James Stewart Cowboy / Riding on …

“The great thing about the movies … is you’re giving people little … tiny pieces of time … that they never forget.”
– James Stewart


So ends my tribute to James Stewart / Western Hero
one of my Top Ten Favorite Western Stars.
I could go on and on about him because …
James made about 18 Westerns.
Several are considered Western Classics.

You decide:

1939
1950
1950
1952
1953
1954
1955
1957
1961
1962
1962
1964
1965
1966
1968
1968
1970
1976

TWO RODE TOGETHER, James Stewart, 1961' Photo | AllPosters.com | Old western movies, Western film, Western movies

“I’d like people to remember me as someone who was good at his job
and seemed to mean what he said.”
James Stewart

Done Jimmy.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance / Oddity No. 2: BILLING Mysteries … Part 2 … The Posters

Movie Posters in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
also seem to be different than what I would have expected.

On every poster James Stewart’s name is Billed above John Wayne’s.
You would at least expect them to be side by side? No?
Even then, Stewart’s name appears first.
And though some might argue that they appear equal in
size, color and text, Stewart’s name is still before Wayne’s.
Again, I wouldn’t expect to see this unless
it was approved by Wayne himself.

It’s possible there’s something going on here
that I don’t know about … ? Contractual agreement?
*shrug?* But there it is.

I wonder though that if The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
came out today the Poster might look like this instead:

But … you know what? Though Jimmy was unquestionably worthy
I wonder if he could have cared at all?

In any case: “This is the West, sir.
When the legend becomes fact print the legend.”

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance / Oddity No. 2: The BILLING Mystery … Part 1 …

In Movies, Billing is a big deal.
Billing refers to Order, Place, Size, and Color of your name
as it appears on The Marquee, Posters, Advertising, Film Trailer,
and on Screen, etc. – if at all.
In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
I noticed some interesting Billing anomalies.

Between 1949–1957 and 1959–1974
John Wayne
was in the Top Ten Money Making Stars 25 times!!!

That’s a record number.
This includes 1962 when The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was made.
So you’d expect that Wayne would be Top Billed on everything, right?
Wrong.
But for some reason (unknown to me), he wasn’t.
Let’s start with the Official Trailer Preview.

James Stewart is Billed first!?
Wayne is Billed Second!:

Both Bills are the same size and configuration …
BUT Wayne’s Bill is still an obvious Second.

I doubt this could have occurred without Wayne’s approval.
Wayne had great respect and friendship with Stewart.
This was later reflected again when Stewart was handpicked by Wayne
for a nice role in Wayne’s final Film: The Shootist (1976).


And it’s notable that both Stars were Billed
ahead of the actual Movie Title Banner itself:


This reflects Stewart’s and Wayne’s Star Power of course –
They were the Draw.

However …
… on the actual Film Screen … things are different:
Wayne is Billed first – as we would have expected.

Stewart is second …

… and both are still Billed before the Film Banner:

Another interesting Billing oddity of that Lee Marvin isn’t Billed at all !!
in most any of the Movie’s advertising –
even though he plays the Title character, Liberty Valance.

Lee had not yet emerged as a Top Star.

That was soon to change.

Next:
We’re going to check the
Billing on the Movie’s Posters.

The Wild Bunch cont. ……………… Casting Call Part 1

The Wild Bunch - The Walk reversed

A Wilder Bunch??

Casting Call Part 1 / Pike Bishop
The Wild Bunch 1973

The Wild Bunch - Holden
The Wild Bunch / Pike Bishop / William Holden

I always like to check who got a particular role/part/casting – and how – why? Who refused it – missed out? The casting story for The Wild Bunch reveals some very interesting candidates.

Who would you have picked? Why? A very tough decision.

Wikipedia says: “Director Sam Peckinpah considered many actors for the Pike Bishop role, before casting William Holden: Richard Boone, Sterling Hayden, Charlton Heston, Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, and James Stewart. Marvin actually accepted the role but pulled out after he was offered a larger pay deal to star in Paint Your Wagon (1969).”

Pretty well a Who’s Who of Western film Icons.

Who would you have Cast?:

Richard Boone

Richard Boone Western Filmography
Way of a Gaucho
– (1952) / Pony Soldier (uncredited) (1952)
City of Bad Men – (1953) / The Siege at Red River – (1954)
The Raid – (1954) / Ten Wanted Men – (1955)
Man Without a Star – (1955) / Robbers’ Roost – (1955)
Star in the Dust – (1956) / The Tall T – (1957)
The Alamo – (1960) / A Thunder of Drums – (1961)
Rio Conchos – (1964) / Hombre – (1967)
Big Jake  (1971) / Against a Crooked Sky – (1975)
Diamante Lobo – (1976) / The Shootist – (1976)

Richard Boone TV Westerns
Frontier – episode – The Salt War -1956)
Studio One in Hollywood – episode – Dead of Noon – (1957)
Have Gun – Will Travel – 225 episodes – (1957–1963)
Cimarron Strip – episode – The Roarer – (1967)
Hec Ramsey – 10 episodes – (1972-1974)

Sterling Hayden

Sterling Hayden Western Filmography
1949 El Paso / 1952 Flaming Feather
1952 Denver and Rio Grande / 1952 Hellgate
1953 Kansas Pacific / 1954 Arrow In the Dust
1954 Johnny Guitar / 1955 Timberjack
1955 Shotgun / 1955 Top Gun
1955 The Last Command / 1957 Gun Battle at Monterey
1957 The Iron Sheriff / 1958 Terror in a Texas Town
1975 Cipolla Colt

Sterling Hayden TV Westerns
1957 Zane Grey Theater / 1957 Wagon Train
1982 The Blue and the Gray

Charleton Heston

Charleton Heston Western Filmography
1952 The Savage / 1952 The President’s Lady
1953 Pony Express / 1953 Arrowhead
1955 The Far Horizons / 1957 Three Violent People
1958 The Big Country /  1965 Major Dundee
1968 Will Penny1972 The Call of the Wild
1980 The Mountain Men / 1993 Tombstone

Burt Lancaster 2

Burt Lancaster Western Filmography
1951 Vengeance Valley / 1951 Ten Tall Men
1954 Apache1954 Vera Cruz
1955
The Kentuckian / 1956 The Rainmaker
1957 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral / 1960 The Unforgiven
1965 The Hallelujah Trail / 1966 The Professionals
1968 The Scalphunters / 1971 Lawman
1971 Valdez Is Coming1972 Ulzana’s Raid
1976 Buffalo Bill and the Indians 1981 Cattle Annie and Little Britches

Lee Marvin

Lee Marvin Western Filmography
Gun Fury (1953) / The Raid (1954)
The Comancheros (1961) / The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Cat Ballou (1965) / The Professionals (1966)
Paint Your Wagon (1969) / Monte Walsh (1970)
The Spikes Gang (1974)

TV Westerns:
Wagon Train
Bonanza, and The Virginian … 

Robert Mitchum

Robert Mitchum Western Filmography
1943 Hoppy Serves a Writ / 1943 Border Patrol
1943 Leather Burners / 1943 Colt Comrades
1943 The Lone Star Trail / 1943 Beyond the Last Frontier
1943 Bar 20 / 1943 False Colors
1943 Riders of the Deadline / 1944 Nevada
1945 West of the Pecos / 1947 Pursued
1948 Blood on the Moon / 1949 The Red Pony
1952 The Lusty Men / 1954 River of No Return
1955 Man with the Gun / 1956 Bandido
1959 The Wonderful Country / 1967 El Dorado
1967 The Way West / 1968 Villa Rides
1968 5 Card Stud / 1969 Young Billy Young
1969 The Good Guys and the Bad Guys
1993 Tombstone Narrator / 1995 Dead Man

Robert Mitchum TV Work
1985 North and South

Gregory Peck

Gregory Peck Western Filmography
1946 Duel in the Sun / 1946 Yellow Sky
1950 The Gunfighter / 1950 Only the Valiant
1958 The Bravados / 1958 The Big Country
1962 How the West Was Won / 1967 The Stalking Moon
1967 Mackenna’s Gold / 1982 The Blue and the Gray
1989 Old Gringo

James Stewart 2

James Stewart Western Filmography
1939 Destry Rides Again / 1950 Winchester ’73
1950 Broken Arrow / 1952 Bend of the River
1953 The Naked Spur / 1954 The Far Country
1955 The Man from Laramie / 1961 Two Rode Together
1962 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
1962 How the West Was Won / 1964 Cheyenne Autumn
1965 Shenandoah / 1966 The Rare Breed
1968 Firecreek / 1968 Bandolero!
1970 The Cheyenne Social Club
1976 The Shootist

Amazing … stunning. You can’t lose. Put all the names in a hat and pull one out … any one of them would have done a great job.

Next let’s have a look at Ernest Borgnine’s role of Dutch Engstrom …

Ernest Borgnine

The Professionals / 1966 cont’d …

The Professionals …

The Professionals / Laurel Award
The Professionals / Laurel Award

The Professionals Banner

Three 1966 Academy Award Nominations:

Best Director: Richard Brooks

Best Adapted Screenplay: Richard Brooks

Best Cinematography: Conrad Hall

The film won two Motion Picture Magazine Laurel Awards in 1967, for Best Action Drama and Best Action Performance for Lee Marvin.
In Germany, it was one of only four movies to receive a Golden Screen award (the others were Doctor ZhivagoMerveilleuse Angélique and You Only Live Twice) in 1967.

The Professionals Banner

The Professionals Lee Marvin
The Professionals / Lee Marvin

The Professionals … 1966

“Maybe there’s only one revolution, since the beginning, the good guys against the bad guys. Question is, who are the good guys?”
– Burt Lancaster / The Professionals 

The Professionals … 

Truly.

Lee Marvin moves into full blown stardom – becoming a legitimate box office titan – in one of the greatest Westerns ever made (My Favorite) starring along side Western Film Greats Burt Lancaster, Jack Palance, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode, Claudia Cardinale, Ralph Belamy … What a cast!

Following Cat Ballou (Oscar) this is one of 4 Westerns remaining in Marvin’s Western filmography: Monte Walsh / 1970 (with Jack Palance); Paint Your Wagon / 1969 (with Clint Eastwood); Emperor of the North / 1973 (with Charles Bronson).

A true Western Star.

The Professionals posters
The Professionals posters

Liberty Valance / Goodguys and Badguys …

Liberty Valance / Goodguys and Badguys ….

Liberty Valance / Goodguys and Badguys …

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - John Wayne

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – John Wayne

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Showdown

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – Showdown

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Showdown 2

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – Showdown

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Showdown 4

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – Showdown

Liberty Valance / Goodguys and Badguys …

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - John Wayne
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – John Wayne
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Showdown
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – Showdown
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Showdown 2
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – Showdown
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Showdown 4
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – Showdown

Liberty Valance / Marvin – “Right between the eyes”

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

The Next one ... is Right Between the Eyes
“The next one … is right between the eyes.”

Trailer

<iframe width=”640″ height=”360″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/bN0onE09-8c?feature=player_detailpage” frameborder=”0″>

Reviews

It’s often interesting to read reviews from when the time the film was originally released – and see how they bear up as to how the film is presently regarded.
Several movies that are now regarded as Classics were savagely ripped by reviewers of the day. But time often tells a different story. However …

Wikipedia tells us (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Shot_Liberty_Valance)

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was an instant hit when released in April 1962, thanks to its classic story and popular stars John Wayne and James Stewart. Produced on a budget of $3.2 million, the film grossed $8,000,000 at the box office, making it the 16th highest grossing film of 1962. Edith Head‘s costumes for the film were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, one of the few westerns to ever be nominated for the award. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance has continued its popularity through repeated television broadcasts and the rental market. It is also widely considered to be one of director John Ford‘s best westerns and generally ranks alongside Red RiverThe SearchersThe Big Trail, and Stagecoach as one of John Wayne‘s best films.”

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Rotten Tomatoes Review
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – Rotten Tomatoes Review

The Critics liked – and the People liked it.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - IMDB Review
A Classic
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Andy Devine and Woody Strode
Andy Devine and Woody Strode

Below: A nice video presentation with a nice rendition of song The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance written by songsters Burt Bacharach and Hal Davis.
Warning: possible huge spoilers … if you’ve never seen the movie.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance / Lee Marvin

Looking back on posts I made in 2013.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Lee MarvinFebruary 19, 1924 – August 29, 1987

Between The Comancheros  and Cat Ballou (Oscar), Marvin continued his meteoric climb to the Hollywood heights with perhaps his most famous role as Liberty Valence in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Many will agree that Lees viscous performance easily upstages Hollywood greats John Wayne and James Stewart – and perhaps establishing an iconic benchmark for Western villainy. YET, on the official poster (below) we still see Marvin billed a distant 4th behind Stewart (billed first over Wayne?), Wayne, and Vera Miles – with no notable image of Marvin – even though his character (Valance) is in the movies title !!! I’ll never figure out Hollywood marketing.
Look for another future Western Badguy superstar (yet to emerge)
Lee (Van Cleef) as one of Marvin’s henchmen.

Liberty Valence poster
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Valance – Official Poster
Liberty Valence poster 2
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

(Above) That’s Lee at the bottom … I guess

Liberty Valence poster 3
The stage to Hollywood?
Lee
Lee
Marvin - making a point
Making a point …
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Where's my breakfast?
Making a stronger point
Marvin - Demanding a recount
I demand a recount
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Bad ... I tell ya.
Bad I tell ya.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Breakfast at Badguys
Badguys at Breakfast – Van Cleef, Strother Martin, Marvin
THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALENCE - John Wayne 3
THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE – John Wayne

Love him or hate him, you’d really have to search for a long time to find a lousy picture of John Wayne. This guy was charisma personified.

James Stewart
James Stewart
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Woody Strode and Wayne
Woody Strode and Wayne
3 Western Icons
Three great Western Film icons- Stewart, Ford, Wayne

No lack of Star Power.

Marvin Filmography cont’d … Cat Ballou / 1966 / Part 3 …

No plain Jane 

“Well, if people didn’t try something new,
there wouldn’t be hardly any progress at all.”

–  Jane Fonda / 
Cat Ballou

CAT BALLOU - JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU – JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU - JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU – JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU - JANE FONDA 3
CAT BALLOU – JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU - JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU – JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU - JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU – JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU - JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU – JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU - JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU – JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU - JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU – JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU - JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU – JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU - JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU – JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU - JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU – JANE FONDA
CAT BALLOU - Jane and Lee
CAT BALLOU – Jane and Lee
CAT BALLOU Lee and Jane
CAT BALLOU Lee and Jane
CAT BALLOU - Jane and Lee
CAT BALLOU – Jane and Lee
Jane Fonda - Best Actress - Coming Home 1978
Jane Fonda – Best Actress – ‘Coming Home’ 1978
CAT BALLOU - The End
CAT BALLOU – The End

Marvin Filmography cont’d … Cat Ballou / 1966 / Part 2 …

Cat Ballou – Ballad of Kid Shelleen

Jane Who ?

MFW: You’re right Marilyn … nobody knew he had it in him. 

Cat Ballou - Rotten Tomatoes
Cat Ballou – Rotten Tomatoes Review

 Kid Shelleen (Lee Marvin) demonstrates his gun hand ….  

Cat Ballou - Lee Marvin - Kid Shelleen 2
Don’t do this at home folks …
Cat Ballou - Lee Marvin - Kid Shelleen 4
Kid Shelleen … shooting everything in the vicinity …
Cat Ballou - Lee Marvin - Kid Shelleen
Kid Shelleen … ready for action
Cat Ballou - Lee Marvin - Kid Shelleen
Kid Shelleen – Yee Haw !!
Time for nap ...
Time for nap …
Cat Ballou - Nat 'King' Cole and Stuby Kaye
Cat Ballou – Nat ‘King’ Cole and Stubby Kaye

CAT BALLOU the whole gang ...

The whole dang gang:
Dwayne Hickman, Michael Callan, Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin, Tom Nardini

Marvin Filmography cont’d … Cat Ballou / 1966 / Part 1 …

 “He did it! He missed the barn!”

MFW: And now for something COMPLETELY different: a movie so unique that it almost defies category:  One the strangest … Westerns? … definitely a comedy … ever made. Unique .. funny … star studded … award winning … and it made lottsa money.

CAT BALLOU posters

Cat Ballou - Nat 'King' Cole and Stuby Kaye
Cat Ballou – Nat ‘King’ Cole and Stubby Kaye
Cat Ballou - Lee Marvin as Kid Shelleen
Cat Ballou – Lee Marvin as Kid Shelleen
Cat Ballou - Lee Marvin as Tim Strawn
Cat Ballou – Lee Marvin as Tim Strawn
Cat Ballou - Nat 'King' Cole and Stuby Kaye 2
Cat Ballou – Nat ‘King’ Cole and Stubby Kaye 2
Cat Ballou - Lee Marvin with Oscar
Cat Ballou – Lee Marvin with Oscar

He may have missed the barn, but he still made a bulls-eye.

More … on the way …

Marvin Western Filmography 6 The Comancheros (1961)

Marvin Western Filmography 6 The Comancheros (1961).

Marvin Western Filmography 6 The Comancheros (1961)

9MAY

Lee Marvin / John Wayne 

Lee makes it to the Top of the Mountain – A Western with John Wayne

The Commancheros banner

The Comancheros banner

The Commancheros - posters

The Comancheros – posters

… But he’s still 5th on the Bill

The Comancheros Trailer

A Western actors dream - a scene - and a drink with the Duke

A Western actor’s dream – a scene – and a drink with the Duke.

Revisionist Postering ... Lee moves to the front/

Revisionist Postering … Lee moves to the front.

The Comancheros - The Duke

The Comancheros – The Duke

Marvin and Wayne

Marvin and Wayne

The Comancheros - The End

The Comancheros – The End

Marvin Western Filmography 6 The Comancheros (1961)

Lee Marvin / John Wayne 

Lee makes it to the Top of the Mountain – A Western with John Wayne

The Commancheros banner
The Comancheros banner
The Commancheros - posters
The Comancheros – posters

… But he’s still 5th on the Bill

The Comancheros Trailer

A Western actors dream - a scene - and a drink with the Duke
A Western actor’s dream – a scene – and a drink with the Duke.
Revisionist Postering ... Lee moves to the front/
Revisionist Postering … Lee moves to the front.
The Comancheros - The Duke
The Comancheros – The Duke
Marvin and Wayne
Marvin and Wayne
The Comancheros - The End
The Comancheros – The End

Marvin Western Filmography 6 Pillars of the Sky (1956)

Lee Marvin and Jeff Chandler 

Pillars of the Sky (1956) Banner
Pillars of the Sky (1956) Banner
Pillars of the Sky (1956) posters
Pillars of the Sky (1956) posters

Marvin … 5th on the Bill

Chandler at left - Marvin at center
Marvin at center – Chandler at right

Marvin Western Filmography 5 The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953)

Lee Marvin and Randolph Scott

The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953) Banner
The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953) Banner
The Stranger Wore a Gun posters 1953
The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953) posters
The Stranger Wore a Gun 1953 Marvin and Borgnine
The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953) Marvin and Borgnine
The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953) Billing
Marvin … Billed behind Borgnine
DVD Talk – Partial Review / Review by Stuart Galbraith IV | posted August 24, 2005

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/17309/stranger-wore-a-gun-the/

The Stranger Wore a Gun is a muddled mess made palatable by Scott’s likeable hero, a strong supporting cast, and the novelty of 3-D at its most nakedly exploitive.

Marvin Western Filmography 4 … Seven Men from Now (1956)

Lee Marvin and Randolph Scott 

7 Men from Now - Banner
7 Men from Now – Banner

7 Men from Now - Posters
7 Men from Now – Posters

Lee moves up to 3rd on the Bill …

7 Men from Now - Lee Marvin
7 Men from Now – Lee Marvin

Warning: Huge Spoiler below … 

…  Lee gets killed … 

Marvin Western Filmography 3 … The Raid (1954)

Lee Marvin and Van Heflin 

The Raid (1954) - Lee Marvin
The Raid (1954)
The Raid (1954) - Posters
The Raid (1954) – Posters

Lee moves up to 4th on the Bill

The Raid (1954) - Heflin (right) Marvin (left)
The Raid (1954) – Heflin, Graves, Marvin
The Raid (1954) - Marvin - Heflin
The Raid (1954) – Marvin – Heflin

… a change of plans …

One Line Reviews: Iain Stott

http://1linereview.blogspot.ca/2009/03/raid-1954.html

The Raid (1954)
Recommended
USA Feature Film
Director: Hugo Fregonese
Writers: Sydney Boehm, Francis Cockrell, Herbert Ravenal Sass
Cinematographer: Lucien Ballard
Composer: Roy Webb
Cast: Van Heflin, Anne Bancroft, Richard Boone, Lee Marvin,
Tommy Rettig, Peter Graves

Fregonese’s fact based US Civil War film, chronicling a confederate soldier’s infiltration of a small town in Vermont as he prepares to sack it, complicated by his meeting of an attractive young widow, is, with its excellent performances and uncompromising scripting, a thrilling yet intelligent examination of the ambiguities of war and human relationships.