This movie is notable for several reasons. First, it was director John Ford’s first Western made using sound. It was also Ford’s first of many movies made in Monument Valley. But more importantly for you Western fans, it was John Wayne’s breakthrough role, the first movie that did big with him in it. Wayne plays an outlaw named Ringo Kid who rides along with a prostitute, a banker and others as they travel to Lordsburg, New Mexico, through Apache territory. To my way of thinking, this was the first real modern Western film.

The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Lots of stars in this picture. Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, just to name a few. The story is simple. Seven gunmen are hired to protect a village from bandits. During the build-up to the conflict, and during the main conflict, the gunmen fall in love with the village. At least those who survive the battle do. Plenty of action here, and a touch of comedy here and there, also. This is a pretty standard Western for a big cast, basically having become an iconic screen favorite. Worth seeing time and time again.

A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

This particular film is director Sergio Leone’s first in what came to be called the Dollars Trilogy, three spaghetti Westerns starring Clint Eastwood as the Man With No Name. Based upon the Japanese samurai movie Yojimbo, this film is about a bounty hunter caught up in the fight between two families in a small town. Truly, one of the first post-modern Westerns, and a worthy Western film debut for star Clint Eastwood. For anyone thinking I’ve left out The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, don’t fret. That movie made it onto my original article, 10 Movies Every Western Fan Must See, so check it out there.

For a Few Dollars More (1965)

This is the sequel to A Fistful of Dollars. Clint Eastwood returns as a bounty hunter, but this time he’s joined by Lee Van Cliff. Clint and Cliff team up to take on a band of bank robbers, but there’s more than money at stake. Vengeance is the name of the game in this movie. And so I don’t forget it, the score by Enio Morricone is just as good here as it is in Sergio Leone’s other spaghetti Western flicks.

Django (1966)

Though much of the world thinks of Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone when it comes to spaghetti Westerns (Western movies in the 1960s and 1970s that were mostly made by Italian directors), there were plenty of other films in the genre. This is probably the next-best known of the lot after The Dollars Trilogy. Starring Franco Nero as Django, the story is a complicated one of a gun runner who becomes involved in a conflict between two warring generals. After much bloodshed, Django finally gets his revenge against the generals.

The Wild Bunch (1969)

If you like movies with lots of bullets and blood, this should be right up your alley. Truly, one of the most violent Western flicks ever made. Just about everyone is killed by the end of this one, which sounds kind of sad and pathetic in some ways, but it really works here. Director Sam Peckinpah originally meant for this movie to show theater crowds the ugliness of violence, but so many people loved the movie he eventually became somewhat disillusioned with his own message. The plot? A group of aging bank robbers try to survive the waining years of the cowboy age. Pretty simple, right? Not for this group of guys. A classic. Much like The Magnificent Seven, this one has a huge cast of stars, including William Holden, Ernest Borgnine and more.

The Cowboys (1972)

This is another one featuring John Wayne. It’s not a traditional Western by most standards. You won’t find gunslingers and sheriffs and Indians here, though there are a few outlaws. Wayne portrays a cattle rancher who has to drive hundreds of cows, but he’s got this problem. All his ranch hands have run off to a gold rush. In fact, nearly all the men but Wayne have shot off looking for gold. So who is going to drive these steers? Boys. Yep, I said boys. This is the tale of a bunch of boys and John Wayne herding cattle across the prairie. Doesn’t sound too adventurous, does it? Well, it is. There’s a good bit of action and comedy both. The ending is one of my favorites of a Wayne film, though it is somewhat bitter sweet.

Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

Partly based on fact and partly on legend, this film starring Robert Redford isn’t quite a Western. Though it sort of is. It’s just set before the traditional time period of most Westerns, before six-guns were slapping against thighs and black powder rifles were the end-all, be-all weapon. But that being said, in my opinion, this is the best movie on this list. It’s tale of mountain man Jeremiah Johnson, how he came to the mountains and the travails he faced once there. The tale is slow at times, but always thoughtful, and the action comes along often enough to keep the interest of more traditional Western fans.

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Okay, I can hear some folks complaining now. But I don’t care. Blazing Saddles is a Western. Quite probably the funniest Western of all time. Director Mel Brooks brought a classic piece of comedic and Western cinema to the scree when he filmed this one. Starring Cleavon Little as a black sheriff stuck in a small town of whites who mostly hate him, other than gunslinger Gene Wilder. Loaded with laughs, and makes fun of plenty of Western stereotypes.

The Shootist (1976)

We started with John Wayne and we’ll end with him. This is Wayne’s final movie, which also starred Lauren Bacall and Ron Howard. The story concerns the last days of a dying gunfighter, which was fitting considering Wayne would die three years later of cancer. This isn’t the best Western ever made, but it is a pretty decent one and it includes not only Wayne’s final role, but one of his best.

Related movie links

10 Movies every Western fan must see

5 Cigars that will make you look like Clint Eastwood

10 Cop Movies every Action Fan Must See

North Dallas Forty lobby card set image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

Director Ted Kotcheff and Paramount Pictures brought the raucous North Dallas Forty to movie theaters in 1979. Nick Nolte plays an aging wide receiver, with Mac Davis as his more pragmatic quarterback.

Peter Gent’s North Dallas Forty Novel

North Dallas Forty is based on the 1973 best-selling novel of the same name by Peter Gent. A Michigan State graduate and a standout basketball player for the Spartans, Gent had played flanker and tight end for the Dallas Cowboys from 1964-68.

“The only novel ever written from this deep inside pro football…strongly recommended,” reported Sports Illustrated.

Ted Kotcheff Directs North Dallas Forty

Peter Gent, Frank Yablans and Ted Kotcheff wrote the screenplay for Regina Associates and Paramount Pictures. Kotcheff (Fun with Dick and Jane, First Blood, The Shooter) directed. John Scott created the original music score and Paul Lohmann served as cinematographer.

Nick Nolte (Phil Elliott) and Mac Davis (Seth Maxwell) head the cast. Other players include Charles Durning (Coach Johnson), Dayle Haddon (Charlotte Caulder), Bo Svenson (Jo Bob Priddy), John Matuszak (O.W. Shaddock), Steve Forrest (Conrad Hunter), G.D. Spradlin (B.A. Strothers), Dabney Coleman (Emmett Hunter), Savannah Smith (Joanne Rodney), Marshall Colt (Art Hartman), Guich Koock (Eddie Rand), Walter Brooke (Doctor), Tommy Reamon (Delma Huddle) and Alcie Weeks (Doug France).

The North Dallas Bulls

North Dallas Forty opens the day after a football game, with veteran wide receiver Phil Elliott, bleeding from the nose, trying to rouse his battered body out of bed. While soaking in the tub, Elliott’s bathroom is invaded by a pair of gun-toting good ol’ boy football players, who blast a hole in the ceiling and then head out into the country for a combination hunting trip/alcoholic bender.

At a wild party Phil meets Charlotte Caulder, a young woman whom he rescues from the clutches of crazed offensive lineman Jo Bob Priddy. Assisting Phil is quarterback Seth Maxwell, who holds considerable sway over the drunken Jo Bob.

Phil and the North Dallas Bulls are in preparation for the final game of the regular season. A victory will guarantee them a spot in the playoffs. Head Coach B.A. Strothers takes Phil aside, telling him that he doesn’t like his immature attitude. A starter for six seasons, Phil is now warming the bench, hoping to get back into the lineup via pills and the injection of painkillers, or what he calls “better football through chemistry.”

With team owner Conrad Hunter looking on, the Bulls face off with the Chicago Marauders. The game is an old-fashioned slugfest, with the Bulls coming up short after backup quarterback Art “Try God” Hartman mishandles a perfect snap on an extra point try.  

Phil Elliott’s off-field activities eventually earn him a meeting with the Bulls ownership who suspend him, pending a league hearing, for violating the morals clause in his contract. But rather than accept the suspension, a defiant Phil decides to simply hang up his spikes for good.

North Dallas Forty Release and Reviews

North Dallas Forty opened on August 1, 1979.

“North Dallas Forty…includes a number of well-honed supporting performances, most notably G.D. Spradlin in the role of the coach. But the uncontested star of the show is Mr. Nolte, who may surprise a lot of people who had the ill fortune to see him in The Deep and the even worse luck to miss him in Who’ll Stop the Rain?” reported Janet Maslin of The New York Times (8/1/79).

“It’s no surprise that the National Football League refused to cooperate in the making of North Dallas Forty. The production is a most realistic, hard-hitting and perceptive look at the seamy side of pro football,” observed Variety (7/25/79).

North Dallas Forty Trivia, DVD

• Pete Gent garnered the title of his novel from a Dallas Cowboys practice field located in North Dallas. In 1964, the year Gent reported to the Cowboys, that section of the city was off limits to black players, something which offended the socially-conscious Gent.
• Ever since the release of the book and movie, fans have speculated as to the “true identities” of the featured characters. The North Dallas Bulls are of course the Dallas Cowboys, with these real-life personalities generally thought of as subbing for the film’s principals: Peter Gent (Phil Elliott), Don Meredith (Seth Maxwell), Coach Tom Landry (Coach B.A. Strothers), Roger Staubach (Art Hartman).
• The movie version ends on a high note, with Seth Maxwell tossing a good-natured pass to Phil Elliott. Not so in the novel, which concludes with Phil stumbling on a grisly murder scene.
• John Matuszak (a.k.a. “Tooz”) played professional football for the Oakland Raiders. He died of heart failure at age 38 on June 17, 1989. As O.W. Shaddock, he gives a rousing speech: “Job! Job! I don’t want no job. I want to play football. I want some feelin.’ I want some team spirit.”
• Peter Gent’s sequel: North Dallas After Forty (1989).
• On DVD: North Dallas Forty (Paramount, 2001).

“We’re not the team! They’re the team! We’re the equipment! And they just depreciate us. Take us off their damn tax returns,” Nick Nolte lashes out at the North Dallas Bulls’ wealthy owners.

Better football through accounting, huh?

Don Gordon, Bill Mumy, Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman in Papillon, image courtesy Allied Artists

Director Franklin J. Schaffner and Allied Artists delivered Papillon to movie theaters in 1973. Steve McQueen has the title role, with Dustin Hoffman as counterfeiter Louis Dega.  

Henri Charriere’s Papillon Book

Papillon is based on the book of the same name by Henri Charriere (1906-1973). Known as ”Papillon” in the French underworld, Charriere was sent to the infamous penal colony at French Guiana in 1931 following a murder conviction in Paris. Always maintaining his innocence, Charriere made his escape in 1945 and later committed his life story to paper. The result was Papillon, an international bestseller published in 1969.

European producer Robert Dorfmann purchased the screen rights to Papillon for $600,000. Robert Benton and David Newton were hired to write the screenplay, but their draft proved unsatisfactory, as did a subsequent version by William Goldman.

Franklin J. Schaffner Directs Papillon

Dalton Trumbo and Lorenzo Semple Jr. penned the eventual screenplay for Corona-General and Solar Productions. Franklin J. Schaffner (Planet of the Apes, Patton, The Boys from Brazil), who collected $750,000 for his services, directed. Jerry Goldsmith fashioned the original music score and Fred J. Koenekamp served as cinematographer.

Steve McQueen (Papillon) and Dustin Hoffman (Louis Dega) head the cast. Other players include Victor Jory (Indian Chief), Don Gordon (Julot), Anthony Zerbe (Toussaint), Robert Deman (Maturette), Woodrow Parfrey (Clusiot), Bill Mumy (Lariot), George Coulouris (Dr. Chatal), Ratna Assan (Zoraima), William Smithers (Warden Barrot), Val Avery (Pascal), Gregory Sierra (Antonio), Vic Tayback (Sergeant), Mills Watson (Guard), Ron Soble (Santini), Don Hanmer (Butterfly Trader), Barbara Morrison (Mother Superior) and John Quade (Masked Breton).

Papillon Filmed in Spain and Jamaica

Made for $12 million, Papillon was filmed primarily in Spain and Jamaica. A replica of the original prison at French Guiana was constructed in the former, with Jamaica’s dense jungles providing the necessary tropical background.

Papillon proved to be a tough shoot, hampered by financial problems, a work stoppage, a petty feud involving stars McQueen and Hoffman and McQueen’s burgeoning weight problem exacerbated by his love of Red Stripe Jamaican beer.

Also, Papillon was a very physically demanding picture, with Steve McQueen bearing much of the brunt. In one scene, McQueen’s character is hauled down near the ship’s engine for punishment. This required McQueen to be chained with his hands behind his back while lying on his stomach, making a feeble attempt to nourish himself from a plate of bread and water.

McQueen and Dustin Hoffman were also required to wrestle a partially-drugged crocodile. McQueen jumped on first, followed by the wary Hoffman, with both actors hanging on while trying to avoid the croc’s thrashing tail.

Amazingly, despite all of the problems, Papillon completed filming in May 1973, one week ahead of schedule.

Papillon and the Penal Administration of French Guiana

Papillon opens in a prison yard in France, where the assembled convicts are duly informed that they are now the property of the Penal Administration of French Guiana. The shackled cons are then marched through the streets and loaded onto a waiting transport ship.

The voyage to French Guiana is an eventful one, with Papillon meeting Louis Dega, a master counterfeiter of National Defense Bonds Series 1928. The two enter into a pact, with Dega agreeing to underwrite any escape attempt in exchange for Papillon’s protection against other convicts. The test comes early, when Papillon is forced to slash two goons with a hidden shiv after they make a move on his new partner.

The prison at French Guiana lives up to its infamous reputation, characterized by brutal working conditions, corrupt guards, crazed inmates, solitary confinement and of course the dreaded guillotine, which is used for more serious infractions. Papillon and Dega eventually manage to escape with help from a nearby leper colony, but are eventually recaptured after being betrayed by a Mother Superior at a convent in Colombia.

Papillon Release, Reviews

Papillon was released on December 16, 1973.

“Papillon…is a big, brave, stouthearted, sometimes romantic, sometimes silly melodrama with the kind of visual sweep you don’t often find in movies anymore,” reported Vincent Canby of The New York Times (12/17/73).

“When Steve McQueen finally escapes from Devil’s Island we’re happy more for ourselves than for him: Finally we can leave, too,” observed Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times (12/16/73).

Papillon Box Office, Oscar Nomination, Trivia, DVD

• Papillon grossed $22.5 million at the American box office, good for the #4 position on the list of the top moneymaking films of 1973.
• Papillon earned one Oscar nomination: Best Original Dramatic Music Score (Goldsmith).
• Producer Robert Dorfmann had originally envisioned French star Jean-Paul Belmondo in the title role.
• Steve McQueen’s salary: $2 million plus a percentage of the gross; Dustin Hoffman’s salary: $1.25 million.
• Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo appears as the prison commandant in the opening of the film.
• Director Franklin Schaffner thought Henri Charriere’s memoir was largely fiction. “Schaffner told me that he never believed half the things he (Papillon) said in the book, that Charriere was a lying son-of-a-bitch,” recalled actor Don Gordon.
• Henri Charriere followed Papillon with another book titled Banco (1972).
• On DVD: Papillon (Warner, 2005).

“As for France, the nation has disposed of you. France has rid herself of you altogether. Forget France, and put your clothes on,” Dalton Trumbo announces to the assembled convicts before sending them off to French Guiana.

Ah, c’est la vie…

The Day of the Jackal British poster image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

Director Fred Zinnemann and Universal Pictures delivered The Day of the Jackal to movie theaters in 1973. Edward Fox stars as the international assassin, with Alan Badel, Tony Britton, Cyril Cusack and Michel Lonsdale along for the gripping ride.

Frederick Forsyth’s The Day of the Jackal

The Day of the Jackal is based on the 1971 best-selling novel of the same name by British writer Frederick Forsyth. A former Royal Air Force pilot, Forsyth also penned such thriller fare as The Odessa File (1972), The Fourth Protocol (1984) and The Fist of God (1994).

Kenneth Ross wrote the screenplay for Warwick Film Productions, Ltd. Fred Zinnemann (High Noon, From Here to Eternity, A Man for All Seasons) directed. Georges Delerue created the movie’s unique diegetic/background music score while Jean Tournier served as cinematographer.

The Day of the Jackal Cast

Edward Fox stars as The Jackal. Other players include Terence Alexander (Lloyd), Michael Auclair (Colonel Rolland), Alan Badel (The Minister), Tony Britton (Inspector Thomas), Cyril Cusack (The Gunsmith), Denis Carey (Casson), Adrien Cayla-Legrand (President de Gaulle), Maurice Denham (General Colbert), Vernon Dobtcheff (The Interrogator), Jacques Francois (Pascal), Michel Lonsdale (Claude Lebel), Olga Georges-Picot (Denise), Derek Jacobi (Caron), Ronald Pickup (The Forger), Eric Porter (Colonel Rodin), Delphine Seyrig (Colette), David Swift (Montclair) and Timothy West (Berthier).

Producer John Woolf’s first choice for The Jackal had reportedly been Roger Moore, who was subsequently rejected by the director because he was too recognizable from his role as TV’s The Saint (1962-69). Others considered for the lead were Michael Caine and Jack Nicholson.

The Day of the Jackal Filmed in Europe

An Anglo-French production, The Day of the Jackal was filmed in Europe. Locations used included France (Paris, Nice, Tulle, French Riviera), England (London), Austria (Vienna) and Italy (Genoa, Imperia).

As with his western classic High Noon (1952), director Fred Zinnemann made skillful use of ticking clocks. In all, 31 clock inserts were used to convey the heightening tension as The Jackal closes in for the kill.

The Near Assassination of Charles de Gaulle

Set in 1963, The Day of the Jackal’s intricate plot centers on the ultra-nationalist Organisation de l’armee secrete (OAS), whose members are enraged following the signing of the Evian agreements granting Algerian independence from France. The OAS plans to kill President Charles de Gaulle in retaliation, and turns to a professional British assassin who demands $500,000 for the job.

Operating under the code name “The Jackal,” the loner assassin begins his methodical preparations, obtaining forged documents and a specially modified lightweight rifle with telescopic site. Discovering that the OAS has hired an unknown killer to knock off de Gaulle, the French government brings in its top detective, Deputy Commissioner Claude Lebel, who is given unlimited resources in his hunt for the assassin.

Tipped off that the French authorities are on to the plot, The Jackal opts to complete his assignment, penetrating heavy security during Liberation Day festivities and gathering de Gaulle in his sights.

The Day of the Jackal Opens in New York City

The Day of the Jackal opened at New York City’s Loew’s State 2 and Orpheum Theaters on May 16, 1973.

“Fred Zinnemann’s The Day of the Jackal is one hell of an exciting movie. I wasn’t prepared for how good it really is…” crowed Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times (7/3/73).

“Edward Fox is a very natty-looking assassin…In the supporting cast are some of the best actors in England and France, including Michel Lonsdale as a French supercop and Delphine Seyrig as a bossy baroness whom the assassin encounters en route to his date with destiny,” reported Vincent Canby of The New York Times (5/17/73).

Film Analysis

In the movie thriller genre they don’t come any finer than The Day of the Jackal, Fred Zinnemann’s classic study of an international assassin at work. Edward Fox is low-key brilliant as the professional hit man (that’s $250,000 up front and another $250,000 when the job is completed), who methodically stalks President de Gaulle.

The Day of the Jackal is outstanding in its painstaking attention to detail. The mysterious Jackal is seen gathering all the trade craft needed for the job, including forged identity papers, disguises and a special rifle with mounted scope and silencer.

Turning in a quiet, competent performance is Michel Lonsdale as France’s top investigator. This is a gem of a role, with Lonsdale ferreting out a mole in the French government and eventually coming face to face with his elusive quarry in a Paris hotel room.

Viewers won’t easily forget The Jackal, who disguises himself as an old, handicapped, decorated World War I veteran on Liberation Day. Deftly slipping through security, The Jackal assembles the rifle that was hidden in his crutch and sets up shop in the sniper’s nest, patiently waiting for de Gaulle to arrive.

The Day of the Jackal Oscar Nomination, Movie Memorabilia, DVD

• The Day of the Jackal garnered one Academy Award nomination: Best Film Editing (Ralph Kemplen).
• Auction results for original The Day of the Jackal movie material, courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, Texas: one sheet poster ($16), British one sheet poster ($28), Japanese poster ($29), set of eight lobby cards ($24).
• On DVD: The Day of the Jackal (Universal, 1998).

“Considering you expect to get France in return, I’d have thought it a reasonable price,” The Jackal coolly replies after Montclair blanches at the assassin’s $500,000 fee.

The OAS only had to pay half…

Jim Thorpe – All American one sheet poster image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

Director Michael Curtiz and Warner Bros. brought Jim Thorpe – All American to movie theaters in 1951. Burt Lancaster has the title role, with Charles Bickford as his athletic mentor.

Jim Thorpe (1888-1953): All American Athlete and Olympian

Jim Thorpe – All American is primarily based on the autobiography of the same name by James Francis Thorpe and Hollywood publicist Russell J. Birdwell. Also used was the story “Bright Path” by Douglas Morrow and Los Angeles Examiner sportswriter Vincent X. Flaherty.

MGM had originally bought the movie rights to Thorpe’s life story. But when Thorpe’s wife, who had power of attorney for her husband, couldn’t reach a final deal for the motion picture, MGM sold the rights to Vincent X. Flaherty.

Warner Bros. then purchased the movie rights from Flaherty in a deal that reportedly netted Jim Thorpe $25,000. In addition, the former Olympian was also hired as a technical adviser on the production. By this time Thorpe was hardly a Hollywood newcomer, having worked as an extra in a number of films, including the classic King Kong (1933). In one famous incident away from the cameras, the burly Thorpe had decked a rowdy Errol Flynn during a confrontation at a bar.

Jim Thorpe died of a heart attack at age 64 at his home in Lomita, California, on March 28, 1953. By his side was his third wife, Patricia.

Michael Curtiz Directs Jim Thorpe – All American

Douglas Morrow, Everett Freeman and Frank Davis wrote the screenplay for Warner Bros. Pictures. Michael Curtiz, who had won an Academy Award for 1943’s Casablanca, directed. Max Steiner created the original music score and Ernest Haller served as cinematographer.

The athletic Burt Lancaster, a former circus performer, heads the cast as Jim Thorpe. Other players include Charles Bickford (Glenn S. “Pop” Warner), Steve Cochran (Pete Allendine), Phyllis Thaxter (Margaret Miller), Dick Wesson (Ed Guyac), Jack Big Head (Little Boy Who Walk Like Bear), Sonny Chorre (Wally Denny), Al Mejia (Louis Tewanema), Hubie Kerns (Tom Ashenbrunner), Holly Bane (Ed Lacey), Jimmy Hawkins (Jimmy), Nestor Paiva (Hiram Thorpe), Roy Gordon (John McGraw), Max Terhune (Farmer), Jimmy Moss (Jim Thorpe Jr.) and Billy Gray (Young Jim Thorpe).

Also seriously considered for the Jim Thorpe role was the athletic Kirk Douglas, who had been a star wrestler at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York.    

Jim Thorpe – All American Filmed in Oklahoma

Jim Thorpe – All American began shooting on August 25, 1950, eventually wrapping up in four weeks. Filming locations used were Bacone College outside Muskogee, Oklahoma, and the Los Angeles Coliseum. 

As technical adviser, Jim Thorpe, along with four other coaches, taught Burt Lancaster the art of drop kicking a football. Lancaster was also placed into training to get him down to a lean, muscle-hardened 175 lbs. Supervising much of his athletic regimen were USC track coach Jess Hill, UCLA football coach Bill Spaulding and former junior welterweight boxing champion Mushy Callahan.

The Hungarian-born Michael Curtiz was not that familiar with American football. During one scene, Curtiz walked onto the field and asked, “Where are all the men?” When told that there were the requisite eleven players on each team, Curtiz replied, “That’s not enough. Double it.”

Effectively incorporated into the picture was archival footage from both the 1912 and 1932 Summer Olympic Games, including several long shots of the actual Jim Thorpe in action.

Charles Bickford Narrates Jim Thorpe – All American

Narrated by Charles Bickford, Jim Thorpe – All American opens at a testimonial dinner in Oklahoma where Thorpe is being honored for his athletic achievements. In flashback form, we now see a young Jim Thorpe being driven to school by his father. Jim doesn’t like school, and runs 12 miles back to his home on the reservation, arriving before his dad.

Now a young man, Thorpe enrolls at Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. Under the tutelage of legendary coach Glenn S. “Pop” Warner, Thorpe becomes a standout college athlete in both football and track and field. In his senior year, the All American Thorpe and his Carlisle Indians engage in a titanic gridiron battle with Penn and its All American Tom Ashenbrunner.

Embittered that he wasn’t hired for a coveted coaching job following the Penn game, Thorpe now sets his sights on the 1912 Summer Olympic Games in Stockholm. After winning gold medals in both the decathlon and  pentathlon, Thorpe is saluted in victory by Sweden’s King Gustav V, who declares, “Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world.”

One year later, Thorpe is stripped of his Olympic medals when it is learned that he had violated his amateur status by playing semipro baseball. Thorpe now becomes a professional athlete, plying his talents on both the baseball diamond and the gridiron.

When his young son dies, Thorpe begins drinking heavily, which leads to the breakup of his marriage to his college sweetheart. Thorpe later reconnects with his old mentor Pop Warner at the opening of the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Jim Thorpe – All American Opens in New York City 

Jim Thorpe – All American opened at New York City’s Astor Theater on August 24, 1951.

“The Warner Brothers…could not have assigned a better man to the title role than Burt Lancaster. He is equipped physically and, what is more important, professionally, for the job of depicting the storied athlete. Mr. Lancaster looks as though he might place in the Olympics, if not win,” reported A.H. Weiler of The New York Times (8/25/51).

Jim Thorpe – All American Trivia, DVD

• Burt Lancaster (1913-1994) performed the vast majority of his own jock work, including toe-to-toe gridiron combat with college football players from USC and UCLA.
• Burt Lancaster’s hair was dyed black and his skin darkened by makeup to reflect Jim Thorpe’s Sac and Fox Indian features. The real Thorpe later remarked, “I don’t think I was ever that handsome.”
• Jim Thorpe – All American, rife with the usual Hollywood embellishments and outright fictions, was released abroad under the title Man of Bronze.
• On DVD: Jim Thorpe – All American (Warner, 2007).

Jeremiah Johnson Polish movie poster image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

Director Sydney Pollack and Warner Bros. delivered Jeremiah Johnson to movie theaters in 1972. Robert Redford has the title role, with Will Geer playing an old, grizzled spirit who teaches Redford the ways of the mountain man.

Vardis Fisher’s Mountain Man

Jeremiah Johnson is based on two works of literature: the 1965 Vardis Fisher novel Mountain Man and the story “Crow Killer” by Raymond W. Thorp and Robert Bunker. A native of Idaho, Vardis Fisher (1895-1968) had based his novel’s main character, Sam Minard, on the real-life 19th century mountain man, John “Liver-Eatin’” Johnston.

John Milius, Edward Anhalt and David Rayfiel wrote the screenplay for Sanford Productions and Warner Bros. Pictures. Sydney Pollack (1934-2008) – an Oscar winner for 1985’s majestic Out of Africa – directed. Tim McIntire and John Rubinstein created the movie’s decidedly rustic music score, with McIntire singing the title song, “The Ballad of Jeremiah Johnson.”

Robert Redford Heads Jeremiah Johnson Cast

Robert Redford stars as Jeremiah Johnson. Other players include Will Geer (Bear Claw Chris Lapp), Stefan Gierasch (Del Gue), Delle Bolton (Swan), Joaquin Martinez (Paints His Shirt Red), Josh Albee (Caleb), Allyn Ann McLerie (Crazy Woman), Richard Angarola (Chief Two-Tongues Lebeaux), Paul Benedict (Reverend Lindquist), Charles Tyner (Robidoux), Jack Colvin (Lieutenant Mulvey), Matt Clark (Qualen) and Tanya Tucker (Qualen’s Daughter).

Jeremiah Johnson Filmed in Utah

Jeremiah Johnson, which features some of the most spectacular scenery ever to appear on film, was shot on location in Utah. Among the locations used were Wasatch-Cache National Forest (Salt Lake City), Zion National Park (Springdale), Ashley National Forest (Vernal), Snow Canyon State Park (Ivins), Uinta National Forest (Provo) and Sundance Ski Resort.

Filming at altitudes of 12,000 feet proved difficult, as both cast and crew struggled to breathe in the thin, oxygen-deprived air. Director Sydney Pollack made good use of the trolley-mounted camera, especially during the movie’s many action sequences.

Jeremiah Johnson: Mountain Man Movie 

Jeremiah Johnson opens in a river town at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the 1840s. Jeremiah Johnson, an ex-soldier still partially clad in his blue uniform, prepares for a new life as a hunter, trapper and mountain man.

The neophyte Jeremiah, who pries a coveted .50 caliber Hawken rifle from the frozen body of one Hatchet Jack, barely survives his first few days in the mountains. Taking pity on him is Bear Claw, a veteran mountain man with a penchant for hunting grizzly bear, who teaches the “dumb Pilgrim” the ways of the wilderness.

Jeremiah happens on the scene of a grisly Indian massacre at a settler’s cabin. After burying the dead, the crazed woman whose family was slaughtered presents Jeremiah with her young son, who is unable to speak because of the horrors he witnessed.

Jeremiah and the boy, now called Caleb, meet up with Del Gue, a bald-headed mountain man who collects scalps from his slain enemies, most notably Blackfeet warriors. A Flathead Indian chief named Two-Tongues Lebeaux later gifts Jeremiah with his daughter, Swan, believing that Jeremiah was the great killer of the Blackfeet.

Following a mission of mercy to rescue a stranded wagon train in the snowy mountains, Jeremiah returns to his cabin to find his Indian wife and adopted son murdered by a Crow raiding party. Consumed with rage, Jeremiah embarks on a personal vendetta, resulting in a series of bloody confrontations where he becomes both the hunter and the hunted.

Jeremiah Johnson Premieres at Cannes Film Festival

Originally titled The Crow Killer, Jeremiah Johnson debuted at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in May 1972. The picture later opened at New York City’s Loew’s Tower East Theater on December 21, 1972. Warner Bros. had delayed the general release of Jeremiah Johnson until late 1972 and early 1973. The studio’s other Robert Redford film, The Candidate, was given priority in order to capitalize on the 1972 U.S. presidential election.

“Fable, legend, pastoral, Jeremiah Johnson is about the time-tested story favorite, the making of a hero,” reported Foster Hirsch of The Village Voice (1/18/73).

“Watching Robert Redford learn the ways of the forest for 90 minutes and then slaughter Indians for the concluding 20 is not my idea of a good, enlightening, or novel time at the movies,” observed Gary Arnold of The Washington Post (12/27/72).

Jeremiah Johnson graced several prominent critics’ best ten movie lists for 1972, including Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic, Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times and Paine Knickerbocker of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Jeremiah Johnson Box Office, DVD

• Jeremiah Johnson grossed $21.9 million at the American box office, good for the #5 position on the list of the top moneymaking films of 1972.
• On DVD: Jeremiah Johnson (Warner, 1997).

“Great hunter. Yes? Fine figure of a man. Yes?” Jeremiah humorously queries, referring to himself as he teaches his Indian wife English.

Jeremiah Johnson. Fine motion picture? Yes!

Image courtesy United Artists

An all-star cast led by Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and James Coburn head south of the border to confront Mexican bandit Eli Wallach in United Artists’ The Magnificent Seven. Add Elmer Bernstein’s stirring music score and John Sturges’ slam-bang direction and it all spells Classic Western.  

The Magnificent Seven Based on The Seven Samurai

The Magnificent Seven is based on the 1954 Japanese film Shichinin no samurai – or The Seven Samurai – directed by the great Akira Kurosawa. Set in 16th century Japan, the picture tells the story of seven samurai warriors who agree to protect an embattled village from marauding bandits.

A great admirer of The Seven Samurai, director John Sturges made the decision to do a remake of the movie, but with one major difference: his version would be an American western. Penning the screenplay was William Roberts, with uncredited assistance from Walter Bernstein and Walter Newman.

Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen Head Cast

Yul Brynner (Chris Adams) and Steve McQueen (Vin) head the cast. Other players include Charles Bronson (Bernardo O’Reilly), Robert Vaughn (Lee), James Coburn (Britt), Brad Dexter (Harry Luck), Horst Buchholz (Chico) and Eli Wallach (Calvera).

Others considered for roles in The Magnificent Seven included George Peppard and Gene Wilder (Vin) and John Ireland and Sterling Hayden (Britt).

Of the principals, Steve McQueen’s services were the most difficult to acquire as he was still under contract to Four Star Productions, starring as bounty hunter Josh Randall in CBS-TV’s Wanted – Dead or Alive. Four Star’s Tom McDermott was squarely against letting Steve McQueen appear in the picture, so when persuasion and threats didn’t work, McQueen’s agent, Hilly Elkins, instructed his client to “have an accident.” The wild McQueen did just that, driving his car into the side of a Boston bank and returning to Los Angeles in a neck brace. McDermott finally relented, and McQueen signed on as Vin for $65,000.

The Magnificent Seven Filmed in Mexico

The Magnificent Seven was filmed on location in Cuernavaca, Mexico, from March to April 1960. Yul Brynner was actually married on the set – to wife number two, Doris Kleiner – with props from the fiesta scene used in the subsequent reception.

A rivalry developed on the set between Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen, with the latter – nicknamed “Tricky Dick” because of his constant machinations – engaging in a covert campaign of scene stealing. After Brynner had built up a small mound of dirt in order to make himself look taller, the crafty McQueen gradually began kicking it away while speaking his lines, making Brynner look smaller and smaller.

Steve McQueen: We Deal in Lead, Friend

Steve McQueen’s classic line – “We deal in lead, friend” – aptly sums up the plot in The Magnificent Seven. When Mexican villagers tire of the constant raids conducted by Calvera and his bandits, they enlist the help of Chris Adams, an American gun for hire.

Chris methodically recruits six other gunslinging mercenaries. The last to be accepted is the youngest member, Chico, who was initially turned down after failing a test to measure his nerve and quick-draw skills.

The Magnificent Seven is packed with plenty of action and gunplay, with the body count eventually numbering 55 souls. One of the most memorable scenes is the gem introducing Britt, who is challenged to a fast-draw contest by a belligerent cowboy who pits his six-shooter against Britt’s knife. The man loses, with the lightning-quick Britt planting his blade in the cowboy’s chest.

Charles Bronson, paid a modest $50,000 for his services, also has a good scene. Playing the half-Mexican, half-Irish Bernardo O’Reilly, Bronson lectures a young Mexican boy on the true nature of courage.

Release, Reviews

The Magnificent Seven hit movie theaters on October 23, 1960.

“The Magnificent Seven is a rip-roaring, rootin’ tootin’ Western with lots of bite and tang and old-fashioned abandon…” crowed Variety (10/5/60).

“A considerable amount of money was spent on this Western – to no purpose,” countered Films in Review (11/60).

The Magnificent Seven Oscar Nomination, Trivia, DVD

• The Magnificent Seven earned one Oscar nomination, Elmer Bernstein for Best Music, Scoring of a Drama or Comedy Picture. And although he didn’t win, Bernstein’s memorable score later became immortalized in the classic Marlboro television commercials.
• Robert Vaughn, born November 22, 1932, is the sole survivor of the titled seven. Yul Brynner (1915-1985), Steve McQueen (1930-1980), Charles Bronson (1921-2003), James Coburn (1928-2002), Brad Dexter (1917-2002) and Horst Buchholz (1933-2003) have all departed for the high country.
• On DVD: The Magnificent Seven Special Edition (MGM/UA, 2001).

Image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

Director Gordon Parks brought the original Shaft to the silver screen in 1971. Richard Roundtree plays the title character, with Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John and Gwenn Mitchell in support.

Ernest Tidyman’s Shaft Novel

Shaft was based on the novel of the same name by Cleveland-born Ernest Tidyman (1928-1984). One of only several Caucasians to win an NAACP Image Award, Tidyman garnered the title for his novel after looking out of his publisher’s window, where he spied the sign “Fire Shaft.”

Shaft was published in 1970 by Macmillan. It was followed by six other novels in the series: Shaft Among the Jews (1972), Shaft’s Big Score (1972), Shaft Has a Ball (1973), Goodbye, Mr. Shaft (1973), Shaft’s Carnival of Killers (1974) and The Last Shaft (1975).

Gordon Parks Directs Shaft

Ernest Tidyman and John D.F. Black penned the Shaft screenplay for MGM. Directing the action was Gordon Parks (1912-2006). In 1969, Parks had become the first African-American to direct a film for a major studio: The Learning Tree (Warner Bros.).

The great Isaac Hayes (1942-2008) provided the music score along with the film’s popular, super-hip theme song.

Richard Roundtree Heads Shaft Cast

Richard Roundtree heads the cool cast as John Shaft. Other players include Moses Gunn (Bumpy Jonas), Charles Cioffi (Lt. Vic Androzzi), Christopher St. John (Ben Buford), Gwenn Mitchell (Ellie Moore), Lawrence Pressman (Sgt. Tom Hannon), Victor Arnold (Charlie), Sherri Brewer (Marcy), Drew Bundini Brown (Willy), Al Kirk (Sims), Rex Robbins (Rollie), Camille Yarbrough (Dina Greene) and Antonio Fargas (Bunky).

Director Gordon Parks makes an uncredited cameo appearance as an apartment landlord.

Shaft Filmed in New York City

Budgeted at $1.2 million, Shaft was filmed on location in New York City. Familiar landmarks included Cafe Reggio in the West Village, Times Square and the mean streets of Harlem.

John Shaft: Spade Detective

John Shaft is a private eye – or “spade detective,” as he calls himself – who lives in Greenwich Village. He operates his PI agency out of a seedy, rented office in mid-town Manhattan.

When tipped off that two hoods are looking for him, Shaft gets the jump on one of them, taking him to his office at gunpoint. The other thug comes to his pal’s rescue, with a brawl ensuing and one of the hoods taking a plunge out of an office window.

Too bad, but all they really wanted was to arrange a meeting between Shaft and Harlem gangster Bumpy Jonas. Lt. Vic Androzzi of the NYPD learns of this development, and wants to use Shaft as a source of information on organized crime in Harlem.

Bumpy Jonas, head of a black syndicate that traffic in drugs and prostitution, hires Shaft at $50 an hour to find his daughter, Marcy, who has been kidnapped by the Mafia. Shaft locates the girl at a Greenwich Village hotel, and with the help of a black militant group called the Lumumba storms the fleabag joint. A hail of gunfire ensues, with Shaft and his volunteer army deposing the bad guys and whisking Marcy away in a caravan of four taxicabs.

Shaft Release, Reviews

Shaft was released on July 2, 1971.

“There have been lots of movies about black cops…but Gordon Parks’ Shaft gives us the first really convincing black private eye,” reported Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times (7/1/71).

“About a razzle-dazzle black private eye, the film is outrageously funny in its tough, campy, compendium of mod attitudes and expressions…” opined William Wolf of Cue magazine (7/3/71).

Shaft Box Office, Academy Award, DVD, Sequels, Remakes

• Shaft grossed $7.068 million at the box office, good for #16 on the list of Hollywood’s top moneymaking films of 1971.  
• Shaft won one Academy Award for Best Music/Original Song, “Theme from Shaft,” written and performed by Isaac Hayes.
• For all you cool cats Shaft is available on DVD (Warner Home Video, 2000).
• Shaft spawned two sequels, Shaft’s Big Score! (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973), a Shaft (1973-74)television series also starring Richard Roundtree and one remake, Shaft (2000), starring Samuel L. Jackson.

“Who’s the cat that won’t cop out/When there’s danger all about?”

We know…SHAFT! Right on!

Image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

Director William Cameron Menzies and United Artists joined forces in 1936 to bring us Things to Come, a futuristic vision of man in a post-apocalyptic world. Raymond Massey, Ralph Richardson and Cedric Hardwicke star, with some imaginative sets and dazzling special effects in shining support.

Based on the Books by H.G. Wells

Things to Come is loosely based on the 1933 novel The Shape of Things to Come and the 1931 nonfiction book The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind. Both are the works of noted British author H. G. Wells (1866-1946).

Alexander Korda Produces Things to Come

Alexander Korda produced Things to Come for United Artists. H.G. Wells wrote the screenplay and the celebrated William Cameron Menzies directed. Menzies, an award-winning art director and production designer, had previously directed such fare as The Spider (1931) and Chandu the Magician (1932).

Raymond Massey and Ralph Richardson Head Cast

Raymond Massey (John Cabal/Oswald Cabal) and Edward Chapman (Pippa Passworthy/Raymond Passworthy) both play dual roles. Other cast members include Ralph Richardson (Rudolf The Boss), Margaretta Scott (Roxana/Rowena), Cedric Hardwicke (Theotocopulos), Maurice Braddell (Dr. Harding), Sophie Stewart (Mrs. Cabal), Derrick De Marney (Richard Gordon), Ann Todd (Mary Gordon), Pearl Argyle (Catherine Cabal) and Patricia Hilliard (Janet Gordon).

Things to Come Filmed in England

Budgeted at a healthy $1 million, Things to Come was filmed at Denham Studios in the United Kingdom. The film’s enchanting music was recorded at the Scala Theatre in London.

Things to Come: Global Apocalypse and Beyond

Things to Come begins in 1940 with the outbreak of a global war. The conflict, finally ending in 1966, proves so devastating  that man is plunged back into a new Dark Ages. “The wandering sickness,” a virus unleashed by biological warfare, is but one lingering consequence of the global apocalypse.

In the year 1970 the survivors of the war now reside in Everytown, run by a local chieftain known as “The Boss.” A ruthless warlord, The Boss executes all those infected with the plague while continuing Everytown’s ongoing battle with the rival “Hill People.”

Everytown and other “zones” are later pacified by John Cabal and his Wings Over the World society, a group of scientists who are building a new civilization based in Iraq. Great technological advances follow, with mankind later launching the first moon shot in 2036.

Things to Come Premieres in London

Things to Come premiered in London on February 20, 1936. The film’s American debut came at New York City’s Rivoli Theatre on April 17, 1936.

“H.G. Wells, the eminent fortune teller, has painted a pessimistic, frightening, yet inspiring picture of our next 100 years in his first film…” reported Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times (4/18/36).

Things to Come Movie Review

Things to Come – England’s first $1 million film – is a must-see for any serious fan of the fantastic cinema. It’s a classic H.G. Wells story, encompassing apocalypse, struggle, survival and ultimately redemption for a beleaguered mankind.

The movie’s special effects, supervised by Ned Mann, are particularly good for the era. Georges Perinal’s cinematography is also top rate, as is Harry Zech’s “trick photography.”

Sci-fi fans will love this movie for its futuristic elements: underground cities, artificial sunlight, a space cannon and (yikes!) air conditioning. Shades of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon will keep action buffs happy.

Things to Come DVD

• Things to Come is available  on DVD (Legend, 2006).

“And when he (mankind) has conquered all the deeps of space and all the mysteries of time, still he will be beginning,” declares Raymond Massey.

Wow…

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, remains a hotbed of controversy. In 1973, National General Pictures added its name to the long list of conspiracy theorists, releasing the political thriller Executive Action, the first Hollywood film to dramatize the horrific events of Assassination Weekend.

Mark Lane’s Rush to Judgment

Executive Action is based loosely on the 1966 nonfiction bestseller Rush to Judgment, authored by noted New York defense attorney Mark Lane. One of the earliest assassination investigators on the scene, Lane had served as JFK’s New York City area campaign manager in 1960 and had later been retained by the mother of accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald in 1964 to look after the interests of her murdered son.

In 1967, Lane’s book became the basis for the documentary The Plot to Kill JFK: Rush to Judgment, in which he personally interviewed a number of witnesses who had been in Dallas’ Dealey Plaza on the day President Kennedy was killed.

Donald Sutherland’s Executive Action Film Project

Executive Action, as written by Mark Lane and Donald Freed, had initially been championed by actor Donald Sutherland. But when Sutherland’s proposed film was turned down by virtually every movie company in Hollywood, the actor reluctantly sold the rights to producer Edward Lewis.

Dalton Trumbo Writes Executive Action

Edward Lewis, who held the opinion that government officials had not told the whole truth concerning the JFK assassination, took his project to once-blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo. Armed with a small library of books on the assassination and an 8mm home movie that had captured the crime on film, Trumbo began his research.

After concluding that the shots on President Kennedy’s motorcade had come from two different directions, Trumbo went to work on the screenplay. In order to lend authenticity to his conspiracy-themed script, Trumbo convinced director David Miller to intersperse actual newsreels into the production.

Cast

When first approached by Edward Lewis to headline the film, Burt Lancaster demurred, telling the producer, “I won’t do the picture unless I’m convinced that the plot could have happened.” Several months later a confident Lancaster announced, “I’m convinced,” signing on as the sinister businessman James Farrington.

Robert Ryan, who would play Foster, had similar doubts. But after reading the script, he too signed on with Lewis. Ryan, who died on July 11, 1973 – only several weeks after the picture had been completed – later called Executive Action “the most important film I ever made.”

Other cast members include Will Geer (Harold Ferguson), Gilbert Green (Paulitz), John Anderson (Halliday), Paul Carr (Chris), Colby Chester (Tim), Ed Lauter (Team A Operations Chief), Walter Brooke (Smythe), John Brascia (Team B Rifleman), Richard Bull (Team A Rifleman), Sidney Clute (Depository Clerk), Deanna Darrin (Stripper), Lee Delano (Team A Gunman), Lloyd Gough (McCadden), Oscar Orcini (Jack Ruby) and James MacColl (Oswald Imposter).  

An array of real-life figures also appear in the movie via archive footage. They include President Kennedy himself, Jackie Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Texas Governor John Connally, Dallas Police Chief Jesse Curry, Secret Service agent Clint Hill, Dallas strip club owner Jack Ruby, newsman Ike Pappas, Dallas Police detective Jim Leavelle and accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.

Financing

Like Donald Sutherland before him, Edward Lewis hit a brick wall when it came time to finance his picture. Finally, a private investor outside of Hollywood stepped forward, and Lewis had his money.

Filmed in Dallas

Executive Action was filmed primarily in three locations: infamous Dealey Plaza in Dallas, the actual scene of what some have called “the crime of the century”; Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park in Agua Dulce, California; and the Pasadena, California, mansion of actor Will Geer, who played one of the plotters in the film. The latter was used as the palatial home where Geer, Lancaster and Ryan initially plan the assassination of JFK.

Movie

Executive Action dramatizes the view that wealthy businessmen of a right-wing, industrial complex bent conspired to kill President Kennedy in Dallas. The trio wanted the President eliminated, the movie argues, because of Kennedy’s plan to withdraw troops from Vietnam, his signing of the nuclear test-ban treaty with the Soviet Union and his cutting of the oil depletion allowance.

The plotters accomplish their goal through subterfuge and shadow. They recruit several expert sniper teams and dispatch them to Dallas, who carry out the hit in Dealey Plaza as the President rides in his motorcade. The blame is then shifted to a “patsy,” the left-leaning Lee Harvey Oswald, who is subsequently murdered himself at Dallas Police headquarters by strip club owner Jack Ruby, who is wired into the conspiracy. 

Executive Action Release, Reviews, DVD

• Executive Action premiered on November 7, 1973, just 15 days prior to the tenth anniversary of the Kennedy assassination.
• Nora Sayre of The New York Times (11/8/73) called the film “a tactful, low-key blend of fact and invention,” resulting in “a cool, skillful, occasionally confusing argument for conspiracy.” 
• Variety reported, “Executive Action, a part-fiction and documentary style film, dramatized with low key terror, is an emotional aftershock to the event.”
• Executive Action, which garners its title from a term coined by the CIA in the 1950s referring to political assassination, is available on DVD (Warner, 2007).

“In the last two years, the Secret Service has established 149 threats against Kennedy’s life from Texas alone, yet they send him into hostile territory with no more protection than you and I would arrange for a favorite dog.” –  Robert Ryan to co-conspirator Burt Lancaster.

Chilling…