Ev’ry Day Is Christmas In The West.

One of my favorite things about Christmas is Trail Of Robin Hood (1950), one of the Trucolor Roy Rogers pictures directed by William Witney. It’s a wonderful thing. It features the song “Ev’ry Day Is Christmas In The West,” which seems worth sharing tonight.

“Ev’ry Day Is Christmas In The West”
Written by Jack Elliott
Performed by Roy Rogers and The Riders of the Purple Sage

They say that Christmas comes but once a year
But don’t you believe it’s so.
That’s only a story you may hear
From those who just don’t know that…
Ev’ry day is Christmas in the West!
Ev’ry day is Christmas in the West!

There’s always an evergreen tree nearby
And always stars like ornaments in the sky.
Nature makes a present of each day.
Skylarks softly carol on their way.
There you’ll find the true kind of love
The Lord above expressed
For ev’ry day is Christmas in the West!

A big thanks to Bob Madison.

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Merry Christmas!

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50s Westerns Blu-Ray News #291: Cimarron (1960).

Directed by Anthony Mann (and Charles Walters)
Starring Glenn Ford, Maria Schell, Anne Baxter, Arthur O’Connell, Russ Tamblyn, Mercedes McCambridge, Vic Morrow, Robert Keith, Charles McGraw, Aline MacMahon, Harry Morgan, Edgar Buchanan

Warner Archive is bringing MGM’s sprawling 1960 version of Edna Ferber’s Cimarron to Blu-Ray. Anthony Mann directed about half of it, leaving after a series of disagreements with the producer, Edmund Grainger. The big Land Rush sequence is incredible and makes this Blu-Ray something to spring for.

While you could certainly argue that Mann was better suited to smaller films like Raw Deal (1948) or Bend Of The River (1952), Cimarron would see him head in an epic direction — his next pictures being El Cid and The Fall of the Roman Empire.

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A Little Over 60 Years Ago.

Came upon this the other day and thought it was worth sharing.

The Morningside Theatre in New York City has quite a lineup on Saturday, April 16, 1959. First, there was Tim Holt in The Monster That Challenged The World (1957), then Audie Murphy in Jack Arnold’s No Name On The Bullet (1959) and finally Running Target from 1956, starring Doris Dowling, Arthur Franz and Myron Healey. Tossed into the mix were a few cartoons and Marshall Reed in a chapter of the Columbia serial Riding With Buffalo Bill (1954), produced by Sam Katzman.

Of course, the stuff coming up after it — William Castle’s The Tingler (1959), The Warrior And The Slave Girl (1958) and Whip Wilson, Fuzzy Knight and Phyllis Coates in Monogram’s Canyon Riders (1951) — sounds pretty good, too.

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Pre-50s Westerns DVD News #290: Monogram Cowboy Collection #10: Johnny Mack Brown.

Warner Archive has announced the 10th and final volume in their Monogram Cowboy Collection series.

It features nine Johnny Mack Brown pictures from 1946-49 —
The Haunted Mine (1946)
Valley Of Fear (1947)
Crossed Trails (1947)
Triggerman (1947)
Back Trail (1947)
Gunning For Justice (1948)
Range Justice (1948)
Trail Ends (1949)
Western Renegades (1949)

While I sure hate to see this terrific series reach the end of the trail, Warner Archive promises more: “Fear not – further oaters are on deck in more modestly sized editions!”

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Screening: The Shootist (1976).

Directed by Don Siegel
Starring John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, James Stewart, Richard Boone, Hugh O’Brian, Harry Morgan, John Carradine, Sheree North, Scatman Crothers

Two of my biggest movie heroes, John Wayne and Don Siegel, only worked together once, on The Shootist (1976). It turned out to be Duke’s last film, and it gave him the perfect way to go out — which he was obviously aware of.

Clint Eastwood visits Wayne and Siegel on the set of The Shootist.

The Shootist is screening at The Autry Museum Of The American West as part of their What Is A Western? film series.

The Autry: Wells Fargo Theater
Saturday, December 14, 2019, 1:30 p.m.
234 Museum Drive, Los Angeles, CA

I encourage you to go if you can get there. It’s a wonderful movie, and seeing it on the big screen would be quite a treat in this day and age.

And in this era of stupid-looking facial hair, doesn’t Wayne look cool?

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