Western Challenge (Official, May 2020)

[psychotronicbeatnik]

41. The Slowest Gun in the West (1960 / Herschel Daugherty) FTV 8/10 {54 m.}
42. Carry On Cowboy (1965 / Gerald Thomas) FTV 7/10 {93 m.}
43. My Little Chickadee (1940 / Edward F. Cline) FTV 8/10 {83 m.}
44. Ride ‘em, Cowgirl (1939 / Samuel Diege) FTV 6/10 {53 m.}
45. Colorado Sundown (1952 / William Witney) FTV 8/10 {67 m.}

One of the joys of doing these challenges is seeing what others find to watch. I gleaned my last last two viewings from sol's recent watches and was really happy to find Colorado Sundown once I realized it was directed by William Witney. I'm not sure if I've seen any Rex Allen oaters before but I am definitely ready to see more, especially if they are directed by the great William Witney and co-star Slim Pickens. Thanks for putting me on that trail, sol!

Boot Hill

1. City Slickers (1991 / Ron Underwood) FTV 7+/10 {113 m. }
2. Dead 7 (2016 / Danny Roew) FTV 7/10 {89 m. }
3. Round-Up Time in Texas (1937 / Joseph Kane) FTV 6+/10 {61 m. }
4. Young Bill Hickok (1940 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7/10 {59 m. }
5. Lights of Old Santa Fe (1944 / Frank McDonald) 6/10 {61 m. }
6. Along Came Jones (1945 / Stuart Heisler) 8/10 {90 m. }
7. Cowboy and the Senorita (1944 / Joseph Kane) 8/10 {78 m. }
8. Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969 / Burt Kennedy) 8/10 {92 m. }
9. Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971 / Burt Kennedy) 8/10 {91 m. }
10. Colorado (1940 / Joseph Kane) 8/10 {57 m. }
11. Deadwood (2019 / Daniel Minahan) FTV 8+/10 {110 m. }
12. Zorro (1975 / Duccio Tessari) FTV 7/10 {124 m. }
13. Boots and Saddles (1937 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7+/10 {58 m. }
14. Annie Get Your Gun (1950 / George Sidney, Busby Berkeley) FTV 8-/10 {107 m. }
15. The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949 / Preston Sturges) 6/10 {77 m. }
16. Good For Nothing (2011 / Mike Wallis) FTV 7/10 {92 m. }
17. The Cherokee Kid (1996 / Paris Barclay) FTV 7/10 {91 m. }
18. Wagons East (1994 / Peter Markle) FTV 6/10 {107 m. }
19. Against a Crooked Sky (1975 / Earl Bellamy) FTV 6/10 {89 m. }
20. The Carson City Kid (1940 / Joseph Kane) 7/10 {57 m. }
21. Home in Oklahoma (1946 / William Witney) FTV 8/10 {72 m.}
22. The Electric Horseman (1979 / Sydney Pollack) FTV 8/10 {121 m.}
23. San Fernando Valley (1944 / John English) FTV 8/10 {74 m.}
24. Rango (2011 / Gore Verbinski) FTV 8+/10 {107 m.}
25. Zachariah (1971 / George Englund) FTV 5/10 {93 m.}
26. Lightning Strikes West (1940 / Harry L. Fraser) FTV 6+/10 {55 m.}
27. The Gay Amigo (1949 / Wallace Fox) FTV 6/10 {60 m.}
28. Git Along Little Dogies (1937 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7/10 {67 m.}
29. Sing, Cowboy, Sing (1937 / Robert N. Bradbury) FTV 6/10 {59 m.}
30 .Satan’s Cradle (1949 / Ford Beebe) FTV 6/10 {60 m.}
31. Home on the Range (2004 / Will Finn, John Sanford) FTV 6/10 {76 m.}
32. The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975 / Norman Tokar) 6/10 {100 m. }
33. Springtime in the Sierras (1947 / William Witney) FTV 8/10 {75 m.}
34. Man From Music Mountain (1938 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7/10 {58 m.}
35. Oh, Susanna! (1936 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7/10 {59 m.}
36. The Old Barn Dance (1938 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7/10 {60 m.}
37. Bells of San Angelo (1947 /William Witney) FTV 7/10 {78 m.}
38. The King and Four Queens (1956 / Raoul Walsh) FTV 7+/10 {86 m.}
39. Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978 / Robert Butler) FTV 6/10 {90 m.}
40. Winds of the Wasteland (1936 / Mack V. Wright) FTV 7/10 {56 m.}

41. The Slowest Gun in the West (1960 / Herschel Daugherty) FTV 8/10 {54 m.}
42. Carry On Cowboy (1965 / Gerald Thomas) FTV 7/10 {93 m.}
43. My Little Chickadee (1940 / Edward F. Cline) FTV 8/10 {83 m.}
44. Ride ‘em, Cowgirl (1939 / Samuel Diege) FTV 6/10 {53 m.}
45. Colorado Sundown (1952 / William Witney) FTV 8/10 {67 m.}

[flavo5000]

15. Joko invoca Dio... e muori / Vengeance (Antonio Margheriti, 1968)

I fell in love with Margheriti a few years ago when I re-watched Il mondo di Yor - liking it much more than I had back in the 80s - and watched most of his 60s science fiction work, particularly the "Gamma Quadrilogy" from 1966-7. Margheriti, like so many Italian genre directors of the era, did whatever paid the bucks, but like many others he had his own interests and specialties - science fiction/fantasy in his case, just as the Sergios specialized in the western and Mario Bava in horror. And when most of these guys step outside of their comfort zones, the results usually aren't the best. Case in point - while this tale of (you guessed it) vengeance is competently told, and offers a nice hero in Richard Harrison, it's basic plot of a man out to kill the five men who are responsible for his brother's death (which opens the film and is definitely a highlight) is pretty old and tired, and one that needs somebody really committed to juice it up. This just doesn't cut it though it's watchable enough.

Margheriti is definitely a director that I think doesn't get as much credit as he deserves sometimes. I mean, yea he can churn out hacky junk like Killer Fish and Aliens from the Deep, but one aspect of his films you didn't mention, he also has made several very good, very atmospheric gothic horror films like Long Hair of Death, Castle of Blood and Seven Deaths In The Cat's Eye. As for his westerns, the one I've liked the most that I've seen was And God Said to Cain, which plays out almost like a horror film itself with Klaus Kinski as a man wrongly imprisoned and out for revenge. Very atmospherically directed and incredibly bleak.

[blueboybob]

58. Quella sporca storia nel west (1968)
59. Joko invoca Dio... e muori (1968)
60. Il grande duello (1972)

[sol]

You did lead me to this one. Thanks for that. I found it interesting that Dorothy Page also had a female comic sidekick. I've noticed you are watching a lot of western/comedies with strong female protagonists. Don't forget My Little Chickadee. Mae West is strongly independent and really funny in that one.

41. The Slowest Gun in the West (1960 / Herschel Daugherty) FTV 8/10 {54 m.}
42. Carry On Cowboy (1965 / Gerald Thomas) FTV 7/10 {93 m.}
43. My Little Chickadee (1940 / Edward F. Cline) FTV 8/10 {83 m.}
44. Ride ‘em, Cowgirl (1939 / Samuel Diege) FTV 6/10 {53 m.}
45. Colorado Sundown (1952 / William Witney) FTV 8/10 {67 m.}

One of the joys of doing these challenges is seeing what others find to watch. I gleaned my last last two viewings from sol's recent watches and was really happy to find Colorado Sundown once I realized it was directed by William Witney. I'm not sure if I've seen any Rex Allen oaters before but I am definitely ready to see more, especially if they are directed by the great William Witney and co-star Slim Pickens. Thanks for putting me on that trail, sol!

Thanks for the mention, 'beatnik. I actually do have My Little Chickadee lined up to watch over the next few days, but I had never heard of The Slowest Gun in the West before, so I have added that one to my watchlist -- thanks!

And I'm not familiar with William Witney, but among all the myriad of B westerns that I have been watching this month, Colorado Sundown definitely sticks out as one that tries to do something different.

[OldAle1]

15. Joko invoca Dio... e muori / Vengeance (Antonio Margheriti, 1968)

I fell in love with Margheriti a few years ago when I re-watched Il mondo di Yor - liking it much more than I had back in the 80s - and watched most of his 60s science fiction work, particularly the "Gamma Quadrilogy" from 1966-7. Margheriti, like so many Italian genre directors of the era, did whatever paid the bucks, but like many others he had his own interests and specialties - science fiction/fantasy in his case, just as the Sergios specialized in the western and Mario Bava in horror. And when most of these guys step outside of their comfort zones, the results usually aren't the best. Case in point - while this tale of (you guessed it) vengeance is competently told, and offers a nice hero in Richard Harrison, it's basic plot of a man out to kill the five men who are responsible for his brother's death (which opens the film and is definitely a highlight) is pretty old and tired, and one that needs somebody really committed to juice it up. This just doesn't cut it though it's watchable enough.

Margheriti is definitely a director that I think doesn't get as much credit as he deserves sometimes. I mean, yea he can churn out hacky junk like Killer Fish and Aliens from the Deep, but one aspect of his films you didn't mention, he also has made several very good, very atmospheric gothic horror films like Long Hair of Death, Castle of Blood and Seven Deaths In The Cat's Eye. As for his westerns, the one I've liked the most that I've seen was And God Said to Cain, which plays out almost like a horror film itself with Klaus Kinski as a man wrongly imprisoned and out for revenge. Very atmospherically directed and incredibly bleak.

Yeah he's pretty good with horror, I just haven't seen much of his work in that area yet - and of course he pales in comparison to Bava and Fulci among rough contemporaries. Agree about Cain, definitely the best of the 3 westerns I've seen now - and the other 3 don't look all that promising unfortunately.

[blocho]

10. Big Jake (1971)
This movie sucks. There were some decent late-era Wayne movies, but this isn't one of them. Those movies succeeded when they leaned into Wayne's knack for snappy dialogue and away from his action chops (which were long gone) or, even worse, his bizarre machismo. Unfortunately, this movie has bizarre machismo in spades, serving as a simple introduction to his concept of patriarchy. It goes something like this: A man returns to his family, which he abandoned ten years before. He offers no explanation for his absence to his now-grown sons. Instead, he punches them in the face. He repeats this later on. Such beatings are seen as good fun and probably good parenting as well.

11. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
How long had it been since I last saw this movie? Fifteen years, maybe. It's just as perfect as I remembered it.

[sol]

How the West Was Won

1. One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
2. West and Soda (1965)
3. Rancho Notorious (1952)
4. The Ruthless Four (1968)
5. Man from Del Rio (1956)
6. Silver Lode (1954)
7. Stagecoach (1939)
8. Warlock (1959)
9. Django (1966)
10. 'Doc' (1971)
11. Jubal (1956)
12. Lucky (2017)
13. Dead Birds (2004)
14. Zachariah (1971)
15. McLintock! (1963)
16. Joe Dakota (1957)
17. Goin' South (1978)
18. Silver Spurs (1943)
19. Sky Bandits (1940)
20. Desert Gold (1936)
21. Border Feud (1947)
22. Rollin' Plains (1938)
23. The Shooting (1966)
24. The Big Trail (1930)
25. The Big Show (1936)
26. Something Big (1971)
27. Hang 'Em High (1968)
28. Harmony Trail (1944)
29. Almost Heroes (1998)
30. The Gay Amigo (1949)
31. Hittin' the Trail (1937)
32. Prairie Rustlers (1945)
33. Cattle Stampede (1943)
34. Ride 'em, Cowgirl (1939)
35. Take Me to Town (1953)
36. Gumby: The Movie (1995)
37. Colorado Sundown (1952)
38. Colorado Serenade (1946)

39. Lonesome Cowboys (1968)



A pretty aimless film and with poorly recorded/muffled sound, jump cuts and jarring scenes transitions, the project feels more of an attempt to subvert cowboy movies than make one. Alas, the poor filming soon becomes repetitive; only so much screeching is necessary to be subversive after all. The film almost reaches something interesting halfway in as they debate whether they gang raped a prostitute or not, but the dialogue is too hard to make out.

[sol]

How the West Was Won

1. One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
2. West and Soda (1965)
3. Rancho Notorious (1952)
4. The Ruthless Four (1968)
5. Man from Del Rio (1956)
6. Silver Lode (1954)
7. Stagecoach (1939)
8. Warlock (1959)
9. Django (1966)
10. 'Doc' (1971)
11. Jubal (1956)
12. Lucky (2017)
13. Dead Birds (2004)
14. Zachariah (1971)
15. McLintock! (1963)
16. Joe Dakota (1957)
17. Goin' South (1978)
18. Silver Spurs (1943)
19. Sky Bandits (1940)
20. Desert Gold (1936)
21. Border Feud (1947)
22. Rollin' Plains (1938)
23. The Shooting (1966)
24. The Big Trail (1930)
25. The Big Show (1936)
26. Something Big (1971)
27. Hang 'Em High (1968)
28. Harmony Trail (1944)
29. Almost Heroes (1998)
30. The Gay Amigo (1949)
31. Hittin' the Trail (1937)
32. Prairie Rustlers (1945)
33. Cattle Stampede (1943)
34. Ride 'em, Cowgirl (1939)
35. Take Me to Town (1953)
36. Gumby: The Movie (1995)
37. Colorado Sundown (1952)
38. Colorado Serenade (1946)
39. Lonesome Cowboys (1968)

40. Fuzzy Settles Down (1944)



It is nice to see Al St. John get pretty much his own film here, and there are some solid scenes early on as St. John outwits outlaws and buys a newspaper business at auction with Buster Crabbe there to prevent dishonest bidders. St. John is, however, a lot less funny than usual here, perhaps due to being written as a lead rather than comic relief. As the film progresses, it also begins to feel more like standard Buster Crabbe fare.

[jdidaco]

(Screenshots from 'The Eagle and the Hawk' and the unbelievably gritty, cynical, depressing, 'Massacre', with Martha Roth coming out as the most rotten, odious femme fatale to ever grace a B-Western),



31. The Plunderers (Joseph Kane, 1948) 7/10
32. The Eagle and the Hawk (Lewis R. Foster, 1950) 8/10
33. Hellgate (Charles Marquis Warren, 1952) 7.5/10
34. Shotgun (Lesley Selander, 1955) 6.5/10
35. Massacre (Louis King, 1956) 9/10
36. The Plunderers (Joseph Pevney, 1960) 7.5/10
37. Four Fast Guns (William J. Hole Jr., 1960) 7.5/10
38. Terror at Black Falls (Richard C. Sarafian, 1962) 7/10
39. El sabor de la venganza (Sons of Vengeance, Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent, 1964) 7.5/10
40. Crisol (Alberto Mariscal, 1967) 8/10

Spoiler

1. The King and Four Queens (Raoul Walsh, 1956) 8/10
2. The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (Raoul Walsh, 1958) 7/10
3. Walk Like a Dragon (James Clavell, 1960) 8/10
4. Showdown (R.G. Springsteen, 1963) 7.5/10
5. The Quick Gun (Sidney Salkow, 1964) 8/10
6. A Talent for Loving (Richard Quine, 1969) 6.5/10
7. A Man Called Sledge (Vic Morrow & Giorgio Gentili, 1970) 7.5/10
8. The Deadly Trackers (Barry Shear & Samuel Fuller, 1973) 7/10
9. The Burrowers (J.T. Petty, 2008) 7/10
10. Bone Tomahawk (S. Craig Zahler, 2015) 7.5/10
11. The Call of the Wild (William A. Wellman, 1935) 8/10
12. Black Bart (George Sherman, 1948) 7.5/10
13. Trigger, Jr. (William Witney, 1950) 7.5/10
14. Callaway Went Thataway (Melvin Frank & Norman Panama, 1951) 8/10
15. The Outcast (William Witney, 1954) 9/10
16. Slim Carter (Richard Bartlett, 1957) 7.5/10
17. The Sheepman (George Marshall, 1958) 8.5/10
18. The Jayhawkers! (Melvin Frank, 1959) 8/10
19. Hell Bent for Leather (George Sherman, 1960) 8/10
20. Advance to the Rear (George Marshall, 1964) 7/10
21. Montana Belle (Allan Dwan, 1952) 8/10
22. Untamed Frontier (Hugo Fregonese, 1952) 7.5/10
23. Carne de horca (Condemned to Hang, Ladislao Vajda, 1953) 8/10
24. Antes llega la muerte (Hour of Death, Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent, 1964) 8/10
25. Ocaso de un pistolero (Hands of a Gunfighter, Rafael Romero Marchent, 1965) 8/10
26. There Was a Crooked Man... (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1970) 7.5/10
27. Le Far-West (Far West, Jacques Brel, 1973) 6/10
28. Boss Nigger (Jack Arnold, 1974) 7/10
29. The Blue Hotel (Ján Kadár, 1977) 8/10
30. Clearcut (Ryszard Bugajski, 1991) 8/10

[OldAle1]

Vai a ovest, giovanotto

1. Una nuvola di polvere... un grido di morte... arriva Sartana / Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming (Giuliano Carnimeo, 1970)
2. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (Sam Peckinpah, 1974)
3. Arizona Colt (Michele Lupo, 1966)
4. Kid Blue (James Frawley, 1973)
5. Bandidos / You Die... But I Live (Massimo Dallamano, 1967)
6. Robin Hood of El Dorado (William A. Wellman, 1936)
7. Al este del oeste (Mariano Ozores, 1984)
8. Dio perdona... Io no! / God Forgives...I Don't! (Giuseppe Colizzi, 1967)
9. Le colt cantarono la morte e fu... tempo di massacro / Massacre Time (Lucio Fulci, 1966)
10. California (Michele Lupo, 1977)
11. I quattro dell'Ave Maria / Ace High (Giuseppe Colizzi, 1968)
12. La collina degli stivali / Boot Hill (Giuseppe Colizzi, 1969)
13. Road Agent (Lesley Selander, 1952)
14. ¡Mátalo! / Kill Him! (Cesare Canivari, 1970)
15. Joko invoca Dio... e muori / Vengeance (Antonio Margheriti, 1968)
16. Joe l'implacabile / Dynamite Joe (Antonio Margheriti, 1967)

17. Winnetou und das Halbblut Apanatschi / Winnetou and the Half-Breed (Harald Philippe, 1966)

The 9th Winnetou film and the 5th I've seen - apart from those numbered 1,2, and 3 (actually the 2nd, 4th and 7th films) there really isn't any meaningful continuity as near as I can tell, and in fact one of the main characters is killed in Winnetou - 3.Teil so it really doesn't matter what order one watches them in. Not that most people will anyway, as these German/Yugoslavian productions remain much less well-known than even some of the lesser Italian productions. It's a shame really because, as I believe I mentioned in a review during last year's challenge, they're pretty different from both the American films of the 50s and early 60s and the spaghetti cycle, and the gorgeous Yugoslavian scenery gives you something very different to look at than the typically dry and parched Spanish exteriors you find in most Euro-westerns from this period. In tone they're closer to Hollywood I guess, though the deep friendship between Winnetou and his Apaches, and Old Shatterhand (played respectively here as in most episodes by Pierre Brice and Lex Barker) seems out of place in the more racist American films that were the norm; even when a white man is friends with an Indian it's never on the brotherly level we see in these films.

Anyway after all that intro is out of the way... this is unfortunately the weakest of the Winnetous I've seen by far, with a simple plot (gold mine that is supposed to go to halfbreed girl who is friends with Winnetou gets found by greedy whites, they plan to take it) turning into a very tiresome all-out war between a gang of criminals and the people of a town in which the whole damn town pretty much gets wiped out and dozens die. For nothing, really. I know the point of the film is about how lust for gold turns (white) men's hearts rotten but it's just not well thought-out and the whole thing just seems to be an excuse for a really huge ending set-piece, which is just OK. The beginning segment with Winnetou saving a young boy from an attacking eagle, is pretty good, and the music and scenery terrific as always, but this is not one to push on people who haven't seen any in this series - it might well keep them from watching more.

18. Lonesome Cowboys (Andy Warhol, 1968)

I'm just going to echo what was said above - this is dull stuff, with sound so poor that very little can be understood in some scenes, not that the seemingly improvised nearly stream-of-consciousness dialogue is of much import. I guess it's a satire on the western on some level, OK, but it's mostly an excuse for lots of beefcake posing and almost a thumbing of the nose at any kind of conventional cinema. Which would be fine if it was cinematically interesting at all, and apart from a kind of neat use of jump cuts from time to time, it just isn't. Was Andy Warhol a "troll" as flavo suggests? I dunno. I've liked a couple of his shorts, found the two feature-length films I've seen (this and Vinyl) fairly unbearable and tedious. I'm all in favor of shattering norms and showing us other sides of the world, of cinema, and I don't even necessarily dislike amateurism, but Warhol's world is an incredibly shallow, no, surface-oriented one, all cute guys strutting and fretting in cowboy fashions, a tale told by a poser, signifying nothing.

19. Shalako (Edward Dmytryk, 1968)
20. Viva Maria! (Louis Malle, 1965)
21. Les pétroleuses / Frenchie King (Christian-Jacque, 1971)

Many people don't know this, but before Brigitte Bardot made headlines as an animal-rights activist and racist supporter of fascists and authoritarians, she was an actress, singer and sex symbol. True story! And she made three westerns and I just happened to watch them all in a row, an experience I don't really strongly recommend to anyone.

Shalako is far and away the best of them, a primarily British production shot on location in Spain, with an international cast headed by Sean Connery as your typical tracker/scout character who is a loner and much smarter than the stupid English hunters who go into an Indian reservation and arrogantly think they can fight off hordes of natives with their very small numbers (but superior fire-power). Connery of course argues that they'll all get killed, they don't listen, and he has to try to save them, helped by Bardot - one of the best shots in the bunch - but hindered at various times by her maybe-fiancee Peter van Eyck and other uppity Brits and cynical soldier types, including Stephen Boyd and Jack Hawkins. Woody Strode is also on hand as Chato, the most aggressive of the Apaches opposing them. Dunno why this has a low rating and never seems to get mentioned by anybody - it's nothing great, with a plot that's been done a million times, but it's well constructed and acted and reasonably exciting. Would be better if the zero hint of romance between Bardot and Connery that covers the first half of the film had been maintained - it's pretty silly seeing them make out when there are only a few of the group left and the Apaches could attack at any moment.

Viva Maria! was, along with the Warhol western above, one of the last two films on the BFI list for me to see...Platinum now, baby. And you know, when the last couple of films you see on a list suck, you wonder if it was worth it - but then you're glad it's all done at least. This story of a French actress (Jeanne Moreau) and a French-Irish terrorist (Bardot) joining together first to do a travelling cabaret act in central America in the early days of last century, then transforming into revolutionaries, feels like Pontecorvo's Queimada if it had been written and directed by the creative team behind Hogan's Heroes. It doesn't start out so bad but it's just such a fucking stupid failed farce at the end that I couldn't wait for it to end. I've generally liked Malle's films, and I'm sure he was trying to do something interesting and different here - and he does succeed sometimes with weird genre mash-ups like Black Moon a decade later - but for me at least this was just an unholy mess.

Les pétroleuses is a little better - but not much - probably because it's not trying so hard to do anything other than be a sexy, silly farce. Claudia Cardinale is the one sister and head of a family with four brothers who matches up against Brigitte Bardot and her four sisters (or are they just friends? wasn't clear, didn't care) for control of a property containing lots of oil. It takes place in a small town in Texas that was settled by the French, thus explaining why everybody (except Michael J. Pollard in an amusing turn as the sheriff) speaks French. Really just an excuse to see lots of hot European babes frolic around in their petticoats and dresses (hey, this is strictly PG territory except for one very brief shot) for an hour and a half, but that's enough to make it almost watchable.

[blueboybob]

61. Django il bastardo (1969)
62. Gli specialisti (1969)
63. Arizona Colt (1966)
64. Ognuno per sé (1968)

[maxwelldeux]

Ho

1. Al este del oeste (1984, Spain)
2. Little Big Man (1970)
3. Django Unchained (2012)
4. Blazing Saddles (1974)
5. Django Kill… If You Live, Shoot! (1967)

6. The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008)

This was pretty damn awesome, actually. A retelling/homage of the obvious film, it's funny, fast-paced, good tension and humor throughout, and some really impressive action sequences. Probably my favorite first-time watch so far this month.

[vortexsurfer]

6. Little Big Man (Arthur Penn, 1970)
7. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)

Spoiler

1. Cannibal! The Musical (Trey Parker, 1993)
2. I quattro dell'Apocalisse/The Four of the Apocalypse... (Lucio Fulci, 1975)
3. Keoma (Enzo G. Castellari, 1976)
4. City Slickers (Ron Underwood, 1991)
5. City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (Paul Weiland, 1994)
6. Little Big Man (Arthur Penn, 1970)
7. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)

[PUNQ]

20. Cowboy & Indiana (2018, Rodney Ray) - 3/10
--- Modern drama set in the cowboy land where a disgraced bull rider is forced to mentor a troubled kid. Fairly pedestrian plot of the TV-movie variety. Lightweight and overly long. More dull than bad.


21. Sonora [Sonora, the Devil's Highway] (2018, Alejandro Springall) - 4/10
--- The base of the story was interesting, but I didn't really like any of the characters, which hurt my overall enjoyment of it. Ends up being your typical desert story with a bunch of nasty people traveling together without really excelling the situation to it's potential.


22. Eminence Hill (2019, Robert Conway) - 3/10
--- Don't know quite how to take this western. There was some ideas I liked, but where those ideas led wasn't really doing it for me. All the characters became just one dimensional exploitative assholes. I needed a little more rounded personalities for this one.


23. The Texan (1930, John Cromwell) - 5/10
--- Finally Gary Cooper's The Texan (1930) comes my way. Here's hoping some of his other existing hard-to-fine transition era moves does too. Cooper was already a bankable star, especially when in the saddle. Fay Wray had already played opposite Cooper several times, making her his main screen squeeze at the time. The two sure made the screen attractive. And while this isn't among the most exiting of westerns out there, the stars carried themselves well and help make this a fine western.


24. Out of Liberty (2019, Garrett Batty) 2/10
--- Based on the weak standards of modern westerns, Out of Liberty (2019) wasn't poorly made. It was just terribly boring, which you might believe when I also say that this is a faith film.


25. Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws (2019, Wayne Shipley) - 3/10
--- This was amateur hour, but they did include quite a bit of mild humor and centered its story around the making of silent film, which naturally hits home with me, so I actually ended up liking it a little bit.


26. American Confederate (2019, Christopher Forbes) - 1/10
--- So abysmal that I had erased it from memory. As I was checking what modern westerns I had left to see, I recognized this as something I saw a few weeks ago. Now I need to forget it all over again.


27. Frontier (2020, Marcos Almada) - 1/10
--- They really do make crappy westerns these days. Even the worst from poverty row did it better than and that's some 90 years ago!

Spoiler

1. Desert Valley (1926, Scott R. Dunlap) - 4/10
2. Wild Beauty (1927, Henry MacRae) - 4/10
3. King of the Rodeo (1929, Henry MacRae) - 4/10
4. The Utah Kid (1930, Richard Thorpe) - 3/10
5. My Pal, the King (1932, Kurt Neumann) - 4/10
6. The Texas Bad Man (1932, Edward Laemmle) - 4/10
7. Thunder Mountain (1935, David Howard) - 3/10
8. The Hawk (1935, Edward Dmytryk) - 2/10
9. Orphan of the Pecos (1937, Sam Katzman) - 2/10
10. Son of Roaring Dan (1940, Ford Beebe) - 4/10
11. The Masked Rider (1941, Ford Beebe) - 4/10
12. Little Joe, the Wrangler (1942, Lewis D. Collins) - 5/10
13. North to the Klondike (1942, Erle C. Kenton) - 4/10
14. In Search of Doc Holliday (2016, Dana Celeste Robinson) - 4/10
15. Kid West (2017, Jesse Mast) - 4/10
16. Tournament (2018, Patricia DiSalvo Viayra) - 3/10
17. A Prayer for the Damned (2018, Joe Cornet) - 2/10
18. Sudsy Slim Rides Again (2018, G. Logan Dellinger) - 3/10
19. One by One (2016, Stefan Ruf) - 1/10
20. Cowboy & Indiana (2018, Rodney Ray) - 3/10
21. Sonora [Sonora, the Devil's Highway] (2018, Alejandro Springall) - 4/10
22. Eminence Hill (2019, Robert Conway) - 3/10
23. The Texan (1930, John Cromwell) - 5/10
24. Out of Liberty (2019, Garrett Batty) 2/10
25. Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws (2019, Wayne Shipley) - 3/10
26. American Confederate (2019, Christopher Forbes) - 1/10
27. Frontier (2020, Marcos Almada) - 1/10

[cinephage]

10. Beloe solntse pustyni, by Vladimir Motyl (1970) 7,5/10

The things you see in an imdb list... Still, more eastern than western, this film is fun and entertaining, and also quite original. I enjoyed it.

11. Heller in Pink Tights, by George Cukor (1960) 7,5/10

Funny at times, but also very well built. Even on his minor films, Cukor's talent does wonders...

Gold Nuggets from the Old West (09)

01. Lonesome Cowboys, by Andy Warhol (1967) 0/10
02. Bad Company, by Robert Benton (1972) 8/10
03. The Wonderful Country, by Robert Parrish (1959) 9/10
04. The White Buffalo, by Jack-Lee Thompson (1977) 7/10
05. I quattro dell'Ave Maria, by Giuseppe Colizzi (1968) 4,5/10
06. The Long Riders, by Walter Hill (1980) 7,5/10
07. Stranger on horseback, by Jacques Tourneur (1955) 8/10
08. Una pistola per Ringo, by Duccio Tessari (1965) 7/10
09. Il ritorno di Ringo,by Duccio Tessari (1965) 8/10

[Obgeoff]

23. 3 Bad Men (1926, Ford) 8
24. Silver Lode (1954, Dwan) 8
25. Colorado Territory (1949, Walsh) 7

[sol]

How the West Was Won

1. One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
2. West and Soda (1965)
3. Rancho Notorious (1952)
4. The Ruthless Four (1968)
5. Man from Del Rio (1956)
6. Silver Lode (1954)
7. Stagecoach (1939)
8. Warlock (1959)
9. Django (1966)
10. 'Doc' (1971)
11. Jubal (1956)
12. Lucky (2017)
13. Dead Birds (2004)
14. Zachariah (1971)
15. McLintock! (1963)
16. Joe Dakota (1957)
17. Goin' South (1978)
18. Silver Spurs (1943)
19. Sky Bandits (1940)
20. Desert Gold (1936)
21. Border Feud (1947)
22. Rollin' Plains (1938)
23. The Shooting (1966)
24. The Big Trail (1930)
25. The Big Show (1936)
26. Something Big (1971)
27. Hang 'Em High (1968)
28. Harmony Trail (1944)
29. Almost Heroes (1998)
30. The Gay Amigo (1949)
31. Hittin' the Trail (1937)
32. Prairie Rustlers (1945)
33. Cattle Stampede (1943)
34. Ride 'em, Cowgirl (1939)
35. Take Me to Town (1953)
36. Gumby: The Movie (1995)
37. Colorado Sundown (1952)
38. Colorado Serenade (1946)
39. Lonesome Cowboys (1968)
40. Fuzzy Settles Down (1944)

41. Jesse James at Bay (1941)



What if Jesse James had a lookalike and was not actually shot by The Coward Robert Ford? This B-western attempts to answer this question that few probably ever thought to ask, and it is reasonably engaging, rather cleverly chalking up Jesse's dual reputations (as a bad criminal and modern day Robin Hood) to the fact that it was always two different persons, with one set to slander the other's reputation. Way too much comedy distracts from this tho.

[flavo5000]

18. Lonesome Cowboys (Andy Warhol, 1968)

I'm just going to echo what was said above - this is dull stuff, with sound so poor that very little can be understood in some scenes, not that the seemingly improvised nearly stream-of-consciousness dialogue is of much import. I guess it's a satire on the western on some level, OK, but it's mostly an excuse for lots of beefcake posing and almost a thumbing of the nose at any kind of conventional cinema. Which would be fine if it was cinematically interesting at all, and apart from a kind of neat use of jump cuts from time to time, it just isn't. Was Andy Warhol a "troll" as flavo suggests? I dunno. I've liked a couple of his shorts, found the two feature-length films I've seen (this and Vinyl) fairly unbearable and tedious. I'm all in favor of shattering norms and showing us other sides of the world, of cinema, and I don't even necessarily dislike amateurism, but Warhol's world is an incredibly shallow, no, surface-oriented one, all cute guys strutting and fretting in cowboy fashions, a tale told by a poser, signifying nothing.

If you aren't sure if he's a troll, try watching eight hours of a static shot of the Empire State Building or a static shot of someone sleeping for over 5 hours and you'll either come around to that conclusion or fall prey to the sunken cost fallacy and proclaim him a genius.

Now just because he was a troll doesn't mean I don't enjoy some of the things he's done though. I actually liked Warhol's Dracula quite a bit (directed by Paul Morrissey but produced by Warhol) as well as his Frankenstein to a lesser extent and I'd really like to see his lost Batman film. I dunno. I'm pretty sure Warhol just thought most of the things he did were hilarious and the fact that everyone called him a genius just fed his desire to troll even harder.

[shugs]

10. Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo [The Good, the Bad and the Ugly] (Sergio Leone, 1966) - 10/10 REWATCH
11. The Spoilers (Ray Enright, 1942) - 6/10
12. Django (Sergio Corbucci, 1966) - 7/10 REWATCH
13. Lonely Are the Brave (David Miller, 1962) - 8/10

Spoiler

1. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Stanley Donen, 1954) - 7/10
2. Per un pugno di dollari [A Fistful of Dollars] (Sergio Leone, 1964) - 8/10 REWATCH
3. Per qualche dollaro in più [For a Few Dollars More] (Sergio Leone, 1965) - 8/10 REWATCH
4. Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1995) - 7/10
5. Honkytonk Man (Clint Eastwood, 1982) - 8/10
6. The Outlaw (Howard Hughes, Howard Hawks, 1943) - 5/10
7. The Gunfighter (Henry King, 1950) - 7/10
8. Preparati la bara! [Django, Prepare a Coffin] (Ferdinando Baldi, 1968) - 8/10
9. Se sei vivo spara [Django Kill… If You Live, Shoot!] (Giulio Questi, 1967) - 7/10

[Lonewolf2003]

14. Buon funerale, amigos!... paga Sartana [Have a Good Funeral, My Friend... Sartana Will Pay] (1970, Giuliano Carnimeo): 7.0 -Gianni Garko is back with a massive blonde mustache as the lead in the best entry of the series. Best cause it has the best writing, and Garko has perfected his role as Sartana by now and so did Giuliano Carnimeo with his directing of the series.
15. Una nuvola di polvere... un grido di morte... arriva Sartana [Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming] (1970, Giuliano Carnimeo): 6.8 - Another enjoyable entry of this series, tho a bit over the top gadget wise.
16. Gli specialisti [The Specialist] (1969, Sergio Corbucci): 7.0 - While mostly full of the usual tropes, this distinguishes itself by having a clear 60s political allegorical undercurrent that's both anti-capitalist as well as anti-counterculture in one of the most bizarre endings in a spaghetti Western. Other memorable moments are the outstanding opening shoot-out and a big bar brawl. Johnny Hallyday is very bland as the western hero. Luckily Gastone Moschin and Françoise Fabian as respectively the anti-violence sheriff and scheming banker do much better in the supporting cast.
17. Ulzana's Raid (1972, Robert Aldrich): 7.5 - A movie that clearly can be read as an allegory on the Vietnam War with a very interesting moral ambiguity. While the Apaches are the "villains" in the movies, the movies clearly tries to depict them as nuanced as possible by making them neither the simple brute primitives of classic Westerns nor the noble savages of liberal Westerns, but shows them commit horrible violent acts as well as being smart compassionate humans. Lancaster is in top form.
18. Giù la testa [A Fistful of Dynamite/Duck, You Sucker!] (1971, Sergio Leone) (rewatch): 8.5 > 8.2 - John Lennon famously said that life is what happens to you while having other plans, few movies embrace this concept as well as this movie about a Mexican bandit, who simply wants to rob banks with his new dynamite expert friend, getting caught up in the Mexican revolution. The whole plot feels like a detour before the real plot finally kicks off and than suddenly this not so short movies is already over. Which is also why this keeps so fresh when rewatching it. The movie does not completely succeed in making the shift from the more lighthearted fun first half to the heavier pessimistic cynical second half. Morricone's scores, which is catchy as always, also is tonally out of place at the more serious parts. At its core this is of course a pure bromance.

Spoiler

1. Jonah Hex (2010, Jimmy Hayward): 5.8
2. My Darling Clementine (1946, John Ford) rewatch: 7.8 > 8.0
3. The Last Wagon (1956, Delmer Daves): 6.0 -
4. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957, John Sturges): 6.0 -
5. The Bravados (1958, Henry King): 7.8
6. High Noon (1952, Fred Zinnemann) rewatch: 7.5 > 8.0
7. Day of the Outlaw (1959, André De Toth) rewatch: 7.5 > 8.2
8. How the West Was Won (1962, John Ford, George Marshall, Richard Thorpe and Henry Hathaway): 6.2
9. The Professionals (1966, Richard Brooks): 7.8
10. El Dorado (1967, Howard Hawks): 6.2
11. Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte [If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death] (1968, Gianfranco Parolini): 6.8 -
12. Sono Sartana, il vostro becchino [ I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death] (1969, Giuliano Carnimeo): 6.5
13. C'è Sartana... vendi la pistola e comprati la bara [ I Am Sartana, Trade Your Guns for a Coffin] (1970, Giuliano Carnimeo): 6.8

[sol]

How the West Was Won

1. One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
2. West and Soda (1965)
3. Rancho Notorious (1952)
4. The Ruthless Four (1968)
5. Man from Del Rio (1956)
6. Silver Lode (1954)
7. Stagecoach (1939)
8. Warlock (1959)
9. Django (1966)
10. 'Doc' (1971)
11. Jubal (1956)
12. Lucky (2017)
13. Dead Birds (2004)
14. Zachariah (1971)
15. McLintock! (1963)
16. Joe Dakota (1957)
17. Goin' South (1978)
18. Silver Spurs (1943)
19. Sky Bandits (1940)
20. Desert Gold (1936)
21. Border Feud (1947)
22. Rollin' Plains (1938)
23. The Shooting (1966)
24. The Big Trail (1930)
25. The Big Show (1936)
26. Something Big (1971)
27. Hang 'Em High (1968)
28. Harmony Trail (1944)
29. Almost Heroes (1998)
30. The Gay Amigo (1949)
31. Hittin' the Trail (1937)
32. Prairie Rustlers (1945)
33. Cattle Stampede (1943)
34. Ride 'em, Cowgirl (1939)
35. Take Me to Town (1953)
36. Gumby: The Movie (1995)
37. Colorado Sundown (1952)
38. Colorado Serenade (1946)
39. Lonesome Cowboys (1968)
40. Fuzzy Settles Down (1944)
41. Jesse James at Bay (1941)

42. The Carson City Kid (1940)



As per Jesse James at Bay, this is a film that gives Roy Rogers a real chance to act with little in the way of music and song; the story though is nowhere near as dynamic as that revisionist tale. There is an intense crooked card game, but some romancing and a surrogate brother angle slow down the proceedings; the comedy also feels very strange and inconsistent, delightful as Gabby Hayes is. As the antagonist of the tale, Bob Steele is good too.

[AssonFire]

43. Giant (George Stevens / 1956) 6/10
44. Have Gun - Will Travel: Three Bells to Perdido (Andrew V. McLaglen / 1957) 5/10
American Experience: Billy the Kid (John Maggio / 2011) 5/10
45. Billy the Kid (William Graham / 1989) 4/10
46. The Treasure of the Silver Lake (Harald Reinl / 1962) 5/10
47. Lonesome Cowboys (Andy Warhol / 1968) 1/10
48. The Culpepper Cattle Co. (Dick Richards / 1972) 6/10
49. Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks / 1974) 4/10
50. Gunsmoke: Matt Gets It (Charles Marquis Warren / 1955) 4/10
The Rifleman: The Sharpshooter (Arnold Laven / 1958) 5/10

The Spoilers

1. In Old Oklahoma (Albert S. Rogell / 1943) 6/10
A solid but unspectacular tale of John Wayne as a rugged underdog prospecting for oil while navigating a love triangle and business interests with Albert Dekker's uncompromising tycoon. I wonder if the theme of of the unsympathetic capitalist oil magnate pitted against the collectivist poor farmers and Indians would have got made 10 years later, still less with Wayne as the head of the collective. The fact that it was written by women shows in the romantic subplot, which doesn't always blend convincingly with the main story.
2. The Great K & A Train Robbery (Lewis Seiler / 1926) 6/10
Entertaining silent with Tom Mix as a Lone Ranger-like hero foiling robberies on trains passing through the spectacular gorges of the Colorado Rockies. Plenty of impressive in-camera stunts, for which I'd say Mix's horse deserves at least equal credit.
3. Dakota (Joseph Kane / 1945) 5/10
4. Trail Street (Ray Enright / 1947) 5/10
5. The Man from Nevada (Gordon Douglas / 1950) 5/10
6. The Timber (Anthony O'Brien / 2015) 2/10
I chose this purely because I felt like watching something snowy and the screenshots looked pretty good. It succeeds on the snowy factor; it's a exceedingly snowy film. The photography is also decent. It fails on practically all other fronts. Two brothers in some remote mining town are assigned to capture their cracked father from an even remoter mining outpost in order to save their family's home from being foreclosed on. Beyond that I was often uncertain on what was happening or why. It's unnecessarily muddled thanks to clumsy editing, poor blocking and dialogue that's often muffled or fumbled by the actors. When you can make out their speech it's mostly pretentious olde worlde diction, presumably aiming for Shakespearian tragedy. The designer stubble and perfectly coiffed hair are decidedly modern though.
7. The Battle of Elderbush Gulch (D. W. Griffith / 1913) 3/10
Song of the Prairie (Jirí Trnka / 1949) 4/10
Junior Rodeo Daredevils (1949) 3/10
Ride Him, Bosko! (Hugh Harman / 1932) 6/10
8. The Gallopin' Gaucho (Ub Iwerks / 1928) 6/10
The Lonesome Stranger (Lou Lilly / 1940) 3/10
The Wacky Wabbit (Robert Clampett / 1942) 6/10
The Shooting of Dan McGoo (Tex Avery / 1945) 7/10
Wagon Heels (Bob Clampett / 1945) 7/10
Bugs Bunny Rides Again (I. Freleng / 1948) 6/10
Wild and Woody! (Dick Lundy / 1948) 5/10
Texas Tom (Joseph Barbera, William Hanna / 1950) 7/10
9. Drip-Along Daffy (Charles M. Jones / 1951) 6/10
Two Gun Goofy (Jack Kinney / 1952) 5/10
My Little Duckaroo (Charles M. Jones / 1954) 6/10
Posse Cat (Joseph Barbera, William Hanna / 1954) 6/10
The Lone Chipmunks (Jack Kinney / 1954) 5/10
Speedy Gonzales (I. Freleng / 1955) 5/10
A Cowboy Needs a Horse (Bill Justice / 1956) 7/10
Probably the pick of this string of short films. A young boy falling asleep to a lullaby dreams of several brief adventures in the wild west.
Animated in modernist style, not the style of animation I usually like, nor the cutesy style Disney are known for, but it works perfectly here. I could've watched it for far more than the seven minutes it lasts.
Pancho's Hideaway (Friz Freleng, Hawley Pratt / 1964) 4/10
Vitamin Pink (Hawley Pratt / 1966) 4/10
10. Frontier Marshal (Allan Dwan / 1939) 6/10
11. Wichita (Jacques Tourneur / 1955) 6/10
12. Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die (William C. McGann / 1942) 4/10
13. Appointment with Destiny: Showdown at O.K. Corral (1972) 6/10
The Wild West: The Gunfight at the OK Corral (David Stewart / 2007) 6/10
14. Young Bill Hickok (Joseph Kane / 1940) 4/10
15. Doc (Frank Perry / 1971) 5/10
16. The Plainsman (Cecil B. DeMille / 1936) 6/10
17. They Died with Their Boots On (Raoul Walsh / 1941) 7/10
18. Buffalo Bill (William A. Wellman / 1944) 5/10
19. Annie Get Your Gun (George Sidney / 1950) 4/10
20. Calamity Jane (David Butler / 1953) 6/10
21. Pony Express (Jerry Hopper / 1953) 6/10
22. The Paleface (Norman Z. McLeod / 1948) 5/10
23. City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (Paul Weiland / 1994) 3/10
24. Legends & Lies: George Custer: A General's Reckoning (Kevin R. Hershberger / 2015) 4/10
Tall Tales & Legends: Annie Oakley (Michael Lindsay-Hogg / 1985) 5/10
25. Kansas Raiders (Ray Enright / 1950) 6/10
26. Legends & Lies: James "Wild Bill" Hickok: Plains Justice (Kevin R. Hershberger / 2015) 4/10
Legends & Lies: Jesse James: Bloody Politics (Kevin R. Hershberger / 2015) 5/10
27. The Long Riders (Walter Hill / 1980) 7/10
28. Thank You Mask Man (Jeff Hale / 1971) 7/10
Horses' Collars (Clyde Bruckman / 1935) 4/10
Uncivil Warriors (Del Lord / 1935) 4/10
City Slickers in Westworld (The Director Brothers / 2017) 4/10
Wire Cutters (Jack Anderson / 2014) 5/10
29. The Texas Rangers (Phil Karlson / 1951) 7/10
30. The Lawless Breed (Raoul Walsh / 1952) 5/10
31. Texas Kid, Outlaw (Kurt Neumann / 1950) 6/10
32. The Wild West: Billy the Kid (Tim Robinson / 2007) 6/10
The Lone Ranger: Enter the Lone Ranger (George B. Seitz Jr. / 1949) 5/10
33. Cheyenne: Mountain Fortress (Richard L. Bare / 1955) 4/10
Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans: Hawkeye's Homecoming (Sidney Salkow / 1957) 5/10
34. The Stranger Wore a Gun (André DeToth / 1953) 6/10
35. The Left Handed Gun (Arthur Penn / 1958) 4/10
36. Alferd Packer: The Musical (Trey Parker / 1993) 7/10
37. Tombstone (George P. Cosmatos / 1993) 6/10
38. Friendly Persuasion (William Wyler / 1956) 5/10
39. Terror in a Texas Town (Joseph Lewis / 1958) 6/10
40. Chisum (Andrew V. McLaglen / 1970) 6/10
41. Wild Bill (Walter Hill / 1995) 8/10
42. Good Day for a Hanging (Nathan Juran / 1959) 6/10

[AB537]

19. The Alamo (John Wayne, 1960) 7/10
20. Requiescant (Carlo Lizzani, 1967) 6/10
21-31. Deadwood season 1 (HBO, 2004) 7/10 ... I was hoping I'd enjoy this more ... oh well

[ororama]

8. Ride Him, Cowboy (1932) * 55 min.

Spoiler

1. Red River (1948) 127 min.
2. Wagon Tracks (1919) * 69 min.
3. Texas Cyclone (1932) * 57 min.
4. Tombstone Territory: Killer Without a Conscience (1957 ) * 25 min.
Rawhide: Incident at Alabaster Plain (1959) * 52 min.
5. The Silver Horde (1930) * 75 min.
6. Nevada (1944) * 62 min.
7. West of the Pecos (1945) * 66 min.

*First time viewing.

[Melvelet]

4. Blazing Saddles 1974 5/10

Spoiler

1. Shane 1953 6/10
2. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid 1973 7/10
3. Dances with Wolves 1990 8/10
4. Blazing Saddles 1974 5/10

[Lonewolf2003]

19. The Cowboys (1972): 6.0 - This is very difficult to rate, because it's a very decent movie until the ending which revealed a highly questionable moral. For most of the running time this is a nice warm movie about an elderly John Wayne and an endearing Roscoe Lee Browne guiding some teenage boys trough some rites of passages, like the first time being drunk, during a cattle drive. Yes, this is one of those western in which cowboys actually drive cattle, plus the boys really are boys. But the last part unfortunately reveals that the lessons these boys apparently had to learn is that what makes a man a real man is being a coldblooded killer set out on revenge. Until that part I would rate it at a 7.5, but the ending flushed away all the sweetness and left a very sour aftertaste.

Spoiler

1. Jonah Hex (2010, Jimmy Hayward): 5.8
2. My Darling Clementine (1946, John Ford) rewatch: 7.8 > 8.0
3. The Last Wagon (1956, Delmer Daves): 6.0 -
4. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957, John Sturges): 6.0 -
5. The Bravados (1958, Henry King): 7.8
6. High Noon (1952, Fred Zinnemann) rewatch: 7.5 > 8.0
7. Day of the Outlaw (1959, André De Toth) rewatch: 7.5 > 8.2
8. How the West Was Won (1962, John Ford, George Marshall, Richard Thorpe and Henry Hathaway): 6.2
9. The Professionals (1966, Richard Brooks): 7.8
10. El Dorado (1967, Howard Hawks): 6.2
11. Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte [If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death] (1968, Gianfranco Parolini): 6.8 -
12. Sono Sartana, il vostro becchino [ I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death] (1969, Giuliano Carnimeo): 6.5
13. C'è Sartana... vendi la pistola e comprati la bara [ I Am Sartana, Trade Your Guns for a Coffin] (1970, Giuliano Carnimeo): 6.8
14. Buon funerale, amigos!... paga Sartana [Have a Good Funeral, My Friend... Sartana Will Pay] (1970, Giuliano Carnimeo): 7.0
15. Una nuvola di polvere... un grido di morte... arriva Sartana [Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming] (1970, Giuliano Carnimeo): 6.8
16. Gli specialisti [The Specialist] (1969, Sergio Corbucci): 7.0
17. Ulzana's Raid (1972, Robert Aldrich): 7.5
18. Giù la testa [A Fistful of Dynamite/Duck, You Sucker!] (1971, Sergio Leone) (rewatch): 8.5 > 8.2

[connordenney]

4. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)

Spoiler

1. The Shootist (Don Siegel, 1976)
2. Man of the West (Anthony Mann, 1958)
3. The Westerner (William Wyler, 1940)
4. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)

[sol]

How the West Was Won

1. One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
2. West and Soda (1965)
3. Rancho Notorious (1952)
4. The Ruthless Four (1968)
5. Man from Del Rio (1956)
6. Silver Lode (1954)
7. Stagecoach (1939)
8. Warlock (1959)
9. Django (1966)
10. 'Doc' (1971)
11. Jubal (1956)
12. Lucky (2017)
13. Dead Birds (2004)
14. Zachariah (1971)
15. McLintock! (1963)
16. Joe Dakota (1957)
17. Goin' South (1978)
18. Silver Spurs (1943)
19. Sky Bandits (1940)
20. Desert Gold (1936)
21. Border Feud (1947)
22. Rollin' Plains (1938)
23. The Shooting (1966)
24. The Big Trail (1930)
25. The Big Show (1936)
26. Something Big (1971)
27. Hang 'Em High (1968)
28. Harmony Trail (1944)
29. Almost Heroes (1998)
30. The Gay Amigo (1949)
31. Hittin' the Trail (1937)
32. Prairie Rustlers (1945)
33. Cattle Stampede (1943)
34. Ride 'em, Cowgirl (1939)
35. Take Me to Town (1953)
36. Gumby: The Movie (1995)
37. Colorado Sundown (1952)
38. Colorado Serenade (1946)
39. Lonesome Cowboys (1968)
40. Fuzzy Settles Down (1944)
41. Jesse James at Bay (1941)
42. The Carson City Kid (1940)

43. My Little Chickadee (1940)



The plot is a mess here, consisting of loosely strung together comic episodes and none of the lead's alternate love interests make an impression. The film survives surprisingly well though simply on account of W.C. Fields and Mae West's lead turns. Their banter and chemistry together is great (a scene with a goat especially) but both also have fantastic moments apart - Fields taking a weird bath; West holding her own in court, shooting from train, etc.

[psychotronicbeatnik]

46. Marshal of Cedar Rock (1953 / Harry Keller) FTV 7+/10 {54 m.}
47. Klondike Annie (1936 / Raoul Walsh) FTV 6/10 {80 m.}
48. Texas Rangers (2001 / Steve Miner) FTV 6/10 {90 m.}
49. The Old Corral (1936 / Joseph Kane) 7/10 {57 m.}
50. Alias Smith and Jones: Pilot (1971 / Gene Levitt) 8+/10 {74 m.}
51. Ride, Ranger, Ride (1936 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7/10 {63 m.}
52. Public Cowboy No. 1 (1937 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7+/10 {61 m.}

Boot Hill

1. City Slickers (1991 / Ron Underwood) FTV 7+/10 {113 m. }
2. Dead 7 (2016 / Danny Roew) FTV 7/10 {89 m. }
3. Round-Up Time in Texas (1937 / Joseph Kane) FTV 6+/10 {61 m. }
4. Young Bill Hickok (1940 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7/10 {59 m. }
5. Lights of Old Santa Fe (1944 / Frank McDonald) 6/10 {61 m. }
6. Along Came Jones (1945 / Stuart Heisler) 8/10 {90 m. }
7. Cowboy and the Senorita (1944 / Joseph Kane) 8/10 {78 m. }
8. Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969 / Burt Kennedy) 8/10 {92 m. }
9. Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971 / Burt Kennedy) 8/10 {91 m. }
10. Colorado (1940 / Joseph Kane) 8/10 {57 m. }
11. Deadwood (2019 / Daniel Minahan) FTV 8+/10 {110 m. }
12. Zorro (1975 / Duccio Tessari) FTV 7/10 {124 m. }
13. Boots and Saddles (1937 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7+/10 {58 m. }
14. Annie Get Your Gun (1950 / George Sidney, Busby Berkeley) FTV 8-/10 {107 m. }
15. The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949 / Preston Sturges) 6/10 {77 m. }
16. Good For Nothing (2011 / Mike Wallis) FTV 7/10 {92 m. }
17. The Cherokee Kid (1996 / Paris Barclay) FTV 7/10 {91 m. }
18. Wagons East (1994 / Peter Markle) FTV 6/10 {107 m. }
19. Against a Crooked Sky (1975 / Earl Bellamy) FTV 6/10 {89 m. }
20. The Carson City Kid (1940 / Joseph Kane) 7/10 {57 m. }
21. Home in Oklahoma (1946 / William Witney) FTV 8/10 {72 m.}
22. The Electric Horseman (1979 / Sydney Pollack) FTV 8/10 {121 m.}
23. San Fernando Valley (1944 / John English) FTV 8/10 {74 m.}
24. Rango (2011 / Gore Verbinski) FTV 8+/10 {107 m.}
25. Zachariah (1971 / George Englund) FTV 5/10 {93 m.}
26. Lightning Strikes West (1940 / Harry L. Fraser) FTV 6+/10 {55 m.}
27. The Gay Amigo (1949 / Wallace Fox) FTV 6/10 {60 m.}
28. Git Along Little Dogies (1937 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7/10 {67 m.}
29. Sing, Cowboy, Sing (1937 / Robert N. Bradbury) FTV 6/10 {59 m.}
30 .Satan’s Cradle (1949 / Ford Beebe) FTV 6/10 {60 m.}
31. Home on the Range (2004 / Will Finn, John Sanford) FTV 6/10 {76 m.}
32. The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975 / Norman Tokar) 6/10 {100 m. }
33. Springtime in the Sierras (1947 / William Witney) FTV 8/10 {75 m.}
34. Man From Music Mountain (1938 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7/10 {58 m.}
35. Oh, Susanna! (1936 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7/10 {59 m.}
36. The Old Barn Dance (1938 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7/10 {60 m.}
37. Bells of San Angelo (1947 /William Witney) FTV 7/10 {78 m.}
38. The King and Four Queens (1956 / Raoul Walsh) FTV 7+/10 {86 m.}
39. Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978 / Robert Butler) FTV 6/10 {90 m.}
40. Winds of the Wasteland (1936 / Mack V. Wright) FTV 7/10 {56 m.}
41. The Slowest Gun in the West (1960 / Herschel Daugherty) FTV 8/10 {54 m.}
42. Carry On Cowboy (1965 / Gerald Thomas) FTV 7/10 {93 m.}
43. My Little Chickadee (1940 / Edward F. Cline) FTV 8/10 {83 m.}
44. Ride ‘em, Cowgirl (1939 / Samuel Diege) FTV 6/10 {53 m.}
45. Colorado Sundown (1952 / William Witney) FTV 8/10 {67 m.}

46. Marshal of Cedar Rock (1953 / Harry Keller) FTV 7+/10 {54 m.}
47. Klondike Annie (1936 / Raoul Walsh) FTV 6/10 {80 m.}
48. Texas Rangers (2001 / Steve Miner) FTV 6/10 {90 m.}
49. The Old Corral (1936 / Joseph Kane) 7/10 {57 m.}
50. Alias Smith and Jones: Pilot (1971 / Gene Levitt) 8+/10 {74 m.}
51. Ride, Ranger, Ride (1936 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7/10 {63 m.}
52. Public Cowboy No. 1 (1937 / Joseph Kane) FTV 7+/10 {61 m.}

[psychotronicbeatnik]

You did lead me to this one. Thanks for that. I found it interesting that Dorothy Page also had a female comic sidekick. I've noticed you are watching a lot of western/comedies with strong female protagonists. Don't forget My Little Chickadee. Mae West is strongly independent and really funny in that one.

41. The Slowest Gun in the West (1960 / Herschel Daugherty) FTV 8/10 {54 m.}
42. Carry On Cowboy (1965 / Gerald Thomas) FTV 7/10 {93 m.}
43. My Little Chickadee (1940 / Edward F. Cline) FTV 8/10 {83 m.}
44. Ride ‘em, Cowgirl (1939 / Samuel Diege) FTV 6/10 {53 m.}
45. Colorado Sundown (1952 / William Witney) FTV 8/10 {67 m.}

One of the joys of doing these challenges is seeing what others find to watch. I gleaned my last last two viewings from sol's recent watches and was really happy to find Colorado Sundown once I realized it was directed by William Witney. I'm not sure if I've seen any Rex Allen oaters before but I am definitely ready to see more, especially if they are directed by the great William Witney and co-star Slim Pickens. Thanks for putting me on that trail, sol!

Thanks for the mention, 'beatnik. I actually do have My Little Chickadee lined up to watch over the next few days, but I had never heard of The Slowest Gun in the West before, so I have added that one to my watchlist -- thanks!

And I'm not familiar with William Witney, but among all the myriad of B westerns that I have been watching this month, Colorado Sundown definitely sticks out as one that tries to do something different.

Witney's films tend to feature excellent stuntwork and gritty, exciting fistfights. He directed many of the best cliffhanger serials and he always brings the same sense of excitement to his B westerns and other films. Thanks to a festival where Quentin Tarantino presented about 10 of his films I've gotten to see a lot of them on the big screen and they really hold up. One of the best B directors.

Glad you got to see My Little Chickadee, sol!

[burneyfan]

Spoiler

01. To homa vaftike kokkino a.k.a. Blood on the Land -- Georgiadis, 1965.
02. Un dollaro bucato a.k.a. Blood for a Silver Dollar -- Ferroni, 1965.
03. Die Spinnen, 1. Teil - Der Goldene See a.k.a. The Spiders - Episode 1: The Golden Sea -- Lang, 1919.
04. Return of the Seven -- Kennedy, 1966.
05. Flaming Star -- Siegel, 1960.

06. El grito de la muerte a.k.a. The Living Coffin -- Méndez, 1959.

Mexican horror western, with two cowboys encounter a haunted ranch and its family. It wasn't a masterpiece, but it was a fun, easy escape, which was what I was looking for. A little like Scooby-Doo, only with live actors and much less intentional comedy. (The main ghost does look pretty funny, though...)

[PUNQ]

That concludes the modern portion of my annual western dip, and man was it depressing this year.


28. Hell on the Border (2019, Wes Miller) - 2/10
--- The production wasn't particularly good, but how they handled the story was worse. You're gonna need more than Ron Perlman massive personality to make a good western.


29. True History of the Kelly Gang (2019, Justin Kurzel) - 3/10
--- Unlikable. Even with Russell Crowe opening the story of the Kelly Gang, nothing else made this adaptation of the outlaw legends interesting.


30. Badland (2019, Justin Lee) - 2/10
--- Why do westerns have to be so damn slow and lifeless these days?! A major yawn!


31. The Outsider (2019, Timothy Woodward Jr.) - 2/10
--- Surely one good western has been released this past year?! I won't give up until I find one, for this wasn't. Yet another drowse fest. Why is film making so God damn lifeless these days?


32. Once Upon a Time in Deadwood (2019, Rene Perez) - 2/10
--- Another one of those horrible modern westerns. However this does provide a pair a big boobs and a Charles Bronson look-a-like to give it a little flavor. Still crappy, though.


33. To Hell and Gone (2019, Kyle Moore) - 3/10
--- Crime story out in the modern west. Stupid plot, but at least more lively than the boring old west movies the US has been producing of late.


34. Outlaws Don't Get Funerals (2019, Greg Derasmo) - 2/10
--- Low budget crime drama which rubbed me the wrong way. Best ignored. Had a Western label on IMDB, but apart from probable happening out in the modern west and a hint at a duel, it had little to do with what the genre traditionally represents.


35. The Divide (2018, Perry King) - 3/10
--- Another yawn, but in this case it was deliberate. A more down-to-earth portrayal of farm life with the extra gimmick of being shot in black & white. Stress free experience, but I'n unsure how rewarding it was. If rewarding at all.


36. The Legend of 5 Mile Cave (2019, Brent Christy) - 3/10
--- An old western tale from a depression era comic book. Liked the format. Family movie type feel. Very simple and not exactly great production values. Far from the worst western experience I've had this week, but it wasn't anything special either.


37. No Man's Land (2019, Micah Lyons) - 2/10
--- Bland film where a Native American girl ends up assisting a traveling man find his abducted family. Apart from its cheap looking aesthetic, there is something off about the story. Another DUD.


38. Howlers (2019, Josh Ridgway) - 2/10
--- I sort of liked the monsters in this, but there were some bad acting going on in this modern western-flavored werewolf slaughter. Just another random horror gimmick without much to offer.


39. The Warrant (2020, Brent Christy) - 2/10
--- At least the story was somewhat coherent, but oh how unoriginal this all was.


40. Battle of Little Bighorn (2020, Molly Hermann) - 3/10
--- Adds some cool information, but it barely scratched the surface of everything it wanted to tell.


41. Deadwood (2019, Daniel Minahan) - 5/10
--- For my annual dig through the modern westerns that's popped up the last year, this TV-western was EASILY the best of the bunch. Almost all other attempts failed! And I saw 27 of 'em! This at least felt like the old west. And even if I never got around to watching the Deadwood series, the spin-off movie 15 years later was good. I would have probable loved it even more if I was already acquainted with the characters. At least I made the right decision to save this for last so I don't lose all hope in the wild west genre

Spoiler

1. Desert Valley (1926, Scott R. Dunlap) - 4/10
2. Wild Beauty (1927, Henry MacRae) - 4/10
3. King of the Rodeo (1929, Henry MacRae) - 4/10
4. The Utah Kid (1930, Richard Thorpe) - 3/10
5. My Pal, the King (1932, Kurt Neumann) - 4/10
6. The Texas Bad Man (1932, Edward Laemmle) - 4/10
7. Thunder Mountain (1935, David Howard) - 3/10
8. The Hawk (1935, Edward Dmytryk) - 2/10
9. Orphan of the Pecos (1937, Sam Katzman) - 2/10
10. Son of Roaring Dan (1940, Ford Beebe) - 4/10
11. The Masked Rider (1941, Ford Beebe) - 4/10
12. Little Joe, the Wrangler (1942, Lewis D. Collins) - 5/10
13. North to the Klondike (1942, Erle C. Kenton) - 4/10
14. In Search of Doc Holliday (2016, Dana Celeste Robinson) - 4/10
15. Kid West (2017, Jesse Mast) - 4/10
16. Tournament (2018, Patricia DiSalvo Viayra) - 3/10
17. A Prayer for the Damned (2018, Joe Cornet) - 2/10
18. Sudsy Slim Rides Again (2018, G. Logan Dellinger) - 3/10
19. One by One (2016, Stefan Ruf) - 1/10
20. Cowboy & Indiana (2018, Rodney Ray) - 3/10
21. Sonora [Sonora, the Devil's Highway] (2018, Alejandro Springall) - 4/10
22. Eminence Hill (2019, Robert Conway) - 3/10
23. The Texan (1930, John Cromwell) - 5/10
24. Out of Liberty (2019, Garrett Batty) 2/10
25. Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws (2019, Wayne Shipley) - 3/10
26. American Confederate (2019, Christopher Forbes) - 1/10
27. Frontier (2020, Marcos Almada) - 1/10
28. Hell on the Border (2019, Wes Miller) - 2/10
29. True History of the Kelly Gang (2019, Justin Kurzel) - 3/10
30. Badland (2019, Justin Lee) - 2/10
31. The Outsider (2019, Timothy Woodward Jr.) - 2/10
32. Once Upon a Time in Deadwood (2019, Rene Perez) - 2/10
33. To Hell and Gone (2019, Kyle Moore) - 3/10
34. Outlaws Don't Get Funerals (2019, Greg Derasmo) - 2/10
35. The Divide (2018, Perry King) - 3/10
36. The Legend of 5 Mile Cave (2019, Brent Christy) - 3/10
37. No Man's Land (2019, Micah Lyons) - 2/10
38. Howlers (2019, Josh Ridgway) - 2/10
39. The Warrant (2020, Brent Christy) - 2/10
40. Battle of Little Bighorn (2020, Molly Hermann) - 3/10
41. Deadwood (2019, Daniel Minahan) - 5/10

[flavo5000]

29. Buchanan Rides Alone (1958)
30. Seminole (1953)

Headin' on down that dusty trail

1. E poi lo chiamarono il magnifico a.k.a. Man of the East (1972)
2. Uninvited (1993)
3. Cahill U.S. Marshal (1973)
4. Bucking Broadway (1917)
5. Die Spinnen, 1. Teil - Der Goldene See a.k.a. The Spiders Chapter 1 (1919)
6. All Hell Broke Loose (2009)
7. California (1947)
8. Condenados a vivir a.k.a. Cut-Throats Nine (1972)
9. El hombre de Río Malo a.k.a. Bad Man's River (1971)
10. The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)
11. Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970)
12. The Valley of Gwangi (1969)
13. Rio Lobo (1970)
14. The True Story of Jesse James (1957)
15. Revenge of the Virgins (1959)
16. Cattle Drive (1951)
17. War Arrow (1953)
18. Dead 7 (2016)
19. The Cimarron Kid (1952)
20a. An Eastern Westerner (1920)
20b. His Regeneration (1915)
20c. Orient City: Ronin & The Princess (2017)
21. Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989)
22. Lust in the Dust (1985)
23. A Man Called Horse (1970)
24. All'ultimo sangue a.k.a. Bury Me Deep (1968)
25. Powder Burns (1971)
26. Speedy Gonzales - noin 7 veljeksen poika (1970)
27. Death Collector (1988)
28. Treasure of Matecumbe (1976)
29. Buchanan Rides Alone (1958)
30. Seminole (1953)

[Obgeoff]

26. The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970, Peckinpah) 8
27. Rancho Notorious (1952, Lang) 7
28. The Tracker (2002, de Heer) 9
29. Ride the Devil (1999, Lee) 6

[sol]

Glad you got to see My Little Chickadee, sol!

Yep, it was fun. Flawed but fun. Oddly enough, Mae West did pretty much nothing for me in She Done Him Wrong - the other film in the 2-DVD set that I have, but I loved her slow and soft-spoken sassy quips in Chickadee. And Fields is always a delight.

[sol]

How the West Was Won

1. One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
2. West and Soda (1965)
3. Rancho Notorious (1952)
4. The Ruthless Four (1968)
5. Man from Del Rio (1956)
6. Silver Lode (1954)
7. Stagecoach (1939)
8. Warlock (1959)
9. Django (1966)
10. 'Doc' (1971)
11. Jubal (1956)
12. Lucky (2017)
13. Dead Birds (2004)
14. Zachariah (1971)
15. McLintock! (1963)
16. Joe Dakota (1957)
17. Goin' South (1978)
18. Silver Spurs (1943)
19. Sky Bandits (1940)
20. Desert Gold (1936)
21. Border Feud (1947)
22. Rollin' Plains (1938)
23. The Shooting (1966)
24. The Big Trail (1930)
25. The Big Show (1936)
26. Something Big (1971)
27. Hang 'Em High (1968)
28. Harmony Trail (1944)
29. Almost Heroes (1998)
30. The Gay Amigo (1949)
31. Hittin' the Trail (1937)
32. Prairie Rustlers (1945)
33. Cattle Stampede (1943)
34. Ride 'em, Cowgirl (1939)
35. Take Me to Town (1953)
36. Gumby: The Movie (1995)
37. Colorado Sundown (1952)
38. Colorado Serenade (1946)
39. Lonesome Cowboys (1968)
40. Fuzzy Settles Down (1944)
41. Jesse James at Bay (1941)
42. The Carson City Kid (1940)
43. My Little Chickadee (1940)

44. Western Mail. (1942)



The basic plot is nothing to write home about here and the film eventually descends into a formulaic series of shootouts. The comic relief is way above average though, with a particularly great almost completely silent sequence in which two men are lead into and locked in a barn; there is also a well-trained monkey who very humorously causes one antagonist to constantly believe that he is seeing things. In the lead role, Tom Keene is mostly just ok.

[ororama]

9. The Big Stampede (1932) * 53 min.

Spoiler

1. Red River (1948) 127 min.
2. Wagon Tracks (1919) * 69 min.
3. Texas Cyclone (1932) * 57 min.
4. Tombstone Territory: Killer Without a Conscience (1957 ) * 25 min.
Rawhide: Incident at Alabaster Plain (1959) * 52 min.
5. The Silver Horde (1930) * 75 min.
6. Nevada (1944) * 62 min.
7. West of the Pecos (1945) * 66 min.
8. Ride Him, Cowboy (1932) * 55 min.

*First time viewing.

[psychotronicbeatnik]

Glad you got to see My Little Chickadee, sol!

Yep, it was fun. Flawed but fun. Oddly enough, Mae West did pretty much nothing for me in She Done Him Wrong - the other film in the 2-DVD set that I have, but I loved her slow and soft-spoken sassy quips in Chickadee. And Fields is always a delight.

They did not get along at all off stage and never made another film together - a real shame as they had a major rapport together.

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

(Screenshots from 'Great Day in the Morning' and 'The Plunderers')

I don't belong to anyone except myself. I'm not joining any parade - yours or theirs. I like walking alone - no ties. Don't ask questions; no one to answer to. Man's gotta be sentimental to fight a war; gotta have a lump in his throat about God and country and home and mother, all the pretty things.
[Takes a drink, and looks at Boston]
No lumps.
(Robert Stack as southerner Owen Pentecost in Tourneur's compellingly staged and beautifully acted 'Great Day in the Morning')



21. 'Barbary Coast' / 1935, Howard Hawks, William Wyler / 7/10
22. 'Return of the Bad Men' / 1948, Ray Enright / 8/10
23. 'Dakota Lil' / 1950, Lesley Selander / 6.5 or 7/10
24. 'The Stranger Wore a Gun' / 1953, André De Toth / 6/10
25. 'The Burning Hills' / 1956, Stuart Heisler / 7 or 7.5/10
26. 'Fury at Gunsight Pass' / 1956, Fred F. Sears / 7/10
27. 'Great Day in the Morning' / 1956, Jacques Tourneur / 9 or 9.5/10
28. 'The Plunderers' / 1960, Joseph Pevney / 8/10
29. 'The Scalphunters' / 1968, Sydney Pollack / 7 or 7.5/10
30. 'Shoot Out' / 1971, Henry Hathaway / 5/10

[blocho]

I don't belong to anyone except myself. I'm not joining any parade - yours or theirs. I like walking alone - no ties. Don't ask questions; no one to answer to. Man's gotta be sentimental to fight a war; gotta have a lump in his throat about God and country and home and mother, all the pretty things.
[Takes a drink, and looks at Boston]
No lumps.
(Robert Stack as southerner Owen Pentecost in Tourneur's compellingly staged and beautifully acted 'Great Day in the Morning')

That is a great line.

Thankfully, Owen's unacknowledged grandson, Stacker Pentecost, felt differently about war when it came to battle with interdimensional aliens in Pacific Rim.