Writer/Director
THADD TURNER informs me he's planning to roll camera Monday, June 14th, on
PALOMINAS, with location work at the
Eaves Movie Ranch and
Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch, both in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The story takes place at the turn of the century, near the border with Mexico, where a rancher and sheriff must face down hired gunmen. I should have cast info in the next week or two. Turner has previously written and produced
MIRACLE AT SAGE CREEK (2005) and
SEVEN MUMMIES (2006).
WES STUDI MAKES IT COWBOYS AND INDIANS AND ALIENSWes Studi is the newest cast member of the
Jon Favreau-directed
COWBOYS AND ALIENS, joining
Daniel Craig, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford and
Keith Carradine.
BIG VALLEY CASTS 'HEATH'Travis Fimmel will be playing the
Lee Majors-created role of Heath Barkley in the feature film version of
THE BIG VALLEY, which starts shooting July 19th in Baton Rouge. The Ausie-born sctor played continuing roles in
TARZAN (2003) and
THE BEAST (2009). He joins
Jessica Lange as Victoria Barkley,
Jason Alan Smith as Nick, and
Bruce Dern, Richard Dreyfus, and
Lee Majors, who portrays the never-seen-in-the-series Tom Barkley, who sired all the Barkley kids, legit and otherwise.
Writer/Director
Daniel Adams may be new to westerns, but not to period films. He's recently written and directed two films set and shot in Cape Cod. In 2009 he made
LIGHTKEEPERS, currently in limited release, starring
Richard Dreyfus as a lighthouse keeper who finds an amnesiac washed up on his shore. In the romantic comedy
GOLDEN BOYS (2008),
David Carradine, Rip Torn and
Bruce Dern are turn-of-the-century retired sea captains, determined that one of them will marry
Mariel Hemingway.
HEY JEFF, WHERE'S THE PATCH?Photographer
Joe O'Connell posted the picture above, of
Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn on the set of the
TRUE GRIT remake. The production will be moving this week from small Central Texas towns to downtown Austin.
MOVIE REVIEW – ‘REEL INJUN’I’m not in the Academy, and I don’t know the criteria involved in Oscar nominations, but I do know that
REEL INJUN is one of the best documentaries I’ve seen in years. Opening with a group of Indian children watching the climax of
THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON -- the death of
Errol Flynn as
Custer at
Little Big Horn -- director
Neil Diamond narrates: “Growing up on the reservation, the only show in town was movie night in the church basement. Raised on cowboys and Indians, we cheered the cowboys, never realizing that we were the Indians.”
A Cree living on a reservation near the Arctic Circle, Diamond decides to journey across the United States, to Hollywood, by way of numerous landmarks and reservations, to tell the story of the Indian portrayal in American film and culture, and the parallel story of the lives of real Indians.
By turns it’s enlightening, heartbreaking, and extremely funny – from the sly wit of Indian stand-up comic
Charlie Hill; to the goofiness of some westerns, playing dialog backwards to simulate Indian speech; to the self-effacing humor of Diamond and others. His description of ‘the rez car’ alone is worth the price of admission. Editor
Jeremiah Hayes seamlessly flows the documentary footage and western movie clips together.
We visit Pine Ridge Reservation, the poorest in the nation, and meet a Lakota chief who is a direct descendant of
Red Cloud, standing at the spot where
Crazy Horse was murdered.
We hear the fascinating, sometimes tragic stories of ‘movie Indians’ like
Buffalo Child Long Lance and
Iron Eyes Cody. And speaking of ‘movie Indians,’ we see the homogenization of all the distinct tribes into generic ‘Plains Indians.’ We learn why, among many Indians,
LITTLE BIG MAN is better thought of than
DANCES WITH WOLVES, why
BILLY JACK was so important, and why Jesse Wente, an Ojibway film critic calls John Ford’s great
STAGECOACH, “One of the most damaging movies for native people in history.”
The film also takes an amused look at the ‘Indian cool’ fashions of 1960s hippies, and the tribal elements of summer camp that brings a counselor all the way from Austria to lead his ‘Sioux’ band.
Sacheen Littlefeather, who was a fashion model at the time, shares the story of
Brando asking her to refuse his Oscar, and the importance of that gesture to Indian activists during the occupation of
Alcatraz and
Wounded Knee. I must confess that, prior to seeing the story of those occupations from the prospective of activists
John Trudell and
Russell Means, I simply thought they were crazy. Now I understand.
Among the familiar faces who add their perspectives are
Clint Eastwood, Jim Jarmusch, Graham Greene and
Wes Studi. Additionally we hear from actor
Adam Beach, and directors
Chris Eyre and
Zacharias Kunuk, who are in the forefront of a renaissance of films made by Indians.
In addition to screenings in Canada, REEL INJUN will be shown in New York at
The Museum of Modern Art from June 14th through June 20th. October 12th through the 17th it will be screened at
The Indigenous Film Festival in Denver, Colorado. Beyond those screenings, I don’t know how available this film will be to see, prior to airing on PBS stations in the future, but I’ll keep you informed. In the meantime,
CLICK HERE to see the trailer and visit the official website, which has more information.
DENNIS HOPPER DIES
The actor who made indellible impressions in films as varied as
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE and
SPEED, was born in Dodge City, Kansas, an appropraite locale for an actor who did so many western roles so well. His first feature film appearence was in
JOHNNY GUITAR, and he followed that by playing the title character in the pilot episode for
THE RIFLEMAN, 'The Sharpshooter,' seen in the picture above. He appeared in
GIANT (1956), played Billy Clanton in
GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL (1958), played Billy The Kid in an episode of
SUGARFOOT, was seen in
SONS OF KATIE ELDER (1965), HANG 'EM HIGH (1968), episodes of
CHEYENNE, ZANE GREY THEATER, WAGON TRAIN, BONANZA and
GUNSMOKE. In 1971 he wrote, directed and starred in
THE LAST MOVIE, a film about making a western while surrounded by South American Indians. His last western was
BLOOD RED, in 1989.
JOHN DAVIS CHANDLER DIESThe actor whose whiny voice and piercing blue eyes made him a natural for portraying all manner of despicable villains, was born and bred in West Virginia. He made his film debut as the title character in
MAD DOG COLL (1961), about the perpetrator of the Harlem Baby Massacre. It would be his only lead. He leant his villainy to three
Sam Peckinpah westerns,
RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY(1962),
MAJOR DUNDEE (1965) and
PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID (1973). In addition to episodes of
THE RIFLEMAN, THE VIRGINIAN, HIGH CHAPARRAL, GUNSMOKE and
THE TRAVELS OF JAMIE MCPHEETERS, he appeared in
RETURN OF THE GUNFIGHTER (1967), BAQUERO (1970), SHOOTOUT (1971), and for
Clint Eastwood in
OUTLAW JOSEY WALES (1976). He did many non-western roles as well.
SAM PECKINPAH DOUBLE-BILL AT NEW BEVERLYHollywood's New Beverly Cinema will be showing
DUCK, YOU SUCKER! and
BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA from Sunday, May 30th through Tuesday, June 1st.
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD AT LANDMARK THEATRESTo read my review of The Good, The Bad and The Weird, check out May 9th's entry. It's currently playing at the Mayan Theatre in Denver, and opens at the Main Arts Theatre in Detroit on June 4th.
HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUMAcross the street from the
Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of
Lasky-Famous Players (later
Paramount Pictures) was the original
DeMille Barn, where
Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywood western,
The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.
WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.
TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKEEvery weekday,
TV LAND airs a three-hour block of
BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They run a
GUNSMOKE Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m., and on Friday they show two, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.. They're not currently running either series on weekends, but that could change at any time.
NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?Check out your cable system for
WHT, which stands for
World Harvest Television. It's a religious network that runs a lot of good western programming. Your times may vary, depending on where you live, but weekdays in Los Angeles they run
THE LONE RANGER at 1:30 p.m., and two episodes of
THE RIFLEMAN from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. On Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. it's THE RIFLEMAN again, followed at 2:30 by
BAT MASTERSON. And unlike many stations in the re-run business, they run the shows in the original airing order. There's an afternoon movie on weekdays at noon, often a western, and they show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.
That's about it, folks. I haven't even looked at what's on cable TV yet. I'll try to later on in the week, but I make no guarantees. Don't forget that it's not just a three-day weekend, it's
Memorial Day: FLY YOUR FLAG!Adios!
Henry
All Contents Copyright May 2010 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved
