On this day in 1892, the notorious Dalton gang took its last ride, with an unsuccessful attempt to rob two banks in Coffeyville, Kansas.
You can read about it here, courtesy of True West Magazine. Of course, Sam Katzman and William Castle’s Jesse James Vs. The Daltons (1954) has nothing to do with history, but this lobby card lets me feature James H. Griffith again (to the right of the wanted poster).
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While this has nothing to do with Jesse, my most recent Western thoughts bring me to Joel McCrea’s “Lone Hand”. I did a search for it and realized there is no commercial version of this movie available! Not in France, UK, or the good old USA. Why? I would consider this to be one of Joel’s finest movies, I can’t believe “Mustang Country” would get a release on the TCM McCrea set and NOT “Lone Hand”! Does anyone know of a commercial release of “Lone Hand”? I found a widescreen version of “Tall Stranger”, I was looking for the widescreen version for a while. But I still don’t see any “Lone Hand” at all, not even in PAL. Anyone else pulling out there hair over this?
We’re all hoping there’s a second set of McCrea Westerns from Universal.
Lone Hand is a excellent film.
You’ve got a sharp eye. You know with that hat on I didn’t recognize James Griffith, he normally has a very high forehead, but the hat and darkness of the pic make it look like he’s got a thick mop of hair.
By the way, I’ve been having a lot of trouble trying to post anything. Today is the first time I’ve been able to get thru after a couple of tries before these 2 posts. Have you heard of this from others?
O.T but THE MAVERICK QUEEN is now available through Amazon.es in an enhanced widescreen version. It’s not up to Koch standards, but at least it’s now available. Has the original English soundtrack and removable subs.
I see character actors William Tannen and John Cliff next to Griffith in the picture; don’t know the other guy, who doesn’t look familiar.
Cannot believe THE LONE HAND is not available in any territory and
the same goes for SADDLE TRAMP. I have top notch “off air” versions
of both films but would still like “official” DVDs.
The Spanish versions of RIVER LADY and GAL WHO TOOK THE WEST
are as good a transfer as I have ever seen of a vintage Universal film.
Search on Amazon.es for the Spanish title which can be obtained from
Llamentols website http://www.llamentol.com
JESSE JAMES VS THE DALTONS is a fun movie and looks great.
Underrated Barbara Lawrence takes centre stage for once and thats not
a bad thing.
It would seem that Sonys MOD series only has one Western slated for
November the Buck Jones 1930 film MEN WITHOUT LAW.
Its good however to see them digging this far back into their vaults
especially with the beautiful way they remaster these vintage films.
I was very pleased with the Spanish version of THE MAVERICK QUEEN
but as I have said many times before its sad we have to trawl all
around Europe to find these great old Republic films.
Anyone of you know if the spanish DVD of The Maverick Queen respect the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio?
I’m not certain, but if memory serves, the Spanish DVD was more like 1.85:1
For all the James Griffith fans — WAC has remastered Heaven With a Gun and will be releasing it sometime in 2013. I’m really looking forward to this myself because it has David Carradine, playing the sadistic young son of rancher John Anderson, and I’ve longed to see it in its proper Panavision 2:35:1 aspect ratio rather than the pan and scan transfers that always turn up on TV. J.D. Cannon is also great as a hired gun.
Another piece of western trivia: on this day in 1866, the first successful train robbery was committed by the Reno brothers (in Indiana, but the idea soon traveled across the Mississippi).
That’s what I’ve got too, my own recording. WGN played this movie late at night once many many years ago and I recorded it. I’ve since transferred it to DVD, but I sure wish Lone Hand was available in a pristine commercial version. Has Encore ever played this movie? My WGN version looks nice enough but is 73″ total, I believe the movie is really 79″ long. So seems WGN edited out 6″. More reason I’d like to have a commercial version. Jimmy Hunt tears your heart out when he begs Barbara Hale not to leave. Just a great movie that deserves the royal release treatment so much more than 98% of today’s DVD releases.
Johnny G. Encore (Western Channel) has played THE LONE HAND and I recorded and watched it again this year. The version shown of this beautiful Western looked so much better than the kind of washed-out print WGN showed so long ago, which was the last one I saw, and yes WGN did cut it–anything in a 90 minute slot on most of those commercial stations will cut to about 73 no matter the length. So I’d keep a lookout at Western Channel because they seem to get back to everything and show good-looking prints of so many 50s movies now of a number of studios (maybe all of them if I’m not mistaken). The downside is pan and scan of almost anything anamorphic. So even if we get Western Channel we need to hope for DVD especially of those.
Don’t know if you were around when that McCrea 4-Pack came out but there was strong feeling here about the absence of THE LONE HAND, as well as SADDLE TRAMP, when they instead did include MUSTANG COUNTRY and already available THE VIRGINIAN.
Yes, I was here back then and before, I remember posting about how I couldn’t wait for the box set to come out and also how I didn’t like the change in the box set cover picture. Seems I wasn’t the only old-timer recording Lone Hand off WGN back in the day. I also got Howard Duff’s “Red Canyon” from them.
Blake, did you record the Encore Western’s “The Lone Hand” onto DVD? I’d like to do a trade to get a good 79 min. Encore Westerns version of “Lone Hand” with either you Blake Lucas or if you have it, you John K. I finally was able to get a few rare films we’ve talked about before. I now have color versions of Dakota Lil, Rose of Cimmaron, Fighting Man of The Plains, Yellow Tomahawk and a widescreen version of Tall Stranger. If you’d like to do a trade for one of these or any other in my vaults maybe Toby can give us each other’s email. Now it’s Saturday night and I’ve got to get to watching a Western tonight myself.
Oh, I did see Iron Sheriff, it was pure vintage Sterling. Great b/w photography, loaded with well known TV character actors, and was very interesting to see the up until then the laid back Sterling suddenly turn into a revenge filled vigilante. He went from thoughtful and justice minded sheriff to a single minded avenger in 10 seconds. My one sentence capsule review. Very good film.
Sorry, I’m not set up to record DVD at the moment, only to record on to DVR and I didn’t save THE LONE HAND because at the moment was saving too much. If I had it I’d be glad to provide and wouldn’t care if there were a trade to be had or not. You’ve certainly piqued my interest in the movies you mention, as I’ve only seen two of the first four in black and white and Tall Stranger shown pan and scan. I’ll hold these in mind for now and see if they don’t get a regular release down the line. Meantime, thanks.
Oh no, that is tragic. I mean it too. You had a classic and erased it, AHHHH! I’d be kicking myself if I did that. I hope it wasn’t erased for the sake of getting Dancing with The Stars! But I’ve erased things accidentally myself too. That’s why I don’t use a DVR, they’re only good for temporary recording, my WGN recording would have been long gone if I had recorded it on a DVR, back then it went to VHS. Reminds me of the way people take “photos” today on their phones. Those pictures invariably wind up being erased and not saved. Are they really pictures if they just wind up in the ether instead of in an album? I still don’t have a cell phone, in fact I have several rotary phones that work very nicely.
Hopefully John K will have a good version on DVD and save the day.
“Tragic” is a little bit of an overstatement, isn’t it, though I’m sorry I can’t provide it for you. I never record Dancing with the Stars or anything like that–just movies, and have a lot of Westerns on there now. Once in awhile I save one and did save SADDLE TRAMP on an impulse, though would feel OK if I hadn’t.
The reason: As is clear everyday in this blog, these movies are finally starting to get pulled from the vaults and with MOD programs, which seem successful, it’s been kind of a windfall the last few years. I don’t feel the need to be overeager since there’s no way I’m going to run out of Westerns to watch and am gradually building up my DVD collection so I’ll have the library I want and already have a really good start on it, especially with Westerns.
Just speaking of Joel McCrea, I waited years to see WICHITA in widescreen having missed it in 1955, and finally, suddenly there it was, a film I already had a good impression of made so much better and do have this in my collection–also his other 1955 Jacques Tourneur STRANGER ON HORSEBACK, which I had seen in a theatre years ago, was long available just in poor black and white video copies, though there was one known good print at BFI I believe. But this finally got put on DVD with pretty good color and I have that too. Two beautiful Westerns worth waiting for.
I had a DVD/VCR that both recorded and played back and never learned how to record DVD but was recording tapes, many of which I saved, until this broke down a year ago. Then because of moving, I felt I’d get something to record on after we did it and that will be soon, along with Blu-Ray player I clearly need. But most of this year needed more lightening up and if something has come out on DVD I didn’t save the tapes I had.
Anyway, that’s my story and it’s boring but does make sense to me. So many Westerns I’ve yearned for on DVD have come out just since I’ve been following 50 Westerns from the 50s that I feel like this is a blessed time.
That’s OK Blake, I didn’t mean for you to take offense. I was 1/2 joking with you. Not everybody shares the same mad passion I do about collecting. Speaking strictly for myself, I would no more erase a hard to find classic than I would jump off a cliff. Most people in fact are fine without ever buying a single DVD. I’m afraid I’m just the opposite. Most people I know personally, in fact, do not collect. I’m the only nut who collects. I suppose on the internet is the only place where one can find like minds and talk without the other one’s eye’s looking up. I still have movies I recorded in the ’80′s. One man’s hobby is another man’s waste of time. I’ve been collecting since I was a kid starting out with comic books back then. I’ll spare you the rest of the boring details. So realize I was kidding with you. I do appreciate reading all your comments here, and there’s no denying that. Carry on, partner.
I used to have a mammoth collection of stuff on videotape, but a sudden urge to purge made me throw them all out. This was over a decade ago.
I don’t regret doing it, but there were some choice things I now wish I’d held onto.
I avoided the word “purge” but that’s what my wife and I had to do when my moved. It wasn’t easy. I kept tapes very selectively. I had a tremendous struggle with my record (LP) collection and still have a lot of it.
Johnny G., I took no offense at all, just explaining where I’m coming from. I do want to build up a good DVD collection and am on my way–now settling in at the new place I don’t intend to let anything else go. Frankly, like a lot of people, I can’t afford everything that comes out as it comes out, so file them in my mind and try to get to them, look for deals but I’m getting movies pretty often now. Next up will probably be the two Fred MacMurrays from Universal because they are in ‘Scope and I already especially like both movies since seeing them on first release, especially QUANTEZ which I saw several times theatrically.
I came to this wonderful blog of Toby’s especially out of an interest to share thoughts about Westerns with people who have the same passionate interest in them. It’s not as if the whole world cares about this–but those of us who do care a lot. So, for me it wasn’t so much to find out what movie can be found where. But I really appreciate everytime someone says something about any of these titles, because things have come up that are on my want list–especially 50s Westerns that I still haven’t seen; I’ve seen more than most, probably, but it’s such a treasure trove that there’s always more.
Wow, Blake, thanks for those kind words. One of the sorta secret reasons to begin the book was to give me an excuse to really dive into the deep end where all these great films were lurking. As you said, there are always more to seek out. And exactly what I thought would happen has happened — I’m finding in a lot of ways that I prefer the more obscure, smaller films to the big ones.
To cut back on my record collection, I bought a wall unit — and when it gets too tightly packed, I get rid of some stuff. It’s worked well so far.
As they say, the key is to simplify. I know it but I just can’t bring myself to throw away tapes, even if I already have them all on DVD. It’s just something I haven’t been able to do. I did throw away my 8 track tapes about 11 years ago. And I have thrown away some beta tapes that I had tv sitcoms on when I moved too. But the majority of tapes I just as of now an not toss out. Maybe I will soon. But it would have to be tapes I already have copies of on DVD. I too have a lot of LPs collected, but can not toss out. Some I don’t even like anymore, those I just might toss one day.
The dreaded Sidonis (with their “forced” subtitles) are back with a vengeance:
in January they have several Audie Murphy Universals slated several making
their worldwide DVD debut.
TUMBLEWEED
THE KID FROM TEXAS
GUNSMOKE
GUNPOINT
Plus the much sought after
THE NAKED DAWN.
Recently Llamentol in Spain have issued most of the Universal titles
that appeared on Sidonis so my advice is to wait cos they do not have
this wretched subtitle issue;also their Universal transfers have been great.
Johnny G;sadly I am a “hardcore Luddite” (thanx Paula)
so I do not have facilities to copy stuff or send over cyberspace.
However my supplier from the “digital underground” has the facility to do
all this stuff. Furtheremore he is an avid reader of this blog but has yet to
contribute;to my knowledge!
I am sure you have stuff that he wants so I am sure through Toby you
could set up a trading network;he has lovely versions of the two McCreas
plus lots of other goodies.
Like yours truly he will always upgrade from a “off air” version to an
“official” release providing of course we love the film enough.
As Joel McCrea and James Griffith seem to feature on this thread;I thought
I would mention that I saw a great WICHITA TOWN episode over the weekend.
Bob Wilke comes to town in a real bad mood;he wants to kill Griffith but
likes to make him sweat first.Joel is out of town. Its a great little episode.
This is a “lost” TV series and what I have seen of it (mostly in poor quality)
has been rather impressive;strong,dark adult tales. Like most series from that
era its flooded with great guest stars;and young “hopefuls” like James Coburn
and Robert Vaughn.I am still in hope Timeless Media will deliver the goods
someday.
Backtracking somewhat: Toby and Blake did either of you catch up with
THE OREGON TRAIL; I would just love to know what you think.
Have NOT gotten around to Oregon Trail yet.
Masterson Of Kansas arrived Saturday. It’s quite nice.
Thanks John K. Looks like I’ve run into a bit of a wall. I’m a bit of a Luddite myself, already mentioned my still using rotary phones and I don’t use a DVR or do any cyberspace downloading. I was one of the first though to use a laser disc player and I was also one of the few who first used DVD recorders. And that’s what I still use, DVD recorders. I like to be able to actually hold the movie/tv show in my hands and know it’s existence doesn’t depend on the good graces of my computer. So no dowloading here either. But if your mystery guest digital friend wants to do a DVD trade and he’s got an uncut “Lone Hand” I’d be happy to talk with him. Have List Will Email is my motto. If Toby wants to put us in touch we’ll talk. Thanks Again.
By the way I do have some Witchita Town episodes too. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of episodes around. But somewhere someone must have all episodes. Hopefully they will make it to official release sometime.
Hello Johnny Guitar – I am John K’s not-so-very mysterious ‘digital friend’.
You can reach me at abheliosgraphics@talktalk.net. Maybe we can set up
a trade or two?
John K., I haven’t seen THE OREGON TRAIL yet. It’s not at the top of my list and if Eddie Brandt’s out here in the valley gets it (they have everything and Westerns were always a specialty) I may just rent it to see because I want to buy those other MacMurrays that I know I favor.
We’re still in the aftermath of moving/unpacking so not buying much right now but did buy WAY OF A GAUCHO and THE RAID recently. And Warner Archive has 5 for 50 Columbus Day sale today so I’m going to get in before the end of the day and get some Raoul Walsh Westerns I don’t have and maybe one or two other movies. 5 for 50 is always a good day to hit that want list and I’ve done it before.
Speaking of Eddie Brandt’s (those in Southern California will know it and lots of others do too), Johnny G. will think I’m crazy for this but at one time I had mint condition VHS tapes from the masters of the complete THE WESTERNER, great Sam Peckinpah series from 1960. After watching it all through a few times I gave it to Eddie’s as a gift just because they’d always been so nice to me and also so others could see the shows, which were hard to see then. I did make condition I could take them free to watch for myself anytime if I wanted to.
Judging by the handful of episodes that circulate, WICHITA TOWN was a terrific, almost-existentialist little TV western, produced (without screen credit, I believe) by screenwriter Richard Alan Simmons, which may explain why it’s so good.
It was a Mirisch Bros./Joel McCrea co-production, which probably means that MGM (as the successor of United Artists, which bought the Mirisch Company) controls it now, unless McCrea was smart enough to own the copyright. Either way, probably not on the top of anybody’s list even for a MOD release, sadly. It could be the best TV western that’s still out of circulation, even among collectors.
I’m dying to see those.
I am sort of going “off topic” (just for a change!) but on Lauras blog
it is mentioned that Warners are going into some sort of distribution deal
with Paramount.
Probably VERY wishful thinking but could it be that someday soon
the Warner Archive will have access to all those wonderful Republic
titles.Not to mention unreleased Paramount gems like RED MOUNTAIN
and FLAMING FEATHER to name but two. Then there are non-Westerns
that we all want like HELLS ISLAND.Then there is all that Regalscope stuff.
Its probably just me having a delusional senior moment………seem to have
more and more of those these days!
I’ve been waiting to post something on this till some specifics turn up. Sounds pretty promising, doesn’t it?