My Answers to the LOWCW 2023 Tag

It has taken me days to fill this out.  So many good moments to choose from!  I'm so glad we decided to say "a favorite" for these so I didn't have to feel pressure to figure out my one absolute top favorite for any of these, as I would probably never have finished it otherwise.

In other words, get yourself a fresh cup of coffee and a biscuit from the chuckwagon and settle back for a series of pretty thorough answers to these tag questions.

The LOWCW 2023 Tag

Stetson -- a favorite hero moment (i.e. highlighting their character and/or making a pivotal decision, etc) 

There's a moment in The Lone Ranger (2013) at the beginning of the finale when John Reid (Armie Hammer) appears above the crowd on his white horse, which rears up, and the first time I saw that, it was like he slotted into this silhouette in my head that's the shape of A Heroic Man.  It's really hard to describe, but it was like this moment of recognition for me and victory for him, and... I love that moment, because it's when John Reid finally OWNS being The Lone Ranger, and he never looks back from then on.

Petticoat -- a favorite heroine moment (ditto)

There's a tiny moment in The Rare Breed (1966) where Hilary Price (Juliet Mills), her mother Martha (Maureen O'Hara), and cowpuncher Sam Burnett (James Stewart) are transporting the prize Hereford bull Vindicator to Texas.  Vindicator is tied behind the wagon that Martha and Hilary usually ride in on the trip, but on this sunny afternoon, Hilary isn't in the wagon, she is riding on Vindicator's back.  She raised him from a calf and loves him dearly, and she's really struggling to accept that he's been sold and is on his way to his new home, where she will have to leave him.  Most of that struggle is not conveyed to us in words, but in how Hilary behaves toward him, and that's most poignant in the moment when she's riding on his back and lies down on his back and closes her eyes.  The love and trust conveyed in that simple moment get to me every time I watch the movie.

Canteen -- a favorite scene with a leader/mentor 

In my favorite movie, The Man from Snowy River (1982), young Jim Craig (Tom Burlinson) has been accused of stealing a valuable horse from his employer, Mr. Harrison (Kirk Douglas).  Jim loses his job and heads home to the mountains.  There, he encounters a friend of his dad's, the crack rider Clancy (Jack Thompson).  Clancy tells Jim that Mr. Harrison is getting together a lot of riders to recover that valuable horse from the herd of wild horses it has joined.  Jim wants nothing to do with it because he's angry over being falsely accused of theft and fired, but Clancy tells him he should join the search because he's a grown man now, not a sulky kid, basically.  Jim is unconvinced.  Finally, Clancy asks him, "What's the first thing you do when a horse bucks you off?"  Jim says, "You don't let him beat you, you get straight back on."  Clancy nods and says, "Well?"  Jim might not like it, but he knows what he has to do.

That bit of advice, to stand up and try again and not let one fall defeat you is something that has been a real help to me all my life.  My own dad has actually quoted it to me, most memorably the first time I put on a pair of roller skates after breaking my arm while roller skating when I was 12.

Gloves -- a favorite sidekick/friend scene 

This is a scene that hurts and hurts, but it's so agonizingly good that I love it anyway.  In Hour of the Gun (1967), Wyatt Earp (James Garner) has just gunned down a man involved in the murder of Wyatt's brother.  Doc Holliday (Jason Robards) has been sitting silently on his horse watching things go down, but once Wyatt's business is finished, Doc can't be quiet anymore.  He tells Wyatt he's not carrying warrants for arrest, he's carrying hunting licenses.  Doc says Wyatt has no intention of bringing any of these people in alive, he's not working for the law anymore, he's turned vigilante and is carrying out his own little vengeful killing spree.

Wyatt is enraged.  It's the truth, but he can't bear to admit it to himself.  He absolutely refuses to admit anything that Doc is saying is true, and ends up belting his friend across the face.

Doc drops to his knees, the blow having started a horrible coughing fit, as he's slowly dying of tuberculosis.  He coughs and coughs and coughs, and Wyatt instantly switches from rage to compassion and remorse.  It's a gorgeous scene where Doc has the guts to tell his friend the truth, and Wyatt refuses to listen, but then his friendship for Doc overrules his anger.

Canyon -- a favorite western landscape 

I can't decide between Monument Valley and the Grand Tetons.  They both pop up in plenty of westerns, and they are both always completely, achingly gorgeous.

Monument Canyon in The Lone Ranger (2013)

The Tetons in Shane (1953)

Pistol -- a favorite fight scene 

The showdown at the end of A Fistful of Dollars (1964) is everything I want a gunfight to be.  The stakes are as high as possible, with the freedom and peace of a whole town riding on the outcome.  The bad guys are evil, and multitudinous, stacked against one lone hero who won't stay knocked down.  Add in a glorious trumpet theme by Ennio Morricone and you can't lose!

Saddle -- a favorite horse / animal in a western 

He may not be my absolute favorite, but Denny, the horse that Jim Craig rides to glory in The Man from Snowy River, is amazing.  I definitely owe my love of buckskin horses to Denny, and I owe my love of all horses to that film.

Sky -- a favorite ambitious / crazy plan in a western 

The War Wagon (1967) is all about a plan to rob an un-rob-able armored stagecoach filled with gold.  It's a heist film disguised as a western, and it might be part of why I love heist films, now that I think about it.  Taw Jackson (John Wayne) was wrongly convicted of a crime and just got out of prison after serving time for it (oh, and that is another favorite trope of mine!).  He decides to get his revenge on the man who framed him (Bruce Cabot) by gathering a group of oddly talented ne'er-do-wells (Kirk Douglas, Howard Keel, Keenan Wynn, and Robert Walker Jr. -- and no, I am not making that cast up) to help him carry out a very elaborate and detailed plan to rob his nemesis's armored gold-shipment coach.  That's the whole plot of the movie.  And it's a fun, fun ride.

Rifle -- a favorite scene with an antagonist 

Basically any scene from The Magnificent Seven (1960) with the bandit leader Calvera (Eli Wallach) in it, to be honest.  He steals every scene, even out from under the likes of Steve McQueen and Yul Brynner.  If I had to pick one favorite, it would be one from close to the beginning where he is justifying his thieving to some townsfolk, because he is totally convinced he makes absolute sense.  He's not stealing from these villagers because he hates them or he's filled with malice or he wants to take over the world, he's stealing from them to feed the men who follow him, and he's not mean and nasty about it, and that makes him one of the few villains I actually like a little bit.

Chuckwagon -- a favorite meal scene 

In Shane (1953), after Shane (Alan Ladd) uses nothing but his quietly menacing presence to scare their enemies away from their homestead, Joe (Van Heflin) and Marian (Jean Arthur) invite him to eat a meal with them.  While they eat, you get the sense that it has been a long time since Shane shared a meal with a family instead of eating at a boarding house or in some beanery.  He thanks Marian and tells her that this was "an elegant meal, ma'am."  His soft and graceful chivalry in that one line communicates to the audience -- and to Joe and Marian -- that there is a lot of depth to this gunfighter.  That he is more than just another tough guy. 

Badge -- a favorite scene with peace officers / sheriff 

There's a moment in Rio Bravo (1959) that has nothing to do, exactly, with keeping the peace or upholding the law, but it's such a sweet and lovely scene that I have to share it here.  The sheriff (John Wayne), his deputy (Dean Martin), the man who sweeps out the jail (Walter Brennan), and a young gunman (Ricky Nelson) are all holed up in the town jail, guarding one prisoner until the judge can come and try his case.  That prisoner's rich and powerful brother is doing everything he can to get the lawmen to release him, but they are standing firm and refusing.  In the middle of a very tense movie that is going to ratchet up the tension even more before it's through, we get a soft and quiet interlude where Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson sing a couple of songs one evening because you cannot have Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson in a movie together without getting them to sing something.  And because the audience needs a little breather between tense and exciting plot points just as much as the characters do.

Lariat -- a favorite cattle drive /roundup

The climax of Chisum (1970) involves a herd of cattle being driven straight through the main street of a town, with cattle going inside the buildings and smashing stuff up and altogether causing a great deal of mayhem.  It's chaotically glorious in a strange way, and I look forward to it every time I watch the movie.  Not quite a cattle drive or roundup in the usual sense, but very memorable!  I may have drawn inspiration from it for the ending of The Man on the Buckskin Horse, actually.

Hey, look at that!  You made it to the end of this very long post!  Hope your coffee held out.

Don't forget that today is the last day to enter my giveaway!  

My Ten Favorite Funny Westerns

Something about the western genre often lends itself to blending with comedy, which I find delightful.  Here are my ten favorite funny westerns -- some are spoofs or meant to be comedies, and others are more just westerns that have a lot of funny stuff in them.

1. Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) A mild-mannered man (James Garner) who is basically just on his way to Australia takes on the job of sheriff in a goldrush boomtown.  His unorthodox methods and unflappable demeanor keep everyone bewildered and off balance, from baddies (including Walter Brennan and Bruce Dern), to the mayor (Henry Morgan), to his former-town-drunk deputy (Jack Elam).  One of the absolute funniest movies I have ever seen.  My family quotes it constantly.

2. The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)  A card sharp (Bill Bixby) takes care of three orphans, marries a stage coach driver (Susan Clark), and captures a famous outlaw (Slim Pickens) while eluding the machinations of two inept would-be robbers (Don Knotts and Tim Conway).  One of my favorites when I was a kid, and still funny and awesome now.

3. North to Alaska (1960) A wealthy Alaska mine owner (John Wayne) brings a dance hall girl (Capucine) back to his claim to replace the woman who jilted his mining partner (Stewart Granger), only to fall in love with her himself.  A western romcom, basically, and one with an amazingly fun brawl in the mud at the end.  Thanks to this movie, I have basically been on my way to Alaska for the last thirty years.

4. Texas Across the River (1966).  A Southern belle (Rosemary Forsyth) pursues her European fiance (Alain Delon) to Texas, where she gets mixed up with an opportunistic gunrunner (Dean Martin).  A few of the jokes have not aged well, but most of them are still laugh-out-loud funny.

5. Along Came Jones (1945) A slow-talking, easy-going cowpoke (Gary Cooper) gets mistaken for a vicious outlaw (Dan Duryea) and falls for the outlaw's girl (Loretta Young). This is a charming western comedy that amuses me greatly.

6. The Sheepman (1958) A sheep rancher (Glenn Ford) insists on raising his sheep in an area dominated by cattle ranchers, no matter how much they pressure or cajole him to be rid of the wooly beasts. The main character's sense of humor and a stubborn and sassy woman (Shirley MacLaine) elevates this above turning into yet another range war picture.

7. McLintock! (1963) A rich rancher (John Wayne) battles his estranged wife (Maureen O'Hara), daughter, land-grabbing bad guys, and various other adversaries. It's actually a western version of The Taming of the Shrew.

8. Cat Ballou (1965) Cat Ballou (Jane Fonda) comes home to her family's ranch just in time to witness her father's murder by the notorious (and noseless) Tim Strawn (Lee Marvin). She straps on a gunbelt and sets out to avenge him, eventually gathering up an outlaw gang of comically inept ne'erdowells, including washed-up gunfighter Kid Shelleen (also Lee Marvin). This is a wacky, wild movie, but I like it.

9. Three Amigos! (1986) Three silent movie stars (Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short) are mistaken for actual gunfighters by the people in a small Mexican village being terrorized by a bandit (Alfonso Arau).  It's basically a really silly version of The Magnificent Seven.

10. Rango (2011) A chameleon (Johnny Depp) accidentally winds up in a middle-of-nowhere town that's in desperate need of some law and order.  It's an animated spoof/homage to all the classic westerns, with tropes and archetypes at every turn, and such a loving homage that I can't help but find it both funny and charming.

Yup, this is another contribution to this year's Legends of Western Cinema Week.  Hope you've been enjoying the festivities!

"The Sons of Katie Elder" (1965)

This is my favorite John Wayne movie.  My favorite American western.  My third-favorite movie of all time.  I absolutely love this movie.  

Why?  Um, because I love it.

Does that make any sense?  It's a total thing, for me.  There are some books, movies, actors, actresses that have been my favorite for so long that they simply are my favorite because they are my favorite.  Like, I can't imagine not loving them.  I wouldn't dream of not pointing them out and awarding "my favorite" honors to them.  I simply must.

It's not hard to see WHY this first became a favorite for me when I was a teen, though.  To begin with, you have John Wayne playing a Misunderstood Gunman who is trying to see that his father's murder is solved.  Then you have Dean Martin as his tricky, sly brother.  I mean, honestly, just watching those two pros play off each other is enough to make me love a movie.  Witness how wonderful they are together in Rio Bravo (1959).  Wayne and Martin were buddies offscreen as well, and I think that helps their rapport feel very natural, especially when they're playing brothers here.

The story opens with three of the Elder brothers waiting for a train.  Tom (Dean Martin) irreverently bets that he can predict where the train will stop.  Matt (Earl Holliman) chastises him for not being respectful of the occasion.  After all, they've only come back to town to attend a funeral.  Bud (Michael Anderson, Jr.) doesn't say much.  He's more focused on who he's expecting to be on that train.  It's a small scene, but we get such a solid sense of who each brother is just from these few minutes.

To their shock, the only person who gets off the train is a surly stranger, a gunfighter called Curley (George Kennedy).  He heads off to call on Morgan Hastings (James Gregory), who hired him as a bit of extra protection, just in case trouble comes calling because of that funeral.

Disappointed that the eldest Elder brother didn't see fit to arrive on that train, the other brothers decide to go ahead and have their mother's funeral without him.  At the funeral, we learn a lot about their mother, Katie Elder.  The minister eulogizes her as "a friend to all, a comforter to the sick... a woman who wanted nothing for herself, wanted only to give rather than to receive."  After the ceremony, neighbors tell the brothers funny stories about Katie, even show them a baby named after her.  But Tom, Matt, and Bud are mostly focused on the fact that their oldest brother never showed up.

Except, he did.  High in the rocks overlooking the cemetery, John Elder (John Wayne) watches his mother's funeral from afar.  It's not until the mourners have left, and the burial detail too, that he finally comes down to pay his respects.  I dig a guy who does the unexpected and totally flummoxes his potential enemies that way.  And John Elder does this again and again.  Oh, he's a wise one, all right.

The Elder Boys learn that their father's death six months earlier has remained unsolved.  Oh, and by the way, he was shot in the back.  Oh, and by the way, that was the same night he lost his whole huge ranch of prime Texas grazing land in a card game.  Yeah, that's not suspicious at all.  Nope, nothing to see here.  Time for the Elder Boys to just go their merry way and ignore all that suspiciousness, yessiree.

Hah.  Obviously, they must investigate.  They set about asking all kinds of questions of everybody in town who might know something about that card game where their father lost his ranch.  Or about his death.  Or about any unsettled affairs their mother might have left behind.

Guess who won their family's ranch in a card game?  Morgan Hastings, the guy who hired Curley.  And speaking of Curley, he is one mean sonofagun.  He nearly drowns a man who didn't answer a question the way he liked.  He goads Bud into a gunfight that Bud obviously could never win.  He leers and sneers and cackles like a maniac.  I have nothing good to say about Curley.  Hanging would be too good for him.  Ugh.

Anyway, the Elder Boys can't seem to get any answers about their father's death, so they decide that they're going to get the money to send Bud through college as a way to make their mother's dreams come true for at least one of them.  The other three may be big disappointments but, as John says, "Katie wins this one."  To get that money, they make a deal to drive 200 horses north to Colorado and sell them to the miners there, and drop Bud off at college in Colorado Springs on the way home. 

This leads to a brief, happy interlude of the four brothers all getting along really well and all working together toward a common goal.  And also some gorgeous shots of horses running around in Texas (well, actually Mexico, but close enough).  This is my favorite part of the whole movie.

Only hitch to this happy new family life they've found is that someone shoots Sheriff Billy Mitchell (Paul Fix) in the back while he's on his way to the Elder home.  The sheriff was trying to bring Tom Elder in because he's got his name on a wanted poster.  Obviously, that means the Elders shot him from ambush before he ever got to their house to tell them why he was there, just because they're evil, or so Certain People would have us believe.  So now gung-ho deputy Ben Latta (Jeremy Slate) is determined to see justice done for his old boss, who got shot in the back exactly like the Elder Boys' pa.  Funny how he didn't care at all about that earlier shooting, but now that it's personal, he's all fired up.  And yet, Ben just can't seem to understand why the Elder Boys would have felt the same.  Ben is very, very young still.

MAJOR SPOILERS in the next two paragraphs!  Skip to below the picture of John Wayne silhouetted against a fire if you don't want to know how it all ends up.

Anyway, the Elders get captured, then get free again, except Matt dies in the process, and Bud gets wounded.  John and Tom decide they are going to take care of Bud forever and make sure he gets raised right, and that will start with finding out the truth about their father's murder once and for all.  

They finally get their answers from Morgan Hastings' son Dave (Dennis Hopper), just before he dies from a gunshot wound.  And then, it's just a matter of time before we reach the explosive finale.

Gee, I have no idea why I would love this movie, do you?  Families, siblings, justice, a murder mystery, Texas, John Wayne... it's only a fairly comprehensive list of my favorite things, that's all.

Although Katie Elder never appears in this movie, having died before it began, her presence permeates it.  Everyone in town tells the brothers how wonderful she was, how she helped them or befriended them or stood squarely on her own two feet despite her sons basically turning their backs on her and her husband dying in a suspicious way -- there is never any mention of her complaining or feeling sorry for herself.  She did fancy sewing and gave guitar lessons to earn her keep.  She gave freely of herself to anyone who needed her friendship or advice or compassion.  

One of the things that really fascinates me in this film is the theme of guilt that runs through this movie.  The sons all feel guilty for not having been better sons to their mother.  For not having valued her.  They stopped writing letters, they stopped sending money to help her and their father, they stopped coming back to visit.  Even Bud only went to college because he was scared he was going to get arrested for stealing a horse, not because his mother wanted him to.  None of them were there for her when their father died.  None of them came home for his funeral. Guilt, guilt, guilt!

But the thing is, Katie Elder felt guilty too.  She confided in Mary Gordon (Martha Hyer) that she felt like she'd failed to raise her sons correctly.  Why else would John and Matt run off to be gunfighters and Tom to become a gambler?  Why else would they have so little to do with her anymore?  She blamed Texas for stealing her sons for her, but I think that really, she blamed herself.  The actions of a child are not necessarily the fault of the parent -- but it's hard to convince the parent of that.  Katie even lied to those around her, saying that her fine, big sons were still sending money home to help support her.  She felt guilty for how they turned out, and she tried to hide it from just about everyone.

Everyone but Mary.  Katie told Mary all about her sons, even let her read the letters they wrote to her years ago.  She confided the truth in Mary.  At first, Mary confronts the brothers with their failures, trying to make them feel guilty for having neglected their mother.  But when she sees that they already carry that guilt, she softens.  John gives her some of Katie's things, like her favorite rocking chair.  John and Mary share a few wistful scenes, filled with a sense that if only things had been a little different, they might have had a future together.  By the end of the film, so much has changed that I sometimes hope they might find a way to share life in the future, even if it's only as very good friends.

This is the first movie John Wayne made after having part of a lung and two ribs removed because of lung cancer.  Filming was delayed so he could have the surgery and recover, but he insisted on starting filming as soon as the doctors would allow because he knew all the people involved in the filming were depending on him for their livelihood.  Between shots, he relied on an oxygen tank to keep him going, as most of the film was shot in Durango, Mexico, which is a much higher elevation than California, and his missing lung made breathing difficult.  

He insisted on doing as many of his own stunts as they would allow, to show that cancer had not slowed him down too much.  One of those stunts was seemingly easy -- he got pulled into a river during a playful altercation with the other main characters.  But the water was cold, and he was still recovering from cancer and surgery, which led to his catching a bad cold that nearly turned into pneumonia.  But it didn't, and filming was completed on schedule.

Is this movie family friendly?  Yes.  It has a grand total of one cuss word in it.  There's a fistfight, a couple of gunfights, some fatalities, some alcohol consumption, some dangerous situations.  I showed it to my kids (13, 11, 9) a couple weeks ago.

This has been my last contribution for Legends of Western Cinema Week.  I saved it for today because today is the National Day of the Cowboy!  And what more perfect way to celebrate, right?

Today is also the last day to enter my giveaway.  I'll choose the winners tomorrow!  And I'll post the answers for my Western Movie Casting Trivia Game tomorrow too.

The 12 Days of Christmas Movie Tag

Time for a festive movie tag!  I came up with this idea a few months ago and have been waiting so eagerly for December so I could share it with you :-)

Rules:

#1 Use a different movie for each prompt
#2 Add photos and/or explanations of how your choices fit the prompts
#3 Tag a few friends to play along

(They're more like guidelines, actually.  Just so you know.)

My reviews linked to titles where applicable :-)

1. A Partridge in a Pear Tree -- movie that involves agriculture

Friendly Persuasion (1956).  Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire, and Anthony Perkins play Quaker farmers grappling with how their beliefs clash with the world around them during the American Civil War.  Which doesn't sound like a comedy, but I consider it one anyway.

2.  Turtledoves -- movie about a long-lasting relationship

Giant (1956).  Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor play a married couple whose life together we trace for more than twenty-five years.  This is a movie I grew up with.

3.  French Hens -- movie that takes place in France

Chocolat (2000).  Juliette Binoche meets Johnny Depp in France, and there's a lot of chocolate involved.  Totally delicious, and I need to review it one of these days.

4.  Calling Birds -- movie where people talk on the phone

Bells are Ringing (1960).  Judy Holliday works for a phone answering service (because answering machines and voicemail hadn't been invented yet), and she falls in love with one of her clients, Dean Martin, who thinks she's a matronly older woman.  Musical comedy hijinks ensue.

5.  Golden Rings -- movie with multiple romances

The Holiday (2006).  Both recently heartbroken, Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz are total strangers who switch houses with each other for a few weeks, one travelling to LA and one to Britain.  They then find new romance while on vacation in each others' worlds.  It all involves Jude Law at his yummiest, plus Jack Black, Rufus Sewell, and a darling Eli Wallach.

6.  Geese A-laying -- movie with a birth or that features babies

Stagecoach (1939).  While under threat of hostile Indians and other dangers, a woman (Louise Platt) gives birth to her first child with only strangers, her fellow stagecoach passengers, to help her.  That's a small piece of the story, but an important one that affects everyone.

7.  Swans A-swimming -- movie where someone goes swimming

Hamlet (2000)  Julia Stiles, as Ophelia, literally goes swimming, imagines she's swimming, and eventually drowns herself.  One of my absolute favorite Hamlet productions.

8.  Maids A-milking -- movie with cows

Witness (1985).  Harrison Ford plays a Philly cop who hides out with the Amish while protecting a murder witness.  He learns to milk cows.  And has to wake up really early to do so.

9.  Ladies Dancing -- movie with a dance scene

Emma (1996).  Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Toni Collette, and Jeremy Northam do quite a bit of dancing.  Alan Cumming, however, is an old married man whose dancing days are sadly over.  This is my favorite Jane Austen movie adaptation.

10.  Lords A-leaping -- movie about athletes

Chariots of Fire (1981).  True story about a bunch of Olympic runners who have powerful religious beliefs.  And run a lot.  On the beach, through the school, around race tracks, wherever they can.

11.  Pipers Piping -- movie with someone playing a musical instrument

That Thing You Do! (1996).  A band of young musicians almost makes it really big in the '60s music scene, guided by music producer Tom Hanks.  I can't believe I've never reviewed this movie!  I adore it for its cheerful, happy-go-lucky vibe.

12.  Drummers Drumming -- movie with characters in the military

The Patriot (2000).  Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Isaacs, the American Revolution -- something for everyone here!  One of the first movies I saw multiple times in the theater.

Now, I said that those rules were more like guidelines, actually.  I'm going to break one of them by not tagging anyone with this because... I don't feel like it.  If you want to do this on your own blog, then consider yourself tagged with it!