Rory Calhoun
(August 8, 1922 – April 28, 1999)
Since this blog began, I’ve developed a real appreciation for Rory Calhoun. Today is his birthday. He would’ve been 90.
His string of medium-budgeted 50s Westerns, made for a variety of studios, are really underrated. Some really stand out — two for Universal in 1956, Raw Edge (above with Yvonne De Carlo) and Red Sundown, are worth tracking down. He’s not very well represented on DVD, unfortunately.
So much did both my wife and I like him (years before we ever met), that we named one of our dogs “Rory.”
The two you mentioned are indeed worth tracking down, “Red Sundown” especially, but I’d rate “Dawn at Socorro” about on a par with that one, and also the very beautiful “Way of a Gaucho” (which is now on Fox MOD) and this is reminding me to get it
And even beyond those gems, I consider as his very best movie–and one of the most unsung of all great Westerns–“Four Guns to the Border” (1954). Unsung that is except by a happy few French critics back in the day and me, because I wrote about its stunning, highly erotic Rory Calhoun/Colleen Miller love scene in my piece “Saloon Girls and Ranchers’ Daughters: The Woman in the Western” though hope to elaborate at greater length about both the scene and the film someday. Actor Richard Carlson, who directed only a handful of films, was responsible for this wonderful movie, still ripe for rediscovery.
And hey, how many Westerns have both Walter Brennan and John McIntire in the cast and sharing the screen?
In any event, the darkly attractive Rory tends to come over as a complex Western hero, not always readily sympathetic, and so very good for this period and many of the movies he is in,
Re Brennan and McIntire–yes, I forgot THE FAR COUNTRY. Don’t know how I could do that since I’ve seen it so many times! It’s defintely one of the greatest 50s Westerns for me and have always felt that way. Somehow it just went out of my head. Otherwise, if there is something with both actors I’m not thinking of it and maybe haven’t seen it but could certainly be on TV maybe.
I haven’t seen as many movies of his yet, but I do admire that great hairline!
He was one of those guys who always did solid work, but never seemed to catch that breakthrough part. I loved Four Guns to the Border and I have a soft spot for River of No Return as well
Summer Re-Runs!
I have mentioned this many times before but here I go again!
Two Rory Calhoun films worth checking out are two from Fox in the
early Fifties.POWDER RIVER is top notch Calhoun and is well worth
tracking down.Its actually a re-working of FRONTIER MARSHALL/
MY DARLING CLEMENTINE although this time around the characters
are not Earp and Holliday.Many scenes from the earlier films are
repeated in this one but the film is strong enough to stand on its own
merits.Cameron Mitchell is outstanding as a lightning fast gun with a
brain tumor. Like the later RED SUNDOWN Rory plays a gunfighter
who is forced to go up against someone who is faster than he is.
POWDER RIVER is one hell of a Western,the Spanish DVD (excellent
transfer by the way) is well worth tracking down if you cannot
wait for the Fox MOD;whenever that might be.
THE SILVER WHIP is top drawer Rory too.What starts out as a pretty
straightforward stagecoach robbery shoot-em-up develops into
something much darker.Dale Robertson is a law enforcer who believes
lynching is the way to deal with ruthless killers.Rory likes to let the
due process of law sort things out. Robert Wagner (excellent) is the
inexperienced deputy caught between the two of them.
Hopefully a Fox MOD will not be to long in appearing.
As much as I love the aforementioned Universal Rorys I do feel these
Fox gems have been unjustly overlooked.
I would have thought Universals MOD imprint would have been made
for films like DAWN AT SOCORRO;but what do I know!
John K, I like both the Fox movies you mention too–though the copy I saw of POWDER RIVER on tape was kind of pallid so I’m keen for another viewing. Also like RIVER OF NO RETURN–Rory’s billing for playing the villain here is not too good if you look at the credits; clearly, they had let him go by the time it came out and were doing nothing more to promote him. But I do think his best Fox film for sure is WAY OF A GAUCHO, which had his first lead and no less than Jacques Tourneur as a director.
Universal MOD may still be kind of slow getting started, so as with Fox MOD maybe we should be patient and give them a chance. It’s true that that U seems to have little sense of the treasure trove they have there, but at least they seem to be formatting these movies right. It’s disturbing to me that Fox would put out films pan and scan, as I’ve heard–read a review online of FRAULEIN that said they’d released it that way and it’s really too bad. It’s a movie I liked and would see again but won’t watch it that way. This is the studio that introduced CinemaScope! Don’t they have any pride!
Dawn At Socorro is one of Rory’s best with a very intelligent script and is based on the Earp/Holliday vs Clantons story. The superb James Millican is the Earp character (Harry McNair) while Rory is Holliday ( Brett Wade). The Clantons ( Ferris’s) Lee van Cleef, Skip Homieir, Stanley Andrews & Richard Garland, a gunfight like the OK Corral, a drunken Jimmy Rapp ( John Ringo) played well by Alex Nicol plus an additional plot line with Piper Laurie and David Brian. Not forgetting Edgar Buchanan – What a cast. A must for DVD release !
I’m beginning to wish I’d never posted on Rory’s birthday — we keep bringing up movies I’m dying to see!
Oddly enough the French Western Fan Site http://www.westernmovies.fr
has just posted a pretty cool trailer for DAWN AT SOCORRO.
It all ties in with a George Sherman article they have just published
to tie in with the Universal France release of CHIEF CRAZY HORSE.
As Universal France seem to be stepping up with their Western output
there is a pretty good prospect of them releasing this.
While they are at it I hope they consider THE SAGA OF HEMP BROWN
too.
Blake,I do have a slight problem with WAY OF A GAUCHO in that
there is enough plot for about six movies;or a very long TV mini-series.
Also its not really a Western;more a romantic costume drama.
The best part of the film is the relationship between Rory Calhoun and
his nemesis Richard Boone. Although pitted against each other they
both have this respect for each other.Boone also nicely underplays
his role.I am a great admirer of Calhoun,Boone and Tourneur and
just wish that I could like the film more than I do.Having said that
some of the interiors are beautifully lit and at times resemble an
“old masters” painting.
Its interesting that you mention FRAULEIN because two online
reviews of mine have been posted.On the Home Theatre Forum
Paula,a regular contributor to this blog posted my e-mail that I sent
regarding this film.Also I have reviewed it on Amazon USA under my
alter-ego named after a favourite character from a Jacques Tourneur
film strangely enough.
I have never seen FRAULEIN and had always wanted too and was
dismayed when I received my pan & scan DVD.The film by the way
is excellent;and if Fox cannot be bothered to release it in its correct
ratio;then this,sadly is as good as its going to get.
There are maybe a couple of Fox films that I would accept a decent
pan & scan of but this is only because I am desperate to see them.
There are however loads of Fox titles that I would buy but not as
pan & scan.My advice with Fox;wait before you buy,the info appears
online soon enough these days.It would seem according to the Home
Theatre Forum that Fox are still at it there are several Scope titles
in the next batch issued as pan & scans!
There are quiet a lot of interesting minor Westerns issued by Fox
from the late Fifties/early Sixties that were made in scope.
This would be the SOLE attraction of buying them on DVD.
I am thinking about titles like YOUNG JESSE JAMES,THE LONG ROPE,
THIRTEEN FIGHTING MEN,THE YOUNG GUNS OF TEXAS,WALK TALL,
and THE PURPLE HILLS.
Also non-Westerns like the rare Sci-Fi thriller THE DAY MARS INVADED
EARTH with Kent Taylor and Marie Windsor which looked stunning
in black & white widescreen…….but as pan & scan…….ugh!.
I didn’t say WAY OF A GAUCHO was an actual Western, John–just mentioning it as a Rory Calhoun movie I rate highly; though it’s perhaps an important marginal Western, related to the genre, an Argentinian Western–shares themes, actors, some iconography and a familiar narrative curve involving the hero’s relationship to the law. I believe even a concise movie like this one can handle a lot of plot, especially in the hands of someone like Tourneur, whose style is so graceful–consider also CANYON PASSAGE, very elaborate and it’s about this same length. That said, I don’t have any quarrel with your not liking it better and maybe it isn’t everything it might be, but I just love it for what it is. Richard Boone is as usual magisterial–he always brought extra subtlety to his early roles and this is a good example. The peaceful ending outside the church with Calhoun, Tierney and Boone (won’t give away what happens here for those who haven’t seen it) is so unusual for a movie like this–and even as kid in 1952 (it was the first Tourneur I ever saw, I am certain), that impressed me. You’re right to observe its visual beauty, a constant with this great director.
Great to hear about CHIEF CRAZY HORSE. If George Sherman comes into his own at last (the present decade maybe) that will be something to celebrate.
Speaking of which, he directed two of Rory’s best–DAWN AT SOCORRO, which several of us have mentioned, and TREASURE OF PANCHO VILLA, which I forgot before and don’t why; it’s superb.
Meant to note re those six Fox Westerns John K. made note of near the end of his last post, it happens I haven’t seen a single one of them, and of course am very keen to. But if they come on DVD, I hope they are letterboxed; I just won’t watch pan and scan anymore–even very minor films as these could very likely be deserved to be seen as they were made.
My decision no pan and scan was made relatively recently in the last decade and so I’ve seen a lot and it’s a decision I can live with if I have to for the unseen ones–and happily, looks like most of the better movies, including Westerns, will come on DVD sooner or later with the MOD programs.
But Fox needs to get their act together in a bad way. FRAULEIN is a movie I remember from first release in 1958 and enjoyed it tremendously–always wanted to see it again. CIRCLE OF DECEPTION, made a few years later, was a movie I wandered into and turned out to be quietly memorable, but FMC has only showed it p/s so I haven’t seen it again even though I want to. If you are going to make it available for people now, do it right. At least that’s my belief.
Blake,I never for one minute thought you regarded WAY OF A GAUCHO
as an out and out Western,sorry about any confusion here.
I find that I have to judge Tourneurs films by the highest satandards
because of his great portfolio of work.I think we all have films that we
would like to admire more than we do.
I too think CANYON PASSAGE is wonderful;it always brings a tear to my
eye when the Indians bust Hoagy Carmichaels mandolin!
I too have never seen any of the Fox B films that I mentioned but would
sure like too.WALK TALL and THE PURPLE HILLS were I believe
shot by Floyd Crosby.Most of these films were made for a post Regalscope
deal the Lippert boys had with Fox:,API or something.
It would seem that Fox still have the rights to these pictures;in fact they
have already released a few of them (non-Westerns)
Sadly TWELVE HOURS TO KILL is pan & scan.The same goes for
(according to Home Theatre Forum) SECRET OF THE PURPLE REEF.
Also THE ROOKIE (a B picture service comedy) is noted as pan & scan.
I mean,who is going to buy pan & scan DVDs of these really obscure
films.Fox must be out of their minds;its as if they are trying to kill off
their MOD imjprint before it gets off the ground!
One things for certain it does not bode well for the Westerns if they ever
do decide to release them.
Blake I would love a Superscope DVD of THE TREASURE OF PANCHO
VILLA and also GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING,I wonder if the Warner
Archive holds the rights to these RKO titles?
I did try posting previously but it seems to have vanished so I will try again.
Firstly Blake,I never thought that you considered WAY OF A GAUCHO
as an out and out Western so I am sorry about any confusion caused.
Its just that I tend to judge Tourneurs work by the highest standards,
considering his excellent portfolio.I am sure that we all have certain films
that we would like to admire more than we do!
I share your admiration for CANYON PASSAGE though,the scene
where the Indians break Hoagys mandolin always brings a tear to
my eye!
What I am waiting for (Warner Archive?) is a Superscope DVD of
GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING.
Also the same for TREASURE OF PANCHO VILLA another RKO title
on the missing list and one we both seem to admire.
Regarding the B picture Westerns that I mentioned I understand most
if not all of them were made under a post Regalscope deal that Lippert
had with Fox;API or something. I would really like to see WALK TALL
and THE PURPLE HILLS as they were shot by Floyd Crosby.
The Fox MOD imprint has already delved into some of these titles
(non Westerns) but as, I understand, pan & scans.
TWELVE HOURS TO KILL is certainly P & S and according to Home
Theatre Forum SECRET OF THE PURPLE REEF and THE ROOKIE
are P&S also despite being scope films!
That was the attraction of Fox B flicks they were always made in Scope.
I mean,who is going to invest in a P&S DVD of these really obscure films,
its as if Fox are trying to kill their MOD program off before it gets off the
ground.Sadly this does not bode well for the Westerns mentioned if
they ever decide to release them.Just imagine a Western clocking in at
little over an hour,originally made in scope but released as a pan & scan
DVD………NO TAKERS!
I was interested in the thriller INTENT TO KILL; with a most impressive
cast; but they have even released that as pan & scan.I am sure they
will get round to releasing CIRCLE OF DECEPTION but in what format;
remains to be seen!
I wanted to see INTENT TO KILL when it was on TCM (have never seen it) but passed because it was pan and scan. A similar situation to CIRCLE OF DECEPTION on Fox channel.
It’s always nice to know someone else is such a strong admirer of Tourneur, who I think is one of the great directors. There’s plenty of room, it seems to be for his fans to have different films they like best, though everyone seems to agree on at least a few. For me CANYON PASSAGE is the best of the Westerns and one of his three masterpieces, with I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE and OUT OF THE PAST (all different genres). But I like all his Westerns, WICHITA most but GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING and STRANGER ON HORSEMBACK barely less. And perhaps like WAY OF A GAUCHO and STARS IN MY CROWN even more than those three–neither is a Western, but they are both related and I think of them when I think of his Westerns. For me, they strengthen his high standing in the genre. I hope that makes sense.
john k,
I haven’t seen YOUNG JESSE JAMES for 51 years and doubt whether I’ll ever see it again, due to no showings on television (in the UK) and no video or DVD available. But I do have the original Front-of-House set of eight black and white stills from it and you can see one of them on my flickr photostream at the lonk pasted in below. Although 33 years old at the time, Ray Stricklyn was playing the 16 years old Jesse.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35455749@N06/7758430002/in/photostream
Blake,
I would rate NIGHT OF THE DEMON as a Tourneur masterwork;
brilliantly directed,full of sly humour and really chilling.
Been meaning to catch up with CIRCLE OF DANGER which I know is
out there somewhere and have not seen it in years.
INTENT TO KILL will soon be released in the UK by Odeon;I wonder if
they have been able to source a scope version?
STARS IN MY CROWN was Tourneurs favourite of all his films
THE FEARMAKERS his least favourite.THE FEARMAKERS is not great
but does have a very good performance from Dick Foran as the heavy.
Foran when his career faded did some most interesting work as a second
lead or support actor during the Fifties;he certainly had some diverse credits
and I feel was vastly underrated as an actor.
Films like VIOLENT ROAD and STUDS LONIGAN sound most interesting
and I would love to check them out.
David,there is a good possibility YOUNG JESSE JAMES might appear
on Foxs MOD series but I do hope its in scope.Ray Stricklyn was a
good actor;I may be wrong but did he not become a well respected stage
actor in later life?
Like you I hope that Fox finally get around to THE DEERSLAYER
and again I hope they release it in scope.
We have veered off the Rory course in this thread but thats the way
things go, I guess.
I am off to your photostream site now!
Hello again David,
There has been a lot happening on your photostream site since I last
looked,which was only a week ago.I was interested to notice another rare
Fox film there NONE BUT THE BRAVE (a.k.a. FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE)
which I did not realise was a modern day Western; and directed by a
favourite of this site George Sherman.Starring the always excellent
Richard Basehart and in scope and color,whats not to like!
You also have posted stills from other rare Fox films THE FIERCEST HEART
and THE CANADIANS which I saw at the time they were released and really enjoyed.Surely Fox cannot give us pan & scans of these films!
Did you ever see SON OF ROBIN HOOD a light hearted historical romp
that I remember as being great fun! Interesting as a rare project from
George Sherman away from his home turf. In fact I seem to recall a still
from that film on your photostream.
Its amazing how many obscure but interesting films are lurking in the
Fox vaults;if only they would put a stop to this pan & scan nonesense!
Yes, John I went to see THE SON OF ROBIN HOOD way back in 1959. Unfortunately, I’ve never come across any stills from it, either press stills or Front-of-House stills, although I do have the original 30 x 40 inches quad poster for it. I also have the quad posters for YOUNG JESSE JAMES and NONE BUT THE BRAVE, which I thought was a much better title for it than “For the Love of Mike”. I try to vary the content on my photostream between family photos; films and local history. I would like to see NONE BUT THE BRAVE again, as I remember thinking it was quite good in 1961. THE CANADIANS is also a very sadly neglected Fox picture and, with all that scenic beauty, you’ve got to see it full width to appreciate it. THE FIERCEST HEART hasn’t been shown on television here ever, as far as I know. They were going to show it in 1990, but cancelled it at the last minute to go over live to South Africa when Nelson Mandela was released from prison.
Back to Rory Calhoun, apart from RIVER OF NO RETURN, I don’t think there are any Rory films on DVD. Two that deserve a mention are THE HIRED GUN and THE SAGA OF HEMP BROWN, both CinemaScope pictures.
David,
The Sony MOD (USA) series has released A BULLET IS WAITING
(more of a backwoods drama than a Western) and APACHE TERRITORY.
The latter film is a really good widescreen transfer.POWDER RIVER
was released a few years back in Spain;again a really good transfer.
WAY OF A GAUCHO was released in Spain and is now available through
the Fox MOD series.RED SUNDOWN was recently released by Sidonis in
France (with “forced” French subtitles on the English language version.)
Hopefully the Warner Archive will get round to THE HIRED GUN,at least
with them it WILL be in scope.SAGA OF HEMP BROWN which everyone
seems to be after was announced by Sidonis but now seems to have been
withdrawn..Universal USA seem to be gleefully unaware that Rory made
any films for them at all!
I am sorry that I never saw NONE BUT THE BRAVE at the time but hopefully
Fox may treat us to a scope version sometime in the future;in a perfect
world at least!
Back to Rory…… there are a couple of the much derided A.C.Lyles films
that he appeared in. I seem to recall BLACK SPURS and APACHE UPRISING
as being two pretty good ones,but I do not think the Lyles films are on
Paramounts radar or Olive Films come to that!
Thanks to all the talk here I watched Saga of Hemp Brown & Cripple Creek on Saturday night. Hemp started out extreme widescreen for the opening credits then went to pan/scan, it came from a UK broadcast recording on “Channel 5” over there. Color was bright, Beverly Garland was sexy as always as she helped to hide out Hemp (Rory) in their taveling carnival trailer. I don’t really like these innocent man wanted by everyone type Western story’s. Fred MacMurray did this type also, these type stories make me anxious. Cripple Creek was perfect looking from a TCM recording. I started to fall asleep after the first 30 min. but woke up and watched it over again. (This is what happens when you watch late at night.) I liked Cripple Creek a lot more, the characters were a lot more pleasant, bad guys were bad and good guys were good, none of this “let’s all hang the good guy” type goings on. Jerome Courtland was a bit odd in his strangely over-acted manner as Montgomery’s partner. I wish the girl in Cripple Creek was played by Beverly Garland, the unknown actress who got the part was forgettable. Anyway, they were both good westerns and am glad to have watched. I used to watch a John Wayne movie every single week till I had seen almost every single one 3 or 4 times over. But now with all these other ’50’s westerns to see I only get to watch a Duke movie once every 3 or 4 months, makes watching the Duke now a real treat.
Glad to see that some Rory Calhoun Westerns are making it to DVD, John. But the forced French subtitles on the French release of RED SUNDOWN is something I don’t like, so I’ll pass on that one in the hope that Universal will release it before too long. I already have the French DVDs of THE GUNS OF FORT PETTICOAT and GUNMAN’S WALK and not being able to turn off the French subtitles is annoying. So I won’t be buying any more of those.
Yeah, my Sidonis “7th Cavalry” has those cursed subtitles too, they’re small but still annoying. Wonder why Sidonis does this, surely they must realize if someone needs subtitles they are cabable themeselves of turning them on or OFF if they desire. Very bad business decision on the part of the French. What else is new?
Dern it, wish I could edit this stuff, that’s “capable”, not “cabable”.
Maybe Sidonis think that no one outside France buys these DVDs. A pity, because apart from the burned in subtitles, they’re really clear transfers.
Even if you’re from France, it’s possible you are able to speak English too and don’t want to see the lousy subtitles. Just a stupid move on the part of Sidonis. You’re right, the film’s themselves look beautiful. Have you noticed that Joel McCrea’s “The Tall Stranger” is no longer available for sale on either the normal Amazon site or the UK Amazon site? I wonder what’s happened? Did the company stop making this DVD? I was going to eventually buy this one, even though it is a PAL disc it is or I should say WAS in widescreen. Luckily “Cattle Empire” is still available for sale on Amazon and it’s in widescreen too!! I think the same company that makes “Cattle Empire” also made “Tall Stranger” so this is odd for one to not be available anymore. “Cattle Empire” looks beautiful, I was hoping to get “Tall Stranger” too. Guess this is just another example of striking when you can and not waiting to buy “later”, “later” too often never happens again. I’m sure the collector’s out there have known this experience many times.
Odd, THE TALL STRANGER was an Allied Artists picture and CATTLE EMPIRE was 20th Century-Fox. I shall go over to amazon and investigate.
David, sitting at my desk during lunch, I was just marveling at those stills from The Fastest Gun Alive.
Great stuff.
Thanks, Toby. I’ve uploaded eight of them now …not necessarily on the same page and they’ve cost me a fortune. $20 each plus air mail costs, so these things aren’t cheap. I’m making them available free via my photostream to anyone who wants to see them so that if anything happens to me and my valuable collection of thousands of stills gets thrown in the skip by some council worker, at least some of them are out there on the Internet. I’m still after a couple more vintage 8 x 10 glossy press still scenes from THE FASTEST GUN ALIVE, which I shall find in the end.
Johnny G,
THE TALL STRANGER was released in Italy by Jubal Classic Video
recently but i understand as a pan & scan. I do not think there has ever
been a widescreen DVD of this film.Hopefully Warner Archive will release
it at some point;though Allied Artists Westerns have been slow in
appearing from them these days.I agree the Spanish DVD of CATTLE
EMPIRE (from Impulso) is stunning.
Now on to other matters.The “unknown” actress that you mentioned
from CRIPPLE CREEK was none other than Karin Booth.
She made quiet a few Fifties Westerns and was obviously a favorite
of producer Sam Katzman.She was a “baddie” in CRIPPLE CREEK but
a good gal in the two other films she made with George Montgomery:
SEMINOLE UPRISING and BADMANS COUNTRY. The latter title is
an amiable piece of nonsense that brings together Pat Garrett,Wyatt
Earp,Bat Masterson,Buffalo Bill and Butch Cassidy.
She was also in TOP GUN with Sterling Hayden and best of the lot
THE CARIBOO TRAIL with Randy.She also came over to England
to star in THE CROOKED SKY an OK little thriller with Wayne Morris.
I do not rate her with my B favorites Mala Powers,Coleen Gray,Peggie
Castle and so on but she did OK.
Glad to see everyone is as fed up with Sidonis as I am;for the time being
anyway they seem to have called a halt to their Universal Westerns series.
According to Amazon it was, I say was, available in Widescreen, see:
They call it Valle-Prohibido, put out by a company in Spain, Regasa Clau?? Not sure what their name is. At any rate, this is the DVD that I saw available for months now in the recent past, but just in the past week it’s now no longer available. It was in widescreen as that was what caught my eye about this DVD, as my version is in Pan-Scan I was hoping to “one day” buy this DVD, but I can forget that now. TCM showed this movie recently & I was hoping then that they’d show it in widescreen so I wouldn’t have to buy this DVD which I was aware of. But no, they also showed it in pan/scan. Such is life, if you don’t strike while the iron is hot, you get burned.
As this now EPIC thread has had lots about Worldwide DVDs I thought it
would be a good place to post this exciting news………..well for me at least.
It would seem that a company called KSM in Germany are about to
release FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS on DVD on August 20th.
Now before we all get TOO excited it would seem to be the black &
white version.But the good news is according to the KSM website the
film is uncut and includes the original trailer! There are some screengrabs
on the KSM wenbsite and Amazon.de and they sure look halfway decent!
Its up for pre-order now on Amazon Germany,at a pretty good price too!
Beware though folks; Amazon.de still has the reputedly awful Spanish
version that appeared a few years ago. Search for Die Stadt der rauhen
Manner;that will take you to the KSM version.
I have given up on ever finding a color version of this film but at least
this release is most welcome.
I know a lot of Western fans also like cult horror and Sci-Fi films and there
is another German website worth checking out:Media Target Distribution.
They have some rare items including a really obscure Britflick THE ATOMIC
MAN (a.k.a. TIMESLIP) I was about to place my order for this one
when I stumbled (as i usually do!) across the Scott picture.
THE ATOMIC MAN was one of many British B pictures with American
leads,in this case Gene Nelson and Faith Domergue who make a most engaging team.The film is more of a spy thriller than Sci-Fi but is great fun.
Carry On fans will be most amused as Charles Hawtrey appears at odd
occasions as a very cheeky “office boy”There are generally no problems
with subtitles on German DVDs but many of them only have a German
soundtrack,so check before buying.
It’s strange that no Cinecolor prints (or the negatives) seem to exist for FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS. Maybe the reason that only a black and white version seems to exist is that it’s a version made in the pre-colour television days for showing on black and white television. However, it was a 20th Century-Fox release and it seems odd that they don’t seem to have kept the 35mm negative, or, indeed, at least one 35mm colour print.
I’ve always thought the same thing, David.
I understand why there are so many black and white 16mm TV prints out there, but SOMETHING in color should be laying around Fox someplace.
On Aug 14, 2012,
I have found 2 places that have a color version of “Fighting Man…”, it is “a film transfer from a master print.” It’s on it’s way, I haven’t seen it yet. I also have found a color copy of “Dakota Lil” in Australia, I have not ordered that one yet.
Well, that’s good to hear. It pays to search around the Internet for these things.
Johnny G;
Do you have contact details where FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS
and DAKOTA LIL are available from?
The three late Forties Westerns Randolph Scott made for producer
Nat Holt were independent productions, released through Fox;they no
longer hold the rights to them.
The same goes for the various Alperson Productions released through
Fox. (ROSE OF CIMARRON,DAKOTA LIL,BELLE STARRS DAUGHTER,
THE RESTLESS BREED and so on.) Ignite Films in Holland have the
rights to the Alperson titles for anyone wishing to release them.
They also have high quality black & white masters for the Scott titles.
Oddly enough the one Alperson title on the missing list is THE MAGNIFICENT
MATADOR starring Maureen O Hara,Anthony Quinn and Richard Denning
directed by Budd Boetticher in Scope and color;who owns that one is
anybodys guess.
Just look at the Warners titles that are now owned by Republic that
Olive Films say they will release: DISTANT DRUMS,SOUTH OF ST LOUIS
RETREAT HELL!,ONLY THE VALLIANT and so on.
Also who now owns Alan Ladds Jaguar Productions
released through Warners who no longer hold the rights to them:
DRUM BEAT,HELL ON FRISCO BAY,THE BIG LAND and GUNS OF
THE TIMBERLAND. A scope copy of HELL ON FRISCO BAY is one of
the most sought after titles by collectors.
That goldarned Johnny G will be telling me he has sourced that one
next!
Returning to Rory!
Has anyone (David Rayner?) ever seen a 1961 British Swashbuckler
Rory made in 1961 “THE TREASURE OF MONTE CRISTO”
made in scope and color;written by Leon Griffiths (Minder)
Another one on the missing list!
Yes, I went to see that in May, 1962, and I have the Front-of-House set for it in my collection. I recorded it off air on VHS video when it was shown in pan and scan on BBC 2 in 1998 and I don’t think it’s been shown since. No sign of a DVD of it as yet. Rory came over to England to make it.
“Fighting Man of the Plains” is on it’s way, haven’t seen it yet. I’m not expecting a perfect picture, but at least it will be color. The person who has “Dakota Lil” in color is on a month’s vacation, so I won’t hear from him till mid September. So I’m in suspense on “Lil”. If we had the ability to email each other I’d be happy to tell you or trade with you, but seeing what happened to Comet removing their “Fighting Man…” and all Scott westerns from their list offering after we talked about them, tells me the film gestapo police may be lurking. If there’s a way to email you, I haven’t figured it out here.
If y’all want to get in touch with each other outside the blog, let me know and I’ll exchange them for you.
I checked I have Heck On Devil’s Island and Heck On Frisco Bay (but it’s probably pan/scan, I’ll have to check further when I’m home). I see I do have DRUM BEAT, THE BIG LAND and GUNS OF
THE TIMBERLAND. Never saw Treasure of Monte Cristo.
I think there is a correlation amongst this trend and the increased interest in
entertainment news.