HELL ON WHEELS is a great new Western series

The new western series, Hell on Wheels, which premiered on AMC back in November of last year is winding down for the season with one more new episode left for this Sunday night. Set in the 1860's it centers on former confederate soldier Cullen Bohannan, whose quest for vengeance has led him to the Union Pacific Railroad's westward construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad. Newcomer Anson Mount is great as Cullen. And he is supported by a great cast. Including Colm Meaney as railroad baron Durant. Common as Elam, Cullen's right hand man. Tom Noonan as the local reverend. Dominique McElligott as the headstrong Lily Bell, a woman whose husband worked for Durant and was killed by Indians. And Christopher Heyerdahl as The Swede, who runs the railroad camp with a strong hand.

Anson Mount as Cullen

Colm Meaney as Durant

Common as Elam

Dominique McElligott as Lily

Cullen is looking for the men who killed his wife and as he finds them, he kills them one by one. Along the way he works as the boss of the railroad and makes friend with Elam. Which riles the other men since Elam is a Negro and is seen as nothing but a slave. And he buts head with The Swede on a daily basis. And plus there is conflict with the local Indians as the railroad is forging ahead through the land where they live.

All in all, there is so much going on here, that it is a joy to watch each and every week. If you love westerns, then this is a very entertaining series. It is quite graphic and the language is raw but not as strong as Deadwood was. Catch this great series, now airing on AMC. Oh and if you're wondering, Hell on Wheels is the name of the town where it is set. And it has this awesome theme music that grabs you right away.

Two Mules For Sister Sara (1970) is a good western thanks to Shirley MacLaine and a little help from Clint Eastwood

That post title might sound strange considering this film co-stars Clint Eastwood, who was coming off the famous A Man With No Name trilogy and Hang Em High. He is good here as the gunfighter Hogan, who crosses path with Sister Sara (MacLaine) a nun who is attacked by three desperadoes. Hogan saves her and the two become joined at the hip. Hogan is recruited by a Mexican colonel to help prevent the French Army from overtaking that country. Sister Sara lends a hand in her own special way. Two Mules is not your typical western and definitely not your typical western for Clint. He gets a lot more dialogue than usual and his character is actually fleshed out more than it was when he played The Man with no Name in those three Leone westerns. But he is still one mean hombre when things hit the fan. But it's MacLaine who makes the movie for me. As her Sister Sara speaks her mind and takes charge when she has to. She drinks and curses a little on occasion. She and Clint have good chemistry too. I enjoyed this film with it's easy going vibe and two solid performances that mixed humor with suspense and a little action. Plus it has one cool music score by Ennio Morriconne.
B

Frank, Dean, Anita and Ursula are 4 For Texas (1963)

This 1963 western paired up friends and Rat packers Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in a breezy western about two sharpshooters who meet up on a stagecoach that is attacked by robbers. The duo managed to fight them off but Dean (as Joe Jarrett) makes off with the $100,000 Frank (as Zack Thomas) was guarding. The two will meet up again in Galveston as Dean arrives and decides to open up a casino with the help of lovely Max (played by Ursula Andress). Zack has to deal with his unscrupulous partner played by Victor Buono, who hires killer Matson (Charles Bronson) to take out Zack. And throw in the exotic beauty Elya Carlson (played by Anita Ekberg) who runs a barber shop, who is Zack's lady love. Lots of gunplay and humor are prevalent in this easy going western. It opens with an exciting 10 minute sequence involving the stagecoach robbery. And ends with a wild melee involving over a hudred guys and a surprisingly violent shoot-out between Sinatra and Bronson. A good western that will please both guys and girls. The men have the Ekberg and Andress to look at while the ladies can watch Dino and Ol Bue Eyes do their thing. Oh and there's a cameo by the Three Stooges.

B-

VIVA MARIA! is part musical, part western and it is wonderful...

I don't even know how to describe this movie. It's part musical, part western, part comedy, part adventure. And somehow mix all that together and it works. Set in Middle America in 1907, the fiery Maria 2 (played by Brigitte Bardot) meets up with a traveling circus after her terrorist father is killed. She ends up blowing up the bridge that the soldiers are on who have killed her father and is now on the run. The circus she hooks up with has veteran singer Maria 1 (played by Jeanne Moreau). As luck would have it, the circus has just recently lost a singer, Maria 1's sister and Maria 2 jumps at the chance. During her first appearance she accidentally invents the strip-tease and the circus becomes hugely successful. Things are going great until the pair meet up with a socialist revolutionary and finding themselves leading this revolution against the dictator, the capitalists and the church.

Like I said this mix of music, action, and comedy somehow all works. I think this may be Brigitte Bardot's best film performance. She is headstrong and doesn't back down from anyone. Moreau gives a good performance as well, more understanding and sympathetic. And plus they both look stunning. For the ladies they have George Hamilton to ogle over as a local hero who falls for Moreau. I liked this movie. Be warned it is subtitled but I didn't mind one bit at all.

High stakes for Dean Martin and Robert Mitchum in Five Card Stud (1968)

More of a mystery than a western but it does take place in the Old west times. When a card cheat is caught in a high stakes poker game, he is hanged by a lynch mob of the other card players. Dean Martin is the one player who tries to stop it but to no avail. Weeks past by when those same men are mysteriously killed one by one and Dean has to try and solve who's the killer before it's too late. Robert Mitchum comes in as a wandering preacher hoping to save the lost souls of this small town. Him and Dean have great chemistry together. Roddy McDowall is perfect as a weasel and card player who hates Dean for trying to date his sister. McDowall, even with that stiff British accent is quite good in a western. He plays a low down sniveling weasel pretty good. Inger Stevens is on hand as owner of a barber shop. Said barber shop also gives more than shaves and haircuts, if you know what I mean. I liked Five Card Stud, since it was more than just a western. Dean is super cool as usual as the gambler with a conscience. And also Yaphet Kotto in one of his first roles as a bartender and friend to Dean. Look out for a good performance by Katherine Justice as McDowall's love lorn sister.

Robert Mitchum as The Reverend Jonathan Rudd


Dean Martin as gambler Van Morgan and Inger Stevens as Lily Langford


Yaphet Kotto as Little George and Dean Martin


Katherine Justice as Nora Evers and Dean Martin


Robert Mitchum

Happy Birthday Claire Trevor (1910-2000)

Happy Birthday to the wonderful Claire Trevor, who made her mark in several entertaining westerns. Most notably Stagecoach (1939), Dark Command (1940), Texas (1941), Man Without A Star (1955) and The Stranger Wore A Gun (1953) to name a few. She also appeared in non-western films such as Murder My Sweet (1944), Key Largo (1948) and The Babe Ruth Story (1948). Happy Birthday Claire.

The new True Grit does the original John Wayne version proud

The updated western True Grit is the best film of 2010 as it does the original John Wayne version proud.

Fans of the original story remember that the young Mattie Ross (in this one played by newcomer Hailee Steinfeld) seeks vengeance on Tom Chaney (played by Josh Brolin), the man who murdered her father. Since the law doesn't seem to be in a hurry finding Chaney, she hires one-eyed and drunk U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (played by Jeff Bridges) to do the job. A Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) is also looking for Chaney for a different crime and joins the duo.

The Coen Brothers direct this film and tone down their usual shtick and makes an effective modern western. There is lots of humor and several exciting action sequences. The three leads are wonderful. Steinfeld is easily the best performer in the cast as she holds her own with veterans Bridges and Damon. Her Mattie Ross pretty much is the main character unlike the first film version which focused more on Cogburn. Speaking of Cogburn, Bridges is very good as the stubborn marshal and has several emotional scenes with Steinfeld. But he also gets tough when he needs to be when dealing with the Ned Peppers Gang, who have Chaney as part of their group. Damon actually provides a good deal of the laughs as he is in constant conflict with Cogburn. The cinematography and music score are also top notch. I enjoyed True Grit immensely and think it's even better than the original, save for the awkward ending. So I will honestly say that True Grit was my favorite film of 2010 and I can't wait to see it again.

A

Dodge City (1940) photos

Here's some wonderful photos from the terrific western, Dodge City.

Happy Birthday Rhonda Fleming

Happy Birthday to actress Rhonda Fleming (1923-present) who turns 87 today as she is still alive. While the famous redhead has appeared in such notable films such as Spellbound (1945), Out Of The Past (1947), and The Spiral Staircase (1945), she made a mark in several classic westerns. Those films include Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957) with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas; Pony Express (1953), Alias Jesse James (1959) with Bob Hope, The Redhead and the Cowboy (1951) and Gun Glory (1957).

Monty's Favorite John Wayne Movies

I broke my favorite John Wayne movies into 2 lists: westerns and non-westerns.

Westerns:
Rio Bravo
The Searchers
She Wore A Yellow River
El Dorado
The Comancheros
True Grit
The Shootist
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Stagecoach
The Sons of Katie Elder
North To Alaska
McLintock
The Train Robbers
*Red River - makes the list but I haven't seen it yet

Non-westerns

They Were Expendable

Sands Of  Iwo Jima

The Quiet Man

Donovan's Reef

Hatari

McQ

Pittsburgh

Brannigan

Happy Birthday John Wayne

(1907-1979)

Hey Dawn and Paul,

In honor of it being The Duke's birthday, how about we each do a top 10 favorite list of Wayne's westerns.
Mull over our choices and each make a separate post about it by tonight or tomorrow. Have a great day everyone.

The very quotable Tombstone...

Tombstone is my favorite modern western, and second all time. And it is one of the most quote worthy movie of all time. Here are some of my favorite quotes:


Johnny Ringo: [Ringo steps up to Doc] And you must be Doc Holliday.
Doc Holliday: That's the rumor.
Johnny Ringo: You retired too?
Doc Holliday: Not me. I'm in my prime.
Johnny Ringo: Yeah, you look it.
Doc Holliday: And you must be Ringo. Look, darling, Johnny Ringo. The deadliest pistoleer since Wild Bill, they say. What do you think, darling? Should I hate him?
Kate: You don't even know him.
Doc Holliday: Yes, but there's just something about him. Something around the eyes, I don't know, reminds me of... me. No. I'm sure of it, I hate him.

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Ike Clanton: What is that now? Twelve hands in a row? Holliday, son of a bitch, nobody's that lucky.
Doc Holliday: Why Ike, whatever do you mean? Maybe poker's just not your game Ike. I know! Let's have a spelling contest!

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Doc Holliday: I'm your huckleberry...
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Morgan Earp: Look at all the stars. You look up and you think, "God made all this and He remembered to make a little speck like me." It's kind of flattering, really.

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Johnny Tyler: I swear, it's like I'm playin' cards with my brother's kids or somethin'. You nerve-wrackin' sons-a-bitches
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Doc Holliday: It's true, you are a good woman. Then again, you may be the antichrist.

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Wyatt Earp: You skin that smoke wagon and we'll see what happens!
Johnny Tyler: Listen mister, I'm getting awful tired of your...
[Wyatt slaps him]
Wyatt Earp: Are you gonna do something? Or just stand there and bleed?

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Johnny Ringo: [Ringo has taken Holliday up on his offer to 'finish the game'] All right, 'lunger'. Let's do it.
Doc Holliday: Say when.
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Doc Holliday: Why Johnny Tyler! You madcap!
Johnny Tyler: Doc?
Doc Holliday: Where you goin' with that shotgun?

Dodge City (1939)

Dodge City Photos

 

Another classic film from that golden year in cinema of 1939. This rousing western stars Errol Flynn as ex-soldier, now cattle driver Wade Hatton. Yes, I said Errol Flynn..he of the swashbuckling films like Robin Hood, Captain Blood, and The Sea Hawk. And before you can say it won't work, Flynn is awesome from the get go. He is perfectly at home in a western with a six gun as he would be in Sherwood Forest flinging arrows. The story has him delivering some cattle to the wild and dangerous town of Dodge City. Along the way he also guides a wagon train through the treacherous countryside. That's where he meets Abbie Irving (played by the lovely De Havilland) and her troublesome brother. Well when her drunk brother causes a stampede and shoots at Wade, Wade shoots back and injures the kid. After that unfortunate incident Abbie has no use for wade. Finally when the wagon train arrives in Dodge City, Wade encounters the local bad guy..Jeff Surrett (played to the evil hilt by Bruce Cabot) who has a habit of killing men who he buys cattle off of and keeping the money for himself. Well Wade reluctantly agrees to become town sheriff after he sees a tragic accident and becomes Surrett's worst enemy. Eventually Abbie comes around and starts liking him too. Dodge City is a super western, staged with impressive action scenes including a wild saloon bar fight that leaves the place in shambles. The color is extraordinary and the music score is heavenly. Errol Flynn is perfectly cast as Wade as he shows that he won't take any guff from anyone. Olivia is just amazing. Every time I hear her voice, I fall in love with her. She has the most wonderful accent you will ever hear. Also Ann Sheridan, the Oommph Girl is on hand as a saloon singer who gets to belt out a couple of energetic numbers. Plus the banter between Errol and Olivia only solidifies why they were one of the best on screen couples ever. Dodge City is one of the best westerns ever to come out of Old Hollywood and I highly recommend it.

A-
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Wade Hatton: You know, out here the trail boss has sometimes even got to take the law into his own hands.
Abbie Irving: Oh, yes, pioneering I believe you call it, don't you?

 

Dodge City Photos

Another classic film from that golden year in cinema of 1939. This rousing western stars Errol Flynn as ex-soldier, now cattle driver Wade Hatton. Yes, I said Errol Flynn..he of the swashbuckling films like Robin Hood, Captain Blood, and The Sea Hawk. And before you can say it won't work, Flynn is awesome from the get go. He is perfectly at home in a western with a six gun as he would be in Sherwood Forest flinging arrows. The story has him delivering some cattle to the wild and dangerous town of Dodge City. Along the way he also guides a wagon train through the treacherous countryside. That's where he meets Abbie Irving (played by the lovely De Havilland) and her troublesome brother. Well when her drunk brother causes a stampede and shoots at Wade, Wade shoots back and injures the kid. After that unfortunate incident Abbie has no use for wade. Finally when the wagon train arrives in Dodge City, Wade encounters the local bad guy..Jeff Surrett (played to the evil hilt by Bruce Cabot) who has a habit of killing men who he buys cattle off of and keeping the money for himself. Well Wade reluctantly agrees to become town sheriff after he sees a tragic accident and becomes Surrett's worst enemy. Eventually Abbie comes around and starts liking him too. Dodge City is a super western, staged with impressive action scenes including a wild saloon bar fight that leaves the place in shambles. The color is extraordinary and the music score is heavenly. Errol Flynn is perfectly cast as Wade as he shows that he won't take any guff from anyone. Olivia is just amazing. Every time I hear her voice, I fall in love with her. She has the most wonderful accent you will ever hear. Also Ann Sheridan, the Oommph Girl is on hand as a saloon singer who gets to belt out a couple of energetic numbers. Plus the banter between Errol and Olivia only solidifies why they were one of the best on screen couples ever. Dodge City is one of the best westerns ever to come out of Old Hollywood and I highly recommend it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wade Hatton: You know, out here the trail boss has sometimes even got to take the law into his own hands. Abbie Irving: Oh, yes, pioneering I believe you call it, don't you?
clear rating

Monty's Top Ten Westerns

Dawn, I take it those are your favorite westerns on the sidebar. Great picks. I decided to add my top ten westerns of all time as well.

1. RIO BRAVO (1959) John Wayne, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, Ricky Nelson
2. TOMBSTONE (1993) Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Powers Booth, Sam Elliott, Dana Delaney
3. UNFORGIVEN (1992) Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris
4. THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES (1976) Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke
5. THE SEARCHERS (1959) John Wayne, Natalie Wood, Ward Bond
6. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960) Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Coburn, Charles Bronson
7. SHANE (1953) Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon de Wilde
8. BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) Paul Newman, Robert Redford
9. DESTRY RIDES AGAIN (1939) Marlene Dietrich, James Stewart
10. DODGE CITY (1939) Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland

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Quigley Down Under (1990) is one of the great newer westerns...

Rousing western with Tom Selleck as american sharpshooter Matthew Quigley, who comes to Australia in the 1860's under the false pretense of hunting wild dogs for bad guy Alan Rickman. But once Quigley realizes he was brought in to kill aborigines, he decides to fight back against Rickman and his desperadoes. A different type of western but still a very good one. Selleck is awesome as Quigley and he carries one of the longest rifles I have ever seen. And trust me, he knows how to use it. Alan Rickman once again is dead on as the bad guy, who is a pretty good shot himself. And Laura San Giacomo is a hoot as Crazy Cora, a woman Quigley saves by accident. A good fun movie. Oh, and a great music score to boot. If the music sounds a little familiar, it's because the same guy who did Quigley also did the stirring Lonesome Dove. His name is Basil Poledorius and he is one of my favorite film composers of all time. But suffice to say Quigley is one of the best of the modern westerns.

Crazy Cora: Don't worry, on a new job it's quite common for things not to go well at first.

Destry Rides Again (1939) is an exciting and comical western...one of the best films ever made

Another winner from that golden year of 1939 was this classic western, Destry Rides Again, that mixed comedy with gunplay quite effectively. This film was labeled as Marlene Dietrich's comeback film. She plays Frenchy, the saloon singer of the corrupt town called Bottleneck. And Dietrich is absolutely amazing. She belts out about 3 songs with the first one being the energetic Little Joe and then later on she sings See What The Boys in the Back Room Will Have. Of course this movie is called Destry and he is the character every one talks about. Truth is Jimmy Stewart who plays Tom Destry Jr, doesn't even show up until about 20 minutes into the movie. But once he arrives at the bequest of his father's old friend, he pretty much makes the movie his own. Stewart is so effortless in his acting ability that it seems like he's just hanging out with friends, having a good time. His Destry doesn't believe in guns, since they didn't do his father any good, who was gunned down in the streets. But Tom does believe in law and order and sets to clean up the town of Bottleneck. He runs into trouble in the form of Kent, a sleazy Brian Donlevy, who owns the saloon, and has a scam of cheating land owners out of their property with some crooked poker games. Kent then charges for cattlemen who come through the town a hefty price to pass through with their cattle. The former sheriff of Bottleneck was killed because he was about to shut Kent down, and the mayor, who is corrupt too, appoints the town drunk as the next sheriff, so their won't be any trouble from the law. But the surprise is when the sheriff calls in Tom Destry to be his deputy. When Destry first meets everyone at the saloon, he becomes the butt of their jokes. But he makes an impact on Frenchy, not in a good way. He breaks up her fight with Lily Belle (played by the hilarious Una Merkel) who husband (the equally hilarious Mischa Auer) was cheated by Frenchy in a card game. Their cat fight is a riot and Tom politely breaks it up by pouring a bucket of water on them. One of many funny scenes from this enjoyable movie. Destry Rides Again is one of the best films to come out ever, and the fact that it came out in 1939 only emphasizes that point of how good it really is.

Rio Bravo is my favorite western of all time....

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My favorite western of all time. A slam bang film which has John Wayne as Sheriff John T. Chance who has a murderer locked up in the jail and must withstand repeated attempts to free the bad guy. It's a whole posse of hired thugs and all Chance has is an old crippled deputy and another deputy Dude (played by Dean Martin) trying to stay sober. Chance eventually gets more help in the form of bad girl turned good (Angie Dickinson) and a young hotshot named Colorado (Ricky Nelson) who is quick with his mouth and his gun. This is how you make a great western. Terrific heroes, evil bad guys, rousing action, and frequent humor. All involved give solid performances especially Martin, Nelson, and Dickinson. Of course, The Duke is awesome as usual.

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Pat Wheeler: I told him you were one of the best.
Colorado Ryan: Well, I'll tell you what I'm a lot better at, Mr. Wheeler... that's minding my own business.

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The Searchers (1956) is epic film-making at it's best....

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Classic western with a powerful performance by John Wayne. Directed by ace John Ford, this film has Wayne as Ethan Edwards, a returning soldier who visits his brother and his family. While out one morning looking for signs of a Comanche marauding party, the family is slaughtered and the young girl Debbie (played by Natalie Wood) is abducted. So begins a quest by Wayne and family friend Martin, who is part Cherokee (played by Jeffrey Hunter) to find Debbie. As Ethan, Wayne hates Indians with a vengeance. He comes across as a vengeful man. But you will notice changes in him as the film progresses. It's one hell of a performance. I would have given him the Oscar for this role instead of the one for which he won in True Grit. The Searchers is a beautifully filmed movie with several exciting action scenes. Definitely on that list of great westerns ever made.

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Ethan: Well Reverend, looks like you've got yourself surrounded.
Reverend Clayton: Yeah and I figure on getting myself unsurrounded.

Broken Trail (2006) is highly recommended

Dawn and Paul,

I hope you don't mind if I talk about some of the newer westerns. But I have to talk about Broken Trail. Somehow I missed this when it premeired on TNT back in 2006. But since it stars one of my favorite actors, Robert Duvall, who has made quite an impression in the genre of westerns, thanks to his excellent performance as Augustus 'Gus' McCrae in the classic Lonesome Dove mini-series, I had to check it out.

Set in 1898, Duvall is cast as Prentince Ritter, a cattleman who teams with his nephew Tom (strongly played by Thomas Haden Church) to take a herd of horses across the country to Canada. But their journey is sidetracked when they come across five abused Chinese women. They take them on their pilgrimage and care for them like family. But these women were actually bought for by this brothel madam named Big Rump Kate (great name right?) for prostitution. So Kate ends up sending out a ruthless killer named Big Ears (Chris Mulkey) to bring them back. Big Ears is fresh out of prison and his first act out is to promptly kill an old buddy of his who he thought ratted him out. Yeah this guy is mean as they come. He also likes slapping around Nola (a surprising Greta Scacchi) who flees him to take up with Prentice and Tom and the chinese girls.

Tom also picks up this drifter/guitar player named Gilpin who tags along too. Along the way Prentice and company encounters Small Pox Bob, a killer for hire, who goes from town to town spreading the disease of small pox. Prentice goes all hard core on him in a blazing gunfight. Duvall may have been around 75 when he made this movie but he still can get the job done. In the meantime Big Ears and his mates are steadily closing in on our heroes that will culminate in a bloody and brutal confrontation. I enjoyed Broken Trail immensely. I believe it's right under Duvall's other epic tale, Lonesome Dove. The performances are all solid especially Duvall and a surprising turn by Thomas Haden Church. The actresses who play the chinese women don't speak much English but they are very pivotal and emotional in their scenes involving Prentice and Tom. The scenery is breathtaking and the music score is awesome. Check out Broken Trail if you get the chance. Just because it was made for TV, that doesn't take away from it's brilliance.

BROKEN TRAIL- MOVIE TRAILER.