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Mennonite · 09-24-2021, 11:34 AM

It seems like there are a lot of western fans around here. What are some of your favorite western movies? TV shows? Books? Songs? Radio programs? Video games?

Movies:

While I actually prefer what was known as the "psychological" westerns of the 1950s my top two favorite western movies are Lonesome Dove (1989) and Unforgiven (1992). Warlock (1959) is probably my favorite 50s western.

TV Shows:

Gunsmoke (fav. episode "Thirty a Month and Found" - Season 20)
The Wild, Wild West
Maverick
The Rebel (fav. episode "The Waiting" from season 2)
The Westerner (fav. episode 'Hand on the Gun")

Favorite western books:

The Searchers by Alan Le May
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Ramrod by Luke Short
The Unforgiven by Alan Le May (not related to the 1992 movie)
Death Ground by Ed Gorman

Songs:

El Paso by Marty Robbins
Big Iron by Marty Robbins or Johnny Cash
Cool Water by Hank Williams
Ghost Riders in the Sky by Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash
Cowboy's Lament by Burl Ives

Radio programs:

Gunsmoke

You may or may not know that the Gunsmoke tv series started out as a radio show. It starred William Conrad and ran for several years. It was excellent.

My Top 25:

02/14/1953 THE ROUNDUP
04/02/1955 BLOODY HANDS
04/30/1955 REWARD FOR MATT
10/02/1954 MATT GETS IT
09/27/1952 THE RAILROAD
07/19/1959 SECOND ARREST
09/19/1953 THERE WAS NEVER A HORSE
10/21/1956 TILL DEATH DO US PART
12/27/1952 THE CABIN
06/06/1953 SUNDOWN
11/10/1956 CROWBAIT BOB
03/20/1954 OLD FRIEND
08/08/1953 SKY
09/23/1956 BOX O' ROCKS
07/22/1956 LYNCHING MAN
02/21/1953 MESHOUGAH
02/26/1955 CRACKUP
03/06/1960 BLOOD MONEY
09/20/1954 THE F.U.
12/06/1959 BIG CHUGG WILSON
01/01/1955 THE BOTTLE MAN
07/02/1955 GENERAL PARSLEY SMITH
11/03/1957 BULL
05/06/1956 THE PHOTOGRAPHER

All those can be listened to for free at the Internet archive.

Video Games:

I'm old so I've never actually played any western games. I've heard good things about the Red Dead games though.

**srvy** · 09-27-2021, 07:15 PM

That was pretty funny thanks.

Thought it was going to be a parity of Gregory Peckerheads The Gunfighter. Peck actually made some good westerns The Gunfighter is a good one.

DeepPurple · 09-27-2021, 08:45 PM

Just like the Wizard of Oz, it seemed like they played High Noon every year on TV in the 60s and 70s. To me, it's a great film and the best western I've ever seen. Great theme song and soundtrack like most great movies.

An allstar cast, Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges, Lee Van Cleef, Harry Morgan, Lon Chaney Jr. and many more.

I really only have about 4 favorites, Unforgiven which many others have selected. Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, which I saw in the theater when it was new and about ten times on TV.

Most recent was The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, starring Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck and Sam Rockwell among others. A really great ensemble cast. After seeing that one on HBO many years ago, I bought the DVD. It's very long and slow moving, but that actually adds to the enjoyment of what you're seeing. This scene is rather loud and violent, but you won't see a better shoot out in any film and Brad Pitt is not even in this scene.

Deberg_1990 · 09-28-2021, 09:57 AM

Do ‘The Hateful Eight’ and ‘Django Unchained’ count as westerns?

Deberg_1990 · 09-28-2021, 10:01 AM

Rio Bravo
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
wild bunch
Shane
Magnificent Seven
unforgiven
3:10 to Yuma (remake) i liked a lot too.
Silverado.
Man with no name trilogy

**RockChalk** · 09-28-2021, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frazod

Forgot Silverado. Admittedly it's corny and cliched as hell, but it has one of the greatest casts ever assembled and is awesome and fun.

One of my favorites, even with its warts.

DJ's left nut · 09-28-2021, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowser

Man, I was going to come in here with my Tombstone "Skin that smokewagon...." weak sauce, but I think I'll refrain because y'all are some western savants, lol.

Here's one I don't think I saw anyone mention - The Quick and the Dead. Campy as hell but a killer ensemble cast. I didn't like it the first time I saw it, but it grew on me over time. And Sharon Stone is just sexy AF to me in it, which helps.

DID SO!

Third post in the thread, man...

Otter · 09-29-2021, 08:48 AM

I'm sure this movie was brought up but one of my favorite scenes in a westerner was when Clint went to kill Little Bill in Unforgiven.

"He should have thought about that before he decided to decorate his saloon with my friend'.

Mennonite · 09-29-2021, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Otter

I'm sure this movie was brought up but one of my favorite scenes in a westerner was when Clint went to kill Little Bill in Unforgiven.

"He should have thought about that before he decided to decorate his saloon with my friend'.

There are a lot of great quotes from that movie. What's more is that they don't come across as cheesy Hollywood action movie lines.

The cast of the movie is great too. I guess that goes without saying, but sometimes I think Eastwood's legendary status sort of overshadows how good the cast actually was. Richard Harrison, Saul Rubinek, Morgan Freeman are all perfectly cast. And, imo, Gene Hackman is a very underrated actor. I mean, people know he's good, but I think he's one of his generation's best. His contributions to Unforgiven can't be overstated, "'Duck', I says."

p.s. There was a Japanese remake of Unforgiven that came out a few years ago. I always meant to get around to watching it but never did. Anybody seen it?

**gblowfish** · 09-29-2021, 09:30 AM

Blazing Saddles
Silverado
High Plains Drifter
Rio Lobo
Anything with Randolph Scott
RANDOLPH SCOTT!!!

Deberg_1990 · 09-29-2021, 04:38 PM

If Gene Hackman ever gave a bad performance, ive never seen it. He was always great.

DJ's left nut · 10-01-2021, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

If Gene Hackman ever gave a bad performance, ive never seen it. He was always great.

Was just talking with a buddy of mine about him watching Young Frankenstein.

The guy probably looked grizzled when he was 14 years old.

But yeah, very probably the most underrated great actor of his era. Never quite understood why he wasn't considered among the all-timers.

Mennonite · 10-01-2021, 01:43 PM

Four underrated Hackman flicks:

Night Moves (1975)

I really like film noir, but I'm not very fond of most neo-noirs. This is an exception.

I Never Sang for My Father (1970)

This is a straight drama. Good, but goddamn depressing if you've ever had father/son relationship problems.

Twilight (1998)

This is basically a sequel to Paul Newman's "Harper" detective movies with the serial number filed off. Not a huge role for Hackman but it's nice to see him and Newman and James Garner in the same flick.

Prime Cut (1972)

It's not amazing, but you don't see many mid-western gangster flicks. Also stars Lee Marvin and a very young Sissy Spacek.

Fishpicker · 10-01-2021, 06:40 PM

pretty cool thread

so far, I haven't seen a list that i disagree with

anybody here seen Rustlers Rhapsody?

I forgot one of my favorite Western video games from my list

Outlaw! (arcade, Atari 2600) had multiple game modes. and it was one of the first games to have destructible environments. Back in the Atari days, if a game was playable, and kind of made sense, it was a hit. So I would rank Outlaw! up in the top 3% of video games from the 70's.

just forget that it is a game of inverted Pong

Fishpicker · 10-01-2021, 06:54 PM

my favorite wild West comedy

the first vignette in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a close second

the Three Amigos was great because it had that comedic flare throughout a feature length film

Zebedee DuBois · 10-01-2021, 07:29 PM

There is a movie with Gregory Peck, Charlton Hesston, Burl Ives and Chuck Conners that was pretty epic. I think the name was "Big Country"

The musical scores of some of those old westerns were magnificent.

09-24-2021, 11:34 AM
Mennonite Veteran Join Date: Jun 2014	Your Favorite Westerns? It seems like there are a lot of western fans around here. What are some of your favorite western movies? TV shows? Books? Songs? Radio programs? Video games? Movies: While I actually prefer what was known as the "psychological" westerns of the 1950s my top two favorite western movies are Lonesome Dove (1989) and Unforgiven (1992). Warlock (1959) is probably my favorite 50s western. TV Shows: Gunsmoke (fav. episode "Thirty a Month and Found" - Season 20) The Wild, Wild West Maverick The Rebel (fav. episode "The Waiting" from season 2) The Westerner (fav. episode 'Hand on the Gun") Favorite western books: The Searchers by Alan Le May Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Ramrod by Luke Short The Unforgiven by Alan Le May (not related to the 1992 movie) Death Ground by Ed Gorman Songs: El Paso by Marty Robbins Big Iron by Marty Robbins or Johnny Cash Cool Water by Hank Williams Ghost Riders in the Sky by Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash Cowboy's Lament by Burl Ives Radio programs: Gunsmoke You may or may not know that the Gunsmoke tv series started out as a radio show. It starred William Conrad and ran for several years. It was excellent. My Top 25: 02/14/1953 THE ROUNDUP 04/02/1955 BLOODY HANDS 04/30/1955 REWARD FOR MATT 10/02/1954 MATT GETS IT 09/27/1952 THE RAILROAD 07/19/1959 SECOND ARREST 09/19/1953 THERE WAS NEVER A HORSE 10/21/1956 TILL DEATH DO US PART 12/27/1952 THE CABIN 06/06/1953 SUNDOWN 11/10/1956 CROWBAIT BOB 03/20/1954 OLD FRIEND 08/08/1953 SKY 09/23/1956 BOX O' ROCKS 07/22/1956 LYNCHING MAN 02/21/1953 MESHOUGAH 02/26/1955 CRACKUP 03/06/1960 BLOOD MONEY 09/20/1954 THE F.U. 12/06/1959 BIG CHUGG WILSON 01/01/1955 THE BOTTLE MAN 07/02/1955 GENERAL PARSLEY SMITH 11/03/1957 BULL 05/06/1956 THE PHOTOGRAPHER All those can be listened to for free at the Internet archive. Video Games: I'm old so I've never actually played any western games. I've heard good things about the Red Dead games though. Last edited by Mennonite; 09-24-2021 at 01:47 PM..
Posts: 3,378

09-27-2021, 07:15 PM	#106
srvy Fight, build, win! srvy's Avatar Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: KC	That was pretty funny thanks. Thought it was going to be a parity of Gregory Peckerheads The Gunfighter. Peck actually made some good westerns The Gunfighter is a good one.
Posts: 24,596

09-27-2021, 08:45 PM	#107
DeepPurple I could of gone pro DeepPurple's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: The Villages, Florida	Just like the Wizard of Oz, it seemed like they played High Noon every year on TV in the 60s and 70s. To me, it's a great film and the best western I've ever seen. Great theme song and soundtrack like most great movies. An allstar cast, Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges, Lee Van Cleef, Harry Morgan, Lon Chaney Jr. and many more. I really only have about 4 favorites, Unforgiven which many others have selected. Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, which I saw in the theater when it was new and about ten times on TV. Most recent was The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, starring Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck and Sam Rockwell among others. A really great ensemble cast. After seeing that one on HBO many years ago, I bought the DVD. It's very long and slow moving, but that actually adds to the enjoyment of what you're seeing. This scene is rather loud and violent, but you won't see a better shoot out in any film and Brad Pitt is not even in this scene.
Posts: 1,340

09-28-2021, 09:57 AM	#108
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Deberg_1990's Avatar Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx.	Do ‘The Hateful Eight’ and ‘Django Unchained’ count as westerns?
Posts: 66,914

09-28-2021, 10:01 AM	#109
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Deberg_1990's Avatar Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx.	Rio Bravo Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid wild bunch Shane Magnificent Seven unforgiven 3:10 to Yuma (remake) i liked a lot too. Silverado. Man with no name trilogy
Posts: 66,914	1 0

09-29-2021, 08:48 AM	#112
Otter Live free or die hard Otter's Avatar Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Durango, CO	I'm sure this movie was brought up but one of my favorite scenes in a westerner was when Clint went to kill Little Bill in Unforgiven. "He should have thought about that before he decided to decorate his saloon with my friend'.
Posts: 26,282

09-29-2021, 09:30 AM	#114
gblowfish Be Kind To Your Pets gblowfish's Avatar Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Glorious Independence, MO	Blazing Saddles Silverado High Plains Drifter Rio Lobo Anything with Randolph Scott RANDOLPH SCOTT!!!
Posts: 40,843

09-29-2021, 04:38 PM	#115
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Deberg_1990's Avatar Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx.	If Gene Hackman ever gave a bad performance, ive never seen it. He was always great.
Posts: 66,914	2 0

10-01-2021, 01:43 PM	#117
Mennonite Veteran Join Date: Jun 2014	Four underrated Hackman flicks: Night Moves (1975) I really like film noir, but I'm not very fond of most neo-noirs. This is an exception. I Never Sang for My Father (1970) This is a straight drama. Good, but goddamn depressing if you've ever had father/son relationship problems. Twilight (1998) This is basically a sequel to Paul Newman's "Harper" detective movies with the serial number filed off. Not a huge role for Hackman but it's nice to see him and Newman and James Garner in the same flick. Prime Cut (1972) It's not amazing, but you don't see many mid-western gangster flicks. Also stars Lee Marvin and a very young Sissy Spacek.
Posts: 3,378

10-01-2021, 06:40 PM	#118
Fishpicker On one quarter Fishpicker's Avatar Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: I play all day	pretty cool thread so far, I haven't seen a list that i disagree with anybody here seen Rustlers Rhapsody? I forgot one of my favorite Western video games from my list Outlaw! (arcade, Atari 2600) had multiple game modes. and it was one of the first games to have destructible environments. Back in the Atari days, if a game was playable, and kind of made sense, it was a hit. So I would rank Outlaw! up in the top 3% of video games from the 70's. just forget that it is a game of inverted Pong
Posts: 6,135

10-01-2021, 06:54 PM	#119
Fishpicker On one quarter Fishpicker's Avatar Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: I play all day	my favorite wild West comedy the first vignette in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a close second the Three Amigos was great because it had that comedic flare throughout a feature length film
Posts: 6,135	3 0

10-01-2021, 07:29 PM	#120
Zebedee DuBois Veteran Zebedee DuBois's Avatar Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: floating in a tin can	There is a movie with Gregory Peck, Charlton Hesston, Burl Ives and Chuck Conners that was pretty epic. I think the name was "Big Country" The musical scores of some of those old westerns were magnificent.
Posts: 3,781