A stranger rides into an isolated western town towing a lifeless body on another horse. The townspeople look upon him contemptuously, initially assuming that he’s committed murder. But the man introduces himself as Morgan Hickman (Henry Fonda), a bounty hunter who has arrived in town to claim his prize for tracking down the now-dead fugitive.…
The strains of the main theme to The Magnificent Seven (1960), highlighted in the opening credits and woven into the score throughout the movie by its brilliant composer, Elmer Bernstein, are instantly recognizable, even if you have never seen the film. So iconic is the music that underscores this epic tale of dusty desert adventure…
McLintock! (1963) is my favorite John Wayne movie. Not being a big fan of Westerns in general, this hardly may be great praise, but perhaps it is. It is on my short list of “westerns worth watching.” I love the humor, the banter, and the playfulness of this movie. My grandmother loved Westerns, and she…
“I think half of this belongs to a horse somewhere out in the valley.” –Lee Marvin, upon accepting the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1965 Cat Ballou (Jane Fonda), a naive schoolteacher turned vigilante, sits in jail awaiting her execution by hanging. As a duo of singing cowboy minstrels (Nat King Cole and Stubby…
True Classics 