A Celebration of Western Movies… Pardner!
Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (né Gay; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo artist with a string of successes, which earned him the nicknames “Prince of Motown” and “Prince of Soul”.
“I Heard It Through The Grapevine” ranked 1 at the US Billboard Hot 100 and also in the UK in 1969.
The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1960 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s.
Love this song.
In the decades since its release, “Be My Baby” has been played on radio and television over 3 million times. The song has influenced many artists, most notably the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, who wrote the 1964 hit “Don’t Worry Baby” as a response to “Be My Baby”. Many others have replicated or recreated the drum phrase, one of the most recognizable in pop music. The song has returned to the U.S. top 40 via cover versions by Andy Kim and Jody Miller. In 2006, the Library of Congress inducted the Ronettes’ recording into the United States National Recording Registry.
= Wikipedia
The Four Tops‘ song “Reach Out I’ll Be There” was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 from October 15–28, 1966. It was also the fourth most popular song of 1966 according to Billboard.
Great Song by a great Group.
Released in August 1967, the song reached number one on the US Billboard R&B chart.
Li’l Red Riding Hood
Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs / 1966
Ever seen a Wolf?
If you have, you’re lucky.
Why?
Because Wolves will usually spot us first.
And leave.
They’re smart.
“Based upon true events”?
The myth of the BIG BAD WOLF has been with us so long
that I doubt it will ever go away.
Maybe it started to stop the kids from wandering into
those “spooky old woods”?
or something else?
Amidst the gore and killing in American Primeval, mini series
the myth of dangerous Wolves is propagated once again.
(Makes you wonder what other liberties they’ve taken?)
I really couldn’t count the number of Movies – particularly Westerns –
where wolves are depicted attacking us poor humans.
So YES! once again our heroes are attacked by Wolves in American Primeval.
NOT just attacked, but these Wolves actually break into their cabin
to get at them! Truly Amazing stuff!
Truly.
From The International Wolf Center:
“In Europe and North America we only found evidence for 12 attacks (with 14 victims) of which two (both in North America) were fatal, across a period of 18 years. Considering that there are close to 60,000 wolves in North America and 15,000 in Europe, all sharing space with hundreds of millions of people, it is apparent that the risks associated with a wolf attack are above zero, but far too low to calculate.”
https://wolf.org/wolf-info/factsvsfiction/are-wolves-dangerous-to-humans/
In other words:
Wolves don’t attack people.
Never have. Never will.
Wish I could say the same about us not attacking Wolves.
Wolf Moon
So did you see the Wolf Moon a couple of days ago?
I had been tracking it for a while.
It was beautiful.
Full of brutal and graphic violence.
Don’t say you weren’t warned.
About 2 weeks ago some Malware got into my system.
It rode in on a FREE App called Greenshot that was supposed to offer an alternative to Windows 10 MS Snipping Tool which hadn’t been operating
properly for quite a while.
Consider this a warning about Greenshot which is still being promoted on on the Net in Searches for Free Snipping Tools.
I’d used MS Snipping Tool for many years.
Up till now it had been very useful and appreciated.
But somehow it got compromised and became useless.
Too bad.
So I looked for and downloaded Greenshot that is being promoted on the NET as an useful App.
BUT some ReDirect Malware rode in with it.
And no matter what I tried, I couldn’t get that
Greenshot Malware off my system.
Redirect Malware keeps redirecting your normal Browses to Yahoo
or other sites they’ve been paid to send you to.
This makes your Browers useless.
BUT since my system was long overdue for a cleaning and upgrade anyway,
I asked Rose’s son to install Windows 11.
I’ve been refusing Win 11 up till now, but MS eventually makes
it almost impossible for you not to use their stuff.
Sooooo … now I’m wrestling with Windows 11.
And trying to re-install everything.
‘It’s a process’ as they say …
I am confident I will eventually win.
Here Comes that Rainbow Again / Kris Kristofferson /1993
Some of Kris’ Western Movies in the last part of his career
are somewhat of a mystery to me.
I ask this because they are a
mixure of The Good and the Questionable?
He doesn’t even look well in a couple of them.
You be the judge?:
Haven’t seen it, but it recieved generally favorable reviews.
The Mystery?: Kris is Billed 3rd behind Chris Cooper and Patricia Clarkson,
but it’s pretty obvious by the this poster that Kris is the draw.
He looks like a giant God towering over them.
Posters, of course, often change with the Times.
Depends which way the wind is blowing.
Stars rise, Stars fall.
Then comes Lone Star in 1996.
A good movie. Will watch it again.
Chris Cooper returns. He’s good. Always.
Kris is the Bad Guy.
Young Matthew Maconaughey is risng and it actually billed (unjustly)
ahead of Cooper on the poster.
He’s bigger than everyone on this poster?
(I’ll never figure out this Billing thing.)
Whew … moving along.
7 more to to go Kris …
I’m just an old chunk of coal
Written and originally recorded by Billy Joe Shaver
Amen.
Barbara Allen
Bah Humbug?
Epic I say.
Inspired.
i heard the bells on christmas day …. casting crowns
… peace unto you …
and yours.
Help me make it through the night / Kris Kristofferson / 1970
On top of his incredible Hall of Fame Music career
Kris appeared in about 16 Westerns.
For most Entertainers that would be a Career in itself.
Kris’ Westerns started of with a literal bang …
Sam Pekinpah‘s Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)
And unquestionable Western Classic.
Peckinpah had a ‘stable’ of Actors that he employed over and over.
Thus Kris got a bit part in
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
This led to an even bigger bang:
Michael Cimino‘s extremely controversial
Heaven’s Gate (1980)
– that bankrupted United Artists.
Yet some think this too may eventually be considered a Classic?
Then came a Remake of the Western Classic Stagecoach (1986).
The Highwaymen rode again in
The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James(1986)
The Tracker (1988)
“He thought his days of violence had ended.
But the battle between good and evil is never over.”
Amen.
Miracle in the Wilderness (1994)
Sodbusters (1994)
Coming …
Part 3
and never forget.
In a system where a convicted criminal rapist who openly believes that
good is evil and evil is good is allowed to become the leader of the
most powerful country in the world.
What could go wrong?
Originally posted by me in 2016.
The Highwaymen / Live Forever
Kris’s Kristofferson’s Western film career started off with a definite Bang!! TWO HUGE BANGS to be exact. He first Starred in Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973). Peckinpah was already a controversial figure – and the story surrounding the making and dismemberment of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is legendary stuff – Sam eventually walking away from the project – the movie undergoing several edits –
resulting in 3 different versions.
Kris’s second Western – Heaven’s Gate (1980) may be the most controversial movie project in Film History – bankrupting United Artist Film Studio – due to the outrageous behavior of Director Michael Cimino – equally as controversial as Peckinpah.
The parallel between Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid and Heaven’s Gate is amazing: Two controversial renegade Director’s – possible both genius’s – who made two controversial Western movies – which were both dismembered by their respective Studios – ending up in multiple versions of each – but which were ultimately manifested into what many people consider as Westerns Classics. The verdict is still out on Heaven’s Gate –
but Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is in solid.
And Kris was in both of them. Amazing stuff.
In 1986 Kris made two Westerns: A remake of Stagecoach and The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James. Stagecoach Starred Kris, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings. The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James Starred Kris and Johnny Cash. Willie had a bit part in that one too.
Yep … these guys eventually formed the Country Music Supergroup
The Highwaymen.
Kris appeared in at least 16 Westerns …
Part 2 coming …
Watch Rathbone – he can barely contain himself!
Glynis Johns, Angela Lansbury, Basil Rathbone …
Amazing stuff !
And Danny Kaye … Genius.
