***Official 1st HTF Western Movies/TV Shows Challenge 2024*** (4 Viewers)

[Scott Merryfield]

21. Massacre Time 1966 (Arrow Video HD digital stream via iTunes)

Franco Nero and George Hilton team up as brothers Tom and Jeff Corbett. Tom (Nero) is a gold prospector who is called back to his home town in New Mexico by a family friend for reasons unknown to him. He arrives to find his brother (Hilton) a drunkard, and the town under the control of the Scott family of a father and two sons -- one of which is sadistically insane. Tom must unravel the mystery, and face off against Scott's men in the process.

An interesting film if only for seeing two spaghetti western icons team up on the screen. The story is nothing new, though. The transfer from Arrow is very good, as expected.

 

[t1g3r5fan]

24. The Furies (1950, Anthony Mann, Criterion Collection Blu-ray)

In the New Mexico Territory of the 1870's, rancher T.C. Jeffords (Walter Huston in his final film appearance) rules over his vast cattle empire like a lord from medieval times. However, his equally cunning daughter Vance (Barbara Stanwyck) makes her move to secure the ranch and her father's territory when he tries to undercut her and has her close childhood friend Juan Herrera (Gilbert Roland) hanged for his family squatting on T.C.'s land.

One of the true hidden gems of the Western genre that can hold its own with some of the greatest films in the genre. Anthony Mann and screenwriter Charles Schnee take Niven Busch's novel and transforms it into a combination of Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky and Greek tragedy in Western garb. Victor Milner's Oscar nominated cinematography is a huge asset, along with the production design by legends Hans Dreier and Henry Bumstead, costumes by the great Edith Head and Franz Waxman's brilliantly propulsive and moody music. But the best aspect here is the performances of both Walter Huston and Barbara Stanwyck in the leads to bring this psychological Western to life.

Rating: 5 out of 5

 

[borisfw]

24)Death of a Gunfighter(69)(UNIV)Richard Widmark,Carroll O'Connor (UNIV dvdr) 3 1/2/5 Marshal Frank Patch(Richard Widmark) guns down a drunk who thinks that the marshal is sleeping with his wife. After the man dies the town officials decide that Patch needs to go as he has killed many men over the twenty years he has been marshal. Plus the town wants a change. When they confront Patch he refuses to step down and things go sideways quickly. A troubled production which was mostly directed by Don Siegel and is helped by a top notch performance from Widmark. There are plenty of top character actors throughout the cast with Carroll O'Connor being the chief adversary to the marshal and John Saxon who has a small but effective role. The movie plays and feels like a tv movie at times and has an explosive ending that seems a bit overdone. Still not too bad.

 

[Robert Crawford]

23. Three Violent People (1956, Rudolph Mate, Paramount DVD)

In post-Civil War Texas, former Confederate soldier Colt Saunders (Charlton Heston) returns to his sprawling homestead with his brand new bride (Anne Baxter). However, he has to contend with his wife's past, his violent, one-armed brother (Tom Tryon) and the provisional government led by carpetbaggers that are coveting the vast land Saunders owns.

OK western from former cinematographer turned director Rudolph Mate benefits from Loyal Griggs' VistaVision cinematography (though the film could use a fresher transfer than the Paramount DVD currently available) and Walter Scharf's brilliantly moody music score. Decent performances from the cast - including surprise appearances by Ross Bagdasarian (Dave Seville himself) and Robert Blake as 2 of the 5 sons of Colt's ranch foreman Gilbert Roland - help as well.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

iTunes has it available in HD. I wonder if it's based on the same master? Probably.

See my summary with movies/TV shows grades:

33) 03-24-24: "Three Violent People" (1957) (iTunes HD Digital) 3/5 Stars
Well after watching the first 10 minutes of the iTunes HD Digital, last evening, I decided to watch the rest of the movie. This movie has never been a favorite of mine. I always preferred other Paramount westerns that Charlton Heston made for that studio. As a kid, I think it was because there really isn't any gunplay until the last five minutes of the movie. As an adult, I never felt sorry for Baxter's character due to her duplicity and I never bought Heston's abrupt decision to marry her in the first place. With that said, I can see how Tryon's character could be so bitter towards his brother. Gilbert Roland was one of my father's favorite actors, so in my youth, I developed an affinity for the actor and his films. Some of his scenes with Heston in this movie were really good especially the one in which they had a falling out. A surrogate big brother disappointed in his younger brother's decision regarding his marriage and the birth of his son. Similar to Heston's disappointment with his real brother, Tryon and the life choices he made. Also, in this western, Gilbert Roland's character had a third son played by an actor that Mychal didn't name. It was Jameel Farah, who later changed his name to Jamie Farr. He played Maxwell Klinger on "M*A*S*H TV show for 11 years.

I watched this iTunes HD Digital back when I first purchased it in 2018. The video presentation is better than the 2005 DVD, but I'm pretty sure the digital and DVD were derived from the same scan. Most definitely, this VistaVision/Techicolor movie would look much better video presentation-wise, if a newer 2K or 4K scan was ever completed by Paramount.

 

[Robert Crawford]

24. The Furies (1950, Anthony Mann, Criterion Collection Blu-ray)

In the New Mexico Territory of the 1870's, rancher T.C. Jeffords (Walter Huston in his final film appearance) rules over his vast cattle empire like a lord from medieval times. However, his equally cunning daughter Vance (Barbara Stanwyck) makes her move to secure the ranch and her father's territory when he tries to undercut her and has her close childhood friend Juan Herrera (Gilbert Roland) hanged for his family squatting on T.C.'s land.

One of the true hidden gems of the Western genre that can hold its own with some of the greatest films in the genre. Anthony Mann and screenwriter Charles Schnee take Niven Busch's novel and transforms it into a combination of Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky and Greek tragedy in Western garb. Victor Milner's Oscar nominated cinematography is a huge asset, along with the production design by legends Hans Dreier and Henry Bumstead, costumes by the great Edith Head and Franz Waxman's brilliantly propulsive and moody music. But the best aspect here is the performances of both Walter Huston and Barbara Stanwyck in the leads to bring this psychological Western to life.

Rating: 5 out of 5

I love "The Furies", it's one of my favorite westerns. It's a noir western classic.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

31. Day of the Outlaw (1959)
Rancher Blaise Starrett (Robert Ryan) is a hard man, one of those who carved out a life in the rough and dangerous Montana Territory, helping make the town of Bitters safe, before settlers and homesteaders started rolling in. Starrett is burned up by hatred for the farmers, especially Hal Crane (Alan Marshal), whose wife, Helen (Tina Louise), Starrett's had a torrid affair with but won't claim as his own without making her a widow first. At the precise moment Starrett is ready to throw down on Crane and two other farmers backing his play, a group of outlaws suddenly appear and take over the town. Their leader, Bruhn (Burl Ives), is a former cavalry commander gone rogue, he and his gang only two days ride ahead of an Army patrol after them for stealing a large payroll. Bruhn takes every townsman's gun and tells the people that nothing bad will happen to them if they behave themselves. Starrett can clearly see that Bruhn's commanding presence is the only thing keeping his gang of killers from destroying the town, raping the women and wiping everyone out. The trouble is, Bruhn is badly wounded, and if he dies, all hell will break loose. So Starrett sets in motion a desperate gambit to save the town, by leading the men on a one-way trip up into the desolate snow-capped mountains.

This was director Andre de Toth's final big screen western, and he directs with a sure hand and an eye for beautiful, bleak compositions. Shot on authentic, snow-filled locations around Mount Bachelor, Oregon (subbing for Montana) in crisp black and white, it's an excellent, taut western with a good script (based on a novel by Lee Edwin Wells) and fine performances, particularly Ryan and Ives, as the two alpha dogs that size each other up and forge a grudging respect. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet's David Nelson does well in support, as the only one of Bruhn's men who seems to have a moral compass. Also with Venetia Stevenson, Nehemiah Persoff, Jack Lambert, Frank DeKova, Lance Fuller, Dabbs Greer, Robert Cornthwaite and Elisha Cook, Jr. I never picked up Kino's now OOP Blu-Ray edition of this film, so watched it via an older DVD. It still looked pretty good, but I'm thinking I better try and grab that Blu on Amazon soon before the prices go crazy.

 

[HawksFord]

For our tenth western of the month, we went with another old favorite:

Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

I love the mythic quality to this film. Although there are hints, we never fully understand what led Robert Redford's character to move to the mountains. And while we get glimpses into the evolution of his character, he remains something of an enigma throughout the film. It makes for a haunting and compelling portrayal.

 

[Capt D McMars]

One of my favorite TV westerns growing up as a kid was Yancy Derringer. Set against a post war torn New Orleans, in the act of rebuilding and the powers of greed and corruption determined to win, set the stage for a good adventure series that only lasted one season but still a fun watch. It seemed that many of the stars and upcoming stare like Charles Brinson had cameo roles. I was thrilled when it was released in a box set dvd.
So I dove back into that swampy pool for the March challenge.

Original release
Production
ger
X Brands, Frances Bergen and Jock Mahoneyin 1959.
Genre	Action/Adventure
Created by	Mary Loos Richard Sale
Written by	Kellam de Forest Marjorie Helper Mary Loos Richard Sale Robert Spielman Coles Trapnell
Directed by	Richard Sale William F. Claxton
Starring	Jock Mahoney X Brands Frances Bergen Kevin Hagen
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	34
Executive producers	Warren Lewis Don Sharpe
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	Sharpe-Lewis Derringer Productions
Network	CBS
Release	October 2, 1958 – June 4, 1959

 

[Robert Crawford]

See my summary with movies/TV shows grades:

34) 03-25-24: "Quigley Down Under" (1990) (4K/UHD) 3.5/5 Stars
Not a traditional western because it takes place in Western Australia. No date is specified, but it looks like it takes place sometime in the 1880s. An American marksman/Tom Selleck with a specialty made long gun arrives in Australia. He's been hired by a rich Australian rancher/Alan Rickman to kill dingoes, but in reality, the rancher wants him to eliminate Aboriginal Australians from his massive ranch. Rejecting Rickman's employment offer and throwing Rickman out of his own home, Selleck's character is beaten and then hunted along with an American woman/Laura San Giacomo that has mental health issues by Rickman and his men. During their travels, they come across Rickman's men committing atrocities against the Aboriginal people. Of course, Selleck's character intercedes and basically has a running gun battle for the rest of the movie killing Rickman's men with a final showdown "Dodge City" style on that big ranch. My first viewing of this movie was back in 1990, during its theatrical run. I've own it on three different home video formats DVD, Blu-ray and now 4K/UHD. This is by far the best-looking video presentation I have ever witnessed with this movie. A beautiful release by Shout! Factory. With that said, my main criticism of the movie back in 1990 still remains the same today which is the movie's runtime should have been about 15 minutes shorter. It drags a bit after the first 60 minutes of this 119-minute movie. Rickman and Giacomo are very good in this film. Rickman has some great quotes that he recites here.

 

[borisfw]

25)Sunset in the West(50)(REP)Roy Rogers,Penny Edwards(KL)(BLU) 3/5 Gun Runners are stealing trains and using them to smuggle guns over the border. Sheriff Tad Osborne(Will Wright) is having trouble catching them. Osborne's ex deputy Roy Rogers shows up to help Osborne catch the criminals. Well directed by William Witney and beautifully shot in color. Roy Rogers is in top form and there is plenty of action throughout with a solid ending. Gordon Jones is on hand for comedy and Penny Edwards and Estelita Rodriguez are easy on the eyes. A couple of songs round out a nice entry in Roger's filmography. Well done.

 

[t1g3r5fan]

25. The Sisters Brothers (2018, Jacques Audiard, Fox Blu-ray)

In 1850's Oregon, notorious hired guns Charlie and Eli Sisters (Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly) are sent to kill a prospector (Riz Ahmed) who has a chemical formula for finding gold. As they track down the prospector and the detective (Jake Gyllenhaal) hired by their boss to find him, the brothers have a series of misadventures and eventually team up with the duo in their search for gold.

Jacques Audiard's adaptation of the 2011 novel by Patrick De Witt is a disarmingly charming Western that threads the needle between comedy and drama and does full justice to its source material. The cast is terrific - including Rutger Hauer in one of his final movies - and has strikingly beautiful cinematography by Benoit Debie along with a great music score by Alexandre Desplat.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

By the way, this was a movie that my sister got me for Christmas one year and - until now - had never got a chance to view it. Thanks to this challenge though, I'm glad I got to catch up with one of the best Westerns in the 21st Century so far.

 

[Mark-P]

My fourth entry in the challenge, is Ulzana’s Raid from 1972. The last time I saw this movie was in 1996 on Laserdisc, and needless to say I didn’t remember it very well. This time I watched the Kino Blu-ray which is a very clean transfer. Ulzana’s Raid is not a particularly good Western, But it has its moments, as it takes its time to tell its story, and also features some ultra-violence and gore (it is after all an early R-rated Western).

Bruce Davison is in charge of a cavalry mission to track down and kill Ulzana, an Apache warrior who is on a killing spree. Burt Lancaster is an aging scout enlisted to help them track Ulzana and his mauraders. It’s a bloodbath by the end of the movie.

While I appreciate the acting and storytelling, it’s merely an okay Western.

1. The Last Wagon – 3/10/2024
2. Abilene Town – 3/13/2024
3. The Outlaw Josey Wales – 3/19/2024
4. Ulzana's Raid - 3/26/2024

 

[Bob Gu]

26) CHEYENNE-1947, Warner Brothers, B&W, Dennis Morgan, Jane Wyman, Janis Page. WAC-DVDr

Dennis Morgan heads to Cheyenne, Wyoming at the 'request' of an insurance investigator, Barton MacLane, to track down a stagecoach robber, known as 'The Poet". 'The Poet' leaves poetic notes at the scenes of his crimes.

On the way Morgan meets, friendly Janis Page and not so friendly Jane Wyman.

Breezy, fast paced, western fun with Dennis Morgan. I liked it.

This CHEYENNE has nothing to do with the WB TV series. Morgan plays a crafty gambler, named 'Wylie', who won't fight the odds. I think CHEYENNE-1947 can be considered an early inspiration for the MAVERICK TV series.

'The Poet' is based on the historic outlaw, 'Black Bart'. I think 'Black Bart was captured by Jim Hardie, Special Investigator for Wells Fargo, and Matt Clark, Railroad Detective.

Shortly after he was released from prison, 'Black Bart' disappeared.

 

[Capt D McMars]

Last night i watched "They Died With thier Boot On" (1941) Errol Flynn/Olivia De Havilland pairing in the mythical rendering of George Armstrong Custer and Anthony Quinn as the Souix War Chief Crazy Horse did a great job...classic Hollywood fables. And followed up a second sydo-history hollywood technicolor exstravagansa "Buffalo Bill"(1944) with Joel McCrea, Maureen O Hara, the lovely Linda Darnell and again, Anthony Quinn playing an Indian Cheif Yellow Hand. With two amazing character actors, Edgar Buchanan & Thomas Mitchell, roundong the cast...I would love to see a real restoration of eith of these films but ecpecially Buffalo Bill, as a thechnicolor production the colors would be amazing!!

 

[borisfw]

26)Day of the Outlaw(59)(UA)Robert Ryan,Burl Ives(KL)(BLU) 3 1/2/5
A group of outlaws led by ex army officer Jack Bruhn(Burl Ives) take over a small western town during a brutal winter storm. Local rancher Blaise Starrett(Robert Ryan) is at odds with the farmers over putting up wire to keep his cattle out. His ex girlfriend,Helen Crane(Tina Louise) is also married to one of the farmers. Now Blaise is confronted with the group of murderous outlaws.
Excellent western beautifully directed by Andre DeToth. The harsh winter setting is a big part of the story and works perfectly. Ryan and Ives are both excellent as the two adversaries who respect one another. Plenty of fine support by Jack Lambert, David Nelson and Tina Louise and just about everyone in the cast. A very grim but well done film with beautiful cinematography.

 

[Robert Crawford]

See my summary with movies/TV shows grades:

35) 03-26-24: "Man from Del Rio" (1956) (Blu-ray) 3/5 Stars
Monday was a Western double feature with two movies starring Anthony Quinn. Three years ago, I bought this Kino Blu-ray that I never watched, nor have I seen either of these two movies beforehand. The first movie was "Man from Del Rio" starring Quinn and Katy Jurado. It's about a stranger that arrives in the town of Mesa to kill a man because of something that happened in Del Rio five years ago. After killing that man in a fair gunfight, he gets involved in another gun dispute when the sheriff is assaulted by some gunmen. After rescuing the sheriff, the leaders of the town appoint him sheriff because they want him to run a crooked saloon keeper out of town because he attracts gunmen into Mesa. Katy Jurado plays a widow woman that works for the town doctor that Quinn is attracted to but doesn't want anything to do with him. The townspeople don't really want him either and are just using him as a means to get rid of the criminal element in their humble town. I found this "B" western pretty good for a film made on such a small budget. I liked the film chemistry between Quinn and Jurado. Also, Whit Bissell is in the cast as the town drunk and snitch. He's almost unrecognizable except for his distinguishable voice. The Kino Blu-ray's video presentation is solid without any issues that took me out of the movie.

36) 03-26-24: "The Ride Back" (1957) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
The second movie of my double feature was "The Ride Back" starring Anthony Quinn and William Conrad. Quinn plays a charismatic gunman that kills two men in self-defense that flees a town to Mexico. Conrad plays an aloof lawman that is task to bring him back from Mexico to face a murder trial. Conrad also produced this "B" western along with director Robert Aldrich. The film was actually directed by Allen Miner, who directed a bunch of TV shows back in the day. Apparently, the basis of this movie was derived from a radio episode of "Gunsmoke", the radio show which starred Conrad as Matt Dillion. Anyhow, while journeying back from Mexico to that town in the United States, they run across a small band of Apache. Needless to say, they're not peaceful Apache so the journey becomes more stressful while fighting off Apache along the way. The contrast between Quinn and Conrad's characters is apparent. Conrad is an honest lawman but considers himself a failure and feels he is hated by everybody including his wife. While Quinn is an affable person that people easily come to like as a person. Both men have to work together in order to survive their journey as they come across some murders committed by the Apache. Again, the video presentation was okay, and personally I found this western a little more enjoyable than Man from Del Rio. It's probably due to the relationship that evolves between the lawman and his prisoner. By the way, the title song of "The Ride Back" is sung by actor Eddie Albert. I think Albert and Aldrich were friends because Albert was in more than a few Aldrich directed films.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

32. Seven Men from Now (1956)
Former sheriff Ben Stride (Randolph Scott) is on the trail of the men who carried out a Wells Fargo robbery in Silver Springs, stealing $20,000 and killing Stride's wife in the process. Stride, who blames himself for his wife's death, later comes to the aid of John Greer (Walter Reed) and his gentle, pretty wife, Annie (Gail Russell), when their wagon becomes stuck in the mud. Stride reluctantly rides along with the Greers for a while, to escort them safely through dangerous Chiricahua territory. Along the way, they run into Bill Masters (Lee Marvin), an old frenemy of Stride's, who is after the stolen money for himself, and warns Stride that he'll go through him to get it, if necessary.

Terrific Randolph Scott/Budd Boetticher western, the first of their critically acclaimed collaborations. Though similar in feel and often grouped together with the subsequent "Ranown" cycle of films (named after Scott and his longtime producing partner, Harry Joe Brown), Seven Men from Now was instead made by John Wayne's Batjac Productions. It features a tight script by Burt Kennedy, striking outdoor locations (filmed in the Alabama Hills and adjacent areas near Lone Pine, California) beautifully shot by William B. Clothier, typically skillful, unfussy direction from Boetticher, and strong work from the cast, with a standout performance by Marvin, who's on top leering, sneering form. Fragile beauty Gail Russell is memorable as the married woman who responds to Scott's stoic yet gentlemanly manner and easy competence. Also with John Larch, Don "Red" Barry, Chuck Roberson, Cliff Lyons and a brief appearance by a young Stuart Whitman. I rank this film near the top of the heap of the seven Scott/Boetticher westerns, second only to the magnificent Ride Lonesome (and followed closely by Comanche Station and The Tall T). Sadly, this film is MIA on Blu-Ray, doubtless due to rights issues, so I watched it via the 2005 Collector's Edition DVD.

 

[Robert Crawford]

We have another western coming out in 2024, besides the Costner films.

 

[dpippel]

Viggo! Looks great.

 

[t1g3r5fan]

26. Invitation to a Gunfighter (1964, Richard Wilson, MGM DVD)

When Confederate veteran Matt Weaver (George Segal) tries to reclaim the land illegally taken from him by the crooked Brewster (Pat Hingle), the New Mexico town that Brewster holds in his sway turns on Weaver, except for the Mexican residents who are sympathetic to Weaver's plight. When notorious Creole gunslinger Jules Gaspard D'Estaing (Yul Brynner) arrives in town, he's hired by Brewster to kill Weaver, but it's really the beginning of the town's reckoning with its own hypocrisy...

Adapted from a Playhouse 90 teleplay from 1957, the movie takes on the issues of racism and social hypocrisy in a manner similar to the Ranown Westerns of the late 1950's. There's plenty of twists and turns and - although it does get bogged down from time to time - the film does give Yul Brynner a terrific part as the gunslinger dealing with both the town's hypocritical prejudice and his own conscience from his notorious reputation.

Rating: 4 out of 5