Silverado (1985)

Silverado (1985) ***

Produced by Lawrence Kasden
Distributed by Columbia
Directed by Lawrence Kasden

   From the guy that co-wrote the Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Raiders of the Lost Ark, we have an ensemble western that tries very hard to capture something of the glory days but only makes it painfully obvious how impossible it is. Cinematography is top notch, award winning soundtrack, all star cast but the film is still bogged down by the conventions of the time. There is a huge 80s style body count, the obligatory "don't forget that minorities had it even worse" apology and an obsession with seeming genuine. The story is all over the place in order to force the four main characters together. It is high quality work all around but feels like Kasden missed the mark. He and his brother Mark wrote the screenplay and Lawrence directed so blame sits squarely on his shoulders.

   The story brings together two former bad boys Emmett (Scott Glenn) and Paden (Kevin Kline) who head out for Silverado. On the way Emmett is reunited with his brother Jake (Kevin Costner) and new buddy Mal (Danny Glover). Once in Silverado, they find local power player McKendrick (Ray Baker) bullying the locals with the help of a lackey sheriff named Cobb (Brian Dennehy). Our four heroes come together to right the wrongs in town... John Cleese, Rosanna Arquette, and Jeff Goldblum are amongst the people along the way. There are some great performances by these actors but the overly complicated story leaves you feeling like you have been watching a western soap opera. Lots of attempts at classic western scenes are injected but feel so contrived that they lose any nostalgic value. Should you watch it? It is in the midst of a western lull chronologically so you can flesh out your western education with it but just realize it has its faults.

Stagecoach (1939)

Stagecoach (1939)*****

Produced by Walter Wanger

Distributed by United Artists

Director: John Ford

   When we left off last, we were looking at the build-up of the western through the 1930s and I had great plans for getting through the endless list of John Wayne B-movies. To get a fresh start let's jump right through the 30s and go straight to the big one. I am of course talking about Stagecoach. This was the standard for all westerns to come until the disgruntled westerns of the 1970s. John Ford's first western starring John Wayne with outdoor sequences shot against the backdrop of Monument Valley. Ford had made many westerns in the silent era but this was his first talkie western. John Wayne, as we know, had starred in The Big Trail in 1930 but expensive production and innovative technology in the midst of the Great Depression proved unsound and Wayne would spend the next 9 years making B-movies in Poverty Row. Stagecoach would lead both Ford and Wayne into the limelight during the golden-age of the western.

Stagecoach is set in the Arizona and New Mexico territories in the 1880s. For the younger viewers I would like to point out that this film is essentially The Breakfast Club except instead of teenagers you have a random assortment of townspeople and instead of detention they are all in a stagecoach bound for Lordsburg, New Mexico in Geronimo-led Apache territory. There are social misfits (drunk Doc Boone(Thomas Mitchell) a prostitute (Claire Trevor) a whiskey salesman(Donald Meek) and a well-to-do officer's wife (Louise Platt). Along the way they run into the Ringo Kid(John Wayne) who recently escaped from jail and is headed to Lordsburg to kill his father & brother's murderers. Throw in a double-dealing banker(Burton Churchill) and a southern gentleman (John Carradine – yep David's father) for good measure along with the Marshal(George Bancroft) and a comedic driver(Andy Devine) and you wonder how the heck so many people fit in a stagecoach. Sure westerns were around before this but after this the studios knew they could make money with them!

Apologies Y'all...

The Apologetic Post-

   I know that I only get the occasional viewer on this blog but for those who wish there was more to see here I apologize for letting this go. I will try to do better and get some more films reviewed. For those who do stumble on here and enjoy old movies I think I am going to start up a noir/detective blog in honor of Lauren Bacall's passing yesterday (First up -the classic film "The Big Sleep" starring Bacall and Humphrey Bogart). In any case I will get a western up here today too come hell or high water! If you stumble on this blog throw a comment down if there is a film you think should be reviewed (no need to mention any John Wayne films of course). Alright let's get back in the saddle...

Riders of Destiny (1933)

Riders of Destiny (1933)***

Monogram Pictures
Director: Robert N. Bradbury

   As we work our way into the 1930s, we begin to see the proliferation of the B-movie western. These films tend to become quite formulaic though there is a lot of good acting. This is where John Wayne earns his stripes as well and we will be covering a lot of his films from 1933 through to 1939 and John Ford's Stagecoach where Wayne breaks into the big leagues. John Wayne really shines here as "Singin' Sandy" Saunders, an agent sent from Washington to deal with a man named James Kincaid (Forrest Taylor). Kincaid has dammed up the river and is forcing townspeople to sell their land or go without water. Saunders enlists the help of Charlie Denton (George "Gabby" Hayes) and his daughter Fay (Cecilia Parker). Yakima Canutt makes an early appearance here as one of Denton's Henchmen. This is also Wayne's effort in the singing cowboy genre as Saunders sings a solemn tune throughout the film. Wayne's singing voice is dubbed however and this idea of faking it never sat well with him. Director Robert N. Bradbury would go on to work on several Lone Star Productions with the Duke. All in all, not a bad flick.

A Holy Terror (1931)

A Holy Terror (1931)***

Fox Films
Director: Irving Cummings

A Holy Terror is not exactly a western but I had to review it since A: it is from 1931 and B: it is one of Humphrey Bogart's early films. Has there really ever been anyone cooler than Humphrey Bogart? There are a few crazy scenes in it as well that make what would be a very obvious movie into something pretty fun to watch (like our hero doing loops in in airplane and then crashing into a bathroom; lady in shower).
  George O'Brian stars as the adventurous New Yorker, Tony Bard, whose father is shot and no one knows who did it. He finds out his father changed his name many years ago and also that he has been keeping track of some rancher out in Wyoming (James Kirkwood). Bogart plays the villainous ranch foreman Steve Nash and there are two ladies in the mix (Sally Eilers and Rita La Roy). Find out what happens, and if you don't like this one you only spent 53 minutes and you got to see Bogart play the antagonist!

Texas Cyclone (1932)

Texas Cyclone (1932)***

Columbia Pictures
Director: D. Ross Lederman

Texas Cyclone is a "mistaken identity" tale set in the fictional town of Stampede, Arizona. "Texas" Grant (Tim McCoy) moseys into town and is mistaken for Jim Rawlings who mysteriously disappeared years back. Grant is talked into helping this town and Rawlings' widow Helen (Shirley Grey) against the villainy of Utah Becker (Wheeler Oakman). He is helped by the only loyal hand left at the Rawlings' ranch, Steve Pickett (John Wayne). McCoy is not a great actor but more importantly he was the real deal; a rancher out in Wyoming. It isn't that he stinks he just overacts a little but remains charming. This one has a surprise twist at the end!

Fighting Caravans (1931)

Fighting Caravans (1931)***

Paramount Pictures
Director: Otto Brower and David Burton

   Fighting Caravans is what I can only describe as a western romantic comedy. It is actually quite fun to watch and even the comic characters do their part for the story (from another Zane Grey novel by the way). Clint Belmet (Gary Copper) is a scout for a wagon train when he gets into some trouble in Independence. To get him out, his friends, old timers Bill and Jim (Ernest Torrence and Tully Marshall), enlist the help of a young traveler Felice (Lili Damita). Once free the train sets off for California and a romance develops between Felice and Clint, but can Felice tame this rugged scout?