A Celebration of Western Movies… Pardner!
I won’t wait.
In the early 70’s I had a
Soul Travel experience where
I found myself flying about a mile
above the Sahara Desert. As I looked down I
thought to myself: “I better make use of this experience.”
Just then I heard a voice say: “Take me to Karnak”.
The next I knew I could see a Temple Complex
below me. When I came back from this
experience I realized I had never
heard the word Karnak before.
And I didn’t even know how to spell it.
I do now.
see you tomorrow …
Automobile / John Prine / 1979
My Saturday ride …
My Sunday ride …
Accidental image …
My Weekday ride …
My real ride …
I have no complaints.
Working Man / Rita MacNeil / 1990
Rita MacNeil CM ONS (May 28, 1944 – April 16, 2013)In 1990, she was the bestselling country artist in Canada, outselling even Garth Brooks and Clint Black. She was also the only female singer ever to have three separate albums chart in the same year in Australia.[2]
Through her career MacNeil received five honorary degrees, released 24 albums, won three Juno Awards, a SOCAN National Achievement Award,[3] four CCMA awards, eleven ECMA awards, was inducted into the
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame and was named to the
Order of Nova Scotia and Order of Canada.[4]
On the eighth anniversary of her death, April 16, 2021, it was announced that Rita MacNeil would be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame posthumously in May of that same year.[5]
~ 1970 ~
In looking at photos of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,
I noticed that Paul Newman is wearing his pistol on his right hip.
And shoots Right Handed in the movie.
This piqued my interest because I know there’s a popular and long standing notion that Paul Newman was Left Handed.
This notion comes from a Western that he made early in his career:
Young Paul as ‘The Kid’.
He was 33.
Poster Art seemed to have declined …
… so i fixed this one:
I contend that Paul was actually pretending to be Left Handed
in The Left Handed Gun.
Because that’s what the role called for.
This is called ACTING:
This whole Left Handed notion originated from the famous
Tin Type photograph of Bill the Kid (1880):
Because Tin Type photo images produce reverse (mirror) images
of the subject and therefore it appeared that The Kid was Left Handed.
This misconception was around for so long that
it became regarded as Fact.
The Kid was not Left Handed.
And I’ve got plenty of evidence that Paul Newman
wasn’t Left Handed either:
Possibly the best proof comes from his
Western Classic, Hombre (1967)
That’s definitely Right Handed Paul.
And Below: Paul as a right handed Apache.
And more Paul with the ‘Big Iron’ on his right hip: Below.
Even more evidence:
BWAM!!!
SLAM !!!
Thank You Maam.
That’s the Right Hand of the Law.
But there’s additional proof in
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid itself.
Pretty obvious.
I rest my case …
But there’s one more more weird twist to this trivia:
Robert Redford WAS Left Handed.
YET …
On the Official Poster for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid
they have reversed the image again!!!!
WHY?
You tell me?
Nobody … I guess?
Quality people.
Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head / sung by BJ Thomas
written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David 1969
“There are certain friendships that are sometimes too good
and too strong to talk about.”
– Robert Redford
It’s no secret that Redford and Newman
were like brothers in their relationship.
“Paul is the most generous man with whom I’ve ever worked.
We had a fantastic rapport shooting.
It was one of the happiest experiences of my life.”
– Robert Redford
Paul Newman was Billed as the Star.
He’s up front on most every pic and poster.
I’m sure Robert thought that was just fine.
Katherine Ross was basically along for the ride. She was still feasting on the success of The Graduate. But her Star was never in the same sky
as Newman and Redford.
“8” out of 10. Generous for IMDB.
WOW! Critics and the Public agree!
And that’s not a ‘given’ on Rotten Tomatoes.
This was Redford‘s second Western whereby he portrayed a famous character who had really existed:
Jeremiah Johnson and The Sundance Kid.
What they REALLY looked like:
BUT again,this wasn’t a documentary.
Time for a re-watch.
Next:
Part 3: Lefty or Righty?
“We do not own this place, we are just passengers”
– Robert Redford
Robert Redford made 2 notable Westerns – both now considered
Western Classics: Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).
A fistful of others ride the fringe.
I always challenged Redford‘s casting as Jeremiah Johnson.
He didn’t look like the Johnson at all, in either in stature or appearance.
But this wasn’t a documentary.
And Director Sydney Pollock (who Directed Redford in 7 Films)
knew that Redford‘s Star Power would guarantee success.
It did.
All in all, Redford did a great job and this is a great Western
that I watched several times.
Coming:
Robert Redford / Cowboy / Part 2
Heroes / by Angu / written by David Bowie
In keeping with my recent theme of Paladins …
There are 12 Spiritual Cities exist on this Planet.
Each operates in service to the Spiritual Hierarchy.
These cities exist on a supraphysical level –
essentially unknown, invisible, and inaccessible.
Shambala is the likely the most famous.
More and more, we find that the Legends and Myths of old
have substance and historical merit.
Statue of King Arthur at Tintagel Castle, Cornwall England:
So, what relevance and influence might such Legends have for us today?
I still know nothing.
“And sometimes thro’ the mirror blue
The knights come riding two and two:
She hath no loyal knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott.”
– Alfred, Lord Tennyson
I’ve been stuck for nearly 2 weeks.
Some would call this ‘Writers Block’.
I’ll call it Blog Block.
(It has a better ring to it anyway)
So I’m working on a least 4 posts,
but nothing will come together.
They just won’t.
Not that I don’t have the inspiration … I do.
But now I’m going to Prince Edward Island for 10 days.
This will be my big event for this Summer!
I will eventually break through.
Then I hope to go on a rampage.
We’ll see …
I see your true colorsShining throughI see your true colorsAnd that’s why I love youSo don’t be afraid to let them showYour true colorsTrue colors are beautifulLike a rainbow
Bluebirds over the Mountains / Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks / 1965
The Grackles drop by our bird feeder twice a year.
Once in Spring … and well … Today.
It’s easy to miss them.
They never announce their visit.
They just show up, eat a bunch of seeds, then fly off.
We’re lucky to see them at all!
But this year we were lucky:
Grackles … where they come and go.
Apples Dipped in Candy / Mickey Newbury / 1975
My favorite Newbury song.
Milton Sims “Mickey” Newbury Jr.
(May 19, 1940 – September 29, 2002)
Member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Mickey wrote over 500 songs.
Time gets us all.
Over time, a lot of my old posts have become corrupted .
I don’t monitor them as I should.
Unless somebody Comments on one.
Then I’m spurred to fix it.
And Repost it.
The Ballad of Jeremiah Johnson – Tim McIntire
Jeremiah Johnson made his way into the mountains
Bettin’ on forgettin’ all the troubles that he knew
The trail was wide and narrow
And the eagle or the sparrow
Showed the path he was to follow as they flew.
A mountain man’s a lonely man
And he leaves a life behind
It ought to have been different,
but oftimes you will find,
That the story doesn’t always
go that way you had in mind.
Jeremiah’s story was that kind. . .
Jeremiah’s story was that kind.
The Way that you Wander … Tim McIntire
The way that you wander is the way that you choose,
The day that you tarry is the day that you lose.
Sunshine or thunder, a man will always wonder.
Where the fair wind blows.
Jeremiah Johnson (Vocal Mix #2): Tim McIntire
An Indian says you search in vain
for what you cannot find.
He says you’ll find a thousand ways
for runnin’ down your time.
An Indian didn’t scream it, he said it in a song,
And he’s never been known to be wrong.
He’s never been known to be wrong.
Tim McIntire’s songs were a wonderful and perfect fit.
Could use you right now Abe.
Richard Harris sings Camelot / 1967
written by Lerner and Loewe
“Don’ t let it be forgot …”
Prince Valiant / Paladin
‘Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur’
In my exploration of Paladins in history and modern culture
I discovered an interesting coincidence with one of my childhood icons:
Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur
“Universally acclaimed as the most stunningly gorgeous adventure comic strip of all time, Prince Valiant ran for 35 years under the virtuoso pen of its creator, Hal Foster. (Such was its popularity that today, decades after Foster’s death, it continues to run under different hands.)”
“Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur, often simply called Prince Valiant, is an American comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stretch of that story now totals more than 4600 Sunday strips. The strip appears weekly in more than 300 American newspapers, according to its distributor, King Features Syndicate.”
The interesting coincidence I refer to, of course, is the similarity
of Paladins/Have Gun Will Travel Knight chess piece
and Prince Valiant’s chosen icon of the red horse.
I wouldn’t say for certain that Paladin borrowed
the Prince Valiant symbol, but even if he did,
it was a pretty good idea.
Coming:
Paladins of modern culture.
– and more
