There’s an interview with Jeff Bridges, plugging the upcoming True Grit, in the new issue of Cowboys And Indians, and he brings up a couple of the 50s Westerns made by his dad, Lloyd Bridges.
Jeff Bridges: “My dad loved to ride, and whenever he was in a Western he would frequently come home dressed as a cowboy. I would dress up in his cowboy costumes and try on the boots and a hat and run around the house like that. He loved making Westerns and the riding part was always his favorite… High Noon was the most famous Western he was involved with, but I also loved The Tall Texan and Little Big Horn, two really good but lesser known films.”
Little Big Horn was an early directing credit for Charles Marquis Warren, while The Tall Texan was the first time Elmo Williams directed (he won an Oscar for editing High Noon). Both are Lippert pictures co-starring Marie Windsor, and they’re available on DVD from VCI.
And Jeff’s right — both are good little pictures.
Little Big Horn is what put Charles Marquis Warren on my radar, where he remains. A very interesting guy, and LBH is a fine picture. Speaking of True Grit, I interviewed Hailee Steinfeld today, got a few nuggets. She grew up in Thousand Oaks but had no idea that she was living on hallowed Western(s) ground.