Directed by Sidney Salkow
Starring George Montgomery, Richard Boone, Sylvia Findley, Peter Graves, Warren Stevens, William Hopper, Leo Gordon
Let’s not forget Robbers Roost (1955), announced for Blu-ray by Kino Lorber. It has an official release date of December 1. It’s a solid George Montgomery picture, based on a novel by Zane Grey, with a terrific cast. The cinematography by Jack Draper looks great. Draper worked on a lot of Mexican films, or American films shot in Mexico, such as Budd Boetticher’s Bullfighter And The Lady (1951) and this one, which was filmed around Durango.
50 Westerns From The 50s. 
Yep!
I’m signed up already.
Some of these vintage Fifties films are looking stunning on
Kino Lorber Blu Rays.
The MGM MOD was ok but this will be far,far better.
Sidney Salkow must be the most variable director in Hollywood
history some of his films are really slack while others are rather good.
I would love to hear Blake Lucas’ take on Salkow.
I guess George Montgomery had the same deal with Leonard
Goldstein as did Joel McCrea on STRANGER ON HORSEBACK i.e
he had sole choice of director.
Salkow had already directed two of George’s best Columbia Westerns
THE PATHFINDER and JACK McCALL DESPERADO.
Plus,they both had Eastern European roots.
Leonard Goldstein only made three films under his own imprint before
his untimely passing…. all good ‘uns.
The other film was the blistering Noir BLACK TUESDAY directed by
Hugo Fregonese. BLACK TUESDAY marked a sensational return to form
for Edward G Robinson.
With the rate Kino Lorber are releasing old United Artists titles hopefully
BLACK TUESDAY will not be too long appearing on Blu Ray.
Apart from the three Montgomery Westerns mentioned other good
Salkow flicks worth catching are CHICAGO CONFIDENTIAL and
RAIDERS OF THE SEVEN SEAS.
One of Salkows very best features TWICE TOLD TALES is also
coming from Kino and it’s going to look beautiful in high definition.
This was Edward Small’s attempt to cash in on the Corman Poe flicks
and it’s incredibly well done with Vincent Price riding herd over a
superb B Movie cast.
Paging Mike Kuhns………
I am told by a very good source that the recent Italian DVD of RED
MOUNTAIN is very good quality wise….according to Amazon Italy it’s
region free. The same imprint have also released the Charlton Heston
Western THE SAVAGE
George M did a great job in TEXAS RANGERS as well. That and DAKOTA LIL may be his best western movies. George seems like a very likable guy but his stiff reading of lines, in a lot of his characters, kept him out of many better movies. CIMARRON CITY has a lot of good episodes and worth checking out from Timeless/Shout Factory.
I already have this movie on DVD ,but it will be good for anyone who wants it on Blu Ray .For me though I would rather see some more of his films released on DVD ,like FORT TI, BELLE STARR’S DAUGHTER ,INDIAN UPRISING etc.
Thanks John K, I’ll check it out.
SIDONIS-CALYSTA 2016-2017( without guarantee):
the desperadoes, gunfighters, the walking hills, Coroner creek, Buck and the preacher, ride beyond vengeance,the great sioux massacre, Arizona raiders, the quick gun, the wild westerners, the legend of Tom Dooley, face of a fugitive, good day for a hanging, the hard man, reprisal !, 3h to kill, last of the comanches, California conquest, the last posse, Cripple creek, indian uprising, brave warrior, when the redskins rode, stage to Tucson, Al Jennings of Oklahoma, relentless, last of the redmen, the renegades (all Columbia)
badlands of Dakota, Geronimo (1939), lady from Cheyenne, Tombstone,the town tootough to die, he rides tall (Universal)
fighting man of the plains, Canadian Pacific, cariboo trail (20th century Fox)
Chip ,some good titles in there .As for the forced sub titles ,since Sidonis insist on putting them on ,I guess we’ll just have to put up with them for now ,if we really want a certain title.
A great list Chip….if only Sidonis could do something about
those “forced” subtitles.
Were it not for them I would without hesitation buy CRIPPLE CREEK,
FACE OF A FUGITIVE,INDIAN UPRISING,WHEN THE REDSKINS RODE,
STAGE TO TUCSON,RELENTLESS,RENEGADES,THE HARD MAN
and REPRISAL! CALIFORNIA CONQUEST…the rest I have..
HE RIDES TALL really hurts…I’ve been after a high quality version
of that one for ages. I’m glad Sidonis are making so much money
they don’t need my business FORCED SUBTITLES SUCK!!!!!
To add even further insult to injury Sidonis also have announced
Blu Ray editions of COMANCHE STATION and THE LAST WAGON.
In 2016 my money is going to Elephant Films France who have
announced a whole raft of Universal goodies including,I believe
NIGHT PASSAGE on Blu Ray. Brilliant transfers with no subtitle problems.
Colin has informed us Simply Media in the UK will release
THE LONE HAND and BLACK HORSE CANYON sometime in 2016.
Before anyone gets too excited I am willing to bet that Sidonis
FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS will be the black & white version. 😦
I’ve almost given up hope of getting FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS in a good color version. At this point I’ll take a very high quality B&W version. LONE HAND would be nice to have.
John K ,according to Amazon UK ,BLACK HORSE CANYON will be released on April 18 and LONE HAND on July 4 .
Off topic…………
This is Hannibal 8 territory but as they are in a non
Sci-Fi Horror mode;James Bond and stuff,at the moment
I thought I’d include this here.
I know a lot of the FWOTF crew (Posse?) like Sci-Fi Horror
stuff so In thought I’d comment on the German Blu Ray of
THIS ISLAND EARTH.
It’s been generating a lot of comment over at DVD Savant and
I’ve e-mailed Mr Erickson regarding this.
Anyway some folks think the German Blu is wonderful……I don’t.
The color is decidedly off and on my player at least the thing
reverts to German subs at times despite having disabled them.
The quality is not horrendous..far from it but it’s most definitely not
from a new High Def master. It’s OK nothing more and way below the
quality of Blu Rays from Koch Media and Sidonis.
I understand this Sci-Fi classic is coming on Blu Ray in 2016
from Elephant Films France. My advice is wait for that version as
everything I’ve had from Elephant so far has been stunning in
terms of high quality.
BTW back to Chip’s Sidonis list I might mention that I’d even
go for THE LEGEND OF TOM DOOLEY and THE WILD WESTERNERS.
I adored that one as a kid because I was on a mega Duane Eddy
kick at the time.
” the wild westerners ” (fureur à l’ouest) is for me the worst of the list,but ” brave warrior”, ” when the redskins rode” and ” last of the redmen” , i don’t know, never saw these movies.
Chip ,BRAVE WARRIOR ,the full movie is on U TUBE if you want to get an idea about the story .
A lot of the forthcoming titles I have on DVD-R from one bootleg source or another but would love to upgrade CANADIAN PACIFIC, THE CARIBOO TRAIL, GUNFIGHTERS, CRIPPLE CREEK and REPRISAL. I have a pretty nice DVD-R of THE HARD MAN. The Spanish DVD was atrocious. Looking forward to STAGE TO TUCSON and TUCSON, THE TOWN TOO TOUGH TO DIE.
TCM released a Randolph Scott set a couple of years ago that included THE WALKING HILLS and CORONER CREEK, but it’s out of print now.
John K,
I ordered RED MOUNTAIN from Italy. I passed on THE SAVAGE until I can see some comments about picture quality. I also ordered LAST OF THE COMANCHES (one commenter said picture was good, another not so good, but it can’t be worse than my DVD-R).
Also ordered UNTAMED to replace by DVD-R, TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST, and a BLU-RAY of ARABESQUE. 5 titles makes it worth the shipping charge.
Mike Kuhns ,I’m glad I have a copy of the TCM Randolph Scott westerns collection .I noticed that Classicflix said when it was released that all movies were new to DVD which is not quite correct as 7th CAVALRY was on DVD. Maybe they were referring to the US market .That collection didn’t stay in print for long ,which is unfortunate .
Thanks ! gcwe 1
Chip,
The Sony MOD (USA) of BRAVE WARRIOR was stunning regarding
picture quality-it certainly raises the film several notches.,
This bodes well for the Sidonis release which should be equally good.
LAST OF THE REDMEN is arguably George Sherman’s worst Western-
you know you are in trouble when Buster Crabbe gives the best
performance in a film. Michael O Shea hopelessly miscast as Hawkeye.
WHEN THE REDSKINS RODE I have never seen and really want to;
I like “Colonial Westerns”
I know I keep complaining about Sidonis’ “Forced Subtitles” but apart
from that they are a class imprint-dual layered discs and generally excellent
picture quality.Very nice graphics as well.
I cannot get too excited about Simply Media Uk a low rent outfit with
truly abysmal graphics-when will these companies learn-decent graphics
sell DVD’s……to me at least.
Sidonis have certainly filled in lots of the unreleased Columbia titles
but I’d like to add a few that I am after to complete my collection.
Missing George Montgomery
TEXAS RANGERS (Phil Karlson)
THE PATHFINDER (Sidney Salkow)
JACK McCALL DESPERADO (Sidney Salkow)
FORT TI (William Castle)
Missing William Castle
JESSE JAMES VS THE DALTONS
THE LAW VS BILLY THE KID
MIssing Fred F Sears (Toby’s fave!)
FURY AT GUNSIGHT PASS
Missing Rory Calhoun
THE DOMINO KID (Ray Nazzaro)
UTAH BLAINE (Fred F Sears)
There are others but the above form my “Most Wanted” titles.
The shame of it all is generally Sony (Columbia) archives are in very
good shape so these Sidonis releases should look stunning.
Explosive Media in Germany (no forced subs there!) also have a deal
with Columbia but are not really releasing the titles I crave so far
apart from the forthcoming Blu Ray of GUNMAN’S WALK
Mike-
Do you have the technology to disable forced subs (which means
burning another disc) or are you happy to put up with them just
to get the opportunity to see these rare films?
I put up with the forced subs. I just ignore them. I’d prefer not to have them, but they don’t bother me nearly as much as some. I just relish the opportunity to have these wonderful movies in good condition. I’d gladly accept forced subs if they’d give me some of those Republic westerns which are being released in Germany—but with the original English soundtrack and subtitles in French.
Richard Oravitz , I just received and watched MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH .This was cleverly put together .I watched it with the subs turned on so I could tell what movie it was and what year it was made .It gave me a chance to see what these movies were like because I don’t have a lot of westerns from the 1930s and 1940s ,only ones that are on compilations. I would like them to do a similar movie ,only using clips from later westerns ,however they would probably have to use public domain ones.
gcwe1, glad you enjoyed MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH. The real beauty of this compilation film is that cowboy stars like Tim McCoy, Bob Steele, Ken Maynard and all of the many others usually made 8 to 10 movies a year in the 1930s-40s, cheap movies that often repeated the same stock situations; riding into town, saloon brawl, chase sequence, shootout in town, etc. It’s fun for fans of such stuff to get to see all of their cowboy heroes acting as though appearing in the same film together, going through the same motions, vanquishing the mysterious outlaw leader, meting out justice and saving the day. It was a much simpler time before the Western became more adult themed in the Technicolor 1950s. I enjoy both eras.
I bought that MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH dvd a couple years back, but I’ve been holding off watching it till I got more familiar with the western matinee type westerns (which until a couple years ago I had not seen before (other than John Wayne’s early westerns). I’m now a lot more familiar with these type westerns but am still putting off watching the MEANWHILE… disc till I’m even more familiar with more of these western stars of the Saturday afternoon screens.
All these movies that I’ve seen mentioned here coming out overseas would be great except they’re in PAL format. Unless I can watch it on my regular DVD player I try to avoid it at all costs. (I have gotten many PAL discs before but I always have to transfer them to NTSC DVD-R so I can watch them in the future without having to rely on a PAL player always working.)
As for the Randolph Scott TCM set, I didn’t know they already stopped selling it, boy that was really fast. I’m glad I didn’t wait. Same bad news goes for the great looking RAWHIDE complete series box set that came out just this past summer. It has already been discontinued and now is only available for $700 on Amazon. Wow, these things are coming and going ridiculously fast nowadays.
Lesson? If you see it, buy it and buy it now or forever hold your peace.
Hmm, just posted another brilliant and insightful comment and POOF it’s disappeared. Now I’m so mad I don’t feel like posting it again.
Chip, i just received a reply from a contact at Sidonis DVDs .He said they are closing a 30 title deal with Colombia which will be mainly westerns but also a few noirs and adventure films .This will happen in 2016 and early 2017. I also asked about a colour version of FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS and he is going to check on this and get back to me.
Great news. Fingers crossed, prayers said, salt over shoulder for a color copy of FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS.
Mike,
It’s very interesting to know that you are able to cope with the
forced subs.I’m certainly getting round to that way of thinking,
especially considering the ultra rare films Sidonis are releasing.
What I’ve done in the past is get a friend to get rid of the subs,
burn another disc and keep the de subtitled disc in the Sidonis
Amray case with the original disc.
In the past I’ve after time generally sold the original on my Amazon
account (which I’ve now closed BTW)
Having said that there films that I am desperate to get in high quality,
so I guess I will run with the Mike Kuhns Method”
I do have very good “off air” copies of the following so I will not be getting
these,but would if not for those darned subs.
CRIPPLE CREEK,RELENTLESS,RENEGADES,and CALIFORNIA
CONQUEST.
The latter film is a real oddity it looks stunning with some jaw dropping
scenery. The darn thing ends all of a sudden almost as if they had
run out of budget-after all it is a Sam Katzman production.
I think on imdb,or somewhere I read that Cornel Wilde was paid a
whacking $80,000 bucks,surely way beyond Katzman’s usual rate.
The film is a curio to be sure but a gorgeous looking one.
As an add on to the above,obviously I do have Sony MOD
versions of films like BRAVE WARRIOR and THE LAST POSSE.
I thought all these films would eventually surface on the Sony MOD
imprint which is looking less and less fit for purpose as time goes by.
I must say all the films I have had on the Sony MOD imprint have been
beautiful remastered copies.
It would be wonderful if Sony could lease those “missing” gems to
Mill Creek a company they do have some sort of arrangement with,
which at the moment only covers previously released stuff.
The films I am most desperate to get are REPRISAL! and THE HARD
MAN. I have decent 4×3 copies of these films but I’m pretty sure the
Sidonis versions will be in widescreen.
I am also very keen to get STAGE TO TUCSON in top notch
quality and WHEN THE REDSKINS RODE which I have never seen and
am very keen to.
All of this begs the question if Sidonis can secure a deal like this why
not some USA company…VCI for instance.
As far as the Universal stuff goes I will most certainly be up for the
excellent TOMBSTONE,THE TOWN TO TOUGH TO DIE and at long
last HE RIDES TALL…in widescreen.
In closing I thought with the dawn of the MOD era we would see all these
films surfacing but sadly only Warner Archive have the right approach
to classic movies.
I might add that I am amazed that Sidonis have not considered
SADDLE TRAMP and RAILS INTO LARAMIE neither have had a DVD
release anywhere on the planet.
This has turned into a great thread and thanks to everyone for their
most useful contributions.
Johnny,sorry your previous post got “lost in Cyberspace” sure would
have loved to read it.
Another afterthought is how wonderful it would be if Kino-Lorber
had some arrangement with Columbia (and Paramount/Republic)
Eventually they are going to run out of titles from the United Artists
and AIP vaults especially at they rate they are cranking them out.
As this thread started as a Kino Lorber new release of a Leonard
Goldstein Production it’s most interesting to note that Mr Goldstein’s
closest business associate Robert L Jacks continued in the same
vein making good movies after Mr.Goldstein’s passing.
One of his best is A KISS BEFORE DYING (1956) which many consider
Gerd Oswald’s masterpiece.Toby however would beg to differ and
cite FURY AT SHOWDOWN but hey…no matter.
Anyway those cats have just announced a new high def version of
Oswalds disturbing film,so that’s good news.
Furthermore,and now we dip into Hannibal 8 land Kino have just
announced a high def version of THE 4D MAN.
I have never seen this one it got a very limited release in the UK
the film is from the guy who gave us THE BLOB so what’s not to like.
I’ve always thought Robert Lansing was criminally underrated and
should have been a much bigger star.
I’ve always wondered whether Robert Lansing ever laughed or maybe cracked a smile. Movies, TV that guy never had a light hearted moment.
The country is so desperate for Westerns, Entertainment Weekly listed the 25 best Westerns of the past 25 years, and the list included BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, BACK TO THE FUTURE III, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, RANGO, ALL THE PRETTY HORSES, and AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS. Without passing judgement on the quality of any of the films, I think it’s safe to say these aren’t most people’s ideas of Westerns. I think some of Tom Selleck’s and Sam Elliott’s TV westerns and LONESOME DOVE and theatrical releases like GERONIMO: AN AMERICAN LEGEND and QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER would better fit the bill.
gcwe 1, I saw ” fighting man of the plains ” (l’homme de Kansas city) in 1965 , in a parisian theater, copy black and white. I have the spanish dvd, also in black and white, the movie is cinecolor.
It would seem that the German Film Jewels version of
WOMAN OF THE NORTH COUNTRY is black & white only,as well
as having a German only soundtrack.
This does not bode well for RIDE THE MAN DOWN I’m afraid.
I am giving this imprint a wide berth in future’
Another dodgy German imprint would seem to be White Pearl who
have just released two Audie Murphy Westerns on Blu Ray (SIERRA,
DRUMS ACROSS THE RIVER) No Universal logos on the packaging
and negative feedback on Amazon de.
The very best German imprints are Explosive Media and
Koch media…you really cannot go wrong with those guys.
A new UK imprint,to me at least is 101 Films.
Lots of Westerns,mostly available elsewhere.
Good customer feedback on Amazon UK.
Lovely cover art,in most cases,I really like the artwork
for THE IRON SHERIFF and in particular WAR DRUMS.
They have announced George Sherman’s COMANCHE which as
far as i know is not available in the USA or the UK.
I do hope it is the widescreen version.
Mike Kuhns,
A pal loaned me his copy of the Italian RED MOUNTAIN
and it’s in pretty good shape…lovely saturated colors and
imperfection free.
It looks like it might be a transfer from Netflix or some high-def
streaming outlet. OK it’s not as good as say,Paramount’s
“official” DVD of BRANDED from several years back,but it’s still
pretty darn good.
I think you will be very happy with it,and it will certainly do until
maybe,someday a Blu-Ray surfaces.
It’s certainly not a legit release-no mention of Paramount on the
packaging.
Leave It To Beaver!
Hey I’m more American than I think 🙂
Off topic,but earlier I mentioned there have been
differing opinions about the quality of the new Blu-Ray
from Germany of the Sci-Fi classic THIS ISLAND EARTH.
Well despite several folks at DVD Savant giving it the “thumbs up”
DVD Beaver are underwhelmed,to say the least.
I fully agree with the DVD Beaver review in every aspect.
This title has been announced by the excellent imprint Elephant
for 2016 and hopefully it will be on Blu-Ray.
This great Universal Sci-Fi classic needs a top notch restoration.
Thanks, John. I’ll be happy to have a good copy of RED MOUNTAIN.
I have a copy of Comanche from 101 Films on the way and will report back in due course.
BTW, Simply HE, who are releasing those McCrea titles later in 2016 seem to be open to suggestions – couldn’t hurt to drop them an email and mention what stuff we’d like to see.
The only reviewer on Amazon UK of the new Comanche DVD, complains about the black bars top and bottom of the picture, so I guess it’s a widescreen print.
It will be widescreen for sure – the BBFC paased it for distribution as such. I’m curious to see whether or not it’s anamorphic.
Hello Colin, my Comanche DVD arrived today, unfortunately it is not anamorphic. It is letterbox with black bars top, bottom, left and right. To make things worse, what picture you can see looks like a video transfer. It reminds me of some of the bad Spanish DVDs I had misfortune to buy.
I own four titles from 101 Films previous western set, all excellent prints, Comanche is their worst ever. I am now thinking of a good excuse to send it back. Sorry for the bad news.
Thanks for the feedback, Mike, even if it’s not particularly good news. My copy hasn’t turned up yet and I’m going to have to think about whether or not I’ll keep it now.
Just to backtrack on Columbia Pictures it’s interesting that
Mill Creek Entertainment (who are re-issuing stacks of Columbia
titles) have just announced a six film collection “Tales From The
Prison Yard.”
All this for under ten bucks.
I think four of the films are of special interest CITY OF FEAR,
CONVICTED, and two from our enigmatic host’s fave Fred F Sears:
ESCAPE FROM SAN QUENTIN and CELL 2455 DEATH ROW.
I don’t entirely share Toby’s championing of Sears’ Westerns,but I
do like his Sci-Fi stuff and some of his thrillers are pretty good too.
CELL 2455 DEATH ROW is one of his best-lightning paced B Movie
bliss! Interestingly lead William Campbell has his kid brother,
R Wright Campbell play his younger self in the film.
R Wright Campbell was known more as a writer than an actor and
worked quiet a bit with Roger Corman,from poverty row stuff
(FIVE GUNS WEST) to more prestige later projects.
Campbell also penned a couple of good Universal Westerns (QUANTEZ,
GUN FOR A COWARD)
According to imdb Cambbell also originated the phrase “la-la land”
Never seen ESCAPE FROM SAN QUENTIN but would sure like to.
The other two films in the set are THE VALACHI PAPERS and
THE LAST DETAIL.
Personally I don’t think those two belong in this set but I cannot
deny it’s a super value package.
I hope Mill Creek consider ganging up some of those George
Montgomery/Sam Katzman type Westerns.
It would be ultra cool if Mill Creek released some of the many
unreleased Columbia Westerns announced by Sidonis.
I would happily pay $20 for any four of those in a set,heaven knows
there are plenty to choose from!
Mill Creek’s prison set is gonna be terrific. Can’t wait for those Sears pictures!
Yep!
Nice to hear from you BTW! 🙂
It’s amazing that you get six films for half of what Sony are charging
for just one film on their MOD releases.
Sorry to be MIA around here. Lots going on these days.
I can always count on you to keep things moving, which is great.
I seem to forget that guys like yourself,Laura and Colin have
Day Jobs.
It’s pretty easy to keep things moving with all the great releases
appearing all over the place.
I still don’t think THE VALACHI PAPERS and THE LAST DETAIL
belong in the Mill Creek set;would rather have had a couple
more Katzman’s…but at that price you cannot knock it.
I’d also prefer more Katzman stuff. But for many people, Detail and Valachi will be the films that make them buy the thing.
Regular contributor Jerry Entract (who is conspicuous by his
absense from this thread) has,through his extensive contacts in
the “digital underground”discovered there is a Warner Archive
Wayne Morris Western Collection” in the works.
I sure hope so!
A couple of the later films should be in widescreen to boot!
These films had a most impressive roster of supporting players:
Beverly Garland,Virginia Grey,Gloria Talbott,Lee Van Cleef and
Claude Akins.
I’m right here, John, as always, reading and taking on board all the useful and interesting info. Generally, I follow rather than generate news on new DVD releases. I guess if you have nothing useful to say…………hence my silence lately.
I am really hoping the rumoured Wayne Morris set pulls together a whole batch of his westerns a la the Bill Elliott set. At any rate it will apparently include the previously unavailable ‘TEXAS BAD MAN’ . Can’t wait!!
Bootleg Blues!
It seems that the majors have stopped bothering about all the
bootleg editions of films that are rife in Europe,Spain in particular.
Llamentol have just bootlegged Kino’s BIG HOUSE USA and even
ripped off the artwork! The Kino version was a very recent release.
OK the big boys can fend for themselves but imprints like Kino need
all the sales they can get to survive.
I refuse to support these Spanish Pirates but each to his own I guess.
As long as Amazon USA keep their prices keen and good outfits like
Moviemars offer great value on imprints like Kino and Olive I’m more
than happy.
This “cloning” of streamed movies I have a totally different opinion
of. I am more than happy to buy Italian bootlegs of films copied from
Amazon prime or Netflix…..RED MOUNTAIN to prove a point.
As Paramount have no interest in releasing their own titles and all
the great Republic films they own; the Italian bootleg route seems
the only option. As I mentioned before the p.q. on RED MOUNTAIN
is very acceptable.
Just key in Joseph Kane on Amazon USA and see all the great
Republic Westerns available on Amazon Prime.
It’s surely only a matter of time before these films turn up in good
quality in Italy and elsewhere.
The high quality bootleg situation can only improve with the
high number of high definition TV stations appearing Worldwide.
I went to order some of those Alan Ladd DVDs from Amazon It like RED MOUNTAIN , BOTANY BAY ,THUNDER IN THE EAST etc Man they are certainly expensive .These may be hard to get . .Almost $40.00 Aus.
I think I,ll wait until the Aussie dollar improves!!!
Did you hear back from Sidonis about the color version of FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS?
Tom ,I have not heard back yet .I have a feeling that the only way we’ll see it in colour is if who ever owns the rights or who ever made it releases it as they would probably have the master ,although I could be wrong.
Mike Richards and Colin , I emailed 101 FILMS to see if they had plans to release a vol 3 western boxset .They said they have no plans at present but with all the titles coming out in 2016 it would probably be only a matter of time before they do release one .
Thanks, but after my recent experience with Comanche DVD, I will be extra careful what I buy from them in future. But as I’ve already said, previous purchases from 101 Films have been excellent.
HEC RAMSEY – Has anyone seen this Richard Boone TV series from 1973? My father bought 10 episodes and said its fantastic. He’s sending to me in a few weeks. Set as a western detective around 1895 – 1900 with fantastic guest stars – Claude Akins, beautiful Marie Windsor, Angie Dickinson, Rory Calhoun, Stuart Whitman, James Griffith, Don Red Barry, etc. Many western stars made their final screen appearance on this show.
Tom,
I think lots of folks are after HEC RAMSEY…I don’t think it’s
had an official release on DVD.
There is an outfit in France called Elephant Films who have a
deal going with Universal lots of titles released or in the pipeline.
Lovely transfers,no”forced” subs and very user friendly menus to
negotiate.
They recently released the much sought after MADIGAN TV series
with Richard Widmark.
Elephant used to mainly concentrate on TV series but now are
releasing many Universal films in lovely transfers.
I am sure eventually HEC RAMSEY will turn up on their radar,unless
there are “rights” issues with Jack Webb’s estate.
I totally agree HEC RAMSEY had an awesome roster of guest stars.
I loved Hec Ramsey as a kid. Would love to see those again.
I’ll have to buy Madigan. Widmark is awesome in crime genre movies & tv. Very underrated and forgotten actor. His performances in noir movies is unbelievably good. Better than his westerns.
No–Widmark’s run of Westerns through 1964 is superb and for me he rates as one of the genre’s top stars, and especially valuable because like a relative few other actors, he could be equally effective as hero or villain or in between.
YELLOW SKY, GARDEN OF EVIL, BROKEN LANCE, THE LAST WAGON, BACKLASH, THE LAW AND JAKE WADE, WARLOCK, THE ALAMO,
TWO RODE TOGETHER, CHEYENNE AUTUMN
That’s everything except his bit in HOW THE WEST WAS WON, which is the most routine role. Ten Westerns that totally hold up to his film noir, all ten outstanding and his presence adds immeasurably–and I yield to no one in my admiration of NIGHT AND THE CITY and PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET.
Really, he’s just one of the most versatile of all American actors. And re the Westerns I’d add that in the 70s, WHEN THE LEGENDS DIE, contemporary rodeo film with an Indian protagonist (Fredrick Forrest), co-star Widmark has one of his best roles ever as Forrest’s hard-driving, hard-drinking mentor and is at his peak.
By the way, the movie MADIGAN directed by Don Siegel is one of my favorite Widmark movies and has as riveting a climactic shootout as you will ever see (unlike today’s overblown action movies, it’s all over in about 20 seconds). Never saw the TV show and I know it’s reputed to be pretty good.
Of course, this is just my opinion, Tom, but I feel pretty strongly about how well he comes over in those Westerns named above, all movies that I’ve never tired of and never will.
Sorry I cannot agree with you Tom that Widmark is an underrated and forgotten movie star. He is as equally well remembered as other stars or should I say major actors of his generation in large movie projects of the 50s/60s. However unlike some he was equally at home portraying heroes or villains or of characters inbetween so showcasing what a versatile actor he was.
Widmark was definitely great as hero or villain. I just don’t see any Widmark movies on AMC, TMC, or TBS anymore. His movies occasionally pop up on the Encore channels, but that’s about it. I like some of the westerns listed above, but his performance in the noirs is awesome. I like seeing Widmark in ANY movie, but It could be that I watched many of his noirs before discovering him in westerns, and like Edmond O’Brien he just seems a little out of place to me in a western.
But I’m so glad that Widmark has other movies & TV that I haven’t seen yet. I’ve been super busy in 2015 but hoping to chase down a lot more old westerns & noir films next year.
I’m especially excited at how many great TV series were made that I have never heard of.
Widmark is not an underrated and forgetten movie star. En France, il a de nombreux admirateurs, I am a Richard Widmark fan.
I’m glad to hear that. Some of the Madigan tv series on Youtube are from French TV broadcasts.
I’m really pleased that Richard Widmark’s revered name has made such a “splash” this far into this thread. Very interested by what Blake had to say.
I agree that the run of westerns he made were remarkable. I am struck by the fact that in all but two perhaps his name was not at the top on the marquee yet in every case he more than held his own, paired as he was by the biggest names in Hollywood.
I know that Blake shares my deep admiration for Robert Ryan as a top “character star” and I would place Richard Widmark alongside him. Both were terrific actors capable of bringing light and shade to all their roles, whether hero or villain (they were never quite fully either). And both men raised any project with which they were associated.
I note that your list halts at 1964, Blake, which I presume intentionally leaves out his starring role in “ALVAREZ KELLY” (1966). I would personally like to additionally mention his fine performance in “DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER” which I thought was a pretty fine TV movie.
Yes, Jerry, I stopped at 1964 because I thought ALVAREZ KELLY was weak, and THE WAY WEST disappointed me too, though I feel like I’d like to see it again sometime. However, I agree DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER was very good and Widmark was again outstanding–all this in spite of the infamous change of directors during production. (It wasn’t a TV movie by the way).
Robert Ryan was the one other actor I most thought of for covering that range from hero to villain and shades in between so well. Robert Mitchum is another one who could do it, though not as often–but I think we all know how effective and disturbing he could be in those occasional villain roles. All three are in my personal top tier.
A few others took exception to that “forgotten and underrated” designation but I didn’t before (and just commented on the Westerns) simply because I was sure he was not forgotten or underrated by anyone here, certainly not by Tom or me or anyone else who has chimed in.
Really, Widmark could be great in any kind of film and doesn’t need to be a Western or film noir–anyone seen “The Cobweb” lately? “Slattery’s Hurricane” “Take the High Ground” “My Pal Gus” “The Bedford Incident”… (off the top of my head)
“PANIC IN THE STREETS” , “RED SKIES OF MONTANA”……..The great list goes on. Actually, I have never seen “THE COBWEB”, Blake. Very elusive film for some reason. Yesterday ( purely by coincidence) I had watched “BACKLASH” and today I will be watching “THE TRAP”.
Although I first saw “DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER” in 1969 on the big screen, for some reason I thought I had read somewhere it had originally been made for TV but then they had decided to release it theatrically, much like “RETURN OF THE GUNFIGHTER” the year before.
Widmark is one of those actors I take for granted. He doesn’t come to mind when I think of the really strong ones, but when I come across one of his films or someone mentions him, I’m struck by how great he often is and what a terrific stack of movies he left us with.
Blake, I’m glad you mentioned The Bedford Incident. What a movie. And it’s nice to know so many of us love Madigan — ever the Don Siegel nut, it’s a big favorite of mine. Love Panic In The Streets, too.
Of his Westerns, I’m partial to Yellow Sky and The Last Wagon.
Now, on to something more important: thanks to you all for keeping this thread going. Sorry to have orphaned this blog a bit lately.
“The Cobweb” “Slattery’s Hurricane” “Take the High Ground” “My Pal Gus” “The Bedford Incident”…I will be looking into watching all of these. Thanks for the input.
The Widmark title that has been overlooked here,
possibly because it was a TV movie and has not been seen in
years is MR HORN (1979)
This epic (for 1979 TV) TV Movie has Widmark on blistering
form as a one legged veteran Indian fighter.
The first half has Widmark and a very on-form David Carradine
dealing with Geronimo and the even better second half has
Tom Horn becoming a killer for hire to wealthy cattle barons and
details his decline into alcoholism. In that respects the film is very
similar to JACK SLADE which we have discussed many times before.
The film is very pro Native American,I might add, and Widmark’s
intense dislike for the military powers that be,is indeed a joy to
behold.
The film was directed by the very interesting Jack Starrett and
produced by Robert L Jacks who I remarked on earlier.
The William Goldman screenplay was originally intended to be a
Steve McQueen vehicle directed by Don Siegel…what a film that would
have been,. When McQueen and Siegel fell out McQueen went ahead
with his own TOM HORN project.
Another Warner Bros project that never happened was JEREMIAH
JOHNSON with Peckinpah directing Eastwood,again what a picture
that would have been.
I like Jack Starrett a lot and would love to see THE GRAVY TRAIN
(1974) get a DVD release.This wonderful crime caper movie has
a perfectly cast Stacy Keach and Frederic Forrest as West Virginia
brothers on a crime spree.
This is a “cult” item waiting to happen and as it has been championed
by Tarantino that hopefully should speed up it’s release.
THE GRAVY TRAIN has Keach,Forrest and Margot Kidder on top
form at the top of their game.
When a mate of mine went to see Widmark giving a Q & A session
at London’s National Film Theatre many years back,sitting behind him
was none other than Christopher Lee.
I am very sorry I missed this for some reason but Mr Widmark was
on great form I understand.Mr Lee also chipped in when Widmark
mentioned a picture they both had a mutual dislike for.
Someone transferred the official VHS of Mr. Horn to DVD-R for me. Excellent western mini-series. I’ll buy an official DVD if it ever comes out.
I heard today that, before he died, Sam Peckinpah was talking about adapting For Whom the Bell Tolls with either Clint or Redford in the lead. Now that would have been interesting.
Larry D. Ball wrote a biography of Tom Horn that clears up much of the confusion about his deeds in Wyoming. The biography has been winning awards everywhere, it’s way western and a fascinating read:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0806151757/sr=1-1/qid=1448133661/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1448133661&sr=1-1
Has anyone seen Richard Widmark in THE LAST DAY from 1975 ? I seen a bit of this on U Tube and it looks ok .I have ordered a copy but I think it may be a DVDr .This thread is moving along at a nice pace.
I watched the first half on Saturday night. Pretty good so far except for Loretta Swit. She should have stayed in MASH.Widmark is very good and I’m doing my best to see him as a western hero and not on the lamb from the mob!
It looks like THE GREY FOX may not be coming to Blu-Ray after all. There’s no longer anything about it on the Panamint site and I can’t find mention of it anywhere. It just sort of disappeared.
Looking forward to this. George Montgomery could ride. There are so many Zane Grey adaptations in need of release, from the days of silents to the 1930s films made by Paramount and starring Randolph Scott and the 1930s films made by Fox starring George O’Brien. Several of the latter are among the best and most significant westerns of the decade. I’ve got O’Brien’s version of Robbers’ Roost (1932) and it’s impressive.
Are you out there, Laura?? George O’Brien! He was certainly considerably more than a B-movie star in the early 30s and his version of “ROBBERS ROOST” was a fine western. He had already had considerable success with other Zane Grey titles such as ‘LAST OF THE DUANES’ & “RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE” and “THUNDER MOUNTAIN” was a couple of years away.
A lot of readers may not be familiar with these because of their vintage but really they are well worth the seeking out and watching. There is a certain ‘freshness’ about some westerns of the 1930s.
This thread has a ‘life’ and could be a Toby Marathon yet!
I vaguely remember Richard Widmark in a British gangster film from the 1940s but cannot recall the name co stars or director Perhaps someone out there can help me out?
RARE GOOD LOOKING TV SHOW ALERT: Has anyone seen the “Heroes & Icons” channel presentations of “Cimarron Strip”? It is EXCELLENT! Until these latest broadcasts I’d only seen faded color and greenish looking versions of the program. It was green and faded on ENCORE & it was even green and faded on the DVD commercial release. But now it’s beautiful bright, accurate color, it’s either been fully restored or these are original elements being used on HEROES & ICONS. Anyway if you’re a fan of CIMARRON STRIP but have been disappointed with the lousy looking prints up until now, now’s your chance to get excellent versions from Heroes & Icons channel. It’s on every Sunday at 7:30 pm EST. A word to the wise.
The entire CIMARRON STRIP restored on DVD:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IS6WQ2S/sr=1-1/qid=1448390937/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1448390937&sr=1-1
highly recommended.
One of the amazon comments from your link says the video quality isn’t the greatest. I held off from buying this because of that comment. Is this the best quality release available for Cimarron Strip?
I haven’t watched all the episodes, but the first two discs look excellent to me, especially for Timeless Media. I think you’ll be pleased.
A careful reading of some of those amazon reviews shows some of reviewers have not actually bought the set, but are assuming the worst based on previous prints from TV showings. One guy’s example of a scene he claims was cut from an episode is not cut and is there on that episode on the DVD.
Additional: I checked the discs. The transfers are excellent. The encode is strong. The picture quality is fine and you’re bound to enjoy it.
Just visited DVD Savant and followed the link over to
Bob Furmenek’s wonderful 3D Archive site.
Just up there is a breathtaking feature on the first year of
Stereophonic Sound in cinemas.
The wonderful press ads Bob has assembled have got me
positively drooling and I’m not just talking about the rather racy
press ad for DEVIL’S CANYON with lovely Virginia Mayo.
“500 men and one woman caged together”
Some sensational double bills here THE MAZE (in 3D) coupled with
HIAWATHA. THE CHARGE AT FEATHER RIVER in widescreen 3D
with a live Les Paul Mary Ford show….WOW it surely cannot get any
better than that.
Then there’s our main thread star George Montgomery in FORT TI in
widescreen 3D supported by the Three Stooges SPOOKS in 3D
Anyone like yours truly who yearns for the “good old days” will be transported
back to those days on Bob’s site….”the Cinema Of Wonder” indeed.
Just amazed by the info provided there as to how many of the
films mentioned were widescreen,some with alternative 1.37 versions.
Any day now,hopefully the ROBBER’S ROOST screen grabs should
be up on DVD Beaver. I should imagine they will compare the Blu Ray
with the DVD vfersion.
Season 3 of Lawman is coming soon from Warner Archive per Home Theater Forum.
(and Hitler’s Children with Tim Holt as well).
The screen grabs for the ROBBER’S ROOST Blu Ray
are up at DVD Beaver and they look pretty impressive.
Sadly’this time they have not done a comparison with the DVD.
Also up is THE GUNFIGHT AT DODGE CITY and comparison
is offered with the DVD which I always thought looked pretty murky,
the screen grabs bear this out.
Another Sidney Salkow flick,one of his very best, TWICE TOLD
TALES is also analysed at DVD Beaver.
TWICE TOLD TALES holds up pretty well against TALES OF TERROR
although the Corman flick had the decided edge of being shot in 2.35
widescreen,as opposed to 1.66.
Having said that Salkow’s film is gorgeous to look at and was shot by the
great Ellis Carter.
Furthermore TWICE TOLD TALES is bolstered by a cast chock full of
B Movie greats.
Just to keep this now “epic” thread going I thought I
would report (if anyone’s interested) on the new German
Explosive Media Blu Ray release of A MAN CALLED SLEDGE.
The transfer from Explosive is sensational and even surpasses their
already high standards.
The lovely Techniscope transfer shines.
For a Euro Western the film is top heavy with American talent.
James Garner,Dennis Weaver,Claude Akins,John Marley,Ken Clark,
Tony Young and director Vic Morrow.
Morrow directs with real energy,it’s a shame he did so little behind the
camera.
The film is a most interesting hybrid of Western and prison break flick.
I loved the beginning as Maverick (Garner) and Gunslinger (Young)
ride into a town during a blizzard.
I enjoyed seeing Garner play a real mean bad-ass for a change.
Weaver and Akins are members of Garner’s gang and Wade Preston
(Colt 45) is a brutal law enforcer on their case.
Hugely entertaining stylish fun.
There’s no accounting for taste…………
I was most amused by regular contributor Richard Oravitz,who
some time back on these pages mentioned that sometimes,he and
his friends have a bad movie,good wine evening.
I recently got the Explosive Media Blu Ray of LAND RAIDERS (1969)
against my better judgement I might add.
Ulrich who runs Explosive is a great Western fan and his company
produces lovely DVD’s and Blu Ray’s.
LAND RAIDERS would only appeal to a dedicated “trash addict”
like myself and should Richard and has friends decide to watch it
they would need a lovely bottle of Chablis Premier Cru to
compensate.
I might add that the transfer from Explosive is wonderful and even
raises LAND RAIDERS several notches.
My main reason for buying LAND RAIDERS is director Nathan Juran,
I’ve never seen one of his pictures I did not like and that includes
LAND RAIDERS.
For a start we have three actors with Greek family roots (Telly
Savalas,George Maharias,George Coulouris) playing Mexicans.
32 year old Jocelyn Lane almost convinces playing an 18 year old.
Veteran Brit actor Guy Rolfe plays a cavalry officer.
And dear Arlene Dahl…whatever possessed her to get involved in this.
(associate producer Roy Rowland directed Arlene in THE OUTRIDERS
and SCENE OF THE CRIME in better days)
Nathan Juran is playing against a stacked deck here but he still manages
to make a pretty entertaining film against all odds. On the plus side
the film is crammed with very well staged action scenes and the
Spanish locations are most attractive.
There are inserts from old Columbia Westerns thrown into the mix
especially from THE GUNS OF FORT PETTICOAT.
The use of stock footage here is not as blatant as other Charles
Schneer productions.
Scnneer and Juran also gave us EAST OF SUDAN which re-cycled tons
of stock footage from THE FOUR FEATHERS.
On SIEGE OF THE SAXON they lifted huge chunks from the Alan Ladd
epic THE BLACK KNIGHT,a film to warm the heart of any trash addict.
The fact that Nathan Juran was able to make decent entertainments of
all these films is testament to his talent even on these “cut and paste”
things.
It goes without saying Schneer and Juran also gave us genuine classics
especially their masterwork THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD.
…john k, I’m amused that you remembered my bad film, good wine festivities. One is coming up soon in Dec. and LAND RAIDERS certainly sounds like a good choice as I do have it on DVD and I haven’t seen it since the 70s. Juran also went by Hertz when he helmed such trash classics as ATTACK OF THE 50 FT. WOMAN and THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS…also up for consideration could be CAPTAIN APACHE, Lee Van Cleef’s atrocious Euro Western from the early 70s. He sings in this one, and the inappropriate title song is simply amazing. There’s also a scene where Van Cleef strips down to his Indian briefs that brought howls of laughter to the theater audience. Throw in Stuart Whitman’s over the top bad boss and Carroll Baker’s slutty tramp and how could it not win over the heart of any true trash buff. Kino Lorber has just put out a new widescreen version of CAPTAIN APACHE and I can’t wait to watch it….and thanks for the Chablis recommendation, sounds like a perfect match for LAND RAIDERS….We usually try to start this thing around 1pm and get in 3 to 4 movies and several bottles of vino while our wives disappear to another room to drink coffee and watch something more respected, like SEABISCUIT or some old Lassie classic. That way I never have to worry about a ride home.
Gosh! An all-night ‘bad’ film show, Richard! Great idea, but how do you stay awake ( who says you do necessarily??)? I’m afraid that these days I’m getting my beauty sleep long before that! Back when I was young though…..
Jerry…we usually start this at around 1 in the afternoon and finish by 9 or 10 in the evening. That way 3 or even 4 movies are usually possible, taking time out for supper and then coffee at around 8pm or so……This is something that we’ve been doing since VHS in the early 1980s, probably for over 30 years now… The idea is not to get drunk and make fun of bad movies, but to discover and enjoy low budget gems while enjoying a few bottles of fine wine, sort of a self imposed snobby (in jest) love of low budget film making…Bad/Trashy films are most likely chosen for their action/horror/exploitative cheapness….We’ve enjoyed everything from the wretched yet enjoyable KILL SQUAD starring Cameron (my favorite Trash actor) Mitchell to Japanese maverick director Seijun Suzuki’s BRANDED TO KILL, an arty 1967 B&W noirish hit man thriller. Doris Wishman’s sexploitater THE AMAZING TRANSPLANT brought the loudest laughs for sheer ineptitude, so much so that our wives barged into the room thinking that we had lost our minds and had lapsed into insanity, and the excellent drive-in classic THE DEVIL’S 8 inspired me so much that I bought the soundtrack on cd…There’s lots to be said for holding bad film good wine festivals over the years. I hope some of you will give it a try. All you need is at least one good friend who likes Trash Cinema, a handful of no-budget classics on DVD to choose from, 3 bottles of good wine and an afternoon/early evening to kill…that usually does it for my “festival” agenda. Once a season, or 3 times a year to avoid overkill and you’ll find yourself always looking forward to cleansing your brain with sheer cinema trash…can’t wait.
Oh – one in the afternoon, Richard!!! That ‘s much better! A great idea that should be tried by all. What wine to go with these movies? A nice Chablis perhaps? Or if the films are ‘Spaghettis’ and there is much blood-letting then maybe a good Rioja?
Hi Richard,
The Seventies were hard times for Lee Van Cleef fans
who religiously followed all his films as they got worse and worse.
I don’t blame Lee for taking the money and running after years
and years being a support player obviously earning a fraction of
what he made with the Spaghetti’s.
GOD’S GUN was a real stinker and may even be too bad for one of
your fun sounding evenings.
GOD’S GUN also starred Richard Boone,who understandably looked
drunk,and Jack Palance-what a waste!
Actually some of those later Van Cleef’s make LAND RAIDERS look
like THE SEARCHERS.
Earlier Lee starred in THE BIG GUNDOWN a great Western by anyone’s
standard.
On the extras on my Blu-Ray the director explained,in one key scene
the light was fading and they had to get the shot when suddenly the horse
who was important to the scene suddenly got “aroused” and the crew were
using buckets of cold water to get the beast to behave.
Eventually he did before the light faded.
You can always count on me to lower the tone of any blog. 🙂
john k…..Yeah, it’s hard to believe that the same actor who played Corbett in THE BIG GUNDOWN & Talby in DAY OF ANGER also played Roy King in BAD MAN’S RIVER, the Father John/brother outlaw characters in GOD’S GUN and the title character in CAPTAIN APACHE!!!…I guess it just goes to show Van Cleef’s diverse acting range, or rather, his slumming it ability.
What were they thinking??? This has always puzzled me, given the talent involved. Frank Kramer or Gianfranco Parolini, aside from GOD’S GUN, made several successful & important later Euro-Westerns, including IF YOU MEET SARTANA, PRAY FOR YOUR DEATH, SABATA and ADIOS SABATA. Gene Martin or Eugenio Martin, aside from BAD MAN’S RIVER made the really excellent BOUNTY KILLER aka THE UGLY ONES with Tomas Milian & Richard Wyler, both giving excellent performances….and, well, CAPTAIN APACHE is a schlock favorite of mine with lots of low class witty toss off lines, and especially weird scenes like when Apache is given drugs and morphs into a brightly lit Mario Bava sound stage. And did I mention the inappropriate theme song? Love it. The whole April Morning plot reminds me of something out of a WILD WILD WEST TV episode (THE NIGHT OF APRIL MORNING) in which James T. West foils an assassination plot on the president while Artie Gordon impersonates President Grant. I kept waiting for this to happen, still…this movie is a guilty pleasure, and bad as it is, and it is, I still enjoy it a lot.
Great scene from CAPTAIN APACHE, as well as I can remember it…Stuart Whitman, the bad (MAYBE?) guy sends this two thugs, one being Percy Herbert, his TV co-star from CIMMARON STRIP, to get rid of a land owner who had been given his last warning to get off of his land. The two ride up and are met by the land owner brandishing a rifle/shotgun. He starts to speak, stating his cause for remaining on his property. Herbert shoots him dead, spot on. The sidekick questions, “Didn’t you want to hear what he had to say?” Herbert retorts, “Nah, these farmers, they all say the same thing.” I howled with laughter as the scene was so well played…the beauty of low budget mayhem.
Good to hear of some love for Nathan Juran,
ATTACK OF THE 50ft WOMAN despite the no budget non special
effects is still engaging,it shows Juran’s ability to make something out
of nothing.Have not seen BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS in many years,
I’d get a Kino Lorber Blu Ray of it in a heartbeat.
On LAND RAIDERS he is billed as Nathan H Juran and with the behind
the scenes stills on the Explosive Blu Ray it at least looks like they were
having fun making the thing.
Another Nathan Juran picture that I have fond memories of is
THE BOY WHO CRIED WEREWOLF (1973) his final feature.
It was also the final feature of producer Aaron Rosenberg,famed
for the Anthony Mann Universal Westerns,among other things.
Though the film was a far cry from Juran and Rosenberg’s glory
days at Universal it’s still pretty entertaining and had a great later role
for Robert Wilke.
THE BOY WHO CRIED WEREWOLF does not seem to be available
on DVD.
john k…One of my earliest memories of theater going was when my dad took me along to see, and I could be wrong here, but it was perhaps Wayne’s THE HORSE SOLDIERS which might have been co-billed with either THE MYSTERIONS or maybe THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD. Lots of years ago and pretty fuzzy. Anyway, I did see Juran’s THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD very, very early in my movie going experience and remember hiding my eyes for many scenes under my hat, a wooly flip up type commie hat. Always loved what little I retained from under the cap, and so THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD has always been a favorite of mine, and rightfully so. Aside from BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS (Agar’s most demented performance) and ATTACK OF THE 50FT. WOMAN (which uses the same stock footage) Juran also helmed the classic DEADLY MANTIS and 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH, as well as for 50s Western fans, the very well-made GOOD DAY FOR A HANGING with a pre-MAN FROM UNCLE Robert Vaughn as a troubled youth. He did some TV stuff in the 1960s, but I’ll always remember him for making me hide behind that furry commie hat watching THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD!
How old are you Richard?I guess you are a little younger than some of us. My earliest recollection of going to the movies, was to see either Tyrone Power in Rawhide or Waynes Rio Grande.
Richard,
You really ought to start your own blog…..The Imbibers Guide To
Terrible Movies….sign me up.
Oddly enough yesterday a low rent, low res,wrong ratio UK TV
channel called Movies4men ran CAPTAIN APACHE last night,
faded color,wrong ratio the Movies4men norm.
I might add anyone who watches a channel called Movies4men
deserves what they get…..I certainly did!
The film is even worse than I remember,terrible direction,script and
Carroll Baker and Stuart Whitman at their all time low.
Whitman,of course did not need the money due to his business
and horse breeding interests,but it was kinda sad to see some of the
junk he got involved with,certainly from the Seventies onwards.
I guess like Lee Van Cleef he just took the money and ran.
A big step down from THE COMANCHEROS and RIO CONCHOS.
Just visited Laura’s site and I see TCM have THE YELLOW
TOMAHAWK slotted for December and I guess it will be the black &
white version. A color neg I understand does exist and Kino Lorber
really should sort this out.
I fear the film might be a tad too fierce for Laura.s taste but the film
does have a great early Lee Van Cleef role as a Cheyenne warrior.
Thomas Milian never thought Lee was much of an actor,but
thought he had wonderful screen presence…..you certainly cannot
take your eyes off him.
If I were to watch CAPTAIN APACHE again at one of Richard’s
wine evenings I would need at least a few glasses of Chateauneuf
du Pape to compensate!
Yesterday for my rainy Sunday afternoon entertainment I ran
DEATH RIDES A HORSE a great Spaghetti made when Lee was still
making good movies.
The first film I remember seeing at the cinema,with my parents
was CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER…I guess I was about 5 at the
time.
In the UK THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD was paired with George
Sherman’s very fine THE HARD MAN.
What is surprising about CAPTAIN APACHE is that Phillip Yordan
and Milton Sperling wrote it; both have a roster of impressive credits.
I guess after the mega flop that was ROYAL HUNT OF THE SUN
Yordan just rode out his career for a fast buck.
The aforementioned Eugenio Martin at least made one of the better
Spanish Co-Production stinkers…I remember PANCHO VILLA being
OK-at least it had four American leads;Telly Savalas,Clint Walker,
Anne Francis and Chuck Conners.
Conners playing a mad military martinet is even more OTT than he was
playing a hophead truck driver in DEATH IN SMALL DOSES.
Sadly DEATH IN SMALL DOSES is too good a movie to be in one of
Richard’s good wine bad movie evenings,in spite of Conners’ antics.
LAND RAIDERS looks like a masterpiece compared to CAPTAIN
APACHE;at least Nathan Juran made considerable effort to try to
make it look like the real thing and unlike CAPTAIN APACHE the
silliness is infectious.
It’s a funny old world where we get Blu Rays of CAPTAIN APACHE and
LAND RAIDERS yet are denied seeing WINCHESTER’73 and
RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY in high def.
A German imprint was hoping to release THE LAST FRONTIER on
Blu Ray but at the moment Sony does not have a high def master
of Mann’s most overlooked,underrated Western.
On a more positive note our German friends have promised us
Blu Ray editions of COMANCHE STATION and RIDE LONESOME in
2016. The lovely CinemaScope compositions in those classics should
look sensational in high def.
.
Richard,
Thanks for the mention of THE UGLY ONES-it’s interesting that
Brit Richard Wyler started his career in Hollywood as Richard Stapley.
This film does not seem to be available on DVD.
I normally focus on Spaghetti/Euro Westerns with American leads
or directors. This is probably an oversight on my part.
It’s interesting that many directors who made good USA Westerns were also
enticed over to Europe. To name a few:Burt Kennedy,Lesley Selander,
George Sherman,John Sturges,Hugo Fregonese,Paul Landres,Roy
Rowland and Edward Dmytryk.
Mill Creek entertainment announced a Blu-Ray double bill of
Spaghetti Westerns both with non American leads but with interesting
casts nonetheless.
Both are unknown to me….FORT YUMA GOLD and EL YANKEE.
This was supposed to be released in November…I hope it still happens.
Richard did you ever see THE DESERTER (1973) I remember it as being
a good “guys on a mission” Western,The film had great credits,script
from Clair Huffaker and directed by Burt Kennedy.
One hell of a cast headed by Eastern European star Bekim Fehmiu.
Cast included Richard Crenna,Chuck Connors,Ricardo Montalban,
Ian Bannen,Brandon de Wilde,Woody Strode,Patrick Wayne,
Albert Salmi and John Huston.
This big budget Euro Western has never even had a DVD release,
typical of Paramount I might add
It’s good to know you also admire ADIOS SABATA the opening
gunfight is one of the most incredible scenes in any Spaghetti Western,
Yul sort of looks like he “owns” the genre in that film…tremendous fun
movie..
Finally Richard thanks for your contributions to The Hannibal 8,
it’s been getting pretty lonely over there-I hope the “traffic” builds up
way beyond the two of us.
.
I watched MAN FROM GOD’S COUNTRY last night and noticed there is a bit of flicker through out the film. It is not my player ,because other movies are ok., Does anyone else have this problem with their copy?
Maybe the main reason for not so many retail DVDs from Paramount and 20th Century Fox is because both companies are now opening their vaults to digital streaming services. Paramount have a new You Tube channel called The Paramount Vault, latest releases to view include Gangs of Chicago and The Phantom Speaks, both Republic, and New Orleans After Dark from Allied Artists.
20th Century Fox have a year long programme to release 100 digital titles to the itunes store, with many titles never having been on video or DVD before.
Both the above are subscription only, and at the moment, are not available outside USA because of copyrights. They now both join Warner Bros, who also have their Warner Archive streaming service, showing some film and TV not yet on DVD.
Another company that has gone quiet on DVD releases is Sony Columbia. Sony own Get TV, and as well as movies, TV series such as Hondo, A Man Called Shenandoah and Laredo are now being shown.
I don’t regard this as anywhere near the end of DVD retail, but it’s definitely a sign of things to come, and just a little worrying for collectors who want to own a retail DVD of a film or TV series.
Some very interesting points there, Mike. I was not aware of those Paramount & Fox streaming services.
Should they become available to us over here I would find them of interest but it is not a future avenue that excites me one little bit. I am of the “collect ’em to watch at my own leisure in my own time” brigade so I certainly hope that DVD retail will continue to exist alongside that.
Firstly,…..congrats to Mike for taking this thread to the 100 mark.
I totally agree with Jerry i have zero interest in streaming and even less
interest in You Tube I too like to own the titles
Paramount have a nerve calling Republic and Allied Artists titles
“The Paramount Vault.”
Fear not dear friends it will not be too long before these “streamed”
films turn up in Europe as bootleg DVD’s….serve ’em right I say!
Yup!
I notice one of the Paramount titles on their You Tube
site is THUNDER IN THE EAST which has already been
bootlegged in Italy and has recently been reviewed by our friend
Colin.
There are no laws against bootlegging in Spain and possibly
Italy and in any case the majors have virtually given up trying to
sue them. You can always tell if a Euro DVD is a bootleg because
there are no company logos on the packaging.
Thank goodness there are companies in Europe that still care
about producing a top quality “official” product for serious collectors
like Explosive,Koch Media and Elephant Films.
They constantly release “official” DVD’s and Blu Ray’s that
the majors don’t seem to want to issue in The States.
I should imagine that Vin Diesel fans couldn’t care less if their film is
streamed,you tubed or whatever but serious collectors of classic films
actually want to add the title to their collection.
Warner Archive is the only MOD imprint worth it’s salt…the Fox MOD series
is a total mess and the Sony one has more or less given up on Westerns.
The Universal Vault thing is OK but could and should do much better.
Ghastly Paramount treat vintage movie fans with total contempt,
they are the last people that should own the Republic catalog.
This copyright issue is really annoying .Does this mean that those of us in Australia and the UK have to miss out because of some stupid copyright law .I mean the films we’re interested in have been out for decades. Yesterday I rang up the TCM shop to order THE ALAN LADD 1940s COLLECTION and was told that they don’t ship to Australia because of copyright .I can’t get it anywhere else because it is a TCM exclusive . Then I noticed on their site something about international shipping so I rang them back and spoke to a different person. This time I was able to get it shipped but it is costing me $AU35.00 ,more then the DVD.
I notice on the Home Theater site that AND NOW TOMORROW has been dropped from this Ladd set due to quality issues with no replacement or price reduction .At least the 2 titles that I want. OSS and TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST are still on there.
Regarding the Paramount issue about not releasing their titles on DVD , as I have mentioned before , a person in the industry told me that the Paramount vaults are in a mess as they had to go there to find material for a project and I did read about a fire there in the mid 90s which caused a lot of damage .
gcwe 1,
The pre 1949 Paramount films are all owned by Universal.
There was a fire at Universal some years back and many films are
presumed lost,notably several key fifties CinemaScope titles.
Universal are rumored to have several ambitious projects in progress,
including Universal Monsters 2-all their second string Monster hits
remastered in high definition..
At least Universal still re-issue classic movies from their vaults and are
more than willing to supply titles to key European imprints.
The recent Turbine Media Germany release of Universal’s wonderful
Invisible Man films had lovely packaging and the transfers were first rate.
Good bootlegs of Paramount films like RED MOUNTAIN,THE SAVAGE and
CARIBBEAN are turning up in Italy so decent masters do exist of the films
Paramount cannot be bothered to release.
Before this Paramount You Tube streaming thing many Paramount
Fifties movies have turned up on Netflix in very good shape.
Warner Bros do have an arrangement where they are releasing OOP
Paramount titles and also Blu Ray upgrades of classic titles
(GUNFIGHT AT OK CORRAL;ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ)
I hope in future we will see Blu Ray upgrades of titles like NEVADA
SMITH,THE SHOOTIST and Sci Fi classics like WAR OF THE WORLDS,
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE and CONQUEST OF SPACE.
A DVD release of THE DESERTER would be nice as well.
I hope this streaming thing means at last we will get decent quality
bootlegs of titles like THE GREAT MISSOURI RAID,FLAMING FEATHER,
WARPATH and THUNDER IN THE SUN.
I know lots of people won’t agree with me but I’d love to see high def
versions of some of the better A.C.Lyles Westerns like TOWN TAMER
and BLACK SPURS. If these films do end up being streamed will they
appear in Techniscope?
Streaming may be the future,but give me the past any day.
Of course streamed movies and Netflix stuff is supposed to be
impossible to copy/bootleg but the “bootleggers” as always are always
several steps ahead of the game.
The sooner the likes of Paramount realise people actually want to buy
their vintage titles the better it will be for all of us.
John K ,I was just wondering if you liked THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW ?I know there is a big following in the UK and there is also THE PHIL SILVERS APPRECIATION SOCIETY over there that I keep in regular contact with .At present they are trying to locate the 35 mm masters for THE NEW PHIL SILVERS SHOW so it can be released on DVD. Apparently his family own the rights to it .Sgt Bilko was one of the all time greatest comedies .I often wonder if Seinfeld copied the scene in the last eposide of Bilko where they all end up in jail .
I would like to see a compilation DVD of A C Lyles westerns some of which I have on DVDr.
Gcwe1, I was also hooked on western shows on TV but I also liked cop shows (M Squad etc). However, I also regularly watched and enjoyed Sgt. Bilko. We grew up on many US TV shows in those far-off days. Bilko was shown in re-runs for years on UK TV.
Jerry Entract , for years we waited for Bilko to get released on DVD and finally season 1 got released . Now we have 2 boxsets .One from the USA and one from the UK which I have .Phil was also great in IT’S A MAD ,MAD,MAD,MAD WORLD ,a must see movie in my opinion if you like comedy. As for comedy westerns ,I am not a big fan , but there are a couple of good ones .
Sorry gcwe1
Bilko was never my thing and sadly I never “got” most American
comedy shows
As a kid I was too hooked on Western shows,any Western in fact,to
ever bother with the likes of Bilko and Lucy.
A box set of the AC Lyles Westerns would be great or even perhaps
six of the very best.
I would certainly like to see releases of these A.C. Lyles productions:
LAW OF THE LAWLESS, YOUNG FURY, STAGE TO THUNDER ROCK and WACO.
Flawed though they may be I’d love to get all 11-14 A.C. Lyles westerns on DVD, personally. But after JOHNNY RENO Paramount gave up them. In fact Paramount hasn’t been doing much of anything with its back catalog. There is a scene in JOHNNY RENO where Dana Andrews rides across the landscape. I think the idea is that he sits tall and straight in the saddle like an honorable lawmen. But Andrews can’t ride, and there’s plenty of air between him and the saddle. He bounces up and down so much his testicles must have taken a beating. I doubt if he could walk for days after that.
Paramount have zero interest in vintage/classic movies.
They are the only major studio without an MOD imprint.
As bad as the Fox MOD thing is and as flaky as the Sony one
now is as least we get something.
Warners are the only studio with the right approach to classic films
with their Archive series the original,and by far the best.
JOHNNY RENO is,arguably the least of the Lyles Westerns,
but the transfer was excellent on the DVD.
If they appeared on Blu-Ray I would probably get most of them.
I often wondered why Jock Mahoney never made one as he is just
about the only second string Western star not to have made one.
Guy Madison and Lex Barker,of course were very busy in Europe at
that time.
I wonder if Lyles tried to get his friend Joel McCrea to appear in one,
if he did ask Joel,I am certainly glad that he declined.
Lyles did get his pal James Cagney to do the narration on one
(ARIZONA BUSHWACKERS ??)
Lyles also got Cagney to direct a cracking little Noir SHORT CUT TO
HELL a re-working of THIS GUN FOR HIRE.
Yet another unheralded gem lurking
Whoops…………
Sorry,technical hitch 🙂
the last bit should have finished…..in Paramount’s vaults!
Well,only the faithful are still with this epic thread,I do hope there
is still some life in it as hopefully within the next few days I should
receive my Blu Ray of ROBBER’S ROOST and would love to report
here on it-has anyone else seen it yet.
Richard,some time back you mentioned a 3D version of GOG,
well that has just been announced on Kino-Lorber’s Facebook page.
I don’t have a 3D TV as yet but I am very tempted by this package as
it also includes the “flat” version in high-def.
I do recall you saying the film is not very good but the 3D effects were
great.
BTW I might add that SHORT CUT TO HELL was James Cagney’s
only stint behind the camera…on the strength of that film it’s a pity that
he did not direct more films.
Richard W,
From past posts you do seem to have great knowledge about
Western history so perhaps you may be able to enlighten me.
As a Limey I don’t have insight into Western accents but in the
older movies the actors often had a more Celtic,Anglo Saxon
influence in their speech.
Nowadays in modern Westerns the actors all seem to speak like
Country & Western singers-you just don’t get that in vintage movies
and certainly not in those wonderful early Buck Jones films.
I don’t know if this makes any sense at all but I’ve just watched the
trailer of the forthcoming JANE GOT A GUN and while the film certainly
looks visually impressive the accents really annoy me…they just sound
way too “modern” with that C & W “twang”
Of course Richard,you may have a totally different take on this.
There is a wave of Westerns at the moment,though I understand
Kurt Russell’s BONE TOMAHAWK has gone straight to DVD.
Leonardo Di Caprio’s THE REVENANT is a huge budget re-working
of the Richard Harris vehicle MAN IN THE WILDERNESS which
was not very good anyway.I would be very surprised if this film finds
much of an audience…but who knows.
Then there is Tarantino’s THE HATEFUL EIGHT in 70mm clocking
in at over three hours.
This sure ain’t the same old range.
.
I’m an academic who instead of teaching dabbled in occasional primary research projects about the American west while earning a living for thirty years on the production side of regional television and live theater. Now I’m too young to retire but too old to be hired. Anyhow, as to your question, you have observant ears. Southerners in the USA like to pretend they live in the west like 19th century cowboys. Except they drive jeeps and pickups instead of riding horses, although a few of them do own horses. What they have in common is a rural way of life, although many of them live in big cities with lawns to cut and high-end stereos to pay for. They have adopted the culture and iconography of the west and introduced their regional accents into the mix (the Australians may taken that even further, however), Historically, the American west was full of accents that came from the eastern seaboard and Europe. Immigrants flooded the country and brought their feuds with them. In fact the southern territories / states received an influx of Cornish and Welsh miners who brought that industry with them. The American west was a place where the English could continue to oppress the Irish and the Irish could shoot them down with impunity. Back to your question, the country-western invasion of the western is not something that can be reversed and I find that kind of western tiresome, mostly. On the plus side, rodeos do well in the southern states as do western films. Nashville is a better market to premiere a western than, say, Los Angeles.
“Then there is Tarantino’s THE HATEFUL EIGHT in 70mm clocking
in at over three hours.” Very few theaters in the USA are equipped with 70mm projectots. You can literally count them on one hand. Most people will see the digital projection. I didn’t know THE REVENANT was a remake of MAN IN THE WILDERNESS. It will fail at the box-office just like all the other movies entitled REVENANT but a write-off may have been the purpose of the whole thing. It might turn out to be a good film, though. I had high hopes for BONE TOMAHAWK but I’m not surprised the studio decided not to release it; studios hate westerns and resent the stars who get involved in them.
Additionally, regarding BONE TOMAHAWK, I understand that 95% of the film is traditional western with a spag influence and that only 5% of it is horror-cannibalism. The audience for westerns doesn’t want to see cannibalism.
Thanks,Richard,
It’s just that I get constantly irritated by what I like to call
“the Kris Kristofferson effect” in today’s Westerns regarding accents.
You just don’t get that in older Westerns-the Westerns of the
Thirties and the Forties are just a different world away.
I even love it in a film like THE MAN IN THE SADDLE a very superior
Randolph Scott Western;when suddenly,when he wants to sound
menacing,Alexander Knox’s accent dips into a delicious Scottish
Brogue.
JANE GOT A GUN looks interesting visually as I mentioned before,
but I guess I’ll just have to live with those accents.
The film from what I have read seems like a re-working of HANNIE
CAULDER (the nadir of Burt Kennedy’s career) and THE ANIMALS.
I actually thought THE ANIMALS was the better of those two possibly
because I’m a die hard Henry Silva nut and enjoyed seeing him
play the good guy for a change
I thought it was OK at the time at least; but Keenan Wynn’s fate
was a cut too far,i thought.
I totally agree THE REVENANT will bomb at the box office but at
least already it’s generating some awards buzz.
Richard,your acerbic take on current day studios attitude to Westerns
is very interesting,at least THE HATEFUL EIGHT is a fairly low budget
film by today’s standards-it cannot fail to make a decent profit.
With their obsession with special effects blockbusters and comic
strip re-workings the budgets are getting larger and larger.
This year has seen some huge flops and one day they will make
one of those $300 million flicks no-one is going to see.
Stars like Johnny Depp are sliding down the ratings-audiences will
only take so much crap.
At least with the Western the loss factor is far less,they are still
cheap to make,by today’s standards-so why do the studios hate them
so much..
Further to what I said above JANE GOT A GUN,according to imdb
has a budget of a mere $25 Million-pretty much a B Movie by today’s
standards-despite from what I understand having a very troubled
production,walkouts,and the like.
Even if no-one goes to see it in a cinema-which is very likely,it should
make it’s money back on DVD/Blu Ray sales/rentals..
I rather like “gals with guns” flicks so at least I’m hooked.
Natalie Portman was the only good thing about COLD MOUNTAIN
and she’s already proved that she can carry a film single handed.
Actually, Kristofferson was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas. That’s deep in the western state. That makes him a western man. One can’t get a more authentic western accent than the one that comes out of Brownsville, Texas. My favorite of his films is THE TRACKER (1988) a much-admired sleeper. It’s a beautiful piece of work on every level:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000059H7K/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=
But I know what you mean. in the 1980s and early 1990s Kristofferson threw in with country-western singers to make several bad films that were popular in the deep south and on home video but detrimental to his career. By that time Burt Kennedy’s career as a director was over, so he threw in with them too and found good employment. It is better to work than not. I can’t agree that HANNIE CAULDER (1970) is the lowest point in Kennedy’s career. That came much later with WHERE THE HELL’S THAT GOLD? (1988) etc. Getting back to HANNIE CAULDER, I like the film. It’s full of original touches and a mordant humor. Perhaps he went too far into sadism with the Three Stooges analogy. But working in Europe with a license to be more adult really freed Kennedy and gave him back some of the inspiration he had been lacking (THE GOOD GUYS AND THE BAD GUYS in 1969, DIRTY DINGUS MAGEE in 1970 were below average films). HANNIE CAULDER is an international western, made by Americans in Spain with Italian money and Italian crews. The film is international in its mentality, too.
“At least with the Western the loss factor is far less,they are still
cheap to make,by today’s standards-so why do the studios hate them
so much..”
I’ve been in long discussions with filmmakers about this. The country has moved on. The western period is long ago and far away and the current generation feels no connection to it. The younger generation running Hollywood sees westerns as the lowest preoccupation of their parents and grandparents during a time when the business was male dominated. They view the genre as an insensitive male fantasy in which women were discriminated against and which had no basis in historical fact. Their Film Studies and Women’s Studies classes at USC and UCLA — the two schools most of the people running the industry come out of — actually teaches this. They think more highly of porn. Too, any film devoid of a bisexual element is irrelevant to the young Hollywood exec who receives his paycheck from the parent company, either foreign Oil or some Communications syndicate. To them, a western is something to buy for grandpa on his birthday but they leave the room if he puts it on. Their preoccupations with Diversity, Political Correctness, and Militant Feminism blinds them to the realities and virtues of the genre. They can’t see it when you show it to them. An independently produced western like BONE TOMAHAWK could make a lot of money if they’d just get behind it the way they do any other film. It’s just heartbreaking, it really is.
I’ve long thought that Hollywood has lost the plot in terms of making mature and watchable movies that don’t pander to early teenage sensibilities.
Their lack of love for the western is their loss.
“HANNIE CAULDER is an international Western made by
Americans in Spain with Italian money…..”
Interestingly HANNIE CAULDER was a project instigated by
Patrick Curtis (Raquel Welch’s then husband) and Tigon Films
of the UK.
Tigon was co-founded by Tony Tenser a former producer of
soft porn flicks. Tenser also co-owned the notorious Compton
Cinema Club in London’s Soho.
Tigon really hit the big time with WITCHFINDER GENERAL,
and Curtis had already produced Michael Reeves’ previous
film THE SORCERERS with Boris Karloff.
Curtis and Tenser were able to arrange a distribution deal
with Paramount for the film’s American release.
Trivia note: Curtis appeared as an infant in GONE WITH THE WIND.
I just emailed Paramount about an A C Lyles boxset or having some of his films put on to DVD. It’s probably a waste of time but if you don’t ask . then you don’t get .I received an automatic reply saying they will respond within 2 weeks.
I will let everyone know what they have to say .Fingers crossed.
Let us know how Paramount responds, if they do.
TOBY ALERT!!!
Our gracious host Mr Roan,has as far as I know, been the only
person to champion the work of the unheralded Brit director
Roy (Ward) Baker.
Baker had a varied and interesting career and even worked in
Hollywood in the early Fifties. These days Baker is probably best
known for his later Hammer and Amicus horror films.
Anyway,it would seem that Rimini Editions in France,early next year
are going to release Baker’s offbeat Western THE SINGER NOT THE
SONG (1961) This is one of the first ever Euro Westerns and clocks in
at over two hours. Film centers on a conflict between a Priest (John Mills)
and a bandit (Dirk Bogarde)
Also in the cast is lovely Mylene Demongeot,always a fave from my youth.
What’s interesting about the Rimini release is that according to Amazon
France,at least is that this release will be in CinemaScope 2.35.
The film has been released elsewhere as a 4×3 and the ‘scope version
was rumored to be “lost”
If the info on Amazon France is correct then this is great news.
Now that’s very interesting info, John. Do you know anything about this label? Is it likely that they’re going to lumber us with the dreaded burnt-in subtitles?
I think this is a marvelously outre western too, by the way.
Colin,
It’s great that you are still with this thread BTW.
Rimini Editions,as far as I know do not have burned in subs on
their DVD’s.
I recently got their Blu-Ray of THE LOST WORLD (1960) and
it’s a wonderful transfer,very user friendly menu and easy to disable
subs.
I have their release of LEFT HAND OF GOD-Blu ray on the back burner
due to the enormous glut of releases at the moment.
I understand that THE SOUND AND THE FURY is due in high def soon.
They seem to be releasing classic Fox films in high def at the moment,
and I hope they might consider THE PROUD ONES at some point.
Sadly THE LAST WAGON has already been slotted on Blu Ray by
Sidonis.
I would have been very intrigued in FURY OF THE APACHES a very
early Euro Western,and reputedly quiet good,featuring Frank
Latimore. Latimore was a Fox Forties Hollywood star who later
in his career worked mainly in Europe-he even did a couple of
Spanish Zorro flicks.
Sadly FURY OF THE APACHES does not have an English soundtrack,
as is often the case when Euro Westerns get released in France
or Germany.
Sidonis are the main offender regarding “forced” subs,Rimini,
Elephant,Carlotta and Elephant do not have these.
Thanks for the reply, John. That’s good news on Rimini, although I’m disappointed about The Last Wagon as I wasn’t aware it was going to be Sidonis. It would be great if Eureka in the UK picked this one up.
I’ve made a point to collect every Roy Ward Baker film that is released on blu-ray and DVD as he is one of my favorite directors, with the exception of THE SINGER NOT THE SONG. Evidently its troubled production and box-office failure had a devastating impact on Baker’s career. I watched the widescreen broadcast of THE SINGER NOT THE SONG on Turner Classic Movies about ten years ago. Satisfied my curiosity. It is a very confused and confusing European melodrama which was evidently written and rewritten while it was being filmed, but I couldn’t see a western in it. What makes people think it’s a western?
Richard.
I have never seen THE SINGER NOT THE SONG and always
wanted too-but certainly not as a 4×3.
I often wondered what happened to Baker’s career from the high
profile films that he made in the Fifties to working for the likes of
Hammer and Amicus then on to TV.
When Baker started working for Hammer their glory days were
behind them; ASYLUM is certainly one of the very best of the
Amicus flicks.
The film is often referred to as a Western so I always assumed it
was one,of sorts-well at least as much as THE SAVAGE GUNS
which Warner Archive have promised us a newly remastered version
of sometime in the future.
The Singer Not The Song’s pretty high on my wanna-see list. It’s Baker’s followup to A Night To Remember, which is one of my all-time favorite films and a directorial tour de force.
I recently received my Blu Ray of ROBBER’S ROOST and I am
very pleased with the transfer.
The Blu Ray really scores when the film shows those lovely Durango
locations. Furthermore there were some imperfections on the DVD
(red vertical lines) which seem to have been erased on the Blu Ray.
I am quiet the George Montgomery fan and as ROBBER’S ROOST is,
as far as I know, the only one of his Westerns on Blu Ray I found this
Kino Lorber version hard to resist.
I would recommend the Blu Ray to die hard Montgomery fans like myself,
otherwise the DVD is a safe bet.
There are a number of George Montgomery’s Columbia Westerns still
on the missing list and most of them are pretty darn good.
They are as follows:
THE TEXAS RANGERS,INDIAN UPRISING,CRIPPLE CREEK,
THE PATHFINDER,JACK McCALL DESPERADO,FORT TI and
SEMINOLE UPRISING.
I think “THE TEXAS RANGERS” is one of George’s very best but there are others I like almost as much (and he even carried his terrific stetson over to his TV series!).
I totally avoid new “westerns”, I am afraid. I just don’t trust the results anymore.
I’m with ya, Jerry. The Texas Rangers is terrific. I’m partial to Phil Karlson’s work, so it’s kind of a given for me.
A few months back, I watched the IROQUOIS TRAIL on youtube. George Montgomery plays Hawkeye, as he does in THE PATHFINDER. Iroquois Trail had the same producer as the Randolph Scott LAST OF THE MOHICANS and uses unused footage made for the Scott movie. Some scenes also seem to have inspired the 1992 Last of the Mohicans.
But the big surprise was that Iroquois Trail was “remade” as the first episode of the Jon Hart, Lon Chaney, Jr. HAWKEYE AND THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, TV series. They used footage from Iroquois Trail (you can see George Montgomery from the back), in some scenes. They even hired two of the same actors, Hawkeye’s mother and brother, to reprise their roles from the movie in the TV episode. The writer of the movie has a story credit on the TV episode.
Richard W ,with your knowledge of westerns ,I wonder if you might know the name of a folk song sung in BUFFALO BILL (1944) .Some of the words go something like-
“for 14 years I fought in blank ,hi ho the rolling river ”
It was sung around a camp fire .Joel McCrea has his head on Maureen O’Hara’s lap and they are talking to Thomas Mitchell .
It is not listed in the soundtrack section on IMDB for this movie.
Colin,
I’m sure another outfit will pick up THE LAST WAGON-it’s such
a beautiful looking film with those wonderful Sedona Arizona
locations. A Eureka release would be sensational-I guess someone
ought to suggest it to them.
Talking about Eureka I have their DAY OF THE OUTLAW and
SHANE Blu Ray’s in the post to me.
Both discs are packed with extras and SHANE gives us the choice
of 3 versions I believe.
DVD Beaver gives the Eureka release it’s highest recommendation,
and as it’s a limited edition (2000 copies) the Beaver thinks the price will
go through the roof once the thing goes OOP.
Richard,
Thanks for the heads up on THE TRACKER-sounds good.
Sometimes these TV movies really deliver-you already know of my
love for Mr HORN.
Another real good one was BOUNTY MAN with Clint Walker-this one
shows what a great Western star could have been had he found the
right vehicles after his TV career.
It’s a shame big Clint never found the right roles later in his career.
Regarding the Kristofferson thing…it’s just that everyone seems to talk
like him in modern Westerns..no variation.
I thought his finest hour was in John Sayles’ LONE STAR,not a
Western but an outstanding film,I thought.
I really should give HANNIE CAULDER another look as you rather admire
it-I must admit I have not seen it since it’s time of release.
Like everyone else,at the time I thought Burt Kennedy was going to
be the Western’s Saviour but sadly it did not work out that way.
I have pretty good memories of THE DESERTER which I spoke about
earlier and would love to see THE KILLER INSIDE ME again….
wonderful cast.
In January Koch in Germany will release THE GREAT NORTHFIELD
MINNESOTA RAID on Blu Ray.
This is one of my favourite Seventies Westerns,although it does
divide opinions…it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
Even better IMHO is the later CATTLE ANNIE & LITTLE BRITCHES
a very underrated Western.
Also from Koch in January we have GUN FOR A COWARD on Blu Ray
as well. These Fifties Universal Westerns scrub up really well in high
definition.
It’s also rumoured that in the pipeline 2016 will see Elephant in France
give us Blu Ray versions of NIGHT PASSAGE and ULZANA’S RAID.
When we get a constant flow of goodies like that I don’t really care if
Hollywood no longer wants to make Westerns.
There was another “British” Western in 1961,THE HELLIONS
a South African take on HIGH NOON.
I loved it as a youth and it was made in widescreen Technirama.
Cannot for the life of me understand why this film had never had a
DVD release.
You can watch a crappy 4×3 version online but I refuse to see
anything in that format.
Sidonis in France are getting well into their new deal with
Sony/Columbia.
Apart from the soon Worldwide DVD debut of Randolph Scott’s
GUNFIGHTERS they have announced two of George Sherman’s
best to follow.
RELENTLESS and REPRISAL! will be released early 2016.
Just bemused why no-one in the USA seems interested in releasing
these fine Westerns.
Warner Archive has a couple of titles of possible interest up for pre-order
BAD BOY, Audie Murphy’s first starring role from 1949.
SNOWFIRE, Allied Artist’s 1958 attempt at a Disney-like movie.
DIABLO opens in San Diego January 8 but it’s not clear about a release after that. About a man who sets out to rescue his wife, who is kidnapped. Brightly filmed in Alberta, perhaps on 35mm. Let’s hope Scott Eastwood isn’t as ambivalent and destructive to the western as his daddy was:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4076760/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Eastwood destructive to the Western….now com’on Richard!
Perhaps you are some sort of follower of Pauline Kael…heaven forbid!
I never understood how Eastwood generates such negative attitudes
in his native land,as say, for instance France.
Furthermore the B (series) Western crew seem to loathe him as well.
Eastwood’s Westerns are like good wine,they get better with age.
THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES is a masterpiece by anyone’s standards.
You really ought to give the Blu Ray of PALE RIDER a look….
it’s magnificent.
OK Eastwood’s Westerns may not be everyone’s cup of tea but
destructive…. no way.
The only thing I have against Eastwood is that he should have made more Westerns.
Furthermore like many others he really ought to make one final Western,
if not in front of the camera certainly behind it.
In the old West with the hard life and all, a 50 year old would have pretty
much looked like Eastwood does now.
UNFORGIVEN was the last great Western of the last century,so far this
century there has not been one truly great Western made.
THE HATEFUL EIGHT is generating lots of positive reviews so maybe
Clint has missed the boat as far as making this century’s first great
Western…lets see.
Richard,we’ve locked horns on other stuff before but we do agree on
lots of things too.
In the spirit of goodwill and World Peace I hope you have a wonderful
Christmas-I’m certainly going to because my new Blu Ray’s of the Eureka
UK editions of SHANE and DAY OF THE OUTLAW arrived in the mail
today.Of the many versions of SHANE on the market DVD Beaver reckon
the Eureka version is the one to have.
Love and peace,
John. 🙂
An interesting new twist has arrived on this mammoth thread (are we going for the 200, Toby?!), courtesy of Richard’s controversial comment and John’s horrified rebuttal. This is great.
I have been a fan of Eastwood the actor since his years as Rowdy Yates on TV but it is perhaps as a director that he has my real admiration. It is odd though that, as a lifelong devotee of the western, Eastwood’s westerns are not necessarily among my favourites of his films. I agree that “THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES” and “UNFORGIVEN” are fine examples(though I would watch a Scott Ranown western in preference any day) but I am not really potty about the others. I rate him generally though as one of the finest directors of the past few years.
May I take the opportunity to wish all here a really relaxed and wonderful
Christmas and New Year.
John K,
Let’s hope Scott Eastwood doesn’t turn out to be a flash in the pan. Even though his career has been handed to him on a silver platter instead of being earned, I welcome him if he can get good solid westerns made and put on the screen. His daddy made one western in the 1980s and one western in the 1990s. After mainstreaming ambivalence and callousness into the genre, he essentially walked away from it.
I’ve always been a little disappointed in Jeff Bridges, Tommy Lee Jones, Paul Newman, Dennis Quaid, Robert Redford and other male stars of the 1970s and 1980s for not giving leadership to the western when the genre needed them. Redford in particular turned his back on westerns. Jones turned out to be a wuss (his performances in Missing and The Homesman are inexcusable and unforgivable). Bridges and Quaid found other things to do. The genre got more support from B-level actors like Kristofferson and, of all people, Tom Selleck. Kevin Costner and director Walter Hill fought the system and lost. Ted Turner more than held up his end with original western telefilms at TNT until the network sold and the new female CEO announced that her appointment meant “the end of male dominated programming.” She cancelled all the westerns in the pipeline, including two that I had developed and worked on as a writer.
Eastwood’s adaptation of The Outlaw Josey Wales is good insofar as it goes, but the richer subtext and nuances of the novels go way over his head. Eastwood just doesn’t have the brains. There are two films there, and he bungles both into one, but if you don’t know what the potential was, it’s easier to be more impressed. Pale Rider is a cut and paste of other people’s westerns; it anticipates Tarantino except that it isn’t infantile. I agree that visually the film gains gravitas from its setting and location and basic photography. (As an aside, I remember the Penny family when they were folksingers in southern California.) But all the disparate elements don’t come together for me, and I can’t believe in Eastwood as a man of the cloth no not for a minute. Seeing him put on the color felt like a parody. But like you said, it looks good. Unforgiven has real power in its story, but it tells the same story twice. The films starts out telling the story of William Munny and his two companions, then segues into English Bob. Everything that happens to English Bob will be repeated on William Munny, except for their exit. Along the way other character’s stories receive a little more time and emphasis than they need; there are no broad strokes. By the time the story returns to Munny and companions, it’s all been told. If English Bob had been cut, there would be no tedium in the second half; the second half would be unpredictable, and the suspense as well as the poignancy would be sustained. For me the film is about a wooden-headed star who doesn’t quite get what he’s working with. I like the way he shoots, however, pragmatically and without any fuss or inflated budgets and schedules. Eastwood is so charismatic audiences look away from his shortcomings, but believe me, it doesn’t pay to look at his films too closely.
Ha! Richard,
I’m going to have a very happy New Year as well!
Koch Media in Germany have launched a new Blu Ray series
“Classic Westerns In HD”
First out the gate in March are three Fox titles
THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES
WHITE FEATHER
THE LAST WAGON
From past posts I understand that you have a multi region Blu Ray player
and I guess you will be up for these titles as well.
Just to return this thread to the subject…well Kino Lorber
and Sidney Salkow flicks………..
On the commentary to the recent Kino Lorber Blu Ray of
Salkow.s TWICE TOLD TALES there is an interesting snippet.
The Blu Ray looks stunning I might add.
The film clocks in at two hours and the guys go on endlessly about
Hawthorne and Poe in particular.
There is a neat Salkow story in the mix.
As a young man Salkow.s first gig in the movies was as a dialogue director
on SUPERNATURAL.
Carole Lombard turned to young Salkow one day and uttered
the much quoted,oft used line “who do I have to **** to get off this
picture”
This is apparently the first time that famous quote was used, but really
who knows.
In other news, Amazon USA are listing ROUGHSHOD and STATION WEST as January 12 Warner Archive releases. I’ve no idea why ROUGHSHOD has never
received more plaudits. This is a proper Western for grown ups. STATION WEST has been described as ‘Philip Marlowe Rides Again’ in view of the hard boiled dialogue and the presence of the great Dick Powell. It certainly does has its Noir moments with beauteous Jane Greer as the femme fatale and Raymond Burr as the heavy. It also has one of the most poignant endings in pictures…. I’m also really intrigued by the trailer for the Scott Eastwood Western
DIABLO that’s linked above. I shall certainly be trying to catch this one particularly as it features Walton Goggins. Fans of Elmore Leonard’s JUSTIFIED
TV series will be well aware of this actor’s quality and I see that he’s also in the new Tarantino. Never much liked Tarantino, most of his pictures look like a cut and paste exercise from other, better films, but with Goggins on the trail I may well give this one a go ….
I’d like to wish Toby and everyone else who visits here A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR .
Let’s hope some of those titles we are after get released in 2016.
I watched A DAY FOR KILLING , which I’ve seen before ,but this time I noticed in one of the scenes where the wagon is being escorted by these Union soldiers ,in the background there is a big yellow umbrella and what looks like the back of a green truck .Has any one else noticed this ?
Do you mean GOOD DAY FOR A HANGING (1959) with Fred MacMurry or A TIME FOR KILLING (1967) with Glenn Ford? I don’t remember seeing that, or rather I never noticed, but I haven’t seen either film in ages. Either that’s a huge blindside or a willful inside joke! Someone told me there was a red Ferrari in deep background in EL CID but I couldn’t spot it when I was looking for it.
Richard W , It was A TIME FOR KILLING (1967) .Any idea what that folk song is from BUFFALO BILL which I ask about recently . I just watched SGT. RUTLEDGE for the first time .Great movie.
I have no idea what the folk song is in BUFFALO BILL. It might be some little ditty written for the film. Love John Ford’s SERGEANT RUTLEDGE. I have an old paperback tie-in to the film written by James Warner Bellah, the novel on which it’s based. Haven’t read it but it looks fine on the shelf next to the DVD. I have four bookcases, each bookcase consisting of 8 shelves measuring 30 inches long, to house my western DVD’s and blu-rays. There’s quite a few vintage paperback tie-ins sitting next to the film.
The remains of my spag collection are thrown in a box in the closet.
For years beyond the Sixties,I hoped that someone (beside
Eastwood) would make a great Western to revive the genre.
Two of my favorite (non Eastwood) post 1962 Westerns are
THE GREAT NORTHFIELD MINNESOTA RAID and CATTLE ANNIE
AND LITTLE BRITCHES.
Nowadays I don’t really care if anyone makes another Western
(apart from Eastwood). Not even considering the A List stars of
the genre,really nowadays who could compare with say,George
Montgomery,Rod Cameron,Rory Calhoun or Jock Mahoney.
With all the great Fifties Westerns now appearing on Blu Ray
(especially in Europe) that’s enough to keep me more than happy.
2016 has not even begun yet and already I’ve got a nice High Def
shopping list of much wanted titles:GUN FOR A COWARD,
THE GREAT NORTHFIELD MINNESOTA RAID,WHITE FEATHER,
THE LAST WAGON,COMANCHE STATION,RIDE LONESOME,
NIGHT PASSAGE,ULZANA’S RAID and that’s just for starters
Furthermore I’m so glad that the Tom Cruise remake of THE
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN never happened,and even gladder that
SEVEN MEN FROM NOW with Arnie was cancelled as well.
Only the faithful are with this thread now so to everyone in Tobyland
I wish y’all a very Happy Christmas and the best of everything
in 2016..
I look forward to all these German blu-rays of American westerns and the Archive DVD-R’s; some titles I’ve hoping for for a long time. I hadn’t heard anything about COMANCHE STATION and RIDE LONESOME coming to blu-ray, are you sure?
Richard,
Thanks for your response to my Eastwood comments,
you put your case forward very well,and I certainly cannot
argue with the points that you make.
Was not Sydney Penny the daughter of Western Swing
great Hank Penny.
Explosive Media in Germany have informed me that they
intend to release both COMANCHE STATION and
GUNS OF FORT PETTICOAT on Blu Ray.
They tried to get RIDE LONESOME but were informed that
Koch were already committed to releasing this film on
Blu Ray.
Elephant in France have told me that they will release
NIGHT PASSAGE and ULZANA’S RAID on Blu Ray later in
2016.
Finally,had Westerns been more popular in the Eighties/
Nineties guys like Tom Berenger and Scott Glenn would have
become much bigger stars.
For what it’s worth here are my favorite post 1962 (USA) Westerns:
RIO CONCHOS
THE GREAT NORTHFIELD MINNESOTA RAID
BIG JAKE
CHISUM
THE SHOOTIST
CATTLE ANNIE & LITTLE BRITCHES
ULZANA’S RAID
HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER
THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES
PALE RIDER
UNFORGIVEN
Further to the above list I should have mentioned
a couple of McQueen pictures (that I would love to see
get a Blu Ray release BTW)
NEVADA SMITH
TOM HORN
Would love to get both those on blu-ray. McQueen is so sad in TOM HORN, so melancholy. It seems like more than acting.
My favorite westerns of 1971-1980 are
1971 — A Gunfight, Hannie Caulder, The Hired Hand (I’ve always wanted to re-cut this one), Lawman, The Last Picture Show, Man In the Wilderness, McCabe & Mrs Miller, The Wild Rovers. 1972 — Bad Company, Buck and the Preacher, The Cowboys, Jeremiah Johnson, Ulzana’s Raid. 1973 — Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, The Valdez Horses aka Chino. 1975 — I Will Fight No More Forever. 1976 — The Missouri Breaks, The Shootist. 1978 — Comes a Horseman. 1979 — Heartland, Eagle’s Wing. 1980 00– The Long Riders, Tom Horn.
I also liked Big Jake, Red Sun, The Skin Game, Support Your Local Gunfighter, The Culpepper Cattle Company, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, J.W. Coop, The Legend of N—-r Charley and The Soul of N—-r Charley (which became the basis for Django Unchained), Billy Two-Hats, The Deadly Trackers, The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, Santee, The Train Robbers, Posse, Zandy’s Bride, Breakheart Pass, Return of a Man Called Horse, From Noon til Three, The Spikes Gang, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Goin’ South, China 9 Liberty 37, Shoot the Sun Down and of course Heaven’s Gare.
WINDWALKER and GREY EAGLE were okay. HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER was okay. There were several outstanding westerns made for television during the decade, and a couple of memorable mini-series.
There were a handful films that I was unable to enjoy; they were THE HUNTING PARTY, CHATO’S LAND, BLAZING SADDLES, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN, BUFFALO BILL OR SITTING BULL’S HISTORY LESSON. Of course, I saw them all in the theater.
Of the many other westerns released that decade, I loved THE EMIGRANTS and THE NEW LAND, and ANOTHER MAN ANOTHER CHANCE. The first two were from Sweden, the last from France, all filming European stories in the USA about what the American west meant to them. That was still the time when the American western was also a foreign art film.