***Official 1st HTF Western Movies/TV Shows Challenge 2024*** (2 Viewers)

[Gary OS]

I express my apologies for a complete lack of participation in something I really looked forward to. My March has been more jammed and stressed than I could have ever imagined. But a big "thumbs up" to all the reviews. Several great westerns I planned to watch have already been mentioned. Doubt I can even get one more in before Easter Sunday (the last day of the month).

Robert, if you choose to leave the thread open I should be able to participate in April (and beyond). Your call of course, but I'd love to see the thread stay open for the entirety of the year. I do have a boatload of westerns I can add to the great list already compiled this month.


Gary "did watch another few Colt .45 episodes in between my hectic schedule, but time didn't allow for longer viewings" O.

 

[Malcolm R]

I know there's a Horror Appreciation Thread that we use outside of the October Scary Movie Challenge. Maybe Robert could set up something like that for westerns (or just rename this thread on April 1, then start a new one if there's another challenge next year)?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Robert, if you choose to leave the thread open I should be able to participate in April (and beyond). Your call of course, but I'd love to see the thread stay open for the entirety of the year. I do have a boatload of westerns I can add to the great list already compiled this month.

I know there's a Horror Appreciation Thread that we use outside of the October Scary Movie Challenge. Maybe Robert could set up something like that for westerns (or just rename this thread on April 1, then start a new one if there's another challenge next year)?

@Tino started a Classic Westerns thread back in 2016 that is still active. Out of respect, it's up to Tino, whether we can use that thread and change the thread's title to include more than Classic Westerns. Or we can keep this thread open, with the Official Challenge still closing on Monday.

Classic Westerns

Anthony Mann’s Cimarron. I really enjoyed the first two acts of this somewhat episodic remake. But it sort of fell apart a bit in the third act. The Oklahoma land rush sequence was truly exciting. I enjoyed Glen Fords earnest performance but Maria Schell I agree was miscast and more annoying...

www.hometheaterforum.com

 

[Robert Crawford]

See my summary with movies/TV shows grades:

37) 03-27-24: "Hell Bent for Leather" (1960) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
I might have seen this movie back in my youth, but I don't have any memory of it. Therefore, I'm going to call this my first viewing of this 1960 CinemaScope Universal western. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. One thing it had going for it besides Audie Murphy, is Felicia Farr, an actress that I had an affinity for but who didn't make a bunch of movies because she decided to raise her family with some actor named Jack Lemmon. Stephen McNally again plays a villain which was his specialty in movies. Anyhow, it's a simple tale of an innocent man being framed by a corrupt marshal. A killer escaped by stealing Murphy's horse, afterwards the marshal purposedly misidentifies Murphy as the killer to the townspeople. Murphy escapes from McNally and his being hunted by him and a posse. Farr plays a hostage that Murphy takes in his escape and before all is said and done, she finds out that Murphy is telling the truth about his identify and helps him but is now also targeted for being murdered by McNally. Robert Middleton makes a brief appearance in the movie that is humorous and quite funny. This western has some beautiful scenery of the Alabama Hills of Lone Pine. The rest of the movie was shot on Universal's back lot. It's part of Kino's Audie Murphy Collection Volume III that was released last year. The video presentation is very good, and it has another Toby Roan audio commentary which I partially listened to this afternoon. I will listen to the entire audio commentary during my next viewing of this above average western.

 

[Tino]

@Tino started a Classic Westerns thread back in 2016 that is still active. Out of respect, it's up to Tino, whether we can use that thread and change the thread's title to include more than Classic Westerns. Or we can keep this thread open, with the Official Challenge still closing on Monday.

Classic Westerns

Anthony Mann’s Cimarron. I really enjoyed the first two acts of this somewhat episodic remake. But it sort of fell apart a bit in the third act. The Oklahoma land rush sequence was truly exciting. I enjoyed Glen Fords earnest performance but Maria Schell I agree was miscast and more annoying...

www.hometheaterforum.com

Thanks @Robert Crawford. Appreciate it.

I don’t mind if you retitle my Classic Westerns thread.

Something like “Official HTF Western Appreciation Thread” for example. How’s that sound?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Thanks @Robert Crawford. Appreciate it.

I don’t mind if you retitle my Classic Westerns thread.

Something like “Official HTF Western Appreciation Thread” for example. How’s that sound?

Any objections? If not, I will rename that thread next week. This particular thread will remain open beyond next week, after I tally the final results. However, I prefer people post any further western viewings in the Official HTF Western Appreciation Thread.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

22. Have a Good Funeral, My Friend... Sartana Will Pay. 1970 (Arrow Video HD digital stream via iTunes)

Gianni Garko returns as the debonair spaghetti western anti hero after a one film hiatus in the fourth movie in the series. This time, Sartana comes to the aid of the niece of a gold mine owner who was murdered. Once again, there are corrupt town leaders that want their hands on the mine and must be dealt with. There is lots of fancy gun play and gadgets that have become a trademark of this "James Bond of spaghetti westerns" series, as well as a very good musical score. And if you have an interest in Confederate money, it's here -- everyone pays in Confederate dollars!

 

[borisfw]

27)The Fastest Gun Alive(56)(MGM)Glenn Ford,Broderick Crawford (WBA)(BLU) 3 1/2/5.

George Temple(Glenn Ford) is a quiet storekeeper with a secret past who lives in the small town of Cross Creek with his wife Dora(Jeanne Crain). Three criminals on the run come into town. Lead by the psychotic Vinnie Harold(Broderick Crawford),the fastest gun alive. George’s secret is that he is the real fastest gun alive.
Well made fast paced western with Ford and Crawford giving top notch performances. Fine support by Jeanne Crain,Leif Erickson,John Dehner and Noah Beery Jr and many others. Well directed by Russell Rouse with a nice score by Andre Previn. A nice twist in the ending.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

23. Light The Fuse... Sartana Is Coming 1970 (Arrow Video HD digital stream via iTunes)

Gianni Garko returns for the fifth and final official Sartana film. This time, Sartana helps an old acquaintance escape from jail after he's accused of murder as a ruse to get information regarding stolen gold and counterfeit money. The pair return to the town of Mansfield where the crime occurred, and Sartana plays the different factions against each other in the search for the stolen loot.

This includes a nice musical score by Bruno Nicolai, along with the gun play, stunts, and gadgets that are such a part of this series of films.

 

[t1g3r5fan]

27. McLintock! (1963, Andrew V. McLaglen, Paramount Blu-ray)

Cattle baron George Washington "G.W." McLintock (John Wayne) is a friend to most everyone in the town that bears his name, but has to deal with the arrival of his estranged wife Katie (Maureen O'Hara) and daughter Becky (Stefanie Powers) for the latter's wedding to the son of G.W.'s chief rival, bureaucrat Matt Douglas.

Comic and Western take on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew was John Wayne's first of several movies in the twilight of his career to showcase some of his thoughts and feelings about the world through his eyes (he also made it - in part - to challenge Hollywood's depiction of Native Americans on screen). However, the film is an enduring favorite for melding Shakespeare with slapstick humor in a western setting (note the bare knuckle brawl that turns into a mud fight); playful music score by Frank De Vol.

Rating: 4 out of 5

 

[Jeff Flugel]

33. Rooster Cogburn (1975)
Didn't want to let the challenge end without including at least one entry from the most famous movie cowboy of all: big "Duke" Wayne, one of my favorite actors. I decided to watch this 1975 sequel to True Grit, mainly because it's the only post-1948 western in Wayne's filmography that I hadn't yet seen. All the others I've watched multiple times. Not sure why I've never gotten around to this one till now, but I'm glad I did, as it was an enjoyable watch. Certainly not a top-tier classic by any means, but plenty entertaining.

Duke reprises his Oscar-winning role as Rooster Cogburn, a tough, irascible one-eyed old geezer who might be overweight and overly fond of booze, but can still get the job done and is a formidable foe to any murderous miscreant he tangles with. Cogburn teams up with fiesty, Bible-quoting spinster Eula Goodnight (Katharine Hepburn) and a young Indian boy named Wolf (Richard Romancito) to track down a pack of outlaws led by the pyschopathic Hawk (Richard Jordan), after they massacre an Army troop, steal a wagonload of nitroglycerine and murder both Eula and Wolf's fathers. At first, Rooster is not keen to be saddled with the woman and boy, but they end up proving themselves most useful companions, and together the trio treat the bad guys to some Old Testament justice.

This is a deliberately-paced, chatty movie, with the two heavyweight stars trading lots of banter amidst nonstop picturesque scenery (the film is set in Arkansas but was shot in Oregon's Deschutes County and along the Rogue River) and periodic bursts of well-staged action. Wayne and Hepburn seem to have gotten along like a house on fire here; while I'm not the biggest fan of Ms. Hepburn, she's perfectly cast to type in this film and sparks well with the Duke. Interestingly, the script was written by the actress Martha Hyer (under the psuedonym Martin Julien). Also starring Anthony Zerbe, Paul Koslo, Jack Colvin, Lane Smith, Jerry Gatlin, and Jon Lormer, plus brief yet colorful appearances by John McIntire and Strother Martin. I watched this via Universal's 2018 Blu-Ray, and it looks mighty nice.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

BTW, all five of the Sartana films I watched for this thread, along with The Grand Duel, Keoma, and other spaghetti westerns distributed by Arrow Video are now on sale at iTunes for $3.99 each.

 

[Bob Gu]

The Kirby Grant and Chinook the Wonder Dog, Monogram series consisted of 10 feature films, released between 1949 and 1954. Nine of the features were released as triple-features on WAC-DVDr.

These North Westerns are surprisingly quick moving with high energy and some pretty fierce shootouts and action. Mountie Kirby Grant and Chinook deal with the usual, murderers, claim jumpers, and fur thieves. Chinook kills more bad guys than Kirby Grant, by knocking them off cliffs or tearing their throats out.

Kirby Grant seems to be having a good time, as the, cheerful, but plenty tough, Mountie. There is nice outdoor scenery and one or two starlets were cast in each movie.

They were based on stories by James Oliver Curwood, who was the main source for most North Westerns in this era and beyond. Curwood died in 1927.

The series was directed by William Beaudine, Rex Bailey, Frank McDonald and Budd Boetticher.

27) TRAIL OF THE YUKON-1949, Kirby Grant & Chinook, Suzanne Dalbert, Iris Adrian.
28) THE WOLF HUNTERS-1949, Grant & Chinook, Jan Clayton, Helen Parrish, Elizabeth Root.
29) SNOW DOG-1950- Grant & Chinook, Elena Verdugo.
30) CALL OF THE KLONDIKE-1950, Grant & Chinook, Anne Gwynne, Lynne Roberts.
31) YUKON MANHUNT-1951, Grant & Chinook, Gail Davis, Margaret Field.
32) NORTH WEST TERRITORY-1951, Grant & Chinook, Gloria Saunders.
33) YUKON GOLD-1952, Grant & Chinook, Martha Hyer.
34) FANGS OF THE ARCTIC-1953, Grant & Chinook, Lona Hanson.
35) NORTHERN PATROL-1953, Grant & Chinook, Marian Carr, Claudia Drake, Gloria Talbott.
36) YUKON VENGEANCE-1954, Grant & Chinook, Mary Ellen Kay, Carol Thurston.

YUKON VENGEANCE was sold to NTA/Republic at some point and should be with Paramount. It can be found online.

 

[David_B_K]

I ordered volume one of the Kirby Grant & Chinook series during the Movie Zyng Warner Archive sale. I've always been a sucker for movies that feature "wonder dogs". I also enjoyed the Kino Rin Tin Tin release.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Just posted today by Warner Archive:

Coming to Blu-ray on April 30th from the Warner Archive Collection!

New 2024 1080p HD master from 4K scan of best presevation elements.

DEVIL’S DOORWAY (1950)
BD-50
87 Minutes
B&W
16x9 1.37:1 with side mattes
DTS-HD MA 2.0
English SDH
Directed by Anthony Mann
Special features: Classic cartoons “The Chump Champ” and “Cue Ball Cat”
Cast: Robert Taylor, Louis Calhern, Paula Raymond
Shoshone tribesman and Civil War hero Lance Poole (Robert Taylor) returns home with a Congressional Medal of Honor on his chest and a saddlebag full of dreams about prospering as a cattleman on his family’s land. But Native Americans have no citizenship, no property rights. The courts, despite the efforts of Lane’s attorney (Paula Raymond) offer no remedy. Lance and his people must fight to keep their land. Devil’s Doorway, the first of the several groundbreaking Westerns by master auteur filmmaker Anthony Mann (The Naked Spur) is one of the earliest films sympathetic to the plight of Native Americans, standing alongside the same year’s Broken Arrow. Perhaps not coincidentally, Lane Poole’s tribal name is Broken Lance.

 

[Robert Crawford]

One of the best noir westerns ever filmed. Anthony Mann and John Alton at the top of their game.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

24. A Pistol For Ringo 1965 (Arrow Video HD digital stream via iTunes)

Montgomery Wood is Ringo (aka Angel Face), an exceptional gunslinger. Ringo is arrested after turning himself in for killing the four Benson brothers in self defense. While in jail in the small Texas town, the bank is robbed by Mexican bandits, led by Sancho, who came across the border. Ringo is quickly acquitted so he can help the town's sheriff. He ends up infiltrating the bandit gang while they are holed up at a local ranch, where the sheriff's fiance and her father live.

This spaghetti western contains a wonderful score by the incomparable Ennio Morricone. The transfer by Arrow is mostly good, except for some occasional footage that seems over exposed. This one is currently for sale on iTunes for $3.99.

 

[Doug Wallen]

Watched on March 26th:

The Virginian (2.7) Brother Thaddeus (1963) Timeless Media Group DVD – Albert Salmi, Christopher Dark, Joe Maross, Kathie Browne, Richard Devon, Ross Elliott. I always enjoy any appearance from venerable character actor Albert Salmi. Here he is playing a reformed criminal named “Willy Kane” who is now known as Brother Thaddeus. Thaddeus has been asked to come and act as a replacement for Father Blaise at the Mission. On his journey there, Thaddeus encounters Benny, a former criminal cohort. Before we know it, Thaddeus is framed, in jail and stages a breakout (after receiving “divine” intervention) to go after thieves. This was a very enjoyable episode highlighted by fine interactions between Thaddeus (Salmi) and Trampas (McClure).

The Virginian (2.8) A Portrait Of Marie Valonne (1963) Timeless Media Group DVD – Madlyn Rhue, Skip Homeier, Peter Mark Richman, Adam Roarke, Marge Redmond, Ron Soble, Ken Lynch, Oscar Beregi Jr. A semi-flashback story involving The Virginian and a mystery woman (Rhue) with ties to New Orleans criminal underground involving corrupt politicians. The story seems interesting in concept but it did not appeal to me as a viewer. Such a shame as I enjoy both Homeier and Richman. Oh well, on to the next episode.

 

[t1g3r5fan]

28. The Lonely Man (1957, Henry Levin, Paramount DVD)

As aging gunfighter Jacob Wade (Jack Palance) returns to Red Bluff, he finds that the townspeople want to be on his way out and that his son Riley (Anthony Perkins) nurses a grudge against him for deserting him and his mother. However, King Fisher (Neville Brand) wants to settle an old score with Jacob and the truth behind why Jacob left his wife and Riley, combined with Jacob's failing eyesight will force father and son to reconcile.

Underrated western does follow the familiar "notorious gunslinger trying to go straight" plot troupe but is bolstered by Henry Levin's solid direction and performances from the cast, including a rare non-villainous turn from Jack Palance and Anthony Perkins before the latter becoming inexorably linked to Norman Bates. Solid VistaVision cinematography by Lionel Lindon and Nathan Van Cleave's somber music score features Tennessee Ernie Ford singing the title song during the opening credits.

Rating: 4 out of 5

 

[borisfw]

28)The Great Silence(68)(ACC)Jean-Louis Trintignant,Klaus Kinski(FM)(BLU) 4/5

In Snowhill Utah a mute avenging gunman,Silence(Jean Louis Trintigant), comes to town to get vengeance for a black woman,Pauline Middleton(Vonetta McGee),whose husband was killed by a bounty hunter named Loco(Klaus Kinski). At the same time a new sheriff,Gideon Burnett(Frank Wolff) arrives in town. The bounty hunters in town are killing criminals hiding in the woods. The sheriff is trying to bring order and stop the killing.
Beautifully shot in a snowy local and masterfully directed by Sergio Corbucci. Excellent acting by all involved including Trintignant,Kinski,Wolff and McGee. One of the most unexpected and disturbing endings.