Best Copies Of John Wayne's LONE STAR Westerns? (1 Viewer)

Can anyone recommend the best release of John Wayne's LONE STAR westerns, all of which are public domain? There are several releases out there, as is typical of public domain titles, but sometimes some editions are better than others.


I have a two disc set from Mill Creek which really crams the movies in, and the compression artifacting is terrible. Every other Mill Creek set I've looked at for the Wayne westerns seems to offer too few discs given how many titles there are. On the other hand, there is a 9 disc collection from TGG, but I don't know if the quality is any better. Amazon reviews are practically worthless when it comes to many public domain releases.


So anyone have an opinion on this? Thanks.

Wow, 150 views of this thread and still no responses? No one has an opinion on this?


I knew active participation was down on HTF, but I didn't think it had gotten this bad. As a veteran member I'm sorry to see it as it is now. I seem to remember some western aficionados who used to post here, but I guess they've moved on.


Oh well, I'm off to find another forum where maybe someone has knowledge of this and can answer my question. Thanks to everyone who at least checked out my post.

I ran into this dilemma a bit over a year ago and there is really no all-encompassing solution. The best transfers are divided among several different PD labels. I personally used a lot of old Roan DVD transfers but also batted around between several different PD versions.


Theses have some "official" releases by FAT-W Video in the sense that there is a company that licensed this many moons ago, yet made the fateful decision to edit them for TV broadcast through the combination of trimming footage and using cheesy music tracks during scenes where there was no music originally. These boast the best video quality, yet the editing and music make them hard to recommend. There are a few released by Sony that have this same problem.


Long story short, I really don't know. If you would have asked me a year or two ago I could have told you more precisely which is the best (or rather the best of the worst) transfers, but since then I have forgotten.

JoHud said:

I ran into this dilemma a bit over a year ago and there is really no all-encompassing solution. The best transfers are divided among several different PD labels. I personally used a lot of old Roan DVD transfers but also batted around between several different PD versions.


Theses have some "official" releases by FAT-W Video in the sense that there is a company that licensed this many moons ago, yet made the fateful decision to edit them for TV broadcast through the combination of trimming footage and using cheesy music tracks during scenes where there was no music originally. These boast the best video quality, yet the editing and music make them hard to recommend. There are a few released by Sony that have this same problem.


Long story short, I really don't know. If you would have asked me a year or two ago I could have told you more precisely which is the best (or rather the best of the worst) transfers, but since then I have forgotten.

Click to expand...

The FAT-W releases certainly look the best, but you are right...the cheesy music really off-sets any kind of enjoyment you may get from the nicer looking prints.


My suggestion would be the colorized Legend Films releases from a few years back. There are only a handful of them released, out of the 16 Lone Star films. And even though the prints used for the colorization are not the best, it is a lot of fun to witness these movies in color. Certain things in the background that were never noticeable before, now stand out. A great example is in "Sagebrush Trail". I must have seen this film dozens of times, but it was not until watching the Legend Films Colorized version, that I noticed a painting of a topless woman, right over the bar table that John Wayne is sitting at. And it's not just a quick cut, the camera stays on John Wayne and the painting for a few seconds, is 2 separate shots!


Also, there is music added into these films, but it's music that is MUCH more appropriate than the FAT-W films. Whereas FAT-W used Little Rascals type music, Legend Films layers orchestra music within the scenes. You'll noticed the difference as soon as the opening credits roll.


So while not a complete 16-film release, the Legend Film's ones that are available on DVD, are your best bet (in my opinion).

Neil Roughley's Duke Filmography is the best John Wayne resource on the internet. It's a helluva long page that could do with breaking up into smaller sections, but just do a page search for "Lone Star" and you can jump to the appropriate section.


You'll find a massive, detailed history of the 16 Lone Star films and their subsequent reissues and re-edits. The bottom line is that no original versions are in circulation and the best copies available are the made on demand DVDs from Mr. FAT-W Video (15 films) and the above mentioned Legend Films DVDs (6 films). The latter contain the original B&W versions and newly computer colorized versions.


Well Glen, does that restore your faith in the "western aficionados who used to post here"?

Thanks Jim and Brent. I have a Mill Creek set (only so-so), the Good Times Video release of "Winds of the Wateland" (my favorite of the Lone Star films), and several of the Republic titles released on Blu-ray. I think I will try out the "Legend Films" set since it is relatively cheap and recommended. The fact it includes a possible improvement to my copy of "Winds of the Wateland" (even though renamed) doesn't hurt either.

You can still find the Roan release that features five of his early films, pressed and at a low price. The five films included are:


BLUE STEEL

LUCKY TEXAN

WEST OF THE DIVIDE

HELL TOWN

PARADISE CANYON


I just picked it up for $3 used at goHastings and it came in great shape. Haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but I understand it is typically solid Roan quality.

Brent Reid said:

Well Glen, does that restore your faith in the "western aficionados who used to post here"?

Click to expand...

Glad to see some are still here! Thanks for all the information, Brent.

Just received my "Legend Films" set and I'm very happy. I compared it to my previous sets and this is by far the best. While they still won't compare with how good they could have looked if mastered form the original 35mm film elements. At least they aren't laden with heavy compression issues and damage that the other releases I own have. And having the color versions is a nice novelty for a viewing, but the B/W is why I purchased. Between these six and the few blu-rays that Olive released i feel i have a decent perspective on John Wayne's early years. Thanks Glen for starting the thread and the others for posting recommendations.

I didn't know about the Legend Films set. Thanks for that. Probably among the best available for this period and could be the best we'll get for a long while.