The Morning Movie - SHANE (1953)

I am watching one of my all time favorite westerns, Shane, as I make breakfast. A terrific film with Alan Ladd as the gunfighter who becomes entangled with some homesteaders and their battle with a cattle baron. Top notch stuff and featuring Jean Arthur's last film performance. And to this day, Shane fires one of the loudest guns in film history. That thing sounds like a canon. Every time I hear it, I'm like....dang!

DODGE CITY (1939) is one terrific western

I originally wrote this review for Classic Movie Blog Association's Classic Films of 1939 Blogathon. Well I also used it recently for my friend Irene on our newly created blog Let The Show Begin. After doing that somehow I accidentally erased my post here on All Good Things. So here is back in it's original glory....

This rousing western stars Errol Flynn as ex-soldier, now cattle driver Wade Hatton. Yes, 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+

Shirley Jones in THE CHEYENNE SOCIAL CLUB (1970)

James Stewart and Henry Fonda team up for this surprisingly genteel western about a cowboy named O'Hanlan (played by Jimmy) who inherits a business from his recently passed brother. Well the business turns out to be a bordello ran by the sweet Jenny (our girl Shirley). But this western is not lude and vulgar, it is very funny and tame. It is rated PG and there is no nudity, very little cursing, and some gunplay. A great wholesome movie actually. It's great seeing two veterans like Stewart and Fonda team up again as their careers were winding down. Fonda plays O'Hanlan's buddy Harley Sullivan, who gets the majority of the film's laughs. And Shirley once again deilvers a solid performance as Jenny, who takes a shine to O'Hanlan. This film was directed by musical film star, Gene Kelly.

Film: B
Shirley's performance: B

Shirley Jones in TWO RODE TOGETHER (1961)

Shirley co-stars with James Stewart and Richard Widmark in this entertaining western about the US Army being dispatched to negotiate the release of white prisoners from the Comanches. Widmark plays the army lieutenant tasked for this job. He recruits his former friend (Stewart) who has done trading with the Comanches before to help him out. Shirley plays a settler named Marty who along with her father is looking for a family member. This is a solid western but be warned, Stewart is not his typical aw shucks lovable self. He's mean, nasty, self-centered, loves to drink, and sticks his neck out for no one. A departure for him to say the least. Shirley is top notch in a role that lets her stand up to all the men in this film. Directed by the great John Ford and featuring a superby music score by George Duning

Film: B
Shirley's performance: B

The Morning Movie: She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949)

Before leaving for work, I'm watching the classic John Ford western, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949) on TCM. Starring John Wayne and the underrated Joanne Dru.

Photo Of The Day - John Wayne and Gail Russell

Here is a great pic of John Wayne and the lovely Gail Russell in Angel and The Badman (1947)

Ten Reasons why RIO BRAVO is my favorite western...

The 1959 Howard Hawks directed Rio Bravo is my favorite western of all time. Here are ten reasons as to why:

1.) John Wayne at his most macho as Sheriff John T. Chance, who likes charging ahead into any dangerous situation.
2.) The wonderful music score by Dimitri Tiomkin is just epic in every way.

3.) Dean Martin as Dude, Chance's deputy who has become the town drunk thanks to a woman who left him hanging dry. This is one of Martin's best screen performances.
4.) Angie Dickinson as Feathers, the lady gambler who falls hard for Chance. Angie is easy on the eyes but is also full of sass and brass.

5.) Loads of unbelievable action through-out this movie as gunfights break out on a regular basis.
6.) Some despicable bad guys led by Claude Akins and John Russell as The Burdette Boys.
7.) The rascally Walter Brennan as Chance's other deputy Stumpy.
8.) Ricky Nelson as the cocky young gunfighter Colorado Ryan.

9.) The duet by Martin and Nelson singing the catchy My Rifle, My Pony and Me.
10.) And finally Rio Bravo rocks because of the simple nature of it's story..good vs evil. And the men and women who stand up against the bad desperadoes.

Here's the video clip of Martin and Nelson singing My Rifle, My Pony and Me

Bargain of the Day...

I shop at this video store called Movie Stop and you can trade and buy DVDS and Blu-rays there. You can also reserve copies of upcoming releases. Well I had reserved Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows Part 1 (which by the way is the best Potter film yet) and went there to pick it up. While I was waiting I perused the store and found Rio Bravo (Two-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition). Now I already own Rio Bravo on a regular DVD since it's my favorite western of all time but when I saw this bad boy I had to get it. When it first came out about 3 years ago it was listed at $34.95. They had it marked down the first time to $17.99. Then marked down again for $5.99. I was like whoa!, I can't pass up a deal like that. Check out all what came with this awesome movie:

2 Discs

Commentary by John Carpenter and film critic Richard Schickel



Wayne trailer gallery


"The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks" (1973 documentary)


Two all-new featurettes: "Commemoration: Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo," "Old Tucson: Where the Legends Walked"


Press book


Dell comic book


Lobby cards

VIVA MARIA! is a different kind of movie with BARDOT and MOREAU leading the way....

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.
B

TRUE GRIT is the best film of 2010 (well, to me it is)

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

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

Flixster - Share Movies

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.
A

Flixster - Share Movies

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.

A Movie A Day: Destry Rides Again is a fun time for all

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.
A

Currently watching.....

DESTRY RIDES AGAIN with James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich