50s Westerns DVD/Blu-Ray News #256: Singing Guns (1950).

Directed by R. G. Springsteen
Starring Vaughn Monroe, Ella Raines, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, Jeff Corey, Barry Kelley

Kino Lorber is working on a DVD and Blu-Ray release for Singing Guns (1950), the first of two Westerns singer Vaughn Monroe made for Republic. The picture was slightly modified mid-stream to incorporate the song “Mule Train,” which became a massive hit for a slew of singers. It’s a pretty solid Republic Western — with great parts for Walter Brennan and Ward Bond.

The 4k material from Paramount for this picture is incredible — easily as good as Kino Lorber’s release of Sunset In The West (1950). Not sure what the release date is — I’m working on a commentary for it now.

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Merry Christmas.

Here’s the King Of The Cowboys, Roy Rogers, with the king of Christmas, Santa himself, wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas.

Here’s hoping you enjoy time with family, some fine food, and a 50s Western or two. Of course, I recommend Roy in Trail Of Robin Hood (1950).

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Get Your Votes In For The Best Of 2017.

Between now and New Year’s Eve, send me your favorite DVD and Blu-ray releases for the year — I’ll do all the accounting and put together our Best Of 2017 list. The only requirements: they have to have been released during the 2017 calendar year, somewhere on Planet Earth, and have some relation to 50s Westerns. This will be the fifth year we’ve done this, and it’s always been a lot of fun.

One of the real joys of this blog is the sharing and recommending that goes on. So while you’re at it, let me know what your biggest Discoveries were for 2017. Doesn’t matter if it’s been on DVD for years, you saw it on GetTV last week or borrowed a bootleg from a friend — what 50s Westerns did you get acquainted with this year?

For both lists, drop your picks in the comments to this post or email fiftieswesterns AT gmail DOT com. And don’t collude with the Russians on your list. What do they know about 50s Westerns anyway?

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The Liquidation Of Alamo Village.

For years, I’ve had a feeling this was coming. And now that it’s here — the Alamo Village is being liquidated in January, I’m reminded of the sad state of John Wayne’s pet project. The original negative’s rotting away, and nothing’s being done to preserve it. And the DVD of the film that’s available is tolerable at best. It’s shameful.

I’ve never visited Alamo Village in Brackettville. Always wanted to. And if I could make it out for this sale, I would — and I’d buy something. Anything. That way, I’d know there was one tiny piece of the whole thing being protected.

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50s Westerns Blu-Ray News #255: The Hanging Tree (1959).

Directed by Delmer Daves
Starring Gary Cooper, Maria Schell, Karl Malden, Ben Piazza, George C. Scott, Karl Swenson, Virginia Gregg, John Dierkes

Delmer Daves’ The Hanging Tree (1959) was a huge deal when Warner Archive brought it to DVD back in 2012. It’d been hard to find for years — and ratty-looking when you did find it. Now it looked pretty terrific.

Warner Archive has announced an upcoming Blu-Ray rollout for The Hanging Tree in early 2018. Great news and a great, great movie.

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Pre-50s Westerns DVD/Blu-Ray News #254: The Outlaw (1943).

Walter Huston listens to (or pretends to) producer/director Howard Hughes.

Directed by Howard Hughes (and Howard Hawks)
Starring Jack Buetel, Jane Russell, Thomas Mitchell, Walter Huston, Joe Sawyer

Going in, The Outlaw (1943) had so much going for it. Howard Hughes and Gregg Toland behind the camera. A cast that boasted Thomas Mitchell, Walter Huston and the great Joe Sawyer, working from a script Ben Hecht worked on. And all set to music by Victor Young.

In the end, The Outlaw is known more for the crazy brassiere Hughes designed for Jane Russell (that she says she didn’t wear) and its trouble with the censors than anything else. There are times when everything clicks — writing, acting, direction, cinematography — and The Outlaw shows real promise. If Howard Hughes had left things to Howard Hawks, we might have an extra great Western on our hands.

Kino Lorber is bringing a spiffed-up (2K restoration) The Outlaw to DVD and Blu-Ray in February. I’m really looking forward to it — this is a film I’ve been meaning to revisit for quite a while.

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50s Westerns DVD/Blu-Ray News #253: A Man Alone (1955).

Directed by Ray Milland
Starring Ray Milland, Mary Murphy, Ward Bond, Raymond Burr, Lee Van Cleef, Alan Hale Jr.

A Man Alone (1955) is a really good movie, and I’m so excited to hear that Kino Lorber’s bringing it out on DVD and Blu-Ray — and from 4K material from Paramount, no less. (It was once on Olive Films’ list of upcoming stuff, and many of us were really disappointed when it fell off that list.)

Milland’s a gunfighter who’s accused of robbing a stagecoach. Mary Murphy lets him hide out at her place. Trouble is, her dad (Ward Bond) is he sheriff. Shot in Trucolor by Lionel Linden, and directed by Ray Milland, this should look gorgeous. I can’t wait.

Here ya go, Laura!

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Now Playing, 1958.

Here are a couple of interesting movie marquees from 1958. First, Gary Cooper in Anthony Mann’s Man Of The West playing in Buenos Aires.

Next is a marquee for a theatre on a military base somewhere. Friday’s feature is Frontier Gun, a Regalscope picture with John Agar, Joyce Meadows, Barton MacLane, Robert Strauss, James H. Griffith and Morris Ankrum. It was directed by one of my favorite unsung directors, Paul Landres. On Tuesday is It! The Terror From Beyond Space, a terrific little science fiction thing starring Marshall Thompson and directed by Edward L. Cahn.

That marquee is as good a pitch for joining the military as anything I’ve ever seen. Take me back to 1958 and sign me up!

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