Before I get into today's blog, and explain where certain people can FIND my grits, I first wanna take care o' some personal-type business, like thankin' Gary Dobbs, of The Tainted Archive blog (http://tainted-archive.blogspot.com/) for being so welcoming to me and for advertising my own shingle out on his own shingle. He's a real gent and I love his blog; I mean, this dude works hard on his blog and it shows! I've spent hours enjoyin' it! You check it out. I can't say enough about him and all such nice folk, who open their gate and front door for strangers!
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Next, thanks to all you folks for reading, commenting and\or followin' this hear Westerns blog. I aim to do my best to keep us all cooped together tighter than a family of blind gnats in a heifer's nostril. Of course, the biggest method I aim to use is this here plan of watchin' 365 Western films in a year, one a day. And that brings me to this last point, I appreciated all the kind help in suggestin' titles for me to gander. I'm gonna start like so...
1. The Big Trail
2. The Big Country
3. The Big Gundown
4. Death Rides A Horse
5. The Five Man Army
6. Sabata
7. Invitation To A Gunfighter
I've already seen "Ride Beyond Vengeance," as was also suggested by Ray, and if there's anybody out there who could watch "...Vengeance" and not love it, I'd like to know who he be, so I could rub some hoof balm all over his skull, in hopes it cures his brains. "Vengence" is layered with emotional impact, from scene to scene, and the thickest layer is vengeance. I mean, I wanted to reach through the screen and do some damage on Chuck Conner's behalf! This is one Western that will not leave you untouched, and Conners is at his finest; the "Rifleman," like we knew he he was on the inside, though Mark (and we) never saw it. Yeah, his character here isn't far from Norfolk. Pick up the flick.
O.k. Now to today's blog...
I've been readin' here and there that some old sod busters have been callin' the Western a dyin' dear. Oh, really! We'll, just because most here, in the United States, happen to be temporarily spellbound by high falutin' movie special effects and titillatin' filth, doesn't mean the Western is dyin' here, in these United States or anywhere else. Tell the Aussies that Westerns are dyin' and see what they say, right?! Tell the Japanese that Westerns are dyin' and they'll probably load you up with a thousand gunshot squibs and make you run through one of their Western movie sets, while being pursued by enraged school children carrying smolderin' punks to light the squibs afire! Or, tell me, to my face, that Westerns are dyin' and see if I don't knock you for a loop for spewing lies against my dear friend!
Westerns ain't dyin' they just ain't as popular as they used to be. But that's 'cause mainstream media, Hollywood and the rest of the creators are chasing the loot and forgetting about their hometown, The Western. But they'll come back when they get hungry for home. When I was growin' up, as a fiery lad, I ate a lot of exotic desserts, but my favorite's still apple pie baked by Momma, you understand, friends. I always come back to Momma and apple pie, always. Momma ain't dead, or dyin' and neither is our old dear, The Western!
You see, the thing is, partners, is that it's all a grand illusion and a conspiracy of the money mongers in charge. Western's ain't dyin' and I'll prove it, with your help. Here's the deal...
Let's get their attention. I mean GET IT! I'm doin' this here 365-Westerns-In-A-Year thingy, so let's use it and get some mule mileage out of it. Let's get the word out about this blog and this thing I'm a gonna do, but let's shoot at tellin' these celebrity shakers and movers about it and let's get them to get on this hear blog and suggest their favorite Western movie to me, for me to watch during my thingy. In this way, by these high falutin' celebs weighin' in and making suggestions and what not, our dear Westerns genre will get all kinds of public relations and then these rascals that keep call for or intimating Western's death knoll will be forced to shut there mouths or kiss my grits!
Please, let's work this together. Get the word out about this thingy that I'm about to embark upon. Help me, dudes!
I'll write again on Thursday, after 9 p.m. EST.
Happy Trails...
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Here's one I forgot about. GUNFIGHTER by a member of the Coppola family. It's a Hopalong Cassidy movie, but not the Hoppy most people are familiar to viewers of TV.
ReplyDeleteThe movie has been heavily criticized as amateurish, one of the nicer things said about it. But it was intended as, I think, an homage to those Saturday theater movies of the early fifties with the stalwart, white hat wearing hero.
It's by no means a great movie, but if you approach it in that respect, it's tolerable. Martin Sheen and Robert Carradine are in it, with Chris Lybbert playing Hoppy.
I forgot to mention that GUNFIGHTER has been available on Netflix.
ReplyDeleteYeah the western as apple pie - like that. And of course the latest news is that the Cohen's are going to remake True Grit. Oh and Death rides a Horse is excellent.
ReplyDeleteWesterns lost their popularity many years ago. I recall when the ONLY national western fiction magazine (Far West) launched with high hopes. In a few years, it had to fold because it could not grow its subsciber base enough. Sure did like that magazine, though. Had some good stuff in it. Sad thing is there hasn't been anything (that I have seen on the racks) to replace it, since. And that's been over 25 years ago.
ReplyDeleteVoyle, thanks for your comments. I would love to know that name of that Western magazine if you would share it with us.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. A year on, I hope you ain't all sparked out.
ReplyDelete