Saturday, February 21, 2009
CLINT WALKER.....AN APPRECIATION
Up until recently I was not that much of a Clint Walker fan. I had seen most of his movie westerns and, to me, they weren't that good and I never much cared for his performances. He just seemed to be a bit too stiff and wooden (exception Sampson Posey in THE DIRTY DOZEN.) I even owned the first season of CHEYENNE (on dvd) and never started watching any of the episodes until Encore Westerns started running the entire series. That caught my attention and I started watching the show and, by and by, with each different episode my appreciation of him and his work grew immensely. I now really like the guy, not that I didn't before....I just didn't care for his movies......I've heard he's a very decent person. I now actually look forward to the next episode. In his role as Cheyenne, Clint comes off as a very kind and caring person. If I had seen the CHEYENNE show as I kid I know I would have liked Clint more and a whole lot sooner and that he would be right up there with my other cowboy heroes. To me, on a whole, the CHEYENNE shows are much better than the MAVERICK's. Since my viewing of the other Warner Westerns of this period are limited which series was the best? To me, without a doubt, the worst was SUGARFOOT. I tend to think CHEYENNE would have to top the list.
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7 comments:
Cheyenne was my favorite as a kid and now I know why. Cheyenne is a human being. He is touh when he needs to be tough and he's gentle and kind when it's called for. I'm really surprised at how good the teleplays are for this series. Even when a lot of stock footage is used it's blended in well with the episode and only experts like you and Raymie can tell what film the stock footage came from. I thought Clint was good in Sam Whiskey but yes in most of his films he was as wooden as Anthony Steffen.
Tom, I agree with you on how good the teleplays were for this series. Maybe, one of the reasons is the basic story line was used first in the CHEYENNE episodes and then later chewed up and regurgitated over and over for the other Warner shows.
I have enjoyed every episode of CHEYENNE I've had the opportunity to see. But, I also recall really liking Clint Walker in the movie YELLOWSTONE KELLY when I was a kid, too.
First off I much prefer that pic of johnny jangoz with that good lookin'spotted hoss in the background posing for his pitcher too.Second off I am not a world class historian when it comes to spaghetti westerns.I only own a hundred and I would need thirty more years to be a proficient encyclopedia on them.But I was there each week fifty years ago with clint walker for cheyenne.I had my picture taken with him and couldn't make eye contact much less speak.This clint is not visible like the other big clint.But he keeps busy.Did you know that a representative named tommy garrett told him not to do No Country for Old Men.He thought it was a lousy script.If Toy Soldiers was 1997 and only clint's voice was heard,can you imagine how he would have rocketed into the stratosphere had he did that! But clint is from the old school back when their was a code.They wanted clint in that film thinking he believed their was No Code For Old Men.Clint believes in the code.He is very much alive and wife susan and himself stated just a few weeks ago that "May god be with you all" concerning the horrendous fires in australia.I'll bet he gets a lot of mail from down under.I'll bet australians appreciate a man like clint.Clint was born a twin but I know not anything about him.You are legend if you discussed cowboy hats with gary cooper.You are legend to tower that tall.You are legend to take the tip of a ski to your heart.You are legend to have fought for your country in the war.I wish we had twenty million and at the table sat jangoz,tom,chris,clint and me.We ask clint if he would help us write a western with clint in the mix.He could define his elder statesman westerner and have final say on story and every word he spoke in the film.Clint's worked in spain,he would greenlight action and shootings.No severe language or any nudity.I think he would go for it.James Drury and bill smith are his friends,I wager they would want in too.Shoot! Marty Kove would do it for expenses.I talk too much I know.But I sure enjoy dreamin'.Just call it a Khalid Khan moment.
raymie, those are my neighbor's horses in WV. He owns the adjoining farm to the one I grew up on. He's constantly buyin', sellin' an' tradin' 'em.
Tuesday 2/24/09 episode had Clint as a stage actor playing dual roles. His voice as the stage actor sounded very similar to John Carradine's. He even sang a couple of songs and was more than adequate. I wonder if this was his idea or the studio was pushing him into other avenues.
like Tom said.... a totally off the wall episode. Michael Dante made another appearance in this episode as the young soldier present when the brass talked Cheyenne into becoming a 19th Century song and dance man.
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