50s Westerns Blu-Ray News #265: The True Story Of Jesse James (1957).

Directed by Nicholas Ray
Starring Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Hope Lange, Agnes Moorehead, Alan Hale Jr., Alan Baxter, John Carradine, Rachel Stephens

Nicholas Ray’s mangled masterpiece The True Story Of Jesse James (1957) is coming to Blu-Ray from Twilight Time. It’s one of my personal favorite 50s Westerns — for Ray’s incredible use of CinemaScope if nothing else, and it’s the subject of what I think is my best post ever for this blog.

It’s coming November 20. Not sure what the extras will be, but I can’t wait.

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Happy Birthday, Paul Landres.

Paul Landres
(August 21, 1912 – December 26, 2001)

Director Paul Landres was born 106 years ago today.

Landres got his start as an editor, cutting series Westerns and serials at Universal, and made the move to director in the very early 50s — in both features and TV. He retired after a 1972 episode of Adam-12.

He’s one of those little-heard-of directors whose films have a certain something that makes ’em special. From a very effective, yet cheap, Western like Hell Canyon Outlaws (1957) to a cool monster movie like The Vampire (1957), Landres delivered the goods. His work is worth digging around for.

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The Great Jesse James Raid (1953).

Directed by Reginald Le Borg
Starring Willard Parker, Barbara Payton, Tom Neal, Wallace Ford

Came across a heartbreaking story about Barbara Payton today. It reminded me of The Great Jesse James Raid (1953), her next-to-last picture — and the one time she was paired with Tom Neal. Her relationship with Neal, while engaged to Franchot Tone, helped bring about her tragic downfall.

The Great Jesse James Raid is a cheap little Lippert picture, directed by Reginald Le Borg, “filmed in new Ansco Color” — and available from on DVD from Kit Parker and VCI. There’s something about it I always liked — and I’ll watch anything with Wallace Ford.

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Happy Birthday, Rory Calhoun.

Rory Calhoun
(Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922 – April 28, 1999)

Rory Calhoun was born 96 years ago today. He made a string of medium-budgeted 50s Westerns that have held up really well. Not a dud in the bunch, if you ask me. Red Sundown (1956), directed by Jack Arnold for Universal-International, is a particularly good one. This still is from Domino Kid (1957).

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Making Movies: Rio Bravo (1959).

Came across this in an old issue of American Cinematographer. John Wayne watches Dean Martin shoot one of his scenes in Rio Bravo (1959).

And another. This time, it’s Wayne with Ward Bond.

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