When the legend becomes fact, print the legend. (
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance)
(Henry Fonda,
My Darling Clementine)
There's an old legend down in Kanab (little hollywood) in Southern Utah. Locals say that whenever John Wayne came to town to make a movie, he never paid cash, but always used checks. He knew that his signature was worth more than the money the checks were good for and instead of being cashed, they'd be framed and put on the walls. I don't know if it's true, but it makes for a good story. And, that's why I'm here, to watch good stories. Western author Frank Gruber said there are seven basic plots in Westerns and I'm curious to see if that's true:
1. Cavalry and indians
2. The Union Pacific or Pony Express story
3. The homesteaders or squatters theme
4. The cattle empire story
5. The lawman story
6. The revenge story
7. The outlaw story.
The movies I've chosen are taken from the Filmspotters' Top 100, individual filmspotters' top 100s and personal recommendations. Movies in
green are recommended for their scores by my conductor brother. He says that John Williams' "The Cowboys" is a mainstay in bands and symphonies everywhere.
3 Bad Men (Corndog recommended)
3 Godfathers (I have a copy)
3:10 to Yuma (1957) (Martin and smirnoff recommended)
Bad Day at Black Rock (Martin recommended)
The Big Country (Antares recommended)
A Big Hand for the Little Lady (Antares recommended)
Blazing Saddles (Bondo and Martin recommend)
Broken Arrow (oldkid recommended)
Buck and the Preacher (Martin recommended)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (ses and oldkid recommended)
Canyon Passage (roujin recommended)
Cheyenne Autumn (I have a copy)
The Cowboy and the Lady (roujin shared a clip and I was sold!)
The CowboysThe Deadly CompanionsDestry Rides Again (Antares recommended)
El Dorado (1SO recommended)
The Far Country (# 93 roujin)
The Fastest Gun Alive (Antares recommended)
Fistful of Dollars (#3 'Noke, #9 jbissell, #18 Emiliana, #19 Jared, #22 Sam the Cinema Snob, #39 Tim [still alive], #66 Devil, #92 tinyholidays, Martin recommended)
For a Few Dollars More (#35 1SO, #45 smirnoff, #57 Senor Javi, #63 munchin, #83 michael x, Martin recommended)
Fort Apache (#21 colonel_mexico)
Forty GunsThe Furies (Martin Teller recommended)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (#3 THATguy, #5 Clovis8, #6 Senor Javi, #12 tinyholidays, #14 Zarodinu, #15 Shadrik, #16 ses, #21 Filmspotters, #21 sdb_1970, #22 michael x, #29 Devil, #30 Martin Teller, #30 Melvil, #32 Jared, #36 george96, #40 Antares, #42 verbALs, #44 munchin, #45 1SO, #54 GothamCity, #55 Totoro, #56 Corndog, #62 Emiliana, #65 Sam the Cinema Snob, #74 'Noke, #99 ferris, unordered--LukeRobot and Winchester 73)
The Good, the Bad, the Weird (Bondo and Devil recommended)
Gun for a Coward (smirnoff recommended)
Gun Glory (smirnoff recommended)
Co-Review with smirnoff. The Gunfighter (#90 pixote)
High Noon (Martin recommended)
Jeremiah Johnson (Antares recommended)
Johnny Guitar (#34 Totoro, #87 jbissell and philip918 recommended)
Junior Bonner (Antares recommended)
Let the Bullets Fly (Martin recommended)
Little Big Man (#87 1SO)
Lonesome Dove (smirnoff recommended)
Love Me Tender (Merry Music of May Group Marathon 2014)
The Magnificent Seven (Antares and Martin recommended)
The Man from Laramie (Recommended by Anna Imhof (Letterboxd))
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Antares recommended, #16 verbALs, #32 Junior, #57 ArmenianScientist, #58 Bondo, #61 michael x, #67 Senor Javi, #86 jbissell, #97 1SO, #100 Zarodinu)
McCabe and Mrs. Miller (#69 1SO, ses recommended)
McLintock! (1S0 recommended)
Meek's Cutoff (Jeff Schroeck's top 100)
My Darling Clementine (#41 Junior, #74 roujin, Martin and Junior recommended)
No Name on the Bullet (Antares and 1SO recommended, as Audie Murphy's best)
Once Upon a Time in the West (verbALs, Antares, Devil recommended, #2 'Noke, #3 verbALs, #3 Antares, #5 Beavermoose, #5 THATguy, #7 GothamCity, #8 jbissell, #12 Dave the Necrobumper, #15 Filmspotting, #15 Solid Blake, #16 ses, #18 Emiliana, #19 Jared, #34 pixote, #37 oldkid, #42 Devil, #43 1SO, #64 roujin, #77 Zarodinu, #82 Corndog)
Open Range (#89 smirnoff, Antares and Devil recommended, )
The Outlaw Josey Wales (Antares and Martin recommended)
The Ox-Bow Incident (#77 PeacefulAnarchy, Antares, Bondo and Martin recommended)
The Proposition (#73 Junior, Dave and Devil recommended)
Co-Review with Knocked Out Loaded Rio Bravo (ses and Bondo recommended)
Rio Grande (part of Ford's Calvary Trilogy)
Ruggles of Red Gap (Antares recommended)
The Searchers (#1 colonel_mexico, ses, oldkid and Martin recommended)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (#96 Totoro)
The Shootist (smirnoff recommended)
Silver Lode (1SO recommended)
Silverado (#85 1SO (Chuck's Essentials)
The Tall T (#34 sdedalus, Devil and Martin recommended)
They Call Me Trinity (Dave recommended)
The Tin Star (1SO recommended)
Tombstone (Bondo, Devil and ses recommended)
True Grit (1969) (Martin and oldkid recommended)
True Grit (2010) (#1 smirnoff)
Unforgiven (#33 colonel_mexico, #54 1SO, Devil, Martin, oldkid and ses recommended)
Co-Review with smirnoff. Vera Cruz (#97 1SO)
Wagon Master (#57 sdedalus)
Warlock (1SO recommended)
The WesternerWestward the Women (1SO recommended)
Wichita (1SO recommended)
The Wild Bunch (Devil recommended)
Winchester '73 (1SO and Devil recommended, Communal Watchlist)
Corndog's Westerns MarathonIf I've left someone off or have something incorrect, please let me know. Thanks!