CowboySpirit.TV - Called by many critics more cynical and realistic than the 1957 version, the 2007 remake of 3:10 to Yuma was one of the first in a recent vanguard of films that resurrected western movies in the public consciousness. Starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe in roles formerly played to strong effect by Van Heflin and Glenn Ford, the 2007 3:10 to Yuma is as much required watching for western fans as the original.
3:10 to Yuma Little Known Facts
The film originally had a release date of October 5, 2007, but this was changed to September 7, 2007 as two other western movies – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and No Country for Old Men – were coming out around the same time.
The movie sets constructed and used on Cerro Pelon Ranch in Lamy, New Mexico were not dismantled after filming, and may become the stage for future western movies.
Marco Beltrami was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work on this film, while Paul Massey, David Giammarco, and Jim Stuebe were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing.
The Western Heritage Awards granted 3:10 to Yuma a Bronze Wrangler for Outstanding Theatrical Motion Picture.
The film won the box office for the U.S. and Canada the weekend of its release, and ranked 9th for its total box office take among “R” rated movies released in 2007.
3:10 to Yuma Behind the Scenes Trivia
Tom Cruise was originally considered for the role of Ben Wade, which ultimately went to Russell Crowe.
Bale said he was initially apprehensive about working with Crowe due to Crowe’s reputation for misbehaving.
The film was largely shot on location in New Mexico, a popular setting for western movies, even though the towns of Bisbee and Contention are said to be in Arizona.
A stuntman was seriously injured and a horse had to be euthanized due to an accident on the first day of filming.
Two feet of snow fell on the set in the final days of shooting, which necessitated a massive snow removal effort coordinated with the delivery and distribution of nearly one hundred dump truck loads of dry soil.
The unfinished buildings that form the backdrop of the final chase scene were unfinished only due to budget constraints.
CowboySpirit.TV - Night Rider's Lament describes how one cowboy chose career over true love and how he sometimes thinks about what might have been. Those thoughts don’t linger long, however, as he quickly remembers why he chose the life of a cowboy on the range. The tune has been recorded by everyone from Chris LeDoux to Garth Brooks and Nanci Griffith, but Suzy has one of the great versions of the tune. Here she is singing it with Jerry Jeff Walker.
CowboySpirit.TV - Kicking off the 13th annual Saddle Up events held at Pigeon Forge, Tennessee was renown chuckwagon cook Kent Rollins accompanied by his wife Shannon and the Red River Ranch Chuck Wagon as he fired up his trusty ranch stove he politely calls Bertha. Tourist were able to sample his delicious staples of cornbread at the Town Square on the opening of the events.
Kent Rollins Red River Ranch Chuck Wagon
Pigeon Forge Mayor, David Wear met with the City Hospitably Association stating, "Every business sector was up having a phenomenal year during 2012." Gross receipts total were $905.8 million for last years tax revenues breaking their previous record of $872.5 million 2007 prior to the recession. "If we get to one billion a year while I'm still in office, I'll get up here and dance a jig in front of you," Wear said.
Pigeon Forge, with a population around 6,000 attracts over 10 million tourist each year nested on the banks of the Smokey Mountain range. Special Events manager, Butch Helton coordinates the many events held in the city which has revenues booming while attracting nation wide tourism. "Saddle Up is our way to salute the Old West and Western lifestyle" explains Helton. They not only put on great events, but the city management works with the many hotels, restaurants and other businesses supporting and promoting tourism to Pigeon Forge. The friendly attitude and atmosphere has visitors feeling so welcome, they highly desires to return for additional visits.
The Saddle-Up event, which began on Wednesday with the free cornbread sampling, ran through Sunday during the last week of February. Featuring several concerts, a chuck wagon cook-off, a Western Dance Saturday night and Cowboy Church and breakfast Sunday, "We had the largest turnout yet" remarked Richard Holmes, a resident from Georgia who assisted with the big event. "This year, we also added a video presentation and Western photography exhibit by award-winning local photographer Ken Jenkins" commented Holmes.
Visitors could also take part in traditional cowboy activities, such as mechanical bull-riding and lassoing, as well, two outstanding Mississippi Cowboys conducted branding demonstrations on cedar wood blocks during Saturday's chuckwagon cook-off. Seven chuck wagons competed with wagon teams coming from Missouri, Indiana, North Carolina and Georgia. Each wagon team was given identical ingredients for the competition menu expecting to serve 50 meals while Kent Rollings would cater an additional 300 meals from his Red River Ranch Chuck Wagon.
The all-star lineup of performers includes award-winning poets, fiddlers and yodelers such Chris Isaacs, Waddie Mitchell, Dave Stamey, Sourdough Slim, and Wylie & the Wild West. Many of the events were hosted by area restaurants, shops and theaters with performances at the Old Mill Square, Mama's Farmhouse restaurant, the Partridge & Pear restaurant, Smoky Mountain Guitars, Stages West and two major shows at the Grand Majestic Theater.
Western artist, Don Dane from Olathe, Kansas was available signing posters of the event. Don, who uses different mediums such as oil and water color was commissioned by the Pigeon Forge Committee to paint the original artwork used to create the event poster. Don has also been featured in Western Horseman Magazine and has received numerous awards for his art.
Before the break of dawn, the embers glowing from the fire pits as the chuckwagon crews get ready for the days big event, the Chuckwagon Cook-off. The aroma of fresh brewing coffee lingers over each camp as the cooks begin breaking out the different ingredients for the competition menu. Wagon Judges Rem Mosimann, rancher-saddle maker who formerly was the assistant manager of with the historic Bell Ranch in New Mexico joined by Roger Edison from Cowboys and Chuckwagon Cooking begin inspecting each wagon following strict guidelines established with the American Chuck Wagon Association. Every wagon representing authentic 1880 cooking as the coosies (cook) did during the trail drives.
Read the rest of this article here.
CowboySpirit.TV - No matter where one went in the Old West, a cowboy could be spotted by his hat and boots, well-worn and dusted from the trail. However frequently overlooked, though, towards the close of the 19th century a cowboy’s jeans were just as important to his comfort on and off the range, and it was largely through the efforts of one man that affordable, durable jeans became available to men (and women) on the frontier.
Before Mass Production, Mass Discomfort
Early cowboys typically wore wool pants, but these presented several problems. In long, hot, dry summers, wool was not an ideal material. Wool also tended to loose its shape, and wore out particularly fast in the seat; some combated this issue by sewing animal skins over the area, but the arrangement was reportedly less than comfortable.
Fortunately for the Old West, Levi Strauss was working on a solution. Out of his California dry goods store, Strauss sold so-called waist overalls made out of canvas that incorporated sturdy stitching. There was only one problem with canvas pants: They were not comfortable.
The Birth of the Blue Jean
Although according to some sources Strauss was already experimenting with a fabric known as serge de Nimes (from which came “denim”), it is not disputed that Strauss was soon contacted by Jacob Davis, a Nevada tailor who had an idea for durable work pants and needed capital backing. Supposedly prodded by a customer unhappy with the durability of the pockets on pants, Davis had started adding rivets along seams for an even stronger pant. With Strauss’s investment behind the idea, the process was patented in the early 1870s.
The denim pants the partners created solved most of the issues presented by pants of the time. Denim was breathable yet warm enough for most conditions. It lasted a long time. The jeans created with denim also kept their shape and were form-fitting at purchase and long after, perfectly snug even during hard work.
The jeans were further improved by being dyed blue, purportedly the better to hide work related stains. The creation was popular from the start; by the time of his death in 1902, Strauss was a millionaire several times over. Today, Levi’s jeans are known and worn the world over for work and for play, and can still be found sitting in many a saddle at rodeos and working ranches.
CowboySpirit.TV - The doctors say she'll be gone by fall, but they have one last summer. One hot summer to consummate a lifetime of love, to cry together, laugh together, remember together. When a troubled teenage girl and an injured horse turn to them for help, Mary and Sam Holt find enough room in their own large and breaking hearts to show the girl life's glories and restore a champion's will. We'll Have the Summer is a magnificent story about life, love, and horses.
It may not be a "shoot `em up" but We'll Have the Summer is a western through and through from the setting in Arizona to the interaction between man and horse, man, woman, life and death, all the elements are there. In this complete package is a love story, a bit of cowboy justice, lots of riding, horses and acts of courage, guts and love. The cowboy doesn't get the girl or ride off into the sunset like on the silver screen but in a bit of modern reality the sun sets on the heroine while the hero is left to ride the trail with the help of his friends.
Dutch Henry presents a realistic and modern day western that takes an honest look at things like cancer, the cost of living with disease, the plight of the American mustang and the reality of relationships of men, women and families. He does this against the back drop of the American West, rodeo, a working dude ranch, the Fourth of July and the everyday life of modern cowboys.
His progressive chronology, with the occasional flashback needed for clarity and color, aids in the telling of the story and its eventual finale.
His characters are real. I can picture Mary with the crooked smile and that look of determination in her eyes. Sam is tall, rawboned, hardened and baked by the Arizona sun with a heart like marshmallow for Mary. The foul-mouthed and belligerent Barbara is every parent's nightmare and the kid you love to hate then come to love like one of your own. Rusty, Susan, Phillip, Linda and Morgan all strike me like people I've known.
Dutch brings to the center arena the love story of a cowboy and a cowgirl that had a storybook beginning but now are facing a life and death tragedy. Not the first tragedy they had to suffer, as Callie, their daughter dies at an early age. Sam is faced with another life changing event that tries his very soul as Mary battles her cancer. Mary, knowing the time is short, has to figure out just how she wants to spend her last days on earth.
Love is a central theme and it is hard to miss. Mary loves Sam, Comanche, riding and Callie. Sam loves his dying wife, his dead daughter, mustangs and the cowboy way of life. Sam and Mary aren't going to ride off into the sunset and Dutch Henry tells the story in a generous, sympathetic and kind way. He doesn't gloss over the reality or seek to bring us a "happy ever after" but he displays the good and bad in people. There is redemption for more than one person and we get the feeling that the funeral isn't the end of the story.
Sourced from Amazon.com.
The Last Ride
by Mike Allison
A Short Story from the 8 Second Stories Collection
CHAPTER ONE, part two
Going to Vegas, Again
Jake finished his breakfast and slipped out of Lita’s with minimum fuss. He responded politely to the well-wishers as he was leaving, but was pensive and even less chatty than normal. His mind was focused on the mission, this time more than ever.
Jake hopped in his truck and headed across the road to fuel up for the drive to Vegas. As he was pumping the gas, he thought to himself how much more expensive fuel was now than his first trip to the Finals. It was so long ago hardly anyone remembered it was the last year they were held in Oklahoma City. He smiled as he thought about how much easier this tank of fuel was to come by than the one he bought when he was headed to Oklahoma City that year.
Jake missed his old friend and traveling partner. He hadn’t seen him in three years, but Becker promised Jake he’d meet him for a beer in Vegas once again to celebrate the good times and good memories. They’d both made their first Finals that year and both went to Oke City “in the hole.” They’d won enough money to earn a spot amongst the top 15 bull riders in the world, but spent so much in expenses getting there that they’d actually lost money for the year up to that point. The pittance they earned at the Finals that December would be all they cleared for the year.
As he topped off his tank, he said out loud, “Prob’ly gonna be a lot of remember when’s this next week.”
Jake got back in his truck and pulled out of the parking lot. As he was gathering speed, a fire engine red Mustang buzzed right by him, honking as it sped by.
“Damn kid.” he muttered. Then he laughed to himself.
“Winston.” he said.
He hadn’t long been headed out of town before he started thinking about what lay ahead. His main intent and reason he decided to go it alone this last trip to Vegas, was to do his dead level best to avoid the hype. Jake was going to Vegas to ride, one last time. To give it his everything. He knew that all the conversation, all the media, all the press would be focused on the battle between the old dog and the new young gun. Casey Winston, Rookie of the Year, riding well enough to win a world championship in his first trip to the National Finals. All that stood in his way was Jake.
He had to admit, it did make for good headlines and a pretty dramatic Finals. But Jake wasn’t going to play their game and be the media puppet.
In many ways, though they’d never met face to face, Winston reminded Jake of himself when he first cracked out. Well, perhaps a modern-day version of himself. Cowboys these days, at least some of them, tended to be much more brash and talkative than when Jake was getting started.
He thought to himself, “Maybe I’ve been at this too long. Back then, them ol’ Western movies still dictated our proper behavior. Good manners, respectful attitude, a man of few words. That’s what was tolerated and what was expected.”
But now? Now, it seemed to be all swagger and boasting, with the occasional ‘aw shucks’ thrown in to appease the old timers. Yes, the bulls were better, or at least more consistent, and the money was certainly better. Far better in fact.
Yet, Jake always believed; still believed, that rodeo was special. Of course it was a sport, and despite the occasional inconsistency, still had more competitive integrity than many of the more mainstream sports. But it was also a lot more. It was a sport with direct ties to the working past and the history of America. As hokey as some may have felt it was, Jake believed it was his responsibility to not only compete, but also to uphold the ideals that made the Great American Cowboy an icon, known the world over as a symbol of a great nation.
He tried to put the higher calling of the sport out of his mind as he drove down Interstate 15, getting ever closer to Vegas and his last Finals. It was the most grueling championship series in all of professional sport. Ten go rounds in ten days, coming at the end of a long, grueling competition year. They called it the Super Bowl of the sport, but anyone who’d ever lived through it knew that it was more like playing ten consecutive Super Bowls in a row, with no rest in between. It was the kind of endurance test that few athletes could weather, and many didn’t as the injury count mounted over the course of the ten-day event.
“Ten bulls.” he thought, “Just ten more bulls.”
The bright lights of Vegas became visible in the distance as he drove. Jake had thought about what time of day to arrive and check into the hotel in order to minimize the chance of running into a gaggle of press, but the more he thought about it, the more he knew it was futile. They’d be waiting for him, and besides, the city of Vegas never sleeps. So, he resigned himself to say what he had to, but no more, and to let the media speculate all they wanted about why he was so reserved. “Is he injured? Is he going to retire? What does he think of the brash newcomer, Casey Winston?”
“Let them ask.” he thought. “I’ll let my riding do the talking, like I’ve done a million times before.”
Part 3 of 7 will be publshed on Tuesday, May 21st...
Copyright © 2013 Cowboy Spirit, LLC.
All Rights Reserved.
CowboySpirit.TV - With overtures to the common conflicts that many would-be settlers encountered on the wagon trails leading west, the revisionist 1967 western The Way West openly shows its flawed characters reacting to the trials of the trail. The cinematography of The Way West was critically admired upon the movie’s release, though the film performed poorly at the box office compared to its budget. With leading stars Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, and Richard Widmark, The Way West has recently been re-examined by critics for its brave revisionist take.
The Way West Little Known Facts
The Way West was the first major film role for Sally Field and for Katherine Justice. Justice went on to star in other western movies and TV series, including the 1968 film 5 Card Stud and the TV series Gunsmoke; Sally Field, of course, has worked consistently in other genres in the time since.
The novel on which the film is based, also titled The Way West, was written by A.B. Guthrie, Jr., and won a Pulitzer Prize. Guthrie also wrote the screenplays for western movies Shane and The Kentuckian.
Composer Bronislau Kaper also worked on The Naked Spur, Go West, and perhaps most (in)famously, Mutiny on the Bounty.
William Clothier was no stranger to bringing sweeping vistas to western movie cinematography; he also worked on Cheyenne Autumn, Seven Men from Now, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
The Way West Behind the Scenes Trivia
Shot on a budget of $5 million, The Way West only grossed $1.67 million at the box office.
Robert Mitchum spent his time fishing the Oregonian rivers between takes, which sometimes led to shooting delays.
Lola Albright, who portrayed Rebecca “Becky” Evans, came close to drowning during the original shoot of the river crossing scene when the wagon overturned and she became trapped; the scene was re-shot with a stunt double.
In the scene where the first person to allegedly attempt to climb down into the Grand Canyon is being lowered, a road is clearly visible at the bottom of the shot.
Much of the film was shot in Oregon, between Bend and Eugene. Other scenes were filmed in Old Tucson, a location in Tucson, Arizona which has also hosted filming for the more recent western movies Tombstone, Wild Wild West, and The Quick and the Dead.
CowboySpirit.TV - Good Ride Cowboy, the song written by Jerrod Niemann , Richie Brown, Bryan Kennedy and Bob Doyle, became Garth Brooks‘ tribute to his friend Chris LeDoux after the rodeo champ and singer passed away in 2005.
It chronicles Chris’ rise to fame in the rodeo world and as a singer, as well as his down-to-earth ways as a father and husband. Chris and Garth became friends after the Oklahoma singer named the rodeo cowboy in his first single, “Too Young to Feel This Damn Old.” They also recorded a duet in 1992, “What’cha Gonna Do With A Cowboy.”
CowboySpirit.TV - Old West Antiques now connected to the new Lone Ranger Movie.
Hollywood is knocking at Old West Antiques door again. This time they are looking for items (props) for the upcoming Lone Ranger movie starring Johnny Depp as Tonto.
It's always exciting when you get to be a part (no matter how small a part) of something you love and Western Movies are one of those things for the owner of OldWestAntiques.Biz, Bob Wood.
Bob grew up on Western's in the early 1960's. Shows like; The Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, Gunsmoke, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Wagon Train, ect, ect, ect. Today, after a successful career in Law Enforcement, Bob now owns and operates an online website dealing with most things Old West. He has been collecting almost his entire life starting at the tender age of 9 when he found his first Native American arrowhead while playing near his parents home in Northeast Ohio. In addition to Indian Points he also collected, of all things, Western Comic books and Indian Head Pennies.
Today, his business of six years specializes in antique gambling equipment and that's what drew the interest of the folks working on pre-production for the new The Lone Ranger movie. A representative of the production company emailed Bob looking for specific gambling items to use in the movie which Bob happened to have on hand. A deal was struck and that's how Old West Antiques managed to become a very small part of this upcoming remake of one of the best known westerns ever produced.
Check out their great antiques here!
CowboySpirit.TV - Frederic Remington was the most influential Old West artist during the last years of the frontier. Remington’s inspiration came largely from riding the trails and this closeness was probably a factor in his idealizations; his images depicted heroism rather than day to day life, and thus he had an instrumental hand in creating the legend of the Old West.
The Early Years
Remington’s early years were spent in Ohio and Illinois. This influenced his drawings, which centered on soldiers and cowboys – typical passions for a young man, with one difference: Remington had talent. However, although he attended Yale art school, he did not complete his formal art education.
Remington undertook to find a place prospecting or cattle ranching in Montana. He lacked the money to purchase a position, but the Old West figures he saw on this trip rekindled his interests. By 1884, Remington was living and working in Kansas City as a sketch artist and painter. His wife, Eva Caten, left him over his profession, but the pair reunited when Remington returned East to sharpen his art skills.
Creating the Myth of the Old West
Interest in the Old West was heightened even as the Old West was fading into something new; Remington’s timing was excellent. At 25 years of age Remington was regularly selling his work to Harper’s Weekly, which in 1886 began sending him on trips to cover news including the hostilities against Geronimo and the Charleston Earthquake of 1886. This was also what his audience wanted; his illustrations were eagerly snapped up.
At times, Remington was as given to boasting as his subjects. After selling a painting to a friend for $2,500, Remington famously lit a celebratory cigar – with the check. Yet though he was always a fine horseman, his trips West always ended with him returning home to the well-populated East.
Remington’s sculpting came relatively late in life, though the fame he had already garnered allowed him to sell his first effort, The Broncho Buster, to Tiffany’s. Budget cutting from his major clients after the financial panics in the early years of the 20th century and his deteriorating health led to Remington painting from his indoor studio until his death at the close of 1909, 48 years of age, following complications from an appendectomy. His success as an artist and illustrator of influence, however, was sealed.