AMC Cowboy Christmas ....................

[Scott]

AMC is showing a Western marathon called Cowboy for Christmas. Here is what I saw:

ROOSTER COGBURN (1975) - A good Western starring John Wayne and Kathrine Hepburn. The film was very good visually as Hepburn did a good role that is of course much like AFRICAN QUEEN, but also you have the feel of a all Hepburn characters, most notably ON GOLDEN POND. This film is executed well with a good river and gatlin gun scenes.

HIGH NOON (1952) - Directed by Fred Zimmerman and starring Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Loyd Bridges, Katy Jurado, and it even has a young Harry Morgan and Lee Van Cleef. Great cinematography and story. The story is like a minute by minute leading up to 12 noon. I saw this many times when young, but only remember the ending. Now I had the chance to enjoy the film from beginning to end. One noteable was Katy Jurado who I've also seen in ONE EYE JACKS.

Both of these films above are good stories with Western virtues throughout. You'll like both of them.

GUNFIGHT AT  THE O.K. CORRAL (1957) - Didn't watch this one all the way through. I like Burt Lancaster and Kirt Douglas, but not as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. The film does have a good gunfight at the end even if it isn't acurately portrayed. See this film as a kid in b/w and always liked the gunfight. Also something about the interior sets distracted me as the film was in color on AMC.

[Deej]

I also liked ...OK Corral as a kid, but cooled on it when I got older. It's a good western, but like you said, the gunfight is one hell of an over the top spectacle, as opposed to the 30 second lesson in bad law enforcement  that it was in real life. And Douglas is, as always, outrageous in his scene chewing. Still, it's entertaining.

I like Rooster Cogburn, it fets a bad break for being too much like the African Queen. But it's a good western with great scenery, and John Wayne revisiting one of his most memorable characters.

I only saw High Noon once, but remember liking it fairly well.

[Scott]

Some how Kirk Douglas didn't remind me of Doc Holiday with that smile and Burt Lancaster wasn't  right for his part eithier. The gunfight was strong.

Maybe I've been jaded by the latest films TOMBSTONE and WYATT EARP.

[Deej]

I'm with you, Scott. It's a good western, just not really up to what I look for in a "historical" type movie. I'm not sure how accurate Tombstone and Wyatt Earp were, historically. But, for me, they had a more historically acurate "feel" (does that make any sense?).  I felt that Gunfight at the OK Corral, was just a better than average 50's western, with a 1950's version of western costume and interiors, and modern 1950's haircuts, language and attitude. I prefer the movie to at least try to capture the period flavor. I hate watching a movie set in the past, in which all the characters are wearing period clothing, yet are wearing hairstyles and makeup and using language that is contemporary to when the movie was filmed. I don't necessarily care if the facts are right, but I want the period setting to feel right.

[Scott]

By the way the AMC special was called Cowboy(s) for Christmas with a western/christmas jingle that had bobbing heads, Western characters dancing to the tune during commercials. Fun addition to the Western marathon.

[Scott]

Oh, I forgot to mention the obvious mistake in HIGH NOON. During the finale shoot out Cooper goes around the back of on of the buildings and on the second floor you can see an air conditioning unit hanging out the back window.

They did have those type air units in the 50's didn't they? It's the only thing it could have been. A regular air unit that fits into a window frame.