Your Favorite Westerns?

[Mennonite]

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]

[QUOTE=Mennonite;15852490]I haven't watched that many episodes of The Virginian. The episodes are really long and it seems padded. I didn't really care for Big Valley or Bonanza. Maybe the problem is that all three shows focus on well-to-do families.


Yes I always hated those rich rancher series myself. Its also probably why I detested Dallas.

I read you didn't like Fleming's portrayal of Trail Boss Favor, most didn't. I read somewhere Fleming recreated the character off of the diary of an 1866 trail boss named George C. Duffield.


PS funny thing now I love John Dutton of Yellowstone (Rich Rancher)probably because his top hand is a veritable badass.

[Bump]

Once Upon A Time In The West

absolutely my favorite western film. The score, the badassness of harmonica and everything about it I loved.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by srvy

I could never get into Big Valley. Even today ill switch to it to see if I was wrong about it. Ill to this day find something else the characters and stories just never hit me.

Heh, only reason I even got started on Big Valley was because of Col Steve Austin being in it… kept waiting for a Bionic Cowboy but never got one

[Chief Pagan]

Originally Posted by Bump

Once Upon A Time In The West

absolutely my favorite western film. The score, the badassness of harmonica and everything about it I loved.

If I had to only choose one, this would probably be it.

Unforgiven is probably my favorite Clint film, but I didn't see much attention for that much of his early stuff. The Good the Bad, and The Ugly is still a classic.

Liberty Valence and Searchers might round out my list.

[srvy]

Originally Posted by Easy 6

Heh, only reason I even got started on Big Valley was because of Col Steve Austin being in it… kept waiting for a Bionic Cowboy but never got one

lol

[Raiderhater]

It’s not uncommon for me to dislike popular movies, Fight Club and The Big Lebowski are examples. In the western genre it is Once Upon A Time In The West. From the long mind-numbing opening scene on I just don’t like it.

And add Shane to that list as well. I tried re-watching that not long ago giving it a second chance, nope. Someone needed to throw that little boy in a well and walk away. “Shane! Come back, Shane! Mommy wants to have an affair with you, Shane! I want to ride bareback with you, Shane!” That kid was that film’s Kim Darby.

[Kman34]

You guys pretty much listed all the ones I like.. Is Grizzly Adams with Robert Redford considered a western? That is one I’d like to add..

[Kman34]

Originally Posted by Kman34

You guys pretty much listed all the ones I like.. Is Grizzly Adams with Robert Redford considered a western? That is one I’d like to add..

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid….Forgot that one too..

[Cheater5]

My Name is Nobody (1973) with Henry Fonda and Terrence Hill.

[Mennonite]

Originally Posted by Kman34

You guys pretty much listed all the ones I like.. Is Grizzly Adams with Robert Redford considered a western? That is one I’d like to add..

You're thinking of Jeremiah Johnson, I believe. Grizzly Adams was the old tv show with Dan Haggerty. Will Geer played an old mountain man who hunted bear in Jeremiah Johnson; that's probably why you're confusing the two.




Jeremiah Johnson was inspired by a real person:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver-Eating_Johnson

Originally Posted by Raiderhader

It’s not uncommon for me to dislike popular movies, Fight Club and The Big Lebowski are examples. In the western genre it is Once Upon A Time In The West. From the long mind-numbing opening scene on I just don’t like it.

And add Shane to that list as well. I tried re-watching that not long ago giving it a second chance, nope. Someone needed to throw that little boy in a well and walk away. “Shane! Come back, Shane! Mommy wants to have an affair with you, Shane! I want to ride bareback with you, Shane!” That kid was that film’s Kim Darby.

I agree with you about the kid in Shane. He's annoying as hell. Jack Palance was good though.

I like the Big Lebowski. The only thing I would change about it is that I'd like to have seen the Dude get his rug back at the end. Or at least found a new one. The story should be a circle that illustrates that nothing in the Dude's life really changes. A friend dies, a baby is born. A rug is lost, a rug is found. The rug ties the story together just like it "ties the room together."


I also like Once Upon A Time In The West. Leone had a real problem with letting his movies get bloated later on, imo. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly could have been trimmed down some too, honestly.

I love the opening scene. The boringness of it is what makes it good. You see Woody Strode and Jack Elam and some other tough looking hombre waiting for...something... and the suspense begins to build. It goes on so long that you move from anticipation to wondering wtf is going on. And then the payoff: the train finally arrives - and there's no one on it! Then the train pulls out and you see Bronson and you get the classic "two too many line." And the whole thing is capped off by a split second gunfight where two well known actors (who audiences of the time could be certain would never die in an opening scene) get killed off. It looks like Bronson is dead too which should be impossible, but after the unique way the movie has began there is a moment of doubt. It really is a great scene, imo.

The ending is also very good, and Henry Fonda makes a terrific bad guy. The middle of the movie could definitely have used some trimming though. Edited to add: I really hate the soundtrack! A lot of spaghetti westerns had intrusive score. Very annoying.

Originally Posted by Cheater5

My Name is Nobody (1973) with Henry Fonda and Terrence Hill.

[Kman34]

Originally Posted by Mennonite

You're thinking of Jeremiah Johnson, I believe. Grizzly Adams was the old tv show with Dan Haggerty. Will Geer played an old mountain man who hunted bear in Jeremiah Johnson; that's probably why you're confusing the two.




Jeremiah Johnson was inspired by a real person:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver-Eating_Johnson









I agree with you about the kid in Shane. He's annoying as hell. Jack Palance was good though.

I like the Big Lebowski. The only thing I would change about it is that I'd like to have seen the Dude get his rug back at the end. Or at least found a new one. The story should be a circle that illustrates that nothing in the Dude's life really changes. A friend dies, a baby is born. A rug is lost, a rug is found. The rug ties the story together just like it "ties the room together."


I also like Once Upon A Time In The West. Leone had a real problem with letting his movies get bloated later on, imo. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly could have been trimmed down some too, honestly.

I love the opening scene. The boringness of it is what makes it good. You see Woody Strode and Jack Elam and some other tough looking hombre waiting for...something... and the suspense begins to build. It goes on so long that you move from anticipation to wondering wtf is going on. And then the payoff: the train finally arrives - and there's no one on it! Then the train pulls out and you see Bronson and you get the classic "two too many line." And the whole thing is capped off by a split second gunfight where two well known actors (who audiences of the time could be certain would never die in an opening scene) get killed off. It looks like Bronson is dead too which should be impossible, but after the unique way the movie has began there is a moment of doubt. It really is a great scene, imo.

The ending is also very good, and Henry Fonda makes a terrific bad guy. The middle of the movie could definitely have used some trimming though. Edited to add: I really hate the soundtrack! A lot of spaghetti westerns had intrusive score. Very annoying.

Yes!! Sorry, Thats what I was thinking of...

[Misplaced_Chiefs_Fan]

Don't know if they've been mentioned yet, but two westerns I enjoy catching on TV are McKenna's Gold and Cat Ballou.

Neither are what I'd call my most favorite or "the best" (Still lean hard on The Searchers/Stagecoach/Magnificent 7), but Lee Marvin in Cat Ballou is worth the price of admission right there.

"It's a hangin' day, in Wolf City, Wyoming . . ."

[Jenson71]

Originally Posted by Raiderhader

It’s not uncommon for me to dislike popular movies, Fight Club and The Big Lebowski are examples.

Might be going down a rabbit hole here, but TBL is awful.

[Renegade]

Originally Posted by Mennonite

Are you thinking of The Quick and the Dead (1995)? High Noon came out in 1952. There was a sequel called High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane made in 1980. It starred Lee Majors and David Carradine.

You are correct, it was The Quick and The Dead

[Mennonite]

Originally Posted by Misplaced_Chiefs_Fan

McKenna's Gold

I have an old friend whose parents both loved that movie. They were as different as night and day and never agreed on anything. She was kind of a new age hippie type and he was much older and extremely uptight. It was one of those "How in the hell did these two ever get together?" type relationships. Years after they finally got a divorce I was over at her house watching tv with my buddy and McKenna's Gold came on and she immediately said "This is a great movie!" Mystery solved, I guess.

I kind of like to think that there entire twenty year marriage was based on their love of the haunting "Turkey Buzzard" theme song: