thedrifter
02-18-04, 06:28 AM
Issue Date: February 23, 2004
Cinema shootout
‘Josey Wales’ wins best of West bonanza
By Chuck Vinch
Times staff writer
“You gonna pull them pistols or whistle Dixie?”
That classic line from Clint Eastwood’s 1976 film “The Outlaw Josey Wales essentially was the challenge we threw down for our readers when we asked them to list their favorite Western movies.
About 220 people fanned their six-guns to name 126 titles — and in the end, “Josey Wales” topped the list. On a system that awarded five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on, that film appeared on 59 ballots and earned 200 points.
The Civil War story of a farmer who sets out to wreak vengeance on the Union renegades who murdered his family struck a strong chord with our voters.
“Only Clint Eastwood could make you feel sorry for a character like this,” said Navy Engineman 3rd Class Cody White, assigned to the cruiser Princeton out of San Diego.
“Great characters,” said Navy Capt. James Fisher, assigned to Navy headquarters in Washington. “Great lessons regarding betrayal, friendship, loyalty and reconciliation.”
And, Fisher pointed out, it’s the only film in Eastwood’s Western canon in which the actor cries.
We also asked readers to name their single favorite performance by an actor in a Western, and many simply said “anything” by John Wayne or Clint Eastwood.
“What more do you need, pilgrim?” wrote one anonymous supporter of the Duke.
Others lined up in Clint’s camp with Army Staff Sgt. Shawn Koch, based in Schweinfurt, Germany.
“Eastwood has given better performances with a wider depth of character than John Wayne ... I know that must sound like blasphemy,” Koch said.
Among those who singled out a performance, the winner was an offbeat but deserving choice — Val “I’m your huckleberry” Kilmer as Doc Holliday in the 1993 film “Tombstone,” which recounts the 1886 gunfight at the OK Corral that immortalized Wyatt Earp.
“He brought the character to life, despite the fact he was dying of tuberculosis,” said Cmdr. Chris Moore of Naval Support Activity New Orleans. “Rapier wit, fast gun and a swagger that I’ve always imagined existed in the Wild West.”
The comments that many readers sent in along with their picks prove they know their Westerns — and have strong ideas about the stuff good ones are made of.
“The movie must appear real in attitude and dress — no frilly ‘Roy Rogers’ types,” said Marine Cpl. Mathew Conway, assigned to the Marine Corps recruiting station in Harrisburg, Pa. “There must be good gunfights. No drive-bys unless it’s vital to the story, [but] a half-hour gunfight does nothing for a movie except pad the length.”
Finally, there must be a solid story. “I’ve seen many a movie that looked like ‘a day in the life of’ biography,” he said.
Based on those criteria, the top films in our poll comprise as strong a lineup as anyone could devise.
On the heels of “Josey Wales” was the 1956 John Wayne epic, “The Searchers,” which earned 25 first-place votes — tops in that category by a wide margin — and 195 points.
Placing third with 185 points was “Tombstone,” a showing that pulverized Kevin Costner’s morose “Wyatt Earp,” which earned just eight points.
Fourth on the list was another classic, 1952’s film “High Noon” starring Gary Cooper, a film that retired Air Force Col. Michael Gallagher of Sacramento, Calif., said is as good today “as it was over 50 years ago ... a great study of human nature.”
“Is there a working person alive who hasn’t yearned for the opportunity afforded Marshal Kane to toss down his star at the feet of the cowardly townsfolk?” Gallagher asked. “It’s the ultimate ‘take this job and shove it’ statement.”
And getting to ride off into the sunset with Grace Kelly “wasn’t too bad either!”
It’s no surprise that Cooper placed second on the “favorite performance” list.
He was closely followed by Wayne’s portrayal of Ethan Edwards, a Civil War veteran who spends years searching for his kidnapped niece, in “The Searchers” — considered among the best work of his long career.
The Duke also took fourth place, with 10 votes, for his memorable role as Marshal Rooster Cogburn in “True Grit.” That film came in at No. 10 on the movie list, with 101 points. Eastwood garnered nine votes for his searing portrayal of Will Munny in “Unforgiven,” which took No. 6 on the movie list with 165 points.
Other films that finished in the top 10 included “The Magnificent Seven,” the all-star Old West version of Kurosawa’s “The Seven Samurai,” which came in at No. 5, and another Clint classic, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” — my personal favorite — at No. 7.
Although we were looking for theater releases rather than TV movies, many voters simply couldn’t pass up the 1989 mini-series “Lonesome Dove,” which finished at No. 8 with 120 points.
Interestingly, people either loved this miniseries or dismissed it. It earned 18 first-place votes — second-most in that category — and Robert Duvall got eight votes for favorite Western performance as Gus McCrae. But “Dove” pulled only 10 other second- to fifth-place votes, by far the fewest of any of the top-ranking films.
Rounding out the top 10 was another classic, “Shane,” with Alan Ladd squaring off against Jack Palance as one of the most memorable Western villains ever. That 1953 film finished at No. 9 with 111 points.
Many thanks to all our readers who saddled up and submitted ballots. We’re already hatching plans for our next movie poll, so stay tuned.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Readers’ favorite performances
Along with asking our readers for their top five favorite Westerns, we also asked for their single favorite performance by an actor in a Western. Just over half of the voters submitted a pick. The results:
Actor/film: Votes
1. Val Kilmer, Tombstone: 14
2. Gary Cooper, High Noon: 12
3. John Wayne, The Searchers: 11
4. John Wayne, True Grit: 10
5. Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven: 9
6. Robert Duvall, Lonesome Dove: 8
7. John Wayne, The Shootist: 7
8. Clint Eastwood, The Outlaw Josey Wales: 6
9. Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter: 2
10. Clint Eastwood, Pale Rider: 2
11. Alan Ladd, Shane: 2
12. Jimmy Stewart, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: 2
13. John Wayne, Rio Bravo: 2
14. John Wayne, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon: 2
17 actors tied with one vote each.
For complete results of the voting on favorite Western films and performances, visit www.navytimes.com/westerns.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our critic’s magnificent 10
1. “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”: The third and best of Clint Eastwood’s “spaghetti Westerns,” a three-way quest for $200,000 in gold during the Civil War. I’ve seen it probably 50 times, but if I stumble across it while channel-surfing, I always watch again. Memorable work by Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach as Bad and Ugly, respectively.
2. “High Noon”: Taciturn Gary Cooper found the role he was born to play in Marshal Will Kane, an aging lawman forced to stand alone against a band of villains intent on killing him.
3. “The Wild Bunch”: Director Sam Peckinpah helped usher in a new era of hyperviolent action films with this stark tale of aging bank robbers in the vanishing West just before World War I.
4. “Unforgiven”: Clint Eastwood put a fitting capstone on his career in spurs with this riveting revisionist story of a stone-cold killer trying to outrun his past. “We all got it comin’, kid.”
5. “The Searchers”: One of director John Ford’s more melancholy Westerns gave John Wayne one of his best roles: Ethan Edwards, a Civil War vet who spends years tracking the Comanches who kidnapped his niece.
6. “The Long Riders”: Director Walter Hill followed in the Peckinpah tradition with this bloody but absorbing take on the James-Younger gang’s exploits.
7. “The Magnificent Seven”: An Old West adaptation of “The Seven Samurai” with an irresistible all-star cast led by Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and James Coburn, just to name a few.
8. “True Grit”: John Wayne shone in his other great Western role as Rooster Cogburn, a U.S. marshal who helps Kim Darby track down her father’s killer. “Fill your hand, you son of a ...”
9. “Blazing Saddles”: Mel Brooks’ wild, wild spoof on the wild, wild West has too many choice moments to count. Just thinking about the campfire scene gets me laughing. “Mungo just pawn ... in game of life.”
10. “Dances With Wolves”: This finely detailed story of the white man’s westward surge, told from the Native American point of view, earned Kevin Costner well-deserved acclaim.
— Chuck Vinch
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=0-MARINEPAPER-2636683.php
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
Cinema shootout
‘Josey Wales’ wins best of West bonanza
By Chuck Vinch
Times staff writer
“You gonna pull them pistols or whistle Dixie?”
That classic line from Clint Eastwood’s 1976 film “The Outlaw Josey Wales essentially was the challenge we threw down for our readers when we asked them to list their favorite Western movies.
About 220 people fanned their six-guns to name 126 titles — and in the end, “Josey Wales” topped the list. On a system that awarded five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on, that film appeared on 59 ballots and earned 200 points.
The Civil War story of a farmer who sets out to wreak vengeance on the Union renegades who murdered his family struck a strong chord with our voters.
“Only Clint Eastwood could make you feel sorry for a character like this,” said Navy Engineman 3rd Class Cody White, assigned to the cruiser Princeton out of San Diego.
“Great characters,” said Navy Capt. James Fisher, assigned to Navy headquarters in Washington. “Great lessons regarding betrayal, friendship, loyalty and reconciliation.”
And, Fisher pointed out, it’s the only film in Eastwood’s Western canon in which the actor cries.
We also asked readers to name their single favorite performance by an actor in a Western, and many simply said “anything” by John Wayne or Clint Eastwood.
“What more do you need, pilgrim?” wrote one anonymous supporter of the Duke.
Others lined up in Clint’s camp with Army Staff Sgt. Shawn Koch, based in Schweinfurt, Germany.
“Eastwood has given better performances with a wider depth of character than John Wayne ... I know that must sound like blasphemy,” Koch said.
Among those who singled out a performance, the winner was an offbeat but deserving choice — Val “I’m your huckleberry” Kilmer as Doc Holliday in the 1993 film “Tombstone,” which recounts the 1886 gunfight at the OK Corral that immortalized Wyatt Earp.
“He brought the character to life, despite the fact he was dying of tuberculosis,” said Cmdr. Chris Moore of Naval Support Activity New Orleans. “Rapier wit, fast gun and a swagger that I’ve always imagined existed in the Wild West.”
The comments that many readers sent in along with their picks prove they know their Westerns — and have strong ideas about the stuff good ones are made of.
“The movie must appear real in attitude and dress — no frilly ‘Roy Rogers’ types,” said Marine Cpl. Mathew Conway, assigned to the Marine Corps recruiting station in Harrisburg, Pa. “There must be good gunfights. No drive-bys unless it’s vital to the story, [but] a half-hour gunfight does nothing for a movie except pad the length.”
Finally, there must be a solid story. “I’ve seen many a movie that looked like ‘a day in the life of’ biography,” he said.
Based on those criteria, the top films in our poll comprise as strong a lineup as anyone could devise.
On the heels of “Josey Wales” was the 1956 John Wayne epic, “The Searchers,” which earned 25 first-place votes — tops in that category by a wide margin — and 195 points.
Placing third with 185 points was “Tombstone,” a showing that pulverized Kevin Costner’s morose “Wyatt Earp,” which earned just eight points.
Fourth on the list was another classic, 1952’s film “High Noon” starring Gary Cooper, a film that retired Air Force Col. Michael Gallagher of Sacramento, Calif., said is as good today “as it was over 50 years ago ... a great study of human nature.”
“Is there a working person alive who hasn’t yearned for the opportunity afforded Marshal Kane to toss down his star at the feet of the cowardly townsfolk?” Gallagher asked. “It’s the ultimate ‘take this job and shove it’ statement.”
And getting to ride off into the sunset with Grace Kelly “wasn’t too bad either!”
It’s no surprise that Cooper placed second on the “favorite performance” list.
He was closely followed by Wayne’s portrayal of Ethan Edwards, a Civil War veteran who spends years searching for his kidnapped niece, in “The Searchers” — considered among the best work of his long career.
The Duke also took fourth place, with 10 votes, for his memorable role as Marshal Rooster Cogburn in “True Grit.” That film came in at No. 10 on the movie list, with 101 points. Eastwood garnered nine votes for his searing portrayal of Will Munny in “Unforgiven,” which took No. 6 on the movie list with 165 points.
Other films that finished in the top 10 included “The Magnificent Seven,” the all-star Old West version of Kurosawa’s “The Seven Samurai,” which came in at No. 5, and another Clint classic, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” — my personal favorite — at No. 7.
Although we were looking for theater releases rather than TV movies, many voters simply couldn’t pass up the 1989 mini-series “Lonesome Dove,” which finished at No. 8 with 120 points.
Interestingly, people either loved this miniseries or dismissed it. It earned 18 first-place votes — second-most in that category — and Robert Duvall got eight votes for favorite Western performance as Gus McCrae. But “Dove” pulled only 10 other second- to fifth-place votes, by far the fewest of any of the top-ranking films.
Rounding out the top 10 was another classic, “Shane,” with Alan Ladd squaring off against Jack Palance as one of the most memorable Western villains ever. That 1953 film finished at No. 9 with 111 points.
Many thanks to all our readers who saddled up and submitted ballots. We’re already hatching plans for our next movie poll, so stay tuned.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Readers’ favorite performances
Along with asking our readers for their top five favorite Westerns, we also asked for their single favorite performance by an actor in a Western. Just over half of the voters submitted a pick. The results:
Actor/film: Votes
1. Val Kilmer, Tombstone: 14
2. Gary Cooper, High Noon: 12
3. John Wayne, The Searchers: 11
4. John Wayne, True Grit: 10
5. Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven: 9
6. Robert Duvall, Lonesome Dove: 8
7. John Wayne, The Shootist: 7
8. Clint Eastwood, The Outlaw Josey Wales: 6
9. Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter: 2
10. Clint Eastwood, Pale Rider: 2
11. Alan Ladd, Shane: 2
12. Jimmy Stewart, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: 2
13. John Wayne, Rio Bravo: 2
14. John Wayne, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon: 2
17 actors tied with one vote each.
For complete results of the voting on favorite Western films and performances, visit www.navytimes.com/westerns.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our critic’s magnificent 10
1. “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”: The third and best of Clint Eastwood’s “spaghetti Westerns,” a three-way quest for $200,000 in gold during the Civil War. I’ve seen it probably 50 times, but if I stumble across it while channel-surfing, I always watch again. Memorable work by Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach as Bad and Ugly, respectively.
2. “High Noon”: Taciturn Gary Cooper found the role he was born to play in Marshal Will Kane, an aging lawman forced to stand alone against a band of villains intent on killing him.
3. “The Wild Bunch”: Director Sam Peckinpah helped usher in a new era of hyperviolent action films with this stark tale of aging bank robbers in the vanishing West just before World War I.
4. “Unforgiven”: Clint Eastwood put a fitting capstone on his career in spurs with this riveting revisionist story of a stone-cold killer trying to outrun his past. “We all got it comin’, kid.”
5. “The Searchers”: One of director John Ford’s more melancholy Westerns gave John Wayne one of his best roles: Ethan Edwards, a Civil War vet who spends years tracking the Comanches who kidnapped his niece.
6. “The Long Riders”: Director Walter Hill followed in the Peckinpah tradition with this bloody but absorbing take on the James-Younger gang’s exploits.
7. “The Magnificent Seven”: An Old West adaptation of “The Seven Samurai” with an irresistible all-star cast led by Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and James Coburn, just to name a few.
8. “True Grit”: John Wayne shone in his other great Western role as Rooster Cogburn, a U.S. marshal who helps Kim Darby track down her father’s killer. “Fill your hand, you son of a ...”
9. “Blazing Saddles”: Mel Brooks’ wild, wild spoof on the wild, wild West has too many choice moments to count. Just thinking about the campfire scene gets me laughing. “Mungo just pawn ... in game of life.”
10. “Dances With Wolves”: This finely detailed story of the white man’s westward surge, told from the Native American point of view, earned Kevin Costner well-deserved acclaim.
— Chuck Vinch
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=0-MARINEPAPER-2636683.php
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: