filmmaking a decade-long setback.  (Worth noting, Tonto was played by fellow first-time actor Michael Horse, who has gone on to a very respectable and successful acting career in and out of Westerns.)

If you like THE LONE RANGER, you’ll love this set of bargain-priced DVDs from Dreamworks Classics.  And if you don’t, why have you read this far?

A LOOK AT ‘LONE RANGER’ BOOTCAMP

 

GATEWAY SADDLES UP WINNERS FOR ANNUAL COWBOY ROUND-UP

Here’s a very interesting article from the Columbus Dispatch by Terry Mikesell, about the terrific annual Western Festival at the Gateway Film Center in Columbus, Ohio.  And no, I’m not adding all those compliments just because I was interviewed for the piece.  But it helps.  Read it HERE.

And if you can get to Columbus, and want details on the festival, go HERE.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO ALL YOU DADS!

Here’s the picture my daughter posted of us on the Round-up Facebook page, wishing me a happy Father’s Day.  I hope all of you other dads out there had as great a day as I did, and are as proud of your kids as I am.

Happy Trails,

Henry

 

All Original Contents Copyright June 2013 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

‘SWEETWATER’ REVENGE WESTERN COMING SOON!

Coming soon, ‘SWEETWATER’ is a revenge western starring MAD MEN favorite January Jones as the wronged woman; Jason Isaacs, villain of HARRY POTTER films and THE PATRIOT as a doubtful prophet; and four time Oscar-nominee Ed Harris, whose most recent western is the excellent APPALOOSA, as the sheriff.  Other western vets in the cast include Eduardo Noriega of BLACKTHORN, Chad Brummett of 3:10 TO YUMA, Kathy Lamkin of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, David Manzanares of DJANGO UNCHAINED, Keith Meriweather of JONAH HEX, and Luce Rains of 3:10 TO YUMA, APPALOOSA, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, WILD BILL, and WYATT EARP!  It’s the second film from writer-director Logan Miller, who’s TOUCHING HOME also starred Ed Harris, along with Brad Dourif.     

I hope to have more information soon, but for now, here’s the first trailer –

 

TCM CLASSIC FILM FEST PART 3

Walter Mirisch and Ben Mankiewicz

On Friday, April 26^th, THE GREAT ESCAPE was shown at the opulent and beautiful Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.  Before the screening, the film’s legendary producer, Walter Mirisch, spoke with Ben Mankiewicz about his earlier experience working with director John Sturges and star Steve McQueen, on a film called THE MAGNIFICENT 7.

“(Sturges and I) became friendly, and we decided we wanted to work together.  I always had in mind to find a property that we could do together.  The availability of the SEVEN SAMAURI seemed to present that opportunity to me, because I thought it would be perfect for John.  And I’ll never forget the day that he and I sat together in a projection room and watched THE SEVEN SAMAURI and just spit-balled how it would work as a western.  We were very, very excited.” 

BEN MANKIEWICZ: Did you think then, with Steve McQueen such a big, developing TV star, this early in the process, would be good in that movie? 

WALTER MIRISCH: No, that was never a factor.  Steve was still a television star on the series called WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE, prior to THE MAGNIFICENT 7.  And he was well-received in THE MAGNIFICENT 7, but he had not really achieved star status, so-called, as a result of THE MAGNIFICENT 7.  (John Sturges and I) looked around for another project to do together.  So he suggested some things, and I suggested some things.  Then the idea of THE GREAT ESCAPE came up.  The story had been put on the screen before.   The British had done a picture about that very subject. 

BEN MANKIEWICZ: (archly) If the Americans don’t make it, it doesn’t count!

WALTER MIRISCH: (laughs) Actually, no one could understand those accents, so it didn’t make a damned bit of difference.  There was some resistance, but we (he and Sturges) overcame it because he and I both got very excited at the idea of doing this movie.  Unfortunately the book we acquired, which was by a man named Paul Brickhill, who was himself a prisoner, who was a flyer in the British Air Force, is a factual book.  It’s not a novel.  All of the personal stories, we made up for our film. 

BEN MANKIEWICZ:  Who were you looking at for the two principal characters who would eventually be played by James Garner and Steve McQueen? 

WALTER MIRISCH: First of all, we had decided to tailor the script so that there would be two characters who would carry the story.  Just a few years prior to that, John had made a very, very successful movie called GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL (pause for applause), with Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster.  We were tailoring these roles in THE GREAT ESCAPE for Kirk and Burt.  We talked about that until we reached the point of asking how much they were going to cost.  We were having trouble getting the budget of the picture approved.

BEN MANKIEWICZ:  I heard something like four million dollars.  Is that about right?

WALTER MIRISCH:  Somewhat more than that.  A great deal at that time, I must tell you.  Anyone who has ever made a movie has heard this famous expression, “You’re going to have to cut the budget if you want to get this made.”  So when we got ‘the speech,’ John and I talked it over.  I suggested that two relatively inexpensive actors, named Steve McQueen and James Garner, might be possible for those two parts.  And we could save about two million dollars just with that one stroke. 

BEN MANKIEWICZ:  Do you realize, when you say that, that you are a genius?  (laughter and applause)  Not for saying ‘no’ to Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster.  It’s recognizing that Garner and McQueen could fill them.  It’s impossible now to envision – it would be a very different movie with Lancaster and Douglas. 

WALTER MIRISCH: I got to know Steve very well when we made THE MAGNIFICENT 7.  I was fond of him; I thought he had incredible on-screen personality.  And I liked the idea of going younger.  Prior to that I had made a film called THE CHILDREN’S HOUR, and Jim played the male lead with Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacClaine, so I was more comfortable with Steve and Jim than I would have been with Kirk and Burt. 

BEN MANKIEWICZ:  Let me ask you about Steve McQueen, because as you said he had made a big impression in THE MAGNIFICENT 7, but he was not yet a top star --

WALTER MIRISCH:  He hadn’t jumped that motorcycle over the hill yet!

BEN MANKIEWICZ:  I think one of the reasons all the people in this room cherish Steve McQueen they way we do, is because he had that fierce independence, caused by a significant chip on his shoulder.  A guy who’s filled with the self-doubt that many of us are plagued with.  And all those things made him Steve McQueen.  But they also – and I know you’re somebody who loved him dearly – made him a handful to deal with.

WALTER MIRISCH:  (laughs) Steve has that quality, the French call je nes se quois.  I don’t know why, but he’s got it.  He radiated it, and he radiates it on the screen. 

BEN MANKIEWICZ:  Now, he left the set for some time when he didn’t like the way his part was, he didn’t like James Garner’s turtle-neck.  James Garner had a great line: “He wanted to be the hero, but he didn’t want to do anything heroic.”  He thought his character was corny.  As a producer you got through that; you navigated those waters.  You worked with McQueen again, and he gave one of his best performances in THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR.  How do you deal with a fantastically talented mercurial star, and keep your picture running at the same time? 

WALTER MIRISCH:  Steve always thought there were too many words.  And I came to trust that, because I learned that he especially was able to convey a great deal by his very expression.  So I was open to cutting down the amount of speeches; there was a lot he could convey with his eyes.  John was also well aware of that. And we collaborated on that, and also Steve had a good sense of story.  There’s a very famous incident, of course, where Steve got upset in THE GREAT ESCAPE and went away for a while, but that was overcome by rewriting.  I said we’ll overcome what you’re upset about, and he said, “That sounds fine.  I’ll be back to work tomorrow.” 

BEN MANKIEWICZ: Did those new pages include things like, ‘rides motorcycle,’ ‘carries baseball glove’? 

WALTER MIRISCH:  He conveyed more about independence of spirit, and courage, just by throwing that baseball against that wall, and catching it, than you could do with long speeches. 

BEN MANKIEWICZ: I don’t think this will be giving anything away.  At one point Steve McQueen is chased on motorcycles by some Germans.  One of those Germans chasing Steve McQueen on a motorcycle is Steve McQueen.  Any opportunity to ride a motorcycle –

 WALTER MIRISCH:  (laughs) You know you’re not supposed to give away all the secrets!

Coming soon – the final TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL entry, featuring Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty and director John Boorman discussing DELIVERANCE.

CORRAL GUNFIGHT ‘O.K.’ NO MORE

 

In the twenty-five years since the Autry opened, much has changed, as exhibitions are expanded, shrunken or moved.  But the life-sized ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ diorama’s only noticeable change over the years has been the replacement of guns, as they were occasionally swiped from the hands of the Earps.  I remember once coming and finding that of all the figures, only one of the Clantons was still packing iron.  (Then again, I once went to a wax museum in Coney Island, and saw Abe Lincoln assassinated by John Wilkes Booth with a Buck Rogers Ray-Gun.) But on June 2^nd, a different kind of packing – packing away – took place.  The Gunfight is being replaced by a new show, Western Frontiers – Stories of Fact and Fiction which, starting on July 25, will tell the story of the West using firearms of great historic and artistic significance.

I’m looking forward to the new show; but I’ll miss the gunfight.  I always thought the narration was a little clunky, but I’ve never gone through that gallery and not pressed the button, to see the show.  And it was a thrill to watch it, then cross to the facing cabinet and see a gun belonging to Doc Holliday, and the sketch of the corral that Wyatt Earp himself had drawn.

Wyatt Earp's sketch of the O.K. Corral

If you’re going to miss it as well, or if you’ve never seen it, click the Youtube link below.  It’s not great – it was shot by an amateur, but it’s only thanks to ‘Ms. Lizzy Borden’ that we have a living record of it at all: http://youtu.be/V1hbHaLyrdk

 

MEMPHIS FILM FESTIVAL - ‘A GATHERING OF GUNS 5’ JUNE 13^TH-15^th

 

At Sam’s Town Resort in Tunica, Mississippi (30 miles South of Memphis, Tennessee), the guns will be gathering, and Boyd Magers has assembled quite a crew!  From HIGH CHAPARRAL, Henry Darrow, Don Collier and Rudy Ramos.  From WAGON TRAIN, Robert Fuller and Denny Miller.  From THE VIRGINIAN, the man himself, James Drury.  SPIN & MARTY – Tim Considine and David Stollery.  ELFEGA BACA himself, Robert Loggia (who was also the lead villain in the first movie I wrote, SPEEDTRAP).  Lisa Lu – Hey Girl from HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL.  Dan Haggerty and Don Shanks from GRIZZLY ADAMS, ZORRO star Duncan Regehr, plus Alex Cord, Gregg Palmer, Tommy Nolan, and Terry Moore.  James Best will present a one-man show, and Johnny Crawford of THE RIFLEMAN, who fronts a wonderful swing orchestra, will present a full banquet concert.  To learn more, go HERE.  http://memphisfilmfestival.com/

WGA NAMES 3 ½ WESTERNS AMONG 101 BEST-WRITTEN SERIES

Lists like this always provoke arguments – or in our case, barroom brawls – but the membership of the East and West branches of the Writers Guild of America voted on-line to determine the 101 best-written TV series in the history of television.  First recognized in the Western field was, at #32, DEADWOOD created by David Milch.  Not another sagebrush saga until #84, a tie  between the courtroom drama THE DEFENDERS, created by Reginald Rose, and GUNSMOKE, pilot written by Charles Marquis Warren and John Meston.  At #86 was JUSTIFIED, pretty-much a Western, developed for Television by Graham Yost, based on the Short Story “Fire in the Hole” by Elmore Leonard, in a tie with SGT. BILKO, by Nat Hiken.  Finally, coming in at #96 was LONESOME DOVE, teleplay by Bill Wittliff, based on the novel Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry; this was tied with SOAP, created by Susan Harris. 

To be fair, there was a lot of excellent writing covering a wide array of genres, dramatic and comedic, on the list, and only a couple of series that I personally hated.  But how a list could be compiled of the best of all TV writing, and have no mention of RAWHIDE, or WAGON TRAIN, or THE REBEL, or HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL, is beyond me.  Who do you think they left out?  To see the entire list, go HERE.  http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4925

 

‘THE NEVADAN’ COMIC STRIP!

Remember a 1950 Columbia film, THE NEVADAN, starring Randolph Scott, Dorothy Malone and Forrest Tucker? My daughter gave me an old western movie magazine, and in it was a comic-strip version of the movie. I thought my Rounders might find it amusing, so I started running it, one panel a day, on the Round-up Facebook page.  The response has been enthusiastic, and it’s now been running long enough that I thought I’d include it here, from the beginning, for people who might have missed a panel or two.  Hope you enjoy it!

 

 

More of 'THE NEVADAN' coming tomorrow!

THE WRAP-UP

On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending an Autry screening of DOUBLE INDEMNITY, hosted by Los Angeles Police Museum President Glynn Martin, novelist (L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, THE BLACK DAHLIA) James Ellroy, and Autry Curator Jeffrey Richardson.  That night I attended a screening of Selig and Fox Tom Mix films at the Egyptian Theatre, introduced by Col. Selig biographer Andrew Erish.  I'll have highlights from both talks next week.

Can't believe I forgot to wish Clint Eastwood a Happy Birthday back on May 31st.  He has without question done more to encourage, improve and preserve on-screen Western story-telling than anyone else in the last half century!  Happy Birthday!

Happy Trails,

Henry

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

 

 

 

 

‘HOWDY KIDS!’ WESTERN DVD COLLECTION BRINGS BABY-BOOMER CHILDHOOD BACK ALIVE!

(UPDATED 6/5/2013 -- See Roy Rogers section of 'Howdy, Kids!!' review, Tom Mix screening)

Those of us who grew up in the post-World War II baby boom had, unquestionably, the best TV childhood of any generation.  There is a reason that people of several generations still watch shows like SUPERMAN and LEAVE IT TO BEAVER: they really were as good as you remembered, and not aimed down to you, but  rather geared to your interests.  Some series whose genres have fallen out of favor have disappeared – CAPTAIN GALLANT and RAMAR OF THE JUNGLE are still good campy fun, but kids of today would have no idea what to make of a Foreign Legion or Jungle series.

Among the shows that have stood the test of time, not surprisingly, are those in that most American and most cinematic of all genres, the Western.  Now the good and very hip/edgy folks at SHOUT FACTORY have put together a delightful sampler, a three DVD, twenty-four episode, ten hour collection of cowboy favorites.  It includes episodes from a dozen favorite series, as well as a pair of fascinating unsold pilots.   Entitled HOWDY KIDS!! – A SATURDAY AFTERNOON WESTERN ROUND-UP, the word ‘afternoon’ is a misnomer, as the whole point of these shows – from a parental perspective – was to keep the kids busy and quiet on Saturday ‘morning’, so grown-ups could catch up on their sleep.  Shout Factory has selected very well, and watching them will spark fond memories from those of us who grew up with them.  They’ll also serve as a great introduction to children and grandchildren – and decode a bit about their parents’ and grandparents’ psyches – when the youngsters see them for the first time.   

 

Early TV benefited tremendously from the training ground of Republic Pictures.  Many of the directors, writers, editors and other crew members and character actors who had learned to perform their crafts with slick, stylish efficiency at the little studio in the San Fernando Valley, quickly found their services in demand all over the small screen.  This was particularly true for one of the very best series of the day, THE ROY ROGERS SHOW, whose TV episodes were like a really good Republic Western without the excessive musical padding.  But Roy, who was still under contract to Republic for seven pictures a year, was forbidden by the studio to do a series.  The court battle over Roy doing the series, and Republic airing his movies, went on for years.  When the prairie fire burned itself out, Republic ran the movies, and Roy starred in his series, but he never appeared in a major studio film again, and his lawyer, Art Rush, always thought Roy had been blackballed as too difficult. Premiering in 1951, husband and wife Roy Rogers and Dale Evans spent seven years and 102 episodes in Mineral City, as friends but not spouses, with Roy as a rancher and unofficial lawman, Dale running the coffee shop, and Roy’s old pal from The Sons Of The Pioneers, Pat Brady – he of the Jeep named Nellybelle –  as Dale’s dishwasher and Roy’s sidekick.  The shows also featured Trigger, “Roy’s golden palomino… and Roy’s wonder-dog, Bullet,” and horse and dog were frequently called upon to carry a message or untie Roy’s hands.   Roy had a very natural acting style that has aged well when others have dated, and his shows often had more plotting, riding, and rough-and-tumble fighting than the others.  A modern-day Western series, this is the sort of show, mixing horses and stagecoaches with Jeeps and telephones, that forever confused the kids of my generation, who believed that if we could only manage to get out west, we could wear six-guns and rob stagecoaches.  Of the two episodes included, THE SETUP is only the third one of the series, centering around a feisty old-lady trapper who won’t sell her land, and the crooks who are willing to shoot her, or have her declared insane to get her property (kinda edgy for a kid show).  The second episode, BAD NEIGHBORS, is from the 4^th season, and features the rarely seen Post Cereals credit sequence. 

No one knew more about making quality B Westerns for a price than Gene Autry, who had preceded Roy at Republic – Roy actually had been promoted to stardom to replace Gene, who had gone off to war.  Gene Autry produced THE GENE AUTRY SHOW from 1950 to 1955, starring in 91 episodes.  But he also produced several other series under his FLYING A PRODUCTIONS banner, four of which are represented in THE HOWDY KIDS!! collection.  ANNIE OAKLEY stars beautiful Gene Autry-discovery Gail Davis as ‘Little Sure-shot,’ although the series bears no relation to her actual life.  Annie, her kid brother Tagg (Jimmy Hawkins) assist Deputy Lofty Craig (Brad Johnson) in protecting their little town of Diablo, and there is plenty of action, though more of the shooting kind – Annie’s specialty – than fisticuffs.  No surprise that Annie was a favorite among girls – she was better with a gun than any man, but never lost her humor or femininity.  All of the Autry shows were well-produced, and with a varying range of locations.  In addition to Gene’s own Melody Ranch, Vasquez Rocks, Iverson’s Movie Ranch, Pioneertown and the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine are frequently seen.

There were 78 episodes of Autry’s THE RANGE RIDER produced between 1951 and 1953, and while Gene drew on the Republic directors and stock-company of villains, the series’ greatest assets were its charismatic stars, Jock Mahoney as The Range Rider, and Dickie Jones as his young sidekick, Dick West.  In addition to being good actors, they did all of their own stunts – and there was an astonishing amount of trick-riding, leaping on and off of horses, diving through windows and the like.  Starting under his birth-name of Jacques O’Mahoney in the mid 1940s, Jock had stunt-doubled for dozens of stars before becoming a star himself.  Jones was a trick-rider and roper from the age of four (!), and at six was hired by Hoot Gibson to perform in his rodeos.  In addition to his work on-camera in westerns, serials and Our Gang comedies, Dick had starred on radio as HENRY ALDRICH, and for Disney voiced the title character in PINNOCHIO.   The episode BULLETS AND BADMEN features ANNIE OAKLEY-hero Brad Johnson as a villain.  Like his movies, Gene Autry’s shows often dealt with social issues, and the episode CONVICT AT LARGE examines an ex-outlaw’s attempt to go straight when few want to give him a chance. 

After RANGE RIDER rode off into the sunset, Dickie Jones was back in another Autry series, BUFFALO BILL JR., playing the title role of a young Marshal – with little or nothing to do with the real Cody, senior or junior.  Little Nancy Gilbert played his forever-in-trouble kid sister Calamity (what can parents expect when they give a kid that name?), and Harry Chesire was Judge Ben ‘Fair ‘n’ Square’ Wiley, who is saddled with raising the two whippersnappers.  This show is what used to be called a ‘haircut’ (gender switch) on ANNIE OAKLEY, and was very popular, if not quite up to the RANGE RIDER standard; but it was full of the sort of riding and fighting and shooting action you expected from Dickie Jones.  One included episode focuses on a town milliner who is fingering likely candidates for robbery.  The other details a search for a treasure buried by Jesse James.

 

 

Gene Autry even tried to build a series around his famous horse in THE ADVENTURES OF CHAMPION, which ran for one 26-episode season in 1955/56.  Set in old Arizona, it starred Barry Curtis as Ricky North, the only person ‘Champion the Wonder Horse’ would obey, with Jim Bannon, a former Red Ryder, as Ricky’s dad, and a German Shepherd named Rebel, who could have been Bullet’s brother.  It’s a nice series, some of it directed beautifully by old pros like Ford Bebee, who was helming Westerns in the silent days, and knew how to tell an animal story with minimal dialogue.  Perhaps it didn’t ‘click’ because it focused more on boy than horse, and Curtis, while a good actor, was saddled with a character so earnest that he made Timmy from LASSIE seem like a juvenile delinquent.  With the show cancelled, he went on the next year to play Van Heflin’s son In 3:10 TO YUMA. 

 

 

FURY started the same year as CHAMPION, and ran for five seasons and 116 episodes.  Fury was a beautiful but wild stallion, and Bobby Diamond played Joey Newton, the only person Fury would obey (sound a little familiar?).  Following the great TV tradition, Joey was an orphan, adopted and raised by Jim Newton (Peter Graves), and they lived on and worked the Newton Ranch with crusty old sidekick Pete (William Fawcett).  Fawcett, a Ph. D., who taught theatre at Michigan State, started acting on film and TV right after the war.  Among his 274 screen credits were every single series included in HOWDY, KIDS!!  -- except for ADVENTURES OF CHAMPION.   Originally planned as a prime-time series, Peter Graves was furious at first, when they switched its time slot to Saturday morning.  A modern-day Western series, with superior acting and production, the episode KILLER STALLION is the first after the pilot, and involves a case of mistaken horse-identity, and Joey’s fight to save Fury from being put down for stampeding other horses.  SCORCHED EARTH could have been a boring p.s.a. about forest fires in less talented hands, but instead is very exciting.   

Two series made a direct transition from radio to television: THE LONE RANGER and SERGEANT PRESTON OF THE YUKON.     Both are credited as created by George W. Trendle, although many insist that LONE RANGER was truly the creation of head writer Fran Striker.  Brace Beemer played the daring masked rider of the planes on radio, but a younger and more fit man was needed on-screen, and Clayton Moore was perfect.  A busy but undistinguished actor with an unusually distinctive voice, his portrayal came alive when the mask went on, and he made an indelible impression as the Lone Ranger.  Jay Silverheels, a Mohawk, played his faithful Indian companion Tonto, and although his dialogue was written to make it clear that English was his second language, his characterization was subtle and memorable.  And they didn’t soft-pedal the racial elements; until they learned better, many white folk started the episodes addressing Tonto as “Indian,” as though he didn’t have a name.      

Coming with a tremendous backlog of already-produced half-hour stories, the shows at first relied heavily on adapting radio scripts, as can be seen in THE RENEGADES, episode 8 of the first season.  This caused them to be rather stiff and stilted.  Actor Gerald Mohr, who spoke those well-remembered words from the opening – “…Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear!  From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver!  The Lone Ranger Rides again!” – voiced much un-needed and distracting narration that was carried over from radio.  But by episode 11, SIX GUN’S LEGACY, they had cut back noticeably on the exposition.  The production values are high in these early shows, with plenty of location work, and a bit of stock footage thrown in.  Later on the series became famous for cutting corners.  Dick Jones who, in addition to starring in THE RANGE RIDER and BUFFALO BILL JR. guested on the LONE RANGER, recalled that the camera was mounted on a tripod in the back of a truck at all times, so they could change set-ups that much quicker.

SERGEANT PRESTON came to television six years later, in 1955, but was even more radio-tied and stiff than LONE RANGER, and Richard Simmons portrayed Preston with an ‘1890s melodrama’ broadness that was a distinct, and quirky, part of the show’s charm.  One of the few shows shot in color – the LONE RANGER didn’t get color until near the end of its run – it was still one of the most old-fashioned, and the episode CRIME AT WOUNDED MOOSE features a horde of masked bandits that look like they’re right off of a WEIRD TALES pulp cover.   Did I mention that Preston is ably assisted by his lead sled-dog, “…his wonder-dog Yukon King!” 

THE CISCO KID, produced by ZIV Television, was shot in color, which contributed greatly to the series’ value and longevity.  When O. Henry created the Cisco Kid in his short story THE CABALLERO’S WAY, the Kid was a pretty rotten villain, and his image had been continually scoured and polished ever since.  By the time that Duncan Renaldo, who had played him in some movies for Monogram and United Artists, was playing him again for television, Cisco was “O. Henry’s Robin Hood of the old west!”  Or more properly, as Duncan described him, Don Quixote, with Leo Carrillo as Pancho, the Sancho Panza character.  Like the Lone Ranger, they didn’t shoot bad guys; they shot the guns out of their hands.  Much of the pleasure of this series is the charm of the two stars, who had been in the movies for decades.  Leo Carrillo, who had started at the tail end of the silent era, and had played Pancho opposite Renaldo in the United Artists films, was over seventy when he began the series, but put in a tremendous amount of work in the sun and in the saddle.  Duncan Renaldo’s background was as mysterious as any movie (read my article about him HERE http://henryswesternroundup.blogspot.com/2010/08/amazing-adventures-of-duncan-renaldo.html), but he’d had a long career at Republic, and had written some movies as well.  Their chemistry on-screen was a joy.  Marcia Mae Jones, who starred with them in the GHOST TOWN episode, told me that they were terribly competitive, and always concerned about who was getting more close-ups, but that never came through to the audience.  Incidentally, as many of these series were syndicated over the years, cuts were made to allow for more ads.  I’d seen GHOST TOWN several times, but only with this version have I finally seen the first four minutes, which not only sets up an otherwise unintelligible plot, but also features moving scenes with Cisco and Pancho nearly dying of thirst in the desert.  The series lasted for seven seasons, ending in 1956, and produced 156 episodes, which were re-run for decades.  The stars’ identification with these characters was complete, which was fine with both men.  After playing Pancho, Leo Carrillo only did two TV guest shots before he died in 1961at the age of 80.  Duncan Renaldo died in 1980, at the age of 76, and never played another character onscreen again.

 

 

In 1955, when Bill Williams finished starring in 103 episodes of THE ADVENTURES OF KIT CARSON, he said he never wanted to hear the name ‘Kit Carson’ again.  I’m with him.  I’m not saying it was a terrible series, but it wasn’t very good.  The shows tended to be static, with way too much time spent talking in interiors, and not enough plot or action.  The biggest weakness was Williams himself, who was very handsome, but a lox.  Ironically, his sidekick, El Toro, played by Don Diamond, had all the personality that the star lacked.  Although actually a Russian Jew from New York City, Diamond excelled at playing Mexicans, and was also a regular on Disney’s ZORRO series before winning his best-remembered role as Crazy Cat on F-TROOP.  El Toro’s obsession with the ladies makes for trouble, and in the episode THE DESPERATE SHERIFF, about a new and unsure lawman, and a prisoner who must be held when there is no jail cell, the femme fatale of the piece is no less than Movita, Tehani of 1935’s MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, and later the first wife of Marlon Brando.

Although Kirby Grant had done many films, playing Mounties and cowboys and foils for Abbott and Costello, the role of SKY KING defined his image as much as The Lone Ranger did Clayton Moore, and he gloried in it.  In fact, after eight years and 72 episodes, once the show ended in 1962, Grant never played another character onscreen again.  Unlike the ‘in between’ shows like ROY ROGERS, SKY KING was as modern as a modern-day Western could be, and lots of fun, with Sky flying his Cessna, ‘The Songbird,’ all over the west to save the stranded and track the lawless.  With him was his adorable, if often ditzy, niece Penny, played by Gloria Winters, and probably half of the episodes involved getting Penny out of some harebrained trouble.  But to be fair, Penny could also fly to the rescue when given the chance.  The featured episode, BULLET BAIT, centers on a wedding being held at Sky’s Flying Crown Ranch, until gangsters kidnap the groom and threaten the bride.      

THE RIFLEMAN is the oddest choice of the set, because even though, like CHAMPION, FURY, and BUFFALO BILL JR., it focused on a boy, rather than being a Saturday Morning show, it was an ‘Adult Western’ in the mold of GUNSMOKE, and made by some of the same tough characters, including writer and director Sam Peckinpah.  In 168 episodes, from 1958 to 1963, Chuck Connors was widower Lucas McCain, Johnny Crawford was his son Mark, and the two shared a ranch just outside of North Fork, New Mexico in the 1880s.   Although Lucas was as good with his modified Winchester as Annie Oakley was with her guns, it couldn’t have been more different: Lucas avoided showing off his gun whenever possible, yet almost always ended up having to kill someone, something that was rarely featured, especially on-camera, on the Saturday morning shows.  In the featured episode, DAY OF THE HUNTER, Lucas must deal with charming but sinister mountain-man John Anderson, who is determined to force Lucas into a duel, and cruelly manipulates Mark into making it happen.  It’s much darker than you’d ever have on a Saturday morning show, but very good, until a scene at the end which I won’t give away, except to say that it is not merely bad, but laughable, in a series in which you would never expect it. 

Rounding out the set are a pair of unaired pilots that run the gamut from the sublime to the ridiculous.  To take the ridiculous first, THE ADVENTURES OF RICK O’SHAY, with no connection to the same-named comic strip, starred Steve Keyes, with sidekicks Bob Gilbert and Ewing Brown.  The plot, if you can call it that, involves kidnapping, and characters so stupid that they agree to take part believing it’s a practical joke.  While some of the outdoor photography is better than adequate, the acting is embarrassing, and the tech work, especially indoors, is horrible, reminiscent of the worst junior high school play you’ve ever seen.  The only name worth mentioning is director Oliver Drake, who was a fairly good and prolific screenwriter but a very poor director. (We do owe him a debt of thanks for co-writing STUNT MAN: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF YAKIMA CANUTT.)    

On the sublime side, THE ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER, created as a comic strip by Fred Harman, had been a hit in the newspapers, then on radio.  Republic made a very good and popular serial starring Don ‘Red’ Barry (that’s where he got ‘Red’), and Tommy Cook as his Indian orphan companion Little Beaver.  This was followed by a long series of Republic features, first with Wild Bill Elliot, then with Allan ‘Rocky’ Lane as Red, and always with Bobby Blake as Little Beaver.  The last big-screen Red Ryder was Jim Bannon of THE ADVENTURES OF CHAMPION, and in 1951, when this pilot was made for a possible TV series, Bannon was back, and turning on the charm in a big way.  While the mystery boy who played Little Beaver – billed as ‘himself’ – was not up to the Cook or Blake standard, the rest of the cast was exceptional.  Lyle Talbot was the main villain, trying to engineer the rustling of cattle entrusted to Ryder’s care.  Olive Carey, widow of Harry Carey and mother of Harry Carey Jr., played ‘The Dutchess,’ the wealthy lady Red works for.  Kenneth MacDonald was the man who knew too much to live!  Robert J. Wilke, one of the West’s best grinning badmen had a wonderful knock-down drag-out saloon brawl with Red; and Dick Curtis, another top-shelf swine, has a bullwhip duel with Red!  Director Thomas Carr, a master of Western action, and director of many of the best SUPERMAN shows was at the helm.  The tight script was penned by Charles Belden, who’d written many Westerns, and many of the best Charlie Chan pictures.  It’s thoroughly entertaining, and I’m amazed it didn’t sell.  Incidentally, in 1956, another pilot was shot, featuring Allan ‘Rocky’ Lane as the redhead, and it didn’t sell either.             

I thoroughly enjoyed HOWDY KIDS!!, and I’m sure anyone of an age to remember some of the shows, or anyone who wants to know more about kid television, will enjoy it as well.  Sadly, this sort of kid-centered action entertainment, a direct descendent of the Saturday matinees with serials and B Westerns, did not last long.  As actors, justifiably, began demanding a bigger piece of the action, production budgets, though infinitesimal by today’s standards, soared, and live action was soon dumped in favor of cheap-to-produce cartoons.  But boy, it was great while it lasted!   HOWDY, KIDS!! is priced at $19.98, and available from the Shout Factory HERE.

 

5 GEORGE O'BRIEN WESTERNS ON TCM STARTING TUES. A.M.

Turner Classic Movies will show five George O'Briens starting this morning at 5:45 a.m., Pacific time, interspersed with other movies.  They are MARSHAL OF LOST MESA (1939), BULLET CODE (1940), LEGION OF THE LAWLESS (1940), PRAIRIE LAW (1940) and TRIPLE JUSTICE (1940).  And later in the afternoon they'll show Tim Holt in ROBBERS OF THE RANGE (1941).

DOUBLE INDEMNITY SATURDAY AT THE AUTRY

Don't know quite how it'll fit into 'What Is A Western?', but Billy Wilder's film of Raymond Chandler's screenplay from James M. Cain's novel is so close to perfect that it's a must-see regardless. Prior to the screening, there'll be a talk by Glynn Martin, executive director of the Los Angeles Police Museum, discussing L.A.'s importance to films noir. It's at 1:30 pm, and did I mention it stars Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson?

TOM MIX – SELIG FILMS SATURDAY AT THE EGYPTIAN!

On Saturday, June 8^th, at 7:30 p.m. in the Speilberg Theatre at the Egyptian, a program of silent Tom Mix westerns, all produced by Col. Selig, will be presented.  Part of the Cinemateque’s ‘Retro Format Films’ series, all of the prints being shown are 8mm film, possibly the only format in which some still exist.  There will be several shorts, including “An Arizona Wooing” (1915, 23 min.), “A Bear of a Story” (1916, 13 min.) and “Roping a Bride” (1916, 11 min.), followed by the feature JUST TONY (1922), all shown with a live piano accompaniment by Cliff Retallick.  If you’re not familiar with film pioneer Col. Selig, you need to read Andrew Erish’s excellent book, COLONEL WILLIAM N. SELIG – THE MAN WHO INVENTED HOLLYWOOD.  Here’s a link to my mini-review – I’ll have a more extensive one, and an interview with the author, shortly:  http://henryswesternroundup.blogspot.com/2012/12/luke-parrys-third-goodnight-for-justice.html

OUTDOOR EVENTS

As Summer comes along, there are more good things to do out-of-doors.  Please send me your Western events anywhere in the world, and I'll be happy to share them!

JUNE 8-9 17TH ANNUAL INTER-TRIBAL POWWOW, OCEANSIDE

On Saturday and Sunday, arts and crafts, food, dance performances, and drumming, at the San Luis Rey Mission grounds.  (760)-724-8505.  http://slrmissionindians.org/www.slrmissionindians.org/Home.html

JUNE 8 JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION, EARLIMART

Entertainment, speakers, food and drink, puppet shows and tours of the historic buildings of Allensworth.  Allensworth State Historic Park. (661) 849-3433
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21298


THE WRAP-UP

That's it for this week!  If you are a regular Round-up reader (or Rounder), you know that  I've interviewed a number of actors, directors and writers of Westerns, but this past Wednesday I had my first opportunity to interview a film composor, Randy Miller, who composed the soundtrack for YELLOW ROCK, which has just been released on CD on the Intrada label.  I'll have that soon.  Have a great week!

Happy Trails,

Henry

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