Westerns | Hollywood Yesterday

Rosenda Monteros, Petra in The Magnificent Seven (1960)

April 18, 2023 By Joi

Rosenda Monteros, The Magnificent Seven

While beautiful and talented Rosenda Monteros had her share of colorful roles and films, her portrayal of Petra in The Magnificent Seven (1960, directed by John Sturges) always stand out as one people remember with the most fondness.

Rosenda was born on August 31, 1935 in Veracruz, Mexico. In addition to being a very fine actress, Rosenda was also a dancer. She’s also known in Mexico for her many appearances in telenovelas.

You can find The Magnificent Seven (1960) on dvd, blu-ray, and Prime Video. (Amazon link)

Rio Bravo (1959): One of the Best Westerns Ever Made….

April 17, 2023 By Joi

On the Set of Rio Bravo

Pictured Above: John Russell, John Wayne, Walter Brennan, Angie Dickinson, and Dean Martin on the set of Rio Bravo (1959)

Rio Bravo (1959, directed by Howard Hawks) airs on TCM tonight. We have at least one copy of the film on dvd and we’ve seen it twice a year (sometimes more than that) every year for as long as I can remember… but you’d better believe the dvr is set nonetheless!

My love for this Western is legendary. Westerns and Comedies are my favorite film genres and this perfect movie more or less combines the two – a great Western with a great deal of humor.

The director, Howard Hawks is one of my favorite directors of all time and was the PERFECT man for the job with Rio Bravo.

The extraordinary cast includes John Wayne, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, Ricky Nelson, John Russell, Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, and Claude Akins. After making The Searchers (1956), John Wayne took a brief hiatus from Westerns – Rio Bravo marked his triumphant return to the genre.

Sigh. I’m feeling dizzy from excitement just thinking about this movie.

You can find Rio Bravo on dvd (Amazon link), watch it on Prime Video, and/or catch it tonight on TCM!

Jennifer Jones Promotional Picture for Duel in the Sun (1946)

March 26, 2023 By Joi

Jennifer Jones

Some Westerns simply don’t get enough attention and the one we’re spotlighting today is one of them. Duel in the Sun (1946) was directed by the wonderful King Vidor and features an absolutely phenomenal cast including Walter Huston, Joseph Cotten, Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Lionel Barrymore, Herbert Marshall, Charles Bickford, Lilian Gish, and Butterfly McQueen.

The film is as extraordinary as its cast, which is truly saying something!

You can find Duel in the Sun on dvd and Blu-ray (Amazon link).

Maureen O’Hara and Joel McCrea, Buffalo Bill (1944)

February 2, 2023 By Joi

Maureen O’Hara and Joel McCrea

Maureen O’Hara and Joel McCrea lead an outstanding cast in the 1944 Western Buffalo Bill. Directed by William A. Wellman, the cast also includes Linda Darnell, Thomas Mitchell, Edgar Buchanan, and Anthony Quinn.

The movie, based on the life of Buffalo Bill Cody blends fiction with non-fiction and is always a great film to spend a little time with. Beautifully filmed and directed, it’s a movie I always enjoy.

Maureen O’Hara and Joel McCrea

Angela Lansbury Behind the Scenes of The Harvey Girls

December 29, 2022 By Joi

Angela Lansbury, Behind the Scenes of The Harvey Girls (1946)

The extraordinary Angela Lansbury is one of those rare stars everyone seems to love.. and, come on, who can blame us?! She was so incredibly talented, charismatic, colorful, and genuinely lovable and such a gift to those of us who love movies AND those of us who love great classic television.

It’s really, really hard to believe she’s gone, isn’t it? She is and will be missed so much. She’s a great example of the adage, “Live your life so that you will be greatly missed when you’re gone.”

I rewatched The Harvey Girls recently and kept thinking, “I’d forgotten how beautiful she was!” She had a unique, sassy type of beauty that… as far as I’m concerned… is impossible to beat.

The 1946 musical-western was directed by George Sidney and also stars Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, John Hodiak, Preston Foster, Cyd Charisse, Marjorie Main, Chill Wills, and Virginia O’Brien.

You can find The Harvey Girls on dvd and Blu-ray (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Touching Quote from Beautiful Katy Jurado

November 18, 2022 By Joi

Katy Jurado

“I am very proud to make this picture because I look and act like a Mexican – not imitation. Some Mexicans go to Hollywood and lose career in Mexico, because they play imitation. I don’t want this to happen to me.” ~ Katy Jurado, High Noon (1952, directed by Fred Zinnemann)

The exotic, talented, and beautiful Katy Jurado all but steals High Noon right out from under the rest of the cast. There’s just something so touching and believable about her character and her performance.

I only wish she’d been onscreen more!

You can buy High Noon on dvd or Blu-ray (Amazon link) or watch the iconic Western on Prime Video.

Yvonne De Carlo, Fuzzy Knight, and Rod Cameron in Frontier Gal

October 13, 2022 By Joi

Yvonne De Carlo, Frontier Gal

One of Yvonne De Carlo’s Westerns is the wildly entreating Frontier Gal from 1945. The cast includes Yvonne De Carlo, Rod Cameron, Fuzzy Knight, and Andy Devine. As you’d expect from a film with both Andy Devine and Fuzzy Knight, there’s plenty of fun to be had.

You can find Frontier Gal on dvd (Amazon link). Unfortunately it isn’t on Prime Video… it’s also hardly ever shown on television. Truth be told, it’s downright impossible to find anywhere! BUT, it’s worth the effort… it’s really a fun Western.

Fuzzy Knight, Rod Cameron, and Yvonne De Carlo in Frontier Gal

Yvonne De Carlo, Frontier Gal: A Fun and Underrated Western from 1945

September 30, 2022 By Joi

Yvonne De Carlo

If you know anything at all about me, you know that Yvonne De Carlo is one of my favorites. Whether she’s Lilly Munster on The Munsters or one of her MANY colorful characters in movies, she’s always as good as good gets in my world. Phenomenal actress and so beautiful it’s almost distracting!

The beautiful photos, here, are promotional pictures for the 1945 Western Frontier Gal. In addition to Yvonne De Carlo, the cast also includes Rod Cameron, Fuzzy Knight, and Andy Devine.

You can find Frontier Gal on dvd (Amazon link), but be warned, it is NOT cheap! Yvonne De Carlo is one of the stars I “collect,” so I need this one for my collection… but holy cats is it pricey?!

Yvonne De Carlo in Frontier Gal

Errol Flynn and Ann Sheridan: Silver River (1948)

September 14, 2022 By Joi

Silver River, Starring Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn

The wonderful western Silver River (1948) was directed by the Raoul Walsh and boasts an outstanding cast which includes Thomas Mitchell, Tom D’Andrea, and Bruce Bennett.

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

Errol Flynn, Silver River

Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn Make Their Own Kind of Magic in Silver River (1948)

September 8, 2022 By Joi

Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn

There are many film couples who made movie magic:

Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne
Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall
Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire
Ruby Dee and Sidney Poitier
Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland
etc etc etc…

But one of the couples I’d put on my list of favorites (right up there with the all-time greats) is one others may overlook…. Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn. They didn’t make NEARLY enough movies together, but I absolutely cherish the few they did make – with Silver River being my favorite. Silver River (1948) was directed by the wonderful Raoul Walsh and also stars Thomas Mitchell, Tom D’Andrea (love him in this role… well, actually, I love him in everything), and Bruce Bennett.

You can find Silver River on dvd (Amazon link). I absolutely love it.