Favorite Universal Westerns... -- The Music of Universal Horror and Drama Films

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 16:29:35 03/20/13 Wed
Author: Rick
Subject:

Favorite Universal Westerns...

The classics and rare gems, too.

Rick

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> Re: Favorite Universal Westerns... -- Tim, 21:58:32 03/21/13 Thu [1]

Destry Rides Again (1939)
Marlene Dietrich, James Stewart, Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Warren Hymer, Irene Hervey, Una Merkel, Billy Gilbert, Samuel S. Hinds, Jack Carson.

Perhaps not a western in the purest sense, more of a western/comedy with music thrown in as well. Marlene Dietrich famously sings "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have." Her saloon singing was parodied in the Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles (1974). Destry Rides Again used to show up a lot on the American Movies Classics channel, which is probably where I last saw it.

The Spoilers (1942)
Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott, John Wayne, Margaret Lindsay, Harry Carey, Richard Barthelmess, George Cleveland, Samuel S. Hinds.

Set in Alaska, this one is famous for the brawl between John Wayne and Randolph Scott. Years later John Wayne did a western called North to Alaska (1960), but it was not a Universal picture.

The Cimarron Kid (1952)
Audie Murphy, Beverly Tyler, James Best, Yvette Duguay, John Hudson, Hugh O'Brian, Roy Roberts, David Wolfe, Noah Beery Jr, Leif Erickson.

Audie Murphy is falsely accused of a train robbery. An entertaining B-western.

Night Passage (1957)
James Stewart, Audie Murphy, Dan Duryea, Dianne Foster, Elaine Stewart, Brandon De Wilde, Jay C. Flippen, Herbert Anderson, Robert J. Wilke, Hugh Beaumont, Jack Elam.

James Stewart is a fired railroad worker who is rehired to take a payroll through. A little slow paced at the start, but still an interesting picture with many familiar character actors. Among the cast is a young Brandon De Wilde, who had earlier been in one of the greatest westerns of all time, Shane (1953).

The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968)
Don Knotts, Barbara Rhoades, Donald Barry, Ruth McDevitt, Frank McGrath, Terry Wilson, Carl Ballantine.

Laugh if you will, but I have loved this movie since I was kid! If I didn't see it when it first came out in 1968, I saw it shortly thereafter. It's one of Don Knotts' best comedies, and features several actors associated with westerns, including Don 'Red' Barry, Frank McGrath, Terry Wilson and Dub Taylor.

Tim

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]

[> Re: Favorite Universal Westerns... -- Tim, 09:58:37 03/22/13 Fri [1]

Destry Rides Again is a 1930 novel by Max Brand. Universal produced three movies loosely based on the book. I have only seen the 1939 version. The 1932 film was retitled Justice Rides Again for some television broadcasts.

Destry Rides Again (1932)
aka Justice Rides Again
Tom Mix and Claudia Dell

Destry Rides Again (1939)
James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich

Destry (1954)
Audie Murphy and Mari Blanchard

Destry Rides Again (1932)
A four minute clip
Uploaded March 24, 2012
1,724 Views
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8K96GCfUSo

Destry Rides Again (1939) Trailer
Uploaded March 19, 2012
1,449 Views
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBBKJTCxYNQ

Destry Rides Again (1939) Trailer
Uploaded February 15, 2013
80 Views
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx3Y7fwGiHM

Destry (1954) Trailer
Uploaded October 6, 2012
1,886 Views
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-Fhgzypv0w

Tim

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]

[> [> Re: Favorite Universal Westerns... -- DAN, 09:39:13 03/23/13 Sat [1]

Tim already covered these three Universal westerns, but they're favorites of mine too.
DESTRY RIDE AGAIN (1932) Tom Mix
DESTRY RIDES AGAIN (1939) James Stewart.
THE SPOILERS (1942)

During the early 60s in NYC there was a daily hour program called "Action Serials." They'd run three different serials a day. The first chapter of each serial would start on a Monday. Then the second chapters of each one would air on Tuesday and so on until the finish. Then three new ones would begin.

Well on this program I got to see two of Lon Chaney Jr's Universal western serials.

RIDERS OF DEATH VALLEY (1941) - Dick Foran, Buck Jones, Lon Chaney Jr, Leo Carrillo, Noah Beery Jr, Charles Bickford, Glenn Strange, Guinn Big Boy Williams.

OVERLAND MAIL (1942) - Lon Chganey Jr, Noah Beery Jr, Noah Beery Sr, Helen Parrish.

I thought they were both great when I saw them back then. But since getting them both on DVD, Riders of Death Valley doesn't hold up quite as well. The cast is the main reason to own this western serial. Though it has plenty of action, I found many scenes a little boring.

"Overland Mail" still holds up pretty good. Lon Jr plays the hero in this one and does a good job.

BADLANDS OF DAKOTA (1941)- Robert Stack, Richard Dix, Broderick Crawford, Lon Chaney Jr. Andy Devine, Ann Rutherford, Frances Farmer.

I saw"Badlands of Dakota" once in the mid sixties and I remember liking this B western quite a bit.

I saw that a DVD copy of "Badlands of Dakota" was available on Amazon.com but is now currently out of stock. I put it on my wish list and hopefully when they get more copies I'll be able to get one.

Here's two other Universal B westerns that I liked when I saw them back in the 60s:

FRONTIER BADMEN (1943)- Robert Paige, Diana Barrymore, Anne Gwynne, Lon Chaney Jr, Andy Devine, Leo Carrillo, Tex ritter.

THE DALTONS RIDE AGAIN (1945) - Alan Curtis, Kent Taylor, Lon Chaney Jr. Noah Beery Jr. play the Dalton brothers.
With Martha O'Driscoll and Milburn Stone

I first saw "The Daltons Ride Again" on WOR's Million Dollar Movie in June 1961. M$M aired the same film Mon-Fri at 7:30 PM and again at 10:30 PM. Then on Sat & Sun in the afternoon. Well I liked it so much that I think I watched it about four or five times during that week that it played.

DESTRY:
I've seen this version showing up on TCM quite a bit. And I also have the DVD. I also have the 1939 version on DVD and the Tom Mix version on VHS.

"Destry" is not as good as the 1939 version, but it's still quite enjoyable on it's own.

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]