Shane (1953)

I could say I enjoyed this movie, but then I’d be lying… Between all the Shanes and the Bang Bangs, during the middle of the movie the kid was right, I did want to shoot something... Myself. And I think the whole class would agree with me, well actually Millie just wanted to shoot little Joey. This definitely was not a favorite movie of ours, but it was made and our class watched it. So, here's a little bit about the movie Shane...

Shane’s mission is to settle down and find a place to stay. However, there becomes a settler conflict, which forces Shane to take action.

A loner, also known as Shane, comes across a nice family, the Starretts. The Starretts are homesteaders who want to farm the land. A three-day ride away from them are the ranchers. The Ryker brothers, also known as the ranchers, try to intimidate the homesteaders hoping they will leave what they believe to be their land. They do not want any farmers around, they just want to raise their cattle. However, the homesteaders are strong and won’t give in. Joe Starrett wants to build a life for his family, Marion and his son Joey on this land. Shane, who happens to be a gunslinger, befriends this family. Shane wants to settle down with the homesteaders however instead he gets into the middle of this tension between the homesteaders and the ranchers. A gunman killed one of the homesteaders, thus the tension kept increasing. So, Joe Starrett felt he had to do something, however instead Shane takes over and rides into town where he kills the Rykers and the gunman. Shane is a hero as he makes this western town safe again for all. He says goodbye to little Joey who looks up to Shane and then rides of into the distance…

Many critics believe that Shane is a masterpiece because of its simplicity and pure American style. The movie takes on stereotypes and embraces them. The characters’ appearances tell the audience exactly who they are. There is nothing shocking about the film, it is just straight to the point and takes on the truth. The film, Shane, sums of the West, such as individualism, initiative, persistence, lawlessness, violence and also racism. The entire movie encapsulates the West, which makes it such a well-known film in the Western genre.

Our class discussion consisted of bashing the entire movie, Shane himself and the little boy, Joey. Nothing really came out of our discussion as many of us, no wait, ALL of us did not like the movie. We discussed whether Shane is American or not. Many of us argued that he was not American and some argued that he was American. In my opinion, he takes on many traits of an American, thus making him American. Either way I think we could all agree on...

"Shane ... Shane ... Come Back!" -Joey

No Shane. Please don’t come back…

High Noon (1953)

High Noon (1953)

Although High Noon didn't have a smashing success at the box office when it was released in July 1952, it made a profound effect on westerns for years to come. In fact, John Wayne hated this movie so much that his next movie was a direct response to High Noon.

Mission: A town marshall goes looking for people to act as deputies when a murderer he sent to jail returns, seeking to kill him.

Plot: The town marshall of Hadleyville, Will Kane (Gary Cooper), has just gotten married to a Quaker named Amy (future Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly). He's about to leave town for good when he learns that there are three guys waiting at the train station for the noon train supposedly carrying Frank Miller, a murderer Kane convicted years ago and was to be hung until he was sentenced to jail and released. Once Frank Miller arrives, the three of them will come into town with the intent of killing Kane. The townspeople insist that he leave town with his wife, which Kane does, but he eventually turns around and comes back to town to fight. This upsets his wife, sending her to the train station to get a ticket to St. Louis. However, feeling uncomfortable with the three bad guys waiting for Miller, she decides to wait in the town's hotel.

Up until noon, Kane goes to the town's saloon, church, and even a couple of friends, who all refuse to help Kane fight the men for various reasons. Even his deputy, Harvey Pell, refuses to help him, and even fights Kane at one point in the film. Kane is eventually left to his own devices to fight the men.

Meanwhile, Helen Ramirez is fed up with her husband, deputy Harvey Pell, and prepares to leave town. Amy ends up meeting her, and the two of them proceed to the train station for the noon train.

At noon, the train with Miller arrives, while Ramirez and Amy board the train. The four men then come into town prepared to kill Kane. Kane successfully kills two of the men, but gets his arm wounded in the process. Upon hearing gunfire, Amy runs off the train, only to hide in the town. She ends up finding a gun, and kills the third gunmen in the back. However, Miller finds her and takes her hostage so that he can get to Kane. But before Kane comes and surrenders, Amy claws Miller's face, who as a result releases her. Kane then quickly shoots and kills Miller. Kane and his wife then leave the town for good.


Significance: Arguably one of the best film westerns, it was highly controversial when it was released. The film was seen as a response to

McCarthyism, which was particularly rampant at the time of the movie. High Noon is also significant for its real-time storytelling, as the film starts at 10:35 and goes til noon when the fight begins.
In addition, this film was a major favorite of President Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and even George W. Bush.


Discussion: We talked about the different themes of the film, particularly the actions of Ramirez, who seems to own pretty much everything in the town, such as the saloon, and Amy, who forgets her Quaker beliefs and ends up killing a man and helps her husband by scratching Miller, making him an easy target for her husband. We also talked about the town's refusal to help Kane, and also how they are left without any marshals or any kind of police once Kane leaves. We also mentioned the appeal of Kane, and especially considering his age and how a lot of westerns we have watched have people who are a lot younger than Kane, In addition, we also touched on Hollywood's response to "McCarthyism" of the movie since none of the town's residents agreed to help Kane.


Ryan Himel

Calamity Jane

Marthy Jane Cannary or as we know her: Calamity Jane was born on May 1^st 1852 in Missouri. She was the oldest of six children and was known for her love of the outdoors at an early age. In 1862 Marthy and her family moved to Virginia City, Nevada. At this point in time Marthy’s mother had passed away and her father was depending on her to help run the house.

Except one day something terrible happened…Indians had an uprising and Calamity Jane was separated from her family. Jane was forced to carry on alone at the age of ten, to get by and seem strong she dressed in men’s clothing and always carried a rifle with her. Calamity Jane’s reputation slowly but surely grew she was known for her great shot with a rifle, asking men to dance, and for not being afraid of anyone.

In her life Calamity Jane was a prostitute, frontiersmen, and a professional scout. She was known for being a raging alcoholic and when she ran out of money she would trade sex for money and then go buy more alcohol. When Jane was sober she would partake in killing Indians. This made Jane both famous for killing Indians and infamous for being a prostitute. This made people fear Calamity Jane and her way of life, until she died on August 1^st 1903.

The way Marthy Cannary got her nickname isn’t fully known however the general story is that:

"One day Captain Egan was surrounded by a large band. They were fighting desperately for their lives, but were being steadily, but surely slaughtered. Captain Egan was wounded and had fallen off his horse.

"In the midst of the fighting, it is said, the woman rode into the very center of the trouble, dismounted, lifted the captain in front of her on her saddle, and dashed out. They got through untouched, but every other man in the gallant company was slaughtered.

"When he recovered, Captain Egan laughingly spoke of Miss Canary as 'Calamity Jane,' and the name has clung to her ever since; so that while thousands have heard of her, very few have ever heard her real name.”

Information found at:

The Livingstone Enterprise, August 8, 1903, "Calamity is Dead", as quoted in "Calamity's in Town," p.32, by Bill and Doris Whithorn, 510 S. 8th St., Livingston, MT 59047.

http://www.cowgirls.com/dream/cowgals/calamity.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamity_Jane

American Quarter Horse: The Horse of the Frontier

The American Quarter Horse is a horse dating back to the 1600’s. At this time in America, these horses were mainly of Spanish origin. However, in the late 1880’s cowboys rode quarter horses because they were sturdy, willing, and quick. Their small heads and large muscled bodies were ideal for plowing, riding, and herding cattle. The quarter horse is a cross between Spanish horses, mustangs, and more domesticated breeds in Native American tribes. The quarter horse was irreplaceable even after cars and automobiles were invented because of their keen senses and quick reflexes. They were unofficially one of greater reasons why rodeos were started. Cowboys would have little competitions to see whose horse was better over a quarter mile distance. Over the years this racing has become a great sport. This being said, cattle ranches don’t use any other breed of horse to this day when it comes to reining, cattle herding, and wrangling.

Beef

Quick History: Beef were originally used for meat and labor. Horses later replaced beef for labor. One of the earliest breeds of beef imported was the Shorthorn, which was imported in 1783. They are known for average maturity rate and are easily recognizable due to their red and white roan color.

(Shorthorn Bull)

In 1817, Herefords were imported. They were one of the most popular breeds next to the Angus, which were imported in 1873. Both breeds were known for their early maturity rate. Herefords are generally red with white faces, chest and leg markings. Angus are all black.

(Hereford Bull/Angus Bull)

Another one of the most popular cattle come from the state that produces the most beef. Texas Longhorns are not used for beef anymore but are more of a symbol for the American West.

(Longhorn Bull)

Today most of the cattle used for USDA beef are the Hereford, Angus, and Shorthorn breeds. Most cattle that are shown though, are Crossbreds because they produce more flavorful meat. Other breeds have since been imported, such as the Charolais from France, and there are more than 900 registered breeds of beef in the world today.

(Charolais Bull)

Cowboy Gun Holsters

Cowboy gun holsters date back to the 18th century. The gun was a huge part of the cowboys’ life-he carried it everywhere; the holster was a necessity. If a holster was well made, the cowboy would be able to take his gun out with minimal movements. The oldest holster was used during the Civil War, and had a small loop that was fixed to the back, so that a belt was passed through it. The problem with this type of holster, however, was that it was difficult to remove the gun. Later, holsters were made that had a flap that was buttoned above the gun handle. Later, Texas holsters were made. Another version of a gun holster was one that was open in the bottom; this would allowed a gun with a long barrel to stick out a few inches. The most practical holsters were used by officers. It was designed in a way that allowed the finger to be placed in the trigger, and the thumb to reach the hammer. This design allowed the gun to be pulled out extremely fast. In short, the holsters were an extremely important part of “Cowboy Culture”, because they were a necessity for anyone who had a gun, which was most every cowboy.

Idolizing Outlaws of the "Wild" West

Wild Bill Hickock, Billy the Kid, "clubfoot" George Lane, George "Red Buck" Weightman, and many others have been idolized since their heydays in the wild west, but why did Americans feel so passionately about those who, by many standards, should have been locked behind bars? In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the West was seen by many as a place of lawlessness, ruthless behavior, and a place where a life of order was just as common as one without. Land west of the Mississippi attracted those seeking not only adventure, but a place where they could cut loose and live under their own rules. This was ultimately a response to the very aristocratic and rigid cultural structure of the east. People on the east idolized those that were rich, powerful men who were able to buy what they want and talk their way out of conflicts. These people were looked up to because they found success through business and the expansion of a corporate america. Why then, would the most popular individuals from the "wild" west be outlaws? The west, which we have discussed as being almost purely a reaction to the ideas promoted on the east, began to idolize those who were able to be as physically powerful, manly, and lawless, as possible. In many cases, these men were those who operated outside of the law, making due with what they could and living the life they wanted. These outlaws were idolized because they took advantage all that the west had to offer, and were the most manly, un-east-like people in the country. They could do what they wanted, and their success was measured not by the amount of money they could make, people they could barter with, or how well they could speak, but rather that they could sling a gun faster than anyone, rob more banks than the average man, take what they want without asking, fend for themselves, and even ride a horse backwards during an attack from indians. In their own way, these men were heros, able to be pure men; uncivilized, gunslinging, real men. I guess Americans were able to overlook the unlawful behavior because the idea behind their actions was so pure and real, and so unlike those of the east.

Researched and Written by: Matt Rizzo and Jack Cookson

Stagecoaches

So you're looking at that Stagecoach blog post down below and you're probably wondering how sad it is you never got to experience riding a stagecoach. Either that, or you're wondering what's so special about them to the point that a movie is named after them. Well, let's learn about these magical stage transportation apparatuses called stagecoaches....

Stagecoaches started transporting passengers in New England in 1744, followed by NY and Philly in 1756. By 1829, Boston was the hub of 77 stagecoach lines, and then 106 in 1832.

One of the major stagecoach lines was Wells Fargo. Yeah, they actually owned real
stagecoaches and used them not just for advertising purposes. In 1857, Wells
Fargo joined
other companies to form the Overland Mail Company. It's goal: transport mail from St Louis to SF.
It took 25 days to reach San Francisco from St. Louis. In 1861, the Civil War forced the company to take a route across the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, the Great basin, and over the Sierra.

In 1866, Wells Fargo became the largest stagecoach empire in the world. But it was short-lived, as the railroads were finished in 1869.

So what was it like to ride in a stagecoach? Well, it was a lot worse than an airplane (even by today's standards). Most coaches had three bench seats with three abreast squeezed into a space of 15 inches each. Passengers road with their bags in their laps and sometimes mail pouches beneath their feet. Some travelers suffered from motion sickness due to the movement of the stagecoach. And then, most coaches traveled nonstop for 22 days, through dust, sand, night, day, heat, and cold conditions. Passengers usually had poor food, no rest, and brief stops at stations to change drivers. If a passenger decided to take a rest break, they could be stuck at their stop for a week, or even longer if the next stage had no available seats. Passengers also walked sometimes to relieve the tired drivers, to lighten the coach, and push the coaches up hills.

Wells Fargo even made rules that each stagecoach passenger had to follow since they were stuck in such a small cramped place:

• Abstinence from liquor is requested, but if you must drink share the bottle. To do otherwise makes you appear selfish and unneighborly.

• If ladies are present, gentlemen are urged to forgo smoking cigars and pipes as the odor of same is repugnant to the gentler sex. Chewing tobacco is permitted, but spit with the wind, not against it.
• Gentlemen must refrain from the use of rough language in the presence of ladies and children.
• Buffalo robes are provided for your comfort in cold weather. Hogging robes will not be tolerated and the offender will be made to ride with the driver.
• Don't snore loudly while sleeping or use your fellow passenger's shoulder for a pillow; he or she may not understand and friction may result.
• Firearms may be kept on your person for use in emergencies. Do not fire them for pleasure or shoot at wild animals as the sound riles the horses.
• In the event of runaway horses remain calm. Leaping from the coach in panic will leave you injured, at the mercy of the elements, hostile Indians and hungry coyotes.
• Forbidden topics of conversation are: stagecoach robberies and Indian uprisings.
• Gents guilty of unchivalrous behavior toward lady passengers will be put off the stage. It's a long walk back. A word to the wise is sufficient.

Stagecoaches often faced the risk of robberies by nefarious persons, and attacks from Indians as well, just like what happens in the movie Stagecoach.

Now do you want to ride a stagecoach over an airplane? I thought so.



Ryan Himel

Your New Era doesnt have nearly the literary meaning as my cowboy hat!

When I dream about cowboys (which has become more and more often) I usually have the same picture in my head. A younger cowboy, probably 25, in jeans, a nice worn in shirt, and a worn in cowboy hat. Now the last part is truly was sets the cowboy apart from some mall-dwelling hipster. And in fact, I had quite the fascination with Cowboy hats when I was younger. We had a dress up box at my house and I used to frequently dress up as a cowboy and rule over the empty grass-lands on part of my property. I could be a pretty normal looking person, but once I put on that Cowboy hat I was suddenly transformed. But where did the cowboy hat originate? What dreamy figure designed the beautiful curves of the original cowboy hat?
We often see cowboys wearing old civil war clothing in different films, but what not often seen is that cowboys used to wear old Civil War hats as well. Realizing that most of the people in the old west were castoffs looking for new jobs, it makes sense that most of them just wore old top hats. That was until John Stetson. Stetson was known for his great ability with fur and clothes, and also happened to be on the move to the West. One day on a hunting trip, Stetson thought it would be funny to make a huge hat, with a huge brim. He continued to wear the hat around (he was probably drunk and wanted to be a jackass) and he realized, along with his friends, that the hat was extremely functional and quite handsome (if I say so myself.) When Stetson returned from the trip he began to produce the hats. Since then not much has changed. The Stetson is the most common style of hat and a few other variations have been added. The pork pie, the Canadian, buckaroos... the list goes on.
As the basic style of the cowboy hat has not changed, so has the meaning. I do not have the time to delve into the meanings of different styles of hats just yet, I plan on following my passion throughout the semester. Cowboy hats carry more than functionality, they carry history and style. Actors, politicians, and confused men in weird phases of their life use the hat to say something about themselves but this hat will always belong to the rugged western boys of my dreams.
Here is some instruction on how to take care of your hat..

Red River, 1948

(Dunson played by John Wayne)
Mission: Dunson and Garth must lead a cattle drive all the way to Missouri. They will not stop at anything due to financial issues, and the difficulty of the mission. Then after Garth takes on the mission of herding the cattle without Dunson, Dunson makes it his mission to kill Garth.

Plot: Rancher Thomas Dunson (played by John Wayne) has built the largest herd of cattle in the state of Texas. He started with one cow and one bull, and has created a herd of over 10,000 steers. Now he, and Matt Garth (played by Montgomery Clift), a kid he practically raised as his own, must herd all of his cattle across the state border to Missouri for money to save his ranch. Along the way Dunson believes his men become weak, so he continues to push them until they can no longer take it. Finally after Dunson becomes more of a dictator than a leader, Garth takes over the herd. Dunson swears to catch up to Garth, and kill him once they meet. The men driving the cattle have heard tales of Abilene, Kansas, so Garth drives the herd in that direction. Along the way Garth's buddy, Cherry, finds a group of women heading towards Nevada. One of whom is particularly smitten with Garth, so much that she doesn't even flinch when she is pinned to a wall with an arrow. Garth leaves her to take the cattle and shortly after, Dunson reaches the group of women. The smitten woman, Tess, offers Dunson anything he wants in exchange that he won't kill Garth. He doesn't take the bait and continues his new mission to find Garth. Garth reaches Abilene with the majority of the cattle, and the Tradesmen of the town agrees to pay a price no man can refuse. He signs the contract, and then proceeds to wait until Dunson catches up to him. Once Dunson reaches the town of Abilene, he kills Cherry, and proceeds to Garth. But do to their father/son relationship, he can't go through with it.

Significance: Howard Hawke's first western defines the way cattle drives are portrayed for years to come. This was a new way to approach making movies because he spent 3 million to make the movie, which went way over budget, but the film ended up being one of the top grossing films of the year. The way he depicts the character's throughout the film, reflects society's view of men at the time. The men were always aloof to anything that didn't involve work, or something that would broaden their masculinity in the eyes of everyone else. Hawke also makes the close relationship between Dunson and Garth prominent. If it hadn't been for the hyper-macho tension, the relationship would have seemed almost too homoerotic and the film would have faced rejection from its intended audience.
(Tess played by Joanne Dru)

Discussion: Our class examined the more romantic relationship between the men. Garth and Dunson have a very tight bond due to the fact that Dunson raised Garth like a son. Then there is the relationship between Garth and Cherry. They are best friends but this is where the romanticism comes into play. In one scene, Cherry and Garth exchange guns, which we have examined to be extremely phallic and homoerotic. They take about five minutes to admire each others guns, slowly feeling and looking. Finally one of them spots a can, and they shoot using the other one's gun. After they admire the power and strength each others guns have, which tightens their bond, and creates a sense of comfort between them. Women were also portrayed in a more leading role in this movie. Tess took her wound like a man, and she acted almost like one too, except for the fact that she was completely smitten, which most western women were depicted as.
(Garth played my Montgomerey Clift)

Stagecoach (1939)

Stagecoach was made in 1939 and was directed by John Ford. It is this movie that launched John Wayne into the light of stardom; He became the iconic cowboy as in this movie he travels across Monument Valley with six others in a Stagecoach (there are two on top!). With the only things ahead of themselves being an open desert and an Indian infested land, these nine characters set out on the adventure of a lifetime.

Mission:
Nine people are traveling together on a stagecoach to get to Lourdsburg. The only question is will they complete the mission?

Plot:
A stagecoach trip becomes complicated as they find out that if the passengers want to get to Lourdsburg they are going to have to go through the desert where Geronimo is killing anyone he runs into. The passengers on this stagecoach are being driven by a uneducated man who is accompanied by the sheriff who sits shotgun the whole trip in order to find the Ringo kid, who is out to avenge his father's and brother's deaths.
The passengers include two women-one being a proper lady, and the other being a whore...
Then we have the gambler who we find out has a history of being found at murder scenes after games go bad. The banker who steals all of his clients money. A man who no one respects a mr....um...mr...ummmm. PEACOCK! However Mr. Peacock, the whiskey 'drummer,' does make one friend on his trip-an alcoholic doctor!

All in all this crowd makes for a pretty interesting group.

the o so hawt John Wayne

Discussion:
After we watched the movie we went back and watched the beginning of the movie with commentary. We were told how this was a true western because the social society was portrayed to a "T" because we see in the beginning how the woman just walked around while men held the authority. Also after we watched the movie with commentary we talked about John Wayne's and John Fords relationship was built and how it fell apart.
John Ford was very strict on set, he wanted everything to be perfect. Not only did John Ford control all the details but also his actors, he liked to instill fear in his actors so that they would never leave him. However that fear did not stop John Wayne from going and working for a different director. This is when John Ford and John Wayne fought for many years about the soar subject as John Ford felt betrayed. It wasn't some years later till the two became buddy buddy again and made another movie called "The Searchers."


Finally, whats a blog without funny facts?!?

• Crew or equipment visible: As the stagecoach crosses the river at the burnt out ferry, the shadow of a camera is clearly visible on the driver's back.
  
  
• Continuity: In the begining of the film, when the stagecoach is going into Tonto street, we see its shadow to one side. In the next shot the shadow is on the other side.
  
  
• Continuity: In the fight between the stagecoach's passengers and the Indians, we see the same image of one Indian, with a lance in his hand, falling with his horse two times. One time shot by Marshal Curly and another time shot by Hatfield.
  
  

• Revealing mistakes: In the beginning sequence when the stage is coming into town you can see that the buildings are stage facades as the camera shot is at an angle and it is clear there is no structure behind the false front.
  
  
• Anachronisms: The military hats are all the porkpie-type top, squared off, instead of the accurate slouch hat as was appropriate in the 1860s and '70s.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: In the scene at Apache Wells where Chris rushes in to wake the Marshall played by George Bancroft to say his wife has run off, Bancroft and John Wayne are chained together at the ankle. George Bancroft delivers his line but moves his chained leg to far, jerking the chains around Wayne's ankle. Wayne yelps and grabs his ankle. As Bancroft turns toward Wayne to undo the chains, Bancroft is clearly struggling not to break up laughing as Wayne glares at him.

(All of this information was found on the internet movie database.)