Blu-Ray Review: Colt .45, The Complete Series (1957-1960).

Well, here’s one I never thought I’d see, especially on Blu-Ray. Colt .45 (1957-1960) was one of Warner Bros’ Western shows of the late 50s — based (rather loosely) on their 1950 film starring Randolph Scott. It didn’t become a rerun favorite like Maverick or Cheyenne, and they haven’t been seen anywhere in years. (I saw a couple of episodes in 16mm at a Western film show ages ago.) Now all three seasons are available, and looking just heavenly, in a new Blu-Ray set from Warner Archive.

Wayde Preston plays Christopher Colt, a government agent posing as a Colt gun salesman. As he roams the West, he gets involved in all sorts of stuff, usually leading to some fancy shooting on his part. In the first season’s titles, Preston shoots toward the camera, then does some nice pistol-spinning as he puts his twin Colts back in their holsters. (Reminds me a little of the titles to The Rifleman.)

Wayde Preston and James Garner hanging around the Warner lot.

Though they run just half an hour and the budgets are obviously small, it’s a good show. All the WB Western series looked good, benefitting from excellent stock footage, using some nice WB sets and boasting terrific guest stars. Colt .45 featured Charles Bronson, Wayne Morris, Robert Conrad, John Doucette, Ray Teal, Frank Ferguson, I. Stanford Jolley, Kathleen Crowley, Angie Dickinson, Lee Van Cleef, Jack Lambert, Glenn Strange, Leonard Nimoy, Virginia Gregg, Paul Fix, Robert J. Wilke, Dorothy Provine, Lyle Talbot, Roy Barcroft, Adam West and Sandy Koufax(!).

Some solid directors worked on it, too — guys like Lee Sholum, Paul Landres, George Waggner, Lew Landers, Edward Bernds and Oliver Drake. 

The first season is excellent, but then things went awry. Wayde Preston left the show (the usual pay dispute, they say), making for a short second season. For the third season, Donald May took over as Sam Colt, Jr., Christopher Colt’s cousin.

Warners evidently badmouthed Preston around town and he had a hard time landing any parts. He was brought back toward the end of the third season, now supporting his cousin Sam. Colt .45 didn’t last beyond that third season and Preston eventually headed to Italy to make spaghetti Westerns and Anzio (1968).

With just two-and-a-half seasons, and a star who splits midstream, it sorta makes sense that Colt .45 wouldn’t enjoy the perpetual syndication of other Western shows of the period. When it’s good, it’s really good, usually because of a solid story or an exemplary performance — Wayne Morris and John Doucette, for example, are excellent in their episodes.

Then there are the Blu-Rays. I’ve never seen a black & white TV show look this good — ever. There’s not a lot of old TV on Blu-Ray. I Love Lucy! and The Andy Griffith Show are, and they can’t hold a digital candle this set. It’s stunning. From the logo in the grips of Preston’s Colts to the sewn-up holes in John Doucette’s shirt, the detail here is incredible. (Of course, this highlights stuff like the stock footage stage driver looking nothing like the guy who speaks to Preston seconds later, but who cares?) The contrast is perfectly dialed in and the grain is just right. Whoever twiddled the knobs on this thing, I’d like to buy you lunch!

In short, the fact that Colt .45 made its way to video is a real surprise. That it would come out of left field looking like this, well, that seems like a miracle. This set comes highly recommended. I think you’ll like the show, and I know you’ll be blown away by the care Warner Archive has given it.

Blu-Ray News #373: Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid (1973).

Directed by Sam Peckinpah
Written by Rudy Wurlitzer
Starring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, Richard Jaeckel, Katy Jurado, Chill Wills, Barry Sullivan, Jason Robards, Slim Pickens, Bob Dylan

Criterion is bringing out Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid (1973) on 4K and Blu-Ray in July. And since Peckinpah’s last Western was such a mutilated mess by the time MGM dumped it into theaters, Criterion is packing all three existing version into the set —
• 50th Anniversary Release, supervised by editors Paul Seydor & Roger Spottiswoode
• Sam Peckinpah’s Final Preview Cut
• Original Theatrical Release

Opinions on the film (no matter which cut you’re looking it) are all over the place. It’s brilliant in some places, other places not. It does, however, contain what I consider the saddest single scene in all of cinema — the great Katy Jurado sitting down beside the gut-shot Slim Pickens as he dies (with Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” on the soundtrack). The film was plagued by everything from schedule-busting camera malfunctions to liver-wrecking substance abuse — to its mutilation by James Aubrey and MGM.

Of course, there will be all sorts of extras. This is gonna be a nice set, something us Peckinpah nuts have been wanting for years. I’m really looking forward to messing around with this thing.

Blu-Ray Review: 3 Godfathers (1949).

Directed by John Ford
Produced by John Ford & Merian C. Cooper
Screenplay by Laurence Stallings, Frank S. Nugent & Robert Nathan
Based on The Three Godfathers by Peter B. Kyne
Director Of Photography: Winton Hoch, ASC
Film Editor: Jack Murray
Musical Score: Richard Hageman

Cast: John Wayne (Robert Marmaduke Hightower), Pedro Armendáriz (Pedro Encarnación Escalante y Rocafuerte, AKA Pete), Harry Carey Jr. (William Kearney, The Abilene Kid), Mildred Natwick (Mother), Ward Bond (Sheriff Perley “Buck” Sweet), Mae Marsh (Mrs. Sweet), Jane Darwell (Miss Florie), Guy Kibbee (Judge), Hank Worden (Curly), Dorothy Ford (Ruby Latham), Charles Halton (Oliver Latham), Jack Pennick (Luke), Fred Libby (Deputy), Ben Johnson (Posseman), Michael Dugan (Posseman), Francis Ford (Drunken Old-Timer at Bar), Richard Hageman (Piano Player In Saloon), Ruth Clifford (Woman in Bar), Jack Curtis (Bartender), Harry Tenbrook (Bartender), Gertrude Astor (Townswoman), Eva Novak (Townswoman), Amelia Yelda (Robert William Pedro Hightower)

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I wrote about John Ford’s 3 Godfathers (1948) a couple of Christmases ago. As I see it, it’s another Ford masterpiece, yet it gets shrugged off for being too sentimental, too religious, too hokey. At the time of that previous post, many of us lamented the fact that the DVD was only adequate, given that this is surely one of the most beautiful Westerns ever made.

Well, Warner Archive has come through — and come through big. Their new Blu-Ray of 3 Godfathers is stunning. I was expecting a knockout, given the home runs they’ve hit of late (Rancho Notorious, The Naked Spur), but this really blew me away. The tribute to Harry Carey gave me goosebumps. The long-focus shots of the desert are just incredible, significantly adding to the isolation of the three bandits in the desert. And the rich black shadows give the entire film a real sense of depth. 

A good transfer can make a great film greater. No question.

Warner Archive has gone a step further, giving us the 1936 version of Peter B. Kyne’s story as an extra. It stars Chester Morris (who looks so cool in his black cowboy hat), Lewis Stone, Walter Brennan and Sidney Toler. It’s interesting to see how Ford attacks the same material (oh, how I’d love to see Ford’s lost 1919 version, Three Marked Men). 

I can’t recommend 3 Godfathers highly enough. It might be the most moving film I’ve ever seen — or maybe it’s just the one where John Ford manipulates me the most. (Just thinking about it gets me.)

Hate telling people how to spend their money, especially nowadays when nobody has any money to spend. But you need this Blu-Ray. Buy a Blu-Ray player and another TV if necessary. It’ll be worth every penny.

Blu-Ray News #372: Devil’s Doorway (1950).

Directed by Anthony Mann
Starring Robert Taylor, Louis Calhern, Paula Raymond, Marshall Thompson, James Mitchell, Edgar Buchanan

One of John Alton’s pictures making its way to Blu-Ray is a reason to celebrate — so get out the champagne, here comes Devil’s Doorway (1950) from Warner Archive.*

This Anthony Mann picture — one of the first of what we’d come to label “50s Westerns” — is terrific in every possible way. Robert Taylor is great as the Indian who returns home from the Civil War with a Medal Of Honor, only to find the typical respectable townspeople (Louis Calhern is one of ’em) trying to take away his father’s land. It’s short, tight, tense — all the usual Mann stuff.

For somebody you’d never really think of as a Western actor, Robert Taylor sure made some great ones: this one, Westward The Women (1951), The Last Hunt (1956), The Law And Jake Wade (1958), etc. Devil’s Doorway one comes highly, highly recommended.

* I’d like to think that Blu-Ray technology was developed just so us movie nuts could better watch the work of cats like William Clothier, Gregg Toland, Stanley Cortez and, of course, John Alton.

Play Ball!

Today’s Opening Day for major league baseball — and the home opener for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The thing around here is to mark the first game at Dodgers Stadium with the great John Ford sporting a Dodgers cap.

Let’s go Dodgers!

Bob Madison, Tom Mix And The Wild West Christmas.

Bob Madison’s book Tom Mix And The Wild West Christmas has been named the Spur Award Finalist for Best Juvenile Western by the Western Writers of America. Bob writes as Scott McCrea. You can get a copy here.

In addition to being my friend, Bob is a huge Westerns fan and a big supporter of this blog. Congratulations, Bob!

DVD Review: Lightning Guns (1950).

Directed by Fred F. Sears
Produced by Colbert Clark
Screen Play by Victor Arthur
Based on a story by Bill Milligan
Director Of Photography: Fayte M. Browne
Film Editor: Paul Borofsky
Music by Mischa Bakaleinikoff

Cast: Charles Starrett (Steve Brandon/Durango Kid), Smiley Burnette (Smiley), Gloria Henry (Susan Atkins), William Bailey (Luke Atkins), Edgar Dearing (Capt. Dan Saunders), Raymond Bond (Jud Norton), Jock O’Mahoney (Sheriff Rob Saunders)

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Pulled out Mill Creek’s two-disc The Durango Kid Collection again the other day. This time, it was Lightning Guns (1950).

Ranchers in Piute Valley are fighting over water and the building of a dam, and Steve Brandon (Charles Starrett) and Smiley ride right in the middle of it all. A local banker, who was going to approve a loan to get the dam built, is murdered and soon sheriff Jock O’Mahoney has to arrest his own father. 

Steve and Smiley (and Durango) sort it out, revealing that the local grocer is the murderer. There’s a lot of riding and shooting, and a cool thread involving a rare .41 caliber pistol — and Smiley is a traveling bathtub salesman, logging a heavy tub from scene to scene.

Gloria Henry did Lightning Guns between a couple of key Western pictures — Strawberry Roan (1948) with Gene Autry and Fritz Lang’s Rancho Notorious (1952). Jock Mahoney (billed here as O’Mahoney) had been doubling for Charles Starrett on the series and was making the transition to actor. He acted in a number of the later ones.

The Durango Kid is cool, but he never really seems to fit in his own films. For one thing, it’s hard to fathom how Starrett can travel from town with two horses (Steve’s Bullet and Durango’s Raider) without getting found out. I loved these films as a kid, but always wondered how he pulled it all off.

Fred F. Sears worked as a character actor and dialogue director on the series before climbing into the director’s chair. Here, he keeps things moving at a quick pace and handles Smiley Burnette’s comedic scenes well. Smiley’s stuff seems a bit intrusive (or tacked on) in some of these pictures. 

From 1945 to 1952, Columbia, Starrett, Smiley and crew (including directors Sears and Ray Navarro) worked at a frantic pace, making a total of 64 Durango Kid pictures. Lightning Guns is one of the 10 movies in Mill Creek’s budget-friendly set, The Durango Kid Collection. The transfer looks wonderful. It’s a nice little set, and it comes highly recommended. (Wish they’d get around to a volume two!)

Mill Creek has come through with some terrific multi-picture sets over the last few years. They’re often made up of Columbia pictures — with sets dedicated to William Castle, The Whistler, Jungle Jim, Randolph Scott, Hammer Films and more. (Some are released through Critic’s Choice.) Many of the titles have been available singly or as MOD releases, but the prices can’t be beat, and they’ll save you space as we watch our collections gobble up our real estate. 

Blu-Ray News #371: 3 Godfathers (1948).

Directed by John Ford
Director Of Photography: Winton Hoch, ASC
Starring John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, Harry Carey Jr., Mildred Natwick, Ward Bond, Mae Marsh, Jane Darwell, Hank Worden, Ben Johnson

Here’s one we’ve all been calling for for years. Warner Archive is bringing John Ford’s 3 Godfathers (1948) to Blu-Ray in March.

I’ve written about this one before. It’s sometimes criticized for its sentimentality and religious allegory. But everyone agrees it’s beautiful to look at.

Redemption is one of the most common themes in Westerns, and John Ford brings it front and center here. He even set things in the days leading up to Christmas, a time of renewal — and a time when the parallels to the Christ story will really shine. For me, 3 Godfathers gets better each time I see it, and I’m really looking forward to seeing Winton Hoch’s Technicolor work in high definition. Warner Archive has done stunning things with other Technicolor films from this period.

This is one of my favorite Westerns, and on Blu-Ray, it’s gonna be essential. (And for some of you, that might require a new piece of equipment!)

Happy Birthday, Sam Peckinpah.

Sam Peckinpah
February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984

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Here’s to Sam Peckinpah, one of the Western’s greatest directors on what would’ve been his 99th birthday. His Ride The High Country (1962) and The Wild Bunch (1969) are among the finest Westerns ever made. From those pictures to The Westerner and The Rifleman on TV, his feel for the West really set his work apart. Unfortunately, these days, stories of his self-destructive lifestyle and battles with studio executives seem to get as much attention as his films.

He’s seen above playing poker with William Holden while on location for The Wild Bunch.

Now Available: Another Run Through The Gauntlet.

My second book, Another Run Through The Gauntlet, is now available. A few folks have already received their copies, and I’m so happy to hear they liked it!

My almost 10-year-old post (!) on Clint Eastwood’s The Gauntlet (1977) remains one of the most popular posts on my other blog. It spurred hundreds of emails, launched a couple digital friendships and has now been expanded into a little book. Back then, I thought I was the only one who even liked what a friend calls “that stupid movie with Clint Eastwood and the bus.” I was expecting plenty of “how can you like that thing?” responses. Boy, was I wrong.

From the back cover:
Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen and Barbra Streisand had all been offered The Gauntlet before it made its way to Clint Eastwood. It became his sixth film as director, after The Outlaw Josey Wales, and hit theaters in 1977, right before Christmas.

The Gauntlet is a big, loud, excessive chase movie that Roger Ebert called “fast, furious and funny,” while Judith Crist labeled it “the pits.” Audiences made it a hit. Today, it feels like a prototype for the supercharged action movies that would come a decade or so later.

Another Run Through The Gauntlet takes a look at the film’s development, production and release — and how it’s seen today.

This was a lot of fun to research and write (with a ton of help from Miss Jennifer, my wife), and I was so fortunate to get Dr. Edward Lamberti to write an introduction. Click on the cover for ordering information.