Westerns I Love, Part 3: Tribute to The Duke

John Wayne, born Marion Morrison, has been dead for three decades but he is still the biggest movie star of them all. He made over 200 films but the genre he is most known for is the western. There are so many good westerns starring the Duke it is hard to narrow it down to just five, but I will give my opinion of the best here.

5. 3 Godfathers



Underrated John Ford classic with Biblical symbolism and one of Wayne's most interesting performances.

4. Rio Bravo



This popular Howard Hawks film spawned an identical film called El Dorado starring Robert Mitchum alongside The Duke. This one starred Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson who both sing and Walter Brennan in one of my favorite supporting roles of his.

3. Stagecoach



Aside from being the first great western, this John Ford classic was also responsible for bringing John Wayne out of his B-movie career for good. Ford knew how to direct Wayne like no other director and their historic collaboration produced over a dozen films, among them some of the best in American film history. Wayne's performance is small since this is more of an ensemble piece but his "less is more" acting was a departure from the campy westerns he had been making.

2. Red River



This is another earlier teaming of The Duke with director Howard Hawks. The story is Mutiny on the Bounty adapted for the cattle drive with Montgomery Clift in the role of Fletcher Christian and Walter Brennan once again in a fine supporting role. Wayne gives one of his most complex performances mostly as the heavy.

1. The Searchers



This was the pinnacle for John Wayne and director John Ford. Wayne plays his most conflicted character, Ethan Edwards, who must find his niece Debbie taken by Indians. The film was completely unappreciated at the time of its release and didn't receive one Academy Award nomination. Since then it has been included in numerous lists of the greatest films ever made and influenced the films of directors like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Sergio Leone and John Luc-Godard.

(Cinderella Man was voted "best boxing movie" on the latest poll)

Westerns I Love, Part 2

(in the latest poll Amadeus was chosen "best music biopic")

To save this from being an ongoing topic I will throw out some of my other favorites not highlighted: Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, Along Came Jones, Winchester '73, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, My Darling Clementine, Fort Apache, 3:10 to Yuma (both new and old), and The Magnificent Seven.

And here are some more I really love...

Destry Rides Again



Pure old school western entertainment. Jimmy Stewart plays one of his usual likable roles as the son of a famous lawman and curiously doesn't carry a gun. So of course the bad guys think he's a sucker and he proves them wrong by film's end. Marlene Dietrich , in one of her best roles, sings "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have". Brian Donlevy is also perfect as the smarmy villain.

High Noon



Often mentioned when the "best western ever" argument comes up. Not my all time favorite but certainly in the top five. Gary Cooper won his second Oscar for Best Actor as the sheriff left to fend for himself by an ungrateful and cowardly community. Grace Kelly plays his new bride and she was never lovelier. A young Lee Van Cleef plays one of the baddies.

The Big Country



William Wyler's grand sweeping drama is another one I get trapped watching at any point I find it. The acting is superb with Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Charlton Heston, and Burl Ives. Much like Destry, Peck's character is an underestimated hero and gentleman.

The Gunfighter



Another Gregory Peck film and probably the most underrated and underappreciated of his career. Not as full of action as many westerns, but an excellent character study destroying the myth of western gunfighters. It's hard to believe today, but Peck's mustache was controversial at the time. The thinking was it would destroy his image since leading men were all clean shaven then. Either way it didn't affect his stellar performance.

Unforgiven



Speaking of destroying myths, this is THE film demystification of the western genre. Clint Eastwood's film won him Best Director and Best Picture at the Academy Awards because of its very stark portrayal of the American west, NOT the Hollywood west. It contrasts the glorification of the gunfighter (excitedly pursued by the biographer of English Bob and then Little Bill) with the harshness of each murder in the film. There is no glory in killing which becomes evident to the young hired gun who accompanies William Munny (Eastwood) and Ned (Morgan Freeman). "I'm not like you" he says to Eastwood's character as he holds back tears.

This was the point in Eastwood's career that propelled him to become one of the greatest living directors. He examines the hardest parts of life with the utmost grace. Unforgiven may be his best example of that and his best film. And it is one of my favorites.

Next time I will discuss my top five Westerns starring the king of westerns, The Duke himself, John Wayne.

Westerns I Love, Part 1

It seems ironic now that when I was young (and Western TV reruns seemed to dominate the afternoon and weekend slots when I wanted to watch cartoons) I hated Westerns! Many years later I was introduced to John Wayne films and so began a quest over the next several years to watch every great Western possible. Now it is one of my favorite genres. I want to highlight some of my favorites in this genre. They range from the grand epics (The Searchers, and The Good , The Bad, and The Ugly) to the very simple (Shane)

Hombre


Martin Ritt's underrated classic stars Paul Newman in one of his best (and also underrated) roles. The story based on Elmore Leonard's book is an absorbing character study taking prejudice head-on.

Open Range


I have said many times that Kevin Costner should only play cowboys and I suppose he should only direct Westerns as well. This is probably my favorite Costner film. It doesn't have the scope or substance of Dances With Wolves which won several Academy Awards including Best Picture but in its simplicity I enjoy Open Range much more. Robert Duvall is excellent as the Boss. Every line he plays seems completely genuine for his character in its stripped-down, folksy unpretentiousness. I think Costner was going for that "this-is-the-first-movie-about-the-west-ever-made" feel and I think he pulled it off pretty well.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly


Director Sergio Leone really hit his stride with this film. He had already made a smash hit with A Fistful of Dollars based on Kurosawa's Yojimbo but this new epic Western solidified Clint Eastwood as the "Man with no name" icon. Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef were never better.

Shane


Director Martin Scorsese has referenced Shane many times as a film that influenced him. I love this movie. So much so that if I see it playing anywhere I have to watch it to the end. This is Alan Ladd's best film, Van Heflin's best film, and Jean Arthur's best and LAST film. It is so dang simple it makes me angry I can't write something that good.

Tombstone


Speaking of films I have to watch to the end, I can't get enough of this one. Both entertaining (even to non-Western people) and historically accurate. As a matter of fact it has the most accurate film depiction of the gunfight at the OK Corral. I think Kurt Russell was absolutely perfect as Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer is unforgettable as Doc Holliday- "I'm your huckleberry".

Give it a rest already!!!

I want to say thanks to everyone who actually reads this blog and participates by voting on the poll question. (By the way, Tom Cruise's "biggest waste of time movie" was a tie between MI3 and Vanilla Sky. Personally, I thought MI2 was the biggest waste of time)

I am taking a break from the blog for a month or so. It will be a busy time as I relocate across the country. If you get a hankerin' for this joint you can always peruse the archives where I take jabs and opine on many topics. And as usual I give my two and a half cents on all kinds of movies. Thanks again. I'm out!!

(let me leave you with something to ponder...)

My Top Ten Film Villains

(Bill Cosby wins "favorite black stand-up comic" in the latest poll)

Before I get into the list I need to mention some great villains NOT on the list. Some honorable mention has to be given to the three most popular and famous villains in movie history- Darth Vader, The Wicked Witch of the West, and Hannibal Lecter. I realize not including them may be against movie tradition, but none of them are as compelling to me as the ten I chose.

First off, Margaret Hamilton, like other actors was a very sweet woman in real life, but playing the famous witch sort of ruined her film career. Every child who saw her from then on was terrified of her.


I love the character of Darth Vader BEFORE the prequels, then that kind of put a damper on the whole thing, thus he doesn't make my list.


Hannibal Lecter is a fascinating character especially when played by Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs, but I haven't seen any of the other incarnations (besides Brian Cox as the original Hannibal in Manhunter) and I don't intend to so I don't feel qualified enough to include him.

Other greats not included are all women...and one robot. Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington in the 1950 Best Picture winner All About Eve is one power-hungry, ruthless biatch! And I've seen Anne Baxter play much nicer roles so she was pretty good as the heavy. Glenn Close as Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction is also pretty crazy. Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes in Misery may be the scariest and nuttiest of them all. And the robot...HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey barely missed making my list.


So here we go:

10. Phyllis Dietrichson- Double Indemnity
played by Barbara Stanwyck



The first truly great femme fatale in film history and still probably the best to me, although Linda Fiorentino in The Last Seduction is pretty despicable.

9. Dr. Szell- Marathon Man
played by Lawrence Olivier



Few things in life are scarier than a Nazi dentist....played by one the greatest actors of all time!

8. Mr. Potter- It's a Wonderful Life



One of the silver screen's ultimate baddies played to perfection by the legendary Lionel Barrymore.

7. Jack Torrance- The Shining
played by Jack Nicholson



What a character. I find myself laughing in parts, but the transformation of Torrance from a loving Dad to an axe murderer is grisly and one of Nicholson's best.

6. Nurse Ratched- One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
played by Louise Fletcher



From one Nicholson classic to another. The character we so love to hate in Cuckoo's Nest was played by a very heart-warming woman who used sign language in honor of her deaf parents when she received her Oscar for Best Actress.

5. Amon Goeth- Schindler's List
played by Ralph Fiennes



The most evil character on this list because he was a real Nazi who took sadistic pleasure in killing Jews. He's played chillingly well by a virtual unknown at the time, Ralph Fiennes.

4. Reverend Harry Powell- Night of the Hunter
played by Robert Mitchum



Mitchum played a classic villain in Cape Fear named Max Cady. That guy was a menace but he never dressed up as a preacher, killed his new bride, and then hunted down her children for hidden treasure. This is Mitchum's best film and one of my favorites.

3. Anton Chigurgh- No Country For Old Men
played by Javier Bardem



Bardem won an Oscar for his portrayal of the coldest killer ever seen on film. He is unfazed by his thirst for death which makes you fear for anyone who comes in contact with him. Excellent character.

2. Bill the Butcher- Gangs of New York
played by Daniel-Day Lewis


I have said before that Daniel Day-Lewis is the greatest living actor and this role is one of the reasons. I love this character. He makes the film. It is his complexity which makes him far more compelling than your typical bad guy. You find yourself admiring him even though he is a ruthless killer and an intolerant jerk. The best movie villain in the last twenty years for my money.

1. Norman Bates- Psycho
played by Anthony Perkins



Still the king of movie villains for my money. Like Bill the Butcher I find myself sympathizing with his character. I almost don't want him to get caught. That is good writing and good acting. I think Anthony Perkins could have been one of the all time great actors if he hadn't played Bates and become swallowed up by that role. He never escaped it.

What movie villains do you think I should have mentioned?

The Best and Worst Sports Commentators

...to ME. I watch a lot of sports as some of you know and since I am forced in many cases to listen to either expert analysis or gratuitous bloviation I would like to give my two cents about the best and worst in sports commentary.

The BEST

1. Al Michaels- NBC NFL Football



Over the past few years the team of Al and John Madden has been, for my money, the best in sports. It is sad that Madden is hanging it up and Chris Collinsworth (who almost made my list of the worst) is replacing him. Al is the best play-by-play guy in the biz to me. He is professional and knowledgeable. And who will ever forget his impromptu "Do you believe in miracles?!!" when the U.S. hockey team beat Russia at the 1980 Winter Olympics?

2. Joe Buck- Fox NFL Football



If Michaels and Madden are the best, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on Fox Sundays are a close second. Joe has the genes for great sports commentary. His father Jack, longtime voice of the St. Louis Cardinals, was also one of the greatest.

3. Verne Lundquist- CBS College Football and PGA Golf



"The Golden Throat", as he's known, is my favorite play-by-play guy for college football. He currently does all of the SEC games on CBS on fall Saturdays. Nobody on any network comes close. He's made many memorable calls in his career including a few in Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore.

4. Suzy Kolber - ESPN Monday Night Football sideline reporter



An intoxicated Joe Namath infamously said, TWICE, during a live interview that he wanted to kiss Suzy . But I don't blame him. She's the best female in sports television to me. She never stumbles over words, is always cheery and obviously very smart. I thought when they moved Monday Night Football to ESPN from ABC the only thing they got that outclassed NBC's new Sunday Night was the ladies on the sideline: Suzy and Michelle Tafoya. Actually I think they do a better job than the three men in the booth and I like Mike Tirico.

5. Eli Gold - The voice of Alabama football, plus NASCAR and Arena football.



Okay, so I'm showing some bias here. Fact is I never get to hear Eli anymore because I don't live in Alabama but when I could I thought he was the best radio play-by-play I'd ever heard. He could have been an auctioneer he talks so fast but he never misses anything. He can tell a joke in the middle of a play and still give you every single detail on the field. He did a bunch of hockey early in his career. The fast pace of that sport probably attributes to his skill.


The WORST

1. Billy Packer - CBS College Basketball Color Analyst



Few people have made my blood boil during a sports broadcast like Billy Packer. He comes across as an arrogant, big-mouth who never fails to let his personal opinions tarnish his color commentary. Lots of announcers will say things like "if I were the coach right now I would do this..." or " Coach X is probably saying this" or "coach X should do this". Billy Packer says "Coach X IS saying this right now" as though he's clairvoyant or has a hidden mike in the coach's pocket. Like Miss Cleo, Billy just knows .
Once during the national championship between Florida and Michigan State when MSU star Mateen Cleaves went out with an injury, Packer wouldn't shut up about how amazing Cleaves was. When Cleaves was about to come back onto the floor I thought Packer was going to faint with awe: "This crowd is going to erupt!" he prophesied. How about calling the game impartially rather than become a cheerleading prognosticator? No, that would be far too dignified for Billy!

2. Joe Morgan- ESPN MLB Color Analyst



Where's the mute button on this remote? Don't get me wrong. I know Joe Morgan was one of the greatest offensive baseball players of all time. I know Joe Morgan KNOWS his baseball. And that's just the problem. He knows so much he can't shut up. I get ear fatigue when Joe's commentating. You remember what you used to say as a kid when someone told you they had diarrhea or something? That's right, "Too much information!" That's Joe. Baseball minutae overload!

3. Dick Button- Figure skating color analyst



This guy could take a tip from Thumper's Mommy and Daddy. And his own Mommmy and Daddy sure gave him the right name! I find it curious that the one event at the Winter Olympics that gets the most hype, figure skating, is the one with the most critical, negative analyst of them all. He leaves casual observers with the impression that not only should none of the competitors get a medal they should be thrown from the building for sullying the artistry of the triple axel...whatever the heck that is!

4. Tim McCarver- Fox MLB color analyst



Like Joe Morgan (maybe it's a baseball thing) McCarver loves to hear himself talk. He overanalyzes everthing. And like Billy Packer he has no problem voicing his personal opinions about players and everything else as though we really care. He has annoyed me during the World Series on several occasions. He reminds you of a drunk at a bar who thinks you need to hear his comments on life. No thanks, fella, I gotta game to watch here, mmmkay? Look up the word "bloviate" in the dictionary and there's probably a picture of Tim.

5. Joe Thiesmann- NFL color analyst



There's a reason this guy is no longer doing games on ESPN or anywhere else. He just seems cranky when he covers a game. Hey Joe, get yourself a strong cup-o-joe, you're making me ill! He also ain't too bright. He once said, "The word 'genius' isn't applicable to football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein". Brilliant.

(Salsa is the condiment you can't live without in the latest poll)

Rock 'N Roll poll results

Greatest band name goes to The Rolling Stones.

In a decisive victory Stevie Nicks is the greatest female lead singer.

The most overplayed, burned-out classic rock song is a tie between Stairway To Heaven and Sweet Home Alabama.