Links and resources for the 7 movies in the Westerns series I’m giving at DEAR on Tuesdays at noon, starting on January 28, 2025, and then continuing on selected Tuesdays through April 10.
Stagecoach (1939)
- The Great Train Robbery – I couldn’t resist showing what is arguably the first western and even more arguably the first narrative film. It’s a little over 11 minutes, courtesy of the Library of Congress.
- Stage to Lordsburg – Original 1937 story by Ernest Haycox from Collier’s Magazine, which was adapted by Dudley Nichols for the script of Stagecoach.
My Darling Clementine (1946)
- John Ford Films – Tribute website maintained by writer and museum curator Eric Saul. Includes comprehensive Ford filmography and the screenplay for How Green Was my Valley.
Winchester ’73 (1950)
- Auction Video – A real “One in One Thousand” Winchester ’73 was sold last year. This video presents a nice overview of the history of the rifle before showing the auction. Watch to see what it sold for…
- Stewart on Pie – Interview segment with James Stewart from 1986 on his life with Pie, so to speak.
High Noon (1952)
- High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic – NPR review of Glenn Frankel’s book 2017 book, which I referenced in class and highly recommend, both as a chronicle of the film’s production and as a focused look at the HUAC Blacklist era. The book is available from the usual suspects.
- Screenplay – Carl Foreman’s script. It’s not dated, but it appears to be his final script before shooting. Will Kane is Will Doane in this version. Apparently, the name was changed to Kane on the set when Katy Jurado had trouble pronouncing Doane.
- Wilhelm Scream History – This has absolutely nothing to do with High Noon, but I referenced this famous library sound when I referred to Sheb Wooley, who is one of the 3 bad guys waiting for the train in High Noon. Wooley was the voice of the Wilhelm Scream, and I promised to put a link here, so here you go…
Shane (1953)
- Western Tropes – While I ended up not discussing this topic in the interest of time, I’m including this link to part of an extensive website on movie tropes.
- Elisha Cook, Jr. in Cinemorgue Wiki – Listing of verified deaths of Elisha Cook Jr.’s characters in movies (29) and TV (8). Yes, there is a website devoted to documenting who died and how in movies and TV shows. Cook seems to be the most deceased actor in movie history.
The Searchers (1956)
- The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend – 2013 bookforum.com review of Glenn Frankel’s book on the making of the movie and the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, which I highly recommend. Yup, the same guy who wrote the High Noon book I referenced above. The book is widely available from the usual suspects.
- Screenplay – Frank Nugent’s screenplay from Alan Le May’s 1954 novel. It’s labeled “Revised Final Screenplay” and includes a list of all screen credits for the cast and crew.
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
- Tonino Delli Colli – Interview with Sergio Leone’s cinematographer excerpted by the American Society of Cinematographers from Christopher Frayling’s 2019 book on the making of the movie.
Al Biles 