Directed by Sam Peckinpah Written by Rudy Wurlitzer Starring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, Richard Jaeckel, Katy Jurado, Chill Wills, Barry Sullivan, Jason Robards, Slim Pickens, Bob Dylan Criterion is bringing out Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid (1973) on 4K and Blu-Ray in July. And since Peckinpah’s last Western was such a mutilated mess by the time MGM dumped it into theaters, Criterion is packing all three existing version into the set — • 50th Anniversary Release, supervised by editors Paul Seydor & Roger Spottiswoode • Sam Peckinpah’s Final Preview Cut • Original ..read more

Directed by John Ford Produced by John Ford & Merian C. Cooper Screenplay by Laurence Stallings, Frank S. Nugent & Robert Nathan Based on The Three Godfathers by Peter B. Kyne Director Of Photography: Winton Hoch, ASC Film Editor: Jack Murray Musical Score: Richard Hageman Cast: John Wayne (Robert Marmaduke Hightower), Pedro Armendáriz (Pedro Encarnación Escalante y Rocafuerte, AKA Pete), Harry Carey Jr. (William Kearney, The Abilene Kid), Mildred Natwick (Mother), Ward Bond (Sheriff Perley “Buck” Sweet), Mae Marsh (Mrs. Sweet), Jane Darwell (Miss Florie), Guy Kibbee (Judge), Hank Wo ..read more

Directed by Anthony Mann Starring Robert Taylor, Louis Calhern, Paula Raymond, Marshall Thompson, James Mitchell, Edgar Buchanan One of John Alton’s pictures making its way to Blu-Ray is a reason to celebrate — so get out the champagne, here comes Devil’s Doorway (1950) from Warner Archive.* This Anthony Mann picture — one of the first of what we’d come to label “50s Westerns” — is terrific in every possible way. Robert Taylor is great as the Indian who returns home from the Civil War with a Medal Of Honor, only to find the typical respectable townspeople (Louis Calhern is one of ’em) tryin ..read more

Today’s Opening Day for major league baseball — and the home opener for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The thing around here is to mark the first game at Dodgers Stadium with the great John Ford sporting a Dodgers cap. Let’s go Dodgers ..read more

Bob Madison’s book Tom Mix And The Wild West Christmas has been named the Spur Award Finalist for Best Juvenile Western by the Western Writers of America. Bob writes as Scott McCrea. You can get a copy here. In addition to being my friend, Bob is a huge Westerns fan and a big supporter of this blog. Congratulations, Bob ..read more

Directed by Fred F. Sears Produced by Colbert Clark Screen Play by Victor Arthur Based on a story by Bill Milligan Director Of Photography: Fayte M. Browne Film Editor: Paul Borofsky Music by Mischa Bakaleinikoff Cast: Charles Starrett (Steve Brandon/Durango Kid), Smiley Burnette (Smiley), Gloria Henry (Susan Atkins), William Bailey (Luke Atkins), Edgar Dearing (Capt. Dan Saunders), Raymond Bond (Jud Norton), Jock O’Mahoney (Sheriff Rob Saunders) Pulled out Mill Creek’s two-disc The Durango Kid Collection again the other day. This time, it was Lightning Guns (1950). Ranchers in Piute Va ..read more

Directed by John Ford Director Of Photography: Winton Hoch, ASC Starring John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, Harry Carey Jr., Mildred Natwick, Ward Bond, Mae Marsh, Jane Darwell, Hank Worden, Ben Johnson Here’s one we’ve all been calling for for years. Warner Archive is bringing John Ford’s 3 Godfathers (1948) to Blu-Ray in March. I’ve written about this one before. It’s sometimes criticized for its sentimentality and religious allegory. But everyone agrees it’s beautiful to look at. Redemption is one of the most common themes in Westerns, and John Ford brings it front and center here. He even s ..read more

Sam Peckinpah February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984 Here’s to Sam Peckinpah, one of the Western’s greatest directors on what would’ve been his 99th birthday. His Ride The High Country (1962) and The Wild Bunch (1969) are among the finest Westerns ever made. From those pictures to The Westerner and The Rifleman on TV, his feel for the West really set his work apart. Unfortunately, these days, stories of his self-destructive lifestyle and battles with studio executives seem to get as much attention as his films. He’s seen above playing poker with William Holden while on location for The Wild B ..read more

My second book, Another Run Through The Gauntlet, is now available. A few folks have already received their copies, and I’m so happy to hear they liked it! My almost 10-year-old post (!) on Clint Eastwood’s The Gauntlet (1977) remains one of the most popular posts on my other blog. It spurred hundreds of emails, launched a couple digital friendships and has now been expanded into a little book. Back then, I thought I was the only one who even liked what a friend calls “that stupid movie with Clint Eastwood and the bus.” I was expecting plenty of “how can you like that thing?” responses. Boy ..read more

Directed by Anthony Mann Starrings Henry Fonda, Anthony Perkins, Betsy Palmer, Michael Ray, Neville Brand, John McIntire, Lee Van Cleef I’m really excited to announce this one. Arrow is bringing Anthony Mann’s The Tin Star (1957) to Blu-Ray in late April, and I had the extreme honor of doing a commentary for what will certainly be an incredible disc. You should see the list of extras on this thing! The in-progress file I worked from was unbelievable — highlighting Loyal Griggs’ remarkable B&W Vistavision cinematography. What he and Anthony Mann do with the format’s deep-focus will really ..read more