McCrea Ranch in Thousand Oaks, California
When asked, Joel McCrea proudly named his occupation as ‘rancher’. His first ranch was purchased in 1933 and he lived on that same land for 57 years, until his passing in 1990. Happily for Westernistas...
View ArticleRide ‘Em Cowboy (Universal, 1942)
For a Fistful of Dollars, an Old West Movie Set Can Be Yours In October, the New York Times published an article with the above headline about a real estate listing for the Sable Ranch in Santa...
View ArticleThe Arizonian (RKO, 1935)
“That’s what it takes to make peace in the west” The Arizonian was not a film known to this writer prior to recently spotting it lurking unloved in the darker, smaller hours of the TV schedule. Turns...
View ArticleThe Frisco Kid (Warner Brothers, 1979): Another View
Jousting with Jeff… The time has come, the walrus said… to publish our first post devoted to a dissent from one published by Jeff Arnold. Jeff was a superb historian and critic but all his fans...
View ArticleThe Westerns of Robert Aldrich
The Erratic Mr. Aldrich When it came to his series of profiles of Western filmmakers Robert Aldrich wasn’t top of Jeff Arnold’s list. The output wasn’t huge – six features – and Jeff was not a fan. At...
View ArticleThe Three Outlaws (Associated Film Releasing Corporation, 1956)
They bore the mark of Satan, they bore the mark of Cain So says the title song of The Three Outlaws, a yarn about the exploits of real-life outlaws Butch Cassidy, Bill Carver (also known as Will...
View ArticleKid Blue (Marvin Schwartz Productions / 20th Century Fox, 1973)
Hippie Western Kid Blue opens, pre-credits, in the middle of a train robbery. So far, so conventional but only for a few seconds. The robbers, we quickly realise, are incompetent, one falling off the...
View ArticleAccessing Posts on Jeff Arnold’s West
Howdy, e-pards! Some of you may have noted (and a certain Jean-Marie certainly *did* note) that Jeff Arnold’s West was afflicted several hours ago by the Lee Van Cleef of internet errors : Fortunately,...
View ArticleReturn of the Search Box!
The Randolph Scott of webmasters, BetterCallChris, has sent that internet varmint packing *and* restored the site’s Search Box while doing so. Please recommence searching, e-pards. Thanks, Chris! An...
View ArticleThe Sam Peckinpah Cententary: 1
Troubled Genius February 21, 2025 marks one hundred years since director Sam Peckinpah was born. Peckinpah is a fascinating character: a filmmaker of overriding vision, a maverick who fought with...
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