Posted in John Ford on July 23, 2020| 8 Comments »
Today, the LA Dodgers play their first home game of the virus-infected 60-game 2020 season (against the Giants). I won’t be there. Neither will anybody else.
Here’s a photo of John Ford sporting a Dodgers cap (in Monument Valley) to commemorate what’s left of season. Posting this picture, one of my favorites, has been a tradition here, and this year I got to do it twice — when the season was supposed to start, and today. Go Dodgers!
Posted in DVD/Blu-Ray News, John Ford, Kino Lorber, Pre-1950 on June 8, 2020| 3 Comments »
Directed by John Ford
Starring Harry Carey, Duke Lee, Neva Gerber, Vester Pegg
Kino Lorber is bringing a John Ford/Harry Carey silent picture, 1918’s Hell Bent, to Blu-Ray in August — from a 4K restoration. I’m sure I’m not the only one excited about this.
The extras sound terrific on this one. They include an archival 1970 audio interview with Ford by Joseph McBride, author of Searching For John Ford, along with a commentary by McBride. Other supplement round out the package. Can’t wait.
Posted in John Ford on March 26, 2020| 4 Comments »
Today, the LA Dodgers were to play their first home game of the 2020 season (against the Giants). Of course, it’s not happening.
Here’s a photo of John Ford sporting a Dodgers cap (in Monument Valley) to commemorate the occasion that should’ve been. Posting this picture, one of my favorites, has been a tradition here, and this year I’ll get to do it twice — when the season finally starts, if we get around to baseball at all. Go Dodgers!
Posted in DVD/Blu-Ray News, John Ford, Kino Lorber on February 18, 2020| 11 Comments »
Directed by John Ford
Starring Harry Carey, Molly Malone, Duke R. Lee, Hoot Gibson
Kino Lorber has announced a Blu-Ray release of the recent 4K restoration of John Ford’s Straight Shooting (1917) starring Harry Carey. Carey plays Cheyenne Harry, caught up in a fight between farmers and ranchers.
I’m really anxious to see how this restoration looks. It’s certainly a cool movie.
Posted in Ben Johnson, Festivals, screenings, Harry Carey Jr., Joanne Dru, John Agar, John Ford, John Wayne on February 11, 2020| 3 Comments »
Directed by John Ford
Starring John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Victor McLaglen, Mildred Natwick, George O’Brien, Arthur Shields, Michael Dugan, Tom Tyler, Francis Ford
The Graham Cinema is running John Ford’s She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949) next week. Seeing John Wayne and Winton Hoch’s Oscar-winning Technicolor cinematography on the big screen is something not to be missed.
Monday & Tuesday, February 24 & 25
7:00 & 9:00 pm.
The Graham Cinema
119 N Main Street, Graham, NC
The Graham Cinema is a great old movie house. If you’re anywhere nearby, be sure to check it out.
Posted in Andy Devine, Claire Trevor, Festivals, screenings, John Carradine, John Ford, John Wayne, Tim Holt, Yakima Canutt on February 4, 2020| 5 Comments »
Directed by John Ford
Starring Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Andy Devine, John Carradine, George Bancroft, Louise Platt, Donald Meek, Berton Churchill, Tom Tyler, Tim Holt
The Graham Cinema in Graham, North Carolina, is running John Ford’s Stagecoach (1939) next week. I don’t have to tell you what a terrific, landmark movie it is.
John Wayne and Andy Devine on location. John Ford’s back there with the pipe.
Monday & Tuesday, February 10 & 11
7:00 & 9:00 pm.
The Graham Cinema
119 N Main Street
Graham, NC
And if that wasn’t cool enough, on February 24th and 25th, they’ll be running She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949). The Graham Cinema is a great old movie house. If you’re anywhere nearby, be sure to check it out.
Posted in Allan Dwan, Andre de Toth, Anthony Mann, Audie Murphy, Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, Ben Johnson, Budd Boetticher, Burt Kennedy, Clayton Moore, Clint Walker, Dale Evans, Dale Robertson, Delmer Daves, DVD/Blu-Ray News, Frank Ferguson, Fred F. Sears, George Montgomery, George Sherman, Glenn Ford, Gordon Douglas, Guy Madison, Hank Worden, Jack Arnold, Jacques Tourneur, James Coburn, James H. Griffith, Jay Silverheels, Jeff Chandler, Joel McCrea, John Ford, John McIntire, John Payne, John Sturges, John Wayne, Julie Adams, Kirk Douglas, Lesley Selander, Lippert/Regal, Mara Corday, Marie Windsor, Paul Landres, Phil Karlson, Randolph Scott, Ray Nazarro, Republic Pictures, Richard Widmark, Robert Mitchum, Rory Calhoun, Roy Rogers, Sam Katzman, Sam Peckinpah, Sterling Hayden, The Lone Ranger, Universal (International), William Castle, William Elliott, Yvonne DeCarlo, Zachary Scott on September 4, 2019| 22 Comments »
A while back, I asked for Want Lists of the 50s Westerns still lost on the high-def trail. Here they are, presented in chronological order. The titles in bold are the ones that were brought up most frequently.
With the recent news about Fox/Disney’s lack of interest in their back catalogs appearing on shiny silver circles, getting this finished and posted seemed very timely. Many of these, mind you, haven’t even turned up on DVD yet.
The Virginian (1946)
Albuquerque (1948)
Coroner Creek (1948)
Whispering Smith (1948)
3 Godfathers (1949)
Colorado Territory (1949)
Hellfire (1949)
Streets Of Laredo (1949)
Ambush (1950)
Branded (1950)
Devil’s Doorway (1950)
The Nevadan (1950)
Saddle Tramp (1950)
Short Grass (1950)
Showdown (1950)
Trail Of Robin Hood (1950)
Across The Wide Missouri (1951)
Along The Great Divide (1951)
Apache Drums (1951)
Best Of The Badmen (1951)
The Great Missouri Raid (1951)
Inside Straight (1951)
Man In The Saddle (1951)
Red Mountain (1951)
The Redhead And The Cowboy (1951)
The Secret Of Convict Lake (1951)
The Texas Rangers (1951)
Westward The Women (1951)
Vengeance Valley (1951)
Warpath (1951)
The Big Sky (1952)
Bugles In The Afternoon (1952)
Hangman’s Knot (1952)
The Lawless Breed (1952)
The Lusty Men (1952)
The Naked Spur (1952)
Ride The Man Down (1952)
The Savage (1952)
The Story Of Will Rogers (1952)
Untamed Frontier (1952)
Ambush At Tomahawk Gap (1953)
Charge At Feather River (1953)
City Of Bad Men (1953)
Devil’s Canyon {1953)
Escape From Fort Bravo (1953)
The Great Sioux Uprising (1953)
Jack McCall, Desperado (1953)
Last Of The Comanches (1953)
The Last Posse (1953)
The Silver Whip (1953)
The Stranger Wore A Gun (1953)
Wings Of The Hawk (1953)
Tumbleweed (1953)
Apache (1954)
The Bounty Hunter (1954)
Cattle Queen Of Montana (1954)
The Command (1954)
Dawn At Socorro (1954)
The Law Vs. Billy The Kid (1954)
The Outcast (1954)
Ride Clear Of Diablo (1954)
Silver Lode (1954)
Wyoming Renegades (1954)
The Yellow Tomahawk (1954)
At Gunpoint (1955)
Chief Crazy Horse (1955)
The Last Frontier (1955)
The Man From Bitter Ridge (1955)
Shotgun (1955)
Smoke Signal (1955)
Tennessee’s Partner (1955)
The Violent Men (1955)
Wichita (1955)
Backlash (1956)
Dakota Incident (1956)
Fastest Gun Alive (1956)
Fury At Gunsight Pass (1956)
Great Day In The Morning (1956)
The Last Wagon (1956)
The Lone Ranger (1956)
The Maverick Queen (1956)
Reprisal! (1956)
Seven Men From Now (1956)
Stagecoach To Fury (1956)
Tribute To A Bad Man (1956)
Copper Sky (1957)
Domino Kid (1957)
Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957)
Hell Canyon Outlaws (1957)
From Hell To Texas (1958)
Frontier Gun (1958)
The Lone Ranger And The Lost City Of Gold (1958)
Face Of A Fugitive (1959)
Last Train From Gun Hill (1959)
No Name On The Bullet (1959)
Thunder In The Sun (1959)
Yellowstone Kelly (1959)
The Alamo (1960)
Hell Bent For Leather (1960)
Cheyenne Autumn (1964)
Firecreek (1968)
Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid (1973)
As this was being compiled, a few titles actually made their way to Blu-Ray, one of them being the exquisite new Wagon Master (1950) from Warner Archive.
Posted in John Ford on August 14, 2019| 1 Comment »
As the Dodgers continue their incredible season — their best winning percentage since moving to L.A., it seemed like time for another photo of John Ford in his Dodgers cap.
Posted in 1950, Ben Johnson, DVD/Blu-Ray News, Hank Worden, Harry Carey Jr., Joanne Dru, John Ford, RKO, Ward Bond, Warner Archive on July 16, 2019| 5 Comments »
Directed by John Ford
Starring Ben Johnson, Joanne Dru, Harry Carey, Jr., Ward Bond, Charles Kemper, Russell Simpson, Hank Worden, James Arness, Francis Ford
John Ford’s Wagon Master (1950) is not just one of my favorite movies, but I consider it one of the best Westerns ever made. There’s a gentleness and an authenticity to it that no other Western can match. It’s easy to see why Ford named it his personal favorite of his own films. For me, putting this thing on is like inviting some old friends to stop by for a spell.
The performances are perfect, from Ben Johnson and Harry Carey, Jr. as the young cowboys who hire on to lead the Mormon wagon train west to Ward Bond as an elder in the group of settlers to Joanne Dru as part of a medicine show that tags along. And Russell Simpson as, what else, a grumpy old man.
Then there are the Cleggs. It seems odd to say a gentle movie has some of the vilest bad guys you’ll ever see, but it does. If you know the movie, you know what I mean. And if you haven’t seen it, well, I feel truly sorry for you.
I could go on and on. But I’ll leave it at this: Wagon Master is coming to Blu-Ray from Warner Archive. If you haven’t made the leap to high-definition yet, this should be all the reason you need. Essential.
Thanks for the tip, Paula.
Posted in 1950, 1953, Charactor Actor Of The Day, John Ford, Kino Lorber on July 15, 2019| 4 Comments »
Working on the commentary for Kino Lorber’s upcoming The Spoilers (1942) Blu-Ray, I was reminded of just how great Russell Simpson is. He’s a hoot in that one. Simpson’s seen above, second from left, in The Gal Who Took The West (1949) starring Yvonne De Carlo.
Russell Simpson was born in San Francisco in June of 1880. He prospected for gold in Alaska at just 18. He eventually decided to become an actor, was in a number of touring companies, played on Broadway and eventually made his film debut in the 1914 version of The Virginian.
Second from left again, as a stern Mormon in Wagon Master (1950).
In the late 30s, Simpson became part of John Ford’s stock company — appearing in Drums Along The Mohawk (1939), The Grapes Of Wrath (1940, as Pa Joad), Tobacco Road (1941), They Were Expendable (1945), My Darling Clementine (1946), Wagon Master (1950) and The Sun Shines Bright (1953). His last picture was Ford’s The Horse Soldiers in 1959.
He’s one of those actors that makes everything he’s in at least a little bit better — even a John Hart episode of The Lone Ranger.
