rohanaka

Boy oh boy... I am having way too much fun reading all the great stuff here folks. Ms. Goddess.... Mr Grimes... you two are really going to town here. I am bowled over by all the various levels you folks are bringing out in this ramble. I want to go back and re-read some of your conversation regarding.... POOR (ha.... sorry April) Ranse. ha. But I like how you two have added that extra layer here to discussing this movie. Ms Cutter: Because where Thursday comes from, men like him know best and they refuse to listen to those who might be able to help them not be their own worst enemies. Ms Favell: These scenes are the ones that unlock Owen's mystery for me, because we start to see Thursday through Collingwood's eyes...watch Collingwood's reactions in the background. First to the news that Wayne has been demoted Collingwood is again his victim, but Thursday can't look at him....he knows he is doing the wrong thing.....his pride makes him continue the lie he told long ago... In Fort Apache, we get a character who only has himself to blame for his own failure. NO adequate redemption.... and Thursday doesn't even give us a parting speech... he won't even allow us to see his soul in the end. No questions.... WOW.... you ladies have added yet ANOTHER textured layer to this already "way cool" conversation. Terrific thoughts on the whole Thursday/ Collingwood angle. PS... nlld... thanks for the insight YET AGAIN to our beloved George. He is a one of those stars who seems to have fit so well in so many Ford films.... yet for some reason I NEVER made the connection to many of them until your recent posts. And you history behind him and some of the other actors is a nice addition to the whole conversation. Great rambling, folks. :-)

Wow nlld... GREAT pics. (Victor MacLaglen.... OH MY Golly what a pup) Thanks heaps! PS. April.... I didn't know George was a boxing champ---so was his opponent in The Fighting Heart Victor MacLaglen---who was also a former boxing champion? Ya little closet boxing junkie!!!!! HA!!!!! (I had to get that in there somehow.)

This Thursday BELIEVES fully in his rightness, he's not afraid, not hiding, not pretending and that's the beauty of the character. You can hate him but you grudgingly have to credit that he is definite, and he can, when least expected, make a human and humane decision to correct his previous line of reasoning. Incredible. Well put young'un. And you and Jackie are on a roll w/ the whole "Irish" angle of the story too. Just another interesting layer to the entire package. Sweet dreams.

SO what your saying sounds right on to me Ha.... maybe I should hire you as my official interpreter... :-) The Long Gray Line Aw man... another painful reminder of my stupidity.. ha. I had TWO reminders given to me that this film was coming on.... and I missed it. I have not seen that one in a long while too... bah!!! (I still need to hire that private secretary I keep talking about too!! Ha) But I am pretty sure I can get a copy though.. so I am not going to keep saying it.. Oh yes I am.... "O watta dope I yam". HA!

I am glad you guys brought up the ending. I wanted to make one more comment about the "admiration" April mentioned for Thursday and you all have almost made my point for me. I like the way that Kirby don's a "Thursday style" cap as he is riding away (after all the earlier scenes when Thursday kept commenting on his old hat being "non regulation"). I think part of it may have been to show that now he HAD assumed the command that Thursday had alluded to just before dying, and it may have also been that he had somehow found some admiration for the man who had gone before him... despite all their differences. And also it may have been a way for him to show respect for the "myth" the man had become and how "inspiring" that myth now was for the new recruits, etc. (despite all the truth about some of the things he might have known to the contrary).He understood how powerful that inspiration was for young men just starting out (and for the more seasoned work weary men as well) I am not sure if I am saying this in a way that makes sense... but it seemed that way to me.

Talk about your polar opposites for sure!!! ha

Ok April.... I went back and watched again..... I still stand by the "pompous jerk" statement... Ha! EVERY other time you turned around (especially at the beginning) he is saying stuff like "I take it this is NOT for me." etc, etc. Like he was pointing out to EVERYONE (again and again) that he was due and he'd been slighted. But having said that... he DID have his moments. Like when he sent the extra troops covertly in behind the 4 or 5 men and how he dressed down (and sort of shut down) that low life Meechum... and yes... (thanks for pointing out what SHOULD have been obvious, Grey Guy) the way he sent young O'Rourke out of harm's way. He knew (despite his own arrogance) that he was likely not coming back (IF Kirby was right) and he did not want to leave his daughter w/out someone to care for her. So he DID have some "respect" from me after this last veiwing that maybe I did not want to give him before. I mean... you gotta love the fact that he really did go all out. He wasn't a "wishy washy" sort of "what do we do next?" kinda guy. I just love Fonda's "Thursday". He's so riveting. I just find his obliviousness of any other point of view to be rather like a phenomenon. He was almost a machine "Oblivious" is a good choice. He had NO clue that he could possibly offend ANYONE because if they did not agree with him... that was just their problem for being wrong. He CLEARLY had no interest in anyone's opinion but his own and he did not listen to the people who were supposed to be his advisors. (like Chris mentioned) And he obviously had NO intention of ever admitting fault when he was proved wrong... Although I DID notice last night for the first time.. there at the end.... he made a few apologies to some of the men he'd "wronged" (brief ones... but apologies none the less) So... perhaps...he wasn't completely incapable of seeing his mistakes. But as a rule...I am gonna go with: "Oblivious" thy name is Thursday.... ha. He was a really interesting character. I like seeing Kirby frustrated by Fonda---how Fonda overrules him SO OFTEN and so publicly. But Kirby, to his credit, really handles it well. In real life, I can somehow picture Wayne handling Ford's bossyness the same way. Kirby was an interesting character too. I really admired him for his ability to be right but not throw it up in anyone's face. And I also admired him for understanding that the best way to be able to "do" right by his men was to not get "kicked out" for speaking out of line Even when he WAS right. (And that is a hard thing to do when you are serving under a "pompous jerk" ha.) And you gotta admire him for that. Everytime he was overruled he managed to remain "subordinate" at least until the very end when "enough was enough" (and then he ended up.... "getting kicked out' for his trouble, didn't he?) I think too how he came in and "rescued" Thursday says a lot for him as well. He was a good example of an officer and a gentleman in every respect. You know... I got to thinking about my comments on They Were Expendable from way back at the first of the year, and how I had said that I had not remembered seeing the Duke in such a " supporting" role before. But THIS movie is not so dissimilar to that same thing now that I think of it. It really IS Fonda's film... and the Duke is a supporting character... but I think you may be right in what you brought up earlier about how it could be viewed as a "passing of the torch". He'd had leading roles before, but I think he was really coming into his own (Red River came out the same year, didn't it?) and a lot of the other roles he would get in the future support that too.

I found some Fort Apache stills to "accompany" the discussion in Western Rambles. OH Wow.... great pics, little lady (my favorite is the one w/ Shirley Temple and the three men "stairstepped" behind her.... what a great photo) And PS.... Re: photos of George... wow! :-)

Hiya April.... This has turned out to be an interesting chat.. First talking about a lighthearted comedy and then a HEAVY thoughtprovoking suspenseful drama and then back to the comedy again!! No wonder I've been feeling like I am on an emotional rollercoaster today!!! .. It is like being on opposites ends of the spectrum all at the same time... ha. First: The "weightier" subjects: *RE: Abandon Ship!* I caught the FIRST 15 minutes or so of this movie and had to leave, lol! I have always avoided it because I had assumed it was a war movie, The title IS a bit misleading isnt' it!! But... OH! I hope you get to watch it sometime soon. I hope TCM will show it again as well. I want to see what I missed at the beginning. But I also would like to get it on tape. PS. MOLO: (SPOILER) The 18 year old... wasn't PUT in the water to help the woman passenger.... He was already in the water and I think there were still just too many people for him to be allowed back in... so he was unfortunate enough to just be the last of the " too many" But since he was not going to be allowed back in the boat.. I think Holmes (Power) was just trying to "give him a purpose" for staying in the water... and a "stronger" person (in terms of maturity level) would have taken that and ran with it... but the kid was too young to see it as anything but just the end of his life. So he ignored the suggestion and panicked instead. . PS Wendy: it WAS a gut wrencher for sure... be sure you have PLENTY of Kleenex and someone to HUG when it gets too intense. I am still so relieved just thinking about how the kidling came and rescued me from the emotional mayhem at just the right moment.. Otherwise I might still be crying myself!! ha). :-) And now... the lighter side... *RE: HATARI!* April... WAY fun screencaps. I thought Red Butttons was hilarious in this movie. And it WAS fun to see him get the girl (usually the "comedy sidekick" doesn't get that... but the way way it ended up playing out added to the humor of the story so it worked really well) Brandy has the best job EVER. She gets to live in a beautiful country, surrounded by animals, which I love, and to boss a crew of fun, competent and attractive men. Not bad! NOT BAD AT ALL!! I say...if you have to be the only girl in a group full of guys like that... be the boss!! ha. :-)

Tell us how you REALLY feel Miss Rohanaka Oh never ask me to do that... we could be here all day... ha. :-) And Poor Thursday... ha. He DID have some redeeming qualities.. (like in the scene you posted). (Wasn't McLaglen hilarious... the look on his face when that match went into that cup!! ha.)

Ro,.... Ro Ro, (your boat) Ha! Haaaa! Haaaaa! Oh...I kill myself sometimes...ah! HA! Well now it is a murder/suicide... because you got me TOO!!! ha. Thanks for the input on the early scenes... I cheated and read the synopsis in the TCM data base so I DID get at least a few of the gaps filled in . I was one of those "college ethics" class kids (only it wasn't ethics... I can't remember WHAT class it was) and we had to sit around picking and choosing who was going and who was staying based on our "assigned" roles we had picked out of a hat. (I can't recall WHO I was or who I picked or did not pick.... ha... maybe it is just as well.) remember him casting off the 18 year old sailor. Who seems fit enough. I didn't like that. I thought it was purely arbitrary, and if the guy hadn't been where he was at that particular time he might not have been chosen That was a surprise to me too... except he DID give the kid a "duty" to go stay w/ one of the other passengers that had been cast off... but I think the kid was too young and scared to see the "honor" in that sort of thing. I think Power did a great job of handling the various emotional aspects of his choices and also the end result when they all more or less "turned on him" once they realized they were about to be rescued. A very thought provoking story for sure.

Thanks for the offer but I have a strict policy to not give out that sort of info online. I am glad you found a copy of Hatari. Enjoy.

Well.. I have been enjoying our chat about Hatari.... and.. Oh. Wait... my phone is ringing. Just a minute. Hello? What? Publisher's Clearing House? HUH?? I won an all expenses paid ocean cruise????? FORGET IT!! I just watched *Abandon Ship!* on TCM and I wouldn't get on an ocean liner now even if you PAID ME!!! HA!! Oh my golly me!!!! I only caught the last half of this film... I'd like to see it again so I can watch the beginning as well and find out what all I missed. (And PS... someday.. I hope to see the Alfred Hitchcock film Lifeboat because I would like to compare the two stories here...) But I came in sometime after the ship had already gone down and they had already "abandoned ship" and were in the lifeboat. And OH my goodness... what a moment to walk in on. Imagine poor Tyrone Power having to face the choice of whether to try and save SOME..... or just hope that by pulling together you could somehow manage to beat the odds and/or let the sea decide. I thought there were some REALLY good performances in this portion of the story for sure. The "crisis" aspect was very well played out in a variety of ways (panic, quiet resolve, self sacrifice, duty, selfishness) and I found all the characters and their reactions to be very believable. Especially Lloyd Nolan and the charcters of McKinley and Cookie... but also the women on board (that Mrs. Knudsen.... WHAT a class act.) *Mini Spoiler Ahead:* This movie ends w/ a narration that says it was all based on a true story and that the officer in charge was placed on trial and convicted of murder for the choices he made and then asks if the viewer found him "guilty or innocent". Now it is VERY easy for me sitting here in the warm, safe, DRY comfort of my cushy little couch to look at the "right or wrong" of things.... but wow. In all fairness, the "choices" he was faced with in this story were not so cut and dried. I am not willing to step off (into the water... ha) and say they were "gray" areas of right and wrong.. per se. But I am glad the choosing of what should and should not happen was not left up to me. And when the people started getting "selected" to go over the side... oh wow. I gasped... I yelled.... I cried. The kidling walked in from playing in the other room and said, 'MAMA!! Don't cry... do you need a hug?" And bless her little heart.... I was glad she was there.. because at that moment... I DID!!! :-)

Well... I did not get a chance to watch this like I wanted to last night. But I just wanted to respond to a couple of the EXCELLENT posts and comments here... you folks are knocking my socks off with this terrific ramble. Miss Goddess says: Fonda never budges or relents. But do we hate him? I'm curious what others really think about Colonel Thursday? I hate his misconceptions and egotism, but I still can't help but admire him in a way! It's crazy, and I'm probably the only one who feels that way about him. Everytime I think of Thursday... I think "pompous jerk". In a lot of ways, he seemed to be a man that had "form" but not "substance". Sure, he was "brave".... but in a foolish way. And (ok Grey Guy I am going to pay for this maybe....) he was an EXCELLENT example of "Black and White" thinking gone awry. I mean that to say that he viewed everything in his OWN black and white terms... but not necessarily from the reality of what was TRULY right or wrong. And he had NO room for any other opinion but his own. But having said all that.... I can understand your level of admiration for him as well. He was sort of "glorious" in a way... but I just think it was so tragically "glorious" because he was so foolishly arrogant. (So in all honesty, most of my admiration has to go to his men.) He was a VERY interesting character and extremely well played. I had not seen this film in a LONG time before I watched it this past winter... but back in January I was watching it w/ my new found perspective on Fonda (since seeing him in The OxBow Incident and Grapes of Wrath) and I have to say.... I have an entirely new opinion of how WELL old Thursday was played because I have a better appreciation for the actor. And in this one, he carried the role off so well that I just wanted to kick him in the pants about every other time he was on screen. (ha) I still intend to go back and watch this again soon (maybe tonight I hope) and then maybe will be able to comment some more on a few of the other things you folks are bringing up, but for now, I want to give a shout out to the comparisons you all are making to the the other films (SWAYR and Rio Grande) You folks rock! ha. This film is not necessarily so "romantic" as Rio Grande.... and it doesn't have the "nostalgic" quality that is seen in SWAYR (as in an old soldier reflecting on the past) But it IS an emotional film on a lot of levels. And PS... your screen caps are excellent. (Mr. Grey... OH!! Those shots of the women as they wait.... wow.) And PSS... the ending... OH ME. (Mrs Cutter... I like what you said about how we prefer our history neat and tidy.. especially in our films.) It all goes back to that "embrace the myth" angle that Ford seemed to totally "get" in so many of his westerns. I like the way that at least in THIS film (and some of the others... like Liberty Valance) you get to see the REALITY and THE MYTH side by side.... and then you get a reason for perhaps "the creation of the myth" and the "secret keeper's" decision to refrain from "disillusioning" everyone else as well. I am looking forward to the continuing chat here.... great job folks. OH... and by the way... I'd rather eat Quiet Gal's cooking than watch Ford and Coop Laugh it up Grey Dude.... your day is coming!!!

OH FOR PITY'S SAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I leave this place for a few hours and come back.... and... WOW!!!!!! I see I now have a TON of catching up to do.... I last watched this film back in the early part of the year (just around New Years if I recall) but I want to see it again before chiming in (oh who am I kidding... just reading all this stuff made me want to watch it again... ha). And PS... I KNOW where my tape of THIS movie is... HA! (sorry Jackie) Great rambling my friends!!! PS April: AGGGGHHHH What did you do to me????? HA! THAT is the one movie that just makes me so sick to my stomach I can't even stand the thought of it.... (OH! those beautiful, HORRIBLE, terrifying, gut wrenching EYES!!!!! ha.) Break out the Pepto Bismol... BLECH!!!!! Grey Guy... if you bring up my cooking again.... I swear I'm gonna.........................

OH MY GOLLY fxreyman... THAT is TOO funny. (why am I suddenly hearing the song "The Things You Do For Love" in my head right now.. ha. Like walking in the rain and the snow... when there's nowhere to go.... and you FEEL LIKE YOU JUST CAN'T Stand HATARI.... I freely confess that not EVERYBODY is a Duke fan... but the kidling sure is. My daughter is only 6.... but she loves John Wayne. (what films I have let her watch so far anyway... ha.) In fact... at two local restaurants near us they have a lot of classic movie and nostalgia photos in frames all over the walls. And at one place is a REALLY good photo of the Duke in Rio Bravo. And the other restaurant has a photo of the Duke dressed as Hondo.. and if we go to EITHER of these places to eat... and if the tables near these photos are open.... she will tell the waitresses she wants to sit at "OUR Table" ha. And that means "by the Duke". And if someone else is sitting there when we arrive... she gets a little "pouty" and says... "Aww... look.... those people are sitting at our table!" HA!! (do I know how to raise a kid or WHAT??) fxreyman says: Oh, I also fix most of the meals and I have the great pleasure of grocery shopping. FrankGrimes replies: ;-) ROHANAKA replies to THAT w/: (you thought I wouldn't notice, didn't you???)

Kathy---have you seen F.A.? Why yes I have..... and by the way... w/ the three listed... I just was talking elsewhere this past weekend and I believe I ranked them in the same order you just did... BUT.... I have to confess w/ RG and FA.... it goes back and forth sometimes depending on which one I am watching at the moment... PS... MR GREY.... you have maligned my cooking yet again. I fear retribution is at hand for you..... Perhaps a dose of: BEFORE the hanging... And PS... don't bother running to "Groot" for your grub.... there is a NEW cook at the old chuckwagon now... and look.... he's got his own rope!!! ;

Jackie, it was just such a nice surprise. I was all prepared for a gripping "African hunter-type" Drama.... (which I am sure would still have been interesting) but had no idea it would take the path that it did instead. And I am glad too, because it REALLY is a lot of fun to "just have fun" once in a while. And I am sure if it had gotten to "serious" the kidling would have lost interest. The whole cast should be awkward together, with the very young french girl, Hardy Kruger, Elsa Martinelli and the older men, but somehow it all works. They are all so disparate, but it works maybe because it doesn't take itself seriously at all. It really was an unusual combination of characters from so many different backgrounds all tossed together like that....but like you say, "somehow it all works". ha You guys should watch Born Free next, if you have a new box of kleenex around Oh my gosh.... I haven't seen that movie since I wasn't much older than the kidling!! (I don't know if I HAVE that much Kleenex!!! Ha.) It is a heartwrencher for sure. I don't know.... she would likely have trouble watching it too.... she gets kinda funny around that sort of sensitive stuff. (I mean funny as in.. "not crying".... but rather she will cover her ears and close her eyes and she'll ball up really tight if she is sitting alone (or come and get on my lap if she is right next to me) and then she'll get really quiet. I can always tell if something on tv is upsetting her, because she will start acting that way. Even though she knows it is "just a movie" she takes it very "hard". (Last night when they showed the scene w/ the first baby elephant wanting its mother (because the big Mama elephant had to be put down to save that village) she got a little "funny" because I had to tell her that the baby was an "orphan"... Stuff like that really bothers her. So... we will probably need to wait on Elsa I am afraid...because THAT movie is WAY more emotional than just that little scene in Hatari.... maybe in another year or two when she is a bit older. (That will give me time to stock up on the Kleenex!!) :-) PS..... Last night answered an "age old" mystery for me (another surprise in this movie) I have ALWAYS enjoyed "pranking" little kids.... ( I know... I am so mean... ha) And one of my favorite pranks is to get them involved in one of those "What does a __________ say" games.... (like "What does a duck say?".... or "What does a puppy say?' .... and then they have to provide the animal sound... and then after we have gone through ALL the various noises.... at the very end.... I hit them with my famous.... "WHAT DOES A GIRAFFE SAY!!!" ha!! (You haven't lived unitl you have seen an entire group of about 10 or 12 toddlers all get the same befuddled look on their face trying to figure THAT one out!!!!! Ha!!) But last night.... I got taught a lesson!!! ha. Because GIRAFFES DO MAKE SOUNDS!!!! (similar to a "bleating" noise like a scared sheep or cow) SO.............. the kidling and I both looked at each other and cracked up when we heard it and I said "NOW........... you will finally have the answer when I ask that question again sometime!!! ha) But she is too old for that game now... ha. Still... it was a funny moment... what can I say??? We like to laugh.) :-)

Hello there friends.... I just had the best fun tonight that I have had in a while watching a really enjoyable (YET another) HAWKS film.... (This has been a "banner year" for me w/ his films... ha! I think this makes 4 NEW ones of his I have seen since the first of the year... and probably 6 or 7 all total of his movies that I have seen since January) A friend of mine had a copy of Hatari that she did not need anymore... and I was lucky enough to get it.... and I have to tell you..... OH MY GOLLY... the kidling and I had ourselves a good old time watching this one. I have only seen parts of this film in the past.... so did not have a really good fix on what it was all about other than a bunch of people running around Africa chasing wild animals. So it was really a lot of fun to get to watch it all the way through. And as already mentioned... the kidling really enjoyed it a lot too. (Though the QT conked out on us in the middle of it, the old fogey!! ha.) Now... I have to confess.... this is NOT Howard Hawks best film, I know. And it is certainly not the best DUKE film I ever saw either. But it WAS fun. And to quote Dr. Seuss... fun is good. :-) It has PLENTY of action, plenty of comedy, some romance, some great scenery, entertaining music, AND ( the biggest draw for the short person) PLENTY of footage of all those wild animals.(I gotta say... after watching this movie... I will have a whole new appreciation the next time I go to the ZOO for all the work that goes into bringing wild animals over from other countries!!! Ha. ) And we even got to use this movie as a Math tutorial.... ha. When the first baby elephant showed up.... the Duke comments that it took 20 goats to make enough milk to feed it.... so when the SECOND baby elephant showed up... my little smarty pants turns to me and says.... "WOW, Mom, that's FORTY GOATS NOW!!! ha. And then when the THIRD elephant showed up a little later... well... we had a lot of fun counting by twenties to figure out the next number of goats! Not bad for a kindergartner!) :-) I really have to say... this film was a surprise for me... I kept waiting for a moment of "drama" or some sort of "heavy" story line to pop up w/ regard to Dallas' past.... or the Duke's.... or for the German guy and the French guy to really fight it out or something... And while there IS a little of that in the storyline here and there... there's not a lot of depth to it, so really, this film just has a much lighter feel than I was expecting. More or less there was a "just for fun" feel to it (similar to Donovan's Reef... though the story lines are COMPLETELY different) In fact... it was so light hearted, there was very little "weight" to it at all... but it really was nice for a change of pace just to get to sit back and enjoy a movie without haveing to think about it and sort out the characters and all their motivations etc. And this one has a LOT of the same familiar Hawk's trademarks... the "ensemble" cast with lots of male camaraderie and TWO young and "spunky" girls this time. I also saw send ups to several of the other Hawks films in the gathering around the Piano... the use of "Papa" for Wayne's character from time to time... there was even the friendly rivalry between the German and the French man w/ the shoot out (similar to Red River) AND of course.... PLENTY of dopey looking HATS!!!!! (HA!! THANKS again Jackie for that story on Hawks' hat choices that you posted the other day... I took one look at the Duke's hat and said... "HEY.... THAT'S what Howard Hawks wears when he goes FISHING!!! Ha.) Just for fun.... here's the trailer... it really shows a lot of the exciting animal chase scenes and also some of the fun moments too .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIbfTWJBrRU I say again... this film was a pleasant surprise... And I am really glad my friend had this tape and thought of me. Because I may not have sought this one out anytime soon otherwise... and now... we have a new fun kid friendly film for us to look forward to from time to time.... (it will be a nice diversion from the Disney stuff once in a while!! ha) And I have a feeling the kidling and I will likely go around all day tomorrow singing the tune to "Baby Elephant Walk" and swishing our arms in front of our face like elephant trunks.... NOT a bad way to spend a Monday now that I think about it. HA!

Hiya April..... I have just been sitting back letting Jackie do all the work.... but it has been fun watching.... and YOU are the one who started it all way back when, little lady.... so hat's off to you, too! PS... Jackie... I haven't taken much time to look for my dopey tape this weekend.. ha...But I am pretty sure I will find it soon. (it's not a HUGE stack)... but I just have been busy w/ other stuff... so did not get a chance to look.... ha. I know that whatever cassette it is on... it is the first one on the tape... (if I remember right) so it shouldn't be too hard searching once I get started. But knowing my luck... I will have to look at ALL of them to find it.. ha. (Why is it when you want to find something... it's always the LAST one ??) :-)

Can you believe it? I was almost jumping out of my seat as I read last night! That was a fortunate find, for sure!! HEY... speaking of HATS..... Where IS that Mad Hat MOLO??????? He has not shown up for a ramble in these here parts for quite a spell now... I guess my rope and me will have a little work ahead of us... if'n he doesn't show up soon.

Mother Molo to the Rescue HA!! Lynn.... THAT one is my FAVE Gloria and Molo movie!! That is ONE feisty Mama!! ha. PS.... Ben Johnson (in a rare modern role) as the crusading ADA WOO HOO!! Another standout performance by our beloved BEN!!! :-)

Oh for Pete's sake... that has to be the coolest thing I have read in a long time... THANK you for that... And I LOVE the part about John Wayne wearing his Stagecoach hat in Rio Bravo.... I did not like the look of that hat much in RB, by the way...But I didn't mind it so much because I just figured it was one of those "it's old, it's comfortable, and it fits" sort of things... And that worked for that character... so it worked for me. But NOW knowing the history of it... I gotta say.. I LOVE that hat!! :-) And PS: but we've used all kinds of strange hats. If you're making a war picture or a cowboy picture, it's often hard to distingiush between characters. Now THAT explains a lot TOO!!! ha. But alas.... still NO mention of THE big white hat (did I mention BIG) from .... Only Angels Have Wings!! HA!!! Looks like the closest I will get to an explanation is a confession instead.... we've used all kinds of strange hats STRANGE HATS indeed!!! HA! I am STANDING firm on my position on THAT hat to the bitter end... Ha. That was without a doubt one of the DOOFIEST hat choices for any movie character... (I mean it was CARY GRANT for crying out loud!!) I have ever seen. (I know... you are saying now... Kathy... just let it go!!! ha. NEVER!!) I guess that Howard Hawks fella was just one heck of a "Hat Guy". :-)

OH MY GOLLY ME!! That was a really interesting read... thanks Ms. Favell... And PS... There is also a discussion of headwear that I would love to copy in here...... Do you mean a discussion about..... HATS????????????????????????????????? OH...NOW I am on the edge of my seat for sure!!! ha.

I show it because at the beginning of the clip, Johnson does some minor roping and horse work...... Wendy... what a good way to spur me on to want to get to this movie again this weekend!! Ha. Now I have to go through all my tapes for sure... I taped this one during a particularly "unorganized" time and ...well... I have several tapes that ended up w/out any labels... so some of them I have NO idea what is on them... and I know Wagon Master is in that group... (because I saw it once a while back when I was sorting through some of them to find something else...ha) So now I will have to get ORGANIZED for sure... ha. PS... I watched a clip from Mighty Joe Young the other day, and I would swear the ENTIRE stunt team was Ben Johnson! I don't know if it was true, but I wouldn't be surprised...... He does have a lot of action scenes in there.. a lot of "cowboy" stuff too for a non-cowboy movie... It has been a family favorite for YEARS. We love it SO much more than the remake... A giant gorilla... a little romance, a little comedy... lots of action... "Beautiful Dreamer"... AND BEN JOHNSON!!!! What more could you want??? ha.