Westerns Movie Log Journal & Recommendations

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Citizen Rules's Avatar
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04-14-20

Forty Guns (Samuel Fuller 1957)

After watching Barbara Stanwyck in The Furies and enjoying it, I got a hankering for more of her westerns. Forty Guns is either really great in a European style of film making, or it's got one of the strangest scripts to come to light.

Samuel Fuller was known for his in-your-face style of tabloid film making...and he made some damn fine movies too. But with Forty Guns, a film he not only produced and directed but also wrote, we get dialogue that seems overly polished, with clever proses, but somehow it never felt like it rang true to the ears. For most of the move I was somewhat baffled by what the characters motivations were, and just where we were at in the story line.

Either this is such an inventive film that it went over my unsophisticated head...or...the script needed a rewrite.

At any rate this looks great! It's filmed in wide screen Cinemascope and director Sam Fuller takes full advantage of that panoramic process. I loved the idea of a beautiful girl who's an ace gun smith and expert shot. I don't know why, but that was cool. Then there's the scene with a half dozen men in bathtubs, not my thing, but it was rather comical looking. This is probably a film somebody should watch and decide for themselves.

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04-17-20

The Hangman (Michael Curtiz 1959)

'U.S. Marshal Bovard comes to a small border town to identify and arrest a fugitive, but the whole town seems determined to prevent the Marshal from doing his job.'

Why is this only rated 6.6 at IMDB? I've watched a lot of westerns lately and this is one of the better ones. Probably those rating it at IMDB wanted fast action and gun fights, this is not that kind of western. It's a well written, character study where the secondary characters are well filled out.

Directed by one of the greats, Michael Curtiz who was known for getting strong performances out of the actresses in his movies, and here Tina Louise knocks it out of the ball park. Yes, it's that Tina Louise, aka Ginger from Gilligan's Island. I'd heard that she was considered a serious actress before becoming permanently stranded on the island. And unlike most films where an actress is cast as the pretty girl without adding much to the story...Tina Louise's character has a lot of depth, and OMG she does indignation so well. She trained as a method actor with Lee Strasbourg and she's got the acting chops and then some.

The lead Robert Taylor was good as being a hard nosed, jaded lawman who didn't trust anyone. He believes everyone has their price and will 'sell out' with the right offer. That's where the script comes in as it's one of those moralistic 1950s themes, think of High Noon in reverse.

Shout out to Fess Parker. I only remember seeing him as a kid as Davy Crockett on TV. Here he reminded me of a Jimmy Stewart type. He brought a humanistic quality to the movie and acted as a counterbalance to the jaded lawman Robert Taylor.

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04-18-20
Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

The Hangman (Michael Curtiz 1959)

'U.S. Marshal Bovard comes to a small border town to identify and arrest a fugitive, but the whole town seems determined to prevent the Marshal from doing his job.'

Why is this only rated 6.6 at IMDB? I've watched a lot of westerns lately and this is one of the better ones. Probably those rating it at IMDB wanted fast action and gun fights, this is not that kind of western. It's a well written, character study where the secondary characters are well filled out.

Directed by one of the greats, Michael Curtiz who was known for getting strong performances out of the actresses in his movies, and here Tina Louise knocks it out of the ball park. Yes, it's that Tina Louise, aka Ginger from Gilligan's Island. I'd heard that she was considered a serious actress before becoming permanently stranded on the island. And unlike most films where an actress is cast as the pretty girl without adding much to the story...Tina Louise's character has a lot of depth, and OMG she does indignation so well. She trained as a method actor with Lee Strasbourg and she's got the acting chops and then some.

The lead Robert Taylor was good as being a hard nosed, jaded lawman who didn't trust anyone. He believes everyone has their price and will 'sell out' with the right offer. That's where the script comes in as it's one of those moralistic 1950s themes, think of High Noon in reverse.

Shout out to Fess Parker. I only remember seeing him as a kid as Davy Crockett on TV. Here he reminded me of a Jimmy Stewart type. He brought a humanistic quality to the movie and acted as a counterbalance to the jaded lawman Robert Taylor.

+





I can't guarantee that The Hangman will make my final list, but I added it to my westerns watchlist.

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04-18-20
Originally Posted by cricket
My only guess is that he sees the loving relationship between Juan and Vance confronting the racist societal norms in real life at the time. Although, I don't see that as relevant today. Loner doesn't post a lot these days so I didn't want to pick his brain. What do you think?
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04-19-20

Joe Kidd (John Sturges 1973)

Joe Kidd is probably the best looking western that Clint Eastwood made, having breath taking shots with snow covered mountains as a backdrop. The cinematography makes these stunningly rugged locations look all the more spectacular. And that alone is a perfect reason to watch Joe Kidd.

But unfortunately the movie has the weakest script of any of Clint's westerns. Renowned director John Sturges just about walked away from the film because the film's star & producer, Clint Eastwood kept rewriting the scenes to increase his own characters heroic actions which caused a story where the motivation makes little sense. In one laughable scene, Clint bumps into a woman in a hotel and has her in his arms swooning over him, in a matter of mere seconds. I guess Clint really wanted to play James Bond. It's almost funny, but the film isn't a comedy.



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04-20-20

Devil's Doorway (Anthony Mann 1950)

One of the darkest, most dismal westerns I've seen from the 1950s. Hell, this is dark & dismal for any decade. It's also extremely ground breaking as we have a film that focuses on Shoshone Indians and their plight. There's no happy endings here, it's all brutal reality. The story line is about a Native American Shoshone who joins the U.S. Army and wins the Congressional Medal of Honor, only to return and face bigotry and hatred...then to find the government that he fought for has declared him a non-citizen and so he's not able to keep his own land. If that isn't cutting edge enough for 1950s, there's also a woman lawyer...she tries to file a legal brief to help save the land.

The woman lawyer is played by Paula Raymond an actress I'd never heard of before. She was good, better than the usual pretty face. To the film's script credit she's not just the 'girl' in the film. She's not a love interest, but reflects the way white settlers would respond to an 'Indian'. At times she reminded me of Gene Tierney, both in looks and in actions.

The Shoshone who joined the U.S. Army is played by Robert Taylor, left side in the photo. He's good, and most all of the Shoshones are played by real Native Americans, which is unusual for the time.



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04-20-20
Originally Posted by cricket
That sounds good
It does. I added it to my watchlist too. No idea if I manage to watch it before the countdown, though, as even on my snail pace I've managed to burn myself out on westerns a bit
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04-21-20
Originally Posted by pahaK
It does. I added it to my watchlist too. No idea if I manage to watch it before the countdown, though, as even on my snail pace I've managed to burn myself out on westerns a bit
When i say it's dark and dismal, I mean from an emotional standpoint, not from a visual one. It's not going to compare to a modern dark/dismal film, remember it's made in 1950. But it is void of sentimentalism and cliche characters.



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04-21-20

The Ride Back (1957)

Not a great western by any means, but it does have a couple of note worthy points. Most notably it has William Conrad as the good guy, he's the sheriff and he's the lead. I don't recall every seeing a movie with Conrad in the lead and as the protagonist too. He produced the film so apparently cast himself as Sheriff Hamish. Hamish is a man hellbent to bring back a fugitive from Mexico to stand trial for murder in Arizona. While he's not great in this movie he does bring a certain angst and self loathing that makes his character more interesting than the typical lawman.

The other lead is Anthony Quinn who does, well what he usually does. I liked him here. He was born in Mexico and speaks Spanish fluently...and that's another interesting thing about this movie, there's a lot of Spanish being spoken. My favorite part is when the American Sheriff gets to Mexico and can't understand a word of Spanish as he tries to find a nearby town.

The last thing of interest in the title song The Ride Back which is song with gusto! by Eddie Albert. Yup that guy from Green Acres, and boy could he sing!

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04-21-20
Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

The Hangman (Michael Curtiz 1959)

'U.S. Marshal Bovard comes to a small border town to identify and arrest a fugitive, but the whole town seems determined to prevent the Marshal from doing his job.'

Why is this only rated 6.6 at IMDB? I've watched a lot of westerns lately and this is one of the better ones. Probably those rating it at IMDB wanted fast action and gun fights, this is not that kind of western. It's a well written, character study where the secondary characters are well filled out.

Directed by one of the greats, Michael Curtiz who was known for getting strong performances out of the actresses in his movies, and here Tina Louise knocks it out of the ball park. Yes, it's that Tina Louise, aka Ginger from Gilligan's Island. I'd heard that she was considered a serious actress before becoming permanently stranded on the island. And unlike most films where an actress is cast as the pretty girl without adding much to the story...Tina Louise's character has a lot of depth, and OMG she does indignation so well. She trained as a method actor with Lee Strasbourg and she's got the acting chops and then some.

The lead Robert Taylor was good as being a hard nosed, jaded lawman who didn't trust anyone. He believes everyone has their price and will 'sell out' with the right offer. That's where the script comes in as it's one of those moralistic 1950s themes, think of High Noon in reverse.

Shout out to Fess Parker. I only remember seeing him as a kid as Davy Crockett on TV. Here he reminded me of a Jimmy Stewart type. He brought a humanistic quality to the movie and acted as a counterbalance to the jaded lawman Robert Taylor.

+





I watched The Hangman today, and I liked it. I'm not sure yet if it will make my list, but it's in the running.

I don't think I would have recognized Tina Louise if I didn't already know that it was her. I think that only thing that I've seen her in until now was "Gilligan's Island".

One question, maybe I missed it, but how was Marshall Bovard so sure that Johnny Bishop was John Butterfield?



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04-21-20
Originally Posted by gbgoodies
I watched The Hangman today, and I liked it. I'm not sure yet if it will make my list, but it's in the running.

I don't think I would have recognized Tina Louise if I didn't already know that it was her. I think that only thing that I've seen her in until now was "Gilligan's Island".

One question, maybe I missed it, but how was Marshall Bovard so sure that Johnny Bishop was John Butterfield?
Yup Tina Louise looked very different in The Hangman. As far as I know he only suspected that Johnny Bishop was John Butterfield, but his character was awful sure of himself and quite jaded so I think he was convinced. But no he didn't have any concrete evidence at first. I'm glad you liked it.



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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
04-21-20
Originally Posted by Citizen Rules
Yup Tina Louise looked very different in The Hangman. As far as I know he only suspected that Johnny Bishop was John Butterfield, but his character was awful sure of himself and quite jaded so I think he was convinced. But no he didn't have any concrete evidence at first. I'm glad you liked it.

Thanks. I thought I missed something when she said that Johnny wasn't Butterfield, but Bovard seemed sure that she was lying. I guess he just trusts his instincts more than most people.



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04-21-20
Originally Posted by gbgoodies
Thanks. I thought I missed something when she said that Johnny wasn't Butterfield, but Bovard seemed sure that she was lying. I guess he just trusts his instincts more than most people.
Exactly, that describes him to a tee. Tina Louise was in another 50s western Day of the Outlaws.



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04-21-20
Originally Posted by Citizen Rules
Exactly, that describes him to a tee. Tina Louise was in another 50s western Day of the Outlaws.

I haven't heard of that movie, but I looked it up, and it's on YouTube. I added it to my watchlist, but I'm not sure if I'll have time to see it before the countdown.



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04-22-20
Originally Posted by gbgoodies
I haven't heard of that movie, but I looked it up, and it's on YouTube. I added it to my watchlist, but I'm not sure if I'll have time to see it before the countdown.
Dawn Wells aka Mary Ann, was in a western: Winterhawk (1975). I've not seen it but I'm thinking of checking it out before the western countdown deadline.



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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
04-23-20
Originally Posted by Citizen Rules
Dawn Wells aka Mary Ann, was in a western: Winterhawk (1975). I've not seen it but I'm thinking of checking it out before the western countdown deadline.

I haven't heard of Winterhawk , but I just looked it up and it doesn't sound like my kind of movie. I'll probably pass on this one.



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04-23-20
Originally Posted by gbgoodies
I haven't heard of Winterhawk , but I just looked it up and it doesn't sound like my kind of movie. I'll probably pass on this one.
I'm sure it crummy, my wife seen it at the theater when it came out and said it wasn't very good. I just wanna see Mary Ann in a movie



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04-23-20
Devil's Doorway does sound interesting. I've seen most of Mann's westerns with James Stewart, all of which are solid although most of them, minus Winchester '73 and The Naked Spur, tend to blur together in my memory. I doubt I'll get around to Devil's Doorway before the fast approaching deadline, but I'll make sure to record it if I notice it on TCM sometime. Typically I can't stand Robert Taylor, but maybe he'll work better for me in a western than the 30's romantic-comedies I've seen him in.

The Furies wasn't on my radar, but after reading the discussion about it I'm going to make a point to watch it soon. Also planning to fit in Forty Guns. I recommend Fuller's The Baron of Arizona, an atypical western starring Vincent Price, if you haven't seen it. Joe Kidd is good but unremarkable. Same applies to Ride the High Country. Try to squeeze in Peckinpah's Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid if you get a chance.

I recently watched The Unforgiven and gave it the same rating. Apparently John Huston cited it as his least satisfying picture. The incestuous love angle is very bizarre. I noticed a sexual tension between the characters early in the film, but assumed it was just in my head. There's no blood relation between the characters, but still . . . she was raised as his sister since birth. It's also hard to buy Hepburn as a Native American and the racial themes seem a bit conflicted in their message. Regardless of conflicts behind the scenes, it's still a quality western. I found it very entertaining and interesting. Doubt it'll make my ballot, but it's at least in the running.

Dodge City is another that I watched recently, but you liked it a good deal more than I did. Your write-up for it is spot-on. I'm sure the movie didn't feel as run-of-the-mill back in the 30's, and it probably delivered the type of crowd-pleasing excitement moviegoers needed at that time. However, watching it all these decades later the film just felt too broad, too predictable, too cliché. Errol Flynn also felt out of place as a cowboy, but I've never cared for him as an actor, although I recognize his charismatic on-screen presence. There's just something smug about him that puts me off, and that was before I learned of all the controversies surrounding him.

Looks like you might've gotten burnt out on The Duke's later westerns. I've not seen The Sons of Katie Elder, but I've mostly heard good things. I thought Big Jake got off to a great start with its surprisingly violent first act, but then steadily lost steam as it went along. Still enjoyed it overall, especially Richard Boone's performance.
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