Company Always on the run
Destiny is the rising sun
Oh I was born 6-gun in my hand
Behind a gun I’ll make my final stand
That’s why they call me Bad company
And I can’t deny
Bad company
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die Rebel souls
Deserters we are called
Chose a gun and threw away the sun
Now these towns
They all know our name 6-gun sound is our claim to fame
I can hear them say Bad company
And I won’t deny
Bad Bad company
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
SOLO Bad
Bad company
I can’t deny
Bad company
Till the day I die
And I say it’s
Bad company Oh Yeah—Yeah
Bad company
Till the day I die Oh Yeah Tell me that you are not a thief
Oh But I am
Bad Company
It’s the way I play
Dirty for dirty
Oh Somebody Double-crossed me
Double-cross
Double-cross
Yeah
We’re Bad company
Kill in cold blood
Harry Dean Stanton didn’t appear in a lot of Westerns– yet he did appear in at least two of note: Pekinpah’sPat Garrett and Billy the Kid and John Ford’sHow the West was Won.
Harry Dean Stanton is among a large but distinguished fraternity of Actors / Actresses whom I affectionately – and respectfully – refer to as the Recycled Cowboys.
Other members of this fraternity include Slim Pickens, Matt Clark, Jack Elam, Katy Jurado, L.Q. Jones *… and on and on. As I say, a rather large fraternity, yet not diminished in it’s worthiness as being a fraternity of notable support actors.
(*(MFW: Every one of the actors named above – including Stanton – plus others – appeared in Sam Pedinpah’s great Western masterpiece Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid – which should be cause to recognize two things: Pekinpah’s great love for Western Film – and what a great and important Western Classic Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is.))
Most are recognized only by their frequent faces – but remain mainly anonymous in name. Others – like Pickins and Elam are well recognized. Stanton is surely among these – and may even be considered to have an almost cult-like following.
Sometimes Recycled Cowboys rise from the dust – the background – as movie Extras – to stardom. As did Ernest Borgnine and Charles Bronson – who laboured in the background for many movies before achieving outright Stardom. Others start out as Stars then fall back – but not out. Stranger still, many a Recycled Cowboy may enjoy more work than many Stars – appearing in dozens of films and TV shows. They may not get the same Billing or paycheque, but they probably aren’t hurting much either.
I hope to pay homage to many of these important and popular actors in the future.
Happy Trails.
Harry Dean Stanton Western Filmography:
Sorry – No pics of Harry Dean for Tomahawk Trail. Lisa Montell and Susan Cummings.No Stanton photo. Alan Ladd and son, David Ladd
He actually made a cameo in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Quite a character. Drunk quite a bit (they say) and hard to get along with. But a great Director.
Don’t know this Badass, as Westerns are my weakness as a movie buff. Watched ‘Hang ‘m High’ with Clint yesterday. Saw Mr. Dern with his horse teeth and dishonest eyes. I liked it.
Though Sam Pekinpah didn’t just make Westerns, he made 2 Western Classics – both of them controversial: ‘The Wild Bunch’ – due it’s graphic slow motion blood-shed – which went a long way toward earning him the nickname “Bloody Sam – and the almost equally controversial – for different reasons – Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid – due to his prolonged infighting with the producers (MGM) – who finally took his film footage and edited it (as many as six different editors they say) in order to produce a commercial movie. He abandoned and disclaimed this official (original) 1973 version – which was not well received (by critics anyway). Eventually some of Pekinpah’s comrades re-edited the movie (1988) in an attempt to re-create what they felt Pekinpah intended = Version 2. Peckinpah had already passed on though. This version was well received and critically acclaimed. Finally a third version – with improved image quality – but incredibly the author cut some scenes!! – generated more controversy.
Pekinpah’s support cast in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a stunning Who’s Who of Western film – including Chill Wills, Katy Jurado, Jack Elam, Slim Pickens, Barry Sullivan, Dub Taylor, R.G. Armstrong, Elisha Cook, Jr. and Paul Fix. Jason Robards, Richard Jaeckel, Charles Martin Smith, Harry Dean Stanton, Matt Clark, L.Q. Jones, Emilio Fernández, Aurora Clavel, Luke Askew, Jack Dodson, Richard Bright and John Beck. For this reason alone the film is an important Western.
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