What Westerns have you seen, Oct, Nov, Dec

CONTAINS SPOILERS

JOHNNY RINGO "The Arrival" 1959

JOHNNY RINGO was a western series that ran for 38 episodes during 1959-60. The series starred Don Durant as the title character with Karen Sharpe, Mark Goddard and Terence De Marney as series regulars. The series follows Durant, (Ringo) a former gunfighter who decides to go straight. He becomes the Sheriff in the small town of Velardi in the Arizona Territory. The series was one of several (Rifleman, Wanted Dead or Alive, Shotgun Slade) with a "gimmick gun". Durant carries a special LeMat revolver equipped with a shotgun barrel under the six gun barrel. This episode is the 1st episode of the series.

Former gunfighter, Don Durant is hired by the small town of Velardi to be the new Sheriff. The town is having trouble with the local saloon and gambling hall owner. The man, James Coburn, runs crooked games and sells rot-gut whisky. He also keeps a group of hired guns to stop anyone from complaining.

It takes all of 15 minutes for Durant to have a run in with the swine, Coburn. Durant is lucky to get out of Coburn's place with his breathing arrangements still in working order.

Coburn needs help and hires a local, Terence De Marney. De Marney has shall we say an over fondness for the bottle. The man swears to stop drinking and straighten up. Also in the mix is De Marney's pretty daughter, Karen Sharpe. She is happy that Durant is giving her father a chance to sober up.

After another man is killed in Coburn's saloon, Durant gives Coburn 24 hours to clear out of town. Coburn of course gets a laugh out of this, and tells Durant he will be waiting at the end of the 24 hours.

Durant straps on a special gun that De Marney gives him. The gun is a honking big Le Mat revolver with a shotgun barrel under the revolver. He hits Coburn's place and is met by Coburn and 5 hired guns. Iron is pulled and lead flies. Durant puts down all the hired guns, then walks up to Coburn. Coburn laughs and says that he has counted Durant fire all six rounds. He takes aim at Durant to finish him off. Durant though still has the extra round in the shotgun barrel. Coburn is soon splattered all over the wall behind him.

The following year Coburn would have his star making turn in, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN.

CONTAINS SPOILERS

ULZANA'S RAID 1972

This is simply one of the best western films to come out of the 1970's. This Robert Aldrich directed film stars, Burt Lancaster, Bruce Davison, Richard Jaeckel, Joaquin Martinez and Jorge Luke.

The film starts, when a small group of Chiricahua Apaches leave the reservation to go on a raid. The group in led by Joaquin Martinez who has grown tired of the slow death that reservation life is. They plan on a bit of killing, burning and rape.

The local Army fort sends a small detachment of troopers under a junior officer, Bruce Davison, to capture or kill the renegades. Old time scout Burt Lancaster and his Apache partner, Jorge Luke are also in the mix.

Ulzana (Martinez) is working his way across the desert country killing several troopers and settlers. They also enjoy a bit of rape and torture with one of the settler women. The troopers, led by the inexperienced Davison, are always one step behind the Apaches.

Davison is of course all for riding hard and heavy in pursuit of Martinez and the braves. Old hand, Lancaster tells Davison that they need to out think the Apaches in order to catch them.

What follows is a real cat and mouse game between the Apaches and the troopers. Lancaster and his man, Luke, manage to outflank a couple of the Apache party and run off their horses. Now the pursuit turns all the more deadly, as the Apaches need to find some remounts. Needless to say there is going to be dead on both sides.

This one is a top flight duster with the cast and crew all turning in good work. The film was shot on location in Arizona.

The director, Robert Aldrich is best known for, VERA CRUZ, KISS ME DEADLY, THE BIG KNIFE, ATTACK, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?, HUSH…HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE, THE LONGEST YARD, THE DIRTY DOZEN and THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX.

The look of the film is excellent, with 2 time, Oscar nominated and 1 time winning cinematographer, Joseph Biroc at the controls. His work includes, ROUGHSHOD, LOAN SHARK, WITHOUT WARNING, THE GLASS WALL, VICE SQUAD, WORLD FOR RANSOM, NIGHTMARE and THE GARMENT JUNGLE. His most famous films are likely, HUSH, HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.

CONTAINS SPOILERS

THE PROUD ONES – 1956

A much better than I was expecting western from the middle of the heyday of the genre.

Robert Ryan is a lawman in a railhead town at the end of the cattle trail. He tries to play fair with everyone, and tells the just arrived cowhands etc to behave themselves. It they cause no trouble, they will not get any from Ryan and his deputies, Walter Brennan and Arthur O'Connell.

Ryan is keeping company with Virginia Mayo, who runs a boarding house in town. He is finally going to pop the question and ask for her hand in marriage. This happy turn of events is soon interrupted by the return of several past problems.

First is the son, Jeffery Hunter, of a gunslinger Ryan had killed some years before. The son is looking for maybe a little payback. He has heard that Ryan had gunned his father when the man was unarmed. Hunter wants to decide if Ryan is indeed a back shooter. The second, and bigger problem, is the new saloon and gambling hall owner, Robert Middleton. Middleton, who goes by the unlikely name of "Honest John Barrett" runs anything but a honest set-up.

It does not take long before Ryan catches a card sharp in Middleton's saloon, doing a bit of underhand card playing. Ryan runs the card sharp out of the place. One of Middleton's guns goes for Ryan from behind. Hunter, who is having a beer, shouts out a warning to Ryan. The gun hand puts one in Hunter's leg and grazes Ryan in the head before Ryan drops the four flusher.

Ryan has Hunter put up at Miss Mayo's place to heal up. Ryan intends to ride close watch on Middleton's action. The deal with the two is that there is bad blood between them. The two had squared off in a different cow town before. Ryan had left that burg because his girl, Mayo had asked. Middleton had mistakenly taken this as cowardice on Ryan's part. Another twist is that Hunter's father was in Middleton's employ when he bought it.

Hunter recovers and is given a job as a jailer by Ryan. Ryan sits the kid down and tells him that his dad was a low-life gunman. Hunter does not like hearing this but can see that Ryan seems to have the respect of the town.

The one deputy, Arthur O'Connell, quits in order to be with his with child, wife. Hunter is offered the job, which he takes. Ryan is slowly filling up the jail with Middleton's crew as they get caught rolling winners at the table etc. The pit boss at Middleton's saloon, George Mathews kills a man for calling him a cheat. Ryan adds him to the jail house residents. Middleton has had enough of Ryan and sends for his two best guns, Ken Clark and Rodolfo Acosta.

Adding to Ryan's problems is that the head wound he got earlier is causing bouts of 2 or 3 minutes of blurred vision. This of course he keeps to himself. Clark and Acosta make a late night play at bushwhacking Ryan on his rounds. Ryan has to run for it as a bout of blurred vision hits.

The next night he takes Hunter along on his rounds. Acosta makes another play at Ryan. This however ends with Acosta getting some unneeded changes to his breathing process. Acosta's partner, Clark, does not like this and grabs a few of Middleton's men for a raid on the jail house. They free Mathews etc and kill guard Brennan.

Ryan hears the shooting and comes a running. He finds Hunter exchanging shots with Clark, Mathews and bunch. Ryan and Hunter chase the villains into a large barn on the edge of town. There is a long gun battle during which Ryan has another bout of blindness. He also catches a round in his gun arm. Hunter though is up to the task and the gunmen are soon ready for Boot Hill.

All that remains is to put the pinch on ringleader Middleton. Middleton is not inclined to go peacefully and goes for a hidden gun. Hunter is not fooled by the move and puts Middleton down for the count. Ryan and Mayo ride off to start a new life and Hunter is the new town lawman.

Also in the cast are Edward Platt, Fay Roope, Richard Deacon and Whit Bissell.

The director was Robert D. Webb. Webb was a long time second unit man whose films after making the move to main chair, include, THE GLORY BRIGADE, THE SPIDER, WHITE FEATHER, BENEATH THE 12 REEF, GUNS OF THE TIMBERLAND and Elvis's first film, LOVE ME TENDER.

The look of the film is just what one would expect from top notch cinematographer, Lucien Ballard. Ballard lensed, HOUSE ON TELEGRAPH HILL, FIXED BAYONETS, BERLIN EXPRESS, DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK, THE GLORY BRIGADE, INFERNO, THE KILLER IS LOOSE, BUCHANAN RIDES ALONE, CITY OF FEAR, NEVADA SMITH, WILL PENNY, HOUR OF THE GUN, TRUE GRIT, THE WILD BUNCH and THE GETAWAY.

The film features a rather subdued and haunting theme from Lionel Newman.

Ryan is Ryan. Did he ever turn in anything but a great performance? Hunter is good while a mustache wearing Brennan is at his scene stealing best in his limited screen time.

Unlike most westerns, this one is not set out in the big spaces. It instead makes great use of the town as the backdrop for all the gun-play and double dealing. Most of the action takes place at night which works quite well.

Still need to see CROSSFIRE TRAIL myself.

Sounds good to me.

Excellent movie!
Really want to watch it a second time.


"He was a poet, a scholar and a mighty warrior."

I agree. Very under rated 70's film.