You bring up John McIntire. Maybe outside of Brennan he must be one of the most successful character actors around...He looked as comfortable in a fedora as a cowboy hat.
He's spellbinding as an undercover cop in STREET WITH NO NAME. His brief appearance as the sheriff who provides the history of Norman Bates is impressive as well!
Westerns
Re: Westerns
Stewart finally decides to join the human race
Interesting. I'm thinking of resigning from it!
Interesting. I'm thinking of resigning from it!
-
MissGoddess
- Posts: 5072
- Joined: April 17th, 2007, 10:01 am
- Contact:
Re: Westerns
RedRiver wrote:Stewart finally decides to join the human race
Interesting. I'm thinking of resigning from it!
all i see around me is the RAT race!
"There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education."
-- Will Rogers
-- Will Rogers
-
JackFavell
- Posts: 11926
- Joined: April 20th, 2009, 9:56 am
Re: Westerns
It's the best movie nobody has heard of. Why this tough crime story is not talked about, I don't know. I found it in the library and thought, Why not? It's time we gave this street a name!
-
JackFavell
- Posts: 11926
- Joined: April 20th, 2009, 9:56 am
Re: Westerns
Isn't there a Mark Stevens fan on this board? Is it you, Wendy? Mark is the star of this one. As great as McIntire was, he was never the main character. Unless you count WAGON TRAIN!
-
JackFavell
- Posts: 11926
- Joined: April 20th, 2009, 9:56 am
Re: Westerns
It wasn't me. I am thinking it was Jez or Sandy, but I'm not sure. I barely know who Mark Stephens is, I'm ashamed to say.
Re: Westerns
Best Mark Stevens film is The Dark Corner with Lucille Ball. Great noir. He plays a private detective, Bradford Galt and Lucille is his secretary.
-
JackFavell
- Posts: 11926
- Joined: April 20th, 2009, 9:56 am
-
movieman1957
- Administrator
- Posts: 5522
- Joined: April 15th, 2007, 3:50 pm
- Location: MD
Re: Westerns
On the suggestion of Mr. Arkadin I caught "The Hellbenders." Joseph Cotten stars. THe plot involves a man and his family robbing and murdering a Union convoy to get money to keep the Civil War going though it has already ended. The plot beyond is getting the money back undetected.
Oh, the things greed and a dysfunctional family will get you. For me the story comes off better than the execution of it. Italian/Spanish produced westerns have always had an awkward feel to them and this one does as well. There's beautiful scenery and the performances are okay.
The best part of the film may be the last half hour (it clocks in at about 92 minutes) when in the story a woman they have enlisted to help them starts to have a change of heart about the plan.
Interesting film but not as successful for me as I'm sure it was for Mr. A. Thanks for the suggestion.
Oh, the things greed and a dysfunctional family will get you. For me the story comes off better than the execution of it. Italian/Spanish produced westerns have always had an awkward feel to them and this one does as well. There's beautiful scenery and the performances are okay.
The best part of the film may be the last half hour (it clocks in at about 92 minutes) when in the story a woman they have enlisted to help them starts to have a change of heart about the plan.
Interesting film but not as successful for me as I'm sure it was for Mr. A. Thanks for the suggestion.
Chris
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
-
movieman1957
- Administrator
- Posts: 5522
- Joined: April 15th, 2007, 3:50 pm
- Location: MD
Re: Westerns
A great cast and great scenery doesn't guarantee a good western much less a great one. "The Way West" wants to be an epic crossing of the US by wagon train to Oregon. It falls short to me as there isn't a lot of depth to it.
Mainly episodic in nature I don;t think it builds much conflict until near the end of the movie. Hard ass Kirk Douglas hires loner Robert Mitchum to lead a series of families on this trip. Richard Widmark, Harry Carey, Jr. and Sally Field among them. Part of the trouble for me is that we don't get to find out much of why Douglas is the way he is. His wife died and he has a son but he its bitter, tyrannical and just plain hard to get along with. Maybe it's enough he lost his wife but it doesn't seem so. Little is made of Carey and Jack Elam is almost a cameo as a preacher who stows away. Mitchum's character has suffered the same fate but he is a whole different matter.
One thing that did bother me was after crossing a desert and unloading everything they could they reach a deep gorge that requires lowering the entire group to the bottom. A lot of rope and pulleys and assorted things that they just happened to have lying around. That doesn't even include the big wood poles they found just to anchor the whole operation.
Maybe it might have been better if it were smaller.
Mainly episodic in nature I don;t think it builds much conflict until near the end of the movie. Hard ass Kirk Douglas hires loner Robert Mitchum to lead a series of families on this trip. Richard Widmark, Harry Carey, Jr. and Sally Field among them. Part of the trouble for me is that we don't get to find out much of why Douglas is the way he is. His wife died and he has a son but he its bitter, tyrannical and just plain hard to get along with. Maybe it's enough he lost his wife but it doesn't seem so. Little is made of Carey and Jack Elam is almost a cameo as a preacher who stows away. Mitchum's character has suffered the same fate but he is a whole different matter.
One thing that did bother me was after crossing a desert and unloading everything they could they reach a deep gorge that requires lowering the entire group to the bottom. A lot of rope and pulleys and assorted things that they just happened to have lying around. That doesn't even include the big wood poles they found just to anchor the whole operation.
Maybe it might have been better if it were smaller.
Chris
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
Re: Westerns
THE WAY WEST tries too hard to be epic. The multiple storylines. Most of them sensational. It's like a TV mini-series, and probably should have been one. Mitchum is good. He always is. In fact, most of the cast performs admirably. Young Sally Field does a nice job. The movie is not BAD. Not remarkably so. It's something to watch when you're bored. Really bored!
Re: Westerns
.
I loved The Way West. After seeing it 3 or 4 times, I like it better than the first 2 viewings afforded me. Red, you're right about the fact it could have been a mini series. Every main character had a back story that would have been interesting to learn. Why (as you said), was Douglas so hard on his son and people in general? Although it was explained that Widmark had wanderlust, what caused him to be so anxious - what caused him to be so uncomfortable with the other places he lived, was his father the same way, etc.? Mitchum (naturally my favorite character), obviously still mourned his wife, but what happened to her? We know the deal with the young couple and why the wife was the way she was, but in those days, girls were prepared by their mothers to expect that NASTY thing their husband would want to do, but how long did the girl expect him to wait? And Sally Field was great in her turn-around role from Gidget and the Flying Nun. .
One thing I'll have to look for next time it's on is the pulley system they used for that lowering. I recall wondering about it myself and seem to remember checking what materials they used, and it seems to me that they used a system made of ropes, wagon wheels, and tree trunks. Now I'm the first to admit I am probably wrong, but I do want to check it out, before I disagree with you.
.
I loved The Way West. After seeing it 3 or 4 times, I like it better than the first 2 viewings afforded me. Red, you're right about the fact it could have been a mini series. Every main character had a back story that would have been interesting to learn. Why (as you said), was Douglas so hard on his son and people in general? Although it was explained that Widmark had wanderlust, what caused him to be so anxious - what caused him to be so uncomfortable with the other places he lived, was his father the same way, etc.? Mitchum (naturally my favorite character), obviously still mourned his wife, but what happened to her? We know the deal with the young couple and why the wife was the way she was, but in those days, girls were prepared by their mothers to expect that NASTY thing their husband would want to do, but how long did the girl expect him to wait? And Sally Field was great in her turn-around role from Gidget and the Flying Nun. .
One thing I'll have to look for next time it's on is the pulley system they used for that lowering. I recall wondering about it myself and seem to remember checking what materials they used, and it seems to me that they used a system made of ropes, wagon wheels, and tree trunks. Now I'm the first to admit I am probably wrong, but I do want to check it out, before I disagree with you.
.
Anne
***********************************************************************
* * * * * * * * What is past is prologue. * * * * * * * *
]***********************************************************************
***********************************************************************
* * * * * * * * What is past is prologue. * * * * * * * *
]***********************************************************************
-
movieman1957
- Administrator
- Posts: 5522
- Joined: April 15th, 2007, 3:50 pm
- Location: MD
Re: Westerns
During a fit of insomnia I saw a film called "The Hard Man." It starred Guy Madison and Valerie French. Madison is a bounty hunter who is hired by a sheriff for his gun. Following up on a previous job he is looking for someone who framed a man he had to kill. This brings in Valerie French and her powerful husband Lorne Greene. Madison is trying to get Greene who in turn is trying to kill Madison while French is trying putting moves on Madison. Yes, it's a little confusing.
Done on the famous Columbia set (see "Decision At Sundown") it's a pretty routine film. I was distracted as I was trying to figure out if French was dubbed. Her accent in "Jubal" and "Decision At Sundown" are convincing.)
Madison is fine. Lorne Greene is okay too. Not much else though.
Done on the famous Columbia set (see "Decision At Sundown") it's a pretty routine film. I was distracted as I was trying to figure out if French was dubbed. Her accent in "Jubal" and "Decision At Sundown" are convincing.)
Madison is fine. Lorne Greene is okay too. Not much else though.
Chris
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."