rohanaka

Miss Goddess.... I hope you will forgive me.... I know this is a movie rambles thread... on a "classic" movie website... but I just want to make a quick mention of a new movie if I may... OH MY GOLLY.... I took the kidling to go see *UP* this afternoon.... I was VERY sceptical.... It DID NOT seem like a film I thought would be worth watching... (the premise is VERY ridiculous sounding... An old man decides to go on a LONG awaited adventure by using a bunch of helium filled balloons to fly his house to South America.) but it's been too wet and rainy around here today to do much else... and we did not do much over the weekend either... So the short person and I were both feeling a little "stir crazy" today (as opposed to our just "normal" every day crazy...ha). So Mom gave in... and we went to the movies. And I say again.. I thought this was going to be a TOTALLY stupid and worthless film... but I did not see much "offensive" in what I had read or seen of it... so I figured it would be "ok" for a 6 yr old... and the old mom would just have to get over it.... And now that I have seen it... I don't think I WILL get over it... It was PERFECTLY LOVELY. And VERY entertaining. It was actually quite emotional, sentimental... and ADVENTUROUS all at the same time.... I LOVED it... (who knew?) ha. And the kidling now has a NEW favorite for sure.... (On the way out of the movie theater I hear this: "HEY Mom.... we need to bring DAD back to watch this... It IS almost Father's Day" :-) Ha... clever little thing, isn't she??) Ok.... now back to the classics... (but thanks for letting me ramble a little bit about a NOT YET classic.... at least I feel it will be at the Rohanaka house

I haven't had to remind you of any movies showing in a while Hiya Mr. Movieman... How do you like that... I hire you as one of my ?reminder? secretaries... and then first thing off the bat, you get an extended vacation...ha! Actually (not to brag) lately I've managed to catch what few things I've wanted to see and/or record ok... (today was my latest victory.... I just started up the old VCR for Ball of Fire... and then following up w/ To Have and Have Not later this evening.) NOW all I have to do is try to remember The White Cliffs of Dover for tomorrow... ha. I don't know much about it.. but it looked like it might be a good story... And also... I looked through the upcoming month's schedule the other day and already put in several requests for TCM reminders on a few more that caught my eye for the next several weeks... so I am sure that I am going to need EXTRA help on some of THOSE because... well... you know.. my luck is bound to run out sooner or later... HA! I will go over my list and check back in later... (So... don't worry... I will have the M&M's ready for your next paycheck... never fear!! ha) In the meantime.... here's another "bonus" just because I like to keep the employees happy... :-)

those "cyper calories" still seem to make realistic waistband problems Oh... I never worry about the CYBER calories doing that...ha... I have enough trouble just keeping track of the REAL ones... Ha.

Oh you gals.... don't you know... it's all CYBER calories... they are figure friendly... ha. (but you know.... a good turkey sandwich and some veggies and dip DO sound awfully good too right now... :-)

Weird how I never thought of that..... Wow. My poor mom...... I bet it was awful Ha.... funny how our perspective tends to change...ha. (I have had my fill of BROWN dirt on the dainty white socks lately...ha. Ever since the QT tilled us a vegetable garden this spring.... the kidling has had WAY too much fun...)

Here you go, little missy... though I have to confess... mine are not quite so "hot fudgy" as this... but the vanilla icecream DOES add that somethin' somethin' to them.... ha.

Maybe they'll stop by and serenade us later---if they can walk. HA... now THAT would be a show indeed.... PS... Jackie... red clay.... Imagine the laundry... oh your poor mom... ha.

OK, now I'm starving and I have nothing good like that in my fridge... Come on over.. we have a fridge full... (No cake and strawberries... but I COULD whip you up a nice hot fudge brownie....)

you've taken to screencaps like a house afire! Thanks young'un... I owe it all to my mentor... Mr. Miyagi... ha. I hope it all made sense... I wasn't sure if I was stretching the point too much or not... (I think I am the one who might have sounded "complainy"... ha.) I just think she was a MUCH better actress/character by the END of the story (and therefore more believable) than she was at the beginning. It goes back to what I said earlier.. It took a while for her to go from just another "southern belle-ish character" in a civil war movie... to a believable person. But she did finally get there by the end.... It's not a great movie and never will be but I do take a great deal of pleasure in just relaxing and watching it That's a perfect way to say it... I have a lot of films I like to just sit and watch... they don't all have to "grab me"... sometimes it is good to be able to just enjoy the movie for what it is... and not have too high an expectation beyond that.

Almost like they just sprung from a bandbox. HA!! I love it.. I think you are right.... (and ps... I thought I was the only person who still uses that expression.... we both sound like my Grandma...ha. And I mean that in a good way!!) PSS... thanks for the pics from Oxbow... no band boxes there, though.. ha. :-)

Kathy, did you make those cupcakes? Well.... no.... not this time... I sent off special for them... It's too hot in the summer to do that much baking..ha. They are so cute! May I have the one with the cute horsey? Of course, little lady... you may have whatever one you like.... ENJOY!! :-) PS... great pics again and again... (and what could be better than having our beloved TOM along with our beloved BEN???) This is such a fun stop popping in here to see all these photos...

Hi there little lady... and PS... sorry to interrupt on your ramble.... just wanted to pop in w/ a little refreshing summer treat to celebrate your milestone.... 18,000 WONDERFUL, insightful, WELL WORTH READING and thoroughly enjoyable posts... Here's to that many more and beyond.... Enjoy!!! :-) We now rejoin our regularly scheduled ramble... already in progress... :-)

What?? Our beloved BEN is having a birthday?????????? Time to celebrate!!!

And just because it is the torture thread...... HA!!!hahahahahahahhahahhahahahhahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahaha.... and HA! (I needed a good laugh right about now...) (PS... great KJ pics too) :-)

Well hey there, you little night owl.....ha. :-) I agree w/ you about the script. The dialogue did have moments where it just did not have nearly enough "punch" sometimes. And "trite" is a good word too. But I thought (generally speaking) that most of the characters were able to carry it off... especially Holden. I liked him a lot in this one. I think I said this last night... it is not the best Ford film ever... but it is still a FORD...ha. So even though there are weaker aspects... the movie as a whole was pretty enjoyable.

Ok, I confess. I am like a kid with a new toy. Ha. I had to sit down with the QT tonight and rewatch this movie after my ?lucky? find today while I was out shopping. And I paid a lot closer attention to ?Hannah? this time because I wanted to see if I still had the same reaction to her after having seen the film already. And I do. She really got on my nerves, at least in the beginning. And I am NOT talking about her phony play acting as she was trying to fool the soldiers either. I think I have narrowed it down to her general appearance. TOO much makeup and I disliked her general hairstyle too. And NO, I am not talking about the way she was dressed at the beginning , but more or less the way she appeared through much of the film. I mean let?s face it. After she leaves Greenbriar, they are out traipsing through the woods and the swamps and in the midst of gunfire and what have you. Yet she is almost without fail perfectly ?perfect? It just did NOT seem to ring true to me (especially after being so used to a lot of the ?less is more? way so many of Ford?s female characters usually appear.) But having said all that, I also noticed something else tonight. And it is more in keeping with her ?character? and not so much the way she ?looks?. Despite the issues I had with her general appearance, she DOES get more believable as things get more REAL for her. I hope I am not stretching this whole point. And I hope you won?t mind but I have taken the liberty of creating a little ?screencap? display of what I am talking about. (did I mention I am like a kid w/ a new toy???? Ha) (Some spoilers ahead... ) When you first meet Hannah, her back is turned to you. She is getting dressed and she almost prances around with excitement to hear that soldiers have arrived at her home. That is, until she learns they are UNION soldiers. From that moment on, she looks and acts the very picture of southern belle. But no matter how ?over the top? she seems, it is not all just an ?act?. She really DOES think she is above them all. (I like how she asks Lukey to help the gentlemen with their hats WHILE they are still wearing them.) And then later on she just goes out of her way to be so sweet butter would not melt in her mouth. But take a look at her now (even though she?s been found out as a ?spy) she still clearly see herself as ?above? all the Yankee ?lowlife? that have taken her captive. The ?Southern Belle? pride is VERY real. And then (to borrow from scripture.) Pride goeth before a fall... and THIS is the end result of THAT...ha. And it is from this moment forward that SHE starts to act ?real?. And in a way (at least to me) she seems to ?appear? more realistic as well. As the story progresses, you start to see her look more like a real person and less like a ?character? in a civil war story. If helping the surgeons care for the wounded soldiers was not enough, THIS moment for certain is a turning point for Hannah. There is no doubt now that reality has set in and she is no longer the woman she was at the beginning of this whole story. This is NOT the adventurous woman taking a chance and trying to act with ?bravado? in the face of danger. This is REAL to her, now more than ever. She is a totally different Hannah: But the biggest reality check is yet to come. Somewhere along her journey, she has gone from HATING the man who took her away from her home , (and resenting the very ground he walks on) to loving and caring about what happens to him instead. And HE for the first time, starts to notice the change in her as well. She now has a whole new perspective. And it is one where the man who once was her sworn enemy, is now her sworn love. And (while I still feel the make up is TOO much, I think it was just a ?Hollywood? thing. ha) THIS new look for her is a 180 degree turn from the beginning. But it is about as ?REAL? as you can get. She?s now gone from hating the very sight of him, to longing to see him again. Message was edited by: rohanaka

I don't know when Wifey took that pix of me, or how she got it to you. Darn. Women are SOOO tricky! I won't say that wasn't smart... 'cause it was.... :-)

Thanks, April, for the head's up on Sgt Rutledge... I have looked into this one in the past but I will try a little harder to see about ordering it at the library now.... PS... Guess what I found at Walmart today... THE HORSE SOLDIERS.... No kidding!! ha. I spent all last winter looking for it at the library AND at the stores.... and now that I finally got to watch it last week....ha... there it was (BARGAIN priced I might add) just waiting for me today... So it had to jump into my cart and come home with me.. ha. My Duke/Ford collection is starting to really take shape... but I am sure I still have a LONG way to go to catch up w/ the rest of you folks... :-)

Hi Ms Cutter.. I like the way you expanded the possibilities here for the story between Ranse and Hallie... I think this is one of those tales that has a lot of different angles for the "could be" along with the "what it is"... I like the turn our ramble has taken to include this film as well. As Jackie already said.. it always seems to come back to TMWSLV....ha. But I have to say again to all.... NICE ramble on TMFL too, folks... I am really enjoying the chat. :-)

Hello there Miss Goddess.... I just wanted to FINALLY chime in on a couple of things.... I am so happy that I was finally able to watch The Horse Soldiers for the first time when it aired on TCM last week. However I was not able to catch the Ford documentary by Bogdanovich that aired earlier the same evening... but I taped it. And I FINALLY watched it last night. If it is ok.. I will comment on that here as well (so you don't have to chase me all over the board.. ha.) First I will say... "Directed by John Ford"... what a treat. I really enjoyed it for a variety of reasons.... but MOST of all... for the terrific clips they kept showing over and over from so many of my favorite films. That with all the commentary from so many people who either worked with and/or admired the man as well as those who simply aspired to live up to his example as a director really made for a very entertaining and informative documentary. I have to confess though.... I would have liked MORE scenes with FORD doing the talking.... but I remembered in advance from past conversations on here that for whatever reason he'd decided to give those little one word uncooperative answers for a lot of his interview... so on that level.... in all honesty.... that old documentary that I found on that John Wayne "bargain" DVD set is a better documentary for me... because he opens up and chats a lot more... I think it is because he is being interviewed by Duke, Fonda, and Stewart instead of that young upstart Bogdanovich...ha.) At any rate... the Bogdanovich docmentary is FAR superior technically to the one I am referring to... and it is VERY beautifully put together. It was a pleasure just to sit and watch and listen. I am so glad I was able to finally see it. NOW... on to The Horse Soldiers.... Since there was already a lot of chat on here from previous posts way back this winter... if it is OK, I am going to just respond to your intial post for now... because it REALLY was terrific and I think it is a perfect place to start. Made in the period between two masterpieces, The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, it lacks the completeness of both as well as that wonderful, overarching grandness of a larger theme that enriches Ford's finest efforts. I have to agree with you there... it is NOT on the same level by far... both w/ the acting and with the storyline as either of the other two (and several OTHER Ford films) but it is still a very good movie. I think it is more of a "sit and watch and enjoy" sort of film more than a sit/watch/and think about it later" sort of movie... like I have found so many of Ford's other stories to be. When we first encounter Constance Towers' "Hannah Hunter of Greenbriar" she seems almost a caricature of Scarlett O?Hara and all stereotypical southern belles. I couldn't stand Constance or her character when I first saw this movie. I thought she was over-acting. Ok... let me be blunt... up until the part where she left the plantation and started traveling with them... she was just a HUGE joke to me... and I DID NOT really think she was worth watching at all.... And I am not even necessarily talking about the fact that she WAS putting on a "show" of sorts in an attempt to fool the Yankees.... because THAT was obvious... but still.. I just did NOT like her... I even disliked her appearance...her hair, makeup, dress... blech. Even before (and slightly after) the whole dinner party scene... I thought she lacked ALL of the "real" qualities that so many of the women in Ford films always seem to have. The first time I REALLY started to like her was after she got tossed in the water... and she was sitting there w/ her hair all wet... and her make up more or less gone... THEN she started to look like a REAL person to me.... and to act like one... (and again... I know SOME of that "made up" look and "play acting" was on purpose.. but still.... I just did NOT like her. Ok... have I said I did not like her enough yet?? ha) But AFTER that.. as the story wore on... she became MUCH more real... and far more likeable. And now I have to say... once she started to "grow on me".... I started to really enjoy her performance so much more. And in the end... I think she really managed to carry it all off... eventually. Hannah's, with all her hatred for the North, is the character that changes the most in the movie and I think this is critical to illustrating another aspect of the film---it's almost mathematical balanced fairness in depicting the north and the south I think you have really nailed the mindset that seems VERY open and prevelant in this story... you REALLY do get a sense for BOTH sides in this film... the struggles... the frustration.. the anger... the committment to cause. And there are "characters and caricatures" on BOTH sides of the fighting line. Hannah embodies all the prejudice that divides the two warring sides and she projects it onto John Wayne?s Union Colonel, who represents everything detestably ?Yankee? in her mind. She?ll be a one woman civil war in Wayne?s own camp. Oh... she went SO out of her way so many times... It really did seem a bit like her own private war there for a while. The character of Col. Tom Marlowe seems at first a "typical" Wayne character. However, he never played anything typical in his films with Ford after Stagecoach. Col. Marlowe has no friends, he is not even held in much affection by any of his men, though they clearly fear and respect him. He's a man who shows loathing for the carnage of battle---anything destructive seems to affect im singularly. As a former section hand (track worker) who rose to railroad engineer, he's a "builder" by nature, not a "destroyer". Many under his command, however, reveal themselves to be "destroyers" by nature, taking strange joy in tearing apart the southern supply lines. In fact, no one in the company likes Col. Marlow much at all until deeper into the film when both Hannah and Holden's Dr. Kendall come to appreciate him and his paradoxes in their respective ways. That is a perfect way to describe him... I can't honestly say he is anywhere close to my favorite character for the Duke... but he is a lot different than you first think. MUCH different than say the roles he played in the cavalry films especially. Of all the characters in the entire story I think his is the most "thought provoking"... perhaps him and Holden too. I like that they were on the "same side" but still at odds with one another for most of the film. (and NOT for the standard reason that USUALLY happens in westerns.. a woman..ha) Hannah is repeatedly running into or being flung away from Wayne?s body, as if he were both an obstacle she can?t avoid or a forceful energy she tries to resist. Finally, they link eyes and then, very subtly but erotically, with hands. John Wayne, in particular, adroitly uses his unique physicality in spite of the fact he?s no longer a young man or even in particularly good shape, but it?s astonishing how graceful he is for his size. He makes every gesture count. When he exits a frame, he does so with power and a curious, idiosyncratic propulsion---he tilts his body forward in that way of his and moves almost balletically. In anyone else it would be funny looking, but in him it?s a beautifully cinematic and individualistic. Wherever he learned that way of moving, it?s just pure Wayne and I now look for these personal strokes in all his work. Saying John Wayne has a unique walk is just the tip of the iceberg. I love what you have said here... and it is VERY true. She just CANNOT get past him. And what is SO funny is that he spends a LOT of the time trying to keep his distance from HER. Yet they always seem to clash... verbally... physically.... emotionally. Somehow they are more or less victims of each other's circumstance. Led by their clerical headmaster, all the boys (except two with mumps) are summoned by the Confederate Army to march on the Union raiders as a distraction. I LOVED that part of the movie... it was funny and yet somehow VERY emotionally upsetting all at the same time. And BOY oh BOY did those boys give them "what for".... even if only for a little while. (Mini spoiler) Probably the scene that got my attention most though was when that train pulled in to the town loaded full of rebel soldiers. They were CLEARLY outmatched and yet they HAD to give it all one last try... it was sad and touching. They were so pathetic... yet they kept coming. And when the Union soldiers tore the railroad up... THAT was hard to watch as well. Don't get me wrong... I am not a "southern sympathizer" ha. I just think it goes back to what you mentioned earlier about how Ford was able to capture BOTH sides of this conflict in a "balanced" way... and you had sympathy for ALL the casulties of war... no matter WHAT color their skin (like the scene w/ Lukey) or what color their uniform. There were some really good moments in this film...and some interesting characters as well. I think you are right... those who may have 'overlooked" this film in the past have perhaps allowed it to become "underrated". I think it is NOT Ford's BEST film... but it is still a FORD film.. and well worth watching.

And don't kid yourself, if she had married Tom, she would be right at this point still, thinking what it would have been like to be with Ranse! Because you always take for granted the thigs you have....but the things you lost, they can loom really large if you bury them inside you. EXACTLY... excellent point, little lady.... Now why does it always come down to TMWSLV? What a movie. Ha.. it DOES seem to be a standard setter around here, doesn't it?? :-) And PS... nice use of the screencaps in that jail scene little lady... I liked your comments about the light and shadow... good eye as always.

Hey there Grey Dude... ChiO's on a "Wanted" poster in this town, so I'm not sure he'll want to show his mug or not. Quiet Gal is a tough sheriff, too. I just put out an "APB".... ha. A film that comes to mind for me with The Man from Laramie is The Big Country. I see some similarities between some of the characters, most notably: I can see your comparisons... you and Chris did a nice job of breaking all that down. But I am not sure I would totally compare Heston to Kennedy... they both sort of started out the same.. but they ended very differently (but then again... so did the Major and Waggoman... I guess some comparisons can only go so far..ha) I preferred the performances and characters in The Big Country I have to go with you on this... though Laramie has some very good moments... and Stewart (and some of the others) did a good job... I just think TBC is a MUCH better film. Barbara could have and should have played a much bigger role in this film. She's a Waggoman and in love with the hired hand, so there's some conflict there. Then you throw in her growing interest in Will and you've got yourself a very conflicted woman in the middle of a storm. Instead, we hardly ever spend any time with Barbara. This is strange since it's her that is standing alone at the end of the film. We should feel her emotional pain and anguish but we don't You guys have really focused in on what is probably one of the weakest character developments in the whole movie... (except for maybe "Psycho Dave") What I liked about Barbara at the end is that she's very girly around Will. She doesn't want to come out and say what she's feeling. She's basically blushing. She's quite immature and I find this to be adorable. But do we understand her feelings? No. They are basically thrust upon us. Barbara's reaction tells us she'd love for him to call her "Barbara," and in a loving way. I really liked her talking about Daniel Boone. She knows all about Daniel Boone but what does she really know about life and love? She wants to, though. She really wants to. All Will needs to do is ask her, just ask her. Aw Grey Guy... you sentimental nut...ha. You have really honed in on her best moments in this film... I love how you broke down all the dialogue and added the screencaps... nice work young'un... and great way to show all the finer aspects of their relationship... Men are just as unsure as women when it comes to thinking they know what they want. "If only I had this, I'd be happy." It's rarely that simple THAT was perfect.... I want a tshirt that says that... ha. I think O'Leary's (Wallace Ford) principal role was to tell us more about Will. He's the one who fills us in on the Captain I agree... though I am also w/ Jackie... I wish he had been a bit more "side-kicky"... ha. Speaking of agreeing w/ Jackie.... The Daniel Boone speech was very appealing to me, because men are not the only ones with an itch to go - to let the wind take them. Barbara wanted to leave, almost to flee - go out and see the world, but never got that chance. Even at the end, though she is free of her ties to the Waggoman's, it is still only intimated that she might be traveling on. Her whole character is only intimated at. The same with MacMahon. This is a whole other story to tell. Hey there Ms Favell... I LOVE that... you have brought up an aspect of Barbara that SHOULD have been staring me right in the face... (she WAS trying to get out of there at the beginning of the film... she did NOT want anymore goods delivered to her store...etc) but I just overlooked it all. Re: all the chat about Hallie and Barbara.... I'm sorry guys.. I don't see it... I DO see Barbara looking at Stewart as the man she REALLY wanted after comparing him to the man she already had. She saw all the REAL qualities in him that she only WISHED she could have seen in Kennedy's character. And she appreciated the difference. I think she had DREAMS of something greater all along and had more or less resigned herself that they would not be come true... and so she let herself be "stuck" w/ Vic.. but when Stewart comes along... that spark of a dream started to show up again... But as far as Hallie is concerned.... I am having trouble seeing the comparison. DID she really regret marrying Ranse? I don't think so... not totally anyway. (forgive me April..ha) I think she ALWAYS loved Tom... (but more in the way of "you never forget your first love) but I think she did still love Ranse as well. I think maybe more than anything she was sentimental toward all the feelings she still had for Tom at the funeral and certainly feeling sad (and maybe even a little guilty) for the way his life had turned out... but that is NOT the same thing as regretting her choice to marry Ranse. I mean think of it.... HE is the one who truly understood her desire to better herself... he taught her to READ for crying out loud. And he EXPECTED her to better herself.. and not just for him.. but for HER. I don't think Tom had that sort of expectation for Hallie... but I think he finally realized SHE had that expectation for herself... which is why he was able to let her go. I believe the Stoddards had a good life together... and that the trip back to Shinbone was a moment in time where they were BOTH able to examine the past and see how they got where they were by looking back at where they came from. Would Hallie have been happier with TOM???? I don't know... But was she UNhappier having married Ranse? I don't think so... not entirely, anyway. There may have been an element of "what would my life have been like if"... but again... that is not the same thing as "regret".... Ok..... don't all of you start throwing things at me at the same time.... ha. Getting back to Barbara and Hallie.... one thing I WILL agree they had in common...ha.... they both ended up with Jimmy Stewart.. HA!. Or did they???? DID he and Barbara ever get back together... OR.... was SHE the one who ended up carrying a TORCH?????????????

HELLOOOOOOOOO Mad Mop!!! Ha. (I just had to get that in there again at least ONE more time... ha.) Laramie is kind of a frustrating film for me because a lot of the parts were there but they were curtailed, if that makes any sense. It's basically what everyone has been saying. Yep... the votes are in.... a good film.... that SHOULD have been a BETTER one but for a few missing details... Try Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation sometimes. I'm serious! I have a rambling rant on that one ready to go at some point. Ha.... now I think I can honestly see where you might be going with that (though I have to confess it has been YEARS...decades maybe... since I last saw that one) I will look forward to that rant....I mean ramble...ha. She doesn't take any guff from him and in the corral fight she shows she's not afraid to take action. I found her very interesting and probably my favorite character. MacMahon was a good choice for the part. She shows a lot of feeling in her face. You could just tell how she felt about Alec. I wanted to know more about her THAT was a perfect way to describe her... and I agree... I think she was just about my fave in this one too. Oh I agree with Frank though, she was carrying the torch big time Oh you men... you always think just because a woman loves a man for a long time, from afar... she is carrying a torch...ha. Ok... I admit that DOES sound like the standard "torch bearer" definition... but to me that also implies that she wa just pining away hoping that SOMEDAY he would come back for her (hence the torch...lighting the way... she was just waiting around for him to find his way back to her....blah blah blah...) I did not see that in her... she was far too "proactive" to be a "piner". She stood up to him... she even fought against some of the things he tried to do (mostly for his own good... but also... for her own sake) She DID love him... she DID care what happened to him.... but I don't know that she ever truly EXPECTED things to end up for the both of them the way they did. (Ok... now Frank can come in w/ some Screencap now and prove me wrong w/ some obscure piece of the dialogue I have overlooked...HA!) There you go again, being all hard on those poor misunderstood cattle barons again! Did you have a problem with Ben Cartwright too NO Way!!! All his sons were GOOD GUYS... (even though that ADAM (whoo wee) wore a black hat!! ha. And besides... Ben was in "lumber" not cattle... ha. Probably the only thing I had against Old Ben Cartwright (and all his sons too) is something that (I think it was)Ms Cutter brought up on here a long time ago... they were DEADLY to women... ha. NEVER marry a Cartwright... unless you are suicidal... ha. :-)

It's an article and interview Roger Ebert did on John Wayne, the Duke being quite chatty in it. Enjoy: Oh April..... Wow. Thanks so much for posting this. You always find the best articles... and this one has to be my most favorite ever. I have to confess I am a little choked up just reading it all though. He just seemed so REAL... I could hear his voice in EVERY (foul mouthed... ha) quote. He still.... after all these years of being gone seems bigger than life, doesn't he? But I LOVED the part about him w/ the puppy. That seems so very "HIM" as well. Thanks again, my friend. And PS... right smack in the middle of it I almost jumped out of my chair. When he mentioned the Bogdanovich documentary... Last week was such a REALLY awful week around here... I did not have time to watch it.. but I taped it.. and I JUST NOW realized I never sat down and watched it... OH MY. I DID however get to watch the HORSE SOLDIERS for the first time that night... and this article also made me remember that I wanted to comment on that in your Horse Soldiers thread... So... let me get a Kleenex (not kidding) and get over reading all this stuff you posted here.... plus I have some errands to run and a few other things going on this afternoon... and then I will be back later to chat about the Pappy Documentary and the Horse Soldiers with you... Thanks again for posting this link... It was a very special treat.

WOW..... Before I respond to your post, friend Molo.... let me just say... OH my goodness me... I am so happy to be on here. PS... April.. I finally got the answer to that old line from 3 SWEET Men.... "Where was Moses when the lights went out?" HA... He was likely at MY house... we have had storms off and on all DAY... and we lost power for MOST of the late afternoon... then it came back on for a while... and right after that.. I got on here and was about to answer some posts.. and then whammo... we lost our CABLE.. (and internet) But FINALLY... it all seems to be back on... at least for the moment. I am getting back OFF this thing as soon as I am finished here though. MORE storms are headed this way and I need to just shut this thing down for the night I think. SO... before I batten down the hatches... let's just get on w/ the ramble shall we... And I will start by saying.... YEE HAW!!! Mad Hat Molo is in the house INDEED!! Kathy will this do.... Are you KIDDING????? I think we need to change your name to MOP UP Molo... because you have just mopped up the floor w/ my puny little ramble, mister. Nicely done. I'll start with Dave Dave is practically infantile in his relationships with others. Spoiled, entitled and lacking any common sense, he can be a walking example of what happens when first generation power barons neglect thier legacy. Or he could just be a bad seed. Is he worth all the analysis? Probably not. He seems nothing more than a plot device and a bit of a red herring but it's Anthony Mann so I had to think about it. Now that was perfect. He was ALL of that to be sure.... and I like that you took him beyond the "not worth all the analysis". I also like how you brought it all back to the dad again... but beyond that... to the mom as well. Old Waggoman is a sad character, left groping in the dark. I feel he is a good man and I'm glad that he and Kate come together. The "war" is over so to speak, not because it is done, but because it is too late I like how you have worded all this. And I agree w/ you that he was likely a good man. I think he was a decent man who made some REALLY bad choices. But what I really liked was that in the end.... he was able to admit at least some of his mistakes. The Man From Laramie isn't like that though. It's a film that maybe does go in too many directions.... There is a typical, although perhaps great Western, sitting on a mystery that never quite captures the viewer. The mystery I mean. In the end it all ties up rather quickly and conveniently... Still this was an enjoyable movie. Mann's touch is there. The shooting of Stewart's hand and the early scene when Dave burns the wagons and shoots the mules certainly don't lose their potency in shocking us to attention, and to taking note of the random dangers in an untamed land. The shades of gray we might expect from an Anthony Mann film seem less prevalent here. It's as if too many characters and plotlines serve like oil and vinegar to sort out the nuances that might have been more fully explored. Kate and Alec, Vic and Barbara, Lockhart and O'Leary, and Lockhart and his brother. Oh wow, young'un... nicely said. And I really appreciate the way you have tied this all together. One of the things I have been thinking of (with regard to some of the issues we all seem to have w/ the story and the undeveloped characters, etc) is something I heard when watching the trailer for this on youtube. This film was taken from a story from the Saturday Evening Post.. It could be that when it was written for the screen that the authors just did not have enough "meat" on some of the characters' "bones" as it were to get a clear idea of who they were... and so they did not have a clear identity to work with. I don't know... I am probalby guessing at all of this. Anyway... some of the things I have read on here by you and all the others as to what WOULD have made the story more interesting and the characters more believable are BETTER than what was actually written for the film.... but I guess it is easy for us to play "armchair" screenwriters.... ha. At any rate... I like what you have said here regarding all these issues... nicely done, sir. Will this do for you? Am I reprieved? Ha.. I say again... Are you KIDDING??? (gee... you threaten somebody w/ a little necktie party and a slap on the hand.. and they get all paranoid.... ha.) Ok... all kidding aside.... nice rambling folks. You three gents are doing a fine job of handling the manly man MANN perspective for us... and you ladies are throwing in a good word of your own as well. I have been needing a good old fashioned westerny ramble lately. This chat might have been a LONG time coming... but I am glad to see it taking shape so well... nice job folks. (PS... Molo... hope those "germ"-ans are leaving you be... plenty of rest, fluid...and vitamin C, sir.) :-)