HF Westerns

[Lampasas Bill]

The original Stagecoach with the young John Wayne. For that matter, anything made by John Ford.

 

[archieclement]

Do comedy/parodies like Ridiculous six count?

 

[Pollaco]

Do comedy/parodies like Ridiculous six count?

I liked "Cat Ballou" the first time or two I saw it but then it seems "Comedy Westerns" kind of became a popular thing in Hollywood and the films went from comical to silly.When you think about it things were not that funny in the Old West, most people were just trying to survive.

 

[archieclement]

I liked "Cat Ballou" the first time or two I saw it but then it seems "Comedy Westerns" kind of became a popular thing in Hollywood and the films went from comical to silly.When you think about it things were not that funny in the Old West, most people were just trying to survive.

I like it because it parodys everything including other movies, one the brothers is a western Forrest Gump. One brother is the guy who left his post at Ford theater. It even has Wyatt Earp, Mark Twain and Custer in it.

Another non traditional western I liked was Purgatory, more a traditional western but with supernatural angle.

 

[MAJOR DUNDEE]

Are we considering Ulzana's Raid with Burt Lancaster as a Western? No Cowboys, but Cavalry, Apaches, and frontier settlers are in it.

Absolutely. To me (not only) Western's film era covers 1770-1917 (from "Unconquered" to "They came to Cordura"...both staring Gary Cooper).

 

[MAJOR DUNDEE]

My own "top 10" but it's not enough (a top 50 might be necessary to be honest), I may add that it's a bit disapointing the way you (american audience) seems to forget the genre Golden Age , I mean the 50's, there was at the time the best directors, actors, stories, etc...

1 "The law and Jake Wade" (50's style archetypal Western, great playing from R.Widmark and R.Taylor, great director, wonderful places...)
2 "Winchester 73" (the best character collection from that era, great story, acting...)
3 "The last hunt" (about the insane slaughtering of the buffalos, Robert Taylor at his best
4 "Two flags West" (USCW era, best fort attack ever, even better than The Alamo's one)
5 "The Searchers" (what else can be added)
6 "Comanche Station" (you can see there the most effective action scene ever seen in a Western, the moment Randolph Scott fells from
his horse, throws his saddle to a running indian, and narrowly avoid an arrow by using a foe to protect)
7 "Guns in the afternoon" (Randolph Scott and Joel Mc Crea goodbye to the genre)
8 "Man of the West" (Gary Cooper was great, so was Anthony Mann, maybe their best film for each one)
9 "The Unforgiven" (1960 John Huston's film)...even if the way Kiowas indians die by dozens is a bit exagerated...but it stars
B.Lancaster, very good as usually and the late Audie Murphy in one of his best performance
10 "Westward the women" (most characters are women, it's greatly directed by William Wellman)

 

[bayouace]

My own "top 10" but it's not enough (a top 50 might be necessary to be honest), I may add that it's a bit disapointing the way you (american audience) seems to forget the genre Golden Age , I mean the 50's, there was at the time the best directors, actors, stories, etc...

1 "The law and Jake Wade" (50's style archetypal Western, great playing from R.Widmark and R.Taylor, great director, wonderful places...)
2 "Winchester 73" (the best character collection from that era, great story, acting...)
3 "The last hunt" (about the insane slaughtering of the buffalos, Robert Taylor at his best
4 "Two flags West" (USCW era, best fort attack ever, even better than The Alamo's one)
5 "The Searchers" (what else can be added)
6 "Comanche Station" (you can see there the most effective action scene ever seen in a Western, the moment Randolph Scott fells from
his horse, throws his saddle to a running indian, and narrowly avoid an arrow by using a foe to protect)
7 "Guns in the afternoon" (Randolph Scott and Joel Mc Crea goodbye to the genre)
8 "Man of the West" (Gary Cooper was great, so was Anthony Mann, maybe their best film for each one)
9 "The Unforgiven" (1960 John Huston's film)...even if the way Kiowas indians die by dozens is a bit exagerated...but it stars
B.Lancaster, very good as usually and the late Audie Murphy in one of his best performance
10 "Westward the women" (most characters are women, it's greatly directed by William Wellman)

Most of Budd Boetticher's Westerns qualify.

 

[Pollaco]

That "Westward the Women" could have been an even better movie but wasn't the scenario the early 1850s? Robert Taylor was sporting a Colt that wasn't marketed until 1873.But it was still a good movie, it's on my top 10 list as well.

 

[Sowbelly and Hardtack]

What's the definition of a Western? Does a Western cover a specific time period in our history? The Professionals is set in the early 1900's and is a classic with a great cast (Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Jack Palance and others).

 

[Pollaco]

Some actors just had that "western" quality. Gary Cooper's physique, John Wayne's, Robert Taylor's or James Coburn's voices, Fonda's, Eastwood's, + Bronson's icy stares.They looked and sounded the part. It is hard narrow a list down to just 10 westerns because there were at least 10 actors (or more) who were Very good in westerns.That is partially what's wrong with today's Hollywood. None of the actors stand out, they all appear to be from the same "cookie cutter".

 

[Sheltowee]

Some actors just had that "western" quality. Gary Cooper's physique, John Wayne's, Robert Taylor's or James Coburn's voices, Fonda's, Eastwood's, + Bronson's icy stares.They looked and sounded the part. It is hard narrow a list down to just 10 westerns because there were at least 10 actors (or more) who were Very good in westerns.That is partially what's wrong with today's Hollywood. None of the actors stand out, they all appear to be from the same "cookie cutter".

One of the reasons I like Jeff Bridges in True Grit. He's just ornery….

 

[Pollaco]

One of the reasons I like Jeff Bridges in True Grit. He's just ornery….

I have to agree. Bridges outdid John Wayne in the remake of True Grit. John Wayne was okay but he mainly played the same part (himself?) in most of his Westerns. In some earlier films like "The Searchers" or "Liberty Valance" he actually did some acting and was pretty good at it.

 

[donna]

I have to add High Noon with Gary Coper and Shane with Alan Ladd. I always like River With No Return with Robert Mitchum.

 

[Kurtlg]

One of the reasons I like Jeff Bridges in True Grit. He's just ornery….

That remake was much better than the original , especially the acting.

 

[MAJOR DUNDEE]

That "Westward the Women" could have been an even better movie but wasn't the scenario the early 1850s? Robert Taylor was sporting a Colt that wasn't marketed until 1873.But it was still a good movie, it's on my top 10 list as well.

They often did that at the time...the model 1873 is also very present in some USCW related films, it's a shame.

 

[MAJOR DUNDEE]

I have to agree. Bridges outdid John Wayne in the remake of True Grit. John Wayne was okay but he mainly played the same part (himself?) in most of his Westerns. In some earlier films like "The Searchers" or "Liberty Valance" he actually did some acting and was pretty good at it.

John Wayne played "John Wayne" from "Comancheros" (1961)...to "Cahill US Marshall" (1973) ; but he did a memorable adieu to his fans with "The shootist" in 1976, possibly one of his best performance ever.

 

[east_beast]

My top 5 in no particular order:

Tombstone
Unforgiven
True Grit (remake)
3:10 to Yuma (remake)
Young Guns (Young Guns 2 was fun too)

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

Gotta love the westerns.

I know I love all the old ones. Funny thing, I recently spent my vacation working on one, (contract prevents me saying it's name or who's in it) but unless they cut him one familiar face from the old days, including one John Wayne movie where he became infamous will appear in it.

They did however severely damage several of my guns, lost a bunch of props I provided as armorer. I lost money working on it! But that movie was several years of headaches I pray is done. I dressed out as an extra, I think every time I appeared I was shooting someone in the back. I rode a stage coach for the first time though

This movie is supposed to get a theatrical release, though I imagine limited.

Do I think it'll measure up? Nope.
Script was rewritten the most times I ever seen. For example, they wanted a scene to include the Battle of Palmito Ranch at the beginning of the movie, the scene pretty central to the story, I got everything together, called for a cannon, it was axed. And that wasn't even the most egregious.

For example, when the movie started filming, 1880's, then it was 1870's, then it would all take place 1865-1868, and when I brought all the guns and props appropriate to Austin, it was 1890's!!!!

So don't look anyone or anything to look appropriate, and it's all over the dang place on dress, props, and so on.

It was made by people who've never watched a western, and have no concept of history changing. They said it'd all be fine and the audience won't notice, but I did ask the director if they did the same with a modern movie, and then having people run around with 2001 cell phones in 2020, and people driving 2023 cars in 2000, would the audience notice?

He got a blank face and said we probably screwed up big time needed to hope for the best!

This movie will have folks running around in 1860's clothes with CW guns in the 1890's. Talk about opposite of the old days where John Wayne and co were running around in the CW or Republic of Texas days with 1890's stuff!

Lot of hard work went into this film.

 

[Kurtlg]

Gotta love the westerns.

I know I love all the old ones. Funny thing, I recently spent my vacation working on one, (contract prevents me saying it's name or who's in it) but unless they cut him one familiar face from the old days, including one John Wayne movie where he became infamous will appear in it.

They did however severely damage several of my guns, lost a bunch of props I provided as armorer. I lost money working on it! But that movie was several years of headaches I pray is done. I dressed out as an extra, I think every time I appeared I was shooting someone in the back. I rode a stage coach for the first time though

This movie is supposed to get a theatrical release, though I imagine limited.
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Do I think it'll measure up? Nope.
Script was rewritten the most times I ever seen. For example, they wanted a scene to include the Battle of Palmito Ranch at the beginning of the movie, the scene pretty central to the story, I got everything together, called for a cannon, it was axed. And that wasn't even the most egregious.

For example, when the movie started filming, 1880's, then it was 1870's, then it would all take place 1865-1868, and when I brought all the guns and props appropriate to Austin, it was 1890's!!!!

So don't look anyone or anything to look appropriate, and it's all over the dang place on dress, props, and so on.

It was made by people who've never watched a western, and have no concept of history changing. They said it'd all be fine and the audience won't notice, but I did ask the director if they did the same with a modern movie, and then having people run around with 2001 cell phones in 2020, and people driving 2023 cars in 2000, would the audience notice?

He got a blank face and said we probably screwed up big time needed to hope for the best!

This movie will have folks running around in 1860's clothes with CW guns in the 1890's. Talk about opposite of the old days where John Wayne and co were running around in the CW or Republic of Texas days with 1890's stuff!

Lot of hard work went into this film.

I'm guessing Bruce Dern.

 

[SJU]

I was flipping channels and got into Last Train From Gun Hill with Anthony Quinn and Kirk Douglas. Major Dundee was a good one.
As mentioned above a lot of older movies had great character actors with life experience. They are sadly missing. Too many modern actors are indistinguishable.