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brookewritesyk · 4 years

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───── 𝐑𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢𝗼𝐧 ─────

𝐈𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 since the Goodmans family last saw Charlie-Rose. Charlie was always a very pretty girl or female as Martin would say. Since a young age, she's had the aspiration to become an actress. Not because of the fame and wealth that came with it if she made it big, unlike most people.

You may be wondering who are the Goodmans? The Goodmans were a family of 4 and Jonny Goodman was her best friend up until near the end of high school when she had to move. Deep down Charlie knew she always felt something for Jonny that was more than just friendship. That explains why she is sitting in a taxi with nerves coursing through her.

She was going to see the Goodmans again.

───── 𝐀𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝗼𝗼𝐝𝗺𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐡𝗼𝐮𝐬𝐞 ─────

"For someone who doesn't stop going on about formula 1 your surprisingly shit at driving," Adam commented getting out of Jonny's car. "Like seriously no control of the vehicle."

"No control of the vehicle?" Jonny repeated offended. Then the car alarm went off and Adam gave Jonny the I-told-you-so look.

Whilst continuing bickering they walked towards their parents' front door and they noticed it was left open.

"Why is the door open?" Adam asked puzzled.

Not answering, Jonny went and fully opened the door to find Wilson, their neighbour's dog sitting on the carpet.

"Hello", Jim, the neighbour said slightly surprised whilst coming out of the bathroom and to see Adam and Jonny were there.

"Uhh hi Jim," Adam said but it sounded like a question as he was getting more confused.

"Jonny?" He asked unsurely and slightly tilting his head.

"I'm Adam," Adam replied getting annoyed.

"I'm Jonny.." The younger brother said dumbfoundedly.

"Why are you..." Adam trailed off.

"Hmm?" Jim mumbled trying to avoid answering the question.

"Nothing." Adam sighed knowing he wouldn't get an answer.

Cautiously, Jim went to pick up Wilson's lead and flinching while the brothers looked at each other confused and bewildered. Then Jim went through the boys to leave.

"Right.." Adam said whilst closing the door. "That wasn't strange."

Still confused, they went through the house to find their parents in the garage.

"Hi, mum." Jonny greeted blankly.

"Hi." The older brother sang.

"Hi boys," Jackie responded distractedly.

"What are you doing in the garage?" Jonny asked.

"We're having a clear-out," Jackie explained now looking at the boys.

"Don't you mean what's Jim doing in our loo?" Adam joked whilst smiling.

"Martin you do know the boys are here, say 'hello'," Jackie told Martin and not answering the question.

"What?" Martin asked pointing to his hearing aid then turned around and said: "Oh hello bambinos."

"No top tonight?" Jonny jokingly asked.

"He's boiling," Jackie said.

"I'm boiling," Martin said louder thinking that Jonny didn't hear Jackie,

"Well, you're going to have to put a top on soon as we have a guest coming." Jackie reminded Martin whilst pointing to his naked chest. Then they all went to the kitchen.

Both of the boys groaned they didn't like guests coming over on a Friday night. "Why didn't you tell us there was going to be a bloody guest!" Adam complained.

"Because it's a surprise!" Jackie explained excitedly.

"So who is it?" Jonny asked whilst opening the fridge getting the whipped cream and squirting it directly into his mouth.

"Stop eating cream, its an old family friend." Jackie hinted vaguely whilst smiling wickedly and started to stir the soup.

"Well, that wasn't vague," Adam smirked sarcastically and eating bread.

"So when is Lily coming?" Martin asked from coming downstairs finally having a shirt on.

"Lily?" Asked Adam and Jonny at the same time.

"Lily? No, its Charlie. Charlie-Rose Evans." Jackie reminded her husband annoyed.

"Wait, Charlie-Rose is coming here?" Jonny asked shocked and slightly blushing.

"Yes I got in touch with her on Tuesday and I invited her over for dinner," Jackie explained.

"The Charlie-Rose Evans is coming over, the one Pissface had a massive crush on?" Adam said excitedly knowing he could take the piss out of him for the night.

"Used too, in year 10 before she had to move to Paris," Jonny defended "Plus I've got a girlfriend, Allison."

"That's never been proved," Adam stated.

"You're just jealous that I have a girlfriend," Jonny argued.

"Yes, I'm jealous that you have a girlfriend which you share with another man." Adam sarcastically agreed.

"Simon is not her boyfriend!" Jonny huffed.

Then the door went.

"Oh my God, that will be her!" Jackie exclaimed whilst excitingly clapping her hands and rushing to the front door.

"Hello, Char- Oh hi Jim," Jackie said disappointed. "IT'S NOT CHARLIE EVERYONE, IT NOT CHARLIE!" Jackie loudly informed everyone and turning her head down the hall then turned her attention back to Jim who was trying to spray breath mints but played it off as glasses cleaner.

"Nice and shiny," Jim commented whilst fastly whipping his glasses with a cloth.

"Right, sorry Jim what do you need?" Jackie asked fake smiling.

"Yes I was wondering if you had any soy sauce, I ran out and need some for my ice-cream," Jim explained while trying to stroke Wilson but flinching away.

"Ok, Jonny!" Jackie called.

"What mum?" Jonny asked annoyed walking up behind his mum.

"Could you get the soy sauce from the cupboard?" Jackie asked disturbed.

"Sure." Jonny agreed yet confused so he went to the kitchen and grabbed the sauce and lazily gave it to Jim then went back in the living room.

Then the door went again.

"I swear to God if that's Jim-" Jackie muttered whilst opening the door again to realise it wasn't Jim it was Charlie-Rose. "Oh, hello love! Aww, it's been ages how are you and how was Paris?" She asked excitedly.

"Hi, Jackie I'm doing great! Paris was magnifique. In my apartment, I had a perfect view of the Effiel Tower but it's good to be back home." Charlie explained cheerfully.

"That sounds amazing." Jackie tutted happily and guided Charlie through to the living room. "Boys guess who's here!"

"The lady strangler?" Adam joked thinking it was Jim as he was focused on his phone.

"Horrible Adam! No look." Jackie insisted.

"Oh my-" Jonny breathed shocked.

Charlie had long flowing brunette hair and hazel eyes which complemented her perfect pale skin. She was wearing minimalistic makeup and an off-white leather jacket and a white dress with blue vines on it.

"Hi, Pusface." Charlie joked smiling.

"Great that's still stuck." Adam mumbled, "Hey Paris hows it been?"

"It's been going good and original nickname. Quick question do you write jingles now?" Charlie asked unsurely.

"Uhhh yeah how did you know?" Adam asked caught off guard.

"Right I thought it was one of yours as I heard one in a cafe in Paris." She explained.

"Wow, the shit composer made it all the way to Paris." Jonny joked "H-hi Charlie.." Greeted shyly by Jonny who forgot Charlie was actually there.

"Still haven't matured have we Pissface?" You teased going in for a hug.

"You know I haven't." Jonny laughed returning the hug.

Suddenly, Charlie-Rose started to kiss both of Jonny's cheeks which caused Jonny to blush furiously and Charlie pulled away and quickly said: "Oh my God I'm so sorry I forgot in Paris you-"

"Don't worry about it." Jonny comforted rubbing her arm.

Then Martin walked in, not wearing a top again.

"Martin," Jackie moaned.

"But Jackie, oh hello, Bambina!" Martin happily greeted and surprisingly hugged her.

"Who knew dad was capable of emotions," Adam said amused.

"Yeah who knew?" Jonny laughed.

"So how was Italy?" Martin asked pulling away and fiddling with his hearing aid.

"Italy?" Jackie asked.

"Italy?" Adam asked as well at the same time as his mum but louder.

"Yeah, she went to Italy didn't she?" Martin asked in clarification.

"Umm no I went to Paris, you know France," Charlie explained perplexed.

"Oh right," Martin said nodding.

"Sorry about that love, so how is the acting thing going?" Jackie asked intrigued whilst sitting down on the sofa along with everyone else.

"It's going well I've been in a few adverts here and there but still just looking for auditions," Charlie explained, happy and surprised that she remembered.

"Aww, little Charlie-Rose is a celebrity," Jackie said with pure excitement.

"Well not yet." Charlie joked while smirking.

"Charlie-Rose?" Martin said

"Yes?" She replied sweetly turning around to face him.

"Any males?" Martin asked.

"Males?" Charlie looked at Adam and Jonny confused.

"Have you been seeing a guy," Jackie explained rolling her eyes at Martin.

"Oh umm, not at the moment no." She said slightly sad.

"Are you a homosexual?" Martin asked.

"Dad!" Adam moaned.

"What? She's a pretty female if she hasn't got a male she must have a female." Martin logically explained

"No I-I'm not gay just haven't found the right guy yet," Charlie answered.

"If that's the case I could set you up with-" Jackie started to offer until Jonny protectively declared, "Mum set me and Adam up all you like with someone but not Charlie."

"Rather protective for someone who's got a girlfriend," Adam commented snidely. "Oh sorry, you don't as she doesn't exist." He corrected himself.

"Shut up Pusface, she does exist and she's amazing!" Jonny exclaimed a bit too defensively.

"Boys enough we have a bloody guest!" Jackie shouted at them "Sorry about them sweetie come through to dinner."

In the midst of it all, Charlie-Rose's heart sank at the idea of her best friend being with someone who wasn't her.

───── 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 ─────

"So where should I sit?" Charlie asked as Martin sat next to Jackie.

"Oh, you can sit next to Martin or Adam." Jackie offered using her knife to point to the empty seats.

"Ok great." She replied happily and sat next to Martin who was eating his roast.

"Jackie?" Martin said.

"Hmmm.." Jackie responded

"This is a lovely bit of squirrel." Martin calmly stated then bursts out in hysterics along with Jackie.

After calming down Jackie asked looking over at Jonny, "So are you going to tell me why she couldn't come tonight?"

"Hmmm?" Jonny asked back in response and carried on eating.

"Allison?" Jackie rolled her eyes getting frustrated.

"You know your pretend girlfriend." Adam mock informed Jonny.

"I'm not having the conversation with you right now," Jonny said looking at Jackie dead in the eye.

"Why not, has something happened?" Jackie whined disappointed.

"As I haven't seen Charlie in at least 5 years and I don't really want to talk about my girlfriend while she's here and make her uncomfortable," Jonny explained thoughtfully.

"Awww, Jonny-boo fine but only tonight." Jackie cooed

"Thank you!" Jonny sighed. "So what else did you get up into Paris?" Jonny asked trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"Well I went up the Eiffel Tower which was fun, did a Coco Channel advert and I went to the Louvre." Charlie listed.

"Is that the museum that takes like 3 days to see it all of it?" Marin asked.

"Yeah, it was long but definitely worth it." You told Martin.

───── 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝗺𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝗺𝐛𝐥𝐞 ─────

"Crimble crumble!" Jackie said excitedly.

"That crumble looks dry, good thing we've got water." Jonny suspiciously commented.

"What?" Charlie asked confused but in response, Jonny just did the hush symbol at her and he repeated: "Nothing I'm just saying luckily we have water."

"Oh, I know what you have done!" Adam said pointing at him and took Jonny's glass and drank from it and quickly realised "You put salt in your cup!"

"Oh my god, you still do that!" Charlie said after recovering from her fit of laughter.

"Yep." They both said in unison but in different tones.

───── 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 ─────

Whilst walking out of the Goodman residence Jonny stopped and looked at Charlie and said: "I really missed you."

"I missed you too," Charlie-Rose replied.

Then Jonny went in to hug her and murmured in her ear "Please come over again next week."

Smiling she said "Of course"

#jonny goodman #friday night dinner #adam goodman #x reader #e4 #channel 4

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365days365movies · 3 years

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Western August I: Stagecoach (1939) - Recap and Review

Let’s start at the beginning...almost,

The Western arguably was born with the 1903 film, The Great Train Robbery. This 12-minute short film is a classic, and one of the earliest achievements in film-making. It’s also, unsurprisingly, a Western, and based on an actual train robbery. At the time it was made, the Wild West had only really ended a few years prior, with its heyday being about 40 years past. Which, yeah, is CRAZY. People who remembered the Wild West lived into the 1950s and ‘60s. It seems like so long ago, and it was, but it was still relatively recent from a historical standpoint.

From then, the Western remained a staple of cinema, and would be so for over half a century. And then, enter John Ford. Born in 1894, the Irish American director began his career in 1914 as an assistant and handyman, often working with his older brother Francis. Eventually, John took his place as a director, starting with silent films, especially westerns. Starting with the very successful film The Iron Horse in 1924, he quickly rose to stardom. He transitioned from silent films to talkies pretty effortlessly, and continued his streak. All the while, he was also one of the first directors to have a roster of actors in his company. You know how Tim Burton always uses Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter? Or how the Coen Brothers always use Frances McDormand and John Goodman? Or Wes Andersen with Bill Murray and Owen Wilson? Yeah, that started with John Ford and...ugh...

Before I start...fuck John Wayne.

Dude was a racist homophobic asshole, and absolutely a dick. Look it up, or don’t if you’d rather not have one of cinemas most iconic faces completely ruined for you. But OK, outside of that one time that he said that the Native Americans were “selfishly trying to keep the land for themselves”, or that he believed in white supremacy over uneducated blacks...yeah, he’s a DICK...

Marion Robert Morrison was born in Iowa in 1907, and began his film career after becoming injured while surfing without a surfboard and ending his football career. Yes, really. His football coach was a friend of a film director named John Ford, who hired Morrison as a favor to him. Said football coach was also friends with an actual remnant of the Old West: WYATT FUCKING EARP. YEAH.

For years, Morrison was a bit player until starring in the film The Big Trail in 1930, a Western directed by Raoul Walsh. And he wasn’t exactly famous after this, but it was with this film that he took up a screen name: John Wayne, after a Revolutionary War general, Anthony Wayne, and...well, the name John. Anthony sounded too Italian. Yes, really. After this movie, Wayne continued to star in more Westerns, and even became one of the first film cowboys to sing on camera.

And then, 1939 came along, and John Ford came to him with a new film project. Being a classic Western, the film was about a group of settlers riding on a stagecoach together through the West. Strangers to each other, they find themselves attacked by a group of Native Americans belonging to the Apache tribes. This film, an adaptation of a 1939 short story, would come to be known as Stagecoach. And it would launch Ford, Wayne, and the Western genre into a Golden Age. So no more navel-gazing, let’s get started!

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

I get reminded that I haven’t watched a Criterion Collection film in a while, and the film begins with a rousing Western theme, courtesy of...holy shit, this movie has SEVEN COMPOSERS? Well, OK, courtesy of somebody in that list of seven. From there, we cut to a camp somewhere in the Arizona Territory in 1880. Which, again, is only 60 years prior to this film’s release date. There, a group of men discuss the danger imposed on them by the Apache, stirred up by the legendary warrior Geronimo.

And from there, we go to the town of Tonto, where stagecoach driver Buck (Andy Devine) lets a group of passengers out. One of these passengers is Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt), there to catch another shuttle to meet her husband in Dry Fork, New Mexico. However, the stagecoach gains an extra passenger in the form of the Marshal, Curley Wilcox (George Bancroft), who goes to find an outlaw also in Lordsburg.

The passenger list builds with the addition of Doc Boone (Thomas Mitchell) and Dallas (Claire Trevor), a drunk and a prostitute both driven out of town by the Law and Order League of Women, due to social stigma affecting them both. In a bar getting a farewell drink, Doc meets yet one more passenger, Samuel Peacock (Donald Meek), a whiskey salesman that Doc is glad to meet. Meanwhile, banker Henry Gatewood (Berton Churchill) also boards the vehicle, under mysterious circumstances.

Friends of Lucy are worried with her travelling a drunk and a prostitute (the ABSOLUTE SCANDAL), but she needs to visit her husband in Dry Fork. As she leaves, she meets eyes with the dangerous but enigmatic gambler Hatfield (John Carradine). And before they’re able to leave altogether, the carriage is stopped by the army, who warn them of the Apache and Geronimo. All of the passengers refuse to get off, and YET TWO MORE passengers board to protect the carriage: the Marshal and Hatfield. And finally, they’re off! But as they head out, they’re stopped when they encounter a recently escaped outlaw.

This is The Ringo Kid (John Wayne), who just got out of prison. The Marshal sees him, and takes him into custody on the way to Lordsburg, where they plan to drop him off into jail. And yes, he’s put on the fucking stagecoach. In total, we have Buck, the Marshal, Lucy, Hatfield, Doc, Peacock, Gatewood, and the Ringo Kid. Jesus, that’s a crowded-ass carriage, even if two of them are outside of it. Hell, Ringo’s sitting on the fuckin’ floor!

Anyway, the group interacts and introduces themselves. We learn that Doc once patched up Ringo’s brother, and was discharged from the Union Army for drunkenness. We learn that Hatfield is a true southern gentleman, and a veteran of the Confederate army (much to Doc’s ire), and that Ringo’s brother was murdered under mysterious circumstances.

The group gets to Dry Forks, currently under occupation by the army. Said army had accompanied them (outside of the carriage, thank God) to Dry Forks, and are staying there to guard against the Apache. Meanwhile, Lucy’s dismayed to find that her husband isn’t in fact there. This leads to the debate of whether or not the party should go back to Tonto, or head onwards to Lordsburg. Buck wants to go back to Tonto, as does Peacock, while literally everybody else wants to go to Lordsburg. And so, they continue onwards.

Before heading onwards, the group sits for dinner, during which Ringo is the only one to show any form of kindness to Dallas, as everybody else looks down on her for prostitution. Shit, man, they won’t even sit near her at the table. Jesus. Unfortunately, Dallas is used to this cruel treatment, and it allows her to bond with Ringo in her loneliness. Once again, character interactions reveal things about our cast. Lucy is feeling quite ill, and Hatfield reveals that he served under her father in the Confederate Army.

And from there, the coach continues on through the desert. Buck and the Marshal argue about letting Ringo free, as he aims to continue his feud with the outlaw Luke Plummer and his brothers, despite the fact that he’ll likely be killed by them. It’s for this reason that the Marshal wants to keep Ringo in his custody, as he was good friends with his father and doesn’t want to see him killed by the dangerous Plummers, whom Buck thinks should be taken down regardless.

Inside the coach, the banker reveals that he’s literally a Republican from 2016 (he rants about small government, and claims that a businessman should be President, holy shit), while people keep treating Dallas like shit, except for Ringo. They go through a cold mountain pass, which isn’t great for Lucy for some reason. It’s actually quite rough on everyone. Except for Doc Boone, who keeps drinking Peacock’s whiskey samples, which is hilarious.

Finally, the group makes it to the next stop, Apache Wells. There, Lucy discovers that her husband has been severely wounded in a battle with the Apache, and she falls faint. Despite being absolutely SMASHED, Doc sobers up to help her, with the help of Ringo and the Marshal. Meanwhile, Dallas watches over her, despite the rancor that Lucy’s tossed at her this whole time.

The group stays the night, attended to by Chris (Chris Pin-Martin) a Mexican man who’s married to Yakima (Elvira Rios), an Apache woman who...is played by a Mexican singer. Huh. I mean...it’s still technically redface, unfortunately. But then again, the attitude towards Native American actors at this time was...oh boy. And the portrayal of the Mexicans in the camp aren’t exactly great, as a group of them steal the group’s spare horses, meaning that they only have one set of horses to use from here on out.

But amongst the unpleasant is a pleasant surprise, and the reveal of the cause for Lucy’s mysterious condition: she’s pregnant. Or rather, she was, as the baby’s just been delivered, and is being held by Dallas. As the group celebrates, Chris warns Ringo to stay away from Lordsburg, as the Plummers will kill him. But Ringo has something else on his mind.

See, on seeing Dallas with the baby, he finds himself quite in love with her. He finds her outside, and tells her that his father and brothers were killed by the Plummers. In turn, she reveals that her family was massacred on the real-life Superstition Mountain. Their conversation ends in Ringo proposing to Dallas, which she protests to because of her mysterious past.

The next morning, Yakima’s left with Chris’ horse and rifle, and the group worry that she’s gone to tell the Apache. After Gatewood panics about his mysterious valise being possibly stolen, the group packs up and readies themselves to go. But Lucy is, of course, still ill from literally giving birth hours ago. Things are still tense between Lucy and Dallas, despite Dallas taking care of her the entire fucking night. Jesus, lady, that high horse is looking uncomfortable, you should get off it.

Dallas has something else to worry about, as she’s thinking on Ringo’s proposal. She consults with the doctor, who reminds her of her mysterious and checkered past being revealed if she goes. But she doesn’t seem to care, and she decides to accept the proposal. As for the rest, Gatewood’s freakin’ the fuck out. Because of Lucy’s condition, the doctor requests that they don’t leave until a day later. And Gatewood doesn’t give a single shit, as the Apache are close enough. Still, the party decides to stay, at Hatfield’s added insistence.

Ringo and Dallas talk, with Dallas both warning him of the Plummers, and also accepting his proposal. The men are all still arguing about whether or not they should leave, and they note that the Apache are likely between them and their destination. Ringo then takes the opportunity to escape and ride to Lordsburg for revenge on the Plummers. But he stops when he sees smoke signals on the hill. The Apache are coming.

No more waiting, it’s time to GO. Taking the still recovering lady and her newborn child Coyote into the stagecoach, they take off into the desert. Gatewood continues to run his loudmouth, to the ire of Hatfield and Ringo. And Peacock, to my delight, shows some kindness and “Christian charity” to Dallas, as she holds Coyote during the ride. And after all, they’re almost at the ferry!

Ah, shit, the ferry! Looks like the ferry, and the entire town of Lee’s Ferry have been burned. And if they ford the river, all of their supplies could be flooded, or the oxen could drown! Or worse, dysentery could set in! That’s what The Oregon Trail taught me! And yet, despite this, that’s actually EXACTLY what they do! And unlike me literally every time I’ve every tried to cross a river without a ferry, they make it through fine! Realistic educational games my ASS!

But it’s not entirely safe, as the group are being watched by none other than the Apache, who make their way down to intercept the group. In the carriage, meanwhile, the group is thankful that they’ve made their way from danger, and even Gatewood relaxes a little. Doc Boone makes a toast, and everyone seems to be getting along for once.

OH FUCK, PEACOCK GOT HIT!

The girlfriend IMMEDIATELY SAYS, “Now he really is Drew Peacock.” I leave and get boba to soothe my injured spirit from that well-timed joke. And then, the movie continues, and the chase is on! The Apache chase the stagecoach through the desert, and the groups trade gunshots and arrows, with Ringo shooting from the back. Gatewood panics so hard that Doc Boone punches him and IMMEDIATELY knocks him out, as he attends to Peacock’s injuries.

But despite their best efforts, the Apache group catches up to them, although many of them are killed by Ringo, the Marshal, Doc, and Hatfield. In the process, Buck is also shot, and Ringo literally jumps ON THE FUCKING HORSES, and commands them from the front like a goddamn badass. Things begin to get worse, as everybody in the stagecoach runs out of ammo, at the worst possible time. Hatfield only has one bullet remaining, and he considers using it...to kill Lucy! Holy fuck!

And just as he’s about to fire IN HER FUCKING FACE, the sounds of horns ring out as the cavalry arrives. And Hatfield, dick that he is, is shot. I think he was trying to spare her the indignity of being captured by the Apache, but Jesus, man! He collapses, and reveals that his father is a judge in Virginia before he...either passes out or dies, I’m not sure. The group finally gets to Lordsburg, where it turns out that Lucy’s husband is gonna be OK, and wasn’t severely injured. She tanks Dallas for everything that she’s done, and promises to help her should she ever need assistance. Good, finally, the lady needs a goddamn break.

The stagecoach rides through the busy town, and the arrival of the Ringo Kid gets the attention of Luke Plummer (Tom Tyler), who fetches his brothers Hank (Vester Pegg) and Ike (Joe Rickson). Time to get ready for a showdown, it seems. Dallas seems to know this, and goes to Ringo after the living Peacock (yay!) and the not-so-living Hatfield (oof) are brought in for medical help.

Buck’s also OK, but Gatewood isn’t. See, that valise he was carrying was actually full of money, and he had embezzled it from his own bank. He had counted on telegraph lines being down, so that he could escape with his ill-gotten gains, but has no such luck, and is led away in handcuffs! HA!

Ringo, meanwhile, is set to kill Luke Plummer and his brothers. The Marshal lets him escape, and promises to get Dallas safely down to a little ranch he owns in the South. Dallas and Ringo walk off together, and Dallas tries to get him to leave and say goodbye before he goes to his death, and before he finds out about her past (presumably as a prostitute).

See, they’re actually walking up to a brothel, where Dallas is going to stay and work. Because, yeah, she’s a prostitute. Sucks that she’s been so maligned, because prostitution fuckin’ BUILT the Old West! I guess it’s easier to see that with historical context. As Ringo finds out the truth about Dallas (which he might’ve known all along), he still insists upon marrying her...and upon killing the Plummers.

Doc, meanwhile, goes to the bar where the Plummers are waiting. He tells them that he’ll get them arrested, and Luke swears to come back for him after their business with Ringo is concluded. The brothers head outside, ready for the final showdown. It’s 3 on one, Plummers against Ringo. Ringo fires! A few more shots...then silence. And Dallas mourns.

Except that Ringo wins the fight, and goes back to her! A happy ending! I’m sure that’ll be pretty goddamn rare this month. The Marshal arrives to take Ringo away, and Ringo goes as promised. She asks to ride with him a bit, and the Marshal agrees. He and Doc watch them get on, then cause the horses of the carriage to stampede away, letting Ringo and Dallas escape into the desert, together. And that’s the end!

Y’know...I liked it! I really liked it!

This movie is often referred to as the greatest Western of all time, and the reason that the Western survived into the next several decades. And honestly, I get it! It was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, and won for Best Supporting Actor (Thomas Mitchell, AKA Doc) and Best Original Score, both of which were quite deserved!

Review time!

Cast and Acting - 9/10: Sure, it’s a little hokey. But at the same time, it’s good classic Hollywood acting! Wayne, Trevor, Mitchell, Carradine, and Devine are standouts for me, all of which serving their roles well. Also, fun fact about Andy Devine: he’s the voice of Friar Tuck in Disney’s Robin Hood! KNEW I recognized that voice!

Plot and Writing - 10/10: Standard plot? Sure. Engaging as hell? Hell yeah! This is just a good story, plain and simple. No holes, no problems, no mistakes, and purely straightforward. Great writing by the original story author, Ernest Haycox, and great screenplay by Dudley Nichols!

Directing and Cinematography - 10/10: Great looking movie, too! All credit to John Ford, unsurprisingly. Cinematographer Bert Glennon also deserves credit for the beautiful landscape shots throughout. Gogeous film, even in black-and-white!

Production and Art Design - 8/10: This is pretty standard Western production design, so not a lot to write home about specifically. However, that doesn’t mean it’s bad. To the contrary, it’s quite good! Just does stand out to me quite as much as other movies. Might be a nitpick, but it’s still something against the film.

Music and Editing - 10/10: No complaints! Seven composers definitely make their presence known, and you can tell that this score heavily informed all Western scores after it. It’s iconic, and it’s perfect for the mood. As for the editing by Otho Lovering and Dorothy Spencer...it’s great! Perfect pacing, well-edited...no complaints whatsoever.

94%, and I had fun with this one!

I honestly did have quite a good time with this one. I can’t really call it a “fun” movie, but it definitely is a good one. Plus, it’s a John Ford/John Wayne film, which is basically a staple of the genre. So, what’s next?

Next: My Darling Clementine (1946), dir. John Ford

#stagecoach #stagecoach 1939 #john ford #claire trevor #john wayne #andy devine #john carradine #thomas mitchell #george bancroft #apache #western august #365 days 365 movies #365 movie challenge #western genre #user365 #usersasha #my gifs #mygifs

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elizaundey · 4 years

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Avenue south residence

The Mimico hood sitting south of the Queensway and Royal York down to the lake front, has been one of the best kept secrets for value, when one thinks about living in Toronto. For buyers that have been priced out of the areas that are already popular and gentrification has already begun, many are opting for hoods still in transition where prices are much lower while still being relatively close to the core of the City. Being so close to downtown Toronto and the waterfront has many first time buyers flocking to this unique pocket of west end Toronto called Mimico.

To this day, Mimico has the feel of a lakeside town. Living close to the water has always been a huge draw with the enchanting greenery that surrounds the area. This is a waterfront neighbourhood with amazing and scenic parks and trails, boating and sailing clubs, as well as exceptional sporting facilities. Mimico is also close enough to downtown Toronto that you can be there in fifteen minutes. The northern part is called Mimico Village, with the southern area called Mimico by the Lake Village.

Unique to this hood are the number of sporting, recreational and parklands available to choose from. Known for their sports clubs, kids have been introduced to skating, hockey and Lacrosse at the local Mimico Arena. A number of professional hockey players have been developed from this area. The new MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence is a state of the art facility boasting four ice pads, where the Maple Leafs train and practice. Mimico's Tennis Club has one of the few red clay surfaces, which is friendlier on the knees. For the boating and sailing enthusiasts, the Etobicoke Yacht Club, Mimico Cruising Club and Humber Sailing and Powerboating Centre are all found in the Humber Bay Park at the foot of Parklawn Road. Avenue south residence This magical park that hugs the lakefront also offers a wetland habitat for birds, a man- made peninsula with assortments of local wildlife, geese, swans, ducks and seagulls. Young and old alike enjoy the pond for model boats, the picnic areas and the trails and paths that wind along and through the park offering some of the city's best views of both the lake activity and the Toronto skyline. The Humber Bay Arch Bridge for pedestrians and bicycles connects the boardwalk along the water with the Martin Goodman trail which one can take to travel across the city to the Rouge River in the east. It's another route that those strolling, biking, running or blading, enjoy while taking in the beautiful vistas of Toronto's waterfront and the calm of the area.

Phase 1 of the Mimico Waterfront Linear Park was recently opened in 2008, running from Norris Crescent to Superior Avenue. The largest portion can be found at the newly transformed Amos Waites Park, with the cantilevered boardwalks overlooking a protected wetland area. Standing along this trail you have incredible views of the sailboats moored at the clubs with the CN tower in the background, while listening to the beat of the lake and the swans swimming by. Grab an organic freshly roasted coffee at the caf' called Birds and Beans that's beside the park, and relax watching the sailboats bobbing along on the waves.

Another huge draw to this area is the ease of transportation and close proximity to downtown Toronto. Those leaving the car behind can choose from the Queen Streetcar which runs along The Lake Shore, the Royal York bus connecting to the Bloor-Danforth subway line or the Mimico GO station off Royal York which takes approximately 10 minutes to arrive at Union Station. Motorists can take the Q.E.W. or Lake Shore Boulevard for a fast route to either downtown Toronto or out of the city

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buzzdixonwriter · 5 years

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Gene Autry's Horse

Peter David recently posted a short essay on the current brouhaha over Martin Scorsese and Francis Coppola saying the Marvel movies aren’t real cinema, not genuine works of art, but just “thrill rides”.

Before going further, let me state my unabashed respect and admiration for Peter David. He’s a creator who certainly earned his spurs, he has a massive body of work, he is an all around mensch, and his opinion is hard earned and well informed.

Except in this case, his conclusions are wrong.

To prove my point, let me ask Peter a question:

What was the name of Gene Autry’s horse?

Those of you wondering what Gene’s horse has to do with the Marvel cinematic universe (hence MCU), my explanation is this: The single largest genre of films made before 1960 were Westerns.

Add to that television programs, where Westerns remained a staple until the mid-1970s.

And radio shows.

And pulp novels.

And comic books.

They were the definitive American movie genre from 1903’s The Great Train Robbery until Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid drove a stake through the heart of the standard genre offering in 1969.

There are some who claim Blazing Saddles did the genre in, but Westerns had endured numerous comedy and parody versions in the past.

Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid killed the Western as a popular genre by simply having Butch and Sundance do the most logical thing at the first sign of danger, the thing the real Butch and Sundance did in real life: They ran away.

And thus a genre trope was forever slain…

This is not to say they’ve never made another film that falls into the broad category of “Western”, but there’s no audience clamor for more of the genre.

Westerns are now simply historical films set in the American west during the period from the fall of the Alamo (1836) to Arizona becoming a state (1912).

There are films that employ Western genre tropes that take place in the contemporary era (Road House and Extreme Prejudice to name two) or transplant the Western genre to other lands (Sukiyaki Western Django and Tampopo, f’r instance), but as a genre it is dead-dead-DEAD.

Yet at one time, Westerns were so popular that not only did everybody know the name of Gene Autry’s horse, but said horse starred in his own TV series!

So what happened?

Well, several things.

I could cite the changing audience in America, going from 80% rural prior to WWII to 80% urban / suburban after WWII (with a corresponding rise in detective and spy genres, as well as sci-fi), or I could cite a huge glut of material made even more accessible by television, but the truth is this: The overwhelming bulk of American Westerns were nothing but product.

It was actually built into the genre. I’ve been trying to locate the original essay, but a scholarly study some years back concluded only 8 basic plot conflicts drove Western stories, and only 17 stock characters carried said stories (they can be good, bad, or neutral characters, effectively tripling their number).

The essay went on to liken American Westerns to Japanese noh or kabuki dramas: Far from familiarity of material being a problem, audiences came expecting certain tropes and stock characters, and gained their enjoyment from how well said tropes and characters were presented.

Sound familiar?

This is not to say there weren’t films that fell into the Western genre that also aspired to art, but you either had to be a Hollywood heavy hitter to get a chance at making a film like that or, at the tail end of the genre, flying so low under the radar that nobody recognized what you were doing until you did it.

Does that sound familiar?

But the overwhelming majority of Westerns, while possessing technical craftsmanship, were just product: So many feet of gunfights. So many reels of stampedes.

Big budget A-picture or bare bones B-movie, they all fell into the same general patterns, and studios, large or small, promoted them the same way.

And audiences were fine with this. Tom Mix, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans frequently wound up among the top 10 box office draws in Hollywood during their careers.

Where are those Westerns now?

I’m a big fan of old B-Westerns, having grown up with them on TV as a kid, and know a fair amount about the personalities and production companies involved, seeking out B-Westerns on Amazon Prime and YouTube and the multi-pack bargain bins at big box stores.

How many of today’s superhero fans could identify William Boyd or Red Barry or Rocky Lane or Buck Jones?

They might remember hearing the names of Roy Rogers or Gene Autry since those stars were involved in mainstream marketing such as fast food restaurants or baseball teams (and Autry donated a museum to Los Angeles that’s named after him), but how many have actually seen any of their movies?

We have two competing superhero universes today, DCU and MCU.

Where are the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents movies? How come there’s no Dr. Solar or Brain Boy or Magnus, Robot Fighter films?

Answer: No large corporation stand to make billions promoting those characters and licensing them to toys, video games, vitamin, and Underoos.

Corporations possess no sense of integrity to the original creators’ concepts. They will change things in the blink of an eye if they think it will boost their profit margin. They’ll promote the silliest and the most self-damaging ideas if they think it will make them a few extra bucks today.

Superman and Batman and Wonder Woman succeeded at DC bcause nobody there cared what the creators did so long as they turned their work in on time.

Product.

Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko and Jim Steranko blazed exciting new trails at Marvel because Martin Goodman couldn’t have cared less what they were doing so long as they delivered on schedule and under budget.

Product.

They flew under the radar. They worked in a fast and grungy fashion, knocking the books out as quickly as they could.

To amuse themselves they trafficked in big ideas, eccentric art, outre stories.

That it caught on and blazed a new trail proved a combination of talent and luck.

There was no similar boom for romance comics or nurse comics or Western comics during the same period.

Right now the MCU movies are riding high and they are made with a great deal of technical care and they are amusing and entertaining.

So were Westerns.

MCU movies aim at too specialized an audience. They appeal to this generation, but there’s no guarantee they’ll appeal to the next.

Indeed, there’s a strong argument that the next generation will reject the previous generation’s entertainment simply because it’s…well…theirs.

The films of Coppola and Scorsese will be watched.

They’re not product.

Oh, there were financed to make money, sure enough, but they were financed to make money by expressing the director’s personal taste and vision.

Further, they tend to transcend genre.

Yeah, two generations from now people who really love gangster movies will probably look up The Godfather and GoodFellas.

But people who love film, people who love art will be watching them as well.

They’ll also watch Public Enemy and Little Caesar, but unless they’re film buffs with specialized tastes, they’re going to skip the dozens of “programmers” cranked out in the 1930s to satisfy fans of that genre.

And the reason? The Godfather and GoodFellas and Public Enemy and Little Caesar transcend their genres.

They are about people, not thrills and chills.

Consider classic Universal horror films.

James Whale & co. snuck one bona fide brilliant work of art past Carl Laemmle with Bride Of Frankenstein but after that the brakes clamped down hard and fast.

Uncle Carl couldn’t have geniuses running around doing whatever they felt like, thus risking the audience for Universal’s product.

Consistent mediocrity is better than risky genius in the eyes of the corporations.

The classic Universal monsters? Reduced to The Munsters now; familiar icons, to be sure, but empty jokes, shadows of their former selves.

Replaced by newer monsters who in turn have been replaced by newer monster who in turn have been replaced by newer monsters and who will be replaced by newer monsters still.

‘Twas ever thus.

I begrudge the enjoyment no nobody who enjoys MCU movies.

Have fun. Knock yourselves out.

But never mistake popcorn for caviar.

Champion was the name of Gene Autry’s horse.

#Peter David #Marvel #superheroes #movies #B-Westerns #Gene Autry #Champion the Wonder Horse #MCU #Francis Coppola #Martin Scorsese

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