The Virginian (1929)

The Virginian (1929) ***

Produced by B.P. Schulberg and Louis D. Lighton
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Directed by Victor Fleming

It is impossible to understand the significance of this film without a fair bit of background information. The Virginian (1929) is based upon a popular play adaptation of Owen Wister’s novel of the same name which was published in 1902. The novel came to influence the popular notions of the west which would dominate the narrative throughout the heyday of the Western. The Virginian was a clever, fun loving, smooth talking man of moral fibre and inherently captured the nobility of the cowboy. There had been many novels before it with a western setting and countless stories of outlaws, but Wister put the cowboy at the center. The book was an immediate success and in 1904 Wister and Kirke La Shelle wrote a stage adaptation that narrows the story emphasizing the relationship between the Virginian and Steve. Opening on Broadway, the lead was played by Dustin Farnum who of course became an early western movie star in De Mille’s The Squaw Man (1914) and again as the Virginian in the first film adaptation. The Virginian would be made again in 1923 under Thomas Forman before Victor Fleming’s first talkie version in 1929. In fact, this was Fleming’s first talkie ever which alone would keep this film remembered by film buffs. Adding to the western tradition, The Virginian was also the first talkie and first western by the young Gary Cooper who would become a staple of the genre.

The Virginian (Cooper) finds himself at odds with a cattle rustler named Trampas (Walter Huston) but his greatest concern comes from his friend Steve (Richard Arlen) joining up with Trampas under the promise of getting wealthy enough to start his own ranch one day. The two friends are also involved in attempting to win the heart of the new school teacher (Mary Brian). The story feels a bit slow which comes from the source material but can become tedious. Cooper does a fine job in the role of the Virginian though it is really Walter Huston (father of director John Huston) that shines as the villain. One interesting note is that Cooper’s voice coach for the southern accent was a fresh-to-Hollywood Randolph Scott. 

Westward Ho!!!

So I realize that for the most part I am the only one who reads this blog so for my own notes I will be moving forward down a "best of the genre" list created by Brian Garfield in his excellent reference work "Western Films." This should clear up the Wayne heavy nature of my reviews. His chronological list is as follows:

The Virginian (1929)
Law and Order (1932)
Union Pacific (1939)
The Westerner (1940)
Western Union (1941)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
Canyon Passage (1946)
Ramrod (1947)
Pursued (1947)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Four Faces West (1948)
Red River (1948)
Blood on the Moon (1948)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
Rio Grande (1950)
The Gunfighter (1950)
High Noon (1952)
Ride the Man Down (1952)
The Naked Spur (1953)
Shane (1953)
Bad Day at Black Rock (1954)
Johnny Guitar (1954)
The Searchers (1956)
Lonely Are the Brave (1962)
Ride the High Country (1962)
The Wild Bunch (1969)

Sure the Duke makes a good appearance but you can't have a list without him plus this one captures the breadth of the genre well.

Getting Back in the Saddle

Alright, let's take some time and get a few more films under our belt, perhaps see if we can find out who our readers are and what they are looking for. Have any films you want to see reviewed? Any aspect of the Western you might want to take a look at?

I think I am going to try to hit around a bit and grab films from different eras. I will still get JDubs in here as often as it makes sense to and I will try to stick to the big pictures and fan favorites.

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.