Westerns

[MissGoddess]

hey everyone, one of my favorite "lesser" westerns is coming to tCM Tuesday morning, 8:00 EST.
It's Vengeance Valley, starring Burt Lancaster, Joann Dru, Ann Francis and Robert Walker. I hope
you tune it. It's not great, but one I enjoy watching and I have the DVD even.

[movieman1957]

Saw an interesting one today on EncoreWesterns, called The Duel at Silver Creek (1952). This one stars Steven McNally and Audie Murphy. Lee Marvin has a small role; the co-stars are Faith Domergue, Gerald Mohr, and Susan Cabot as Murphy's love interest.

The story deals with a gang of claim-jumpers who get local miners to sign over the mining rights by extortion and murder. There is some voice-over narration by McNally, the local sheriff or marshal (forget which), which gives the movie the feel of a detective story. Siegel keeps things movie along very well, and the camera work is, I thought, better than average. Many times a B Western like this one has that hemmed-in, television feeling to it. Most of the action takes place in the town, and a lot of that action is indoors. There are few scenes outside of town, but the scope is very small. However, there was a nice sweep to the action here. The director of photography is listed as Irving Glassman, who has a long resume, but none of it very major. He did do Bend in the River, but that seems to be the "biggest" of his movies.

Although it's a small-scale B Western and contained some rather silly plot devices, I enjoyed it, and I espcially enjoyed Murphy's performance as "The Silver Kid." Many references are made in the movie to Murphy's youthful appearance but you'd better watch out for his skill with a six-shooter, etc. I thought he was quite good in the part, playing the kind of character that we would see a great deal more of in the late 50s and 1960s, but as played by some teenage heartthrob like Fabian or Ricky Nelson. Murphy got much more depth and mileage out of his turn as the young Wild West up-and-comer.

McNally's character was interesting -- an injury has injured his shootin' finger, and he has trouble coming to terms with the limitation and tries to keep it secret. As a diversion, he hires the sharp-shooting Murphy as his deputy. The role seemed one that would have suited Robert Ryan very well. McNally is not at all bad, but deeper actor could have brought more depth to the reading. On the whole, an entertaining Western.

I watched this one last night and I enjoyed it. Nothing special going on but routine westerns are okay. I kept thinking this would have had Randolph Scott (cue chorus) in McNally's role in other circumstances. Though Murphy gets top billing (at least I think he did) it really doesn't come across as his movie. If you like horse chases the first 15 minutes of this one is for you.

[feaito]

I have so many Westerns on DVD on my "pipeline" to watch, among them "Vengeance Valley" (1951), "Wagon Master" (1949), "Across the Wide Missouri" (1951), "The Unforgiven" (1961), "Westward the Women" (1951), "Johnny Reno", "Yellow Sky" (1948), "The Big Country" (1958) and many, many more....but I need more hours in a day to see all I have to see!!!!

Some of those I watched on TV as a kid, but I barely remember them....

[MissGoddess]

I'll be interested in your reviews, caballero.

[MissGoddess]

oh! and by the way, it's still a long way off but I'm so excited about it I just have to let everyone know
that TCM is FINALLY broadcasting one of Gary Cooper's best westerns..and that's saying A LOT: The Hanging Tree.
It's airing as part of their 31 Days of Oscar on Tuesday, February 8 at 1:30 p.m. EST. Many of us are hoping
they air the widescreen version which has been unavailable for so long.

Gary plays "Doc" Frail, a mysterious physician with a past who comes to a little mining community and
along the way intimidates local rowdies with his un-physicianly way with a gun, acquires a bond slave
and rescues a "lost lady" who is temporarily blinded after a stagecoach robbery. LOTS of drama
in what is essentially a character driven, taut film by director Delmer Daves. Coop's Doc Frail is
the most interesting western hero he played...more complex than Will Kane, he seems to be an
even darker character than Link Jones (Man of the West). As he always does at his best,
Gary can shade his character with conflicting emotions, self doubt and rectitude, all of which
made him the ideal western player since Harry Carey, sr.

[mrsl]

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Feaito:

Two quick thoughts today. Get your wife and settle down together to watch Westward the Women. Even if she is not a classic movie fan, I'm quite sure she will enjoy this one.
.

[JackFavell]

Great movies to pick from, Feaito!

[feaito]

Thanks for the encouragement Wendy, April & Anne!

Another completely different thing...I've been wondering lately what's been of Judith aka jdb, it seems she hasn't visited the site for months...

[JackFavell]

I believe she was taking a break from the computer for a while.

[feaito]

Thanks for the feedback Wendy.

[MikeBSG]

Glad to see that "The Hanging Tree" will be on in February.

I have the song for that on a Marty Robbins CD. My son and I like the song a lot.

[klondike]

hey everyone, one of my favorite "lesser" westerns is coming to tCM Tuesday morning, 8:00 EST.
It's Vengeance Valley, starring Burt Lancaster, Joann Dru, Ann Francis and Robert Walker.

I've often wondered if Vengeance Valley might have been the inspiration, at least in part, for the later Bob Mitchum western, Home from the Hill; they are so very similar in tone, and situation, even though George Maharis & George Peppard bear little resemblence to Lancaster & Walker.

[MissGoddess]

hey everyone, one of my favorite "lesser" westerns is coming to tCM Tuesday morning, 8:00 EST.
It's Vengeance Valley, starring Burt Lancaster, Joann Dru, Ann Francis and Robert Walker.

I've often wondered if Vengeance Valley might have been the inspiration, at least in part, for the later Bob Mitchum western, Home from the Hill; they are so very similar in tone, and situation, even though George Maharis & George Peppard bear little resemblence to Lancaster & Walker.

Hey now!!! THAT is a comparison I never would have thought of but it really makes me think!

Okay, now I have to re-watch Home from the Hill and VV back-to-back. I really like HFTH, by the way.

[stuart.uk]

I've often wondered how much is Coop doing his own stunts in the fight scene with Karl Malden, filmed in the dark. I ask because his health was by then in decline and I beleive he had to ride on a special saddle to protect his back in The Hanging Tree.

Speaking of lesser westerns I saw a bit of Seige At Red River. I don't usually associate Van Johnson as a western hero or Dorothy Mquire as a leading lady in the genre. I missed the end, where obviously there was a comfrontation between Johnson and well know western villian Richard Boone. I wonder if it worked or weather it was a mis-match

[mrsl]

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I've never seen Vengeance Valley that I know of, so I'll have to try to catch it. But, Klondike, you have me confused about the names you used. Rafe, the illegitimate son, was definitely played by George Peppard, but are you confusing George Maharis with George Hamilton as Theron Hunnicott? This was the movie that turned me on to Robert Mitchum when I was 16, and has lingered all these many years and I've seen it almost as many times as I've seen Casablanca.
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