We figured it was time to have a place to talk about Steve’s latest video subjects that do not have an UMR page.
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We figured it was time to have a place to talk about Steve’s latest video subjects that do not have an UMR page.
Although 1946’s My Darling Clementine was in black and white and 1953’s Shane was set in a primitive shanty town and in struggling humble homesteads beyond the town, those two flicks always impressed me as being among the most beautiful westerns ever made possibly because of the nostalgic atmospheres of the Old West that the directors of the 2 films succeeded in creating.
For me the music also helped create the atmosphere in Clementine – and has there ever been a western hero like Shane? In fact according to the American Film Institute just ONE: Cooper’s Will Kane in High Noon who is ranked 5th on the AFI’s list of the 100 Greatest Screen Heroes of All Time in ALL GENRES with Shane ranked 16th. Royal Dano’s Atticus Finch is ranked first and AFI’s 2 greatest screen villains ever are Hannibal Lecter and Mother Bates.
Sadly Cathy Downes who played John Ford’s lovely Clementine Carter ultimately fell into dire financial straits and tragically died of cancer at just the age of 50. However in a way she had her greatest movies success posthumously as apparently she is today regarded by sci-fi fans worldwide as a cult figure because of her appearance in a run of 1950s’ B movies: The She Creature; Phantom from 10,000 Leagues; Missile to the Moon; The Amazing Colossal Man. She was also give a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
In a cavern, in a canyon
Excavating for a mine
Dwelt a miner, forty-niner
And his daughter, Clementine
Drove she ducklings to the water
Every morning just at nine
Hit her foot against a splinter
Fell into the foaming brine
Ruby lips above the water
Blowing bubbles, soft and fine
But, alas, I was no swimmer
So I lost my Clementine
Oh my darling, oh my darling
Oh my darling, Clementine
You are lost and gone forever
In the river Clementine.
HI STEVE
Thanks for the comprehensive response and especially for the solid additional trivia about The Horse -Bow Incident.
As the sheriff in a western movie was usually the law-and-order authority and a pillar of the establishment I suppose that the Hays Office’s objection to suggestions that the sheriff condoned the lynching was a reflection of The Duke criticizing Cooper’s High Noon for showing-up as cowards Big John’s beloved small-town America. Equivalent to swearing in church to guys like Wayne!
I wonder who that Hays guy was anyhow – possibly some know-it-all Hirsch-type who took a lot onto himself. Anyway I look forward to next Wed’s video so enjoy your weekend and come back refreshed. In the meantime I suppose you’ll be raising a glass of champers to the new birth in Downing Street!
APOLOGIES AND CORRECTION: Heading of Part 2 should of course have read “1943-45” westerns
In my opinion the cream of the long run of excellent vintage STILLS/LOBBY CARDS in Steve’s new 1943-45 westerns video is as follows:
1/Belle of the Yukon
2/Border Badmen
3/The Kansan
4/Hoppy Serves a Writ – back when I was growing up Hoppy was arguably the most famous of the B movie cowboys. Possibly that was because of his peculiar name because as soon as any one of us kids limped with a leg injury he/she had to endure the nickname “Hopalong” until it healed.
5/West of the Pecos
6/Dakota
7/Big Bob relaxing on the set with [presumably] his own kids. Collector’s item historically
8/ALL for The Outlaw
9/Flame of the Barbary Coast
10/Woman of the Town
11/In Old Manchester aka War of the Wildcats
12/ALL for The Desperadoes
13/2 for Buffalo Bill – great comic book character of early 1950s.
14/ALL for San Antonio -for me the Flynn heyday persona which never changed became a bit of a bore
15/Along Came Jones
16/ALL for Tall in the Saddle
17/King of the Cowboys
18/ALL for Ox Bow Incident.
The new video for 1943-45 westerns is one of Steve’s best yet providing 99% rated entertainment for me. My own selection of the VERY best POSTERS entries is:
1/1st for Riders of Rio Grande
2/Both for Belle of the Yukon
3/1st 2 for Silver Spurs
4/1st for West of the Pecos
5/1st 2 for Dakota
6/1st for Nevada
7/All for The Outlaw – wow!
8/1st one for Flame of Barbary Coast
9/ALL for War of the Wildcats
10/1st one for The Desperadoes-Randy top billed; Glenn has lead role.
11/ALL for San Antonio
12/Both for Along Came Jones
13/ALL for Tall in the Saddle – especially the 1st one.
14/1st one for Idaho.
15/1st one for Riders of the Deadline
16/1st one for Buckskin Frontier
17/Final one Woman of the Town – really beautiful visual.
17/King of the Cowboys-Roy Rogers’ official nickname – though Robert Taylor would have disputed that issue!!
18/Ox Bow Incident: Considered a classic, Steve’s No 1 and one of only 2 20th Century Fox films of his that Henry was ever enthusiastic about [the other being Grapes of Wrath] Ox Bow Incident was originally released at a running time of 75 mins.
However for a brief period in 1955-56 Fox hastily remade some of its important A list films in even shorter versions and released them on TV, and in cinemas as supporting features; so in the late 1950s I saw at my local an Ox Bow Incident remake that ran for just around 1 hour that starred Joseph Cotton, Robert Wagner [in the Fonda role] and Raymond Burr.
Hi Bob, thanks for the review, generous rating (whoa), info and trivia, much appreciated. Glad you liked the posters, stills and lobby cards.
A picture of tough guy Robert Mitchum with his children, I thought you and Flora would like it so I squeezed it in next to one of his westerns.
Of the 26 westerns on the video, 15 are from 1943, 5 from 1944, and 6 from 1945.
I still haven’t seen The Ox-Bow Incident but I know the story well. I should give it a shot. It’s the only film scoring 10 out of 10 from my sources.
My Video Top 6 –
The Ox-Bow Incident 8.25
Tall in the Saddle 6.8
Along Came Jones 6.5
San Antonio 6.4
Buffalo Bill 6.3
The Desperadoes 6.3
The UMR Critics Top 6 –
The Ox-Bow Incident 8.5
Tall in the Saddle 6.9
King of the Cowboys 6.4
The Desperadoes 6.2
San Antonio 6.1
Santa Fe Scouts 6.1
The Ox-Bow Incident IMDB trivia
– WARNING Spoilers Ahoy –
“Henry Fonda was so keen to make the film that he worked for scale. Samuel Fuller called this the best western he ever saw. The Hays Office – the industry’s censor – was initially reluctant to approve the script because of its suggestion that the sheriff condoned the lynchings. The treatment of the lynchings and the characterization of those participating were discussed by the PCA and the studio at great length, and in a June 9, 1942 letter, PCA director Joseph Breen advised studio public relations head Jason S. Joy that the script would be approved if: Major Tetley’s suicide is retained, “thus constituting a punishment for the ring-leader of the lynching party”; there is an indication that the whole gang will be arrested; Fonda’s character was rewritten to make him less callous and more active in trying to stop the lynchings; and Davies’ denunciation of the killings is retained. In the novel Tetley commits suicide by falling on his sword after his son kills himself. In the film he shoots himself while his son yells at him from outside his house. The film was a box-office flop, outgrossed by one of the studio’s Laurel & Hardy comedies released at the same time. In 1998 the film was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.”
Bob, next video on wednesday, take care and keep safe.
SIN TOWN 1942 – Covered in Steve’s previous westerns video. The IMDB review below is interesting to me because of the comparisons between 1940s and 1950s westerns.
STORYLINE:
Conman Dude McNair [Crawford]and his girl arrive in Carsin Town to find they have been sold worthless oil wells. The place is thriving and Dude soon eases himself in as half owner of a saloon. But his partner is playing a cagey and more deadly game. The partner is in jail so any lawlessness will be blamed on McNair
IMDB REVIEW:
Sin Town is the pure Universal Studios western of this era, the forties, in the line of those westerns starring John Wayne in his early years and Marlene Dietrich – THE SPOILERS, PITTSBURG.
I mean not open spaces westerns but rather town westerns. Don’t expect to see in those forties Universal westerns the same kind of stuff the studio will give us a decade later with Jimmy Stewart or Audie Murphy’s movies. which took place mostly in cabarets or saloons
That said Sin Town is very pleasing, entertaining; with a over the top Broderick – machine gun talking – Crawford. A terrific actor at his top here. A pure delight for western lovers. But I prefer the 1950s productions . Enjoy this 1942 offering though.