The Telegraph
The Premier Blog of the West
June 2011
06/29/11Harrison Ford on Cowboys & AliensAs the July 29 opening day for Cowboys & Aliens draws ever closer, director Jon Favreau hopes to stoke the hype even more by releasing some one-on-one interviews he conducted with his collaborators on the film. First to hit the Internet: Favreau’s multi-part chat with Harrison Ford, who admits that he fretted over choosing just the right hat to play Col. Woodrow Dolarhyde in the eagerly awaited sci-fi Western. (“The last thing I wanted,” Ford notes, “was for it to look like Indiana Jones’ hat!”) You can enjoy Part One of the interview by clicking the above image, and take a gander at the rest of it here. |
|
06/29/11Wednesday Western: Abilene TownFree for you to view on YouTube: Abilene Town, a rip-snortin’ 1946 Western starring the great Randolph Scott as Marshal Dan Mitchell, a dedicated lawman who’s determined to maintain the peace in Abilene, Kansas during the post-Civil War era. Unfortunately, despite Mitchell’s best efforts to keep them, quite literally, on opposite sides of the street, homesteaders and cattlemen seem hell-bent on clashing. Lloyd Bridges co-stars as the level-headed leader of the homesteaders, and Edgar Buchanan steals more than a few scenes as a sheriff who’d rather play cards than slap leather. But wait, there’s more: Ann Dvorak plays Rita, a saucy saloon entertainer, and Rhonda Fleming plays Sherry, a local merchant’s daughter who sides with the... |
|
06/23/11One last ride for the Rhinestone CowboySad news about country music great Glen Campbell: He’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and will release what’s billed as his final album — “Ghost on the Canvas” — Aug. 30. But before the Rhinestone Cowboy goes riding off into the sunset, he plans to bid a fond farewell to fans by going ahead with the previously announced “Glen Campbell Goodbye Tour.” Washington Post blogger Jennifer LaRue Huget writes here about why Campbell’s wife felt the need to disclose her husband’s condition — and what the future likely holds in store for the beloved entertainer. |
|
06/22/11Wednesday Western: Thunder MountainFree for you to view on Hulu.com: Thunder Mountain, a briskly paced 1947 Western, based on a novel by Zane Grey, starring the prolific Tim Holt as a cowboy who returns to his Arizona ranch after a long absence, only to find it’s about to be sold for taxes. Blame it all on some bad guys who know the ranch will be the site of a proposed dam project — and hope to buy it so they can turn a tidy profit. |
|
06/17/11Behind the scenes with Cowboys & AliensA tip of the Stetson to ComingSoon.net for tipping us off to this featurette. |
|
 |
06/16/11Take a sneak peek at Buck in Houston or San AntonioGood news for horse lovers and movie buffs: If you live in either San Antonio or Houston, you’ll have a chance next week to catch a special preview screening of Buck, director Cindy Meehl‘s critically acclaimed documentary about real-life “horse whisperer” Buck Brannaman. To request tickets for the June 20 San Antonio screening (7 pm at the Bijou Cinema Bistro), email buckinsa@gmail.com. To request tickets for the June 22 Houston preview (7 pm at the Greenway Grand Palace), email buckinhouston@gmail.com. |
06/15/11Wednesday Western: The Ride to Hangman's TreeFree for you to view on Hulu.com: The Ride to Hangman’s Tree, director Alan Rafkin’s 1967 Western starring Jack Lord, James Farentino and Don Galloway as three outlaw buddies who cheat death, crack wise and rob stagecoaches while trying to avoid capture by a top Wells Fargo detective (Robert Cornthwaite). Melodie Johnson co-stars as a vivacious singer who falls for one of the bandits. Trivia note: Rafkin took a somewhat more lighthearted approach to Western conventions one year later when he directed Don Knotts in The Shakiest Gun in the West. Posted at 08:36 AM | Permalink |
|
 |
06/13/11Trailing of the Sheep BarbecueJohn and Diane Peavey’s spread is located more than 20 miles from the Bellevue, Idaho, turnoff, at the end of a breathtakingly beautiful drive through Muldoon Canyon, complete with sheer drop-offs, volcanic rock outcroppings, aspen and willow strewn foothills, and fields of wildflowers and wildlife. And on June 26, the hour-long drive comes with an additional reward: an authentic lamb barbecue held at the historic Flat Top Sheep Company ranch to kick-off the 15th annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival. From 3 – 6 p.m., enjoy food, fellowship, and lore as tales are told of the working ranch’s century-old history amid original buildings that look like they came off a western film set. Visit the grave of James Laidlow, who settled the ranch (when he died in 1950, the... |
 |
06/12/11Scotty McCreery: Star on the rise in NashvilleNew American Idol champ Scotty McCreery certainly made his mark in Music City this weekend. On Friday evening, he made an enthusiastically well-received debut at the venerable Grand Ole Opy, performing his chart-climbing first single (“I Love You This Big”) and a crowd-pleasing George Strait classic (“Check Yes or No”). Also on the Grand Old Opry bill: American Idol runner-up Lauren Alaina, who entertained the audience with pleasing renditions of her own on-the-rise single (“Like My Mother Does”) and a LeAnn Rimes standard (“Blue”). She and McCreery were warmly welcomed by Opry management — and eagerly invited to return soon. Saturday morning, McCreery took the field at Nashville’s Greer... |
 |
06/10/11Country music fans beat the heat at CMA FestTemperatures hovered in the mid-90s from early morning to late afternoon Thursday in Nashville, but the sweltering heat did little to diminish the number or dampen the enthusiasm of country music fans who congregated by the thousands throughout the downtown area for Day One of the 2011 CMA Music Festival. To be sure, the hot weather did take its toll: According to the Tennessean newspaper, medical personnel treated dozens of folks for dehydration, heat exhaustion, blisters and sunburn. And even the Budweiser Clydesdales – arguably the heartiest of this week’s visitors to Music City – required hosing down by their handlers. For the most part, however, Thursday was a typically good-time day at the CMA Music Fest. Gary Allan got things started at 10 a.m. by... |
06/08/11Wednesday Western: Man of the FrontierFree for you to view on YouTube: Man of the Frontier — a.k.a. Red River Valley — starring The Singing Cowboy himself, Gene Autry, as a heroic cowpoke determined to find the varmints who have been causing “accidents” at a dam construction site. |
|
 |
06/06/11Father's Day FrontiersmenOhioans may know Allan W. Eckert best as the author of Tecumseh!, the famed outdoor drama performed for the last 25 years at the Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheater near Chillicothe. For me, I remember him best as the author of the thrillingly gory novel The Frontiersmen, which my junior high history teacher would read aloud in class, reveling over descriptions of Midwestern mountain men attempting to elude Tecumseh, the brilliant Shawnee chief. Eckert’s latest novel, Dark Journey, paints a similarly dark and tragic picture of the West, following the Donner-Reed party on its doomed wagon train trip through the Sierra Nevadas. So what better gift for Father’s Day than a signed copy of one of Eckert’s wild wilderness adventure tales? Nothing says fatherhood like a scary tale... |
 |
06/03/11R.I.P. James Arness (1923-2011)Cowboys & Indians would like to extend heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the great James Arness, who passed away Friday at age 88. Even though he’s no longer with us, he’ll remain immortal as Marshal Matt Dillon in the enduringly popular Gunsmoke, one of the longest running series — and, arguably, the greatest Western series — in TV history. To celebrate his life, here’s a clip from the very first episode of Gunsmoke — an introduction by no less an icon than John Wayne himself. |
06/02/11American Plains Artists Issues Call for EntriesThis September the American Plains Artists hosts the 27th APA Annual Juried Exhibit & Sale. A panoply of traditional, realistic and representational artworks depicting the American Plains region, the show will be on view at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces, NM. The Opening Reception and Sale begins on Thursday, September 8th. Awards totaling over $14,000 will be presented, including a $2,000 Best of Show. If you’d like to enter, there’s still time — the deadline for digital submissions is June 4, 2011. You can download the entry form and find a prospectus by clicking here. For more information please visit www.americanplainsartists.com. |
|
06/01/11Wednesday Western: East Meets WestFree for you to view from Hulu.com: East Meets West, a 1995 “Samurai Western” starring Hiroyuki Sanada (who played the mysterious Dogen during the final season of TV’s Lost) as a samurai warrior who treks across the Wild West in search of the outlaws who stole gold from the Japanese mission in San Francisco. |
|
