Cowboy Bob's Western Values

The Last Roundup

2010-07-11T15:36:00.005-04:00

Howdy, Y'all,

I'm going to shut 'er down. Part of my problem with getting good material also involves finding points to emphasize. Although I love to watch certain character values in movies, I'm not willing to have it come out that I'm writing about the same old thing all the time. And I don't want this to become boring for the regular readers.

I think I've made my points throughout these missives. Kind of saddens me, though, because I thought I would be writing more than I have.

In addition, I have other concerns and pursuits that need my time in other places. "Stormbringer's Thunder" is still going strong, and I'm beginning to write something that is intended for Christian audiences over at ChristianBlog.com. We'll see how that goes.

Well, I see the fire's safely put out and the coffee is all gone. Nothing left to do but ride on. Y'all be good to yourselves, and stay out of shadows. If'n ya need me, the e-mail address is in the profile link.

And remember what John Wayne said:

"Courage is being scared to death - and saddling up anyway."

Change of Plans

2010-06-01T19:50:00.000-04:00

Just had to share a cartoon that I think is great:

Giddy On Up, Giddy On Out

2010-02-20T09:42:00.000-05:00

Howdy. Yes, I know, not much happening here lately. I suddenly ran into a brick wall for material that I want to write about, material that fits my own standards. So, I have to re-think what the heck I'm doing with this Weblog. Just wanted you to know that I haven't forgotten it.

In the meantime, here's a fun thing I happened across earlier today. Laura Bell Bundy's video is fun and has a Western theme. And I'm in love. Again.

Sometimes You Just Have to Know

2010-01-03T17:45:00.007-05:00

"There's things a man has to know and has to do,
and it's best that he does them alone."
— Jim Slater (Richard Widmark)

Howdy! Ready for a haul on the Spoiler Express? OK, let's get to it, then. Mind you, I'm not going to tell you the entire story, that would be boring for both of us.

Finally got the chance to see Backlash, with Richard Widmark (1956, there are several other movies by that title around). Although the movie spreads itself a bit thin by trying to do several things at once, overall, I say it's worth watching.

Jim Slater (Richard Widmark) goes to Gila Valley in Arizona to find his father. He had not seen his father for many years and did not remember him. It turns out that the Apaches had massacred five men who were there. Slater is interested in a sixth man who had escaped, but many people did not know about that. This sixth man could have gone for help and saved the men, but he had a motive for not helping them.

People do not believe that Jim wants to avenge his father. Instead, they think he's after the $60,000 in gold that the murdered men were hoarding and that the sixth man wanted for himself.
Slater meets Karyl Orton (Donna Reed) at Gila Valley. She is looking for some sign of her husband, who was probably killed in the attack and buried. But she is interested in the gold, and Jim does not trust her. They are able to clearly identify three of the dead men, so the search for answers continues.

|> Fast forward. Karyl tells Jim that her husband was a Confederate soldier (as was Jim) who did not return to her after the war, and yet still sent her a letter when he "came into money". When Slater fell asleep, Karyl found a letter from his father, telling Jim's mother to send him out to Gila Valley.

The search for information takes them to the Diamond C ranch, because Slater was told that the sixth man had a horse with the Diamond C brand. They had a discussion with Major Carson and learned that his son was one of the ones killed at the Valley by the Apaches. Also, Major Carson is getting ready for a range war with ranchers on the side of Bonniwell. Slater turns down an offer to ride with Carson as one of his guns.

Karyl and Jim have most of the people identified, except two: His father, and her husband. She makes Slater think of something that was unthinkable to him, that perhaps the sixth man, the traitor to the group that did not go for help, is his own father. He rides off, alone, and into town.

In the town, Bonniwell and Jim come face to face. Bonniwell is, in fact, Jim Slater, Senior. And he's a murderous criminal. Bonniwell says that Jim will be just like him because they are of the same blood. He wants Jim to join with him in their ambush of Major Carson's group when they ride into town, but he will have no part of it. Slater runs into the street and tries to shoot so he can alert the approaching riders in Carson's group, but "Bonniwell" had removed the bullets from his gun.

Slater is chased by Bonniwell, and Slater attacks one of of Bonniwell's gang that is waiting in ambush. In the fight, shots are fired and Slater's purpose is achieve of alerting Carson. When Carson's people begin circling the town, Bonniwell's gang decides that since it won't be an easy shoot-out, they ride off.

Bonniwell and Jim are hidden from each other, and Bonniwell wants a showdown with his son. He says that they should both holster their weapons and come out for a draw. But Bonniwell never holsters even though Slater does. When they both step out into the open, Bonniwell gets shot by Carson's riders before he can shoot his son. (Stupid! He knows what's going on and should have never been walking around, especially with a drawn weapon.) Slater throws away his gun, and he and Karyl leave the town.

"OK, Cowboy Bob, nice story, but what do you want me to get from all this?"

First, I believe that ancestry and genetics play a part in who and what you are. But another part of who and what you are comes from your environment and from what you make of it. You make your choices and you have a hand in how your character develops.

Second, I agree that sometimes, there are indeed things that a man has to know and has to do. Sometimes he has to do them alone. But not always. If you have someone who cares and is willing to help you through the rough patches, don't push them away.

Whatever Happened To...

2009-11-10T21:05:00.002-05:00

Things have been frantic at the ranch lately, so I haven't been posting. And I feel bad about it. Here is something that will do two things. First, it will show you that I'm still alive and thinking about you. Second, it's really good.

This is a kind of slide show. The song is "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott". You will see the classic stars and co-stars, and — aw, how about if I just clam up and let you see it?

Take a look here: http://oldfortyfives.com/thoseoldwesterns.htm

Hard Truths and Right Reasons

2009-10-24T19:36:00.001-04:00

Howdy. Yours truly had the experience of being pleasantly surprised by a picture called The Last Wagon. I thought it would be lame and depressing, but it was surprisingly good. If I don't tell you too much and ruin it for you, I hope you'll give it a look.

All aboard the Spoiler Express? Let's go!

An hombre called Comanche Todd (Richard Widmark) is on the run for murdering three white men, and he is captured by a sheriff. He is treated brutally until they meet up with a wagon train. Although the sheriff is vicious and inhumane, the travelers want to treat Comanche Todd in a Christian manner. The sheriff disagrees, even pulling his gun. He chases away people that want to show kindness to Todd, even attempting to shoot one of the teenage boys. During the fracas, Todd gets an axe and manages to fling it, killing the sheriff. Nice throw!

Todd is left tied to the wheel of a wagon.

During the night, several of the teenagers, both boys and girls, slip away for a moonlight swim. When the kids return, the camp is in ruins and everyone is dead due to an Apache sneak attack. In this way, the movie is merciful because those attacks were unthinkably brutal, and I will not describe what went on so you do not get nightmares. Suffice to say that there is no honor in such extreme brutality, and it is even worse when innocent people are the victims (including women and children).

Comanche Todd's wagon was pushed over a small cliff, but he survived because of the way it landed. The kids manage to pull the wagon up, but they argue about setting him free. One girl hates all Indians (including her own half sister), and refuses to trust Todd because he was raised by Comanches. Some of the youngsters even accused him of helping, or refusing to warn the travelers. The oldest, a girl named Jenny (Felicia Farr), has sense and is willing to trust Todd.

After some discussion, the kids realize that he is their best chance at survival. He does not help matters by telling them the truth, that they cannot even bury their dead because the Apaches would know that there were survivors and hunt for them. The group manages to assemble a wagon and ride out, but they have to be on guard every step of the way. He is telling them some hard truths, but they need to know so that they have a chance at surviving. This is not a time for sentiment.

During the journey, Todd and one of the boys become friends. While Todd is teaching him how to snare a rabbit, a lone Apache attacks, but Todd is able to kill him before he harms the boy. Later, the Indian-hating girl manages to get bitten by a rattlesnake. She makes a great deal of noise, and one of the boys shoots the snake. Oh, great. May as well put up a sign to help the Apaches find them.

Todd helps the girl who was bitten. Then, two Apaches show up to find out what the ruckus was about. Todd challenges them to hand-to-hand combat and manages to kill them both. Obviously, the would have either killed the travelers just then, or brought more Apaches to participate in the killing of the group. The injured girl is coming out of her delirium from the snakebite and starts to warm up to Todd.

One night, Todd and Jenny watch the Apaches as they get worked up for their next planned massacre. The next morning, Todd notices a small detachment of cavalry. They are heading towards the Apaches and certain death, so he signals them. Remember, Todd is a wanted man. He could have let the soldiers get killed.

But by this time, the kids have all come around and are willing to trust Todd. They even tell the soldiers that he is their father.

To get out of there, Todd and the soldiers set up the equivalent of smoke and mirrors, to run off the Apaches. Shooting, explosions and all kinds of good stuff so that they make their escape. Unfortunately, the leader of the cavalry figures out who Comanche Todd really is, so he is taken into custody after they are all safe.

During the hearing about Todd at Redrock Bluff, the truth comes out. He was taken by the Comanches and had been married. He had children. But his wife and children were brutally murdered, and he killed their murderers. The judge gave the typical song and dance about taking justice into your own hands and so on, and Todd even said that he would do it again. After all, it was Comanche justice, and there was no white man's justice to be had anywhere near there.

Jenny could no longer stay silent. She came forward and talked about justice. Sure, Todd killed those men who deserved it. But what about saving lives? Not only did he save the lives of the teenagers, but he could have let the cavalry men get killed as well.

Fortunately, the officer in charge had sense and a good heart. He remanded Todd into Jenny's "custody" after he learned that they loved each other; it was doggone near a short marriage ceremony.

What caught my attention is that Todd was going to do what needed to be done, when it was needed. There was no chance of survival if people gave in to hand wringing or creature comforts.

But he was no so hard line that he only thought of himself. He could have betrayed the kids and let them die, and he could have let the soldiers get ambushed. In addition, his skill and creativity got all of them out of those bad situations. Even though he was technically a murderer, he was still good at heart.

I can vouch for the fact that sometimes doing a good deed can blow up in your face and you're sorry that you did it. But deep inside, you know that what you did was right. And there are times that doing the right thing pays off.

My belief is in doing the right thing for its own sake. That "for its own sake" can come about from your conscience, and your conscience can be led by God and good teachings. You'll have the right reasons, trust me.

Impressions and Assumptions

2009-10-11T11:35:00.000-04:00

"I don't hold too much for first impressions. The way I figure it, the last impression is important." — Tom Destry (Audie Murphy)

I tend to agree with Destry's remark, there. What was it, a dandruff shampoo or something that was using the saying, "You never get another chance to make a good first impression"? If we go around trying too hard to make a good first impression on people, it causes a lot of anxiety. Heck, if the first impression was all that mattered, I'd have quit trying because I'd be judged and sentenced by everybody I meet within minutes or seconds.

I had a good time with Destry (based on the novel Destry Rides Again by Max Brand). Perhaps it is because I wasn't spoiled by the 1939 version with James Stewart (which I want to see anyway); people compare so much that they can't appreciate something for what it is. And this movie was good entertainment. Humorous trivia: The same director did both versions.

Hear that sound? The Spoiler Express is late, but moving full steam ahead.

Sheriff Bailey was trying to set something right about a land grab that Phil Decker (Lyle Bettger) and his cronies are pulling. They control all the land, and all of the drovers would have to pay a toll when the brought their cattle through. But Henry Skinner was cheated out of his ranch in a card game. When Bailey tried to put things right, he got a bullet in his back for his trouble. The crooks in charge (including the mayor) forced the doctor to fake the paperwork and say that he died of a heart attack.

Since the sheriff is dead, the townspeople appoint the town drunk to be the new sheriff. Obviously, they just want a figurehead, not law and order. But Reginald ("Rags") Barnaby (Thomas Mitchell) wants to take the job seriously, and quit drinking. Rags sends for some competent help with the job and wants Destry to be his deputy. Destry is big, mean, quick with a gun and all that.

When the stage arrived, Tom Destry (Audie Murphy) is underwhelming, to say the least. He's a little guy, pleasant mannered, soft spoken — and doesn't carry a gun. Rags is disappointed to find out that this is the son of the famous Destry! When a scrap between women in the saloon ensues (one of whom is a part of Decker's swindlers), he breaks up the fight but still looks bad in the process.

Looks like a bad day for first and second impressions.

Decker tries to claim the ranch that he swindled away from Skinner. Rags and Tom ride out to stop the shooting. Destry is not making any friends by upholding all of the law, not just parts of it. As far as he can tell, the ranch is the lawful property of Decker. But certain remarks get him thinking that this may not be the case, and he investigates further. He finds out that the town doctor never examined the body, but was forced to sign at gunpoint that it was a heart attack.

Late, some shooting action in the saloon gets his attention. Some of Decker's toughs are shooting up the place, and Destry wants them to put a stop to "this promiscuous shooting". Then Destry proceeds to startle everyone by borrowing the guns of the shooters and giving them a display of marksmanship. Looks like the first impression as well as the assumption that he did not know how to shoot were both wrong! Ha!

Then Destry proceeds to dig the bullets out of the saloon wall and gave them an introduction to what would become the new science of ballistics. He tells them that each gun makes its own marks on bullets. (The doctor shows up just then.) Tom further informs them that the doctor examined the body, and now they knew who fired the bullet that killed Sheriff Bailey. Curly Adams was taken into custody.

I need to throw in a bit here that Jack Larsen (Alan Hale, Jr., before he put on pounds and became Gilligan's "Skipper"), a resentful drover, went through the ranch land "legally" owned by Decker by means of assault, and did not pay the toll. Destry locked him up to prove a point, but let him go to tend to his cattle. Tom told Larsen that he expected him back at the jail by sundown because he knew he had character and would live up to it.

The crooked mayor wants to do a hurry-up trial, but Destry said that a judge had already been sent for.

>> Fast forward.

Rags has been shot in the back and Curly removed from jail while Brandy the saloon girl distracts Destry. Tom goes back to his hotel room and opens up his suitcase. He carried his father's gun around in the case, and then he strapped it on. Knowing his skill with a gun, and seeing the look in his eye, the bad guys got very nervous.

Destry found a way into the saloon to settle things. After a bit of shooting and jumping, he is creeping up on Decker while the mayor is standing by his easel, attempting to do some painting. But his paint kit also contains a pistol, and Destry is ignoring him (making his own bad assumption that he was not packing heat). At that moment, the doctor and Larsen came in and placed some excellent shots, saving Tom's hide.

Here's the stuff I want to point out. Larsen could have been an enemy, but turned into an ally. In fact, he came through uninvited to help Destry in a tough situation. That was because Destry saw decency in the man and also let him keep his dignity. No, I'm not saying to just assume everyone is good deep down inside. Use your discernment like Tom did.

Another point that I want to make is that when you are standing up for what is right, you can have good people come through for you. Sometimes, and this has happened to me, people will see someone struggling and add their strength. Heck, I just remembered pulling my car over, jumping out and help people push a stalled car out of the intersection. Haven't you done something like that yourself? Bet it's happened to you, too.

Destry made a lousy first impression. After he was able to prove himself, it turned out that he was right: The last impression is important. This can be useful, too. Unless you are like certain Italian businessmen that I know, you do not have to make a good first impression or show of power. Sometimes, it is in your best interest to let people underestimate you. Let 'em. Then you can show them what you're made of when it really matters.

Hard Homecoming

2009-09-24T14:40:00.000-04:00

"I thought you escaped that night,
but you didn't.
They killed the Jim I knew."
— Chris Palmer (Dianne Foster)

Howdy. I'm glad you could make it today. Fresh pot of coffee on the fire if you're interested.

One of the oldest themes in Westerns is for a man to have to prove his innocence. Heh. Isn't that the way it is in life, sometimes? Never mind "innocent until proven guilty", when someone gets a notion that you did something, it's a steep climb up the mountain to try to prove yourself.

That's what happened in Three Hours to Kill. This is the first time I was able to see Dana Andrews in a picture. I'd like to see him in a few more Westerns, even though this one didn't exactly draw extensively on his acting skills. Still, it's a good picture and worth spending an hour and a half on, even though the Spoiler Express is going to tell you a good part of it.

Jim Guthrie returned to town after a three year absence. He lets the nervous townspeople know that he was there to settle a score: Someone else did the killing for which he had been blamed.

Three years ago, Jim was at a party with his fiancée, Laurie Mastin (Donna Reed). Nobody knew that they were going to be married the next day, and Laurie's brother did not approve. Outside, her brother took a swing at Jim and knocked him down because Jim was not good enough for his sister. Two shots rang out, and Jim found the brother dead. He was stupid enough to pick up the gun that killed him and stand there staring when the crowd reached them.

The crowd immediately decided that Jim did the killing and tried to lynch him, even getting as far as getting the rope around his neck and putting him in the back of a buckboard. People he had known, who should have known his character, were caught up in that powerful thing known as "mob rule"; there is almost no reasoning with a mob. They wanted a hangin'!

Laurie came out of her shock, grabbed a gun and commanded that they turn him loose. The gun went off into the air and frightened the horses on the buckboard, and they took off. Several times in the out-of-control ride, the rope was tangled and Jim was almost hung by accident, and given a nasty mark on his neck from the rope.

Naturally, several people are nervous and act guilty when Jim comes back into town. Although they were certain that he was the killer, they knew that he was angry about the attempted lynching. But Jim Guthrie kept insisting that he did not do it, and wanted to find out who was actually guilty. The sheriff gave him three hours to solve the problem, then he had to get out of town.

An old flame of Guthrie's, Chris Palmer (Dianne Foster), still had feelings for him. She wanted him to give up on his mission. They would run off together and start over somewhere else, but Jim was determined to follow through. She said, "I thought you escaped that night, but you didn't. They killed the Jim I knew." He replied, "That's right. They did." Well, having your lifelong friends turn on you and want to see you dead can change you in an instant. But when you're on the run, carrying the blame for a crime you did not commit and having bitter resentment grow in you — there can be quite a few changes in you, and they can grow deep roots.

When Guthrie confronted his former fiancée, Laurie, he learned that she had married his rival in romance. As a kicker, her son was his son; they got too frisky before the wedding day. She got married for the sake of the child, but still loved him. But she also believed that he was the killer.

Jim had several suspects, especially the man that Laurie married. All of his suspects had something or another to gain from the killing.

|> Fast forward. Guthrie has the drop on four of his former friends. Some are afraid, some are angry. But they begin talking and going over the events of that night. And Jim figures out who really did the killing.

After I pour more coffee, I'm going to tell you. Stop now if you don't want to know who the killer is before you see the picture.

The killer is the sheriff. Yep, that explains a few things. First, he was awfully confident that Guthrie wouldn't figure it out. Second, he was in a hurry to "be friendly" and help Guthrie get out of town. When confronted, they shot it out and the Sheriff Ben East got what was coming to him.

Guess what? The town wanted to string Jim up again! But this time, the other four men put a stop to it and stood up for him. They tried to get Guthrie to stay, but he told them that they would always be seeing that rope scar on his neck, and he knew he could not forget how they treated him. No, it would be best for all for him to move on. He said his goodbye (a blessing of sorts) to Laurie and her husband.

I like the very, very end: Chris Palmer grabbed a horse and chased after him. Obviously, she meant what she said at the beginning about wanting to be with him.

This picture illustrates why I hate crowds. They can turn on you in a moment. Your friends may turn on you, too, if they're caught up in that stuff. True friends will not, but who wants to find out like that? But sometimes, some people still believe in you despite the way things look at first.

And sometimes you can prove your innocence if you persevere.

There weren't a lot of lessons in this picture, as you can see. What I got out of it, I told you above, and I liked how it showed the way people act.

Coffee pot's empty, and I gotta go. I really gotta go. Talk to you later!

Down to the Nitty Gritty

2009-09-16T19:09:00.000-04:00

"You can't serve papers on a rat, baby sister.
You gotta kill him or let him be."
— Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn (John Wayne)

Yep, it's time to talk about True Grit. Just because John Wayne won an Academy Award for best actor doesn't mean that it's his best film, let's get that straight. (Also, I thought that it followed the book much closer than many other films, including some of the snappy dialogue. Fortunately, when the movie ended, it left out the back pages of the book.) Many of us like this picture, and there is considerable discussion about whether or not the award was "genuine", or a more clandestine "Life Achievement Award" because he should have won for other pictures. You can discuss that amongst yourselves after I'm done.

The fire's just right and the coffee's ready. Anyone else want some while I'm pouring?

If you're one of the few people that has not seen True Grit, I have a pleasant surprise for you. This will not be a full synopsis Spoiler Express today. Instead, I just want to bring up a couple of points.

The annoying Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) wants Marshall Cogburn to track down and arrest Tom Chaney, the man that killed her father. He runs with Ned Pepper's gang.

I love this scene. During one of their discussions, the besotted Cogburn sees a rat eating grain that his landlord owns. Rooster says, "Mr. Rat, I have a writ here says you're to stop eating Chin Lee's cornmeal forthwith. Now it's a rat writ, writ for a rat, and this is lawful service of the same." He looks over at Mattie and says, "See, doesn't pay any attention to me", and quickly shoots the rat dead. Good shot!

Chin Lee comes running in and yells, "Outside is place for shooting!"

Rooster replies, "I'm servin' some papers!" Then he says to Mattie, "You can't serve papers on a rat, baby sister. You gotta kill him or let him be." Obviously, that's right. But there's a deeper truth to that as well. You can go through the legal motions by making arrests, serve restraining orders, give a summons or whatever else. But if the party of the first part (the felon) is no respecter of the party of the second part (the law), then the party of the second part has to use more than just words to get the attention and respect of the party of the first part. That is, if talk is worthless, maybe they'll respect force. If they begin to respect handcuffs and a cell, great. However, there are times when the rats of society (such as the aforementioned Tom Chaney) can only be persuaded with bullets.

That's a cold, hard truth of life, like it or not.

Another point I want to bring up is that Rooster Cogburn seems like the unreliable (and undesirable) kind of man to have around. A few times he tried to play fast and loose with finances and do some cheating. Also, he was a boozer and was lazy. Then he tried to leave Mattie behind, even attempting to ditch her. At a critical moment, she thought he was running out on her.

But when it counted, Cogburn was there and doing his job. In fact, he went above and beyond because he seemed to actually care about mouthy Mattie. He was clever, brave and perhaps ruthless. Rooster was easy to underestimate, but he stayed on the trail and got the job done. Perhaps he had more character than even he knew.

"Well, sister, the time has come for me to ride hard and fast." Me, too. I'll catch up to you later.

A Sense of Right and Wrong

2009-09-11T10:53:00.000-04:00

I'm going to take a departure from almost everything else and speak straight from the heart. Don't worry, I'll be brief; you could call this a "ride-by posting". If I lose some readers, so be it. But I hope you can at least respect my honesty.

Today is the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. (I don't think I need to go into detail about the total lack of character and honor that those scumbags have.) I was hearing Joe Scarborough on his radio show this morning talk about how everyone was "all in this together" during that time, and we need to get that back. Sorry, Joe, but that will not happen because the human heart is normally selfish; to change from selfishness takes an active transformation. That's why the unity didn't last before.

What of cowboys that have good hearts? Well, this cowboy thinks that he is not overly selfish and is willing to help others. Good-hearted cowboys have a sense of right and wrong, and want justice to be done. They want to set things right with family, friends and neighbors. It also applies on a larger scale, with communities, states and the entire nation. (I believe that if there were an extraterrestrial menace, good people that were cowboys at heart would be ready to right the wrongs in that situation, as well.)

And cowboys will not forget the injustices. Not the good cowboys, anyway.

We cannot afford to forget September 11, 2001. I have a couple of links for you to see. Here is the "Have You Forgotten" link, followed by the September 11 Memorial. Thanks for reading.

Bill's Ranch

2009-09-09T19:15:00.000-04:00

And now for something completely different.

Liza sent me a request to put a link to Bill's Ranch on the site. This is an online game that takes time and skill. For those reasons, I am not going to review it because I do not want to take the time to learn how to play it.

If you want to learn more about it before you jump in and start playing, click here.

At first, I told Liza that I would not give it a link. But I got to thinking that just because it's not my style, that doesn't mean that some of my readers won't like it. And these kinds of games are popular.

So, you may want to saddle up and head over to Bill's Ranch and check out the action. Feel free to come back here and leave comments.

The Reputation of the Elders

2009-09-06T09:04:00.000-04:00

Howdy. Just got back from the cattle rustlin' festival at Flop Flats, and I have a story for you. Let's put more wood on the fire and make more coffee.

Although you're on a Spoiler Express journey, I'm not going to tell you every square inch of the film. It's been many a year since I've seen The Sons of Katie Elder. My memory was faulty, and I'm glad I saw it again because it turned out better than I thought.

It's ironic that the most important person in the story is dead before it begins. Katie Elder has passed on, and her four sons have come to her funeral. Well, all except for the famous gunslinger, John Elder (John Wayne). He watched the funeral from a distance so his presence didn't start any trouble. The other three sons didn't really have much of a reputation, except Tom (Dean Martin), but he was a gambler and con man, so it obviously wasn't a good reputation. All three of the brothers had to deal with some "guilty by association" for being John's brothers.

Bud Elder (Michael Anderson, Jr.) was sent away to college to get away from charges of horse stealing. The truth was, he didn't steal anything. His mother and the horse's owner cooked up a scheme to scare him off and into college so that at least one of the Elders would make something of himself.

Morgan Hastings (James Gregory) hired Curley the gunslinger (George Kennedy) to have on hand because he was afraid that John Elder would cause him trouble. After all, he was on the land that the Elders used to own.

The sons are learning quite a bit about their mother. Almost everyone loved her (except the man who claimed she tricked him into buying a blind horse); a woman at the funeral showed them her infant, named after Katie, the pastor that did the funeral felt that she deserved a better funeral than he gave her, etc.

Martha Hyer (Mary Gordon) stops by where the sons are staying and gives them food — and an earful. She, too, loved Katie, and she was angry at the sons for not staying in touch or doing anything to help (in fact, it had been ten years since some of the brothers had even seen each other). Even stopping by with the food was only as a favor for Katie.

I'm getting dry. Pour me some more coffee, OK? Thanks.

Katie had been living in a small place that she had rented, and the sons were staying there. Since she sold the ranch, they go into town to settle up accounts and see where the money went. In one shop, they owed Katie, and paid the sons. Even the account for the funeral had been settled by Katie in advance.

They learned that she was living very frugally, and hiring out her services as a seamstress and guitar teacher so she could make a living. (She must have been a proud woman, because she never told the sons about losing the ranch and her meager existence.) Still more people are speaking highly of her.

Katie Elder had a great reputation for being kind, generous, caring and helpful.

It turns out that there is no formal record on file for selling the ranch. Further inquiries reveal that the elder Elder had lost the property in a card game. Then, he was shot in the back. Strange how nobody cared enough to try to find out who did it. Obviously, some members of the town know something, but they're not telling. Others just don't want to know.

Our heroes ride out to their old property. Dave Hastings (Dennis Hopper), the son of Morgan, meets them at the door and gets argumentative. Just then, deputy Ben Latta (Jeremy Slate) rides up and gets snotty with the Elders, pulling a gun on them to take them to jail. They disarm him, and then go into town under their own volition to straighten things out. Sheriff Billy Wilson (Paul Fix) settles the hotheaded deputy down.

Uh, another cup of coffee, if you don't mind?

In a discussion later on, John points out that their mother wanted one of them to amount to something, and Bud had the best chance. But he doesn't want to go back to college, with a "you can make me go, but I won't learn anything" attitude. John says at one point, "All we want to do is make you end up rich and respectable. You fight us every step of the way", and Bud replies, "I don't want to be rich and respectable. I want to be just like the rest of you." Sheesh, just listen to yourself, kid!

During a loud and rowdy "discussion", a man rides up in a wagon to take Katie up on a business proposition. It involves taking horses and selling them. John talks the others into doing this, as it would be a good way to get money to send Bud back to college.

Meanwhile, back in town, deputy Ben had ridden off to do some investigating, and he found a wanted poster for Tom Elder. Since Ben is full of hate and anger (and a basic jerk), Sheriff Billy rides out to get Tom himself. But the Elders are not there, they are busy doing horse herding. But Hastings guns down Billy.

When Billy's horse comes back, deputy Ben forms a posse and goes after the Elders (lots of assuming going on here). When the posse catches up to the Elders, they promptly blame them for shooting Billy, and Ben refuses to listen to any proof that the Elders had to offer.

While waiting in jail, a lynch mob forms. Tom wants to break out, but John wants to keep on honoring their mother: "Nobody's gonna run! Katie wins this one!" Since the mob is getting too unruly outside, Ben is talked into moving the prisoners so they can get a fair trial somewhere else.

But there's a problem. Some of the posse are Hastings' men. An assassination is all set up, but the Elders don't sit still for it.

|> Fast forward. Lots of shooting, an explosion, Hastings guns down deputy Ben just when he sees the truth and wants to help the Elders, Matt Elder is killed, Bud is wounded, the elders get a cart and break away.

The Elders hole up in the blacksmith shop and take him hostage. His son is sent for the doctor to take care of Bud. A new man has taken over the sheriff's duties, but John doesn't trust him and wants him to send for the Marshal, he'll surrender to him.

After nightfall, Tom and John see the kid, Dave Hastings, out for a smoke. Tom disobeys John and sneaks out, taking him prisoner. Before they get back to the blacksmith shop, however, old man Hastings starts shooting and wounds Tom. They get back inside. John is questioning Dave with a choke hold, and Morgan shoots through the window, killing his son. Just then, he is disarmed by the new sheriff and runs off.

The new sheriff hears the dying confession of Dave Hastings, that his father cheated at cards to take over the Elder's ranch, Morgan killed the sheriff and the deputy, he killed the father of the Elders — yep, lower than a snake's belly in a wagon wheel rut.

No need to go into detail about the big shoot-out between John and Morgan. Afterward, Martha Hyer tells John that Tom says that it will take more than one bullet to kill him. Also, Bud will be all right with lots of care.

One more cup of coffee, willya? I have to wrap this up with the important stuff.

John Elder had a reputation as a fast gunfighter and a troublemaker. Although we see that he acts with integrity, he still lives in the shadow of that reputation. And that shadow is cast on the rest of his family as well. The bad parts of his reputation outweighed the good, at least, as far as people regarded him.

Katie Elder had such a strong reputation that it lived on after her. In fact, her sons were caught up into it and wanted to give her some kind of memorial, and that memorial would be Bud going on to college and becoming something worthwhile. Also, John wanted to do her proud when they were in jail under false charges, and refused to break out.

I know I keep going on about reputation, but I keep getting reinforcement about how important it is, and I get good illustrations for the point. (Regular readers of my other Weblog know that I love this story about Rush Limbaugh, he bought a car for a listener, and the dealer gave the car before the money arrived because they knew he was good for it!) A good reputation can serve you well, and also affect others.

Keep up building good reputations for yourselves, Pardners. That's an outgrowth of integrity and personal responsibility. Make them all happen, willya?

Coffee's cold, the fire's dying down. Let's put that thing out and head home.

Time to Catch a Train

2009-08-22T11:34:00.001-04:00

The town drunk gave his life because he believed that people should be able to live in decency and peace together.
Do you think I can do less?
— Dan Evans (Van Heflin)

Well, I was finally able to take a ride on the 3:10 to Yuma. No, not the blood-splattered R-rated version. The original 1957 version. For reasons I won't delve deeply into, I'm not going to see the remake, either, except that remaking a movie because a director wants it to "say something" else is insulting. Make your own movie instead of fouling up the original. I liked this movie before I happened across modern critics who tell me that I shouldn't like it. Sure, it has some weak points. Most movies do.

I was quite taken with this movie, although Howard Hawks did not like it (along with High Noon"), and was motivated to make Rio Bravo. Part of the contention is that it was not so clear-cut between good and evil, and 3:10 to Yuma has been called a "revisionist" Western. I'm not so sure about that label for the original.

All aboard the "Spoiler Express"? OK, here we go.

By the way, the "3:10 to Yuma" short story by Elmore Leonard is mostly recognizable in the movie version. Naturally, there is some added material, and the typical Hollywood deviations from the original. But Hollywood did not butcher the original, even though they shafted Mr. Leonard.

The gang led by Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) are in the act of holding up the stage when Dan Evans (Van Heflin) and his sons happen to ride up. The stage driver grabs a gun and tries to hold one of Wade's gang hostage. Ben takes charge of the situation by killing his own man and then the driver. Dan's sons think he should have taken action against Wade, but seem disappointed because he knows they'll only get killed, so he stays put.

Instead of killing the passengers, Dan Evans and his sons, he confiscates all of the horses so they can't ride for the sheriff. When Wade gets into town with his gang (and he had turned the other horses loose), they stop for a drink at the saloon — and report the crime. Ben Wade has some strange compassion going on, because he didn't want the people to remain stranded.

The sheriff gathers a posse, and they head for the scene of the crime. Shortly afterward, the gang rides out as well. Ben stays behind because the saloon keeper is a girl he knew in another town. They share some romantic moments when he should have been making tracks out of there. This dalliance leads to his capture.

Dan Evans is in town as well because his somewhat dissatisfied wife wants him to borrow two hundred dollars to buy water for his cattle; there's a drought, and they're faced with losing everything. He wants no further involvement in the arrest. But his request for the loan is turned down.

Fortunately, he's offered a job: Escort Ben Wade into the town of Contention and put him on (yep, you guessed it), the 3:10 to Yuma. The pay? Two hundred dollars. But nobody wants a part of this, because they know that Wade's gang will cause trouble. They're cowards, along the lines of the townspeople of High Noon. Dan's only interest in this is not justice, but the money. The only other man who wants a part in this is the town drunk, Alex Potter (Henry Jones).

The first stop is at Dan's house. They switch passengers in a stagecoach to try to fool the gang. Dan offers to let Ben have supper with them, and Ben is a very kind and pleasant guest.

Their trip to Contention is uneventful, and there's a room waiting at at the hotel. It seems that Dan is getting more involved in his job guarding Wade. The brother of the stage driver that Ben killed forces his way into the hotel room. He tries to kill Wade, but Evans stops him. But the guy is a coward at heart because he won't join in with getting Wade to Yuma, and runs off.

|> Fast forward a bit. Even though the gang knows where Ben is being held, he keeps offering more and more in the way of a bribe to Evans to let him go. Wade is a great psychological manipulator, as well. Ever pleasant, he keeps letting Evans know how much he has to lose, how he could do better for his family and so on. All the men that are supposed to help turned into weasels and backed out except for Alex and the man offering the payment (more of the mentality prevalent in High Noon).

And Dan is starting to sweat. He starts to weaken about the bribe, and says to Wade, "Are you sure that no one would ever know?" Then there's some commotion in the street. Alex is shot, and then taken into the hotel itself and hanged. Evans hears his last scream of terror.

I believe that this solidified his position. Even though Dan's wife shows up at the hotel and tries to talk him out of it, he says, "Honest to God, if I didn't have to do it, I wouldn't, but I heard Alex scream. The town drunk gave his life because he believed that people should be able to live in decency and peace together. Do you think I can do less?" The excesses of Wade's gang pushed him to do the right thing. From the way he talked to his wife, there are hints that he did not expect to get out of it alive after all.

|> Fast forward through the tense scene of getting from the hotel to the train station. Wade and Evans are next to the train as it's pulling out. At first, Wade tells him that he made a nice try, but Dan says that they can jump into an open car while the train is pulling out. We have a line of the gang, Wade, then Evans with a gun at Wade's back. The gang members are telling Ben to drop down so they can shoot Dan.

Instead, he tells Dan, "You'll have to trust me on this one!" and they both jump into the train car. When Dan asks Ben why he did it, he said that Dan saved his life at the hotel, and he didn't like owing favors. And it's starting to rain, so the drought is over. Besides, Wade has broken out of Yuma before...

My problem with the movie is the same thing with High Noon, High Plains Drifter and similar Westerns: Cowardice. People like historians, Howard Hawk, John Wayne and others believe that the people of the west were not that way. They did not run from adversity. I can watch it using a "suspension of disbelief", and tell myself that this time, you had a bunch of jerks.

Ben Wade was an interesting fellow. He had an odd sense of morality at the beginning and the end of the picture, and he was a very decent, likable guy. But I noticed that he had nothing to say about the murder of Alex, the event that swayed Dan back on the straight and narrow path. Is he conflicted inside? Was his personal morality mixed at that point? I don't think he was entirely evil, because he could have let Evans die at the train station.

Dan Evans was all over the place. He did not want any part of Wade, but only took the job for the money. He took the job seriously and seemed to be doing it for the right motive later on, and then started to weaken again. Finally, he was determined to do the right thing and keep his integrity.

Sure, we can weaken in adversity. We can weaken when offered money to look the other way. It all depends on what's inside us in the first place, isn't it? My father liked to use a metaphor about the mind being a garden: Plant good things and water them, and you'll have good things grow. And the opposite is true.

My suggestion is that we should be dwelling on good things and not destructive things in our minds. Then, when push comes to shove, the good seed that has been sown inside us will reveal itself.

One final note. I came across an analysis of this picture by a Conservative Website. It has some good thoughts, but I have to do my duty to tell you that there's a political bias to it. My job in this Weblog is not to take a political stand, so I'm offering that disclaimer in addition to the encouragement to read it. If you want to see it, click here.

Giving Good Gifts

2009-08-19T12:43:00.000-04:00

Howdy, y'all! Before I saddle up and ride off to Sharpie Flats, I wanted to tell you about a nifty story. Actually, it's just a small part of a story. What's fun for me is that this fits in with Paul Kyriazi's How to Live the James Bond Lifestyle. By the way, you don't have to worry about the Spoiler Express today, so you can get the book and still have fun.

First, the image of James Bond that Kyriazi sets forth for us to use is someone that, if he did have to borrow your car, would return it to you full of fuel, clean, etc. and he would still be willing to return a favor to you as well. I take it as "give better than you get" in the area of treating people right.

In Louis L'Amour's The Trail to Crazy Man, Rafe Caradec and a friend were checking some land when Rafe notices some movement. Perhaps some bad guys that they had encountered earlier were going to dry gulch them?

Rafe carefully got closer and discovered a Sioux maiden with a badly broken leg. It would have to be put in a splint. Rafe's friend tried to caution him to leave her alone, if she started shouting, they'd be in a world of hurt. But Rafe insisted on trying, and the woman let him tend to her. Then, they put her on one of their horses so they could take her most of the way back to her camp, then let her finish the trip on her own.

Some bad guys came riding up and wanted to take the Sioux woman away. They had been running her down and were wanting to have some fun with her. (Yeah, really fun. Her leg was broken...) After some threats and a near showdown, the losers were run off.

When it was time to send the Sioux woman on her way, Rafe had his friend translate a message to her. She was to tell her people that Rafe and his friends were honoring a previous agreement with the Sioux regarding the property they were on, that no warriors would be bothered when crossing it and that their women would be safe. Rafe and his people just wanted to live in peace.

A few nights later, the horses were disturbed. When the men got to the corral to see what the commotion was, well... they were looking to see their five horses. Instead, they had ten. And the one they sent with the injured woman was returned, plus a magnificent animal that was obviously for Rafe. The Sioux were giving top-notch animals. What a payback!

I see several things happening here. First, Rafe does a good deed simply because it's the right thing to do; he is not expecting anything in return. I suspect that Rafe unintentionally sent a message that all white men are not bad, some do good things. The tribal chief responded in a manner that would make Paul Kyriazi's version of James Bond proud, and gives back to Rafe's crew in a big way. It shows that he accepts Rafe's words of good will.

Doing something good for its own sake should be its own reward. If you give expecting to get, you're often disappointed. But sometimes, you'll get a payoff. And if you're returning a favor, you can be the blessing in someone else's life by giving better than you received. After all, God works through people.

Got that?

Cowboys and Individuality

2009-08-17T13:13:00.000-04:00

And now for something completely different.

Some of the things that attract me to Westerns involve personal integrity, individuality, personal freedom and personal responsibility. When it comes to real cowboys, there was the need to "ride for the brand" and have responsibility to your employer. We have that "ride for the brand" principle today. Whether a cowboy in 1870 or modern employee, we have our individual responsibilities to fulfill our tasks. Further, these "tasks" can be in our employment, personal relationships and even to ourselves.

I began to wonder about how unique the Western values (and by "Western", I'm not talking about Western Civilization per se, I'm still focusing on cowboy-type stuff and Western movies) really are. Do they expand beyond the borders of the US and Canada?

I presented my question to one of my best friends that I've never met, a fellow living in Thailand. His reply was very interesting. Here it is, with minor editing tweaks:

The way I see it, "Western" values orient toward individual freedom and responsibility. Many people are surprised when they come to a society like the one I live in (a very non-western culture, never ruled by a colonizer, their own everything from calendar to writing system) to find that people generally have very compatible attitudes toward life. The Thais have a very strong "personal autonomy" gene. You have the right to take your own path, so long as it doesn't infringe on somebody else's. Government authority be damned, in many cases.

The flip side of that is the attitude of leaving people alone as long as they aren't infringing on your freedom. Kind of a "non-judgmentalism" toward others who are choosing their own path, and taking their own responsibility for it through karma. None of my business.

Now this isn't everyone, of course. There are control-freaks as well, those who would value social stability or uniformity more than individualism. But the real Thais are generally more on the individual autonomy side. Maybe it's the Buddhism, I don't know. (Of course the Bangkok Chinese in general are more like, well, Chinese, especially the economic elite ones. Not much Cowboy there.)

The other place I know as well as Thailand is Indonesia, where the changes have been very fast over the past 10 years — the point at which they were just beginning to get out from under an authoritarian dictator. Before that there was a lot of fatalism, feeling like things could never change. But when the change did come, practically over night, attitudes about the relationship of a citizen to his government and placed a higher value on personal freedom began to change, too.

And now, in the struggles within society that developed as Islamic fundamentalists began to have more freedom of action too (followed very soon by 911 and the upsweep of that fundamentalism around the world), the Freedom people are prevailing. The religously-oriented political parties are losing support, and didn't do well in their parliamentary elections. The just re-elected president is a secularist Muslim, a very modern and moderate fellow, former Armed Forces officer who spent quite some time in the United States with the US military schools. The people really seem to like him.

Maybe the Cowboy way of living isn't so foreign over here as people might expect. The trappings might change, but if the attitudes stem from living as an independent individual who strives to do the right thing, I'm sure there are Cowboys everywhere (my emphasis added).

Reminds me, one of the most popular Thai films a couple of years ago, was a Thai cowboy movie! (I didn't see it) that made it into foreign film festivals. It was done with something of an alternate reality visual style, is about all I know about it. "Fa Talai Jone" (Heaven Catches the Bad Guy), English title "Tears of the Black Tiger".

Maybe I should feel a bit disappointed because I'm not so unique. Nah. I'm glad that such a spirit, which I consider important in the world, is more widespread than I originally thought.

Addendum 8-20-2009: I should not have been quite so surprised by my friend's words. Why? Because I have visitors to this Weblog from around the world. Sure, I can expect Canada, Australia, Mexico and so forth. The British Aisles? Well, OK. Barbados? Japan? Korea? Other places that I would not expect to have an affinity for cowboy stuff? Yes, looks like he may be right, the individual responsibility and integrity part of it all has broader appeal than I would expect.

Gun Respect

2009-08-13T03:01:00.001-04:00

Glad you could join me today. I'll keep this short, about 3-1/2 minutes after this introduction.

I was listening to a great audio book. The story is by Louis L'Amour, and it's called "A Man Called Trent". It's read by Jim Gough, and the kind people at Blackstone Audio were willing to let me post a short clip for you. I'm happy that I can do this with permission!

Let me set this up a little bit. Trent, the gunslinger, is giving a teenager named Jackie his first gun. He gives good advice, and most of this advice applies to the Old West and to today. Be careful, there's a section where Trent stops talking and it sounds like a scene change. Then, Trent talks some more: "...there's a clause in the Constitution..."

Find more videos like this on Art of Manliness

Sometimes You Just Have To

2009-08-10T12:58:00.000-04:00

"There are times when you have to use a gun — there's no other way."
— Tom Earley (Stewart Granger)

It's been a long ride, but I finally made it back. Pour me some coffee, will ya? Have plenty, I have a lot to say.

Gun Glory is kind of unremarkable, and the title is just plain silly. But it's still worth watching. That is, if you still want to see it after the Spoiler Express here runs you down.

Gambler and gunslinger Tom Earley (Stewart Granger) returns home after another long absence. He wants to get serious about building up his ranch, and tired of living the rough life. As with most tough guy reputations, he earned some of it but not all of it; he's considered a heartless killer by some folks. The townspeople shun him, and the owner of the general store overcharges him and treats him like dirt — but he's still willing to take Earley's money. The shopkeeper's daughter, Jo (Rhonda Fleming), treats him decently.

Upon returning home, his son, Tom Earley, Jr. (Steve Rowland) is angry and bitter, and makes his father distinctly unwelcome. Mrs. Earley had died in the elder Earley's absence and he did not even know it.

The next day, Earley returns to town. The shopkeeper treats Jo (who is apparently his step-daughter) like crap. When Earley says he wants to hire someone to help with his small ranch, the shopkeeper tells Jo to go with him. Shortly afterwards, there's a confrontation with Grimsell (James Gregory, whom I know best from "Barney Miller"), who wants to drive his cattle through their land. And running 20,000 head of cattle over the land would destroy it. Earley tells him that he can't do it. One of Grimsell's men wants to slap leather and kill Earley. Earley wants a peaceful life, and actually turns his back. The man tries to kill Earley, but he's too fast and kills the four-flusher.

The mouthy storekeeper can only yell about killers killing killers, even though he knows full well that it was entirely self-defense that kept Earley alive. Even when he returns home, Earley Junior blames his father for the shooting and is angry that it happened at all.

Jo shows up at the ranch to take Earley up on his employment offer. She tells Junior something that Earley neglected to mention: That he had turned his back, and the other gunslinger would have killed his father.

Something happens that is rare in movies: A preacher (Chill Wills) is an honorable man. Earley, his son and Jo arrive at the church service. Townspeople stare at them. The preacher tries to make him welcome by saying that when any man comes into God's house under his own power, it's between him and God, and they should make him welcome. Since there's work to be done on the church wall, there really is no service. As the work starts, guess who starts trouble? The mouthy shopkeeper makes a fuss, saying, "You're not wanted here!" Too bad nobody contradicts the galoot. Earley and company leave.

At the ranch, the three of them are working and getting along reasonably well, and the son seems to be relaxing a bit.

Grimsell and his bad guys are planning. He's slow to allow free reign to killing, but the others want to simply kill Earley. Grimsell wants to talk, finds Earley working outside and make an offer to Earley on his ranch. Nope, Earley won't sell.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (I've always wanted to say that), Junior gets rambunctious and kisses Jo. She just stares at him and won't even slap his face. She speaks in an understanding manner because he's troubled, and promises not to tell his father. Also, she tells him that he needs to believe in something, especially himself.

Meanwhile, back in town (lots of things happening at once, I reckon), there's a meeting at the church. They'll send a courier to Laramie to get legal help. Earley points out that he knows Grimsell, and this will only give him time to get more prepared and hire additional gunmen; they'll run the cattle anyway. The men take a vote and nobody listens to our hero.

Back again at the ranch (whew!), Earley and Jo are talking and laughing. Junior overhears a small part and misunderstands. He bursts in, tells both of them off, mentions kissing Jo and even slaps his father. Earley steps outside, and Jo tells him that no, he was wrong because nobody was talking about him. She was being understanding because he's wanting to punish has father and still fighting his mother's battle — a battle she never wanted, because she was being forgiving of Jim Earley. Further, he should apologize to his father. But he refuses.

Next, the bad guys gun down the courier that the townsmen sent out and his horse runs away. Earley finds the body, and goes to confront Grimsell. Since Grimsell won't budge whatsoever, Earley rides off.

The dead courier's horse returns to town. The preacher and the others decide to take the battle to Grimsell. They go to Earley's ranch to recruit him, but he's not there yet. But Junior is more than willing to join in the fray. Remember, he's the same kid that was angry because his father was "a killer".

They go looking, and stop for a while. The firing begins when the bad guys ambush the townsmen, and the first shot takes down the preacher while he's reading out loud from the Bible (how low can you get?) Several are killed, and Junior is wounded.

Earley rides out and finds the ambush. He finds his son and the preacher, who is not dead yet. The preacher tells him to take his son home. Earley knows that there's no hope for the preacher, and says, "I hate to leave you alone, Preacher." The preacher replies, "I won't be alone", and holds his Bible close.

I'll take some more coffee, if'n you don't mind.

When Earley and Junior return to the ranch, Jo wants him to stay put, but he says he has to take care of things. We see him packing dynamite into the rocks of the pass that the cattle will pass through. When the cattle approach, he shoots the stashed dynamite and starts and avalanche. In the resulting confusion and stampede (the cattle changed direction back where they came from), several of Grimsell's murderers are trampled.

The two main baddies, Grimsell and his right-hand man, go to Earley's ranch to get even with him. They take Jo and the boy hostage and lay in wait to gun Earley down when he comes in. While waiting, the son taunts them: "One man stopped you!"

When Earley does return, he's suspicious. He tells them to come out, but they point out that they have hostages. After further discussion, the gunman with Grimsell faces Earley outside. Earley pleads for his life, but it's a ruse and he gets control of the gun and takes charge of the situation.

I guess it's an honor thing, because the two men fight each other without guns. When Earley wins, he turns away. The gunman is down, but reaches for a discarded pistol. When he reaches it, Junior lets him have it. Since Grimsell is the only one left and he's not a threat, Earley sends him away. Junior never thought he'd kill someone.

"There are times when you have to use a gun — there's no other way"..."Let's hope the time never comes again for either of us."

Jo is going to stay, the son is forgiving his father, Earley will finish the preacher's goal of building the church wall and it's a happy ending.

But you're not done, come back here! One last cup of coffee, if you don't mind. I'll probably be awake all night...

Gun Gl0ry is misleading as a title, because none of the good guys gained joy or glory in killing.

There are a few things I'd like you to consider. First, Earley Junior had judged his father for being away. Yes, he made mistakes, but the son judged him too harshly. He also was using his "killer" status to increase his rage, and hated using guns or killing whatsoever. Or so he said. When he was faced with a situation where he had to kill someone to save another's life, he did so. It took experience to enlighten him since he would not listen to others.

The next thing to consider is that the townsmen did not listen to someone with superior knowledge, and they paid a terrible price. Fortunately, Earley kept the worst from happening.

Third, consider that they respected guns. Earley did not want to be a killer, and tried to keep from shooting whenever possible. When it came to protecting people's homes and the people themselves from others who would literally trample them, they used the guns.

I believe that there are times when you have to resort to methods you're not happy with when it comes down to it. Sure, I'd shoot, but I wouldn't be happy about it by any means. Especially when time is of the essence.

OK, I've kept you long enough. Thanks for listening. The next post will be a doozy, it's an audio clip.

Generous Character

2009-08-01T17:30:00.000-04:00

"I'm not going to the sheriff,
the governor, or the
President of the United States.
I'm coming to see you."
— John Simpson Chisum (John Wayne)
to Lawrence Murphy

Howdy. It's been a long ride back from Deception Pass, but I'm ready to do some writing. If the blasted computer keeps running. I have to confess to saying things to it that should only be said around horses and cattle...

First, a bit of trivia. Did you know that Zane Grey went by his middle name? His real first name was Pearl. Pearl, meet Marion Morrison. He's going to be in some movies based on your books after we change his name to John Wayne.

Chisum is a good movie, and also plays fast and loose with some historical figures. William Bonney (Billy the Kid) wants to go straight, and Pat Garrett, the lawman who eventually kills him, both appear and start out as friends. John Simpson Chisum (John Wayne) is rich. He's actually the American Dream, having worked his way up through good honest hard work. He owns a great deal of land and cattle, and is well-loved by the people in the area. And he is generous. Pat Garrett arrived on the scene without a horse. Chisum unhesitatingly gave him one.

However, rival greedy cattle baron Lawrence Murphy (Forrest Tucker) wants to take over. While Chisum worked hard to reach his station in life, Murphy was the opposite. And plans to continue. He not only owns land and is buying out businesses (seems that almost every business in town has his name on it), he also owns the lawmen. And he is rustling cattle as well.

A lawyer that Murphy hired to help represent him found out what he was really like, and promptly went over to work for Chisum.

To set up a challenge to Murphy, Chisum sets up his own bank (with is own money) and a general store. (Since Chisum did not need a lawyer, he set the man up in charge of the store. That's also a good act of generosity.) Murphy watches customers come and go in Chisum's store and essentially ignore his own. How much do you want to bet that it was because Chisum was loved and respected by the community?

|>> Fast forward, lots of spoilers.

Well, Murphy had to keep pushing and swindling. His new sheriff is "meaner than a gut shot grizzly", and only interested in money, not law; his primary calling is to be a bounty hunter. When Billy the Kid is on a vengeance mission, he gets trapped in Chisum's general store for a shoot-out with the "law" and Murphy's gang. Everyone knows that this is a fight to the death.

Murphy's people blockade the street to keep Chisum out. But Chisum is not going to be kept away, and uses his imagination: Stampede! Yep, he has his men run his cattle through the blockade and into the town. (Let me point out that once again, he's not putting money first, and that stampede is an expensive proposition.)

In a dramatic shoot-out and fight scene, Chisum's people prevail. Billy the Kid runs off with the assistance of Pat Garrett, but we know that they'll meet again under worse terms. Murphy gets what he deserves, and nobody seems to regret it.

You know how I often talk about the virtue of good character, and being respected. Chisum was not respected only because of his money, and he did not use money to bribe or buy friendship. No, he built up his empire with hard work. He used his money to help people.

Money is a tool, not a means to an end. If we can use what we have, be it money, influence, skills, interpersonal skills or whatever, we should use them for good and not for selfish gain. Then you have loyal friends and respect when you build them up over the years.

Glimmers of the Cowboy Code?

2009-07-26T20:06:00.001-04:00

Howdy! This article is taking a different approach, and I'm posting it in several places at once because it doesn't fit just one Weblog theme.

I’m suspicious of AskMen.com. Instead of trying to help men be better men, it often has articles written by women that tell men how to please women. And they have those online surveys. These are nowhere near scientific. Their “Top 99 Women” can be influenced by repeat voting, but the motive is fan based.

“...Our 2009 Great Male Survey, a poll that drew over 50,000 participants and more than 2 million responses. We asked our male readers more than 100 questions about their love lives, their jobs, how they spend their leisure time, and their thoughts on current events. The final results paint a surprising picture of the modern man -- and shows just how much he has changed since last year’s edition of the survey...”

This one has a bit more promise for my suspicious mind. Some of the trends caught this cowboy’s eye.

One that made me very happy is that the term “metrosexual” seems to be dying off. According to the survey, men are concerned about their appearances, but not acting feminine about it. Looking good is fine, obsessing about grooming is not. Style and trendiness are still influences in clothing purchases, however. That always bothered me because trends come and go; you can be a slave of trends and spend a small fortune in trying to stay current. Looking neat and being classy are always acceptable, however.

“77% of men surveyed thought that moral standards in business were on the decline”. Well, I have several articles railing against the morality (and incompetence) of business, often to the Michael Corleone level of, “I have to kill you. Nothing personal, it’s just business”. I’m glad to see that I’m not alone in my condemnation of modern business practices! The “Code of the West” had a cornerstone of, “A man’s word is his bond, and a handshake is a binding contract”. (Even if you have something in writing, there’s no guarantee that a hotshot lawyer and four-flushing judge won’t negate your contract anyway.) Those handshake days are gone, but some of us have integrity and live to make our own words have meaning.

It turns out that modern movies and the pr0n industry are wrong: According to the survey, loyalty is in fashion after all. Even if there was no chance of being found out after cheating. Some versions of the Cowboy Code actually spell out respect for women (I think that some do not mention it because it should not have to be said). Now, if we can get respect for parents and the nation’s laws added, we’ll definitely be onto a good trend!

It appears that men are traditional in other areas. Marriage is not dead after all, and men consider themselves “old school” in relationships. Most want to pay for the dates, and also make an effort to be romantic. Men want soul mates with sex appeal. That’s understandable.

I consider myself a cowboy at heart, and old school. Traditional values and all that. So, this comment that AskMen.com inserted was encouraging: “The 2009 Great Male Survey in short? Men are putting a bigger emphasis on home life, returning to traditionalism and dressing the part. Sure, the economy might be on the rocks, but so is our scotch. Let’s toast to the return of the past.”

I’ll drink to that. Barkeep, I’m buying a round for the house!

Never Miss a Good Chance to Shut Up

2009-07-23T14:22:00.000-04:00

Howdy again. Hope you're doing better than I am today. Think I drank from a bad watering hole on my last ride. I knew it tasted a bit tangy...

In between rest spells, I managed to watch a Western. The Duel at Silver Creek is a so-so movie, and the talent was wasted. I won't warn you to avoid it at all costs, but you'll probably feel unfulfilled and ask yourself, "What...?" because of the holes in the story. Heck, half of the cast is uncredited. There is action and the story does move along, though.

"The Silver Kid", Luke Cromwell (Audie Murphy) and his father had a gold stake. Claim jumpers forced the father to sign while the kid was away, and then they killed him. Just like they did with all of the other claims. (One obvious big hole in the story is that several people were killed and suddenly the claims have new owners, but nobody investigates that?)

Marshal Lightning Tyrone (Stephen McNally) was able to go after the claim jumpers in another incident, and they managed to chase them for a while, but they got away and Lightning (yes, really) was wounded. He is dropped off at a nearby army hospital for medical attention. A wounded witness is brought in, but while people are getting supplies to help him, Opal Lacy (Faith Domergue) just happens to be there and kills the man. OK...she's with the bad guys. Got it.

While Lightning is out of town, recovering, his father is shot in the back and killed. How this has significant bearing on the story has to be explained to me. The Marshal questions Johnny Sombrero and Rat Face Blake (yes, they actually used those clichéd names). He thinks they were in on the killing. We never know for sure, but those two sidewinders are a part of the claim jumper gang.

Lightning meets The Silver Kid and makes him a deputy because Lightning's wound affected his trigger finger. (That may have been silly writing, but it turns out to be true. My own trigger finger has not fully recovered from a back injury that happened over ten years ago.) So, Silver's job is to watch Lightning's back.

But they also work together to try to find the claim jumper gang. Some members of the gang are in town, including the leader. They pretend to be respectable citizens. Lightning starts getting cozy with Opal, the woman that killed the witness at the Army fort.

Lightning is lousy at choosing friends and giving trust. It's too bad he didn't know some of my Italian friends who are more selective about such matters. Or he could have learned from cowboys, who are known for being quiet. There's a story that two cowboys are playing cards and hear an animal bellow outside. One says, "Bull". The other says, "Sounds like a steer to me". The next morning, one of them is packing up. "Leaving?" asks one. "Yep. Too much arguing."

Anyway, one of the Marshal's friends is the leader of the bad guys, another is Opal the killer. In fact, Opal encourages romance by keeping Lightning at her house so that Rat Face could get a shot at him. (He's a rat face, she's a weasel.) Fortunately, The Kid is keeping watch and shoots Rat Face first.

But Rat Face is not dead. The lawmen take him away and put him in a safe place because they expect not only a lynch mob, but also for the gang to get to Rat Face. And he gets both. While the lynch mob is at the front door of the jail, the gang dynamites the back of the jail. But Rat Face isn't there.

Lightning takes Opal into his confidence that Rat Face is squirreled away. He should have hobbled his lips, because he kept talking and giving away parts of his plans and knowledge. Sure, he had no knowledge yet that she was an enemy. But he barely knew her. Further, she learns that his trigger finger does not work. Oh, good.

|> Fast forward, finally. Johnny Sombrero challenges Lightning because he knows about the trigger finger (guess who told?). The Marshal won't back down and goes into the gunfight, but Luke/Silver is there and, to save the Marshal, shoots him. Then he takes over for him in the fight, and wins. Sombrero spills the beans about Opal with his dying words.

To save her skin, Opal promises to show Lightning and the posse where the gang is holed up. She breaks away and tells the leader that she was trying to warn them, but he's not fooled and shoots her dead for her betrayal. In the ensuing battle, gang members are killed or captured and everybody's happy.

At this point, I'm thinking, "Big deal! What was with director Don Siegel, anyway? He's done better stuff."

I did not find many positive character traits. Luke Cromwell, The Silver Kid, is loyal and skilled, but he does not follow orders very well. People are friendly, but talk too much when they're going about important business. The lesson I find in this movie is a negative one: The old cowboy adage applies, "Never miss a good chance to shut up". Maybe it's my own suspicious nature, or because I've had bitter experiences in both the personal and professional worlds, but it's a bad idea to be splashing your words all over the place. Things can be used against you. You can be friendly without loose talk and revealing important information to people that you really don't know, or can use things against you.

Fastest Gun in the West?

2009-07-20T04:32:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the YouTube fascination these days. Oh, the joys of high-speed Internet! People on IT Lockdown at work will just have to check these things out from home. This little dandy is about Bob Munden, who can literally draw and fire with deadly accuracy in less than half a second!

Zane Green

2009-07-18T14:10:00.000-04:00

Howdy. I wanted to show off my cactus friend. I named it Zane Green. I figured that a cowboy should have a cactus. Since I haven't killed it off and it looks like it's going to survive, I'll show off a couple of pictures. Measuring from the top of the soil, this bad boy is over nine inches tall. Sorry about the shaky images, but I do not have steady hands.

Where's a Sunset When You Need One?

2009-07-16T17:58:00.000-04:00

My buddy Kathy sent me a link to a video, and I thought, "OK, a friend sends a link, I'd better watch". Sure glad I did! It's a country song, with nods to John Wayne and some other cowboys. And it's a good song. He reminded me of Chris LeDoux, and comments said that he was like LeDoux and George Strait. Yep, I see that.

So, do us both a favor and check out Lane Turner's video:

Your Guilty Conscience

2009-07-15T12:56:00.000-04:00

Aha! I saw that look in your eye! Someone talks about a guilty conscience, and you realize that you have one, don't you? The question arises, "Doesn't everyone?" If you're into pondering human behavior like I am, this picture is well worth seeing.

In "No Name on the Bullet", John Gant (Audie Murphy) rides into Lordsburg and takes a room at the hotel. The townsmen get crazy with guilt and fear. Gant has a well-established reputation. He's not exactly a gunslinger. It's more like he's an executioner. He's sent to kill people. The reason that he's never been arrested for murder is that he will goad men into drawing down on him, and he will out draw them in a fair fight. Well, as fair as a fight like that can be, technically.

Men start speculating who Gant came there to kill. One man is so consumed by guilt and fear that he kills himself. Two other men assume that he is there to take care of them, and offer to give him money to go away. When another man sees them talking with Gant, he assumes that they are setting Gant up against him and his friends.

Luke Canfield (Charles Drake), the town doctor, tries to talk to John Gant, and finds him likable. But Canfield is also appalled at Gant's philosophies on life ("everyone has enemies"..."everybody dies"), and that he has no concern for the trouble that he is causing the town.

Gant also said, "Take two men. Say they have robbed and lied, and have never paid. The man whom one of them has robbed comes to me and says, "Kill that man who's robbed me." And I kill him. The other man becomes ill and would die, except for a physician who returns him to health to rob and lie again. Who's the villain in this piece? Me, or the physician?"

I have a problem with that. One is that it is based on an assumption that the man who returns to health will rob and lie again. Possible, not not guaranteed. Also, they physician's job is to restore health, not pass judgment. If the man he helps does indeed go to rob and kill again, it's that man's choice to rob and kill.

Also, I have a problem with Dr. Canfield. He is agreeing with the men in the town that it's Gant's fault that they are all in a lather. But each man was making assumptions from his own guilt, and trying to determine which enemies in his past would want to have him killed. They all had choices in their own actions. The problem with Gant is that he was actually enjoying the trouble that their minds brought on themselves. Although intelligent and somewhat personable, he was very cold inside.

I was actually thinking that this was an innocent stop for John Gant, and people were going nuts for no reason. If this was going to be the case, this would have qualified as a kind of Twilight Zone episode. But no, he really was there to kill someone. He was there for (remember, Spoiler Express) Judge Benson. Benson is dying of consumption and only has a few months to live. Gant can't let nature take its course, however; he has to finish the job.

Benson's daughter visits Gant at his hotel room and tries to talk him out of it. She also adds that her father will not defend himself, so that if he's killed, it will be murder and not self-defense; Gant can finally be charged for the crime. To provoke Judge Benson, Gant rips away a part of the daughter's dress and takes it with him, and locks her in the closet.

At Benson's house, the judge states that he will not defend himself. Gant shows the piece of the dress and indicates that he "had his way with her". (He didn't do anything to her, that was one shred of decency in him.) The judge goes for a rifle and was preparing to shoot Gant. Just when Gant is beginning to "defend himself", the judge collapses and dies. Gant never fires.

Doctor Canfield arrives with another man. In a brief struggle, Gant shoots and wounds Canfield. Canfield throws a hammer at Gant and wounds him in the arm. He makes a remark to Canfield that is consistent with the rest of the philosophies that he states: "Don't worry about it, Physician. Everything comes to a finish."

A few years ago, I had a therapist (yes, I really did for a while) tell me about "filling in the blanks". People make assumptions and fill in the blanks, the gaps in their knowledge, because they can't stand not knowing. Also, I had been cautioned about "buying trouble"; you worry about things, maybe fill in the blanks with "what if" remarks, expect a problem — and it may not ever arise. (Some Old West wisdom here: "Most of the stuff people worry about never happens anyway.") The townsmen with guilty consciences were doing a great job of "buying trouble".

I know I'm throwing several things at you, but catch them, willya? It's for your own good. We can't assume bad things all the time. We can't buy trouble and get all worked up when we really don't know what's happening. We can't "fill in the blanks" in our knowledge with guesses and then torment ourselves that way.

There are a couple of things that I can think of to remedy some of the mental anguish. One is to just settle down and wait for the complete information instead of jumping at conclusions. Another is to live decent lives so that we don't have to get crazy with guilt and fear.

Just some thoughts.

Breeding an Idea

2009-07-12T17:58:00.000-04:00

Ya cannot live with dreams.
It's time to stop dreamin' and live for this day...
and the next day.
— Alexander Bowen (Brian Keith)

After a dearth of decent Western pictures to talk to you about, I was able to see James Stewart in The Rare Breed. At first, I thought there wasn't anything special in this one. Fortunately, something did present itself. Although the Spoiler Express is running as usual, it won't spoil the entire picture for you. Just the ending.

Martha Price (Maureen O'Hara) and her daughter Hilary (Juliet Mills) brought a Hereford bull to auction off in Texas. The purpose was to improve the stock of the Texas Longhorn cattle through crossbreeding (which is historical fact, not Hollywood fantasy for once). This was a project started by Martha's late husband, and she's carrying on with his dream. Two rivals bid on the bull, and one wouldn't let it go, so he hired Sam Burnett (James Stewart) to steal it.

Burnett traveled with the Price women, misleading them to think he was going to deliver the bull to the legitimate buyer. He speaks poorly of the breeding idea, as well as others (after all, this bull has no horns) on their travels.

|> Fast forward through action and drama.

Burnett has been found out, and the women are angry with him. He goes forward to deliver the bull to the rancher (Alexander Bowen, played by Brian Keith) that had originally purchased it. Why Bowen bought it, I have no idea. He keeps insisting that the Hereford bull has no business trying to breed with Longhorn cattle, and that it cannot survive in Texas.

Hilary Price decides to force the issue, and rides out to turn the bull loose. But Sam Burnett will have none of it, and goes out to search for the bull. Unfortunately, a blizzard is starting to rage. Not only does Sam fail to find the bull, but needs to be rescued himself.

When they return to the ranch, Martha is giving in to the pressure of Bowen's nay-saying, and admits that it's Longhorn country after all. But Burnett surprises them all by saying to Martha that she's given up on a lot of things. Further, she put an idea in him and it's taken root; now he believes in the breeding idea. Bowen (who has taken a fancy to Martha and wants to marry her), sneeringly tells Burnett that he can keep all of the crossbreed calves that are born, but there won't be any.

Sam builds his own place and sets up for the calves that he hopes to find. A real dream-buster happens when he finds the body of the bull that they had delivered to the ranch. He tells Martha (and I think he's trying to convince himself) that there is still time, calves may yet be born for a few months.

After a great deal of searching, he doesn't believe his eyes: A half-breed calf! He picks it up and takes it back to the ranch to show off. Bowen lashes out at him because he knows that Martha is reluctant to marry him and would prefer to have Sam, and this calf is the end of his dream of marriage. After a brief fist fight, all is well.

"So where are you going with this, Cowboy Bob?"

Well, I'm not sure if I told you this little story from my father's funeral back in February of 2009. Maybe a little bit, but it's worth saying again. I wasn't scheduled to say anything at the funeral. A pastor was passing around a microphone for people in the audience who wanted to share some reminisces of my father. Suddenly, something came to me. I asked for the microphone and ten seconds of time. I told them that he told me one lesson he wanted people to remember from him: Don't let anyone steal your dreams. This bit still gets to me...when I was done, I felt like he was there with me for a moment saying, "Thank you".

See, Dad? I'm passing it along again!

I'm here to tell you that the quote at the top of this article is dead wrong! Martha and Hilary Price let their dream (or "idea") fade (and the dream of the late Mr. Price as well). Sam Burnett got inspired and believed in the dream, kept it alive and re-inspired the Price women.

Don't let anyone steal or talk you out of your dreams. Worse yet, don't just give up on them. Persevere, work hard, plan. If you do have to let it go, make it because you're reached a sound conclusion that something won't work. Maybe you can come back to it. Or else move onto something else. Let it be your choice, though.

Best of Both Worlds

2009-07-11T09:23:00.000-04:00

Here's a brief post and a link that can keep you busy for quite a while. Some of the best things are found by accident, as you well know. How about the Southwest Ghost Hunters Association? I'm a fan of Ghost Hunters (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) and their International counterpart on SyFy (warning: extreme bandwidth hog — and why did Sci Fi change their name to something so ridiculous?). So this is in the spirit of the Old West. Yes, I made a bad funny.

Also, I like Old West stuff besides the movies. The History Channel runs "The Real West" on occasion, and also "Wild West Tech". It's great to have a DVR that will automatically record the shows. Also, I'm sure I'm missing some things on the Biography channel; need to check the schedule on a regular basis.

I'll be catching some more movies, so the regular material will return to this Weblog fairly soon. If I don't spend too much time with history and ghosts, that is. Nah. I'll come back soon, some of you are waiting for movie material.

As American as a Cowboy

2009-07-03T03:01:00.000-04:00

Hi, y'all. Here's a little something for you to ponder while you're celebrating the independence of the United States.

Although there are many sources of information for the history of cowboys and other facets of the Old West, I'm going to give some history here. And with that, I think I have my own unique perspective to offer.

The concept of a cowboy is not new to America. Sure, when people say "cowboy", they think of classic American Westerns with John Wayne, Roy Rogers, James Stewart and others. But those tend to be generic; cowboy styles and methods developed differently in various areas of America. (I remember a Western novel where the lawman determined where to look for a villain because he wore spurs more typical of Texas than for the region where the story began.) Even the hats were varied by region, and would vary again simply by the preferences of the wearer.

The fact is, people using horses to herd cattle and other animals is very diverse. The original concept may have originated in Spain. Similar herders are found all over: The gauchos of South America, vaqueros and charros of Mexico, stockmen of Australia, cowboys in Canada, etc. There are (or were) animal herders on horseback in Europe as well.

"Gosh, Cowboy Bob, are you saying that cowboys are not really American?"

Not at all. Like America itself, cowboy methods and terminology were influenced by other cultures mixed in with the needs of certain areas. Add to that the individuality of the herders, and you have an American, whether it's a cowboy or another citizen. Although many individuals and cultures, there was a unity for the task at hand.

Even though most movies portrayed cowboys as lily white, the truth is, cowboys themselves were varied as well. There were Whites, Native Americans, Blacks, Mexicans and others doing the jobs. There was a scene in Silverado where Danny Glover went into a saloon and was refused service: "We don't want his kind in here". Frankly, I thought that scene was downright silly in light of history. Yes, segregation and discrimination existed, but that scene was extreme in my opinion. It would be more likely that cowboys themselves would receive discrimination because they tended to get rowdy in town on payday. Especially after a long cattle drive. Dodge, Wichita, Abilene and so forth catered to that behavior, but I digress.

Let me borrow from e pluribus unum. Anyone know what it really means, or where to find it? Yes, you in the second row? Right, it's on the national seal, it's the national motto and means, "Out of many, one". Out of many origins, influences, languages, concepts, individual personalities, we obtained the American cowboy. Just like many national origins making up the United States. And with both cowboys and a nation, the greater identity grew out of (and still maintained) smaller identities.

Was that too heady? I think I have bright readers and you should be able to follow this. So, I hope you will have (or did have) a pleasant and safe Fourth of July. God bless America.

(Addendum: Texas Stranger goes into some of these things in more detail, and my article here serves as an introduction. Take a look at his article.) If you want to spend about five minutes more, here is John Wayne discussing the Pledge of Allegiance.

Catalyst Part 2

2009-07-01T16:20:00.000-04:00

"I lost more than anyone else — I lost my self-respect."
Charles Summerton (John Litel)

Thanks for coming back. I knew you couldn't resist the exciting conclusion of our psychological drama. Well, it is, isn't it? And I kept my word, here's the sequel. The first part was a set-up to let us know how Bart Allison mind and emotions were working. It also laid the groundwork for how the townspeople lost their integrity.

If you haven't read part 1 of "Catalyst", you can find that here. No, I didn't say "cattle list", ya idjit!

OK, so Mary, Allison's wife (Bart Allison's motive for revenge against Tate Kimbrough) liked to do the bang tango while Bart was away at the war, then killed herself. Sam was gunned down by Kimbrough's men. Doc John Storrow is taking the men of the town to task for letting their character slide so far that murder can happen in their streets.

Someone commented that Charles Summerton hadn't lost much with Kimbrough coming to town. Summerton replied, "I lost more than anyone else — I lost my self-respect." Morely Chase (Ray Teal) said, "I aim to do something about gettin' mine back." So Morely and his boys surprise Kimbrough's men and take their guns away from them so they can even things up a bit between Kimbrough and Allison.

The bartender said that Allison's coming to town was all they needed to get the town back on track. See? He's a catalyst. Also, Morely said, "A man's gotta draw the line someplace if he's gonna go on livin' with himself." I wanted to cheer that line!

So, the sheriff and Bart face each other on the street. Allison kills the sheriff, but he gets shot in his gun hand. Doc patches him up, but it can't be a good situation, can it?

Meanwhile, Ruby (she's the one that wanted to marry Kimbrough in the first place, and didn't want him to marry Lucy) tries to talk him out of the showdown. She wants Tate to leave and take her with him. I still say she's a silly woman to want that clown. Kimbrough thinks that once he takes care of Allison, he will regain control of the town.

Before Kimbrough leaves, Moreley says, "No matter what happens between you and Allison, you're finished in this town." In other words, they were getting their self-respect back. He would not control them anymore.

Lucy, the thwarted bride, tries to talk Bart out of the final fight. No chance.

Bart is ready to face Kimbrough and use his left hand. Remember that bit about a one-track mind? He was so focused on revenge that he was ready to do something very stupid and draw with his left hand. Well, as the two men were facing each other and ready for the draw, a shot rang out. Ruby shot Kimbrough in the arm. Should be the end of the fight, yes? Nope. Allison still wants it. Ruby said, "You were married but you never had a wife!" And Doc said that Sam wanted him to know that Mary was no good. Allison finally backed down.

Later, in the saloon, Bart gets drunk but won't let Morely buy him a drink. The bartender called him an ingrate because Morely saved his life. Bart said, "If you'd rememberd you're a man before Swede (the sheriff) and Spaniard shot Sam in the back, I'd a joined your celebration!" Yeah, like I said before, he's a jerk. But Morely realized that he was right, and actually apologized.

So, Kimbrough and Ruby ride out of town. As Allison is riding out of town, Doc pointed out that "He helped us, nothing we can do for him". Yes. He was focused on hate, anger and revenge. That was thwarted by the truth, that his motives were wrong, Mary was doing the Mattress Mambo while he was gone, and not just with Kimbrough. He had a lot to deal with. Bart was a catalyst for the town of Sundown's change to get back to what it should be. Unfortunately, he was unchanged. We can hope he got peace later on.

See why I got caught up in this one? It's all about character.

OK, someone let the fire die down and the coffee get cold. It's time we rode off anyway, the skeeters are getting rough. Bigger this year, ain't they?

Catalyst

2009-06-30T19:08:00.000-04:00

Howdy again! Boy, I got keyed up over Decision at Sundown. Even though it's not a "great"movie, it has a great deal of human elements that I like seeing in a picture like this. And again, be forewarned that the Spoiler Express is running at full throttle today.

Our "hero" is a jerk. He's also a catalyst. No, I'm not talking about your livestock inventory. I'm talking about something that causes changes, or reactions, but is mostly unchanged in the process. Randolph Scott did his part well, and it was comparatively small. But vitally important.

Bart Allison (Randolph Scott) has been wanting revenge on Tate Kimbrough (John Carroll) for three years. It seems that he's been hunting him for two years. Bart finally finds out that Kimbrough is in the town of Sundown, and arrives with his friend Sam (Noah Beery, Jr.).

Kimbrough runs the town of Sundown. He has a few accomplices, but most people don't like him very much. Tate is also getting married on the day that Bart and Sam hit town. (Ruby doesn't want Tate to marry Lucy, she's always loved him. Silly girl.) Bart goes into the church and interrupts the wedding, telling the bride, Lucy Summerton, that he's doing her a favor or else she'd be a widow by sundown. He wants to kill Kimbrough because of a woman named Mary. Then he runs out of the church. Gunfire is exchanged, of course, but nobody seems to be able to hit anyone. Bart and Sam hole up in a stable and are promptly surrounded.

But Lucy runs out on the wedding. She didn't wave the threat off, even though Allison seems powerless at the moment. Her father, Charles Summerton, is sent by Kimbrough to have her back by noon. He talks to her and tries to persuade her to go through with it, but she still hesitates.

One of Kimbrough's henchmen, Spanish, pops through a window of the stable and almost shoots Allison, but Sam gives him a massive hurt in the arm with a bailing hook. But instead of killing him, they actually allow the doctor, John Storrow (John Archer), to patch him up. They are both allowed to leave, but first Doc tells Bart, "When a man is set on revenge, he has a one-track mind", and he's not being sensible.

The waiting game continues with the boys in the stable and the bad guys taking occasional pot shots. I wonder why nobody smoked them out? Perhaps they weren't enough of a menace to justify the property damage. Sorry, just thinking out loud.

You wanna pour me a bit of that coffee there? Thanks.

Kimbrough sends Charlie Summerton to make an offer to Bart and Sam: They can ride away. Summerton also makes his own offer of five hundred dollars (today, that offer would be worth about ten thousand dollars). Hmmm...Lucy is hesitant to get married, so maybe she doesn't really want it. Her father is pushing her to go forward with it, and tries to bribe Sam and Allison. Sounds to me like Mr. Summerton has a lot to gain by having his daughter marry Kimbrough.

Sam discusses the situation with Bart. One thing is that Bart should have just shot him, if that was his goal. Allison replies, "Even a rattler gives a warning".

Lucy goes to the stable to talk to the two men. She learns about the bribe that her father offered. Also, she learns that Mary was Bart's wife. Lucy tells Bart that nobody can take away a woman if she doesn't want to go, and, "Maybe you didn't lose anything that was very worthwhile". She was rudely escorted out the door at that point.

Sam says that he would not have been so involved if he had known this was all about Mary. Then he told Bart that she was sleeping around on him while he was away at the war (I reckon that there really was "something about Mary").

But when Sam told Bart that he had been with Mary as well, Bart hit him. Then Bart shouted out to the sheriff in the street to see if the offer to ride away was still valid. He sent Sam out, even though Sam didn't want to go. Lookie here, Sam had the courage to confess what he did with Mary, and he was still going to be loyal to Bart even though he hit him. Sam went out, and said he'd get some food and then come back.

Sam tells Doc that you "can't convince a man about something he just doesn't want to know", and tells Doc about Mary. She wasn't fit to be a wife. She killed herself, Allison is blaming Kimbraugh for it because he thinks she only cheated with him.

Then Sam heads back to the stable, but Spanish shoots him in the back. Allison shoots Spanish from across the street. Sam's dying words to Doc were to make sure that Bart understood that Mary was just no good. Doc shouts at the onlookers. How can they stand and watch while someone is gunned down in front of them? In fact, they were promised safe passage. A man's word is supposed to mean something.

Wow, we get a lot of information about how Bart Allison head works, don't we?

Later, Doc Storrow is telling the men of the town that, even though the crooked sheriff and Spanish killed Sam, they were all guilty because they let the town get to this kind of point.

And this is the point where I have to stop. This talk is getting long, so I'll let you all saddle up and ride away safely. I'll finish this tomorrow. The best is yet to come.

Cowboys and Rednecks

2009-06-24T13:09:00.000-04:00

And now for something completely different. I'm going a bit off-topic today. People have been wondering, "What's the difference between cowboys and rednecks?", so I decided to give my four bits on the subject.

"Redneck" is usually a derogatory term. Jeff Foxworthy said that it's a "glorious absence of sophistication" that is not limited to the southern states. People tend to think of a redneck as someone that is stupid, in love with his sister or cousin, his parents were brother and sister, has a couch hanging from ropes in a tree for a swing and so on. That's the connotation, but the term itself is more accurate when it's describing someone that is in a blue collar job.

Rednecks are actually known for being hard workers. They do the hard, difficult and dangerous jobs that make life more pleasant for the more affluent members of our society. Heck, I'd rather pay for someone to do something that I am not able to do myself, or find too distasteful; I'll freely admit that I'll probably foul up electrical connections.

Frankly, I've seen more venom in referring to rednecks because of political bias. Southern states are more often "red" states in the election maps. Southern rednecks tend to hold to more traditional values than their detractors.

"Cowboy" can be a derogatory term as well. The connotation there is someone that is not so bright and will go into a situation with "guns blazing" (taking action) without fully evaluating a situation. That's usually false. Anyone who knows what the work of being a cowboy entails will see that it's often dangerous work, and you have to give a lot of thought to what you're doing if you're going to finish the day in once piece and above the ground. Cowboy recklessness is usually reserved for payday after a cattle drive in 1880, and was the kind of high spirits that you could expect. Some of what can be considered recklessness is their willingness to take quick action if something needs to be done right away; sometimes a snap decision can be critical.

Don't forget that there are different kinds of cowboys, too. You have the rodeo show cowboys, bull riders and such. Modern cowboys are tending to the cattle and horses, keeping the ranch functioning and so forth.

My articles here are based on movie cowboys and their values, but I believe that cowboys and cowgirls hold to traditional values as well. According to the stereotypes, they come from mostly "red" political states as well.

What's the difference between cowboys and rednecks? Mainly the lines of work.

What are the similarities between cowboys and rednecks? Hard work and ethics come to mind for starters.

Being called a cowboy or a redneck can be a complement. But I won't use the terms in an affectionate way because of the negative connotations. You can keep calling me "cowboy". The problem is, when I see a sneer and hear the tone of voice, I can't feel fully complemented when I receive it.

Addendum: I chanced across an article about cowboys, ethics and California politics. You can read through the stuff you don't like or doesn't apply to you, but there is some good material on values. Click here.

Perseverance

2009-06-22T12:55:00.000-04:00

"There's no place 'round the campfire for a quitter's blanket."
— Cowboy saying

Welcome back. I reckon to warn you again that this Weblog is full of spoilers, and this article is no exception. Today's horse opera is from a highly-regarded picture called The Searchers. Quite a few of Duke's movies have light-hearted moments in them. The Searchers has a few such moments, but it is a very serious story, and rather grim. John Wayne showed an intensity that is almost startling.

Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) was on the losing side of the Civil War, so when he came to visit the home of his brother Aaron Edwards, you could see that there was an "edge" to him. There was bitterness and anger churning under the surface. He doesn't like his "nephew" Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter) because he was not really a part of the family, just sort of adopted and became a part of it.

The Comanches (often pronounced kuh-MANCH in the movie) lured several of the Texas Rangers away so that they could attack the farm houses. They picked the Edwards house. The men returned to find the Edwards family brutally murdered. In fact, Ethan would not let Martin go inside the house to see them. There was no sign of the two young daughters, however, so they decided to search for them. Martin wanted to come along, but Ethan did not like that idea. Martin insisted.

The Rangers are attacked by the Comanches. Several Comanches are killed and they break off the attack, but one of the Rangers is wounded. Ethan does not want to quit, even though the evidence said that the girls were probably dead. Again, Martin insists on coming along, so three men continue the quest.

|> Fast forward. Ethan found the remains of the older girl. When asked what they did to her, he snarled, "Don't ever ask me! Long as you live, don't ever ask me more!" The man is insane with rage and goes charging into the Comanche camp — with predictable results.

I have to interject something here. If this movie was made today instead of 1956, I'm certain that we would have seen all of the grisly details of what was done to the family members before they were finally murdered. It would have an "R" rating. John Ford directed this so that the point was clear anyway; Ethan's reactions were enough to let the viewers know that the whole thing was very horrible, and that was enough.

|> Fast forward five years. Martin and Ethan find someone that will lead them to Scar, the Comanche chief that was responsible for the murderous raiding group. Standing face to face with Scar, Ethan gives him a gaze that should have incinerated him on the spot! They have some Comanche "hospitality" inside the tent, and see Debbie (Natalie Wood), the surviving daughter of Aaron Edwards. Obviously, Scar was tormenting the white men by letting them see her — as well as the scalp of her mother and others.

In their camp beyond the Comanches, Debbie came to see them. She told them to go, that these were her people now. Ethan wanted to shoot her. Why? I'm not sure. Maybe it was to put her out of her misery because she was out of her mind in his opinion (or that kind of life was not worth living), or perhaps he considered her some kind of a traitor. Martin would not let him have a shot, and then Scar and his cutthroats attacked.

The good guys retreated and also beat back the Comanches. They went back to get help, and the Rangers were on the march. They were going to attack, and knew full well that Debbie would probably be killed in the fray. Martin insisted on having one chance by himself to sneak into the camp and get her out. The others relented. "It's your funeral", Ethan told him.

Martin finds her (this time, she knows him and agrees to be taken back), a Comanche finds both of them, Martin shoots him and all hell breaks loose. The Rangers charge in, lots of shooting and so forth. Debbie is running away, and Ethan chases her down on horseback. "No, Ethan!" Martin yells.

When Ethan catches up to Debbie, he picks her up and raises her up off her feet. Perhaps he saw something in her eyes, or had a change of heart. Frankly, I don't really know. At any rate, he said softly, "Let's go home, Debbie".

The lesson for me is not so much with John Wayne's character, but with Jeffrey Hunter's character. (Well, Jeffrey Hunter went on to do an impressive performance as God the Son in King of Kings.) Neither man gave up the search, even though it took them over five years. When told to stay back, Martin refused. He refused to stay back on more than one occasion. And then he refused to let Debbie get killed.

Admittedly, this is an extreme example. Sometimes, you have to use your best judgment and cut your losses if you know you're fighting a losing battle. But also, you have to keep in mind how important something is to you.

So that's my talk for today. Just...persevere.

Respectful Among Enemies

2009-06-19T13:05:00.000-04:00

Ya'at'eeh. (You can copy and paste that in Firefox's search and find out what I just said to you.) Glad to have you along for the ride. Today's excursion could almost be a continuation of our discussion on the leadership principles in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. Today, we're looking at something that's not really a Western. But it has John Wayne, guns, horses, soldiers and all that. The Horse Soldiers is an American Civil War story. Close enough.

In this picture, Duke is Col. John Marlowe, a Union Army officer. They are on a mission to go deep into the south, into Confederate territory. They stop at the home of Hanna Hunter for supplies and plan to bivouac in the back yard. They have to take several things. Now, how often do you see movies (and in this case, I know it happens in real life) where soldiers in enemy territory will simply take what they want, wreck the place and move on? Marlowe was respectful, did not take more than was necessary and offered reimbursement to Miss Hunter.

On second thought, they took more than they expected: Hunter and her maidservant (slave). These two were listening in while the army officers were discussing their plans. What to do? It goes without saying that they should be shot because they could relay the information to the enemy. Instead, the women were brought along. On the way, they were treated with as much dignity as the situation would allow.

When they reached a house and shooting started, the men inside were allowed to surrender. Again, the typical procedure would be to execute them so they could not talk. Instead, they were subdued and tied up.

|> Fast forward to the army's arrival in a town. One of the officers was looking forward to burning down the town; he took too much pleasure in war. That burning did not happen — even after the rebels sprung a trap and their army arrived on a train. (Marlowe did not want fighting yet, but the Union Army gave it to them.) Sure, the train was burned and sections of the railroad were destroyed as standard operating procedure, but there were no mass executions of the townspeople or other reprisals.

|> Gunfire from the side killed Hannah's slave. Col Marlowe was kind and sympathetic to Hannah. Also, when they were deep enough into enemy territory, he was able to simply release her.

All of this had no more roughness than necessary. I'm not opposed to using violence myself when it's warranted by the situation, but I'm slow to use it. So, it seems, was John Marlowe. He had ample opportunity to get extreme in his actions. Instead, he kept his men under control and used good judgment to keep the situations under control to the best of his ability. We should do the same — no more roughness or extreme measures than necessary. After all, those rebels were once his countrymen, and would be under the United States flag again. In our case, maybe someone could turn out to be a friend or comrade if we avoid "unnecessary roughness" (American football pentalty). Kindness, respect, gentleness whenever possible can cover a great deal of ground.

A Bit Off-Topic

2009-06-15T17:33:00.000-04:00

Howdy. I wanted to briefly say a couple of things.

First, the "slide show" gadget at the bottom of the page has pictures that are usually relevant to the posts. I often get one or two pictures (including a movie poster) for each movie that I write about. If you click on the thing, it'll take you to the whole shootin' match.

Next, here's the part that's really off-topic. I'm suggesting that we put a "warning" on e-mails that we send out that could be considered offensive. Not that any of my readers or I do that (snicker). There have been times that I've been sitting at my desk and opened up a bit of mail — and had to close it again in a hurry, hoping nobody was looking. If I'd had a warning, I would fire that off to my home account right away.

Now, when I say "offensive", I don't mean that it's necessarily something you can't show the kiddies. Sure, it might be. But it could also be something that's a political caricature that you would like but your co-workers would hate. Or any other situation that could use an alert. Get me?

Sometimes a text of "careful" can help. I have something else in mind, though. My suggestion is that you right-click the graphic below and save it. Then, when you're sending a questionable piece of literature, put this graphic at the top and some space so your reader needs to scroll down. Then they can decide if it's safe to scroll down past the warning because nobody's around, save it for later or just send it to another account.

For that matter, let me add something else: Watch the profanity. Some systems have sniffers that will stop that mail; either it won't go through, or your friend could get in trouble. If profanity is embedded in a graphic, then the sniffers won't see it. But if the joke has certain words, if you really want to use them, consider putting clever spellings (invert two letters) or asterisks. I'm not going to demonstrate fully because this is a family-oriented Weblog, but you'll get the idea for this crap, cr*p, c**p. Some home systems have filters that take out profane and vulgar

OK, I've had my fun. Here's the graphic, one larger than the other:

Life Insurance

2009-06-15T04:00:00.000-04:00

Here's a funny for your Monday morning.

A cowboy was trying to buy a health insurance policy. The insurance agent was going down the list of standard questions.

"Ever have an accident?"

"Nope, nary a one."

"None? You've never had any accidents."

"Nope. Ain't never had one. Never."

"Well, you said on this form you were bit by a snake once. Wouldn't you consider that an accident?"

"Heck, no. That dang varmint bit me on purpose!"

Loyal Friends

2009-06-13T11:50:00.000-04:00

Howdy again! I hope y'all are doing OK.

I know some of you think that I repeat myself about some topics on here, but I have different presentations to explore. No, I'm not going to dwell on personal integrity this time. Not much. What I'm going to talk about stems from integrity, however. Two pictures in a row brought this home to me.

I was watching Sergeants 3, a sort of remake of Gunga Din with the Rat Pack. As an adventure, it's so-so. As a comedy, it fails for the most part. As a bit of nostalgia so you can see Frankie, Dino, Sammy, Peter and Joey in the same film, it's OK. For scenery, it's great. I was ready to shut the thing off, but I wanted to see how it ended.

It's a good thing I waited, because there was one thing of value that I wanted to write about. Fanatical Indians ("Ghost Dancers") wiped out a town, and a cavalry detachment was sent to investigate. First Sgt. Mike Merry (Frank Sinatra) is in charge. Sgt. Chip Deal (Dean Martin) and Jonah Williams (Sammy Davis, Jr.) get a bright idea to find the medicine man of the Ghost Dancers. When Sgt. Mike tells Sgt. Chip to stay put, he runs off with Jonah and a friendly Indian. Chip and Jonah get trapped in the Shadow Dancers' cave. Chip distracts them while Jonah slips away and goes back for help.

Sgt. Larry Barrett (Peter Lawford) is about to be discharged and get married, but he wants to help his friends. His fiancée objects, saying how his friends have done bad things to him, played pranks and all that. She laid down the law: Either them or me. "You don't want a man", he told her, and he left. Sure, they had disagreements and had problems with each other, but they valued their friendship. (I believe real friendship entails a degree of commitment, and that commitment was indicated here.) Naturally, you think the engaged guy that's ready for discharge from the army is obviously going to die because it's such a set-up. That's not always the case, however.

Speaking of case, I'm getting thirsty. One of you want to get another case out of the wagon? Thanks.

I really liked this loyalty to friends part of the movie, but I'm not sure I want to watch it again. Maybe someday. After all, it is one of only two movies with the full Rat Pack. Ironically, their personal lives did not reflect their devotion to each other in Sergeants 3. It seems that Frankie had a falling out with Lawford and Bishop, so the five original Rat Pack members only made this movie and Oceans Eleven together.

And now for the second film.

Hour of the Gun claimed to be factual regarding the gunfight at the OK Corral and so forth. Yeah, sure. Some of it was historically accurate, but the records of the time were so slipshod that I doubt anyone will ever have the full story. The famous "lawmen" of the movies (or TV shows) were quite different in real life; we do have that much of a record. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent (if somewhat tedious) movie. The nice guy that James Garner played in Support Your Local Sheriff is a stark contrast to his steely-eyed Wyatt Earp portrayal, so that is worth seeing in itself.

Back to the loyalty of friends thing. While testifying in court, someone exclaimed that he would follow Wyatt Earp to hell and back, and so would half of the men in the room (probably because the other half belonged to an enemy gang). Several times in the movie, Wyatt gives Doc Holliday some directions to stay out of things and so forth. Doc does not cooperate. Even though he is sick ("consumption" in real life, as well as being an alcoholic), he insists on pushing himself and helping out.

Doc had some harsh words for Wyatt at one point. Earp had warrants for arrest, but kept getting the bad guys to go for their guns so he could kill them. Holliday said, "Those aren't warrants you have there — those are hunting licenses!" After some more diatribe by Doc, Wyatt hit him. They had their falling out, and then went back to the business at hand. Many friendships would end at that point.

What makes it work? Why would someone inconvenience himself or put himself in danger for a friend? Just like "faith without works is worthless" and you have to demonstrate it in your actions if you're going to be taken seriously, the same works with friendship.

If you want to have loyalty, you have to be loyal yourself
Your word has to mean something
Be willing to give without conditions (if you find you're being taken advantage of too often, that should say something about the friend you're trying to keep, however)
Build up your reputation and integrity (yes, there I go again); respect has to be earned, you know
Just be there, and be friendly; you can't always help, but you can still show support

OK, the case is empty and I'm out of words. Time to saddle up.

Talking Horse for Sale

2009-06-12T19:35:00.000-04:00

Time again for a bit of humor.

A cowboy sees a sign in front of a livery stable, "Talking Horse for Sale."

He knocks on the owner's door and the owner answers and tells him the horse is in the back lot.

The guy goes into the back lot and sees a worn out old horse standing there.

"You talk?" he asks.

"Yep," the horse replies.

"So, what's your story?"

The horse looks up and says "Well, I discovered this gift pretty young and I wanted to help the South win the war, so I told Jefferson Davis about my gift, and in no time he had me trotted around from battlefield to battlefield, sitting in planning tents with spies, officers and such, 'cause no one figured a horse would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for five years running. They trotted me around, for many miles for sure, and really tuckered me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger and I wanted to settle down.

So I signed up for a job near the southern entry ports to do some undercover security work, mostly wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings there and was awarded a batch of medals.

I ended getting me some fillies, and sired a mess of colts, and now I'm just retired."

The man is just absolutely amazed. He goes back into the stable and asks the owner what he wants for the horse.

The owner says "Ten dollars."

The guy says he'll buy him but asks the owner, "This horse is amazing. Why on earth are you selling him?"

The owner replies, "He's such a dang liar."

John Wayne — Gone But Not Forgotten

2009-06-11T22:10:00.001-04:00

I hate solemn funerals. When I die, take me into a room and burn me. Then my family and a few good friends should get together, have a few good belts, and talk about the crazy old times we all had together."

— Marion Morrison (John Wayne)

Howdy. A helpful comment in the last post brought you this post. It was thirty years ago today that John Wayne rang down the curtain. And he's still on people's minds even now. So I'm going to give you a link that my anonymous friend told me about. Here's a symposium on John Wayne at National Review Online (no, I don't think it's overly political). I hope you saddle up and ride over there.

Character on the Stage

2009-06-10T19:36:00.000-04:00

There are some things a man just can't run away from."
— The Ringo Kid (John Wayne)

Well, I finally got to see Stagecoach, the movie that is considered the big start to John Wayne's career. And yes, you need a spoiler alert here, because the Express is full of steam. Maybe those of you who have seen it should simply watch it again, because it's good to catch up on the old classics. Stagecoach has some "complicated" characters, because they're not the two dimensional kind that you see it so many movies, then and now. And in 1939, it was startling for people to see the B movie star having depth. There were some things that I consider "holdovers", because they involved standard movie making at the time. F'rinstance, the long, shifty look before someone does some stealing. That sort of thing.

Duke's character is the Ringo Kid. He's a sort of a bad guy, but he's not a bad guy, if you know what I mean. Although he escaped from the penitentiary, it's not clear to me if he was set up in the first place. (Maybe he really was guilty of the crime and I missed that explanation.) His purpose was to get revenge on the men that put him into prison in the first place. But his horse broke down and he had to walk.

Ringo makes the stagecoach stop. The sheriff is riding shotgun, and takes Ringo prisoner. He cooperates, and is a pleasant companion in the crowded stage. There is a prostitute in the group, but he treats her like a lady while the others either shunned her or simply ignored her.

>> Fast forward. Later, he did attempt to escape — and stopped his horse. He saw smoke signals in the distance, and knew that the Apaches were going to attack. He stayed to help out, but the sheriff put him in handcuffs. When the Apaches did attack, he asked to be taken out of the handcuffs and given a rifle. He said, "I give you my word that I won't try to escape." They knew that his word was good because of the displays of his character and his actions, even though they had all been together a short time.

>> Fast forward again. Ringo has his "business" to attend to. He askes the sheriff for some time and to borrow a rifle, promising to return so that he can be sent back to prison to finish his sentence. The sheriff knows that he can trust him, so he allows it. When Ringo takes care of the other guys, he does indeed return. He has plans to go to Mexico with the prostitute and live there.

Then the sheriff surprises him by sending him on his way. The sheriff knew that he was not going to be some sort of career criminal, and he was going to be out of the country, on his own land. Ringo was not a "bad man", really, and they all knew it.

This shows me that our character is illustrated through our actions and our words. Especially if they are consistent actions and words; fakery shows through if you're just pretending to be good. So, if you make integrity a lifestyle, people can see it.

Silly Little Post

2009-06-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Howdy. Guess I've had cowboy inclinations longer than I thought. During a ride down Memory Trail, I came across this snapshot that was taken in 1967. I was kind of cute back then. Too bad it didn't last! The photo area was 3-1/8 x 3-1/8. Without digital photo editing, this would be unpresentable. I was seven years old in 1967 (yeah, I'm a geezer, get over it). And I think I'm about to try to pop a bag and startle the ducks. Anyone with experience knows in advance that it wouldn't work, you just make a disappointing thud. So, here's "Cowboy Bob — the Early Years":

Good Leadership

2009-06-06T15:58:00.000-04:00

Note: After rereading this a few weeks later, I saw that some tweaks were in order.
CB, 6-29-2009

"Mr. Cohill, it is a bitter thing, indeed, to learn that an officer who has had nine years experience in the cavalry - the officer to whom I am surrendering command of this troop in two more days - should have so little grasp of leadership as to allow himself to be shivvied into a go at 'fisticuffs' while 'Taps' still sounds over a brave man's grave! God help this troop when I'm gone."

— Captain Brittles (John Wayne)

Welcome back. I'm feeling pretty good, just got a new pair of cowboy boots from G & G Leather in Lake Katrine, New York. Tell Sue that I said, "Howdy".

The Western values that I picked up from She Wore a Yellow Ribbon were not so much from the storyline as from John Wayne's character, Captain Nathan Cutting Brittles (where did they come up with that name?), so the Spoiler Express isn't going full steam today. I hope you have a chance to see this movie. John Wayne is in top form, and John Ford did a typically remarkable job in directing. Fantastic cinematography, too.

In my other Weblog, I've written about terrible corporate "leadership" on several occasions. There's a huge difference between being a boss and being a leader, that's for certain. A boss gives orders and expects them to be carried out, period. He or she is often out of touch with the realities of the situations (frequently from having no experience doing the job that they are "bossing") and will simply make matters worse with poorly-thought demands. Another problem is the old "too many chiefs and not enough warriors" syndrome.

There is nowhere else that discipline and leadership would be more important than in a United States Cavalry fort in 1876. Your life was on the line every day. A patrol could be ambushed, the fort could be attacked, weapons could malfunction and so on. Training and discipline were expected of the troop. Obedience to commanders who are trained and experienced is essential, just as it is in the modern military.

Captain Brittles (John Wayne) was respected by the men in his command. He knew his men. He also knew when to be stern and when to be gentle (I want to add that this quality clearly shown by Gibbs in NCIS at the end of the 2008-2009 season). One place this shows is when his Irish sergeant, Quincannon, is going to retire, Brittles sets him up for a saloon brawl and to be thrown in the guardhouse — a move that touches Quincannon deeply!
Two of his men were going to fight, and "Taps" was still being played for a fallen comrade. He told them in no uncertain terms that their behavior was unbecoming.
The captain was never a bully. He could be firm (even angry, see above), but not abusive, intimidating or menacing. Some authority figures believe that fear is the way to manage. That's dead wrong, and hopelessly out of date for intelligent management.
Brittles accepted full responsibility. He termed his last mission a "failure", even though it was not his fault, because "only the man who commands can be blamed".
His own commander knew Brittles. When he gave an order that Brittles disagreed with, Brittles said that he was going to object in writing. His commander expected this. And neither one had any hard feelings; they went on about their business.
He showed some emotion when given a silver pocket watch by his troops for his retirement. It was inscribed, "To Captain Brittles from C Troop. Lest we forget." I'd be sniffing a bit, too!
Brittles did not quit on something important, even though he was entitled to. Although he only had four hours before retirement, he attempted to stop a war with the Indian nations by going boldly into their camp and talking with one of the chiefs — a chief who respected him and called him friend. Then, when that did not help, he gave orders to his men and they cleverly averted the battle anyway.

Anyone in a leadership positions should see this movie. Men should see this movie and learn a bit about integrity and gaining respect. Heck, I recommend it to anyone.

Vengeance Quest

2009-06-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

Even if I did teach you something, that's only half of it. When you're looking for them three men, you gotta live, don't you? You gotta eat. You need clothes, food, horses, saddles, guns, ammunition, money. How you gonna get that? Tracking beaver on Sundays? I'll tell you how you'll get it. You'll wind up stealing, and killing, and turn yourself into the same kind of animal you're trying to track down. Can't you see that?

— Jonas Cord (Brian Keith)

Welcome back. I have a more somber adventure to tell you about today. A "cautionary tale", if you will. Nevada Smith is a good picture, but it's rather grim and violent. (And I'll bet you that if it was made today instead of in 1966, it would get an "R" rating in the US.) I'm not too fond of movies that make you work; I go to be entertained, not have to figure out what the filmmakers are "trying to say" in some obscure fashion. But I'm not opposed to letting the movie tell its story. Nevada Smith does have some things for the viewers to learn, and it can give you plenty to think about without getting pretentious.

I have to add that if you're into scenery, this flick is great. Fortunately, the scenery doesn't interfere with the story. The other thing I have to add is that you're on the Spoiler Express. Always remember that when you're visiting this here patch of cyber land.

Young Max Sand (Steve McQueen) meets three strangers who want to find his parents. They spin a yarn about knowing them from before and wanting to stop by to say, "Howdy". Max gives them directions. As the strangers ride off, they make noise and scare off Max's horse. This tips Max off that something is up. It takes a while, but Max eventually gets his horse and rides back.

He finds that his parents are dead. They were tortured by the strangers (which the viewers saw for only a few minutes). A kindly couple offers to take him in, but Max vows to go after the killers. The husband wants him to stay back, the wife says, essentially, "Go get 'em!" In his youthful exuberance, Sand almost shoots three other men.

Max's grim view of life is forming, and he tries to take some supplies by force from a gunsmith who has stopped by a stream. The gunsmith is Jonas Cord (Brian Keith). They spend time together and Cord teaches Sand how to shoot, and lets him know that there are many things he has to learn. But all of these are negative reinforcements for his vengeance quest, even though Cord meant well; he didn't want Max rushing into things and getting himself killed. And he felt bad for him because of what happened to his parents.

Later on, Sand tracks and meets up with Jesse Coe (Martin Landau), the man who did the asking about where his parents were. After some shooting and chasing, he kills Coe in a knife fight. But Max is also wounded. A kind-hearted Native girl takes him to her village so he can mend. She tries to get him to stay and give up his pursuit because it will consume him, but he will not be swayed. In fact, she notices that his efforts to learn to read are not to better himself, but simply as a means to track the killers.

Getting cold here. Jon, you want to put some more wood on the fire? Thanks.

The second man that Max is after got himself put into a prison camp in a Louisiana swamp. Sand attempts a bank holdup just so he can get caught, and he winds up in the same prison camp as that man, Bill Bowdre (Arthur Kennedy). Sand saves Bowdre's life, but he has an ulterior motive. He plots an escape, and gets involved with a woman that works the rice fields. Max talks her into helping them escape by providing a boat and directions out of the swamp. She wanted him to stay with her, but frankly, he was just using her. (See how he's getting worse? Not only is he using her, but that's the second time he turned down a chance for love.) During the escape, she gets bitten by a poisonous snake. As she's dying, she sees Max confront Bill. Max learns the name and location of the third man, and then kills Bowdre.

We watch youthful Max Sand grow into an angry man, and it's more obvious now. His youthful attitude is gone.

While attempting to find Tom Fitch (Karl Malden), Sand pretends to be Fitch's brother. Some associates of Fitch's don't take too kindly to him playing that game, so they rope him and drag him through a river. But Father Zaccardi (Raf Vallone) who happens to be there puts a stop to that, and takes him back to the monastery. Zaccardi gives him a Bible and attempts to teach him about love and forgiveness, and that his own life started out as a vengeance quest. Again, Sand will not be swayed.

When Sand finally meets up with Fitch, he uses the name Nevada Smith. Finally! He joins the gang for a raid on a gold shipment, and is willing to let the guards get massacred by the bad guys. (For me, the fact that he was willing to let men get murdered shows he's getting even lower than before.) At his final confrontation with Fitch, he shoots him in one hand and both legs. And then throws his gun away: "You're not worth killing".

Did God finally get through to him? Maybe a little. We can hope.

Jonas Cord's words to him were dead on and sort of prophetic: "You'll wind up stealing, and killing, and turn yourself into the same kind of animal that you're trying to track down". When you're consumed with revenge and hate, it brings you down. You become like the people that you hate. The Bible talks about forgiveness with good reason! Sure, the bad guys had it coming. But what happens to you in the process? For that matter, even if you have a good pursuit, you can miss out on what life has to offer if you are so relentless and focused that you forget to live.

OK, so I got a little wordy today. But this was important. Now if you'll excuse me, there are several John Wayne pictures on the DVR that Turner Classic Movies was kind enough to run. Yee haw!

Waiting and Planning

2009-05-31T15:55:00.000-04:00

Howdy. I wanted to call this article "Watching and Waiting", but then I'd be accidentally fooling people looking for the song of that title by the Moody Blues. 1969? Are you sure? Makes me feel old...

OK, back on the trail. I was able to get something useful out of The Nevadan, a 1950 movie starring Randoph Scott. I won't tell you that you have to run right out and buy it because you can't live without it. You can definitely live without it. But if it's on TV and you have time to spare, it's a decent bit of fluff.

Andrew Barclay (Scott) was a federal officer who was working undercover to track a robber that got out of prison. The robber was Tom Tanner (Forrest Tucker, whom I first knew from F-Troop). Barclay played his cards well, gaining a measure of Tanner's confidence. That confidence grew when Barclay told Tanner that his "friend", the scheming Edward Galt, set him up to be put in jail (then Barclay got him out). All along, Andrew Barclay had a plan and he stayed with it for the most part. It almost turned disastrous when he revealed his identity to someone, however. It was Galt's daughter, who tried to straighten out her father to no avail.

>> Fast forward. Galt and two of his men tracked Barclay and Tanner to the mine where the gold was hidden. Tanner wanted to rush them, Barclay held him back. Tanner wanted to keep shooting, Barclay told him that they would run out of bullets because the others had rifles: "Let them come to us". When Barclay's plan had exhausted itself, he had to improvise. But he did not panic. He used patience and consideration, and tried to get his temporary friend to do the same. Successfully, for the most part.

The bad guys were getting antsy, and began some improvisation of their own. But they got impatient and began shooting at Tanner and Barclay, who had a better position. Tanner returned fire, killing Gault's companions. (Tacky special effects, though. It looked like one man was killed by a paint ball splatter to the bicep.) If they hadn't become impatient, the would not have gotten so reckless.

Something I like to see happen in movies is unexpected help. In this case, Galt had the drop on one of our guys, and his daughter arrived just in time to ruin his shot. While the two of them were arguing (and Gault was saying how awful the girl's mother was), he got careless. And he got shot.

Another thing I like to see is doing the right thing just because it is the right thing. Marshal Barclay and bandit Tanner were fighting over the gold. (Bad idea, fighting in a mine and knocking down supports.) During the last bit of caving in, Tanner was getting buried. Barclay still pulled him to safety. Not sure if I'd do that to someone who was more than willing to kill me. I'd like to think so.

OK, gang, put out the campfire and saddle up. We're burning daylight.

You Sure LOOK Guilty!

2009-05-27T19:58:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, May 26, we celebrated John Wayne's birthday by going out to a restaurant called the Texas Roadhouse. (Yes, I wore my cowboy hat and bolo tie.) And then we watched a classic from the B movie days, Blue Steel. After seeing a mature John Wayne in more established films, you'd barely know him when he was almost thirty years old! He was still developing his screen presence and character and making a living on those films while he waited for a starring role in an A movie.

It's fun to see some of the foundational material from which Westerns developed. Especially when you keep in mind the era when they were made. In the Depression, pictures often had bankers and rich people as the bad guys. The good guys were humble and trying to make a living, as well as defending the victims. Sure, it's "formula". And lots of fun, especially in the perspective of history.

In Blue Steel, we see Duke — I mean, John Carruthers — sneak into a hotel and lay down under the stairs. Later, more people come in. Including Sheriff Jake Withers (George "Gabby" Hayes, also making a B movies living with about 130 movies from 1929 through 1939), who is tracking a bandit and wants to keep an eye on the room. The inkeeper shows him a strategic hole in the floor that gives him the view that he wants. Later, one man has his money put into the hotel safe. Unfortunately, he is watched through the outside window as he spins the combination. Naturally, the safe is opened by the bandit and the money is taken.

Carruthers hears a noise, but the bandit is gone. He checks out the safe, and Sheriff Withers checks him out, naturally assuming that John is the thief. Later, the sheriff finds John in a shack. They share a meal. Just when Withers is about to take Carruthers prisoner, a commotion outside gets their attention. Evil men just killed a girl's father and are chasing her down. The two men mount up and run off the outlaws.

In their pursuit of the outlaws, Sheriff Withers is shot and falls into a river. John Carruthers jumps in after him and drags him to safety. It turns out that the wound was on the sheriff's head, and he is fine after all. But he feels that he owes John his life, even though he suspects Carruthers of being the bandit.

>> Fast forward a bit. Not too far, this movie's short.

Withers and Carruthers are working together to rescue the woman and save the people of the town from the evil rancher and his bandits who want to starve them into leaving so he can take all the land. Carruthers proves himself, and his character, to the sheriff.

But at the end, the sheriff has to place John under arrest and do his duty. After all, he's a man of integrity. But he's willing to listen to John's explanation of what happened in the hotel that night. The explanation (and, I believe, the actions of Carruthers that he witnessed) convinced him that they had already taken care of the bandit. Plus a bonus surprise: Carruthers is a United States Marshal! No room for any doubt now.

In my view, integrity saves the day. John Carruthers is a good man, and his actions proved it. Withers was willing to listen and use his own good judgment instead of just forming an opinion on perceptions that turned out to be faulty. If he had, then the bad guys would have won and the town would not have been saved.

Although Marshal John Carruthers is the hero of the picture, Sheriff Jake Withers is also a hero because of his good judgment as well as his actions with Carruthers. We should all take heed of James 1:19: "Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to wrath — or in this case, slow to make a judgment.

Happy Birthday, Duke!

2009-05-26T06:23:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Duke!

Marion Morrison, who would later become John Wayne, was born on May 26, 1907 in Winterset, Iowa.

I'll let others tell you his biography: here, here, and here. That should hold ya, Pilgrim!

Rising in the West

2009-05-20T13:08:00.001-04:00

"What's with the title, Cowboy Bob? The sun rises in the east!"

Yup. I know durn well that the sun rises in the east. But I'm going to talk about having a movement of sorts. (Is it possible to start a movement without composing a symphony? I'm going to try.) This is about the values that we believe in, and making it obvious to everyone. And no, I'm not going political on you here! That's not how I feel led to do this.

Maybe I'm full of road apples on this, but let's see where this takes us.

So many things catch my attention when I'm searching for something on the Internet. Amazon has some books on Cowboy Values, Ethics and Wisdom. (Maybe I'll pony up the money and buy them someday.) Here's something that is on the back cover of Cowboy Wisdom: Recapturing What America Once Stood For: ...many of us feel a deep yearning for a simpler time when civility was the norm and a handshake could seal any deal. We can agree that "Our word should be our bond."... For a definition of those shared values, we need look no further than the Cowboy Way. Living by a code that centers on principles like honesty, loyalty, and courage, the working cowboy is an enduring American hero - one providing just the kind of inspiration our country needs to find unity and hope in these troubled times.

They're singing my song. Regular readers of this Weblog know that I'm emphasizing personal responsibility and integrity, and the phrase "principles like honesty, loyalty, and courage" caught my attention. Also a link here and one here (warning, it has a political slant) add fuel to my brushfire.

"What do you want to do now, Uncle Bob?"

Inquisitive thing today, ain'tcha? What I'd like to see happening is for people to wear it. That's right, dress the part. Let your outward adornment reflect your inner attitude. I've had complements on my Western clothing, including a bolo tie. Yes, really. It can look rather sharp. But let's not get absurd and wear chaps or big hats to the office or anything! We still have to be proper for the time and place. (Some people are fortunate, you can wear these things all the time. Much different here on the east coast.) And we should be ready to say something like, "I'm a cowboy/cowgirl at heart. I believe in their values of hard work, individuality, politeness, integrity, honesty, loyalty, courage — you get the idea.

What do you think? Here, I'll start:

Hope that picture didn't scare anyone.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Feel free to leave comments.

Ouch! Someone do me a favor — next time I get on a soap box, remind me to have my boots on? How about you, Cheryl? You're in the front row and all. Thank ya kindly, Ma'am!

Compounding the Errors

2009-05-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

Howdy again! I'm back with the usual format, and today's observations are based on the picture The Man from Laramie. (I could have done without so many reminders throughout that Will Lockhart (James Stewart) is from Laramie. OK, I got that after the first few reminders.) But this one is worth watching. The characters are better constructed than many, and the storyline is not so straightforward. That means it's not so predictable, and it's not boring. And Stewart showed some passion that I did not know he possessed, especially when he's pointing a rifle at — but I'm getting ahead of myself.

As usual, the Spoiler Express is going at full steam, so here's your last station to climb off. Go buy or rent it, and I'll wait here until you're ready. OK?

Will Lockhart went to Coronado to find the man that killed his brother. Lockhart took an interest in hearing about someone that sold guns to the Apaches. Some people will do anything for money, and do not care about the results of their actions.

I'm going to focus on Vic Hansbro (Arthur Kennedy). Vic was a part of the Waggoman rancher family ("I own this town!"), and was supposed to keep an eye on Dave Waggoman, the psychotic son. Yeah, sure. Dave was a nutcase, and Vic was not strong enough to stand up to him when he was wrong. Also, he was not around when Dave Waggoman was causing trouble. This caused no end of consternation for the father, Alec Waggoman (Donald Crisp). This lack of backbone may have been the primary reason for his further problems.

Dave was in a rage after Vic tried to keep him in line, and went up on a hill to send smoke signals. He had a wagon with rifles. Yep, he sold them to the Apaches. And so did Vic. But Vic did not want to continue because he knew the Apaches would get on a murderous rampage and many would be killed. Dave was too angry and insane (and jealous because Vic was like an adopted son to Alec Waggoman) to listen to reason. They fought (Waggoman fired first and missed), and Vic killed Dave.

Vic pretended that he found Dave on the trail. The other ranches blamed Lockhart right away, but Hansbro still had a shred of decency left in him and held them back: "Did you see him do it?" Later on, Vic was with Alec as the old man was going over the accounts and quizzed him about a shipment that was never received. Alec figured out right away that his son Dave was in on the selling of rifles to the Apaches, and wanted to find the wagon. Vic attempted to dissuade the senior Waggoman from his search, but to no avail.

When the two men were almost upon the wagon, Vic admitted some of the truth and tried again to keep Alec from continuing. Alec said that Vic was a liar, and he would keep on lying. They struggled, and Vic pushed Alec off his horse and down the side of the mountain. He left him for dead.

However, Will Lockhart was tracking the wagon with a companion, and found Alec — still alive. They brought him back and got medical care for him. When Waggoman regained his strength, he told Will what had happened, and they reasoned the rest out.

Will found Vic at the wagon. He was sending smoke signals to the Apaches. And this time, they saw them. Will confronted Vic and told him that his brother was in a cavalry patrol that was killed by the Apaches. He blamed Hansbro and Dave Waggoman because they sold the guns to the Apaches. Will was pointing a rifle at Vic and ready to do him in when they heard the Apaches riding up.

Lockhart made Hansbro help him push the wagon off the mountain, where it crashed and some of the ammunition exploded as well. Then, Will said, "Get out of my sight", because he could not shoot him in cold blood after all. Vic rode off, and was killed by the Apaches. After all, they didn't get their guns.

Vic Hansbro did not have the courage to stand up to Dave Waggoman and keep him in line like Alec wanted. Perhaps Dave would have stayed alive. Vic was a part of selling the guns to the Apaches. If he had resisted, the cavalry patrol would not have been wiped out with rifles that he had sold them. When he killed Dave, he could have come clean with Alec and told him the whole story. Instead, people blamed Will. He continued to lie to Waggoman and tried to kill him. Eventually, he wound up dead.

If Hansbro had "cowboyed up" and told the truth, several people would have still been alive, and old Alec would not have been heartbroken with the loss of his own son and the man that he treated like a son, who had betrayed him. The errors would not have compounded they way that they did.

A liar and a weakling at heart stays a liar and a weakling. There's a chance for redemption and self respect if he makes a serious effort to see where the situations are heading; he has to face the consequences of his actions for the sake of the greater good, and to prevent disaster.

Mind you, I only emphasized one aspect of this story. It has many qualities, and it's considered one of the best Western movies for good reason. Now if you'll excuse me, the trail boss is about to insult the cook again. If that happens, the trail boss becomes the cook (code of the west). None of us want that to happen!

Problem Solving

2009-05-15T13:06:00.000-04:00

"Out here, a man solves his own problems."
— Tom Doniphon (John Wayne)

I have to admit that I was hard pressed to choose whether to post this article here or at Stormbringer's Thunder. It illustrates the values that come across in Westerns, but it won't discuss a movie this time. But I think it belongs in this Weblog and not the other one. For what it's worth, the quote came from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

People who know me are well aware that I have low tolerance for lazy people. Sure, we all have our lazy moments, but I detest the types that make laziness a lifestyle. Those slobs make everyone work harder.

There are two people I'm going to bring up. Neither of them is pretty to look at. In fact, it's the opposite; you might gasp and take a step backwards at their appearances. Both of them are either mostly or entirely confined to a wheelchair, and are "developmentally disabled" (a fancy word for some degree of retardation).

I've seen one of them on a four-lane bridge over the Rondout Creek in Kingston, NY. The traffic can be heavy at times, and I've seen him rolling along in his wheelchair in blistering heat, rain, whatever. And it can be a high-traffic area. He wants to go where he wants to go. People look at his disfigurements and say, "Eww!". It's too bad that they don't see his independent spirit and desire to get to his destination without relying on someone else!

There's another fellow that I've never met, but have heard about. He, too has deformities and relies on a wheelchair. And yet, he has a good spirit. Also, he wants to do things himself. I'm told that it's almost heart wrenching to watch him get onto the transport van, refusing assistance.

I've seen people walking all over town. I'm driving by and think, "You walked all the way over here? Again?"

These people put lazy slobs to shame; someone that is able-bodied and wants to be waited on hand and foot, and won't make an effort to solve his or her own problems, no matter how small. They wouldn't last long in the old west, where you had to work hard where "out here, a man solves his own problems." In fact, I get ashamed that I drive or ride relatively short distance when I should have the gumption to walk instead of ride.

Have you ever had the experience of saying or writing something that makes you want to change your ways for the better? It's a funny feeling...

Does This Count?

2009-05-11T08:30:00.000-04:00

Howdy. Today I'm going to ride a different trail and talk about me, talk about "I", talk about number one — OK, so I do a lousy Toby Keith impression. In an article on my other Weblog, I discussed why this Michigan boy now living in New York state can call himself a cowboy, and where it all came from. (If you go and look at that article, keep in mind that I write "in character" for my regular readers there, and I put in some "enhancements" that do not detract from the overall truth of what I'm writing.)

Also, I realized that cowboys have a simple existence. They had little use for fancy, elaborate things and luxuries. Instead, they opted for more functional things and simpler pleasures. The same with me. Sure, I like to be comfortable and have some "finer" things, but I'm not into expensive wine or Rolex watches. Cowboys spoke their minds. So do I (as you see). In fact, I found a report card from when I was five years old. The teacher wrote, "Mouth sometimes gets him in trouble". One of my parents wrote back, "We know". Cowboys also were sparing with their words. Me...no, I talk too much, so that doesn't count.

But I wanted to give you an example of something that I realized later illustrates my cowboy mentality. As I stated elsewhere, cowboys could often go into a situation with guns blazing. That is, they jump right in. I do that verbally, but I do it physically as well.

Seven hours before our departure for my brother's interment and the vacation afterward, we were leaving my in-laws' apartment. To be blunt, my MOTH (mother-in-law) is frail and, well, needs guidance, shall we say. My father-in-law is cantankerous, and mostly confined to a wheelchair. And they're both stubborn as mules.

By the way, they're not into "fancy" stuff, either.

Just as we're reaching the lobby, I hear a "beep...beep...beep". It repeats. Then, the raucous fire alarm begins. There's a fireman coming in the door. We keep going out and watch to see what's happening. It turns out that it's not a test or a drill, there really is a fire somewhere. Mind you, we don't see smoke or flames, but we get a whiff of something smelling wrong. (I'm adding this to make sure you know it wasn't a roaring inferno or anything.)

We overhear a fireman saying that they're evacuating the building. Well, the main entrance is crowded, and I know dang well they won't let me walk back in. But I had to go, I know how the in-laws are and what the situation is. Leaving my wife in front of the building, I charge up the back steps to the third floor. I even had my refusal line prepared in case I was stopped or challenged, but that didn't happen.

I bang the heck out of the door. They were ignoring the fire alarm! For once, I was listened to and they agreed to get moving. I helped my father-in-law get out of his special chair and into his wheelchair, and we got going down the hall. We passed two firemen in the hallway (my wife had told someone down below, and he radioed others to help). See, part of my concern is that this complex, "The Birches at Esopus", is not even finished yet. And I don't see how it's safe for senior housing because it only has one elevator, and has handicapped people on upper levels. I didn't want to explain to anyone; I understood the situation and took action as I saw fit.

At any rate, we get into the elevator and get down to the ground floor. After a while, they give an "all clear", and we get back inside.

So, what do you think? Does this count for me being a cowboy at heart? I think so. How about you?

A Few Friends

2009-05-09T10:49:00.000-04:00

"You wanna quit, quit! Go back to the bottle, get drunk. One thing, though. The next time someone throws a dollar into a spittoon, don't expect me to do anything about it. Just get down on your knees and get it."
— Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne)

Yee haw, gang, let's rock! Your less-than-humble cowboy pal is back from vacation and writing for you again. It's too bad that, after a trip, we often have to jump back into some stressful stuff and take care of things as soon as we get back. But at least it's not the workplace stress.

So anyway.

I said earlier that I wanted to talk about Rio Bravo again. Last time, I focused on Dude getting regaining some of his dignity with the help of Sheriff Chance. Today, I'm taking a broader view of the film.

Rio Bravo is a bit of a response to High Noon. John Wayne and director Howard Hawks did not like High Noon and it's portrayal of how men and women of the old west would have acted by cowering and running out on the sheriff in his time of need. (In fact, John Wayne did not like High Plains Drifter and it's portrayal of the people of that time, either, so this is believable.) So, Hawks and Wayne got together to do it "right".

Dean Martin is Dude, the town drunk. John Wayne is Sheriff John T. Chance. Joe Burdette (Claude Aikens) gets into a scrap with Dude and kills a bystander in the process. Then Burdette strolls into another saloon to keep on drinking. But Sheriff Chance walks in a few minutes later and points his rifle at Burdette to take him in. Guns are drawn, and things look bad for Chance. For a moment. Then, Dude shows up and helps out, and Burdette is taken to jail.

Joe Burdette is part of a big, powerful family. They make it clear that they will get Joe out of jail and kill Chance before the judge is able to arrive and give a trial. The odds are bad, because the only ones guarding Burdette are Chance, Dude and Stumpy (Walter Brennan). Pat Wheeler (Ward Bond), a friend of Chance's and some companions ride into town, and a hired gunman for the Burdettes kills the friend. (Interesting note, Ward Bond and John Wayne were pals off screen, and occasionally played the parts of mortal enemies on screen.) Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson) was a friend of Wheeler and offers to join forces with Chance and the others.

Chance resists offers of help when he thinks people have either wrong motives or are simply likely to get themselves killed. (This is quite unlike the cowardly people of 1952's High Noon and 1973's High Plains Drifter, who left lawmen to fend for themselves.) But when things got serious, he had help whether he wanted it or not.

There's a nice moment where, in the midst of the tension, there is some singing by Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson. It's a fabulous song (see below)! They do another, and then get back to work.

There is a setback for Dude because he walks into a trap. Then Dude felt that he was not recovering from his alcoholism enough to help, and was going to quit because he thought he was a liability. His hand were shaking and he had no confidence, so he gave back his deputy's badge. Chance respected him enough to make his choice and did not try to talk Dude out of quitting. Perhaps it was reverse psychology, but he even told Dude to go ahead and start drinking again.

But the Burdette gang had some musicians play some music to taunt Chance and his crew. At that moment, things clicked for Dude. The music was the same that the Mexicans played to torment the heroes who died at the Alamo, and Dude poured his drink back into the bottle. He was ready.

Naturally, there is a big shootout at the end. Chance has the help he expected from Colorado Ryan and Dude, but an innkeeper and Chance's girlfriend forced themselves on him to help. And they helped very well.

The ending is happy (albeit somewhat unbelievable because all the good guys survive, but that's the way I like it).

"Hey, Cowboy Bob, what should I get out of this?"

How about sticking to your values and doing what's right even when the odds are not in your favor? As I said before, sometimes you get help that you're not expecting. Also, respecting the rights of others to make their choices. Maybe they'll come around, maybe not. Third, you may be underestimating people like Chance did. People helped him even though he thought they should stay safe. (On the other hand, you do have to use good judgment. It can be a tough call.) Finally, be loyal to your friends.

I feel that loyalty to friends and sticking up for your values are things that are fading these days. We need to cowboy up and do what's right.

There's something else you should know. This is a fun thing. I recommend giving yourself a double feature with Rio Bravo and Support Your Local Sheriff. Nobody's going to tell me that Support did not draw heavily from Rio, even though it's a fun movie. I want to tell you some similarities to look for, but you can do this for yourself. Aw, heck, I reckon that I have to give you one thing that tickled me. Walter Brennan is in both movies, but his character in each movie is opposite the character he plays in the other. OK, one more: A key plot point in both movies involves a character named "Joe".

OK, it's time to saddle up. Still have to do some post-vacation cleanup. Thanks for reading.

PS — any suggestions what you'd like to see here for John Wayne's birthday on May 26?

What Happened in Texas

2009-05-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

A Cowboy rides into town and stops at a saloon for a drink. When he finishes his drink, he finds his horse has been stolen. He goes back into the bar, handily flips his gun into the air, catches it above his head without looking and fires a shot into the ceiling.

“Which one of you sidewinders stole my hoss?” he yells. No one answers.

“Alright, I’m gonna have anotha beer, and if my hoss ain’t back outside by the time I finish, I’m gonna do what I done in Texas! And I don’t like to have to do what I done in Texas!”

He has another beer, walks outside, and his horse is back. He saddles up and gets ready to ride out of town.

Before he leaves, the bartender wanders out of the bar and asks, “Say pardner, before you go — what happened in Texas?”

The cowboy turns back and says, “I had to walk home.”

The Devout Cowboy

2009-05-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

The devout cowboy lost his favorite Bible while he was mending fences out on the range.

Three weeks later, a cow walked up to him carrying the Bible in its mouth. The cowboy couldn't believe his eyes. He took the precious book out of the cow's mouth, raised his eyes heavenward and exclaimed, “It's a miracle!”

“Not really,” said the cow. “Your name is written inside the cover.”

Using the Front Door

2009-04-25T09:34:00.000-04:00

I guess they'll let you in the front door from now on."
— Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne)

"I'm back! I'm back in the saddle again! I'm baaaaaaaaaack!" OK, so it's Aerosmith and not a singing cowboy. But even cowboys like a little rock and roll. Chris LeDoux said so. I'm feeling surprisingly good, even after hell week at work and almost walking out for good.

Anyway.

We had a fun time over at Rusty Springs, you shoud've been there. A couple of us wound up at a friend's house and we watched Rio Bravo. I can't believe that I haven't seen that one before. John Wayne and Dean Martin sure worked together well. I'm sure glad I've seen it now. In fact, I stopped and bought a copy for myself. I really like this movie.

There are a couple of things in that movie that stood out for me, but I'm going to focus on a personal drama that is an undercurrent to the main story. Dean Martin is the town drunk (which fits in with the image that he created for himself over the years). They either call him "Dude", or the Spanish word for "drunk". That's cold. He also manages to become a deputy to Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne).

After a shooting in town, Dude and Chance are tracking the killer into a saloon. Dude says that he wants to go in the front door because they don't like it when he comes in that way (it's a town drunk thing). Chance agrees to go in the back way.

Dude has a badge now, since he's a deputy. He boldly strolls in and the men in the saloon turn and stare. They're on the team of bad guys, so I think they're a little surprised that he had the unmitigated gall to step up. Sheriff Chance slams the door in the back to make his presence — and his rifle — known. Dude talks in a no nonsense tone and disarms them ("Take your gun belts off one by one"). Then he's checking for muddy boots, one by one.

Nothing found. The bad guys taunt Dude about attempting to recover from alcoholism. One throws a silver dollar into a spittoon for Dude to fish out and buy a drink. Dude gets suspicious but does not show it. He asks for that drink. As the bartender is pouring, he whirls and shoots a man in the upstairs area who is holding a rifle. Chance keeps the others from trying anything.

Sheriff Chance then proceeds to tell the bad guys to get out of town and say some other stern sheriff stuff. He then asks Dude if he's finished yet. Dude says to the guy that threw the silver dollar into the spittoon, "Do you want it back? Do you know how to get it?" That meant, "Go get it". So the man reaches into the spittoon and pulls it back out.

I really like this scene. The sheriff lets the guy that's basically been at the bottom for a long time take charge. He helps him regain some of his dignity and self respect. Dude went for it and made the effort, and Chance was backing him.

After the scene is over, Chance says to Dude, "I guess they'll let you in the front door from now on."

I have more to say about Rio Bravo, but this is enough for today's installment. Oh, except for one thing. I thought I was done, and then I was pleasantly surprised to see this scene on YouTube. Take a look.

Enjoy Your Ride

2009-04-23T22:01:00.000-04:00

I became a fan of the late, great Chris LeDoux just a few days ago. And I want to share a song he did that was written by Tillis and Weedman.

I was six years old, my brother was ten
One July day came running in,
seen a ferris wheel at the edge of town
So, of course, we headed on down

Well it took us an hour to walk that far
Carrying our fortune in a Mason jar
It was all pretty sad, a cheap county fair
With a few old rides but there was ponies there

Well, the ponies stunk and the air was still
In that dusty circle behind the ferris wheel
This old guy smelling of smoke and rum
Swung me up and sat me down on one

Well I'd never rode a horse but I'd seen it done
Cowboy movies made it look like fun
This old man whispered a few soft words
It was the best advice I've ever heard

Chorus:
He said "Sit tall in the saddle, Hold your head up high
Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky
And live like you ain't afraid to die
And don't be scared, just enjoy your ride"

I went up a kid with shaking hands
And I came down a full grown man
It was like he'd cast some Voodoo spell
Things were different for me now, I could tell

'Cos whenever troubles come wandering in
His rhyme would pop in my head again
And somehow I rode through the needles and nails
Brambles and thorns that life entails

Sit tall in the saddle, Hold your head up high
Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky
And live like you ain't afraid to die
And don't be scared, just enjoy your ride

Well I know some day farther down the road
I'll come to the edge of the great unknown
There'll stand a black horse riderless
And I wonder if I'm ready for this

So I'll saddle him up and he'll switch his tail
And I'll tip my hat and bid farewell
And lift my song into the air
That I learned at that dusty fair

"Sit tall in the saddle, Hold your head up high
Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky
And live like you ain't afraid to die
And don't be scared, just enjoy your ride"
Now don't be scared, just enjoy your ride

There to Help

2009-04-18T20:04:00.000-04:00

"Because I knew someone like you once, and there was no one there to help."

While re-watching A Fistful of Dollars, a film that I think is overrated because it is brutally violent, I was fortunate enough to have something offer itself to me to pass along to you.

This one is the first installment in the "Man with No Name" trilogy with Clint Eastwood. (Trilogy? Not really, you can easily watch them in any order. I watched them in reverse order, and found that the mysterious Man with No Name is comparatively chatty in Fistful.) Very gritty, hot, sweaty Western fare, with joyous beatings and a massacre thrown in for fun.

As I pointed out when I brought up The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Clint Eastwood's character is "good", but not all that good. In A Fistful of Dollars, he's playing two factions (Rojos and Baxter) against each other and making a profit.

However, one part of the whole business must have rubbed him the wrong way. Ramon Rojo kidnapped Marisol, the wife of a man in town. He wanted to make her his own. During our hero's escapades, he uses the confusion to set Marisol, her husband and their child free.

When they started making their dash for freedom, Marisol turned and asked The Man, "Why are you doing this?"

He replied, "Because I knew someone like you once, and there was no one there to help."

Wouldn't we love to know what that meant! Was it a reference to him? His parents? Sister? Friends? We'll never know.

I believe that doing good for it's own sake is a noble act. But if you want to be a bit selfish, keep in mind that perhaps someone that you did something for will help you in your hour of need. I don't work in a "debt system" where I feel that someone "owes me" something; I have that much nobility to my sorry hide.

(In fact, if we go to another Western, Seven Years in Tibet, Lhasa, sort of in the western area of Chinese-occupied Tibet, there is a similar sentiment on doing good: "But why?"... "Must one have reason to help those in need?")

Something I like is that this was the Christian thing to do. Yes, really. No, I'm not saying that there is anything Christian about The Man with No Name! Just this particular instance. You see, God works through people. I don't normally do what I'm about to do, but it's a strong support for what I'm saying, when Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians, "Thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he is our Father and the source of all mercy and comfort. For he gives us comfort in our trials so that we in turn may be able to give the same sort of strong sympathy to others in theirs...if we experience trouble we can pass on to you comfort and spiritual help; for if we ourselves have been comforted we know how to encourage you to endure patiently the same sort of troubles that we have ourselves endured. We are quite confident that if you have to suffer troubles as we have done, then, like us, you will find the comfort and encouragement of God."

"You're reaching, Cowboy Bob. That is for people doing God's work."

OK, so I'm reaching a bit. Cut me some slack. But the point is still valid. And sorry about the font shift on this thing, Blogger is doing what it wants to do, despite my best efforts.

I know it's wordy and an ancient text, but you see that comfort can come from God working through people. Especially when people have had suffering. "Hey, I've been there, I know how you feel. Now pass it on." In the case of The Man with No Name, he saw (or maybe experienced) something that should have been helped (or comforted). When he had a chance to take action and help someone, he did it.

In times like this, we have to be there for each other. We certainly cannot expect bankrupt governments and greedy politicians to help us. Do good for others. You're doing God's work.

Addendum: A reader pointed out that A Fistful of Dollars is actually an unofficial remake of the Japanese film Yojimbo. Interestingly enough, Yojimbo was inspired by early American Westerns.

Just Had To

2009-04-16T19:11:00.000-04:00

A kid walked up to a guy wearing a Stetson hat, leather vest, leather chaps, and sneakers. The kid asked him, "Mr. Cowboy, why do you wear that big hat?"

The cowboy replied, "Well, son, the big hat protects me from hot sun and driving rain, and at night I put it over my face when I sleep on the range, so it protects me then, too."

"Why do you wear that leather vest?"

"It also helps to keep the weather off me, and it has pockets where I can keep my valuables."

"Well, why do you wear leather chaps?"

"They protect my legs when I'm driving my horse through mesquite and cactus."

"Well, Mr. Cowboy," the kid finally asked, "Why do you wear sneakers?"

"That's so somebody won't think I'm a truck driver."

Something to Prove

2009-04-14T04:00:00.000-04:00

G'day, Mates! Today's sojourn into the West is much further west than we usually go — about 10,000 miles further. Western Australia. Oh, you didn't know there were cowboys there? Yep. A hard land needs taming.

It was good to watch The Man from Snowy River again. This one shows cowboys being cowboys, and you do not get the usual shootouts and vengeance themes.

Jim Craig (Tom Burlinson) has something to prove. His mother had died long ago, and he actually watched his father die during a freak accident. So he went to get a job from Harrison (Kirk Douglas). But Harrison was reluctant and mistrustful because Jim was from the mountains. (Funny, discrimination exists anywhere: Racial, religious, national, regional — I've even seen it between towns in the same county.) Also, Jim Craig was rather young, about eighteen years old or so.

Other ranch hands gave him dirty jobs and picked on him a bit. Sure, the new guy will always get it, but there was the added detail of him being a mountain boy. And it didn't help that Harrison's daughter, Jessica (Sigrid Thornton) was getting fond of him. (Wow, you should see those eyes flash!) And Jim was getting fond of her, too. Unfortunately, Harrison ran him off.

So Jim was content to do his duties and wait for his turn to do something big. But he gets into a scrap in the bunkhouse. One of his opponents starts to come after him with a broken bottle, but someone else put a stop to that; he wanted a fair fight, it seemed. Jim won it. And he also left the place because he felt that he would not be able to provide for Jessica.

Naturally, losers can't take losing, so they let a prize horse out so Jim would take the blame. One man believed in Jim and talked him into coming along to go after the horse.

I'm not going to go into the Spoiler Stagecoach here because this is a good movie and you should see it for yourself. But I will tell you that sometimes you do have to prove yourself and earn respect on your own. In addition, Jim was not too proud to turn down a bit of help from someone that believed in and respected him.

Sure, learn it for yourself. Do it yourself. Prove yourself and gain respect. But everyone needs a bit of a leg up on occasion. I know I do.

Using Tools

2009-04-11T18:44:00.000-04:00

"A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that."
Shane (Alan Ladd)

Not very many Westerns get a four-star rating, but Shane did. Not sure if I would have scored it that highly myself, but it was definitely worth watching. And it was a dark movie. No, not that way. I mean, you may want to turn off the lights for part of it because it's difficult to see the screen at times. And yes, I was sober.

Also, if you try to predict movies, well, this is both "yes" and "no". "Yes", because there are formula elements in the storyline (and Pale Rider, over thirty years later, had taken more than its share of story elements from Shane, give yourself a double feature and you'll see what I mean), but "no", because there are areas you'd expect certain tragic elements to happen that did not occur.

"Can you get on with it, Cowboy Bob?"

Soitenly.

By the way, I got a new belt buckle. It's gold tone, with a really nifty eagle on it —

"Hey!"

Oh, right. Sorry.

A stranger rode up to the Starrett homestead. When asked his name by the suspicious Joe Starrett (Van Heflin), he said, "Call me Shane". Shane (Alan Ladd) listened to the troubles of the homesteader and stayed on to work for him.

When Shane went into town unarmed, he was bullied by some of the cattlemen (led by the Rykers) that were trying to run the homesteading farmers out of the valley. He did not put up a fight. We learned later that he's trying to get away from his past as a gunslinger.

On a later visit, the homesteaders were grouped together and in town. Once again, the cattlemen were bullying Shane. Starrett and the others chose to stay out of it because they were afraid that they would all be run out of the valley. But this time, Shane knocked some sense into his antagonist. Naturally, cowards hate a fair fight, and ganged up on Shane. He was doing surprisingly well, but there were too many of them. Joe Starrett couldn't stand by any longer, and joined in the fray. Between the two of them, they did some serious tail kicking and walked out of there.

But Rufus Ryker (Emile Meyer) decided to start playing rougher. Not only did they increase their harrassment of the homesteaders, they hired a gunslinger. When a couple of the homesteaders came into town on their own, the gunslinger goaded one of them into going for his gun and shot him down in the street (something else that Pale Rider "borrowed" in the way it was portrayed).

Like I said elsewhere, death is often taken too lightly in movies. In this case, I was touched by the funeral scene. The victim was from Alabama, and "Dixie" was played on the harmonica. (Supposedly, the playing of "Taps" afterwards was spontaneous and the whole crew was moved by that.) Friends of the man were sad and angry. The widow was crying. So this time, a movie doesn't brush off death so lightly.

Another human element is that the homesteaders did not want to quit too easily because they made it their home, they'd worked hard for it. But you also heard Ryker attempting to buy out Ryker, and his views that he felt entitled to the land, that the homesteaders were intruding, even stealing the land.

|>> Fast forward a bit.

Eventually, most of the homesteaders decided leave, except for Starrett. But even his wife wanted to give up. A message came in from Ryker for a meeting in town with Joe, and Joe's wife felt that it was a death trap. Starrett wanted to go anyway, but was discouraged from that idea when Shane knocked him unconscious and went in his place.

After Shane dispatches the bad guys, he says he has to leave: "There's no living with a killing. There's no going back from one. Right or wrong, it's a brand — a brand sticks. There's no going back." He was saying that he could not go back to that town and those people, and that he was branded as a killer. It looks like he has to start over somewhere else. I do not believe that a killer is irredeemable, especially if it's done in self defense. Or to protect the lives of others. But yes, it does change someone.

But Shane said something to Mrs. Starrett about guns: "A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: An axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that." I believe there's truth in that as well. The Internet, a microphone, music, a podium, television, radio, money — all are neutral in themselves and can be used for good or evil.

Choices

2009-04-10T13:09:00.000-04:00

First, a big "Howdy" and "Yee Haw" to my visitor(s) in the Central Time Zone that uses Firefox on Windows XP and has Charter Communications as a provider. I appreciate your enthusiasm.

Remember, this is the Spoiler Stagecoach, so I will probably ruin key plot points for you. I had a good time watching James Stewart and Audie Murphy in Night Passage. It was good, but not great. On the other hand, it was a bit more complicated and had more plot depth in some ways than many pictures I've seen. It's one of those movies that you feel like you've missed something, and it's almost like a sequel, but it catches you up if you pay attention.

James Stewart is Grant McLaine. He is reluctantly rehired by the railroad to guard the payroll. Audie Murphy is Lee, The Utica Kid, and Lee is part of a gang that is stealing payrolls from trains. And they are brothers.

(Waitaminnit! Lee and Grant...brothers on opposite sides...are the producers of the movie having a little joke? You know, the Civil War was brother against brother and so forth, and the generals were Lee and Grant. I shouldn't have to explain this, you should know it if you paid attention in school.)

When Grant is pretending to join with the outlaws, he plays his accordion and sings a song that Grant and Lee knew as kids. Lee chides grant about his lectures on good and evil, and points out that he was tired of being the "kid brother" and finally had his own identity. Also, he wants Grant to ride away and not get involved because he did not believe that Grant was going to actually join the lawbreakers.

But Grant's music also attracts a traitor that works for the railroad and wants the payroll. A brawl ensues, and the brothers are on the run.

Later, we see Grant holding off the gang, and Lee is watching from a hill. After all, he's on the wrong side of the law. But he can't stand to watch his brother holding off the gang, and joins in. Ultimately, Lee takes a bullet and dies.

We can say that if Lee had stayed on the right side of the law, none of this would have happened. But that's a bit simplistic. After all, Lee wanted to be somebody in his own right. Ultimately, though, the talks about right and wrong gave him a course of action. He made his choices.

Do we return to the teachings we've learned in childhood when we're really under fire? Sure, we can wander off for a while, but sometimes I think that the good things are still inside us.

What do you think?

Living Your Integrity

2009-04-08T06:28:00.000-04:00

Howdy again! Today isn't quite on topic because I'm not writing about a movie. This brief post is a bit of, "See?"

I've been going on about integrity and reputation because I believe that they are important. (Some of those articles are here, here and, at Stormbringer's Thunder, here.) Today, I wake up and see that Brett has written an article on integrity over at The Art of Manliness about integrity. I suggest you saddle up and ride out there to take a look-see.

Here 'tis again. I ain't kiddin', neither. http://artofmanliness.com/2009/04/07/living-a-life-of-integrity/

Underestimating

2009-04-04T03:00:00.000-04:00

Howdy again! Hopefully, that rough patch of sagebrush that's been slowing me down is mostly behind me now. Wish I could bring myself to spend an extra fifteen dollars a month on the Encore Westerns channel, but I'd never get anything done. As it is, I have Turner Classic Movies, American Movie Classics (which are not all American and not necessarily classics), the library's collections and some DVDs of my own, so I'm not desperate. Still, 'twould be nice.

I was able to watch Seven Ways from Sundown. (Let me interject that Audie Murphy was a helluva guy, an American hero and a good actor who would have achieved even greater stature if he hadn't been killed in that plane crash at around age 44.) Audie was a greenhorn Texas Ranger named Seven Jones (his full first name is the movie's title) that was sent to track down outlaw Jim Flood (Barry Sullivan) with an older, more experienced Ranger. Although young and inexperienced, Jones was catching on nicely.

And they underestimated him. It turned out that Seven Jones was a crack shot with a rifle, as well as a fast learner.

Fast forward a bit, and Flood shot at the two rangers, killing Jones' partner. Flood is very intelligent and very dangerous, but Jones caught up with him and made Flood his prisoner. I think part of the reason that Jim Flood was caught was because he was overconfident, and he underestimated Seven Jones. Flood called Jones "kid" a few times. Yes, he had that kind of personality that you half expect him to get all embarrassed and say, "Aw, gee, shucks", but Murphy was actually about 34 when he made the movie.

Jones underestimated Flood's knowledge and experience. Also, Flood had a pleasant personality and degree of charm. That kind of thing can lead you to let your guard down. He thought he had the upper hand and was being careful while watching Flood. Flood pointed out that he could have killed Jones already, but he didn't object to his company. Later, Jim proved that he could have killed Seven easily.

In several situations, Flood actually helped keep Jones alive. Jim could have used the guns that he got ahold of and plugged Jones, but he did not.

Fast forward again. These guys wind up liking each other, and Jim asked Seven to be a partner in crime. But Jones kept to his principles and eventually made it to town and turned Flood over to the Rangers.

Seven was talking with a woman that he liked Jim in some ways. Flood was the kind of man that men want to be, free and untamed. Then, a shot rang out. The Rangers had underestimated Flood, and he escaped from jail.

And rode right by Seven, who had his gun drawn but did not try to stop him. Someone else took a shot at Flood. Flood returned fire and missed — but hit Seven's lady friend. So, Jones could have kept her from getting hurt if he had not fallen under his outlaw friend's charm and let him ride off.

Later, Flood returned to the town and met with Jones to make him one last offer to become an outlaw and join up with him. But Flood underestimated Jones' character. Jones had come to his senses, telling Flood that he had to stop him. Jim Flood killed people on purpose or by accident, and hurt people the same way. He had friends, but he had made enemies as well. Seven Jones was going to enforce the law after all, and he took Flood down.

It's easy to be deceived. And it's easy to deceive yourself. The old adage is true, that you should never underestimate your opponent. Maybe he has a good personality and charm but is actually a coiled sidewinder, ready to strike. Or he could be youthful looking and unskilled in the ways of the world, but still keep to his principles.

Personally, I have no problem if an enemy underestimates me. I'll take that advantage.

The Thrill of the Kill

2009-04-01T13:00:00.000-04:00

It wasn't until a day or two after watching Unforgiven that I realized that I could use something in the movie for this Weblog after all. I have found that most modern Westerns have little or no "joy" of the classics, and are more interested in hitting you over the head with "the human experience" or some such. I don't want to be taught from someone's agenda, I don't want to have to "work" to figure out what the film maker is "saying", I want to be entertained. Unforgiven is brutal, with a great deal of tension and violence. I found it depressing, and do not intend to see it again.

"Is there a point to this, Uncle Bob?"

Yup. Unforgiven is very believable with the way the people displayed their pain and anger. In addition, The Schofield Kid thought that it would be great fun to kill someone for profit; killing others makes you more of a man. He enlisted the help of Bill Munny (Clint Eastwood), who had retired from his violent past. Munny decided on one last bit of killing, and obtained the help of his former partner, Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman).

It's obvious that Bill and Ned have lost their stomach for killing, and it took a great deal of effort to kill the first of their marks. The second killing was up to The Kid. After that was done, he was putting on the bravado and bragging.

Then he got honest with himself. He did not like killing, actually wept about it and did not even want the money. No, he was done with killing.

I don't think this is a lesson that the film makers wanted the audience to have, and I'm not sure that I have one, either. But what I do know is that killing in movies and on television comes too easily. A look of shock, maybe a tear or two, and then back to business.

The truth is, killing someone is life changing because you see another life that is ending at your hands. Sure, it gets easier when you're protecting your family or doing it during a war. But it's not much easier. (Heck, I struggled to keep my composure when it was time to have the cat put down. Yes, really.) People are changed when they cause a life to end by accident, or are survivors when friends or family are killed. It's agonizing.

They feel unforgiven. And they have to accept that the past cannot be changed. If it was under orders, self defense, accidental or being a survivor — they still have to forgive themselves.

I just had that chip on my shoulder about the cavalier attitudes to ending lives in movies and television. Next time, I'll have something a bit lighter for you. In the mean time, forgive me.

Unexpected Help

2009-03-29T18:16:00.000-04:00

Words are what men live by — words they say and mean.
— Jake Cutter (John Wayne)

Glad to be back in the saddle again, and I had a good time watching The Comancheros. Although the disbelievability element is a bit high in some places (we see very few good guys get killed off, but lots of bad guys and Indians), John Wayne has a relaxed, natural delivery for his lines (as does Stuart Whitman), great scenery and direction. And some well-timed humor. Do you ever see a movie again and say to yourself, "Well, this is nice, but I wish it would get over"? Not me, with this one.

Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman) kills a man in a fair duel (the "field of honor") in Louisiana. Since he wins, then they decide that the laws against dueling should be enforced. So, he decides to do the honorable thing and runs. Naturally, extradition orders are circulated.

Regret is not much of a runner. He uses his name, does not change his appearance, wears expensive clothes, gambles in public, has a fling with a woman. So, it doesn't take a Texas Ranger named Jake Cutter (John Wayne) very long to catch up with him and make the arrest.

It struck me as odd that Regret never tried to plead his case and explain the circumstances. But he does try to escape several times. In once instance, Jake and his friends are defending an encampment against Comanches and Comancheros (the Comancheros were trading with the hostile Comanches, especially guns). Regret is right there with them, shooting away, and then suddenly jumps on a horse and rides off. He almost gets a bullet in his back for escaping, but they need the ammunition.

After a few minutes, Paul rides back with a group of Texas Rangers to the rescue. The bad guys are run off. Cutter said to him that he did not expect to see him come back. Regret replied that he is surprised that he came back himself.

Jake Cutter's group received unexpected help from Paul Regret.

Cutter is unhappy about what he still has to do, and that's to turn in Regret to the authorities. He considered giving him a head start, but rememberd his commitment, that he swore an oath when they put that badge on him.

Regret said that it was just words.

Jake replied, "Words are what men live by — words they say and mean". Despite his feelings, Cutter was going to honor his Ranger oath. However, he was not going to give up easily.

Later on, the Rangers have a discussion with a judge about getting Regret off his legal hook. The judge came to the "positive conclusion that there ain't no way to do this legal and honest". He continued, "But being good, sensible Texans, we'll do it illegal and dishonest! Now all the boys here in the room have agreed to sign a paper I have prepared. They all are going to commit perjury. That's legal language for just a plain, dumb blasted lie", that he had been a Ranger for the last couple of years. The Rangers were going above the letter of the law so that they could help out someone that turned out to be a hero, and had earned their respect.

Looks like Paul Regret received unexpected help. After all, they didn't have to go to the extra effort.

Fast forward to Regret and Cutter going undercover and inflitrating the Comanchero community. It was well hidden and fiercely guarded. The penalty for even showing up was death. So, our heroes are hanging by their arms and baking in the hot sun. The daughter of the Comanchero leader orders them to be taken down and cared for. Further, she offers to help them escape.

Even though she knows who they are. This woman was the one that Regret had a fling with before Cutter caught up with him. It looks like the good guys received help from an unexpected source.

This means that you cannot give up. Someone may come along and help you out when you are out of options. For that matter, you may be the one that is someone's saving grace.

A Bit of Humor

2009-03-26T17:00:00.000-04:00

Drums

Two cowboys are riding along a trail in the mountains when they suddenly hear tom toms beating very close to them.

'Oh! That doesn't sound good,' one says to the other.

Just then, an Indian jumps out from behind a tree and said, 'I know. Our regular drummer is out sick.'

*******************

Are You a Real Cowboy?

An old cowboy sat down at the bar and ordered a drink. As he sat sipping his drink, a young woman sat down next to him. She turned to the cowboy and asked, "Are you a real cowboy?"

He replied, "Well, I've spent my whole life, breaking colts, working cows, going to rodeos, fixing fences, pulling calves, bailing hay, doctoring calves, cleaning my barn, fixing flats, working on tractors, and feeding my dogs, so I guess I am a cowboy."

She said, "I'm a lesbian. I spend my whole day thinking about women. As soon as I get up in the morning, I think about women. When I shower, I think about women. When I watch TV, I think about women. I even think about women when I eat. It seems that everything makes me think of women."

The two sat sipping in silence.

A little while later, a man sat down on the other side of the old cowboy and asked, "Are you a real cowboy?"

He replied, "I always thought I was, but I just found out I'm a lesbian."

*******************

Cowboy and the Yuppie

A Montana cowboy was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him.

The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban Sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, 'If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, Will you give me a calf?'

The cowboy looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, 'Sure, why not?'

The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, Connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone , and surfs to a NASA Page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite navigation System to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.

The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany . Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm device that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel Spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally, he prints out a full-color, 10-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the cowboy and says, 'You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves.'

'That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves,' says the Cowboy. He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then the cowboy says to the young man, 'Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?'

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, 'Okay, why not?' You're a Democrat Congressman', says the cowboy.

'Wow! That's correct,' says the yuppie, 'but how did you guess that?'

'No guessing was required.' answered the cowboy. 'You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about cows...this is a herd of sheep.

"Now give me back my dog."

Organizing the Community

2009-03-25T19:51:00.000-04:00

Wild times over at Cougar Pass, but I can't tell you about it, seeing as this is family-oriented material. What matters is that I'm back and ready to write.

Just so you know, I took out the Google ads. Maybe I'm biting the hand that gives me a voice here, but it's for you. These ads would track your movements on the Web, and I won't stand for that.

I had the pleasure of watching Randolph Scott in Trail Street. In this flick, cowboys (cattlemen) are the bad guys that are harassing the farmers of Kansas. But this bunch were not just passing through, they wanted the farmers actually out. The town of Liberal did not have a lawman. Until Bat Masterson (Randolph Scott) came to town.

Masterson had a reputation already, and that worked to his advantage. He declared in no uncertain terms that law would prevail in the town. Naturally, the cattlemen that wanted to own the town were determined to put him six feet under.

Bat had his reputation going for him, but he was also persuasive. When the cow chips were down and the townsfolk were leaving, someone brought to their attention a reason to stay. And to fight for their homes and their dreams.

He was persuasive, and managed to have his sidekick catch up to the farmers that were headed out of town to come back and help fight to keep the town. At the appointed time, the farmers came back to join the fray and kick some sidewinder tail.

"What's the point, Cowboy Bob?"

First, the reputation thing helps a great deal. Second, pleading your case to reasonable people carries some measure. Third, when you're in there helping someone, chances are, they'll be willing to help you help them. Fourth, as my father said, "Don't let anyone steal your dreams".

OK, short and sweet today. Somebody want to stir the coals on that campfire?

An Undefeated State of Mind

2009-03-21T08:15:00.000-04:00

Yee haw, Gang! I've been busy lately and decided to pass on the overtime today. (Don't want to ride out to Dripping Springs yet again.) That means I can finally get this article out of my head and onto your screens. As always, the Spoiler Express is on a roll, so if you don't mind knowing what happens in a movie you should have already seen, keep going.

I watched The Undefeated again the other day. As much as I like Clint Eastwood, watching Duke Wayne really improves my spirits for some reason. Maybe it's his "what you see is what you get" approach, and how John Wayne played parts that usually reflected his own values: "I play John Wayne in every part, regardless of the character."

This movie starts at the close of the Civil War. Col. John Henry Thomas (John Wayne) is on the winning side of the Union, and Col. James Langdon (Rock Hudson) is a Confederate officer on the losing side. Col. Thomas has horses to sell to Napoleon's puppet in Mexico, "Emperor" Maximilion. Col. Langdon also has items for sale, and his group wants to emigrate to Mexico because of their bitterness at losing to "Yankees".

Thomas and Langdon meet in Mexico in the early part of their respective journeys. Both quickly learn that they fought each other in the Civil War, and were responsible for the lives of friends and family that were lost on both sides. However, there is an uneasy truce between them.

When Mexican raiders attack Langdon's group, them durn Yankees help out and give the bandits some serious tail-kicking. The Southerners are surprised that the former Union army men were willing to help out.

At a shindig in Langdon's camp, some of the tensions between the North and the South finally come out and a massive fist fight erupts. Mrs. Langdon wants it stopped, Thomas and Langdon are watching the action and say, "Why? It just started!" Eventually, they agree to "make it unanimous" and throw some punches at each other (hilarious!). I think that the brawl actually got these people to respect each other a little more. But naturally, there are still suspicions on either side, and lingering bitterness on the part of some of the Southerners.

Later, Col. Langdon's people are captured by Mexican rebels (ironic, isn't it?), and word is sent to Col. Thomas that he has to turn in the horses that he was selling to Maximilion or all of Langdon's people would be executed. After only a little hesitation about losing a lot of money and effort, the Union men agree. Once again, some of the Southerners are surprised that them durn Yankees were willing to help.

The Union Army veterans lost a great deal, and the Confederate Army veterans and families not only lost out materially, but had to return to the United States and find new dreams there.

"What do you get out of this, Cowboy Bob?"

Glad you asked. After the Civil War was over, these people were still viewing each other as enemies, as durn Yankees and Johnny Rebs. Since the war was officially over, and circumstances forced them together, they got to know each other. They learned to respect each other's fighting skills with both fists and firearms, and got to know each other as real people. Yes, they came from different viewpoints, but they were people that had needs, wants, goals and dreams.

Your enemy does not have to be your enemy on a personal level when he is understood in those terms. But I have to point out that these were honorable men, and not ideological fanatics determined to exterminate the opposition. The leaders of the armies, Generals Grant and Lee, were honorable men that had unpleasant duties to perform.

Let me deviate for a story about Robert E. Lee. After the war, a black man came forward to receive communion in church. The congregation was a bit startled, to say the least. And Lee, the leader of the pro-slavery Confederacy, went forward, knelt next to the black man so they could receive communion with him. The rest of the church followed suit. Fabulous!

We can have our disagreements and still respect honorable men. We may discover that, if they are honest and rational people, their core values may be the same as ours.

Kind of makes you want to watch The Undefeated again, doesn't it?

A Small Act of Compassion

2009-03-17T12:57:00.000-04:00

A grand ol' "howdy" to all y'all. Glad you could tear yourselves away from the John Wayne shows that are dominating Turner Classic Movies today and read this short article. Hey, why not run Duke on St. Patrick's Day. After all, his ancestry included Scotch-Irish. Mine, too, for that matter.

So anyway. I wanted to go back to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. As I said earlier, Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" was "The Good", but he really wasn't that good, just less bad than the other two gents; his motives usually involved his own financial self-interests.

Like when No Name and Tuco blew up the bridge that the Union and Confederate armies were fighting over. They did want to stop the fighting, but it was because they had to cross that river themselves and it was almost impossible with the war happening. But they did blow it up very effectively.

This scene happens without a word being spoken. Across the river, Tuco and No Name were looking for the stash of gold. No Name looks into a blasted-out building and sees something. He goes in and finds a badly wounded soldier in obvious agony. No Name checks him and sees that the soldier won't last long. He takes off his coat and gently covers the man. The soldier cannot even speak, but No Name sees him looking at the cigar that he is smoking, takes it out of his mouth and holds it to the dying man's lips. The soldier takes a puff, and another. Then dies. No Name takes back his cigar, puts his coat back on and moves on.

I have to confess that this scene gets to me (and the music score adds to the feeling). A simple act of compassion that did not cost No Name anything, and he did not need to do it in the first place. He was able to put aside his self-interest for a moment.

Now you can take it from here and figure out the "meaning" for yourselves.

An Ugly Lesson

2009-03-12T05:00:00.000-04:00

When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk!
— Tuco (Eli Wallach)

Welcome back, Pards and Pardettes! I've been watching some Clint Eastwood "Man with No Name" movies just for fun. I have to admit that it's a bit difficult to get noteworthy moral lessons out of those, but something jumped out at me during The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. By the way, it's odd that the "ugly" guy, Tuco, really wasn't that ugly; the "bad" guy wasn't as bad as Tuco, and the "good" guy, Clint Eastwood's character, wasn't exactly good, either.

I have to interject that Eli Wallach really "sold" his character of Tuco. This guy is a vicious, mean, rotten, nasty sniveling weasel that's handy with a gun. We love to hate him. Which means that Wallach did his acting job very well.

In the beginning of the movie, we're introduced to Tuco as three men try to gun him down. He gets them first. When we're past the halfway point in the movie, it turns out that one of those first three gunmen is still alive, but missing his right arm. He sees Tuco in a war-torn town and follows him.

Eventually, the vengeful gunman finds Tuco in a bubble bath (which is long overdue!) and points his gun at him. The man says that he had been looking for Tuco for eight months, and learned to shoot with his left hand. Then, he gets ready to let Tuco have it.

But Tuco is not as dumb as he looks. Just under the bubbles is his gun, and he shoots first. Several times. After he finishes off his would-be assailant, he says, "When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk!" That advice falls on deaf (dead) ears, of course.

Now let's move ahead to a modern day "cowboy", John McClain (Bruce Willis) in Die Hard. Yes, I think this character is a cowboy at heart, and it's mentioned in the movie a few times. McClain is reacting to the situations and doing what he has to do. Yippie ky yay and all that.

One of the villains walking on a long table, shooting at McClain, who is crawling underneath. This evildoer stops to reload and says, "The next time you have the chance to kill someone, don't hesitate!" McClain promptly shoots several times through the table and the baddie is dead. "Thanks for the advice", he says. Again, a remark falls on dead ears.

First, I like how both movies use this very similar situation and "don't wait" remarks.

Second, there is a principle here that I agree with: When you have to take action, take it. Sometimes there is no time to think, discuss, plan, negotiate or anything else. You just have to do what you need to do, and do it now. Afterwards, you can take stock of the situation and react accordingly. But there are times when you have to do what you think is right, and not hesitate. Sometimes you're right, sometimes you're wrong. If you're wrong, you can't beat yourself up over it. Learn from it and move on.

Now if you'll excuse me, there's been another death in the family. Yes, really. At least it wasn't someone that was a very close relative. I'm all right, thanks.

Not Doing the Right Thing

2009-03-10T05:00:00.000-04:00

Greetings, folks. The Duke gets the day off, but I'll bring him back soon.

I didn't know that James Stewart was good in a cowboy role. And that shows how out of touch I've been, doesn't it?

Remember when I wrote about doing the right thing? In The Far Country, Jeff Webster (Stewart) is a bit of a tough guy and a loner. Not the kind of guy that looks for trouble, but he doesn't take any more nonsense than he has to. His philosophy is that he takes care of himself, and doesn't expect anything from others; if you don't expect anything or trust anyone, then you don't get hurt.

Jeff's cattle drive interrupted a public hanging in the town of Skagway, and "judge" Gannon (John McIntire) fines him by confiscating all of his cattle.

Gannon is a con man that controls the town. He is the local lawman and judge, and he controls many of the concessions. To go into Canada (to stake a claim for gold), there is a requirement to carry one hundred pounds of food per person. And Gannon sells the food. Pretty good racket, huh? Although smiling and polite, Gannon is a ruthless killer. Jeff Webster is cautious and plays along with Gannon.

After leaving for Canada, Jeff and two friends leave the group, go back to Skagway and steal back the cattle. Naturally, Gannon is angry and assures Webster that he will be hanged.

On the trip, Webster refuses to go through a certain mountain pass, and breaks with the group so his group can take a longer way. The problem is, he did not tell anyone why he did not want to go that way: avalanches. Even though a warning would have been the right thing to do, and a simple act of humanity, he does not offer it. When an avalanche happens, Jeff has to be convinced to help the survivors. At this point, I'm beginning to dislike Jeff Webster.

Webster manages to say and do things to alienate the few friends he has, including his refusal to put his skills to use and become the marshal.

After a successful gold stake near the town of Dawson, Jeff's old pal Gannon shows up in town. And Gannon is being sneaky, using semi-legal technicalities to take down the claims of the other prospectors and replace them with his own. Having a gang with him helps intimidate the prospectors and townsfolk.

Webster convinces Ben Tatum (Walter Brennan), his remaining friend and partner, to pack up, grab the gold and get out of Dawson. And do it quietly. Unfortunately, Ben ran his yap a bit too much in town earlier, and they were ambushed by Gannon's men. Ben is killed, Jeff is badly wounded.

When Webster is recovering, he wonders why he is being helped. After all, that's not his philosophy of taking care of yourself and letting others take care of themselves.

After some more learning experiences and introspection, Jeff goes into Dawson to look for Gannon. Finally, he wants to help the people and do what's right. After killing Gannon, he is ready to face down the gang, wounded and alone. But the rest of the townsfolk show up, armed and dangerous. So, the gang flees and Webster limps off to get nursed back to health again.

"That's a nice story, Cowboy Bob, but what's your point?"

"With great power comes great responsibility." Yep, I know darn well that it's a quote from a comic book. But it's also a profound truth. Jeff Webster could have helped people at several different times, including becoming the marshal. It took serious personal losses for him to reevaluate his thinking and use his abilities to help others. And when he helped them, they helped him.

But it took some people being unselfish and helping him out of goodness and not out of self-seeking to open his eyes. And his heart. I want to believe what I've seen and heard, that people can be unselfish and help each other out in times of need. There are countless stories of generosity, caring and self-sacrifice after the cowardly terrorist attacks of September 11. I read reports of people taking great personal risks to protest the Chinese occupation of Tibet. The latest acts of selflessness that I have come across are the rescue efforts when Flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River.

If you turn down an opportunity to help someone, they may not be willing — or able — to help you when you need it. A good step is to be willing to do good. Better yet, develop an attitude of doing the right thing. Jeff Webster's story may have turned out differently. It could have been too little, too late, you're on your own.

After considerable thought, I wanted to be a cowboy and add something that does not fit the format. Fifty years ago today, China invaded Tibet. This is something I feel very strongly about, and would like you to see my other Weblog's article on this, here. It's slightly relevant, because I did this because I believe it's the right thing to do. Much obliged.

Hondo and Reputation

2009-03-05T12:53:00.000-05:00

Howdy again. I have to return to something about Hondo because I think this is important.

Yes, I keep going on about reputation because it's a mark of your personal integrity. And maybe because my own integrity is one of the few things of value that I have, and I don't want to see it tarnished. So, I want to keep my word and do other things to build up my reputation.

Hondo is a cavalry scout, and meets a woman and her son in his travels. He finds out that her husband has been absent for at least two months (presumed dead), so he helps out around the place before he moves on. He breaks a horse, and she lets him keep it.

It turns out that the woman's husband is still alive. One fellow wants him arrested because that's not Hondo's horse, he can tell from the brand. However, Hondo is taking the horse back to where he got it because the husband is still alive.

Here's the good part. The lawman says (my paraphrase), "He may be a mean, ornery son of a whatever you want to call him, but I won't call him a horse thief to his face or behind his back." Even though Hondo Lane doesn't win popularity contests with his personality, some people were able to stand up for the truth because they knew his reputation — his integrity.

How about you and me? Can honest people who are not in our personal fan clubs still admit, even reluctantly, that we have good character? It's something to strive for.

Bonus point: I like how the lawman was not going to talk about him behind his back.

You Do What You Want To

2009-03-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

"A long time ago, I made me a rule. I let people do what they want to do."
— Hondo Lane (John Wayne)

Just rode in from Coyote Flats, and now I'm ready to write. It's really too bad that I don't get paid for this. I can watch movies that I like, get ideas and write about them here. While I was watching Hondo, I noticed something recurring in a few parts early in the picture. In fact, I saw other things I liked in the movie, but I'll keep to just one.

A boy, Johnny, started to play with his dog. Hondo told him to leave the dog alone. Johnny got closer and the dog gave him a growl. Later, Johnny started getting closer and Hondo warned him again, "He don't take to petting". Johnny got growled at again.

Would you learn? Well, Johnny asked if he could "play with the dog". Hondo said, "I told you twice not to, but you do what you want to." So, he tried again. Grrrrrr—snap!

The boy's mother started to yell at Hondo, that if he knew the dog would bite... Hondo cut her off and said, "People learn by getting bit. Youngster just learned."

A similar situation happened later when the dog was in an unpleasant man's way, and growled at the man. He told Hondo to make the dog move. Well, Hondo was in no mood for this, and told the hombre to go around. The guy pulled a pistol, and Hondo had his rifle and told him again, "Walk around him". After more words, Hondo said, "A man outta do what he thinks is best". The man walked around. Then Hondo made the dog move (snicker).

What I get out of this is that our hero wasn't into coddling anyone, kids or mean men. He gave his advice, or his warning, and let the others make their choices. Sometimes we can learn from a warning or advice. Other times, we have to go ahead despite clear warnings and then learn the hard way (like getting bitten).

I won't pretend that I'm wise enough to listen to people that know more than I do. After all, sometimes they're wrong. Sometimes I'll listen, but other times I have to make my decisions, win or lose. Don't we all?

When we're giving advice, we can't force people to take it. In the end, they'll do what they want to do, what they think is best. Don't we all?

There's Right and There's Wrong

2009-02-26T18:03:00.000-05:00

This old cowboy has something to say, and I hope some of you will find it useful.

In The Alamo, Davy Crockett (John Wayne) was saying how he was feeling empty and useless. He was looking for something, and found it in Texas:

"To hit a lick against what's wrong, or say a word for what's right even though you get walloped for saying that word. I may sound like a Bible-beater yelling up a revival at a river crossing camp meeting, but that don't change the truth none. There's right and there's wrong. You gotta do one or the other. You do the one and you're living. You do the other and you may be walking around, but you're dead as a beaver hat."

Aren't we all searching for something? One thing you often see in the classic Westerns is the individual who is trying to make a difference, to stand up for what's right. I know I want to stand up for what's right, and that can be in daily life, whether big things or small. Even when I write my articles ('specially in the other Weblog so I can keep politics out of this one), I want to speak out against injustice and say what I believe is the truth. It causes me "great annoyance and displeasure" when I see someone unfairly attacked, whether it's God or a good person. I'll get slapped down sometimes, but that's the price I pay.

Isn't that what we all have to do? I believe that we do. We can help each other out, and not take advantage of someone else, especially in these uncertain economic times. After all, how would you feel? Lousy, and angry. Or, how do you feel when someone has helped you out? It's pretty good. (I remember a cashier giving me too much change for my twenty. When I pointed it out, she said, "Oh, I thought you gave me a fifty". Or the time I lost my wallet. It turns out that it was at the post office, and someone turned it in and the people put it in my post office box. Wow!) There's a good feeling in doing what's right, and sometimes, that's the only reward that you'll get.

But it's more than just good feelings. It's doing something just because it's the right thing to do, and being ready to take some heat because you stood up for your principles.

America has had a long history of helping the helpless, defending the defenseless, feeding the hungry, giving to the poor — and not just within our own borders. No, we help people around the world. Sure, we've messed up sometimes. As Duke said, "We've made mistakes along the way, but that's no reason to start tearing up the best flag God ever gave to any country."

So, let's help each other out in small ways as well as large. We can't expect to change the world, but we can brighten some corners of it once in a while. And maybe that will add up to something bigger. Who knows? There's no reason not to try.

OK, that's enough. Maybe I'm sounding "like a Bible-beater yelling up a revival at a river crossing camp meeting, but that don't change the truth none". (Do you want your four bits back? See the cashier on the way out.) I want to be (and feel) useful. How about you?

Oh, and if you want to see some YouTube material from The Alamo, including the quote above, here 'tis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaPA8fGeRUc

The Cowboy from Another Planet

2009-02-24T03:00:00.000-05:00

Before I get going on this fascinating narrative, I want to make a couple of statements.

First, due to various pressures and time constraints that I'm dealing with lately, I have to cut back on the frequency of these posts. Once things settle down, I'll see about pumping it back up.

Second, I know that some wimmun folk read these here narratives (oops, getting into character a bit too soon). You might want to consider passing a link to some of the men you know that could benefit from the lessons here. Heck, anyone can feel free to share the link; I believe in what I'm saying and think some of these have value.

Now that I've said those things, I have to admit that this article does not have any great moral lesson. It's fun and interesting, and that's important.

"Don't even for a minute make the mistake of looking down your nose at Westerns. They're art — the good ones, I mean. Sure, they're simple, but simplicity is art. They deal in life and sudden death and primitive struggle, and with the basic emotions — love, hate and anger — thrown in. We'll have Western films as long as the cameras keep turning. The fascination that the Old West has will never die."
— John Wayne

Was Duke wrong? There are not nearly as many Westerns being made anymore, and they've become so "modernized" and brutal that I don't have much fun with them. And yet, they still exist.

But the classic Western formula exists in another popular format as well: Science fiction. Especially if you go back to the classics of the "Golden Age" of the genre. Frontier settings (albeit on other planets), good guys, bad guys, restless natives (maybe with three eyes and tentacles), loneliness, danger — all of it. (In fact, I remember reading that Isaac Asimov would reject "Bat Masterson" stories submitted to his magazine.) The Westerns were moving into space.

I have said that many of my heroes have had cowboy elements. One of my favorites is Doctor Who. The series began in Britain in 1963, and ran until 1989. Then, it was revived in 2005. Americans have seen it in syndication and on specialty cable channels (I began watching it on PBS in the 1980s), so I'm not too surprised that Americans have missed out on it, despite the support of Harlan Ellison.

What do you find in a formula Western? A lone traveler that rides into town. The loner is often under suspicion, or unfairly wanted by the law. He finds a problem in the town, gets blamed for something, has to clear his name, saves the day, gets the lady. Roberts and Olson point this out in John Wayne: American. You can see this formula (or variations on it) in the B movies, but in many other Westerns as well.

If I went into detail on Doctor Who and the uniqueness, this would get long and boring except to Doctor Who fans. Instead, I want to emphasize the cowboy elements at the heart of The Doctor. Heck, they even did a direct merge in a Dr. Who story called "The Gunfighers".

He's in trouble with the law on his home planet. He rebelled and stole a means of conveyance (not much of a stretch to think of a horse)
The Doctor travels alone for the most part, but hooks up with companions (sidekicks?)
We never know his real name (pre-dating Clint Eastwood's classic "Man with No Name" Westerns)
He winds up in a distant community (or planet, sometimes on Earth) and find a problem that needs solving
Most of the time, he gets into mortal peril and also has to save his companion
The Doctor has to use his wits and intelligence as well as his unique skills
He saves the day, planet or entire universe (OK, so Duke only saved the town)
Justice itself is the reward, as well as the gratitude of the people

The Doctor does not get the girl; there is no romance in the first twenty six years of the series, and only hinted at in the newer episodes. No sex scenes in the classic Westerns, none in Doctor Who.

Keep this in mind the next time you see some Space Opera...I'm thinking of Outland, the original Star Wars and others. So, cowboy up, rebels against the evil overlords!

Cowboy Advice

2009-02-19T19:44:00.000-05:00

First of all, I see that I've been having visits from Duke University, and I like the connection: Western stuff, John Wayne, Duke... You boys want to click on the "Follower" thingie, there?

I've been riding a rough trail these days, so pardon me if I don't give a great deal of time to my writing today. What follows has been circulated on the Internet with various titles like "Advice from a Mountain Man", "Cowboy Wisdom" and others. Some of them have deeper meanings and useful applications other than the obvious. You know, sort of like when Longarm said, "I like to eat an apple one bite at a time". The ones below are from my favorite list, and sorry about the goofy flower-like things, it's supposed to be a bulleted list:

An Old Cowboy's Advice

Keep your fences horse-high, pig-tight & bull-strong.
Keep skunks, bankers and lawyers at a distance.
Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.
Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
Trust God, even if you can't quite see what he's up to.
Don’t be cheap. You’ll pay more in the long run.
Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
Don't corner something that would normally run from you.
It doesn't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
You cannot unsay a cruel word.
Every path has a few puddles.
When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
If you wait 'till the last minute, it may be too late.
The best sermons are lived, not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about is never gonna happen anyway.
Don't judge folks by their relatives.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Don't interfere with something that ain't bothering you none.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
Don't fix it if it ain't broke.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
Treat people right and be loyal to them, and they’ll be good right back to you.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
Don't spend it if you ain't got it yet. (Added 2-21-2009)
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

I would almost add, "Dance like nobody's watching", but I won't until I actually see John Wayne dancing. Don't recollect that I ever saw Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" dancing, neither. Gotta go, my grammar's getting lazy.

Worth Everything

2009-02-17T12:55:00.000-05:00

"I've been offered a lot for my services, but never everything."
— Yul Brynner as Chris Adams in The Magnificent Seven

The Magnificent Seven is considered a must-see Western. Things have changed in moviemaking since 1960, and some things seem a bit stilted or formula to modern viewers. But it's worth seeing. Some day, I'll watch The Seven Samurai, the movie that it was based on.

Bandits are terrorizing a Mexican town. Some of the leaders of the town seek help, and come across Chris Adams. He is trying to find jobs and make money. They tell of their plight and offer to pay him. He asked how much they were going to pay. The answer: "Everything". They offer some trinkets, a watch, some coins — which should be rejected by someone wanting good pay for his work. (This made me think of the Widow's Mite in the New Testament.)

Instead of rejecting the offer, you can see that Chris Adams was touched by this. They had such a need that they were willing to take a chance on him and "go for broke". "I've been offered a lot for my services, but never everything." There's a change here. Making serious money can wait. Now he actually wants to get involved and help the town.

Eventually, the Magnificents are assembled. Some of them are in it to help out, others think there is money somewhere, and several have nothing better to do. The principle of helping the town eventually won out for all of them, even when things looked bleak and they could leave. Returning cost some of them their lives. But they knew what they were getting into.

When someone does not have much to offer, or maybe nothing at all, are you willing to help? Can you be unselfish for a while and reach for a higher principle? I'd like to think that I can do that.

What Fathers Want

2009-02-15T17:07:00.000-05:00

"Every man wants his children to be better than he was."
— John Wayne as Wil Andersen in The Cowboys

Howdy, hombres and hombrettes. My father's funeral went well, thanks for asking. (Also, hearing reminiscing about him, I realized something: My father was a bit of a cowboy himself, in his own way.) While making preparations to leave, I took a break and watched John Wayne's The Cowboys. (I'm going to give away a key plot point here, so this is a spoiler alert in case you haven't watched it yet. Stop reading now if you don't want to know. Go buy and watch the movie and then come back and read) Wil Andersen, John Wayne's Character, is killed by a bad guy most of the way into the film. Sad thing to see in my state of mind. But what he said in his last words (quoted above) stuck with me.

During my waiting times before and after the funeral, and especially at airports, my mind kept coming back to the movie and that quote. Today, I finally put it together.

Wil Andersen had to train some boys to go on a cattle drive. He was a tough old bird, and the boys thought he was mean — probably mean enough to fight a rattlesnake and give it the first bite. The truth is, he was rough on them for their own good. He wanted them to survive, and he wanted the cattle drive to succeed. They learned their duties, and grew to respect him. Eventually, they came to like him. Wil was learning to teach them (including being upbraided by Jebadiah Nightlinger when he got too hard on them). The boys were facing hardships and overcoming them. They were growing up. Things were going well, probably better than could be expected.

Then the bad guys came along and fouled things up. Andersen got himself killed when he put up a fight with the leader of the thieves.

Now, as for his dying words: "Every man wants his children to be better than he was. You are!"

I think it's a father-son thing. Call it genetic, call it instinct, call it "hard-wired". But it's there. Fathers can be hard on their sons so that they will learn, and succeed. (Now, I know darn well that there are fathers that are no good, and would steal a fly from a blind spider. But I have to talk about generalities.) My father pushed me when I was being lazy or not giving my best effort. He wanted what was best for me. He wanted me to succeed, and do better than he did.

Fathers, keep in mind that you may need to ease off on occasion. Sons, if you're tempted to be angry at dear ol' Dad when you think he's too hard on you, just remember that he wants you to do well and to be your best. Make him proud.

Bit of a Cheat

2009-02-10T08:20:00.000-05:00

Since I'm busy and distracted, getting ready for my father's funeral, I'm going to cheat a little bit. If there's time and I have the energy, I'll write Thursday's article in advance and let it automatically publish.

A while back, before this Weblog was up, I wrote something about John Wayne's values. I'm going to copy and paste it here, make it more suitable for this format, and then tone down some of the political stuff because this Weblog is not going to be a political rant site. However I do have to be honest about this American hero, so here we go.

"It's kind of a sad thing when a normal love of country makes you a super patriot. I do think we have a pretty wonderful country, and I thank God that He chose me to live here." — John Wayne

After watching John Wayne movies and reading some biographical information, I see more than ever that he was the embodiment of strong American values. Something that bothered me on a quotes page: "...major American motion-picture Actor who embodied the image of the strong, taciturn cowboy or soldier and who in many ways personified the idealized American values of his era."

"...of his era"? Say it ain't so, Joe! Not only do his values apply today, but we need those values.
He did not want to get on a soapbox and preach. Instead, he'd say it through his movies.

But when he did speak his mind, it was straight to the point. Just like he did in his "pictures".

"I want to play a real man in all my films, and I define manhood simply: men should be tough, fair, and courageous, never petty, never looking for a fight, but never backing down from one either."

And another to go with the first: "I've always followed my father's advice: he told me, first to always keep my word and, second, to never insult anybody unintentionally. If I insult you...I intend to. And, third, he told me not to go around looking for trouble."

This next gem fits very well: "I have tried to live my life so that my family would love me and my friends respect me. The others can do whatever the hell they please."

Yep, no nonsense.

And his political views were startling for Hollywood. About the time his career was taking off, World War II began. Roosevelt used Hollywood for a propaganda machine, much to the consternation of elements that were using the films to promote their own political agendas. (Note that the B movies of the depression frequently had bankers as the bad guys, just as they were often perceived in real life.) Nobody wants to be told what to do by the government, but most people rallied around the war effort.

I have to state here that I detest it when someone will use their star power to influence someone's vote, such as people named Baldwin, Streisand and others. In The Duke's case, he did not spend years campaigning for a cause or to have a President thrown out of office. It turns out that he had strong Conservative views. He was startled to find out that he was a Conservative, having considered himself a "Jeffersonian Liberal".

"If it hadn't been for football and the fact I got my leg broke and had to go into the movies to eat, why, who knows, I might have turned out to be a liberal Democrat."

"I don't think a fella should be able to sit on his backside and receive welfare. I'd like to know why well-educated idiots keep apologizing for lazy and complaining people who think the world owes them a living."

"We've made mistakes along the way, but that's no reason to start tearing up the best flag God ever gave to any country."

"Very few of the so-called Liberals are open-minded . . . they shout you down and won't let you speak if you disagree with them." This one is very timely. My experience with Liberals is exactly the same; freedom of speech, except when you disagree with them.

He was his own man, however. The Duke broke ranks with the Republicans on the issue of the Panama Canal, and sided with Jimmy Carter. Don't know if I agree, but he took his stand according to his own beliefs. That is something I can respect.

I feel that America needs John Wayne today. But the values he possessed are in the hearts of freedom-loving men and women all over this country.

John Wayne was posthumously given the Congressional Gold Medal. The inscription that was requested for him, and granted? "John Wayne — American". Straight to the point.

Do Cowboys Cry?

2009-02-07T16:16:00.000-05:00

Today's post is going to be short.

One thing I could never stand was the "big boys don't cry" attitude. We've seen the rugged he-men shot up and punched out, Clint Eastwood getting pummeled by a gang of tough guys, Bruce Willis pulling shards of broken glass out of his feet... Sure, they didn't cry. But they winced. Some of them may have yelped a bit.

I have news for you. It's OK to cry. But let's strike a balance, all right? I have contempt for guys that weep at the drop of a hat (or the loss of a game) because it should be saved for something meaningful. Sharing the sorrow of someone else is an act of compassion, and that is meaningful. Shedding tears has its place when there is a deep loss, also. When you drag it out longer than you really have to (like some people I know that want attention), then the sorrow is questionable. And can be annoying.

Maybe I'm making excuses in advance. No, not really. I have long believed what I'm saying.

This cowboy cried today.

My father died eleven hours ago, and my expression of sorrow was completely valid.

Keeping Your Word

2009-02-05T07:39:00.001-05:00

"I've always followed my father's advice he told me, first to always keep my word and, second, to never insult anybody unintentionally... And, third, he told me not to go around looking for trouble." — John Wayne

John Wayne was known for not playing a character part as just being himself. That is, what you saw on the screen was pretty close to the actor's character and values. Readers of Stormbringer's Thunder (as well as friends and acquaintances) know that I'm a fan of Paul Kyriazi's How to Live the James Bond Lifestyle. One thing that Mr. Kyriazi made clear was that a man's word has to be gold. If you make a promise, keep it. Don't make lofty promises that you can't, or won't, live up to. Your word is important, and an integral part of your reputation. Even the Mafia respected someone's reputation, and expected a man to keep his word.

Although these days it's more about honor and respect, in the old days, a man's word was his bond. "I give you my word" and a handshake actually meant something. (Today, get it in writing; even then, the agreement may be negated.) Back in the old west, a man's word was even more important. And if you had a bad reputation, good luck getting anyone to trust you.

Today, each of us should work on our own integrity. Be someone that can be respected. Be honest. Keep your word. I doubt that the days of "giving your word" as a legal contract will ever return, but we can do this for the sake of our own consciences and our reputations among friends and colleagues.

If You Fall Off Your Horse

2009-02-03T13:11:00.000-05:00

"If you climb in the saddle, be ready for the ride. "

You know the old saying, "If you fall off your horse, get right back in the saddle." In modern times, the horse has been replaced with the bicycle, but the truth is still there.

In my research, I learned something. Not only do you have to face your fears, but when you climb back into the saddle, you head off having that fear become a thing that you dread, and the fear grows worse. Click here for something interesting.

Now, look at 1977's Star Wars. (No, I'm not dropping the cowboy theme here. This is a great illustration, so just sit tight. And think about it, that space opera is a kind of cowboy movie in a different setting!) Darth Vader gestures, the gun flies out of Luke Skywalker's hand and into Vader's hand. Behind the scenes, a gun was handed to Mark Hamill and yanked out of his hand. Again. Again. Keep filming. Again. Later, a gun was thrown to David Prowse. He'd drop it in a container, and they'd throw him another. And another. And another. Keep filming! Another... The final product was from choosing the best shots and editing them together.

In the heyday of the B movies (especially the 1930s), money was tight. Time was at a premium, because these things were filmed in weeks, not months or years. Sometimes, they were filmed in a few days! It had to be done right the first time, usually with just one camera angle. If the shot was useful at all, they would go with it. Big difference between a 1930s horse opera and a 1970s (and beyond) space opera!

In the book, John Wayne: American, Duke was determined to get it right. And he certainly wasn't prissy. In The Trail Beyond, Duke is supposed to leap off a horse and onto a wagon. Doing his own stunts most of the time, he took the task. He "...caught his left foot in his stirrup, was stretched between the horse and wagon, and after struggling to adjust his body position fell to the ground hard, tumbling over three times..." And in 'Neath the Arizona Skies, he rode too fast down a hill and did not "check" his horse when he was supposed to. He "did a spectacular fall".

Can you guess what he did? Of course you can! "...Duke's reaction to both failures was out of the ordinary. In both instances, the cameras kept rolling as he picked himself up, climbed back onto his saddle and finished the job." Do you see why he's a hero to me? He did what it took. Twice, in this discussion.

I shouldn't have to spell it out for you, Pilgrim. When you have setbacks, you do what it takes to accomplish your goal. Of course, you can also re-evaluate what you're doing in the first place and decide if you're wasting your time. Either way, don't let the fear of being banged up a little by the trials of life stop you from trying to do something that needs to be done.

Addendum: People keep searching for articles on how to fall off a horse (emergency dismount). If you want that, click here and here.

Cowboy in my Mind

2009-02-01T18:15:00.000-05:00

"Words are what men live by, the ones they say and mean."
— John Wayne in The Comancheros

Howdy.

That's cute for someone that hasn't lived further west than 86 degrees, 27 minutes 9 seconds west, isn't it?. But it's a good way to begin this adventure in Westernism? Oh, Westernism isn't a real word? It is now.

I read somewhere that "cowboy is a state of mind", so I'm claiming it for my first truth here. My readers in my other Weblog know where the term "Cowboy Bob" came from, but you can find out about that by clicking here.

"What do you mean by 'Westernism', Cowboy Bob?"

It's a Western Movie frame of mind. (I want to make it clear that I am aware that movies are fiction. Some are based on real events, but those are embellished and supplemented with a generous amount of poetic license. You know that, and I know that, and now you know that I know that.) There are character values that can be drawn from Westerns (especially John Wayne's pictures) and from other folklore. I'll be drawing from movies, the "Cowboy Code", real people and various other sources.I'm doing this because:

First of all, I'm going to like doing it. (What fun is it to read something that the author doesn't like writing?)
Second, I think there are lessons to be drawn from these things, and I want to present them.
Third, I believe that some Americans still want to have true values. Hopefully, this effort will help present the values in the Westerns so that people will want to appy them in their own lives and in public life.
Fourth, I should be able to keep them short enough to keep your attention, provide some entertainment, and still maintain my goal of three days a week at Stormbringer's Thunder. So, look for this to appear on an average of three times a week, to start. Then, we'll see what happens.
Fifth, I'm fed up with what I call the wussification of the American male. Hey, guys, women want real men, and I don't care what's trendy. Maybe we can put some of that "metrosexual" garbage to rest for good, and look back to when the men were men. So, man up. Or, cowboy up.

One other point to make: No singing, yodeling cowboys. When watching movies, there's usually a suspension of disbelief, where you accept something for the sake of the story. Movies are made to make money, and singing cowboys were popular for a while. But that's stretching reality too much for me, and I won't bother people with it. Some joker pulls out a guitar on a cattle drive, he's liable to get shot.

I hope you come back often. This should be fun.