Here’s a trio of our favorite westerns, plus a television show, and why we like them.
One-eyed Jacks has been rediscovered by audiences in recent years. This author saw it in a movie house when it came out in the Spring of 1961. It is the only movie Marlon Brando ever directed — fabulous cast, great cinematography, lots of action, and the best writing you’ll find in a western. When I came out of the theater, I called a kid — quoting from the movie — “You tub of guts. You gob of spit!” and promptly got the sheep dookey beat out of me by my mother.
Tom Horn is a starkly photographed , no-frills western that just seems real. This was Steve McQueen’s next to last movie. Interestingly, his last two films were about Bounty Hunters. He came to fame playing bounty hunter Josh Randall in Wanted Dead or Alive on television (1958-61). There is a jail break scene in the movie somewhat reminiscent of One-eyed Jacks. Again, the writing is superb:
Marshall: Do you know who I am?
Tom Horn: No.
Marsall: What you were in the Southwest, I was in the Northwest.
Tom Horn: I was mostly out of work.
In The Cowboys, John Wayne plays his age — or close to it (in the role of Wil Anderson, he says he’s 60 but he was 64 when the movie was filmed). That’s 64-year-old John Wayne doing a lot of his own hard riding and fighting in the film. Again, this is a movie that is well-written and stays pretty genuine throughout. There is a glitch or two. In a horse-breaking scene, in a change of camera angles, the horse Wayne holds for a young rider to mount changes from a flaxen mane to dark. Other than that, the movie’s pretty close to perfect.
What makes these movies truly great is, appearing in all, is the outstanding cowboy thespian, Slim Pickens!
When people talk about great western television series of the late 50s, this title, Laramie, usually is forgotten. That’s a mystery. This was a well-produced, action-packed NBC show with better-than-average writing. The two lead actors, John Smith and Robert Fuller, were very believable in their roles. Both were outstanding horsemen and handled most of their own stunts — which is in marked contrast to actors who appeared in more memorable western series. For gosh sakes, the cast of Bonanza looked like they could break into song at any moment — and unfortunately did on occasion.
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