Tall in the Saddle

More traveling is in the forecast for me. I’m off to Missouri tomorrow. The fight for my brother has been a long and hard one but progress has been made and the truth of the matter will be revealed in the not too distant future. I’ve been looking forward to this for so many years. If my life were an Old West movie I’d be at liberty to say something more profound and memorable about the changes yet to take place. Western films have the best lines. Lines movie goers will never forget. For example: From the 1958 movie The Badlanders: “Unless you want to see your own gravestone on your way to hell, you’ll be on the next stage.” Town marshal and ex-con Peter “Dutchman” Van Hock (Alan Ladd). From the 1970 western The Ballad of Cable Hogue: “Honey, you were smelling bad enough to gag a dog on a gut wagon.” Said by prostitute Hildy (Stella Stevens) to Cable Hogue (Jason Robards, Jr.). From the 1969 western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: “Boy, I’ve got vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals.” Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) to the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford). One of my favorite bits of dialogue is from the 1939 film Jesse James: “We’re going to try and hang our lawless friend, of course!” “Before or after the trial?” Prosecutor Mr. Clark (Willard Robertson) and Marshal Will Wright (Randolph Scott). From the 1958 western The Law and Jake Wade: “How many times have I told you – if you let your hate get the upper hand, it’ll throw your timing off.” Outlaw Clint Hollister played by Richard Widmark said that to the young outlaw Wexler played by DeForest Kelley. One of the best western ever made was written by Dorothy Johnson. It was called The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Lee Marvin played Valance and he was brilliant. Of course John Wayne who played Tom Donovan was better. Donovan was the only man Valance was truly scared of and Donovan knew it – as proof in the following exchange of dialogue. “You looking for trouble, Donovan?” “You aiming to help me find some?” No one played a cowboy like Wayne. I’ll return to the website next week at this time. As Wayne said in the Angel in the Badman when he rode out of town, “I’ve got places to go and country to put behind me.”