Westerns | Hollywood Yesterday

Audrey Hepburn, The Unforgiven

June 2, 2022 By Joi

Audrey Hepburn, The Unforgiven

The Unforgiven (1960) was Audrey Hepburn’s only Western… as a HUGE fan of both westerns and Audrey Hepburn, I wish this weren’t so, but do cherish the one I have been given!

The movie was directed by John Huston and also stars Burt Lancaster, Audie Murphy, John Saxon, Lillian Gish, Albert Salmi, Doug McClure, and Charles Bickford (love him in everything, thank you very much).

I love this western and the cast is outstanding. You can find The Unforgiven on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Audrey Hepburn, The Unforgiven

Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn in Silver River (1948)

May 27, 2022 By Joi

Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn in Silver River

Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn… if these two names don’t conjure up entertainment for a classic film lover, I’m not sure what names would! They’re two of my personal favorites and one of my favorite movie “onscreen” couples. They were wonderful together – so much chemistry and seemed to love working together.

Silver River was one of the films they made together and it’s a great one. The 1948 Western was directed by Raul Walsh and also stars Thomas Mitchell (always wonderful), Bruce Bennett, and Tom D’Andrea (LOVE him in this role).

You can find Silver River on dvd (Amazon link).

Gene Tierney and Randolph Scott: Belle Starr (1941)

May 6, 2022 By Joi

Gene Tierney

The Western Belle Starr: The Bandit Queen (1941) was directed by Irving Cummings. The cast includes Gene Tierney, Randolph Scott, Dana Andrews, Louise Beavers, Chill Wills, Elizabeth Patterson, and Shepperd Strudwick.

Gene Tierney and Randolph Scott

You can find Belle Starr: The Bandit Queen on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

John Wayne, Stagecoach Promotional Picture

April 19, 2022 By Joi

John Wayne, Stagecoach

As far as I’m concerned, one of the best Westerns ever made was Stagecoach (1939). The cast includes John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, George Bancroft, Louise Platt, Donald Meek, Berton Churchill.

The outstanding cast was directed by the wonderful John Ford and is absolutely a perfect film.

You can find Stagecoach on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video. I simply CANNOT recommend this one enough – the “entry scene” for John Wayne is one of the best character introductions in the history of film.

Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn in Silver River

April 12, 2022 By Joi

Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn in Silver River

Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn are, individually, two of my favorite stars. They’re also, combined, one of my favorite movie couples. I love their chemistry a great deal and, personally, think she made as wonderful a leady lady for him as Olivia de Havilland did… which is, of course, absolutely saying something!

Silver River was directed by Raul Walsh and also stars Thomas Mitchell (always wonderful), Bruce Bennett, and Tom D’Andrea (LOVE him in this role).

You can find Silver River on dvd (Amazon link). It’s a very, very good Western with an outstanding cast.

Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn in Silver River

Natalie Wood and Tab Hunter, Behind the Scenes of The Burning Hills

April 4, 2022 By Joi

Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood

Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood star in the 1956 Western The Burning Hills. The cast also includes Claude Akins, Earl Holliman (love him in everything!), Skip Homeier, and Eduard Franz.

The Burning Hills can be found on dvd (Amazon link). You can also watch the movie on Prime Video (I was pleasantly surprised to see that it’s available on Prime).

Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood

Gorgeous Natalie Wood Promotional Pictures for The Burning Hills

March 14, 2022 By Joi

Natalie Wood

The Burning Hills is a 1956 Western that you, unfortunately, don’t hear much about these days. It’s rarely (ever??) shown on television – if it were, I have a feeling it’d be more popular.

Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood star in the 1956 Western The Burning Hills. The cast also includes Claude Akins, Earl Holliman (love him in everything!), Skip Homeier, and Eduard Franz.

The Burning Hills can be found on dvd (Amazon link). You can also watch the movie on Prime Video (I was pleasantly surprised to see that it’s available on Prime!).

Johnny Cash, Born on this Day in 1932: A Few of My Favorite Johnny Cash Quotes

February 26, 2022 By Joi

Johnny Cash and Karen Black

Johnny Cash was BOTD in 1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas. His 1st single for Sun Records was Hey Porter in 1955. After that… it was one hit after another, movies, a television show, sold out shows, unforgettable performances, and one of the world’s greatest real life love stories.

“How well I have learned that there is no fence to sit on between heaven and hell. There is a deep, wide gulf, a chasm, and in that chasm is no place for any man.” ~ Johnny Cash

The lobby cards in this post are from the 1971 western Johnny Cash made with Kirk Douglas and Karen Black, A Gunfight (directed by Lamont Jackson). The movie is VERY rarely shown on television and can be a nightmare to find anywhere. I haven’t added it to our home Westerns dvd collection yet, but plan to soon.

Johnny Cash and Kirk Douglas

“I am not a Christian artist, I am an artist who is a Christian.” ~ Johnny Cash

You can buy A Gunfight on DVD (Amazon link). It doesn’t appear to be on Prime Video yet.

Johnny Cash

Brian Keith and Maureen O’Hara in The Deadly Companions

January 21, 2022 By Joi

Brian Keith and Maureen O’Hara

Two of my favorite stars (Brian Keith and Maureen O’Hara) teamed up for several films – one being 1961 western The Deadly Companion. Westerns are a personal obsession of mine, so this one has a very special place in my heart – two favorites AND a great Western… I am SO there.

This particular western has a wonderful cast and is beautifully, beautifully directed. The scenery is gorgeous and nearly everything about it is perfect. It’s of my western-loving, downright obsessed mind that this film would be much better known and loved if only the plot had not involved the shooting and death of a child. Had the plot centered around, say, the young boy being shot and driven to a doctor rather than his burial spot, more would have seen (and loved) this Western.

In fact, it’s this dark (miserably dark!) part of the story that made me wait so long to watch it. It was much better than I expected and the grisly part was handled well. To be perfectly honest, I still wish the plot had involved the boy needing a doctor (they’d have still needed to make the journey, after all).

If you’ve never seen this very well-done Western, I hope you’ll find it soon.

You can find The Deadly Companions on dvd (Amazon link) or watch on Prime Video.

Angie Dickinson, Dean Martin, and John Wayne Behind the Scenes of Rio Bravo

January 11, 2022 By Joi

Dean Martin and Angie Dickinson

Rio Bravo isn’t just one of my favorite Westerns, it’s one of my favorite movies. Period. I simply love everything about it from start to finish. The cast, the story, the dialogue, the directing, the wardrobe… everything.

Angie Dickinson’s “Feathers” is one of my favorite movie characters – her portrayal is absolute perfection. Given that the actress was so young, it would have been easy for her to have been overwhelmed by being surrounded by such veteran talent, but she not only fit in beautifully, she stole more than a few scenes to boot!