I’ve had this series in mind for quite a while and decided to finally pull the trigger on it. In my research, I’ve come across a number of 50s Western directors talking shop. It’s interesting stuff. This first one comes from Stephen Bowie’s The Classic TV History Blog and Charles Haas. Haas spent much of the 50s under contract at Universal, where he directed a few good Westerns, including Star In The Dust and Showdown At Abilene (both 1956). Stephen spoke with Haas in 2007.
Charles Haas: “In a picture at Universal [Showdown At Abilene], I had David Janssen. I had him with [Jock Mahoney], who . . . was basically a stuntman. Stunts were easy for him, but as an actor he lacked a certain energy. So I couldn’t afford to have David Janssen as his assistant, but he was under contract at Universal, and I had to [use] him. So I had him leaning against a door in every scene. He never understood why. The reason was, if I hadn’t had him leaning against a door in every scene that he was in, he would’ve outdone [Mahoney], who was the star. So it was a very indirect kind of thing. You have to keep in mind that these are all talented people, and what you want to do is furnish them with energy, not with your idea.”
After some twenty years or so SHOWDOWN AT ABILENE has finally
surfaced on UK TV (twice in one week!)
Its a quiet complex little Universal programmer with an emotionally
crippled hero(Jocko) a physically crippled semi bad guy (Lyle Bettger)
a really nasty bad guy (Ted De Corsia) and a young innocent who gets
caught in this heady mix.(Grant Williams).Ted dishes out a graphic (for
the time)whipping to Williams and his scars certainly push Fifties
censorship criteria.
Haas is best known as a favourite of the notorious producer Albert
Zugsmith.If I WERE writing a book on Fifties Westerns I would devote a
whole chapter to Zugsmith which is just as well I am NOT writing a book
on Fifties Westerns!
I’ve been working on a Zugsmith profile since both Star In The Dust or Red Sundown are possible chapters.
Glad you mentioned Grant Williams. He’s someone I’ve really come to appreciate — he’s terrific in Red Sundown.
Red Sundown is going to be released in a french DVD next 20th March by Sidonis. Also:
-Joe Dakota (1957). Dir: Richard Bartlett.
-The Last of the Fast Guns (1958). Dir: George Sherman,
-Shotgun (1955). Dir: Lesley Selander.
-Panhandle (1948). Dir: Lesley Selander.
-Untamed Frontier (1952). Dir: Hugo Fregonese.
P.D: Sorry for my bad english. I’m from Spain.
Albert Zugsmiths career went both ends of the creative spectrum
from classics like TOUCH OF EVIL and THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING
MAN to campy stuff like THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ADAM & EVE and
SEX KITTENS GO TO COLLEGE.I am very surprised that the Warner
Archive have not released any of his late Fifties/early Sixties MGM output
like PLATINUM HIGH SCHOOL,GIRLS TOWN,HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL,THE BIG OPERATOR,THE BEAT GENERATION and
so on.The Universal Westerns he made are all of interest;Toby have
you ever seen RAW EDGE?The film could upset Feminists with Herbert
Rudley turning a whole chunk of 1840s Oregon into a sort of Medieval
kingdom;whereby any “unnatached” woman becomed the “property” of
the first man to claim her! Seriously though the film is too wacky to be
truly offensive.One hellava cast:Rory Calhoun,Yvonne De Carlo,Mara
Corday,Rex Reason,Emile Meyer,Bob Wilke,John Gavin,Neville Brand
and the one,the only Ed Fury!
Film was only one of three films directed by the interestingJohn
Sherwood;normally a Universal assistant director.
For his Universal Westerns Zugsmith used Terry Gilkyson to warble
sparce Cowboy ballads over the soundtrack.Mr Gilkyson also wrote
several standards like “Memories Are Made Of This” and “Bare
Neccisities”He is the father of Texas Alt-Country favourite Eliza.
With the way Sidonis in France are cranking out rare Universal Westerns
a DVD release of RAW EDGE could be forthcoming.
It’s been a LONG time since I’ve seen Raw Edge. It’s near the top of my want list.
Terry Gilkyson’s son Tony was a member of X, one of my favorite bands. Also, Van Dyke Parks was mentored by Gillkyson, and the story goes that Parks arranged “The Bare Necessities.” I’ve been wondering if VDP could shed some light on some of Gilkyson’s 50s Westerns work.
Terry’s stuff in Star In The Dust is terrific.
I note with interest that as a part of Universals 100th Anniversary DVD
releases they are planning in August to release several DVDs (MODs)
of “Universal Rarities” Can any fans of this blog suggest any really
obscure Universal Westerns that they would like to see on DVD?
My choice would be:
MAN FROM BITTER RIDGE (Jack Arnold) 1955
Of course we are all looking forward to the Joel McCrea Westerns
in April;whatever they choose to release.
Also of interest towards the end of the year they are going to release
several Universal Noirs. I do hope this will include titles like
THE RAGING TIDE,ONE WAY STREET and NAKED ALIBI.
Toby I am pretty convinced that 2012 will finally see a DVD release of
CURSE OF THE UNDEAD.
I do so wish Universal USA had the same interest in Westerns
as our friends in France.
Glad you found some use for that one, Toby. Charlie was one of those guys who clearly was waiting for someone to arrive on his doorstep armed with questions. I wish I’d had time to do cover his features more, but I didn’t have access to most of them and couldn’t get too distracted from the TV stuff.
Haas has a few auteurist fans over at Dave Kehr’s blog, so hopefully whenever I get around to raiding your westerns closet, I’ll find some goodies.
We just had this movie on TV this week in UK, we also had the Booby Darin re-make not long ago !
good news about “Red Sundown” (based on a good Lewis Patten novel) its one of Rory Calhoun’s best – but I would give his top movie as “Dawn At Socorro”, what a cast, Alex Nicol, Lee van Cleef, James Millican, Edgar Buchanan, Skip Homier and David Brian.
One thing about “Raw Edge” 1840′s Oregon but !870′s guns !!!
Happy New Year Everyone