The Searchers (1 Viewer)

With all the talk about The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, I just wanted to address a rather strange legend that surrounds Wayne's movies. The legend is that with the exception of The Alamo, Wayne's characters never died in his movies. This is very untrue. Given that Wayne's character doesn't exactly die on-screen in TMWSLV, there are at least 8 other major production pictures that his character does die in. His characters die in 3 westerns; The Alamo, The Cowboys, and The Shootist. His character dies in 3 World War 2 pictures; The Fighting Seabees, Sands of Iwo Jima, and The Sea Chase. He also goes under in 2 sea adventures; Reap the Wild Wind and Wake of the Red Witch. There might be others but these are the ones I know of. -- Al
 
TomB said:
I think it was Frankie Lane who sang the movie version of High Noon..Tex Ritter also had a version of the song which in my opinion was the best version....I liked both versions....The Tex Ritter version sounded more western I suppose because he has a Yipeeee voice....Would like to hear a Frank Ifield version of HN....TomB
Click to expand...

Do Not Forsake Me O My Darlin' was actually sung by Tex Ritter in the movie High Noon (not Frankie Laine) It won an Academy Award as well.
 
Last edited:
lancer said:
Wayne did 152 movies. He certainly has his share of bad movies, his share of 'non-John' roles. One of his worst was, IMO, 'The Conqueror', which, ironically, immediately preceded his best, (again my opinion), 'The Searchers'. Interesting that the low and high came together like that. -- Al
Click to expand...

Al

for his role of Temujin (Genghis Khan) the director Dick Powell told Wayne to play him as a western gunfighter ^&grin Perfectly true!.

It was made by RKO studios which was then owned by Howard Hughes and he loved The Conqueror and would have a private screening of it every week for years after its release. But his second in command Noah Dietrich stated it was because Hughes had the hots for Susan Hayward rather than the essence of it being a good movie. Sounds about right ^&grin

Bob
 
UKReb said:
Al

for his role of Temujin (Genghis Khan) the director Dick Powell told Wayne to play him as a western gunfighter ^&grin Perfectly true!.

It was made by RKO studios which was then owned by Howard Hughes and he loved The Conqueror and would have a private screening of it every week for years after its release. But his second in command Noah Dietrich stated it was because Hughes had the hots for Susan Hayward rather than the essence of it being a good movie. Sounds about right ^&grin

Bob
Click to expand...
Bob, I'm pretty sure it was The Conqueror that was filmed in an area that was downwind of a nuclear testing site. The following years saw an inordinate amount of the cast/crew members die from one form of cancer or another. Another reason to not like the movie. -- Al -- P.S.- just looked it up. Of a cast/crew total of 220, 91 developed cancer and 46 died from it.
 
Last edited:
jazzeum said:
Here's a list from IMDB, http://www.imdb.com/list/k-gnJV0oHFg/

One of my favorite movies, which makes the list, is Lonely Are the Brave, with Kirk Douglas.

Another one I like, although not on this list, is Douglas' Last Train from Gun Hill.
Click to expand...
I suppose all such lists have thier issues and this one is no different. Putting aside the questionable ranking of that list, it suffers from the problem of including a few non-westerns like No Country for Old Men and The Last of the Mohigans, as well as omiting many films better than most of those listed, like Silverado and the brilliant Australian westerns Quigley Down Under and Man From Snowy River.
 
jazzeum said:
Here's a list from IMDB, http://www.imdb.com/list/k-gnJV0oHFg/

One of my favorite movies, which makes the list, is Lonely Are the Brave, with Kirk Douglas.

Another one I like, although not on this list, is Douglas' Last Train from Gun Hill.
Click to expand...
Not a bad list but as with all such lists, very subjective. It includes several films I wouldn't watch again, even if paid to. For instance, how did that totally awful 'Paint Your Wagon' ever get on this list? In addition, some of the Randolph Scott movies need to be ranked higher. Also agree about the missing Australian films mentioned earlier and I would certainly add the outstanding Australian 'The Proposition' to any "Best Western" list. -- Al
 
Brad/Al

Good to see that my three personal favourite westerns of all time are included within the top ten. I almost feel vindicated that I haven't changed my mind in almost 44 years. The Searchers is numero uno; The Wild Bunch a close second and Shane is the third.

Always liked Alan Ladd's early tough guy movies and didn't he have the most perfect voice of any actor in the 40/50s? But in Shane- under the tutelage of director George Stevens- he gave the most perfect performance of his career because Stevens coached him hour by hour on set on how his character would react to each scene. Ladd deserved an Oscar or at the very least a nomination and everyone expected him to receive one but because he didn't get either he began his slide into alcoholism. A lot of western fans didn't like the movie because of the whiney kid played by Brandon De Wilde but for me Ladd's character of the mythical gunfighter and a stellar cast of Jean Arthur; Van Heflin; Walter (Jack) Palance; Emile Mayer; Ben Johnson etc. easily outweighed the kid's whine. A near perfect western with some of the best cinematography ever captured on celluloid. Must have watched it a hundred times....but if it ever gets released on Bluray I'd be the first in the queue...pretty sad eh? ^&grin

Bob.
 
lancer said:
Thanks for posting this, Brad. I found it really fascinating. I actually have the book in transit to me and am expecting it in the next week. I know I will enjoy it. I think I will also track down a book or two on the Comanche nation. -- Al
Click to expand...
Here's 3....... "Comanche Empire" by Pekka Hamalainern, "Empire of the Summer Moon" by S.C.Guynne and "Comanche Barrier" by Rupert Richardson..... It's very interesting reading...
 
pugio said:
Here's 3....... "Comanche Empire" by Pekka Hamalainern, "Empire of the Summer Moon" by S.C.Guynne and "Comanche Barrier" by Rupert Richardson..... It's very interesting reading...
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information, Pugio. I actually am putting the first two on my list as I have seen them listed in various bibliographies. Good to know they are worth reading.:smile2: -- Al
 
UKReb said:
Brad/Al

Good to see that my three personal favourite westerns of all time are included within the top ten. I almost feel vindicated that I haven't changed my mind in almost 44 years. The Searchers is numero uno; The Wild Bunch a close second and Shane is the third.

Always liked Alan Ladd's early tough guy movies and didn't he have the most perfect voice of any actor in the 40/50s? But in Shane- under the tutelage of director George Stevens- he gave the most perfect performance of his career because Stevens coached him hour by hour on set on how his character would react to each scene. Ladd deserved an Oscar or at the very least a nomination and everyone expected him to receive one but because he didn't get either he began his slide into alcoholism. A lot of western fans didn't like the movie because of the whiney kid played by Brandon De Wilde but for me Ladd's character of the mythical gunfighter and a stellar cast of Jean Arthur; Van Heflin; Walter (Jack) Palance; Emile Mayer; Ben Johnson etc. easily outweighed the kid's whine. A near perfect western with some of the best cinematography ever captured on celluloid. Must have watched it a hundred times....but if it ever gets released on Bluray I'd be the first in the queue...pretty sad eh? ^&grin

Bob.
Click to expand...
Two of my favorites, as well. Liked everything about Shane, including the kid, who I found to be a very convincing star-struck kid. The whole cast is brilliant with Palance being especially menacing as the professional killer. I also liked EJ Cook Jr. as the doomed former Reb. One of the things I liked best about the film was the town itself. Just stuck in the middle of nowhere, very spare, and a muddy mess. Wasn't your everyday 1940's-50's type western film town. The Wild Bunch is just a classic, and as trite as the phrase has become, it broke the mold of the traditional western. It is a film with a hard-to-equal cast and story line. Everyone of the cast just immerses themselves in their part with Johnson and Oates really standing out as the Gorch brothers and Martin and Jones equally as good as the bounty-hunter friends Coffer and TC. It is Peckinpah at the height of his ability. -- Al
 
damian said:
Well believe it or not this book has just arrived for me in Durban.
Will pick it up when I go down on Monday.
Looking forward to reading it after all the discussion here.
Click to expand...
This is really funny as my copy just arrived yesterday in the mail. Already into the book. :smile2: -- Al
 
UKReb said:
Brad/Al

Good to see that my three personal favourite westerns of all time are included within the top ten. I almost feel vindicated that I haven't changed my mind in almost 44 years. The Searchers is numero uno; The Wild Bunch a close second and Shane is the third.

Always liked Alan Ladd's early tough guy movies and didn't he have the most perfect voice of any actor in the 40/50s? But in Shane- under the tutelage of director George Stevens- he gave the most perfect performance of his career because Stevens coached him hour by hour on set on how his character would react to each scene. Ladd deserved an Oscar or at the very least a nomination and everyone expected him to receive one but because he didn't get either he began his slide into alcoholism. A lot of western fans didn't like the movie because of the whiney kid played by Brandon De Wilde but for me Ladd's character of the mythical gunfighter and a stellar cast of Jean Arthur; Van Heflin; Walter (Jack) Palance; Emile Mayer; Ben Johnson etc. easily outweighed the kid's whine. A near perfect western with some of the best cinematography ever captured on celluloid. Must have watched it a hundred times....but if it ever gets released on Bluray I'd be the first in the queue...pretty sad eh? ^&grin

Bob.
Click to expand...
Shane is an excellent Western, to me also better than The Searchers, which among other things, has an even more whiney kid. I think you better get in the queue (with me and many others) for the Shane Blu-ray, the Region A version will be out in 4 weeks here. It is said to be completely remastered and was delayed due to some controversy over the aspect ratio. George Stevens Jr had supervised a scene-by-scene recomposition at 1.66:1 but since the film was shot 1.37, the studio bowed to pressure from some film purists and it will now be released in its original AR.
http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=11145
 
Saw the original 3:10 to Yuma last night. A very taut movie. Glenn Ford and Van Heflin do amazing jobs. Thought the ending would be different so it took me by surprise. Haven't seen the remake but it can't be any better.
 
Harper said:
Shane is an excellent Western, to me also better than The Searchers, which among other things, has an even more whiney kid. I think you better get in the queue (with me and many others) for the Shane Blu-ray, the Region A version will be out in 4 weeks here. It is said to be completely remastered and was delayed due to some controversy over the aspect ratio. George Stevens Jr had supervised a scene-by-scene recomposition at 1.66:1 but since the film was shot 1.37, the studio bowed to pressure from some film purists and it will now be released in its original AR.
http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=11145
Click to expand...
There are a lot of guys my age who are called Shane. Obviously their parents chose the name after watching that movie.
There was a movie a few years ago called " A history of violence" I thought it was pretty much the Shane story remade to the contemporary world.
 
jazzeum said:
Saw the original 3:10 to Yuma last night. A very taut movie. Glenn Ford and Van Heflin do amazing jobs. Thought the ending would be different so it took me by surprise. Haven't seen the remake but it can't be any better.
Click to expand...
Excellent movie, and you are right, the remake isn't nearly as good. -- Al
 
damian said:
There are a lot of guys my age who are called Shane. Obviously their parents chose the name after watching that movie.
There was a movie a few years ago called " A history of violence" I thought it was pretty much the Shane story remade to the contemporary world.
Click to expand...
I really liked "A History of Violence". I'm a big fan of Mortensen, especially in "Eastern Promises" and "The Road", but pretty much everything I've seen him in. -- Al
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Community platform by XenForo® © 2010-2024 XenForo Ltd.
Back
Top