How the West Was Won (1962).

The Scoop:
This is a big story told on a big canvas.

The tale of America's westward expansion is told through three generations of a single family, with plenty of exciting action, gorgeous photography and even a history lesson to boot. There are stars galore to suit the larger-than-life subject matter -- James Stewart, Gregory Peck, John Wayne, Debbie Reynolds, Henry Fonda, Richard Widmark, Robert Preston and Walter Brennan, just to name a few.

Filmed in Cinerama -- the wide screen megaformat that was a precursor to the modern IMAX format -- the cinematography still manages to dazzle even on the small screen at home; but it's the type of movie that should only be seen in letterbox, or not at all. The Cinerama process does wonders for the wide-open vistas of the West, and directors Henry Hathaway, John Ford, George Marshall and Richard Thorpe use that to full advantage. Cinerama's one drawback is the way it minimizes intimacy and human scale, but that hardly matters here. The crew of directors have found ingenious ways to work around it -- every frame is permeated with a sense of proud heroism that never grows preachy.

It's a corny sort of Americana, but it's one that's executed well. However if the story drags too much for you, you can just lose yourself in the fabulous visuals. A true American movie.

Best Bit:
The white-knuckle river rapids scene.

Side Note:
The uncredited narrator is Spencer Tracy.

Companion Viewing:
Something else equally epic from the same period -- say, "Ben Hur" (1959) or "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1962).

Links:
IMDb.
Fan site.
Wikipedia explains the Cinerama process.

Take a Look:
The trailer. Check out the cast of gazillions:


The train robbery:


Remember when movies had overtures and intermissions? Those were the days...

The Valley of Gwangi (1969).

The Scoop:
One of the most endearing traits (among many) a B-movie can have is a brash spirit of experimentation. With lower expectations, filmmakers can try new things, throw mismatched genres together, take chances -- it can be fascinating to watch, whether it works or not. "The Valley of Gwangi" has just this sort of playful spirit. While it doesn't quite work, it is fun to watch anyway.

Want a western? Want a dinosaur flick? Want a turgid love story? Well, they're all here.

In this twist on the "King Kong" story James Franciscus stars as an American rodeo showman who discovers a hidden prehistoric valley in Mexico and wants to round up the dinosaurs for his traveling show. Gina Golan (Miss Israel 1961) and Richard Carlson are along for the ride, as are the always charming special effects of Rey Harryhausen, who brings Gwangi (a cranky T. Rex) and all his ancient playmates to life. It's one of those head-scratching, "What the hell were they thinking?" concepts that you just have to love, no matter much the execution might come up short.

Best Bit:
Dino fights!

Side Note:
The film was originally conceived as a follow-up to "King Kong," and there was even some footage shot before the project was scrapped. Some of that footage was recycled for "Mighty Joe Young" (1949).

Companion Viewing:
"The Land Unknown" (1957) and "King Kong" (1933).

Links:
IMDb.
Bad Movie Planet.
The Seventh Voyage.
Stomp Tokyo.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


The complete film is available in installments on YouTube, beginning here:

Rio Bravo (1959).

The Scoop:
John Wayne has become such an icon of American machismo that it can be hard to approach any of his movies objectively now. Most of them are just vehicles for his raging testosterone, anyway. But there are a few keepers in the bunch, and this is one of them.

Here, he's a small town sheriff who must hold off a vicious gang who are trying to break one of their members out of jail. His only help are the town drunk (Dean Martin), an inexperienced kid (Ricky Nelson) and a crippled old-timer (Walter Brennan). There's a good story, taut pacing, some comedy and plenty of suspense. Wayne even tones down his swagger and lets his costars (which include Angie Dickinson, Ward Bond and Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez) have plenty of room to do their thing. The only misstep is a studio-ordered musical interlude for Martin and Nelson, but that's easy to overlook.

Another triumph from director Howard Hawks, this film grabs you from the very first, wordless scene and doesn't let go.

Best Line:
"Let's make some noise, Colorado!" (Quentin Tarantino has often cited "Rio Bravo" as one of his favorite films. It's such a favorite, in fact, that he borrowed this line for his original script for "Natural Born Killers," and it's one of the few bits of his dialogue that survived the Oliver Stone rewriting machine to make it into the finished film.)

Side Note:
Although it's a western, the script was cowritten by legendary sci-fi author Leigh Brackett, whose other movie credits include "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "The Big Sleep" (1946).

Companion Viewing:
"High Noon" (1952).

Links:
IMDb.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


Walter Brennan cracks 'em up:


That darn song (which, for the record, is "My Rifle, My Pony and Me":

The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967).

The Scoop:
Once upon a time, Roy Orbison wanted to have the same movie career Elvis Presley had. Fortunately, the only remaining evidence of that misguided thinking is this silly little contraption.

Orbison (looking lost without his trademark dark glasses) plays a Confederate spy trying to steal some Union gold in the last days of the Civil War with the help of a sidekick (who gets more screen time than him) and a bevy of chorus girls. While he may be a legendary singer (which he proves by performing eight songs here, all but one of which are excellent), he was a lousy actor. The only reason Orbison got this part is because Elvis turned down the script. Orbison had to (very obviously) read all his lines off of cue cards, and what little performance he gives looks like it was bolstered in post-production. Even aside from this, the movie doesn't fare too well -- dumb jokes, inept dancing and racist Native American stereotypes. Good for curiosity value and a hearty laugh, but that's about it.

Best Lines:
1) "Men are so stupid! When a woman wants something from a man, she makes love to him. When a man wants something from a man, he goes to war!" 2) Roy describes his guitar, which can transform into a gun: "In case you're interested, I can kill you with this. And play your funeral march at the same time!"

Side Note:
Although most of the Indian tribe was played by white actors, there was one Native American among the group -- Iron Eyes Cody, who later became famous for crying in a television commercial promoting environmentalism.

Companion Viewing:
Only "F-Troop" can approach the quality of this one. Maybe reading "Tumbleweeds" will do, too.

Links:
IMDb.
Hollywood Teen Movies.

Take a Look:
Roy sings the song "Pistolero":