DALE ROBERTSON...one of the good guys

Dale Robertson is one of my all time favorite western stars. I met Dale several times over the years but the last time was at the pre-Golden Boots party at The Sportsmen's Lodge in 2006 Dale was always one of the first celebrities to arrive at the pool-side party (he'd book a room on the ground floor right next to the pool) and on this particular date I was one of the first "regular" persons to be there. (I'd arrive early and hold a table for the rest of the Leone Mafia.) Dale was scooting around on a scooter (the 3-wheeled kind) as he was having trouble getting around on foot and suddenly he headed over to me and said, It's almost like riding a horse." I was kind of surprised that out of the blue he had talked to me (but he was that kind of person) and I said..."er, but you don't have to feed it and clean up after it." He thought that was pretty funny. We did some small talk and then I pulled out two old TV Guides that I had brought with me that him on the cover. I showed them to him and he smiled the biggest smile I had seen in some time and said, "Want me to autograph them for you, son." I then said, " I would love to have your autograph, Mr. Robertson." "Call me, Dale, " he said. I gave one of the Guides to him and he humbly thanked me for it and then autographed the one pictured below. His last words to me were, "Nice talking to you, son. See you later." ...and with that he turned the scooter around and went back to his room. Still had his big head of hair...not black anymore....almost white . What a great guy.

WW II action flick....PLAY DIRTY

-->

Just watched it in its entirety, for the first time since I saw it in the theatres during its initial release, the oft over-looked and vastly under-appreciated Michael Caine-Nigel Davenport WWII war film PLAY DIRTY.  They just don’t make ‘action flicks like this any more and they certainly don’t end ‘em like this any more.  Was great seeing my beloved spaghetti western location sites in Almeria, Spain continuously popping up while inside I’m screaming, “I’ve been there!.  I’ve walked those grounds.”  Great direction by Andre De Toth.  In addition to liking Michael Caine, I also like Nigel Davenport.  In addition to being superb in SANDS OF THE KALAHARI, he also appeared in two spaghetti westerns…THE RETURN OF EL COYOTE and CHARLEY-ONE-EYE.  This movie had interesting dueling Nigel scenes…..Nigel Davenport and Nigel Green.  Unfortunately Nigel Bruce had long passed before filming began on PLAY DIRTY or he might have been the 3^rd Nigel in the cast.    Well worth a look-see.

"SOMETHING BIG"

I finally got to watch a western which has been eluding me since it’s original release by National General Pictures in 1971 and its NBC tv debut in 1977….SOMETHING BIG starring Dean Martin and Brian Keith. Also in the cast are Ben Johnson, Honor Blackman, and Carol White, along with noted character actors, Albert Salmi, Harry Carey, Jr, Denver Pyle, Joyce Van Patten (sister of Dick the dog food magnate) Robert Donner, David Huddleston, Bob Steele and Edward Faulkner (I’ve met him and he is a very warm and friendly person.) Location scenery and photography are top notch but Andrew V. McLaughlin’s direction distractingly moves from serious to slaptick. He tries to emulate his mentor John Ford and doesn’t succeed several times. Dean Martin is very good as the good-bad guy Joe Baker whose aim in life is to do “something big” so he’ll be remembered and so is his fuzz ball dog sidekick. SPOILER ALERT!!!! Nothing bad happens to the dog. However, Brian Keith overacts with his part and his huffing and puffing makes him comes off as sort of a buffoon. (Why his command is so fond of him is a question unanswered?) Brian should have played the role straight and the humor would have come out at the right times, McLaughlin should have reined him in on numerous occasions. Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr and Denver Pyle have never turned in a bad performance and the rest of the cast , including Honor Blackman Carol White and Joyce Van Patten are right on with their characterizations. Albert Salmi and Robert Donner as a pair of hombres who operate just on the wrong side of the law are very good and funny. Their humor is not forced as Keith’s is at times. Keep an eye out for a very funny bit with Salmi and Donner that involves the spitting of tobacco juice. Anyways, the “something big” that Dean and his crew come up with is….trading a woman to Salmi for a gatling gun and then using that gun to rob a mission held by bandits of its gold and treasures. The woman being Honor Blackman who just happens to be Brain Keith’s wife. And during this time Dino is trying to avoid the sister (Carole White) of his Scottish henchman played by Don Knight who has been promised to him as his bride and is on her way west to claim him. Martin lets his hair turn a bit silver for this role and even though he looks a bit puffty in the face, at times, he still commands the screen and dominates every scene he is in. Kind of funny, though to see him wearing a poncho when he leads the gang on their quest to do “something big.” As far as all the character actors……they just don’t make them like this any more. Overall I enjoyed this oater much more than I thought I would.

A MAN CALLED GANNON

Just found out that this poor remake of Kirk Douglas' MAN WITHOUT A STAR, and rarely seen oater, aired on Encore Westerns at noon today. Discovered you could watch it on IMDB awhile back and hadn't seen it in years and fortunately realized that I had really missed nothing. Both movies are based on Dee Linford's novel..."Man Without A Star." Franciosa is okay and most of the time better than the script dealt him. AMCG is more like a tv movie than a theatrical release...which it was and features in addtion to Tony...Michael Sarrazin, and tv stalwarts Susan Oliver, John Anderson, James Westerfield, Gavin MacLeod, Terry Wilson, Cliff (Potts) Potter and Jason Evers. While MWAS has in its supporting cast such noted actors as Jeanne Crain, Claire Trevor and Richard Boone and iconic character actors William Campbell, Jay C. Flippin, Sheb Wooley, Roy Barcroft, Jack Elam (uncredited) and Myron Healey (uncredited). Kirk's version is well worth re-watching again and again while Tony's, sadly, isn't. Probably why "Gannon" hasn't been seem on tv in some time and has never been released on video or dvd.

A COFFIN FULL OF DOLLARS

Last week Encore Westerns aired an excellent print of this spaghetti western under the aka of A BARREL FULL OF DOLLARS. Jack Betts looked great and was billed on this print as Jack Betts (normally he used the aka of Hunt Powers)....but was basically in a supporting role. Even though Klaus Kinski was top-billed Jeff Cameron and Dennis Colt got most of the screen time along with Gordon Mitchell who seemed to be channeling Arthur Hunnicutt. Movie moved fast...lottsa riding and lottsa shooting and diving through the air and rolling on the ground by Cameron. Seemed each of the extras were trying to outdo each other when shot.....by twisting and turning several times while falling through the air and flailing wildly on the ground...and seeing who could roll down the hill the most times before coming to a rest. As Klaus and one of his henchmen try to escape with wads of paper money, the henchman says, "we've got enough dollars here to fill a coffin." He barely gets the words out before Kinski gut shoots him. There is a cuppla embarrassing...and sometimes unintentional funny, pieces of dialogue between Cameron and Sam the former slave. "How did they catch you, Sam." "They surprised me." Simone Blondell, who had very little to do, looked very good in her brief role. ALL IN ALL ENJOYABLE. Leone he ain't Deems he be. Something to look for: Look at the horses' feet in the opening scene when they are coming down the hill. One of the horses seems to have a problem with its right hind leg......kinda does a double step like the leg or foot is injured.

THE TENTH VICTIM

Forty-seven years after seeing it in it's initial theatrical release I finally got to revisit this futuristic action flick directed by Elio Petri on Blu-ray dvd. Bit disappointing but not that much as it still holds up today.....Petgri keeps the action moving. Stars Marcello Mastroianni and Ursala Andress, with Elsa Martinelli in a supporting role, were at the top of their careers when they made this movie. Funny how time erases things....I seemed to remember it being more violent. Maybe the lack of blood and bullet holes lessened the impact at this 2nd viewing. Spaghetti vet George Wang appears in the beginning of the movie and two spaghetti scribes Ennio Flaiano & Giorgio Salvioni (ALIVE OR PREFERABLY DEAD aka SUNDANCE CASSIDY AND BUTCH THE KID) co-wrote the script.Co-star Martinelli also appeared in a spaghetti (THE BELLE STAR STORY.) This movie is ripe for a remake.

JOHN CARTER

I just watched JOHN CARTER on Blu-ray and enjoyed it very much. The now ex-Disney people who handled the...er..should I say who mishandled the release and advertisements for this film deserved to be fired. Mistake #1 was to take Mars out of the title and mistake #2 was not placing Edgar Rice Burroughs' in front of the title. The movie was epic in scope and the tale was not preposterous like a lot of the other so-called epics that have been floating around lately. Special effects were very good and believable. Taylor Kitsch was very good as were the other leads, especially Lynn Collins. I just hate it so much when a good movie tanks and some of those other pieces of drek make millions.