Jesse James, notorious train and bank bandit of the late 19th century, and an important figure in the history of the midwest frontier, gets a drastic bleaching in this film made in 1939. Script by Nunnally Johnson is an excellent chore, nicely mixing human interest, dramatic suspense, romance and fine characterizations for great entertainmet. Tyrone read more…

The three Marx Brothers ride a merry trail of laughs and broad burlesque in a speedy adventure through the sagebrush country. Story is only a slight framework on which to parade the generally nonsensical antics of the trio. Attracted to the wide open spaces by tales of gold lining the street, Chico, Harpo, and Grouch read more…

Sam Sixkiller was one of the most accomplished lawmen in 1880s Oklahoma Territory. And in many ways, he was a typical law enforcement official, minding the peace and gunslinging in the still-wild West. What set Sam Sixkiller apart was his Cherokee heritage. Sixkiller’s sworn duty was to uphold the law, but he also took it read more…

This is by no means a conventional giddyap-oater feature, being a western in the truer sense of the ranking with some of the select few that have become classics in the outdoor field. Director George Stevens handles the story and players with tremendous integrity. Alan Ladd’s performance takes on dimensions not heretofore noticeable in his read more…

I had the good fortune of hearing John Chandler sing at this year’s Western Writers of America convention in New Mexico. Chandler sang two songs from his album The Gang and it was one of the most impressive performances I’ve ever witnessed. Chandler’s music breathes life into some colorful characters of historical note, as well read more…

Considerable excitement is whipped up in this suspense drama, and fans who go for tight action may not be that fascinated with the picture. Besides telling a yarn of tense suspense, the picture is concerned with a social message on civic complacency. Basis for the smoothly valued production is a story by Howard Breslin and read more…

Doris Day is an incredible talent and she is brilliant in the musical Calamity Jane. Released in 1950, this film closely patterned on Annie Get Your Gun, though less stagebound and with a more wholesome star in Day. Calamity Jane follows the lengthy wooing of Howard Keel’s Wild Bill Hickok by tomboy Day. The plot read more…

Written by my favorite author, Dorothy Johnson, The Who Shot Liberty Valance is western fiction at its best.  The Summary of the story is as follows:  In 1910, Sen. Ranse Stoddard and his wife, Hallie, arrive in the small town of Shinbone to attend the funeral of Tom Doniphon. A reporter questions him about his read more…

Tom Selleck is perfect in this classic Louie L’Amour story set against the backdrop of Wyoming.  Selleck plays a cowboy who makes a promise to a dying friend to watch over the man’s ranch and wife, and means to keep his word. Crossfire Trail also contains one of the best final shootouts I’ve seen. Not only is read more…

In 1965 television took a new turn in programming, cashing in on the James Bond craze.  What developed was a sudden trend of secret agent and spy shows that literally controlled the prime-time airwaves.  The Western format that was so prominent in the 1950s and early 1960s was virtually being pushed aside, making way for read more…