Film Review: Rio Grande (1950)

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 Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke (John Wayne) is stationed on the Texas frontier, trying to defend the territory against marauding Apaches. His job is difficult not only because his regiment is undermanned, but because the Apaches ride across the border into Mexico where Yorke and his troops cannot follow them. Further developments arrive when, after flunking West Point, Yorke's son (Claude Jarman Jr.) comes to the fort as one of the new recruits and Yorke's estranged wife (Maureen O'Hara) comes to try to take their son back east.

 Directed by John Ford and filled with a classic cast, Rio Grande (1950) latched itself onto my list of favorite western films even before I finished watching it for the first time. Something about it felt so very real. From the beginning of the film when Lt. Col. Yorke and his troops return to the fort tired, dusty, and wounded from their patrol to when the new recruits are being broken into western troopers. As the Sons of Pioneers lead the troops in song while on patrol or while resting around the campfire, and even to the daring rescue towards the end of the film. Everything feels natural and genuine.

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 As I mentioned, this film has a stellar cast who all not only turn in great performances individually but work well with each other. John Waynes gives, in my personal opinion, one of his best performances. (As a quick rabbit trail, my opinion of John Wayne as an actor sways with each movie I see of his. With some I feel like he's just acting the John Wayne persona in each film and then, with others, I am sitting going "Wow! You really could act!" It really depends on the movie.) Anyhow, his portrayal of Lt. Col. Yorke is splendid as a man who is trying to do the best job he can in a difficult situation.

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 Maureen O'Hara turns in another good performance per usual as Mrs. Yorke and Victor McLaglen will bring a smile to your face in the role of Sgt. Maj. Quincannon as he tries to whip the newest recruits into shape. The actors who really grabbed my attention in this movie, however, were Claude Jarman Jr., Harry Carey Jr., and Ben Johnson. That trio really stands out as the newest batch of troopers, with Jarman Jr. playing Yorke's son. Not to mention, Carey Jr.'s character has some great lines. Or maybe it's just the way he delivers them.

 Anyway, this is currently my favorite western and I have my doubts as to if it will ever be replaced. The studio executives of Republic Pictures, who would only let John Ford make The Quiet Man (1952) if he made a western with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara first, have my undying gratitude.

 The Legends of Western Cinema Blog Week is currently going on! Visit Emma at A Lantern In Her Hand and Olivia at Meanwhile, In Rivendell to find out more about the event and read their posts.

Roy Rogers: My Introduction to The Western Film

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 The Legends of Western Cinema Blog Week starts today! Visit Emma at A Lantern In Her Hand and Olivia at Meanwhile, In Rivendell to find out more about the event and read their posts.

 I saw my first Roy Rogers movie a little over ten years ago. We were driving home from a long family trip and still had a long way to go. My parents bought three DVDs at a store we stopped off at. The first had episodes from The Rifleman, while the second had two Roy Rogers movies (Young Bill Hickok and My Pal Trigger) and third had four episodes of The Roy Rogers Show. Those two DVDs were my introduction to the western genre outside of The Rifleman, Little House on the Prairie, and the Disney Davy Crockett films with Fess Parker. My siblings and I fell in love with Roy Rogers's movies and spent the next several years tracking down every Roy Rogers VHS we could get our hands on at our local book sale. We ended up securing a collection of most of Roy Roger's movies over time and, with online streaming, I have seen a total of 75 of the 105 films on Roy Roger's Wikipedia filmography.

 Roy Rogers was my introduction to the Western film and recently I've been having fun re-watching some of my old favorites, including a few in their uncut theatrical prints instead of the cut television prints. They may be B-Westerns with predictable plots and villains but I still love them dearly. Here are three of my too many to mention favorites.

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Roll On Texas Moon (1946)
 Trouble brews between a community of cattle ranchers and sheep ranchers when a sheep rancher is murdered and found on the property of cattleman Gabby Whittaker (George "Gabby" Hayes). Although Gabby is cleared of murder charges, the tension between the two factions increases. Afraid of a range war breaking out, Roy Rogers is sent to try to find the problem behind the growing troubles and eventually finds an ally in the niece (Dale Evans) of the murdered man, who also wants to stop a range war from erupting. The saga of Gabby and lamb that won't stop following him, much to his consternation, adds a great comedic side plot. | The film is currently available to watch on YouTube here.

Man From Cheyenne (1942)
 Rustlers are plaguing a community of ranches raising cattle for the government and every detective sent has been unsuccessful in tracking the thieves. During a meeting to find a new angle to resolve the problem, however, Roy Rogers stumbles into the picture. The government agent asks Roy, a former member of the community, to return and try his hand at finding the criminals, figuring it would be easier for him instead of a stranger to hunt them out. A good supporting cast of the Sons of the Pioneers, George “Gabby” Hayes, Gale Storm, Sally Paine (always a fun addition to a Roy Rogers movie) and a pair of fairly more complex villains make this one you shouldn’t miss. | Currently available on YouTube here.

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Bells of San Angelo (1947)
 Smugglers are bringing silver illegally into the United States from Mexico and Roy Rogers has been sent to find them and put a stop to it. A man with information is shot before he can speak to Roy and framed by his murderers as a thief when they plant silver on his body. To top off Roy’s troubles, popular Western mystery writer Lee Madison (Dale Evans) comes to town and an Englishman in search of a man called George Wallingford Lancaster arrives, much to the consternation of the sheriff (Andy Devine). | Currently available on YouTube here.

Have you ever seen any of Roy Rogers's films or episodes from his television show? What are some of your favorites?

Book Review: "Wanderlust Creek and Other Stories"

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  "From the author of The Ranch Next Door and Other Stories come six more short stories exploring the joys, heartaches and laughter of life against the backdrop of the Old West. In “Single-Handed,” a gunfighter’s courage comes in doubt when he refuses to explain to his friends the real reason he backed down from a fight. The capable proprietress of the busiest eating-house in town handles a day of disasters large and small in the light-hearted “The Rush at Mattie Arnold’s,” while in “Room Service,” a hotel night clerk finds himself in on odd position after he allows an exhausted traveler to stay in a reserved room. And in the title story, the novella-length “Wanderlust Creek,” a young rancher and his wife struggle to hold onto their land and their dreams in the face of adversity from weather, enemies—and even doubts of each other."

  Character driven westerns with a charm of the old fashioned (something usually only found in books from the period) is Elisabeth Grace Foley's speciality and she has served that special up yet again with "Wanderlust Creek and Other Stories". I had been looking forward to another collection of western short stories ever since I read her first collection, falling even more in love with the author's writing when I read her Mrs. Meade Mysteries, "Left-Handed Kelly," and "Corral Nocturne". Needless to say, I was delighted with this collection.

  "The Rush At Mattie Arnold's" reminded me of O. Henry, "A Search For Truth" held me spellbound, I almost teared up for "Room Service," and "Wanderlust Creek" has ensconced itself among my list of favorites from Miss Foley. While "Single-Handed" and "The Mustanger's Bride" were also highly enjoyable.

  These are not rough and tumble westerns a la what most people think of when they think about westerns. They are, as I said at first, character driven. It is that small driving force that can make all the difference. For instance I would not recommend "Destry Rides Again" Max Brand to certain members of my family because they do not like westerns, but I would recommend Miss Foley's collections to them. Miss Foley's stories are not bound by their genre. They more than just westerns. They are good stories that anyone at any age could easily enjoy.

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  You can visit Miss Foley's blog The Second Sentence, where she blogs about writing, books, westerns, and history, to learn more about her. She recently did a three-part series on color photography from the early 1900s to the 1940s and closed it off by featuring old videos from that same time frame.