My Answers to This Year's LOWCW Tag

Every year, Olivia and Heidi and I have a lot of fun coming up with the questions for our tag.  Every year, I look forward to answering them myself.  And, every year, there's at least one question that stumps me or makes me have to think really hard about my answer.  Which is all part of the fun!  (This year it was question #9 that I struggled with.  Now you know.)

You can find the original tag here, on my kick-off post.  Also, don't forget that today is the LAST DAY to enter my giveaway!

If I've reviewed a movie I talk about here, I've linked its title to my full review, in case you're curious to read more about a particular film.

1) Favorite western focused on a lone hero? 

That would be 3:10 to Yuma (1957), in which struggling rancher Dan Evers (Van Heflin) singlehandedly stands up against an entire outlaw gang to take its leader, notorious Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) to the train that will transport him to prison.  It is a moody, atmospheric, aesthetically pleasing masterpiece of tension.

2) Favorite western focused on a group of compadres? 

The Magnificent Seven (1960), no contest.  It truly is magnificent.  The acting is superb, the writing is taut and masterful, and the score by Elmer Bernstein is one of the finest movie scores ever written.  I never, ever get tired of this movie.

3) Favorite western with a female main character? 

The Rare Breed (1966).  It's about a British widow (Maureen O'Hara) and her daughter (Juliet Mills) who bring a prize Hereford bull to the St. Louis stockyards to auction off.  They get worried that something terrible will befall the bull while it's being shipped to its new owner (Brian Keith) in Texas, so they insist on accompanying the man (James Stewart) tasked with delivering him.  It's a pretty unusual western in a lot of ways, and really enjoyable.

4) Favorite western with a POC main character? 

That would be Silverado (1985).  It has three main characters: Emmett (Scott Glenn), Paden (Kevin Kline), and Mal (Danny Glover), who join forces to take down a common enemy.  Mal's trying to save his family's homestead and convince his sister to abandon some questionable life choices she's been more or less forced to make.

Now, since Silverado is an ensemble piece, I'm going to answer this question twice so I can also mention Buck and the Preacher (1972) , which Sidney Poitier starred in and directed.  It's about African American pioneers seeking new homes in Kansas after the Civil War.  I highly recommend it to older teens and adults.  It probably hits a little too heavy for kids.

5) Favorite western with kids in it? 

Shane (1953) is told through the eyes of a boy (Brandon de Wilde) who idolizes the gunfighter (Alan Ladd) that his father (Van Heflin) and mother (Jean Arthur) have befriended and hired to work on their farm.  It's a beautiful meditation on what happens when a child idolizes an adult, and the kind of influence that idolization can have on the adult in question.  Shane works as hard as he can not to let that little boy down, but he works even harder to convince the boy that his own father is the real hero of the story.

6) Favorite western set somewhere other than the United States? 

The Man from Snowy River (1982).  It's also my favorite movie of all time, and it's all about a young man coming of age in Australia, finding work and falling in love and generally proving himself.  I saw this in the theater when I was two years old and fell in love with horses, Australia, and westerns all in one fell swoop.  It's been my favorite ever since.

7) Favorite "western" that doesn't fit the genre's dictionary definition? 

Well, The Proud Rebel (1958) takes place in Illinois, and so it's not technically a western.  But it feels like a western, so I call it one anyway.  It's about a man (Alan Ladd) searching for a doctor who can cure his mute son (David Ladd).  They end up working for a farmer (Olivia de Havilland) who's being harassed by some neighbors that want to buy her land, or force her off it if she won't sell.  And they have to overcome a bunch of problems, but they also form a nice little family in the process.

8) Favorite funny western? 

Support Your Local Sheriff (1969), always and forever.  A quirky, clever drifter (James Garner) takes the job as sheriff in a lawless goldrush town, makes a deputy out of the town drunk (Jack Elam), falls in love with the mayor's daughter (Joan Hackett), and dispatches a family of ne'erdowells, all in the most unconventional ways possible.  It's a spoof of western tropes, but such a loving spoof that its humor completely works.

9) Favorite tragic/sad western? 

The Alamo (1960).  Almost every single character dies.  Gloriously, yes, but still!  Tragic.  And yet, I watch it over and over.

10) Favorite western TV show?

The Big Valley (1965-69).  I love every member of the Barkley family, most especially Heath (Lee Majors) and Victoria (Barbara Stanwyck).  I want to be friends with them and hang out with them and go on adventures with them and just... can I either get adopted into or marry into that family already?  Please?

There you have it!  I can't believe that today is the last official day of Legends of Western Cinema Week already!  Like I said, if you haven't entered my giveaway yet, do that here.  And if you haven't made your guesses about my movie poster game yet, do that here.

My Ten Favorite Elmer Bernstein Scores

Elmer Bernstein would have been 100 years old today!  To celebrate the centenary of my favorite movie composer, I have put together a list of my ten favorite movie scores that he wrote.  Yes, most of them are westerns.  And, yes, almost half of them are for movies that starred John Wayne.  Any wonder that Bernstein is my favorite?

All titles are linked to my review of the movie, if I've reviewed it.  I've also provided a link to the main theme from each score on YouTube so you can sample them! 

1. The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)  This soundtrack has such depth to it.  Yes, there are a lot of similarities to some of Bernstein's other scores, but I think this score has a much fuller, richer sound than most western scores of the '60s.  Listen to the main theme here.  It never fails to make me smile!

2.  The Magnificent Seven (1960)  Sweeping, driving, boisterous music.  I know the main theme is probably the most famous western movie theme of all time, but I'm linking to it anyway -- listen to it here!

3.  The Great Escape (1963)  Jaunty and energetic, then poignant and bittersweet -- there's a lot of range of emotions conveyed by this soundtrack, which is apt since the movie is so epic.  Listen to the main theme here.  Random fun thing?  If I have an "earworm" stuck in my head, whistling or humming this song usually cures me.

4.  The Tin Star (1957)  Understated and hopeful music that so perfectly matched the general mood of my book One Bad Apple that I listened to almost nothing else while writing and revising it!  Listen to the main theme here.  It always makes me think of people moving to a new place where they hope to build a new life.

5.  The Commancheros (1961)  Bouncy and upbeat and exciting music!  I often pull this one out when I need to write an action scene because it gives me lots of energy.  Listen to the main title theme here.

6. The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)  WAY different sound than all the others I've listed here!  This is bold and sassy jazz, brassy and fierce.  My goodness, I love the main theme so much!  Listen to it here.  Over and over and over, if you're like me ;-)

7.  Big Jake (1971)  This is not one of my favorite John Wayne movies, but I like the soundtrack a lot.  It has a winsomeness and a sort of yearning that really draws me.  You can hear a lot of that in the main theme -- listen to it here.  Lots of forward drive too, which I always like.

8.  The Ten Commandments (1956)  Sweeping Biblical epics require grand and glorious music, and Bernstein delivered in style!  You can hear the main theme here.

9.  True Grit (1969)  Lots of good action and drive here too.  I love Bernstein's way with music that makes me want to get on a horse and ride off on an adventure!  Listen to the main theme here.

10.  Oscar (1991)  This is quirky and funny score, which totally suits the quirky and funny movie it was written for!  You can listen to one of my favorite tracks, "Grifting," right here.  Also quite a different sound from the others listed here!

Movie Music: Elmer Bernstein's "The Great Escape" (1963)

Here I am again to discuss some more awesome movie music with you. Today I'm focusing on an iconic score from one of the best WWII movies ever: The Great Escape (1963).

Of course, it's by the master of exciting, manly movie music from the '60s, namely Elmer Bernstein. He's my absolute favorite movie composer, so you'll be hearing more of his music in this series, have no fear.

If you've never seen The Great Escape, do yourself a favor and go watch it, cuz it's a classic war movie that blends caper films and prison escapes, and stars so many wonderful actors I get a little dizzy thinking of all that talent in one place. Steve McQueen. James Garner. James Coborn. Charles Bronson. Richard Attenborough. David McCallum. Directed by John Sturges! Based on a true story! Like I said, go watch it.

"On the Road" is one of my favorite tracks because it weaves together so many character themes, which means you get a really good taste of the range of this score in one three-minute chunk.  

But my favorite track might be "The Chase" because it starts out exciting, gets a little bright and happy, then pulls out all the excitement and builds tension up and up, really making us feel like someone is sneaking and hiding and racing toward freedom.  

I totally recommend getting the full soundtrack on CD, the version with 3 discs.  It makes for a wonderful background to your day!

(The bulk of this review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on June 15, 2015.)