Posted in 1959, Gary Cooper, Gene Autry, John Wayne on May 26, 2022| 10 Comments »
Marion Mitchell Morrison (born Marion Robert Morrison)
May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979
John Wayne was born 115 years ago today. Here he is with Gary Cooper and Gene Autry. Judging by what they’re wearing, it looks like Coop was shooting The Hanging Tree and Duke was working on Rio Bravo (both 1959).
This has to be one of the coolest photos ever stuck on this blog.
Posted in 1952, 1953, 1954, Audie Murphy, Gary Cooper, John Wayne on April 14, 2021| 26 Comments »
Lee Aker
(September 25, 1943 – April 1, 2021)
Lee Aker, who most will remember from the Rin Tin Tin TV show, has passed away at 77. He also appeared in Hondo (1953, above) with John Wayne, High Noon (1952), Ride Clear Of Diablo (1954) and Destry (1954).
Aker suffered a stroke and died April 1 near Mesa, Arizona. Sadly, his body was unclaimed.
Posted in 1954, Burt Lancaster, DVD/Blu-Ray News, Ernest Borgnine, Gary Cooper, Jack Elam, Kino Lorber, RKO, Robert Aldrich on March 8, 2021| 12 Comments »
Directed by Robert Aldrich
Starring Gary Cooper, Burt Lancaster, Denise Darcel, Sara Montiel, Cesar Romero, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jack Elam
Vera Cruz (1954) was put together by Burt Lancaster’s production company, Lancaster-Hecht. Burt was going to play the hero, Benjamin Trane, but it was decided to have Lancaster to play the bad guy — and a more traditional hero type play Trane. Cray Grant turned it down, and it was offered to Gary Cooper.
The picture’s a lot of fun with Cooper and Lancaster as a couple of shifty Americans down in Mexico who join forces to steal a stash of gold coins. With its macho one-upmanship, crosses and double-crosses, flawed characters — even the good guys are bad, Robert Aldrich’s Vera Cruz is one of the 50s Westerns that served as an obvious influence on the spaghetti westerns that would come in the early 60s.
Kino Lorber is working on a Blu-Ray release, which should do justice to the picture’s SuperScope 2:1 presentation (applied to the picture after the fact). Can’t wait to see it looking the way it should. Highly recommended.
Posted in 1954, Burt Lancaster, Gary Cooper, Robert Aldrich on November 2, 2020| 2 Comments »
Burton Stephen “Burt” Lancaster
(November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994)
This would’ve been the 107th birthday of one of my favorite movie stars, Mr. Burt Lancaster.
Here his is with Gary Cooper in Vera Cruz (1954), which his production company produced. It’s terrific, it was a huge hit and its ultimate influence on the spaghetti western can’t be overstated.
Posted in 1953, 1959, Budd Boetticher, Columbia, DVD/Blu-Ray News, Gary Cooper, Glenn Ford, Hugh O'Brien, Julie Adams, Mill Creek Entertainment, Neville Brand, Universal (International), Van Heflin on February 13, 2020| 17 Comments »
Mill Creek has announced a twin-bill Blu-Ray of The Man From The Alamo (1953) and They Came To Cordura (1959).
The Man From The Alamo (1953)
Directed by Budd Boetticher
Starring Glenn Ford, Julie Adams, Chill Wills, Victor Jory, Hugh O’Brien, Neville Brand
Glenn Ford leaves The Alamo before the siege to notify families of what’s to come, and he’s branded a coward for it.This is a beautiful Technicolor Universal-International Western. Ford’s good, Julie Adams is gorgeous and Victor Jory is despicable. Just what you want in a 50s Western.
They Came To Cordura (1959)
Directed by Robert Rossen
Starring Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth, Van Heflin, Tab Hunter, Dick York
This one’s in Eastmancolor and CinemaScope, with Gary Cooper and his men after Pancho Villa. Dick York was injured making this, and it plagued him for years. It’s why he had to leave the role of Darrin Stephens on Bewitched.
Let’s hope this is the beginning of a trend with Mill Creek. Their two-fer Blu-Rays of Hammer and William Castle horror films are terrific.
Posted in Books, Dale Robertson, Gary Cooper, Paul Landres on August 20, 2019| 7 Comments »
This blog, as some of you might remember, was begun (almost 10 years ago) when I started work on a book to be titled 50 Westerns From The 50s. The thought was to “chronicle the book’s progress and have a place to stick some of the cool images and quotes and stuff I’ve come across.” That idea hasn’t changed, though the book’s been put on the back burner more than a few times. Life, work and that One-Eyed Jacks book got in the way.
Over the last couple weeks, the 50s Westerns book has returned to the top of the to-do list. And after all this time, I’ve rethought things a bit. Mainly, the 50 films themselves.
My preference has always leaned toward the more obscure, often smaller pictures. I’d rather extol the virtues of something like Hell Canyon Outlaws (1957) than be the 637th person to blather on about High Noon (1952). Nothing against High Noon, but how much can I actually add to anybody’s appreciation of that one? This idea has become the book’s un-official mission statement.
There’ll be more updates as this thing moves along. I’m not going to repeat the mistake I made on the last book by tossing out release dates only to miss them time and time again.
Posted in 1959, Delmer Daves, DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews, Gary Cooper, John Dierkes, Karl Malden, Warner Archive, Warner Bros. on January 19, 2018| 3 Comments »
Directed by Delmer Daves
Produced by Martin Jurow and Richard Shepherd
Screenplay by Wendell Mayes and Halsted Welles
From the novel by Dorothy M. Johnson
Director of photography: Ted McCord, ASC
Music by Max Steiner
Song: “The Hanging Tree” — Lyrics by Mack David, Music by Jerry Livingston,
Vocal by Marty Robbins
Film Editor: Owen Marks
CAST: Gary Cooper (Dr. Joseph Frail), Maria Schell (Elizabeth Mahler), Karl Malden (Frenchy), Ben Piazza (Rune), George C. Scott (Grubb), Karl Swenson (Mr. Flaunce), Virginia Gregg (Mrs. Flaunce), John Dierkes (Society Red)
__________
It was a big deal back in 2012 when Warner Archive brought Delmer Daves’ The Hanging Tree (1959) to DVD. (Hard to believe it’s been that long.) Their new Blu-Ray ought to be just as big an event, since hi-def can really add to your appreciation of the film.
Not a frame from the Blu-Ray, just a sample long shot from the film.
Cooper’s character, Doc Frail, lives in a cabin on a ridge about the mining town of Skull Creek. Throughout the picture, we’re look down on the village from Frail’s perspective. These deep-focus shots now have an almost stunning amount of detail, giving you an opportunity to really study what Daves had his cast of extras doing in the recesses of those long shots.
Gary Cooper and Maria Schell in a goofy publicity shot.
Another benefit of the new Blu-Ray is the color. Ted McCord shot The Hanging Tree in Technicolor, and Warner Archive has it looking like a million bucks. It has a slight brownish tone to it that suits all the wood we see throughout — from the trees to the makeshift buildings of Skull Creek. You also get a real feel of lamplight in the interiors, while most Technicolor films from the period seem extremely bright. The low lighting is necessary here, as Maria Schell is kept in darkness as she regains her sight.
Warner Archive frames the picture at 1.78:1, a slight variation on its theatrical 1.85. That’s becoming a bit of a norm with a lot of hi-def transfers, and it doesn’t bother me. The grain here is near perfect — it’s there, as it should be, but it’s never distracting.
The Hanging Tree is a great movie. And this is the way to see it. Highly, highly recommended.
Posted in ClassicFlix, Dan Duryea, DVD/Blu-Ray News, Gary Cooper, Pre-1950, Stuart Heisler on January 10, 2018| 4 Comments »
Directed by Stuart Heisler
Starring Gary Cooper, Loretta Young, William Demarest, Dan Duryea
ClassicFlix has announced a new remaster of Stuart Heisler’s terrific Western spoof, Along Came Jones (1945). Actually, it’s not so much a spoof of Westerns as it is Gary Cooper poking a little fun at himself. It’s a cool movie, and I’m sure it’ll benefit from the ClassicFlix treatment. They’ve done some terrific stuff so far.
Posted in 1959, Delmer Daves, DVD/Blu-Ray News, Gary Cooper, John Dierkes, Warner Archive on December 14, 2017| 36 Comments »
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.
Posted in 1958, Ads, posters & art, Anthony Mann, Barton MacLane, Gary Cooper, James H. Griffith, John Agar, John Dehner, Julie London, Lippert/Regal, Robert J. Wilke, Royal Dano, Theaters on December 2, 2017| 4 Comments »
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!
50 Westerns From The 50s. 