Westerns Movie Log Journal & Recommendations

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Thought I'd keep a log of the western movies that I watch for the upcoming Westerns Countdown List I don't log my movies anywhere else, so it's either here or I'll forget what I watched when it comes time to send my voting ballot in!



Ballad of Buster Scruggs is my favorite (that you haven’t reviewed).




The Tin Star (1957)


I watched this one the other night, it was pretty good too. It's not an action packed film...It's a social morality tale wrapped in a melodrama western with a dose of romance along with a few unique for the time ideas. First we have this nice blonde white woman who was married to a Indian (that's native American to you). The Indian husband is dead but described as being a good man who fell victim to racial hostiles. Back in the 1950s interracial marriage in a movie was ground breaking and the subject is handled well in the film too.

The young Sheriff (Anthony Perkins of Psycho fame) is trying to follow in his father's footsteps as the town's sheriff, but he's green as hell and just as likely to get killed in the next few days. Perkins is real good here, especially when paired with veteran actor Henry Fonda who's a bounty hunter with a secret past. The bounty hunter is the only man who can teach the young sheriff how to survive a gun fight and there's a bad guy in town who just happens to be a hateful racist.

The other interesting thing is, the movie goes into some detail about the finer aspects of gun fighting. That's something I hadn't seen before.

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That is if I can find it. Rats my library didn't have it and I thought they would.
If you have Netflix it’s on there.



I know you've seen my favorite Western (3:10 to Yuma, 2007) since I nominated it for a HOF. You liked it, IIRC. I hope you'll keep it in mind for your ballot.

I've watched several Westerns for the countdown as well. The only one that I hadn't seen before that really impressed me was The Hanging Tree. It's from 1959 and stars Gary Cooper. I think it might be up your alley.



Great idea, I actually very nearly started one of these yesterday myself

A couple from those that I've already watched/rewatched and quite liked are The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) and Last Train From Gun Hill (1959) so might be worthwhile you giving one or both a watch at some point if they sound of interest to you.



I found The Ballad of Buster Scruggs so I'll be watching that one, hopefully tonight.

I know you've seen my favorite Western (3:10 to Yuma, 2007) since I nominated it for a HOF. You liked it, IIRC. I hope you'll keep it in mind for your ballot.

I've watched several Westerns for the countdown as well. The only one that I hadn't seen before that really impressed me was The Hanging Tree. It's from 1959 and stars Gary Cooper. I think it might be up your alley.
3:10 to Yuma (2007) is a good one. I'll have to look through my review thread and find all the westerns I've reviewed, I'm sure I have a review of it.

The Hanging Tree 1959, sounds good to me, thanks. I'll try to find a copy and watch it soon.



Great idea, I actually very nearly started one of these yesterday myself

A couple from those that I've already watched/rewatched and quite liked are The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) and Last Train From Gun Hill (1959) so might be worthwhile you giving one or both a watch at some point if they sound of interest to you.
I'd been thinking about doing this since the western countdown started, and figured if I didn't I would forget everything I'm watching A good example of my forgetful memory is The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) I seen that a couple weeks ago but had already forgotten the title...(it's a good one!) I haven't seen Last Train From Gun Hill (1959) and will take a look for it. Thanks for the recs



I'd been thinking about doing this since the western countdown started, and figured if I didn't I would forget everything I'm watching A good example of my forgetful memory is The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) I seen that a couple weeks ago but had already forgotten the title...(it's a good one!) I haven't seen Last Train From Gun Hill (1959) and will take a look for it. Thanks for the recs
Lol, I feel ya on the poor memory.

If you rate whatever Westerns you see on here you can always go into Edit Seen Log in your UCP and it'll have a list of what you've watched (and how you rated them)

Glad you enjoyed The Fastest Gun Alive, hopefully you'll think well of Last Train From Gun Hill as well.



UCP is your User Control Panel otherwise denoted as User CP in the secondary menu at the top of the site. Once in there Edit Seen Log is an option in the topmost left hand box.



UCP is your User Control Panel otherwise denoted as User CP in the secondary menu at the top of the site. Once in there Edit Seen Log is an option in the topmost left hand box.
OK thanks...I know about the control panel of course, but hadn't seen the Edit Seen Log before. That must be relatively new.



If you groove to 3:10 to Yuma (2007), other than checking out the 1957 original directed by Delmer Daves and starring Glenn Ford and Van Heflin, the source material is an Elmore Leonard story. Yes, THAT Elmore Leonard, best known for his modern, quirky crime fiction that became movies like Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Jackie Brown as well as the TV series "Justified". He also wrote Western fiction, and in addition to the two versions of 3:10 to Yuma there are four other major cinematic Leonards.



The Tall T
1957, Budd Boetticher

Perhaps the best of the legendary Western pairings of Randolph Scott and director Boetticher with a wonderful performance from Richard Boone shedding his literate Paladin hero from TV's "Have Gun - Will Travel" to become a gleeful baddie. It is very sparse, tense, and leans heavy on the archetypes. If you check it out and find you like it there are SIX MORE pairings of Scott & Boetticher: 7 Men from Now, Ride Lonesome, Comanche Station, Decision at Sundown, Buchanan Rides Alone, and Westbound.



Hombre
1967, Martin Ritt

A tense sort of updating of Stagecoach minus the chase part as the passengers hole up at an abandoned mine to face off against the murderous bandits, and this time the Indian is the good guy. Paul Newman plays a halfbreed Apache who is looked down upon by the other passengers until they need him to save their asses. All-star cast including Fredric March, Martin Balsam, and an even more charming, more ruthless Richard Boone.



Valdez is Coming
1971, Edwin Sherin

I think this is the least of the Elmore Leonard oaters, starring Burt Lancaster as a half Mexican sheriff standing up to a powerful rancher. It's not bad, darker than you may assume a movie starring Lancaster may be clearly feeling the influence of both Peckinpah & Leone, and tries to turn some of the racial stuff on its head. But ultimately pretty forgettable stuff in a decade that saw some truly exciting Revisionist Westerns.



Joe Kidd
1972, John Sturges

The second-to-last Western made by director Sturges who famously helmed The Magnificent Seven (and The Great Escape) and made about ten other flicks in the genre including two versions of the Wyatt Earp legend in the rousing, glossy Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) with Burt Lancaster & Kirk Douglas and the darker The Hour of the Gun (1967) with Jim Garner and Jason Robards, but found himself lost in the shuffle as the Studio system crumbled in the late '60s and '70s and the young auteurs took over.

Joe Kidd was already Eastwood's fifth big screen American Western following his transition from "Rawhide" to the international star the Leone trilogy made him (after Hang 'em High, Coogan's Bluff, Paint Your Wagon and Two Mules for Sister Sara), and just before he started directing himself (High Plains Drifter was released the next year). Fantastic '70s supporting cast including Robert Duvall, Don Stroud, John Saxon, and Gregory Walcott. Not on the same level as Richard Brooks' The Professionals, an earlier picture where mercenaries come to respect the Mexican rebel they are hired to go up against, but engaging with some good action.


Elmore had some Western television projects in the '80s and '90s, including the made-for-TV features "Last Stand at Saber River" with Tom Selleck, David and Keith Carradine, and a pre-Gump Haley Joel Osment and a nobody-asked-for-it belated sequel "High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane" starring Lee Majors in the period of his career between "The Six-Million-Dollar Man" and "The Fall Guy".





The Tall T and Hombre are most definitely worth checking out.

__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra



Also Pale Rider and The Hateful Eight are very entertaining imo.

Not much of a western guy myself, but here's my favourites.
Hey Hashtag long time no see, glad to see you're still posting. I hadn't seen that Laurel and Hardy before but I'll give it a try. Yup, for sure Pale Rider will be making my countdown list, great film...but it's been so long I will add it to my westerns to watch list. But I think I'll pass on Tarantino's The Hateful Eight, just to long for me and I really don't like most of his work (but I know a LOT of people loved it) So cool and thanks for the recs



Hey Hashtag long time no see, glad to see you're still posting. I hadn't seen that Laurel and Hardy before but I'll give it a try. Yup, for sure Pale Rider will be making my countdown list, great film...but it's been so long I will add it to my westerns to watch list. But I think I'll pass on Tarantino's The Hateful Eight, just to long for me and I really don't like most of his work (but I know a LOT of people loved it) So cool and thanks for the recs
Nice, I haven't really been around as other stuff in my life has occupied me, but I come back from time to time



The Tall T
1957, Budd Boetticher

Hombre
1967, Martin Ritt

Valdez is Coming
1971, Edwin Sherin

Joe Kidd
1972, John Sturges
Thanks Holden, good stuff. I just recently seen The Tall T, it's one of the films that made me realize I'd better keep track of what I'm watching so I can send in a decent voting list. Good movie, and surprisingly dark with all that 'well action'.

I also seen Hombre in the last month, I wasn't too impressed with it, except I LOVED the last shooting location at the old abandoned mining stamp mill.

It's been a long time since I seen Joe Kidd but I do really like that one. So I think I'll do a whole Eastwood western watch thing...

Valdez is Coming...have not seen this one so I'll watch it and give it a mini review!