Anzio

Over the 1950's and 1960's, World War II movies were a dime a dozen hitting theaters. Even with the abundance of movies though, some theaters of war were often ignored, or at least covered less. Case in point? The Italian Campaign as Allied forces took Sicily and then Italy in horrific fighting that claimed thousands and thousands of lives in what some said/say was a waste of manpower. So while 1968's Anzio may not be a good movie, I can't help it. I'm a fan so sue me.

It's early 1944 and the fighting has dragged to a stalemate between Allied and Axis forces along the Monte Cassino line. The Allied forces are planning an invasion in Italy above the fighting as Cassino, intending to land some 70,000 troops north of the fighting at the port of Anzio. Among those landing is a war correspondent, Dick Ennis (Robert Mitchum), who will tag along with an American Ranger battalion (specially-trained infantry) as they hit the beaches. An expected hot landing is anything but...the troops hit the beaches with little to no resistance. There's no German forces for miles. On a patrol into the Italian countryside, Ennis and a corporal from the First Special Service Force, Jack Rabinoff (Peter Falk), discover just how open the countryside is. Back at the Allied beachhead though, no one on the general staff believes them. While the Allies dig in and establish a strong beachhead, the Germans take advantage, assembling a line as deadly as anything the war has seen.

If you're looking for a more detailed description of the Battle of Anzio, check out the Wikipedia page. I'm currently reading Alex Kershaw's The Liberator, an excellent read that explores the fighting in Italy in some detail. What's here in this 1968 war film is a condensed version with some embellishments and names changed. The actual battle of Anzio was a horrific miscalculation on the parts of the Allied commanders who made cautious decisions that ended up costing thousands of lives needlessly in fighting that could have been easily avoided. See? We learned something today!

'Anzio' itself is an interesting mess of a movie. It's from the 1960's, the age of the big, epic war films like The Great Escape, Battle of the Bulge, The Guns of Navarone, a trend that would continue into the 1970's. From director Edward Dmytryk (and Duilio Coletti in whatever the "Italian version" is), 'Anzio' is part of a trend of flicks dubbed Macaroni war movies (instead of spaghetti, get it?!?), films made with mostly Italian backing albeit with smaller budgets. Dino De Laurentiis produced the war film, bringing a respectable budget that's seen in landing shots where landing crafts empty of hundreds of soldiers hitting the beaches. There is a big budget feel (some of the time) as this story develops about one of the most costly battles of WWII. More detail later, but there's also truly odd moments sprinkled throughout, giving Dmytryk's film an off-balanced feel to the proceedings. More later!

Two performances here have always appealed to me, Robert Mitchum as war correspondent Dick Ennis, a character very loosely based on famed writer Ernie Pyle. Interesting tidbit? Mitchum earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in 1945's The Story of G.I. Joe, the story of Ernie Pyle in Italy! Ennis is a frontline guy, always sticking with the troops at the front even when he doesn't have to be. Mitchum treads that fine line between looking worn out and being interested, but that laconic, tired look favors Ennis well. He's sick of war, sick of stupid orders and commands that costs unnecessary lives. A good performance for Mitchum. As for Falk, it is an...interesting performance. His Jack Rabinoff is a SOLDIER. He loves fighting. He's good at it (maybe too good), and his backstory of how he ended up in the First Special Service Force is quite revealing. Again, there's some odd moments, but Falk brings a ton of energy, some humor to the part that's hard not to like.

This quasi-epic war film resorts to more familiar territory in the second half. Following a horrific German ambush, a small group of Rangers, including Ennis and Rabinoff, must get back to their own lines to report what the Allies are about to march into. If it's familiar, so be it. It's more at home. It's more comfortable. Among the survivors, look for Earl Holliman as the capable Sergeant Abe Stimmler, Reni Santoni as Pvt. Movie (always ready with an impression), an underused Mark Damon, Thomas Hunter, Giancarlo Giannini, and Joseph Walsh. In the epic vein, we also get unnecessary cameos from Robert Ryan and Arthur Kennedy with Kennedy at least getting something to do. Ryan is in two scenes, and he only speaks in one! Also look for ever the German, Wolfgang Preiss as Field Marshal Kesselring, the Allies' opposition across the line.

Where 'Anzio' falls in parts is its odd tone and general lack of epic qualities, even though it thinks it is an epic. It is NOT. It's a good, old-fashioned war flick. Simply put, it tries to cover too much ground in 117 minutes. The song that plays over the opening credits, This World is Yours (listen HERE), is awful. Truly out of place. The score itself is hit-and-miss, but when it works, I liked it a lot. As for the tone, this is a story that just refuses to pick one tone and go with it. Is it dark? Is it a light war film? While things are somewhat ironed out (not really), we get a painful scene of Falk's Rabinoff sitting in an ambulance with three prostitutes as he sings "Bye, Bye Blackbird" with them. There's another scene later where he does the same thing. What the hell is going on?!? Don't even get me started about the general combat tactics here either, highly-trained American troops charging into machine gun fire without even raising their weapons or trying to throw a grenade at the nest. Meh, run!!!

Now all that said, I've always liked this movie and held it up on my most recent reviewing. I love the Italian filming locations, especially the shots of Rome. I've always been a big fan of Mitchum and Falk, and even considering some script idiosyncrasies, they're both pretty good here, as is the whole supporting cast. Through all the general craziness and oddness, there's some...oddly charming. The action is harsh, including a late battle between our survivors and four German snipers, and from beginning to end, it is entertaining. It ain't a classic. So be it. It's very entertaining.

Anzio (1968): ***/****
Rewrite of May 2009 review

Destination Gobi

For every war film documenting a huge world-turning event like Saving Private Ryan, The Longest Day, A Bridge too Far, there are hundreds and thousands of other stories out there waiting to be told. And sometimes, it's good just to have a change of pace. These aren't stories that impacted thousands and millions of people or even altered the course of history. But as I've said before, dig a little and you'll always find some cool, very unique stories. Case in point, a 1953 World War II flick called Destination Gobi.

It's well into 1944 and with the tide of war officially turned toward the Allies, Chief Petty Officer Samuel McHale (Richard Widmark) is readying himself to head back into the fighting at Okinawa as part of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Well, that was his plan at least. He receives orders to report to a new office with an odd but very dangerous mission. McHale is going to be posted at a remote outpost in the Gobi Desert deep in Mongolia with a seven-man "garrison" tasked with observing weather patterns and how they will impact the fighting across the Pacific. The longtime Navy man wants nothing to do with the orders but ever the resolute soldier, he follows his duty and travels deep into the desert. Always used to having a ship's deck under his feet and water on all sides, McHale must adjust quickly at Argos Camp 6. Extremely isolated, the small camp must deal with limited/lousy supplies and growing rumors that Japanese forces are trying to find and destroy the camp (one of six all over the desert). McHale and the men must brace for what's coming, and oddly enough, a nomadic Mongol tribe that could help them.

What an interesting premise. I'll get into some details and depth in a bit, but the premise for 'Gobi' is incredibly interesting, and supposedly a true story. An opening title card introduces the basic premise as listed in Navy records as 'Saddle for Gobi.' Is it true? I hope. It's certainly fun to watch. From director Robert Wise, this is a World War II story far removed from the European battlefront and the island-hopping strategy of the Pacific fighting. It turns into far more of a survival story with some odd detours thrown in along the way. 'Gobi' covers a lot of ground in its 90-minute running time to the point I'd say it loses some of its effectiveness by the end credits. For the most part though, the ride is always fun and interesting, including some solid performances from an up and coming cast.

Start with Richard Widmark in a part that feels similar to several roles he did during the early 1950s as he carved out a niche and reputation for himself, many of them for 20th Century Fox. He specialized early on in manly roles like this, a tough guy leading other tough guys in movies like Halls of Montezuma, The Frogmen, and Take the High Ground!. Widmark spent years trying to distance himself from villainous roles like Kiss of Death that helped put him on the map, but he certainly did a good job. As Navy lifer Samuel McHale, Widmark is the strong, solid and resolute leader of Men who wants nothing more than to survive, to get through this hellish situation and to get his men through it too, even if it isn't his ideal posting. He's one of my favorite actors anyways, and this is a solid lead role.

Who else to look for at this isolated weather station in the sand-swept Gobi desert? Some familiar faces (and voices) to round out the inexperienced crew. The group includes Don Taylor as McHale's right-hand man, Max Showalter as the fast-talking ladies man of sorts, Darryl Hickman, Martin Milner, Ross Bagdasarian (creator of Alvin and the Chipmunks), Russell Collins, and an uncredited Earl Holliman. We don't learn much about the crew, just some off-hand comments about their backgrounds. Still, I liked the dynamic among the group as their scenes early-on show that natural, affable back-and-forth that seems realistic among men forced to get through such a difficult posting like the middle of the Gobi desert hundreds of miles from any sort of help. Nothing flashy, but some good parts.

 It then proceeds to fall apart a touch because....well, because. An interesting angle is added when a tribe of nomadic Mongols, led by Kengtu (Murvyn Vye), a chieftain always looking out for the best interest of his people. At first, that involves helping the desert-bound American sailors and then it doesn't and then it does. The story proceeds to bounce around a ton among the survivors, their bickering, the Mongols, the patrolling Japanese and a surprising interlude across the Chinese border into a Japanese-held village. With just 90 minutes to do its thing, 'Gobi' simply tackles too much. In the last 20 minutes, things really fall apart. Is it the truth of the story behind the Navy files? Have things been stretched a little bit? Also look for Rodolfo Acosta, Judy Dan and Leonard Strong as some of Kengtu's tribesmen and tribeswomen.

A mixed bag in the end, but a mostly positive mixed bag. Now if they could just have fixed that last act!

Destination Gobi (1953): ** 1/2 /****

Giant

So there's the United States, but if you ask some people from Texas, there's a different way of looking at it. There's 49 states that make up the U.S., and then there's TEXAS!!! A giant state with some giant personality, it needs a movie just as big as the idea of the state to really get the message across. Here's an epic that certainly tries, 1956's Giant.

It's the early 1910s and young, powerful Texas rancher Jordan 'Bick' Benedict (Rock Hudson) travels to a farm in Maryland to buy a strong, beautiful young horse. There, he finds what he's looking for and much, much more. Instantly struck, Bick marries the seller's daughter, Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor), who's as equally moved by the big, strong Texan. Leslie travels back to Texas with Bick where she's stunned by the immensity of the Benedict ranch, hundreds of thousands of acres with cattle numbering in the thousands. The life is hard but worthwhile...for those accustomed to it. Leslie is used to a certain openness about living and prejudices and beliefs, none of which she finds in Texas. The marriage is just weeks old, but Bick and Leslie begin to butt heads almost immediately. The young couple with everything at their disposal, right at their fingertips, is heading into a turbulent time, both for themselves but also for Texas.

Some movies just scream EPIC, and in the age of the monster budget, historical epics, this 1956 Texas family drama from director George Stevens certainly qualifies. Based off a novel from author Edna Ferber, this is a big old movie. At the time, it was the most expensive film ever made. The scope and scale is gigantic. Stevens took advantage of the widescreen filming techniques, filling the screen with the wide expanses of the Texas plains in all its sunny and sandy glory. Visually, 'Giant' is a stunner. Dimitri Tiomkin's score is solid but more subdued than most of his more well-known scores and with an obvious reliance on some patriotic Texas songs. A must in an epic -- seemingly -- is to get a message across though, to say something. That's where 'Giant' seems to stumble in a big way. I don't know if it's trying to say much of anything. That's for a little later. For now, here's some positives to take away.

So big story, big setting....yeah, we need a big cast. Two rising stars who were definitely on the way to bigger and better things in Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor. I was interested in these characters which is a credit to Hudson and Taylor because let's be honest. These aren't especially likable characters. They bicker, fight and argue about anything and everything. Love at first sight....until real life settles in. So they're not especially likable, but they do a fine job bringing these characters to life. It feels like real life, two madly in love individuals figuring out marriage and love isn't so easy. Neither is a truly great performance, but they're very solid performances just the same. 

Unfortunately, 'Giant' was remembered both then and now for the sudden, tragic death of one of its cast members. That actor? The iconic James Dean, star of just three movies before his sudden passing in 1955 before the film was completely finished, just 24 years old when he died. Here, he plays Jett Rink, a lower class cowboy working on the Benedict Ranch, a thorn in Bick's side but liked by everyone else. Jett was my favorite character, a remotely sympathetic anti-hero just trying to make his way, to carve out a niche for himself. A late monologue had to be re-recorded because the dubbing hadn't been completed before his surprising death during post-production. It's a quiet, understated part with some great moments (early on at least), especially when Jett's land proves to be far more valuable than originally thought. An obvious influence on many actors who would rise to stardom in the coming years, Dean is a gem.

Okay, enough with the relative positives. I love epics, especially those from the 1950s and early 1960s. This one pushed even me to the limits to the point I struggled to get through the last hour-plus in a movie that already runs 201 minutes. The first 90-120 minutes are pretty good if nothing classic in my mind. Then from there on in, the story jumps to when Bick and Leslie are far older, their empire grown, their family established and all grown up. At this point, all the issues introduced early are basically brushed aside. The story -- not exactly fast-moving up to this point -- grinds to a complete halt. Characters are introduced and dispatched with little fanfare. It drifts aimlessly until an ending that to put it lightly is disappointing. Was there an ending in mind that actually accomplished something? 'Giant' limps to the finish line after a painfully slow 3-hour road trip.

That's the biggest issue. What -- if anything -- is it trying to say? It's obviously a story focused on family and Texas and all their drama. Let's say this though. There is A LOT of drama. It's everything from marital strife to racism, sexism to political corruption, old school versus new school, parenting methods to manipulation of all sorts and on countless different levels, cattle ranching to becoming an oil baron. Pick one, or even two or three, and run with it. Instead, Giant just barrels ahead with all of the above and lets things fall where they may.

Now back to the casting. The characters may not always be very good, but the star power is impressive. Mercedes McCambridge does what she does best as Luz, Bick's sister who's a tomboy, a bit of a spinster, and if this movie was in 2014...a tough as nails lesbian. Chill Wills is solid in a more subdued part as Bick's very Texas uncle. As for the younger generation that pops up in the last third of the movie, look for Carroll Baker, Sal Mineo, Earl Holliman, and Dennis Hopper. Oh, and for good measure, Paul Fix and Rod Taylor have underused supporting parts so there's that. A big disappointment for me though, one I really, REALLY wanted to love. I came away barely tolerating it. A major disappointment.

Giant (1956): **/**** 

Trooper Hook

As settlers moved west in the United States in the 1800s, there were just some things that a husband/grandfather/brother would not allow happen to a woman traveling with the group. At the top of that list? Don't allow a woman to become a captive of any number of Indian tribes. These were were abused, tortured and beaten down if they were even allowed to live. Obviously a darker topic, westerns nonetheless explored the unpleasant topic, most notably The Searchers, but with other movies as well, like 1957's Trooper Hook.

Having led a successful attack on a warring Apache village, Sgt. Clovis Hook (Joel McCrea) is left in an interesting predicament. Among the prisoners is the leader of the rampaging Apaches, a chief called Nanchez (Rodolfo Acosta). That's just one problem though because a white woman, Cora Sutliff (Barbara Stanwyck), is among the prisoners, and she has a son with her. The father? Nanchez himself. Cora has been a prisoner of the Apaches for nine-plus years and has long since been feared dead. What can she do now? She can't return to the Apaches, but the white people in the fort and the surrounding towns are less than welcoming, questioning how a white woman could become an Apache warrior's squaw. Hook steps in, taking orders to take Cora to her husband, but nothing will come easy on this trip for either of them. 

From director Charles Marquis Warren, 'Hook' is a no-frills, low-budget western from the 1950s. It was filmed on a small scale -- with ample use of poorly built "outdoor" sets standing in for nature's majesty -- and it shows. But because of its dark, adult subject matter, it rises above its smaller, modest background. Besides McCrea's Sgt. Hook, basically everyone forms an opinion (and quickly) about Stanwyck's Cora. They look at her with disdain, like she's less of a human because she tried to survive rather than kill herself and take the easy way out. This is a story about the people though, not interested in any bigger picture of how the west was conquered and the Indians were defeated.

An actor who made a career out of playing staunch, resolute heroes in B-movies and westerns, McCrea never rose to the heights of a John Wayne or even a Randolph Scott. He was excellent at playing a niche, a part in his comfort zone, and this movie is right in his wheelhouse. His Sgt. Hook (not Trooper as the title suggests) is a veteran horse soldier, experienced and trustworthy in every way, brutally effective in his soldiering. As for Stanwyck, she wasn't the in-demand starlet anymore, but she still delivers the movie's best performance. She doesn't say a word for some 30 minutes, but when she does speak (with a swinging shovel as accompaniment), you'd better watch out! The relationship that develops between Hook and Cora ends up being the key and the most important thing going for the movie. In his only career performance, Terry Lawrence plays Quito, Cora's half-breed six-year old son. 

In a movie that's more interested in the people than the action, violence or gunplay, a handful of other supporting parts are worth mentioning. The best one going is Earl Holliman as Jeff Bennett, a down-on-his-luck cowboy who ends up traveling with Hook, Cora and the boy. A little inexperienced in the ways of the world, Holliman's Bennett is one of those archetypal western characters, a scene-stealing part for sure. John Dehner similarly has an interesting part not because it's a likable character but because of a question hanging over his head. He plays Cora's husband, a man who thought his wife was long since dead and now has to decide if he wants to care for someone else's son, much less an Apache chief's son. Edward Andrews, Celia Lovsky and Susan Kohner play other  people the group meets on the stagecoach; Kohner a possible love interest for Holliman's Bennett. Royal Dano also has some fun as Mr. Trude, the fast-talking ex-Confederate soldier and current stagecoach driver. 

While the story is anything but light and fluffy, I liked the low-key nature of 'Hook.' The action is kept to a minimum for the most part, and even when there is some gunfights, they're over almost as quick as they start. This is more a story about the people and how they choose to deal with a not so easy topic. How does a woman reintroduce herself to a life she knew so many years earlier? Will that life and society let her back? The story does a good job showing all the different possible answers here. That said, the ending loses some momentum once Dehner shows up. It's never in doubt where the story's going, but it takes awhile to get there. Still a worthwhile western, especially for parts from McCrea, Stanwyck and Holliman.

Trooper Hook <---fan-made video (1957): ** 1/2 /****

Don't Go Near the Water

This is going to sound a little odd when you consider that Glenn Ford was in over 80 movies. I've always been a fan of his, but that was without actually having seen many of his movies. As I check some more off his list, I came to a somewhat surprising revelation. I'm liking him as an actor, movie star and presence more and more. Add 1957's Don't Go Near the Water to the list. And no, this is not a Jaws prequel.

On the small South Pacific island of Tulura, the fighting in WWII seems a long way off. At a small navy base, the Navy Public Relations department is run by the stupidly gung-ho and generally clueless Lt. Commander Nash (Fred Clark), an officer who's never had a sea command, much less been on the water at all. Among his motley crew of officers who would rather be anywhere else is Lt. Max Siegel (Ford), a Harvard grad who does his best to keep his commander in check and his fellow officers from losing their minds. But even out at this remote post in the South Pacific, all sorts of loony characters and odd situations come up, all of them requiring Siegel to work his magic in one way or another.

For all the hard-hitting war movies with a message that were released following WWII, another sub-genre popped up, that of the service comedy. These were stories that focused on the day-to-day life of soldiers across the different branches, leaving the fighting and killing to the darker, more realistic stories. Saying that these movies and TV shows (McHale's Navy, Sergeant Bilko) minimized the war isn't right, and saying a "war comedy" doesn't sound correct at all, but these are fun, enjoyable movies. You look past them as anything profound, checking that sentiment at the door. Sit back and enjoy them, especially this 1957 service comedy from director Charles Walters.

Based off a 1956 novel, I don't think it's fair to say 'Water' has much of a plot. That's not a bad thing though, the easy-going story flowing nicely from vignette to vignette. None linger too long or overstay their welcome, staying around long enough to make an impression and then moving on. Once you figure out the rhythm, hopefully you enjoy the movie as much as I did. Ford's Lt. Siegel is the unifying link among all the subplots, some more interesting than others. The ones that work? One has Ensign Garrett (Earl Holliman) madly in love with a nurse, Lt. Tomlen (Anne Francis), but they can't as much as talk because she's an officer, Siegel intervening as needed. Another has Siegel teaming with Lt. Tyson (Russ Tamblyn) to blackmail a blustering war correspondent (Keenan Wynn, who better?) rather than deal with his daily blowhard complaints.

Maybe because he was steady throughout his career more than a huge breakout star, but Ford never received huge acclaim for his roles. I mostly knew him from his tough guys roles (3:10 to Yuma, The Big Heat among others), but where I've become a fan is in his parts that show off his comedic ability. He usually lets those around him show off while he plays the straight man, but he is sublimely perfect at it, especially here. One vignette has him giving the My Fair Lady treatment to a foul-mouthed soldier (Mickey Shaughnessy), and his facial expressions and physical reactions are worth the price of admission alone. More than just an action star or a comedic presence, he also gets the girl, a Tuluran beauty and schoolteacher named Melora (Gia Scala). Not a great part, but a memorable one, and another positive from the Ford filmography.

With Ford leading the way, the ensemble around him fills in all the holes as needed. What holds it all together is that this group -- no huge names, just recognizable, very capable actors/actresses -- has a ton of chemistry together. I thought Holliman and Tamblyn especially stood out as two young sailors who look to Siegel for help. Wynn is at his blustery best, a condescending know-it-all who plays everyone around him as needed. As the clueless Lt. Commander, Clark is a more obvious funny from his office headquarters. Also look for Eva Gabor as Deborah Aldrich, a war correspondent who causes a stir just by arriving with a low-cut shirt, and Jeff Richards as Lt. Pendleton, the ladies man on the island who Holliman's Garrett has to fight for Francis' Alice. All solid parts that alone don't do much, but together end up carrying the movie.

Not too much analysis needed here. Good, old-fashioned and entertaining WWII service comedy. Well worth seeking out.

Don't Go Near the Water <---TCM trailer (1957): ***/****

The Sons of Katie Elder

At the height of his long and very popular career in 1964, John Wayne was diagnosed with lung cancer. He underwent surgery to remove one of his lungs and two ribs, putting him out of commission for awhile. Production was even delayed on the movie he was working on, but he returned following the surgery and a cancer-free Wayne returned with a bang, bringing his usual imposing presence to the criminally underrated 1965 western, The Sons of Katie Elder.

It's been 10 years since gunfighter John Elder (Wayne) has returned home to Clearwater, Texas, but when news reaches him that his mother, Kate, has died, he returns home. There he finds his three younger brothers, Tom (Dean Martin), a gambler, Matt (Earl Holliman), a hardware store owner, and Bud (Michael Anderson Jr.), the youngest. Dealing with the guilt of not having seen his mother in years, John and his brothers find out their father was killed just six months earlier under suspicious circumstances. The Elder ranch is now owned by Morgan Hastings (James Gregory), but no one is quite sure how he came to be the owner. The Elders want some answers as to what exactly happened, but mostly they're trying to do something for their long-suffering mother. John intends to do a right, proving that Kate's faith in her sons was well founded.

Coming back from cancer (although it would eventually kill him), this 1965 film marked a big of a turning point for the Duke. From here on in through the end of his career, Wayne could be accused more of playing himself repeatedly in more viewer-friendly, cookie-cutter movies. He knew what his fans liked, and he intended to give it to them. Take none of that as a negative, I love many of the post-1965 movies Wayne made. They're fun to watch and easy to digest. There are good guys and bad guys with little middle ground. You know how it will end before it even starts. Once again, the movie equivalent of comfort food. 'Sons' has a ton going for it, ranging from Elmer Bernstein composing one of his most underrated and memorable scores ever (listen to the main theme HERE) to the location shooting in Durango, Mexico and along the Rio Grande. It's the little things that count.  

There are better, more iconic westerns, but I think 'Sons' would be a fitting introduction to someone who either isn't a fan or just doesn't care for westerns. Above all else, this is a movie -- not just a western -- about family, in this case a family coming back together after years apart. Wayne is the oldest brother, John, a gunfighter who's name precedes him wherever he goes. Martin is the wily gambler, Holliman the button-down businessman, and Anderson Jr. the college dropout. The movie's best moments come from the quartet of brothers reuniting, talking, fighting, working to make the Elder name something to be proud of in their Ma's name. There isn't a weak performance in the bunch. The chemistry is spot-on, the dialogue crackles like four brothers actually would talk -- in love and fighting -- and when the time comes they put aside their differences to work together.

Who ends up being one of the more memorable characters is the never seen Katie Elder. We hear a lot about her from anyone who ever met her, not one person having something negative to say about her. Martha Hyer's Mary Gordon, the boarding house owner, gives a great monologue about Katie lying about her boys, telling the town they always sent money, always wrote to check in. Some of the best parts of Bernstein's score come in these quieter moments as both the Elders and the population of Clearwater reflect on Katie's passing. All she leaves behind is two worn dresses, a rocking chair, and a "legacy" of her four boys. The movie's final shot is a touching one, surprising for a western oater.

Not enough yet? Still haven't sold you on this one? 'Sons' has one of the best supporting casts to come out of a 1960s western. Start with Gregory as Hastings, the businessman looking to put Clearwater on the map, no morals needed. A young Dennis Hopper plays Hastings' squirrelly son, Dave. Western vet and character actor Paul Fix is a scene-stealer as Sheriff Billy Wilson, an old friend of the Elders trying to keep peace in his town with fiery deputy, Ben Latta (Jeremy Slate in a solid supporting role), at his side. In a small but key role, George Kennedy is particularly intimidating as Curley, a hired gun working for Hastings. Also look for John Doucette, John Qualen, Sheldon Allman, and Strother Martin in supporting roles.

From director Henry Hathaway, 'Sons' is never listed as one of the all-time western greats or even among John Wayne's best. Why? I'm not sure. There isn't a ton of action, most of the gunplay saved for the last 30 minutes, including a high tension shootout in El Saltito, Mexico, a gorgeous and familiar location for western fans. The story is very much more interested in characters and their dynamic than making a shoot 'em up flick. It's a wise choice. The script is about as perfect as a western can get, and the cast beyond perfect. Underrated in any number of categories, and one all movie fans should be able to enjoy -- western or not.

P.S. Watch the movie and tell me otherwise. I'm convinced Dean Martin's Tom is supposed to die in the end. One throwaway line saves him, but it always felt tacked on to me. Any opinions?

The Sons of Katie Elder <---trailer (1965): ****/****

I Died a Thousand Times

As summer nears and all the big blockbusters hit theaters in the coming weeks and months, it is time to look ahead and see how many remakes and sequels are heading our way.  Long story short...there's a lot of them, some more necessary than others. As I've mentioned before, it's a huge pet peeve for me.  Why come up with something original or interesting or unique when you can just re-do something that was previously successful?  Remakes have always been made, but it seems like a more recent trend, or maybe there's just more out now.  Well, I can eat my words with 1955's I Died a Thousand Times.

Reading the movie's description at TCM's website, my first thought was 'That sounds familiar.' A simple Google search later, and it was easily figured out why.  It is a straight remake of 1941's High Sierra, a film noir classic from director Raoul Walsh and starring Humphrey Bogart and Ida Lupino. Both movies were released by Warner Bros. Pictures although 'Thousand Times' does take advantage of the recent widescreen-processing in production (it looks great, more on that later). It just seems an odd choice for a remake.  The 1941 version is a classic film noir, one held in high regard by reviewers and fans alike. So why remake it? Big pile of cash I'd assume.

Paroled early after serving part of a armed robbery sentence, well-known and feared gangster Roy Earle (Jack Palance) heads west, a new job already waiting for him. An old friend and partner, Big Mac (Lon Chaney Jr.), has set up a heist at a lavish resort where the end result could be almost a half million bucks.  He meets his inexperienced cohorts, Babe (Earl Holliman) and Red (Lee Marvin), as they wait for the signal from their inside man (Perry Lopez) to pull the job. Roy kills time with a poor family from Ohio, including their clubfooted daughter, Velma (Lori Nelson), and also with a dance hall girl, Marie (Shelley Winters) who tags along with Red. Going stir crazy just sitting and waiting around, the call finally comes to pull off the job, but even with an experienced crook like Roy along, nothing goes as planned.

Without a specific way of explaining it or putting it into words, there is a look to 1950s films that just appeals to me.  Movies were still in the early stages of taking advantage of that new widescreen process, especially here with CinemaScope. Even watching the film on TV, it looks gigantic, and I can only imagine what it looked like on a big screen in theaters. Director Stuart Heisler filmed his movie with cinematographer Ted D. McCord in Pine Hills, California, and it looks gorgeous. The Sierra mountains never looked better, and even some studio inserts for outdoor shots can't ruin it. The picture is BIG and the California desert and the tiny resort towns and stops along the highway provide a great, stark setting for this heist remake.

If there is anyone you don't want to follow in their footsteps as an actor, Humphrey Bogart has to be at the top of the list. His High Sierra performance is one of his best; a likable, sympathetic bad guy.  Stepping into the role, Jack Palance is a more than solid option to take over the Roy Earle character. Palance was an always intense actor who just by giving a look can intimidate.  Adding that sympathetic edge to his character, Palance's Roy is that tragic, doomed bad guy (whether you've seen the original or not, it's obvious from the start). This is supposed to be his last job, and through Winters' Marie and Nelson's Velma, he is looking for some sense of normalcy. Neither woman is the right choice for him, but he doesn't know that.  Roy wants to settle down, and even though he has a mean streak a mile wide, I genuinely liked this character. An underrated Palance performance.

As for the supporting cast, it is a case of the names being more impressive than the actual performances. That's not necessarily the fault of the cast, just a script that doesn't give the actors and actresses a lot to do. Instead, there's too many characters. Holliman and Marvin are generally wasted as Babe and Red, Roy's partners in the heist.  Winters is at her clingy, annoying best as Marie, a young woman who has to be around a man. She seems to play this part a lot. Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez plays Chico, a helpful hotel attendant similar to the character he played in 1959's Rio Bravo four years later. Chaney Jr. isn't around much as Big Mac, but his quick scene with Palance is memorable.  Nelson is the surprisingly dark character, Velma, with Olive Carey and Ralph Moody playing her parents. Even look for very young Nick Adams and Dennis Hopper in small parts.  Dub Taylor has a quick appearance too as a gas station attendant.

Watching a remake when you're familiar with the original is tricky because you're basically watching the same movie. The 1955 version of High Sierra is virtually identical with nothing new or different really thrown in. The story lags some after the heist goes down, almost like some time needed to be killed before the finale.  The ending is the same and works just as well, mostly because it is an appropriate ending.  So watching the same movie, there has to be something to recommend for anyone who's seen High Sierra.  The cast -- especially Jack Palance in the lead -- makes this one worth watching. Check out High Sierra too, and compare.

I Died a Thousand Times <---TCM trailer (1955): ***/****

The Burning Hills

Author Louis L'Amour's novels and short stories have been a frequent source for movies and television shows over the years.  His westerns are typically old-fashioned stories where the line is clearly drawn between good and bad, the good guy always wins and usually gets the girl in the process.  It's basically a giant cookie cutter for a movie that can be duplicated time and time again with a few cast changes here and there.  There's one basic element that can ruin it -- check that, there's probably hundreds but I'll be talking about one -- and that's casting.

By the mid 1950s, you'd think Hollywood would have learned and stopped casting white people in roles that they just couldn't pull off; minorities.  Thankfully no instances of blackface come to mind, but Hispanics, Indians, Mexicans and any number of European nationalities were all ripe for the picking.  Some people can pull off playing a minority, but they seem few and far between.  Make-up and a phony accent do not alone make a part believable.  One of L'Amour's early novels of the same name was turned into 1956's The Burning Hills, a western that is undone by some awful choices in casting, several minority related.

In 1965's Major Dundee, Richard Harris laughs at a struggling Charlton Heston, stating 'You make an unlikely looking Mexican."  I love the line for its delivery, but also a trend that still lasts in movies.  Thankfully in this western from director Stuart Heisler only one part qualifies exactly with the Harris line.  That role is 18-year old Natalie Wood playing a Mexican girl, face-darkening makeup and awful accent included.  It's not Wood's fault because she would show in many other movies that she was an above average actress, but it does make a movie hard to take seriously whenever she's on-screen.  All things considered though with this oater, Woods as a Mexican girl is the least of the problems.

After finding his brother murdered on their land with a bullet in his back, Trace Jordan (Tab Hunter) tries to track down the three men responsible for the killing. The trail leads to the ranch house of Joe Sutton (Ray Teal), a rich land owner and cattle rancher, but when Trace confronts him, he is forced to shoot Sutton.  Trying to escape, he too is wounded and is forced to hide at the home of a poor Mexican family, including teenage Maria (Wood).  But time is short for Trace who as he tries to recuperate finds out a posse is gunning for him led by Sutton's son Jack (Skip Homeier) and ranch foreman Ben Hinderman (Claude Akins), and the group won't settle for anything less than Trace's dead body.

Working off L'Amour's novel, the story is everything that can be right about a western.  Simple but effective, exciting and rarely boring.  For all the flaws here, there is potential, much of it in how the chase and hunt are handled.  Characters are ruthless, and their actions often show a complete disregard for anything but the moment at hand.  A fight between Hunter's Trace and a cowboy/gunman played by Earl Holliman is particularly brutal in a knock-down, drag 'em out fight that leaves the viewer feeling like they were part of the fight.  The same for the finale between Trace and Jack as the two basically fist-fight their way down a mountain.  The ending is a little weird though because Homeier's Jack seems to just float away down a river without explanation.

One part casted badly is one thing, but a second and third all but doom a movie.  As mentioned, I can't completely fault Wood for someone else choosing her and casting her as a teenage Mexican girl.  But that said, the part is pretty awful.  Then there's her relationship with Hunter, that perfect kind of movie falling in love relationship where two people fall in love minutes after meeting because of the extremes of the situation they meet.  As for Hunter, he's too vanilla for the part he's playing.  He's not really bad or really good in the lead, he's just there, and that's it.  The western hero needs some sort of edge, and it just isn't here with the part as played by Hunter.

Where the lead is pretty plain, the villain is laughably evil.  Homeier was in a string of successful westerns in the 1950s, usually in a supporting role.  As the villainous Jack Sutton, he's laughable and looks to be auditioning for the part of the original gay caballero.  Decked out in an all black outfit -- leather vest included -- he isn't intimidating at all and any attempts at being that feared bad guy produce laughs, not goosebumps.  It'd be like a meek librarian, glasses perched on his nose, yelling at you.  Some other parts include an underused Akins as the foreman, and Eduard Franz as Jacob Lantz, a Ute tracker leading the posse.  A German actor playing an American Indian, just one more odd choice in a long list from this western.

An overall pretty bad attempt at a star vehicle for rising stars Hunter and Wood, this one bored me to tears.  A few supporting parts make it at least bearable to watch with some exciting, well-choreographed fight scenes, but not much else to go on here.  Watch it at Youtube, starting with Part 1 of 9.   

The Burning Hills (1956): * 1/2 /****

Devil's Canyon

Sometimes I wonder if older movies even tried to be believable, authentic, or realistic. Granted, much of this can be attributed to budget -- or lack of -- but make an effort at least. It's always been a pet peeve of mine about westerns, especially with pre-1960 genre entries. The west was a dirty, dusty, scorching hot place that didn't exactly have all the facilities to make personal hygiene a priority. That's one reason spaghetti westerns are among my favorites, they made the west look like it actually was, albeit in Spain and Italy.

And yeah, yeah, I know audiences might not go see a glamorous 50s actress looking like a frontier woman who hasn't seen a bathtub in months, but at least try to make it look like that actress is not walking onto the set right from the photo shoot. Not that the guy's appearance isn't an issue, it's just not as noticeable in most cases. So is the case with 1953 B-western Devil's Canyon, an effort from RKO Pictures that had a fair share of potential but never rises to the occasion.

Supposedly based on a true story (names have been changed to protect the individuals involved, no joke, they use that line), Devil's Canyon tells the story of retired marshal Billy Reynolds (Dale Robertson) who no longer even wears a gun. One day in town, Abby Nixon (Virginia Mayo), a female outlaw, rides in and warns Billy that the Gorman brothers are coming to kill him. Billy disregards a local ordinance that has outlawed gunplay, kills the two Gorman brothers in self defense, and is still sent to the Yuma Territorial Prison with a 10-year sentence.

The problems are just starting for Reynolds as Jessie Gorman (Stephen McNally), the oldest of the clan, is a prisoner at Yuma and has every intention of getting his revenge. The prison warden (Robert Keith) wants to reform Reynolds, but there are other things afoot. Abby gets herself thrown into prison as well on a robbery charge and begins to go to work setting up a jail break with dreamy Reynolds and her old flame Jessie.

First off, besides some flaws I'll get into later with the small budget and any sense of realism, I liked this movie. It has a dark edge to it in telling a story almost completely self-contained in the real-life Yuma Prison. The build-up is enjoyable, the supporting cast is noteworthy, and the ending while predictable is particulary vicious. Three key members of the supporting cast include Reynolds' fellow cellmates, Arthur Hunnicutt playing Arthur Hunnicutt as he always did, George Lewis and Whit Bissell as an arsonist who burned down his own warehouse because he "likes to watch fire." Jay C. Flippen is also good as the head guard, and Earl Holliman makes his first credited appearance as one of Gorman's henchmen.

Mayo and Robertson are capable enough as the leads, but their appearances make me smile just thinking of it. Mayo is always perfectly done up with hair, makeup, and apparel, including strategically cut shirts that fall all the way to her chest. Convenient, huh? And in an all-male prison too, that makes sense. She also wears one of those pointy 1950s bras that look like they'd take an eye out if you weren't careful. Robertson is a little wooden as the stalwart hero, but let's face it, his hair is the star here. Robertson's WALL of hair must be five or six inches tall, and it is always nicely coiffed and gelled. McNally's bad guy doesn't let him off so easily, pushing his hair to the limit as well. Is any of this key to the story? Absolutely not, but it's hard to miss.

What works so well is the final jailbreak. The Yuma set is just that, an indoor set, which limits the capabilities of the story. Made years later and with a much bigger budget, There Was a Crooked Man showed what is possible with an outdoor, fully workable prison set. But in the end with plenty of shadows and full night colors, the jailbreak makes for an exciting end if not entirely original. If the showdown itself was in a movie made 10 years later, we're talking Bonnie and Clyde-esque violence. An enjoyable, utterly average B-western that I enjoyed, even if there was no Devil's Canyon ever mentioned in the story. Curious if you ask me although I did read some interpretations that were rather graphic and had to do with Miss Mayo's body. The particularly misleading trailer below seems to play that up.

Devil's Canyon <----TCM trailer (1953): ** 1/2 /****