Posted in 1954, Ernest Borgnine, Music, Nicholas Ray, Republic Pictures, Sterling Hayden on February 28, 2013| 2 Comments »
Here’s The Longboards, a Surf band from Bilbao, Spain, doing a beautiful cover of Peggy Lee and Victor Young’s theme from Johnny Guitar (1954). The Norwegian band The Spotnicks released a great version of this back in 1962.
And since we’re on the subject of Johnny Guitar, here’s an interview with Ernest Borgnine where he brings it up.
Posted in 1952, 1954, 1956, Ben Johnson, Dale Robertson on February 27, 2013| 14 Comments »
Heard last night that Dale Robertson has passed away. He had a very likable screen presence and by all accounts was a really nice man.
Despite making some excellent 50s Westerns, such as The Gambler From Natchez (1954) and A Day Of Fury (1956), it was on TV that he really made his mark — as Jim Hardie in Tales Of Wells Fargo. As a kid, he really impressed me in the TV movie Melvin Purvis G-Man (1974) — a role Ben Johnson played in John Milius’ Dillinger the year before.
The photo above is from The Silver Whip (1952). It is a crying shame that A Day Of Fury isn’t on DVD.
Thanks to Stephen Bowie for relaying the news.
Posted in 1952, 1954, 1956, 1959, Barbara Stanwyck, Howard Hawks, John Sturges, Kirk Douglas, Making Movies, Mara Corday, Republic Pictures, Rex Allen, Richard Widmark, Robert Mitchum, Ronald Reagan, Roy Rogers on February 25, 2013| 7 Comments »
Rex Allen and Roy Rogers, somewhere on the Republic lot.
Mara Corday studies the Raw Edge (1956) screenplay.
Donna Reed and Richard Widmark at work on Backlash (1956). That’s John Sturges obscured in the ball cap.
Howard Hawks shows Kirk Douglas how to do a fight scene for The Big Sky (1952).
Ronald Reagan and Barbara Stanwyck discuss the arms situation on the set of Cattle Queen Of Montana (1954).
Satchel Paige and Robert Mitchum shoot the breeze between takes on The Wonderful Country (1959).
Posted in 1953, Budd Boetticher, Festivals, screenings, Glenn Ford, Julie Adams, Universal (International) on February 22, 2013| 3 Comments »
To mark the anniversary of the siege of the Alamo, The Egyptian is running Budd Boetticher’s The Man From The Alamo (1953), starring Glenn Ford and Julie Adams.
It’s good. It’s in 35mm. And Miss Adams will be in attendance.
Saturday, February 23, 7:30PM
The Egyptian Theatre
6712 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90028
Posted in 1952, Jane Russell, Making Movies, Roy Rogers on February 19, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Frank Tashlin
(February 19, 1913 – May 5, 1972)
Today would’ve been writer-director-genius Frank Tashlin’s 100th birthday. Here he is (second from right) on the set of Son Of Paleface (1952) with Jane Russell, Cecil B. DeMille (who has a cameo in this scene) and Bob Hope.
A number of people have written in to say they don’t like comedy Westerns (or is it Western comedies?). But every so often, I have to pay tribute to this film. It’s hysterically funny, Roy Rogers is terrific in it, and Ivan likes it as much as I do. One of my favorites.
Posted in 1956, Books, Budd Boetticher, Lee Marvin, Randolph Scott on February 19, 2013| 7 Comments »
Lee Marvin
(February 19, 1924 – August 29, 1987)
Finally seeing Budd Boetticher’s Seven Men From Now (1956) set me off down the trail that would lead to this blog and its book-in-progress namesake. It’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, Western or otherwise.
A huge part of the film’s success is our birthday boy, Lee Marvin. With scenes like the one above, there was no way he was going to remain a character actor. And as we all know, and as films like The Professionals (1966) and Point Blank (1967) prove, he wouldn’t stay one for long.
This’d be a good day (especially since it’s raining here in Raleigh) to curl up on the sofa with that new Marvin biography.
Posted in 1956, Books, John Ford, John Wayne on February 19, 2013| 3 Comments »
Here’s a book I’m looking forward to, The Searchers: Making Of An American Legend by Glenn Frankel. It covers the connection between an actual abduction case (Cynthia Ann Parker was taken by the Comanches when she was nine), Alan LeMay’s novel and, of course, what it often held up as the greatest Western ever made, John Ford’s The Searchers (1956).
Glenn Frankel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and his former employer, The Washington Post, likes his book. Their review is here. An earlier piece on The Searchers can be found on his website.
Posted in 1956, 1957, Columbia, Delmer Daves, DVD reviews, releases, TV, etc., Ernest Borgnine, Glenn Ford, Van Heflin on February 15, 2013| 14 Comments »
Delmer Daves’ great 3:10 To Yuma (1957) arrives on Blu-ray from Criterion on May 14. A key 50s Western, one of Glenn Ford’s greatest performances (though some don’t like him being a bad guy), yet another masterful turn from Van Heflin, one of the best-looking black and white movies ever (thanks to Charles Lawton Jr.) and just an all-around swell thing.
Ford and Daves had already worked together on Jubal in 1956, which added Technicolor, CinemaScope and Ernest Borgnine to the mix. Criterion’s serving that one up, too.
Thanks to Mr. Richard Vincent for making my day with this news.
Posted in 1950, Anthony Quinn, Barbara Stanwyck, DVD reviews, releases, TV, etc. on February 14, 2013| 1 Comment »
The word is that hundreds of Criterion titles will be available on Hulu for free over the weekend. There are some very, very great films in that list — from Wages Of Fear (1953) to Kubrick’s The Killing (1956) to Le Cercle Rouge (1970) and beyond.
One I’d particularly recommend is Anthony Mann’s The Furies (1950) starring Barbara Stanwyck and Walter Huston (in his last role).
Posted in 1956, Forrest Tucker, Lippert/Regal on February 12, 2013| 5 Comments »
Forrest Tucker
(February 12, 1919 – October 25, 1986)
To commemorate his birthday, here’s a still of Forrest Tucker from the Regalscope picture The Quiet Gun (1956). One of the better Regals, and one of Tucker’s better parts of his many 50s Westerns, it’s shame it’s so hard to see. (I have a pan-and-scan copy that I can’t make myself watch.)
50 Westerns From The 50s. 