The Silver Screen Oasis

THE SEARCHERS rides tall on the lists of most classic western fans. Ford's multi-layered, interpretive, epic poem is one of the great American movies. The haunting SHANE is another favorite, and rightly so. I like RED RIVER, MY DARLING CLEMENTINE and the ground-breaking STAGECOACH.

For some frontier fun that usually escapes mention, there's Demille's high spirited THE PLAINSMAN, with Gary Cooper as Wild Bill Hickock. DESTRY RIDES AGAIN is light and airy, but exceptionally well crafted. There's "the other" Wyatt Earp story, John Sturges' GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL. And the bittersweet MONTE WALSH, with Lee Marvin as an aging and displaced cowhand.

And I like LONE STAR. Not the John Sayles ensemble piece, which is also excellent. But I refer to a story of early Texas, with Clark Gable facing Broderick Crawford, Ava Gardner in the middle, and no less than Geronimo appearing as a young boy. Not one of the great ones. But boundless fun!

I can't believe I forgot "Monte Walsh". Haunting, lyrical, and most especially notable for an atypical Jack Palance performance. I also agree with the merits of "Shane".

One Western I could quite get into is "High Noon". LOVE the scene between Coop and Lon Chaney, Jr. and still feel that the latter's performance (brief as it is) should have garnered him a Best Supporting Actor nod. Where the film fails for me is the final gunfight. Never quite hits the mark, IMO. Something just seems to be missing.

I like Fort Apache although it was a shock to see Henry Fonda as such a baddie, I also like Stagecoach, Rio Grande, Shane, My Darling Clementine too.

You know, I never really considered Fonda a baddie as such in "Fort Apache". Just a military, stick-to-the-book bonehead.

MissGoddess, The Wonderful Country is now out on DVD from MGM. They also recently aired it on the MGM-HD channel so now I have it in HD on my DVR! Robert Mitchum at his (pardon the hormone-laden comment).. hottest.

charliechaplinfan wrote:I like Fort Apache although it was a shock to see Henry Fonda as such a baddie

Have you seen him in Once Upon a Time in the West (1969)?

Now there you have hit the nail on the head, Mr. Arkadin. Wasn't so nice a guy either in "Firecreek".

I like Firecreek quite a bit (I have a thread on it somewhere here), but it did not do well at the box office when released. Fonda's reasoning was that the failure was because both actors were known as heroic everymen and the audience was unwilling to accept them on opposing sides in a film, saying something to the effect of: "You don't kill off Jimmy Stewart in a movie!" Kind of ironic, as it was his character that ate the lead.

Interesting point, Mr. Arkadin. I remember getting the same feeling when I saw Jimmy killed off in "Bandolero". Certain actors you just don't expect to see killed off, and, yes, even Dean Martin fit into that mold. Dino's three screen deaths, interestingly enough, all occurred in his favorite genre: the Western.

"Firecreek" is only a one page thread but here is the link -

http://silverscreenoasis.com/oasis3/vie ... eek#p63841

FIRECREEK was released at a time when the western was less than fashionable. Not extinct. But not huge. Kind of lost. As John Wayne gave way to Dustin Hoffman (As Henry Fonda gave way to Peter Fonda), themes and values began to change. Heroes broke out of prison instead of putting people into them. Films such as FIVE CARD STUD, ROUGH NIGHT IN JERICHO and this one had trouble finding an audience.

At least, that's my guess. I don't have data to back it up!

I think it's a terrific dark western, but maybe that's why it didn't do well? There's a real noirish underbelly to this film.

Haven't seen it since it came out. In 1967, a theatre opened within fair walking distance of our house. My brother and I saw just about everything that played there! Those were some fine times.

Another film that fits into that category is the Kirk-Henry starrer "There was a Crooked Man". And cynical, to boot.