A completely different problem could be the delivery of the prayers. John Wayne was a stage name, so maybe the bumper sticker should read God Bless Marion Morrison, his birth name, to avoid any confusion. Some undeserving nobody with the birth name, John Wayne, might inadvertently receive these blessings and get himself a free hand stamp that gets him through the pearly gates or into Dollywood, depending on your beliefs. 

Because John Wayne died almost thirty years ago, I don't think he needs to be blessed.  Besides that, the man had so many fans and I'm sure a ton of them prayed for him back then.  All three of his wives were hispanic, so you know many, many oraciones (prayers) were sent his way.  Then again, two of them were ex-wives and one of those predeceased him, so that nombre may not be as grande as I thoughto. 

God bless John Wayne!  It rolls right off the tongue, almost.  Since I can't get this thing out of my mind, I'm going to dedicate my life, or maybe at least five minutes, to research this phenomenon. 

My research is complete and the bumper sticker isn't alone in this GBJW controversy.  There's an unbearable song that made my ears bleed in seventeen seconds.  It's sung by his "granddaughter," Jennifer Wayne, which is probably also a stage name.  Don't get me wrong, I think it's not only okay, but probably deserved from her, but she should keep that nauseating sound to her family unless they're going to share the royalty checks with the rest of us.

Maybe I'm thinking too hard about this, because John Wayne might've just sneezed and this whole fucking thing just got blown out of proportion.  GB Bernie Schwartz because he wears ascotts and slept with Lily Munster.  BTW, Bernie Schwartz is Tony Curtis's birth name.

Aclamado western americano que não me comoveu tanto assim[apesar de entender a sua importância para o gênero], tirando a extraordinária fotografia. Ainda achei o John Wayne bem canastrão como o herói americano com pinta de derrotado. O grandalhão volta da guerra civil americana pra casa de seu irmão e terá como nova missão vingar a morte dos parentes e partir em busca das sobrinhas raptadas por indios cherokees. Mais aulinhas de pós-colonialismo. Mas só em me fazer pensar um pouco, o épico valeu a pena!

Ya'll may remember that Yankee Doodle Boy, the latest member of my far-flung clan, joined us on the Fourth of July.

So, being the crazy woman and doting grand-aunt that I am, I immediately thought - BABY QUILT! And after this I'll make a quilt for his toddler brother. But let's cross that insanity when we come to it.

Right now I'm on a no-new-fabric diet, so I did some stash diving. Easier now that I organized my fabric. Heh. I said "stash diving."

He shares his birthday with the USA. And he's a Texan. I kept that in mind as I dug through the fabric.

And then I found the bandanas. Score! I had three bandanas in three different blues (one each in light, medium and dark blue, so perfect), and another in tan. And I had red fabric in a bandana-type print. So, mostly red, white and blue, with a cowboy-type tan.

Perfect!

I ironed them, cut off the rolled edges of the bandanas, and cut them up into two-inch squares. Yes. The insanity of the Teeny Tiny Squares continues.  I also cut some of the red fabric into two-inch squares.

I had a lot of fun laying out the design of the quilt.

And I discovered something great.

Bandanas are awesome cut up into Teeny Tiny Squares. There were so many different patterns on these bandanas - large paisleys, tiny paisleys, stripes, dots, flowers, plain spaces... and randomly cutting them created endless combinations.

This quilt has variety and movement that would usually take a lot more fabrics to achieve.

Yee-haw! Welcome to the The Patriotic Cowboy Quilt!

I should watch John Wayne movies while I sew it, shouldn't I?

The state of Texas was named after the country music singer Tex Ritter. I have no actual solid evidence to back this claim up, but you should still believe me since it saves you the trouble of actually trying to look something up. Have I steered you wrong yet?

AUTHOR NOTE: This is a rhetorical question.

 CLIMATETexas is hot. See how easy this is?

-Texas is subject to flooding. Texas says it doesn’t care though, since it’s so big it can handle it.

-Dallas Tornado outbreak. A deadly tornado outbreak that killed people and some cowboys.

-Dick Cheney shoots man in the side of the head. He claims it was an accident, saying he thought the guy was a deer. When pressed for more details, Dick Cheney shoots all the reporters in the room in the face.

 -Texas has many interesting tourist attractions. If you don’t believe Texas, it says to tell that to it in person, you yellow bellied coward.

-The Alamo. Where a handful of men tried to go against a whole army of Mexicans. This great battle is reenacted today in the immigration courts. This is also the resting place of Davey Crockett, who’s only claim to fame was that he wore the best raccoon hat ever made.

-Seaworld. Yeah, I didn’t know Texas had one of these either. Most of the attractions here are no bigger than goldfish, due to the quickly evaporating waters.

  Early Years: Texas was a part of Mexico. Americans were kidnapped and you couldn’t drink the water. Most of the residents spent their time thinking of ways of getting to America, where they can get a decent job picking oranges.

1861: Texas was accepted as a state. The United States thought if it just accepted Texas for who it was, then maybe it would stop picking on them.

1800s to early 1900s: Texas goes through a rough period of violence. Most historians believe this is due to their jeans being to tight.

1950s: Texas attempts to improve it’s education. It now proudly boasts that it’s smarter then Arkansas.

White: 99%

Cowboys: 55%

Have never seen a tennis shoe: 25%

Believe John Wayne was a prophet: 63%

Have seen Tall In The Saddle: 85%

Believe that if you haven’t seen Tall In The Saddle then you’re queer: 65%

Dallas: Known for it’s huge airport. No one has cared about Dallas ever since it was revealed who shot J.R.

San Antonio: The capital city. San Antonio is brought to you by Levi jeans. If you are caught wearing another brand, you will be shot in the head. In a related fact, the roads of San Antonio are made out of corpses.

Houston: A good listener. Everyone will tell you how easy it is to tell Houston that you have a problem.

EDITORS NOTE: the author of this blog wishes for the loyal readers to know that he is not above making those jokes that make you groan because they are so terribly bad

Are literate: 15%

Use books as target practice: 99%

-Since everything is bigger in Texas, the other states believe Texas to be compensating for something.

- Most Texans are quick to point out that although Broke Back Mountain was superbly acted, that is not how they do things in Texas.

-Every 6.8 seconds, someone in Texas spits tobacco into a large spittoon.

-Texas regularly threatens to leave the United States and become it’s own country. It would totally do it too. It just needs a small loan from you and some furniture you’re not using.

-Texas is home to Dell and Compaq. This influenced the Texas state motto, “A connection to the server could not be established.”

-George Bush: His son became president. That’s all I really know about him.

-Gene Roddenberry: Not only did he create Star Trek, he created an instrument that thousands of 30 year old men will use to keep them in their parents’ basement. Widely considered a gateway drug to other nerdcotics such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and online computer roleplaying games.

-Patrick Swayze: Killed in 1990, he was famous for coming back as a ghost and helping Demi More make a clay pot.

-insert country music singer’s name here: many country music artists were born in Texas.  Something I will never forgive Texas for.

This is the average size for a Texan.  Most Texans claim it to be a curse, however.  Stating that it's really difficult to find jeans their size. 

The alamo.  That patch of grass in the front of it is the only grass located in the entire state of Texas.

You are required by law to wear these in Texas. 

The governor of Texas.  Known for  being a people person and for his slow motion roundhouse kicks.

These useful tools have brought peace and harmony to the state of Texas.

"The Duke"

Original, Hand-signed Drawing
8 in. x 10 in.
Condition: Mint/Framed

ABOUT THE DRAWING:
This is an original graphite drawing titled "The Duke." The inspiration for the original drawing comes from the well famed Duke, John Wayne! The print measures 8 in by 10 in., and comes framed in an 8x10 wooden frame. The drawing is signed by me. This drawing would make a great gift for someone who is a fan of John Wayne. You are buying this art directly from the artist, me, so please buy with confidence! I produce my own drawings using professional materials. I create, sell, package, and ship all the art myself. Please note: Copyright by Andrea Plotts, all rights reserved.

TO ORDER:

Please visit my online shop at Http://GraphiteGoodies.etsy.com

SHIPPING AND PAYMENT:
To be sure the drawing arrives undamaged it will be shipped flat, in a flat rate envelope/box by USPS First Class mail.

Accepted payment methods for buyers in the United States are PayPal, Money Orders, and Personal Checks (please allow 5 business days to clear).

Accepted payment method for buyers Internationally is PayPal.

THANK YOU for viewing my work!

 John wayne - Billy Idol

Baiknya - Ada Band

Review, video clip, podcast:

Treat Me Right - Back Street Boys

Album: Unbreakable
Label: BMG Japan
Released: 05 February 2008
Website: http://www.backstreetboys.com/home.php

Treat Me Right adalah lagu ke 11 dari 23 cuts yang ada dalam CD / DVD Album Unbreakable. Di Amerika, Album Unbreakable sudah direlease sejak 30 Oktiber 2007 melalui perusahaan rekaman Jive / Zomba. Treat Me Right disajikan dengan bumbu sweet dance yang sudah menjadi ciri khas boys band. Ringan dan mudah untuk dinikmati. [audio http://www.archive.org/download/lagulaguan_590/PodTreatMeRight-BackStreetBoys.mp3]
Klik di sini untuk mendapatkan lirik

Album Review:

The Backstreet Boys struck a defensive stance on their 2005 comeback, titling it Never Gone as if they hadn't been dormant for about five years. Never Gone was greeted by the requisite flurry of press and a modest amount of success, turning platinum without really generating any real hits -- enough to revive their career but falling just short of making them stars again -- so it's not entirely a surprise that in the year following its release, Kevin Richardson left the band for a solo career while Nick Carter tried his hand at reality TV, teaming up with his sibling for E!'s House of Carters, a move that gained Backstreet Boys about as much publicity as Tommy Lee Goes to College did for Mötley Crüe. Carter wasn't about to leave BSB, though, he was just biding time until the group assembled their next album, 2007's Unbreakable. Bearing a title equally as defiant as Never Gone, the Backstreets do sound a little bit shaken here, as they revive a modicum of their sound of 2000, all the better to balance the somewhat stodgy adult contemporary vibe of their 2005 album. These dancier, poppier moments -- such as "Everything But Mine," which opens the album after a slight harmony intro from the boys; "One in a Million," which conjures memories of the stuttering eight-note beats of "Larger Than Life"; or "Any Other Way," which doesn't quite have the guts to go completely Futuresex in the way its thumping electro-beat suggests, so it slides into Chicago territory -- are used as window dressing for tunes that aren't as lively as "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," but the lighter touch does help the many ballads. Also helping Unbreakable is the focus that a handful of producers give it: most of this is produced (and often co-written) by Dan Muckala, who specializes in keeping things breezy, both on the ballads and up-tempo tunes, and the John Shanks, Emanuel Kiriakou, Billy Mann, and JC Chasez productions fit seamlessly next to each other. So, like Never Gone, the basic sound of the album is good, but the problem is that few of the songs stick -- even less than they did last time around, which is too bad because the biggest Backstreet hits, like "I Want it That Way" and "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," crossed over from the teen pop genre because the songs were so strong. Here, the Backstreet Boys don't have any songs that will lift them out of the adult contemporary world -- but the audience who has turned from teens to adults with them will likely enjoy its easy sound, as there is nothing bad here. There's just nothing great, either. [BMG Japan issued a CD/DVD edition in 2008.] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

John Wayne - Billy Idol

Album: Idolize Yourself: The Very Best of Billy Idol
Label: EMI
Released: 23 June 2008
Website: http://www.billyidol.net

Billy Idol is BACK!! Rocker gaek di era 80an, Billy Idol akhir bulan Juni lalu telah merelease album terbarunya yang dibandrol  "Idolize Yourself: The Very Best of Billy Idol". Dalam album barunya, icon punk rocker ini menawarkan satu lagu baru dengan judul John Wayne.

Billy yang saat ini berusia 53 tahun tidak meninggalkan ciri khas musiknya. Saat mendengarkan John Wayne, kita akan terbawa ke era kejayaan music new wave yang banyak didominasi musisi Inggris seperti Duran-duran, Wham dan David Bowie. John Wayne juga mengingatkan kita pada hits-hits Billy Idol sebelumnya, seperti White Wedding, Flesh for Fantasy dan Rebel Yell.

John Wayne, silahkan dinikmati untuk mengobati rindu [audio http://www.archive.org/download/lagulaguan_888/PodJohnWayne-BillyIdol.mp3]
Klik di sini untuk mendapatkan lirik

Album review

If there was graffiti to match Billy Idol's new greatest hits album, it wouldn't read 'Idol was 'ere'. Instead, the message coming through loud and clear from the original punk rocker's third best-of collection is ‘Billy is 'ere... still'. The rocker is nearing pension age but shows no signs of stopping. He's still touring, and, as if to prove the creative juices are still flowing, he's also included two brand new tracks on the disc. Written with long-time partner Steve Stevens, they are produced by Josh Abraham, who's previously worked his magic for Velvet Revolver, Limp Bizkit and Courtney Love. So do the newbies cut it alongside the classic Idol? In a word: yes.

John Wayne is a stylish track that sounds like slightly sedated Linkin Park, with an epic guitar line which builds to a power ballad chorus. Meanwhile New Future Weapon is a punchily upbeat track with echoes of Rebel Yell, just crying out to be used as a soundtrack to the next action blockbuster.

Even if the new tracks don't float your boat, there are sixteen classic snarly punk rock tracks which will; including White Wedding, Hot In The City, Rebel Yell and Mony, Mony. The deluxe edition of the album will also see thirteen of Idol's videos make their way from MTV to DVD for the first time.

Make no mistake: this is a man who recognises the power of cult appeal. One of the first stars of MTV in the early 1980s, he boosted his legendary status with a classic cameo appearance, saving the day in Adam Sandler's 80s spoof film The Wedding Singer in 1998. He was no doubt thrilled when cult US comic Weird Al Yankovic spoofed Mony Mony in his track Alimony.

'William is idle' wrote one unsuspecting school teacher in Billy's report, eventually inspiring one of punk rock’s most famous monikers. Far from idle now, the platinum haired rocker's own message on this greatest hits release is a more positive one: ''Everyone should idolize themselves''. Worship him you should – Idol is back on classic form. (Sophie Bruce - BBC)

Baiknya - Ada Band

Album: Single 2008
Label : EMI
Website: http://www.ada-band.info/

[audio http://www.archive.org/download/LaguLaguan_406/PodBaiknya-AdaBand.mp3]

"Baiknya" adalah single terbaru Ada Band yang akan menjadi salah satu hit yang ditawarkan dalam album ke delapan mereka. Tahun lalu, Ada Band merelease album "Cinema Story" yang terdiri dari 12 lagu. 6 diantaranya dibuat berdasarkan naskah film Selamanya - produksi Multivision Pictures.

From "The Conscience of a Conservative"--

• “Thus, for the American Conservative, there is no difficulty in identifying the day’s overriding political challenge: it is to preserve and extend freedom. As he surveys the various attitudes and institutions and laws that currently prevail in America, many questions will occur to him, but the Conservative’s first concern will always be: Are we maximizing freedom?"

There's been a fair amount of discussion going on recently about Church; what it means, what it should mean, is it valid and is it even relevant. Both Buddy and Brent have some very thoughtful views on this subject. For me, I think the idea of organized "Church" is quickly losing any sense of what is real, in this world or with God. Mark Driscoll (of Mars Hill) one of the superstars of modern/postmodern churchdom is a case in point. This is a satire, a video called "The Chickified Church". Now perhaps you will say that this video is not presented in the "Christian" fashion. And you may be right. But I'm still smarting over Driscoll calling me a chick. Huh?

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.623089&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]

The Gospel according to Iron John. And he forgot cavemen. How insensitive,arrr.

Maybe not all men are "predestined" to be fond of dudism, dudishness or dudedom. (Perhaps Howdy Doody?) I know I wasn't. It's funny that 100 years ago his definition of 'dude' would have been met with amazement. Dude's were the Old West dandies that cared too much for their fancy-pants attire to get down and dirty like the rest of us cow pokes. But the greatest cowboy of all, John Wayne, changed all that for me. If only this is what church was really like;

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.623190&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]

(It's even funnier if you play both videos simultaneously)

Well, maybe a White Russians would be nice now and then, instead of that sissy grape juice, huh? As recommended by the Dude or "His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing".

(For the sake of fairness, this link takes you to the unedited non satirical video. It's really not that much different. Mark Driscoll)

Sung by Ray Charles with John Wayne reciting the Pledge of Alleigance as an introduction.  Lee Greenwood follows wiith God Bless the USA.  Background is a beautiful fireworks display.

 I'm gonna tell you something, Flaca, and I want you to listen and listen tight...

The first soundtrack album I ever owned actually belonged to parents... Dmitri Tiomkin's stirring score from THE ALAMO (1960), which also included snatches of dialogue.  (No, Quentin Tarantino didn't invent this gimmick.)  My parents had bought that LP for the then-princely sum of $5 before I was even born and throughout my childhood I played it to death.  I still have it, with that great cover illustration showing the 13th day of glory at the siege of Alamo and Davy Crockett swinging his empty musket over his head, cracking skulls.  (Somewhere on my desk I have a blue plastic figure, no bigger than my thumb, of Crockett affecting a similar pose and that image has been throughout my entire life a bit talismanic for me... the spirit of never surrendering and of taking as many of them with you as you can before you lay it down.)   It was years before I actually saw THE ALAMO, yet I knew the legend of Davy Crockett from the Walt Disney movies and the song sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford, of course.  Although I hadn't, by the age of 3, yet killed me a bar, I felt a kinship with Davy Crockett and in his spirit tucked a knife and a hatchet into my belt for trips into the woods.  They don't let kids play with hatchets and knives anymore and I think our nation has suffered as a result.  But anyway.

For this Independence Day I'd like to quote one of Davy Crockett's more stirring speeches from THE ALAMO.  As played by John Wayne (who also directed), Crockett isn't the self-effacing country boy played by Fess Parker on TV but rather one of the Duke's trademark men of action, a laconic but quick-acting action hero with his own thoughts about service and sacrifice.  I found this speech particularly moving as a little boy and 40 years later I still do.  I memorized it once upon a time and could recite it upon request.  (There were none.)  In the spirit of the 4th of July, in the spirit of liberty and freedom, I pass it onto you...

I'm gonna tell you something, Flaca, and I want you to listen tight. May sound like I'm talking about me. But I'm not, I'm talking bout you. As a matter of fact, I'm talking about all people everywhere.

When I come down here to Texas I was looking for something. I didn't know what. Seems like you add up my life and I spent it all stompin' other men or, in some cases, getting' stomped. Had me some money and had me some medals. But none of it seemed a lifetime worth the pain of the mother that bore me. It's like I was empty.

Well, I'm not empty anymore. That's what's important. To feel useful in this old world. To hit a lick in against what's wrong or to say a word for what's right even though you get walloped for saying that word.

Now I may sound like a Bible-beater yelling up a revival at a river-crossing camp meeting... but that don't change the truth none. There's right and there's wrong. You gotta do one or the other. You do the one and you're living. You do the other and you may be walking around but you're dead as a beaver hat.  

1. "Rastros de Ódio" (1956), de John Ford
2. "Matar ou Morrer" (1952), de Fred Zinnemann
3. "Os Brutos Também Amam" (1953), de George Stevens
4. "Os Imperdoáveis" (1992), de Clint Eastwood
5. "Rio Vermelho" (1948), de Howard Hawks
6. "Meu Ódio Será sua Herança" (1969), de Sam Peckinpah
7. "Butch Cassidy" (1969), de George Roy Hill
8. "Jogos e Trapaças - Quando os Homens São Homens" (1971), de Robert Altman
9. "No Tempo das Diligências" (1939), de John Ford
10. "Dívida de Sangue" (1965), de Elliot Silverstein

Aber den langsamen Gang in Zeitlupe, das muss man ihnen zugestehen, haben sie schon ganz gut drauf. Zwölf Uhr Mittags im Industriepark, auch wenn das Ziel nur der Discountbäcker unten an der Straße und eine Uhr in Großaufnahme nirgends zu sehen ist. Aber die Pose, die stimmt. Das mag auch an ihrem sehr gut aufeinander abgestimmten Outfit liegen. Schwarze Stoffhose, weißes Hemd, die Ärmel bis kurz unter den Ellenbogen hochgekrempelt. Die bleiche Krawatte - das Pistolenhalfter aller Anzugträger - entweder mit gelockertem Knoten oder, wie bei dem, der sich durch einen besonders breiten Gang hervortut, auch erst gar nicht vorhanden. Dabei sind es noch drei Tage bis zum Casual Friday, an dem man wöchentlich so richtig die Sau rauslassen kann. Der Eindruck, es bei diesem Kerl mit dem Rebell der Truppe zu tun zu haben, verstärkt sich dadurch noch, dass bei näherem Hinsehen er der Einzige ist, dessen Hose nicht so ganz zum Farbton der von den anderen aufgetragenen Hosen passen will. Sein Schwarz scheint sogar fast ins Graue zu gehen. Ob er sich das auch leisten kann? Dieses Ignorieren der herrschenden Konventionen? Offenbar.

Ich würde wetten, dass er auch der Erste ist, der beim Bäcker die Straße runter bestellen darf. Nicht weil er drängelt, sondern weil ihn die anderen vorlassen. Das er dann aber auch - wie der Rest - wahrscheinlich nur eine Frikadelle im Brötchen essen wird, das ist eine andere Sache.

                                

Hoy le toca al western ser el protagonista de esta sección dedicada a carteles, (como lo fue en la gran pantalla durante décadas), y entre los carteles que he elegido, os ofrezco una “joyita”, como lo es el primero que cuelgo por orden de fechas.

Para realizar estos posts, suelo cotejar lo que circula por internet, con mis propios programas, “prospectos” o afiches, (como se les llamaba en la época en los que se repartían en los cines, y que eran una réplica en pequeño, del cartel con que se publicitaba la película en los cines), y este, de momento, no aparece en ninguna de las web que he visitado y que se dedican a colgar posters de películas.

No lo comenté en su momento, pero tampoco pude localizar otro de los que utilicé para ilustrar el post anterior, dedicado al Cine Épico-Histórico. Era el del estreno de “Rey de Reyes”, de 1961, que parece haber desaparecido de la faz de la tierra, pues ni tan siquiera lo tiene IMDb en su original inglés.

Y vamos a verlo-s

La “joyita” a la que me refería es esta: “La Diligencia” (1939), dirigida por John Ford, y protagonizada por el invicto vaquero John Wayne.

El “cartel”, es un troquelado con la imagen de la diligencia que da nombre a la película. Lo compré en el rastro hace unos años, y es de cartulina, no de papel, como lo eran la mayoría de los programas. Siempre he tenido una duda con respecto a el. Creo que originalmente tenia una trasera que lo hacía mantenerse en pié, y que seguramente llevaría impresos los datos de su estreno (cine, fecha…), pero si fue así, ya no llegó a mis manos; pero aun con todo, es una de las piezas de lujo de mi colección. No se puede negar su atractivo. Yo tan sólo por el, hubiera ido a ver “La diligencia”.

Nueve años más tarde (1948), se estrena “Río Rojo”, de Howard Hawks, con Wayne de protagonista, y un recién llegado al cine Montgomery Clift, en un film épico que narra los avatares de unos vaqueros que conducen un rebaño de ganado.

Este film que se considera uno de los mejores western de la historia del cine, era publicitado por este sencillo cartel en el que tan sólo se nos muestra a los protagonistas en dos escenas de la película, y un fondo que se adivina de violencia.

En 1952 se pudo ver “Solo ante el peligro”, dirigida por Fred Zinnemann, protagonizada por Gary Cooper y Grace Kelly, y con una excelente banda sonora de Dimitri Tiomkin, tan reconocible, que con sólo escuchar el título de la película, ya te viene a la mente y te pones a tatarearla.

Esta inolvidable película, en la que se masca la tensión durante todo su metraje, se publicitó en su estreno con este sencillo cartel, en el que tan sólo podíamos ver a la pareja protagonista, y un pequeño detalle del pueblo, con Grace Kelly. Tampoco se necesitaba mucho más para atraer al espectador. El tandem Cooper-Kelly era suficiente.

Y con tan sólo la Crawford bajo la rama desnuda de un árbol, llegaba “Johnny Guitar”, de Nicholas Ray, el año 1954, en donde enmarcada en un westerm clásico, se nos narra una historia de amor adulto como pocas veces se ha llevado a la pantalla.

Esta sencilla película, (hoy mítica dentro del género, y de la historia del cine), con un presupuesto de serie B, consiguió con la calidad de su guión, dirección, interpretaciones, y música (todo un completo), atraer al público de entonces, igual que atrae ahora al espectador que gusta del buen cine.

Célebre este diálogo entre Vienna (Joan Crawford) y Johnny (Sterling Hayden):

Johnny: ¿A cuántos hombres has amado?
Vienna: A tantos como mujeres tú has olvidado.
Johnny: ¡No te vayas!
Vienna: No me he movido.
Johnny: Dime algo agradable.
Vienna: Claro. ¿Qué quieres que te diga?
Johnny: Miénteme. Dime que me has esperado todos estos años. Dímelo.
Vienna: Te he esperado todos estos años.
Johnny: Dime que habrías muerto si yo no hubiese vuelto.
Vienna: Habría muerto si tú no hubieses vuelto.
Johnny: Dime que aún me quieres como yo te quiero.
Vienna: Aún te quiero como tú me quieres.
Johnny: Gracias. Muchas gracias.

De 1956 es “Centauros del desierto”, de John Ford, mítica entre las míticas. En el cartel: los tres protagonistas y el desierto. John Wayne, el actor fetiche del género, Jeffrey Hunter, a cinco años vista de protagonizar “Rey de Reyes”, y Natalie Wood que había rodado el año anterior “Rebelde sin causa”, al lado de James Dean.

“Cimarrón”, de 1960, firmada por Anthony Mann, narraba la historia de una familia de colonos durante cuatro generaciones.

Recoge una de las escenas más espectaculares del género, cuando en Oklahoma, centenares de colonos en sus carretas, disputan una carrera para conseguir las mejores parcelas de terreno en donde asentarse.

El cartel es uno de los originales de su estreno, pero existe otro, en formato apaisado (que no he podido escanear, de momento), que da una perspectiva más amplia de esa carrera.

“El Álamo”, también es de 1960. Dirigida por el cowoy entre los cowoys, John Wayne (aunque la sombra de su amigo John Ford cabalgó constantemente sobre el rodaje).

Épica, sentimental, patriotera… Un conjunto sin embargo atractivo. Buenos diálogos, buenas interpretaciones, buen guión (aunque trastoque la verdadera historia), y una banda sonora tan acertada de Dimitri Tiomkin, que solo por ella merecería la pena ver la película.

En el cartel, David Crockett (Wayne), Jim Boowe (Widmark), y el coronel Travis (Harvey).

Y como 1960 fue un año prolífico en buenos western, hay que ver el cartel de otra famosa película que se realizó ese mismo año: “Los 7 magníficos”

La dirigió John Sturges, sobre un guión que recoge la esencia de “Los siete samuráis”, que Kurosawa había realizado seis años antes.

Protagonizada por Yul Brynner, algunos rostros ya conocidos, y por otros que posteriormente se harían famosos (McQueen, Bronson…), sin alcanzar las excelencias del film en el que se basa, contiene todos los elementos del westerm clásico, y como en “El Álamo”, una banda sonora memorable de Elmer Bernstein, que sigue situada entre las 25 mejores del cine.

El cartel nos muestra a los siete, delante del “7” rodeados de un halo de luz envolvente para potenciar su magnificencia.

Espectacular es “La conquista del Oeste”, que llegó dos años más tarde, de la mano de tres reconocidos directores (John Ford, Henry Hathaway, y George Marshall), y que cuenta en tres episodios (cada uno a cargo de un director), la epopeya de la colonización definitiva de Estados Unidos, desde sus primeros pioneros, hasta abarcar el presente en el que se rodó.

El extenso plantel de actores que aparecen el film, aún hoy en día es un “gancho” para ver la película.

Fue la primera película rodada en Cinerama (hasta entonces sólo se habían realizado reportajes), y eso le añadió atractivo para el espectador.

Su banda sonora, a cargo de Alfred Newman, también para recordar siempre.

El cartel refleja un poco el contenido de la historia, con sus elementos de: guerra, indios, la caza del bisionte, ferrocarril, pozos de petróleo…. Aunque se queda corto para dar una idea sobre las épocas que abarca la película.

En los últimos estertores del westerm clásico, Howard Hawks dirigió en 1967 “El dorado”, que contiene muchos de los elementos que utilizó en “Río Bravo”, pero que resultan tanto o más atractivos que en aquella, y en los que podemos ver el buen hacer de siempre de su director.

Mucho más desenfadada que su “versionada”, con situaciones realmente humorísticas, “El Dorado” es otro de los films que merece la pena ser visto o revisado. También, por el dúo protagonista. Dos actores clásicos que siempre que aparecían en pantalla, esta se “agrandaba”.

En el cartel, sobraba con ver la imagen de Wayne y de Mitchum para llevar a la gente al cine.

Swanson   

“I'd wake up at night with the smell of the ball park in my nose, the cool of the grass on my feet... The thrill of the grass.”
                                                                                  Field of Dreams
                                                                                  Shoeless Joe Jackson

Yesterday I wandered over the Iowa state line into Omaha, Nebraska to watch the final game of the 2008 College World Series. The Georgia Bulldogs played the Fresno State Bulldogs.

That’s the first time in my life I've ever seen two teams play that have the same mascot. What are the odds?Probably a little worse than getting a script you've written made. Since every screenwriter is an underdog there are a few things every screenwriter can learn from the game of baseball. 

In the end the Bulldogs from California won the school's first ever baseball national championship. One sports announcer proclaimed it "one of the greatest stories in sports history." I don't know about that but the those Fresno St. 'dawgs were true underdogs. They lost 12 of their first 20 games and finished the regular season only 32-27 but somehow won when they needed to and ended up in the College World Series where they were ranked dead last.

No team had ever come from the last ranked team to win a national championship...until last night. As I said about this years Super Bowl, if it had of been a movie you would have said it was full of cliches. But everyone has a dream.

Before we get to screenwriting I want to go back to 2003 where Chris Moneymaker changed the face of poker playing when playing in his first tournament he began as an unknown and turned $39 into a $2.5 million winning purse.

“I got lucky along the way. I also bluffed a lot during this tournament, but somehow I got away with it.” 
                                                                                            Chris Moneymaker 

The screenwriting equivalent may be Diablo Cody who won an Oscar for her first film script Juno. These are rare cases, and it is important to have a real understanding of how difficult it is to have a screenwriting career or even get one of your scripts made. But it's also important to know that Hollywood needs good scripts because the Hollywood system needs good movies.

I found this little nugget of information in Joe Eszterhas' The Devil's Guide to Hollywood:
Director Phillip Noyce: "I realized that the Hollywood system--based as it is on the employment of branch offices all over the world promoting and selling movies--is totally dependent on a continual flow of product, and it's been set up to promote that product into the hearts and minds of people all over the world. In essence, movies represent marketing opportunities for Hollywood." 

That should encourage you in your writing. And keep in mind:

“The only essential requirement to launch a successful screenwriting career is a terrific script.”
                                                                                     Cynthia Whitcomb

The Fresno St. baseball team, Chris Moneymaker, and Diablo Cody are a group of talented people who were all considered underachivers before their breakthroughs. And what do you do until that breakthrough? You keep dreaming and you write scripts and continue to find key people to read your scripts.

When former baseball players Logan Miller and Noah Miller dream to play professional baseball failed they turned their attention to screenwriting and filmmaking. Once they wrote their first script they cornered actor Ed Harris at a film festival where he was receiving an award and he agreed to read the script. Last year that film, Touching Home (which they also directed and star in) was completed with Ed Harris playing the Logan brothers father.

Editor Walter Murch said this about the film:  “With its crisp photography, concise editing and excellent use of sound, I found Touching Home to be a thoughtful and emotional exploration of the forgotten corners of the American Dream.”

Driving back home today I made a slight detour to Winterset, Iowa which is where The Bridges of Madison County was shot and where John Wayne was born in a house not far from where Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep did scenes together in downtown Winterset. 

And if that's not enough George Washington Carver lived in Winterset for a while where the former slave was encouraged to attend college which he did, both Simpson College and Iowa State Agricultural College where in 1891 he became their first black student and would go one to earn a Master's degree before going on with many agricultural discoveries. 

George Washington Carver and John Wayne are two more examples of coming from a small town before finding global success.

P.S. I noticed on TV's at the stadium that Orel Hershiser was calling the game on ESPN. In my Cedar Falls office I have a signed baseball from Hershiser for a project I helped produce for his retirement celebration. It's also worth noting, before Hershiser became a World Series MVP he played minor league ball in Clinton, Iowa and when he played for the LA Dodgers manger Tommy Lasorda gave him the nickname "Bulldog."  

I really don't make this stuff up, you know?

Word and Photos ©2008 Copyright Scott W. Smith

...they have a nice bio about their life, and the location of the cemetery. You can search for family names, cemetery names, or just see who the top famous searches were for. Pretty interesting stuff, for when you're recovering on the couch.

We listened to "Sky King" together on the big floor model radio in the living room, almost like a real family. Afterwards, Ronnie whined at Ted about when he planned to buy a television. He kept on and kept on. Pretty soon Alice and Ted got sick of him and sent us both to bed. No fair. To say goodnight, Alice kissed Ronnie on his cheek and patted me on the shoulder. No fair again, but I didn't care. She made us swear we'd do our homework until lights out at ten o'clock. Before we were even out of the room Alice made Ted put his paper off to one side, so they could talk. That was a bad news for him. Up in Ronnie’s room I could tell he was in a mood, too, because the first thing out of his mouth was, "Know who’s a better artist than you, Andy?" When I didn't say anything, he answered himself. "Betsy the chimpanzee.”

"Who says?"

"Ever'body."

I stayed quiet and took my shoes and socks off. Ronnie already had his off and was spreading and un-spreading his toes for exercise. We always did our homework barefoot. Ronnie said, "Just because you're the best favorite in Miss Laura's art class, that don't make you—"

"Am not."

"Well," Ronnie said, "anyway, that monkey is twice as better than you. Three times as better." I could care less what Ronnie thought since I knew he didn't know anything about art. Anyway, Betsy couldn't draw, she just smeared finger paints around to make a mess. Ate more paint than she painted with. "Betsy's the real genius," Ronnie said.

"You read that in the News Post—same as me." I could tell something else was on Ronnie's brain. When he got bothered by whatever, Ronnie liked to fight me and he had to win, to show who was the boss. It was pitiful.

"Betsy had her pictures printed in Life magazine," Ronnie said. "And where was yours?"

I came back at him with a low blow: "Yeah, and how come your daddy don't come home from work most nights anymore—huh, Ronnie?" Give back better than you get, that's my motto. Why not? "Ain't seen Ted at the dinner table with food in his mouth for days."

Ronnie gave out a puny, "Don't care," then he cried some. He used first one sleeve and then the other to wipe off tears and snot, then he shut down and stayed quiet for a long time.

After awhile I said, "Look, Ronnie, I didn't mean to say that, what I said." He kept on real quiet and pretty soon I caught on that he was staring at my bare feet. That was so creepy I quick pulled them up under me. "You shithead, Ronnie!"

"Your feet are so little," he said, like it was the most natural thing in the world to say that. "I've got 'em memorized."

"You know, Ronnie, you're really one dumb fucker."

"In case you come up hurt or dead, see?" Ronnie did a laughing snort. "Say one foot gets cut off and mixed in with a bunch of other feet, in a war, say—or a train crash? You're laid up in the hospital delirious from pain. They go to sew your foot on and there's a whole pile to choose from, but you're in no condition to say which one? I'd know the one to point to."

"They don't sew stuff back on people that's been cut off."

"How about Frankenstein?" Ronnie waited to see if I saw some sense in that dumb statement, but I kept quiet. Ronnie kept at me. "Say you come up dead in the harbor, your head cut off. Hands and arms gone. What's left for identification?"

"Feet and legs and—"

"Forget legs," Ronnie said. "Legs are no good for identification—but feet, especially if someone swears they know them particular feet, that would work. You'd be easy, Andy, 'cause your feet are perfect and tiny."

It took all I had to keep calm and not tell him where to shove his dumb idea. I just said, "Millions of people have little feet."

"Not in South Baltimore." Ronnie smiled. "One hundred, tops."

"At least five hundred."

"Not perfect-shaped like yours!" Ronnie gave me an oily grin that flipped my stomach. "Don't worry, Andy, if something happens to you I've got 'em in my brain."

"Ronnie, you best quit with that feet shit."

"Even better—how about if your feet were a special color? Think about it. Blue, maybe! Blue is lucky. Yeah! If your feet were the only perfect blue feet in South Baltimore, why, anybody could identify 'em, assuming they knew Andy Givens had perfect tiny blue—"

"Screw you, Ronnie!"

"Let me paint 'em Andy!"

When he begged like that I first wanted to gag, but instead I just yelled, "Go to hell!" That was part fake, though, 'cause I was really mad and happy all at once. Ronnie was crazy—yeah—but in a good-bad way. He made it be really strange fun sometimes, us two living in that room.

Some nights Ronnie couldn't go to sleep if he knew Alice's tall glasses were mixed in with her short glasses. He'd wait until his folks were conked out and sneak downstairs and go through the kitchen cabinets. We whispered about stuff until we heard their snores. Ted was easy to spot because he snored big. Alice did tiny grunt sounds. When Ronnie got back from his kitchen raid he always saluted me like John Wayne and said, "Mission accomplished." The next morning Alice would find her glasses in neat rows, arranged by height and color. She must have wondered how they got that way, but as far as I know she never let on. Ronnie did other crazy stuff, too. Like, that one night when he came in and went straight to his bed like he didn't see me. He turned around five times and sat down. I kept my mouth shut. After awhile he got up and went to his closet and stood there, just faced the closet door, didn't open it. It was like he sleepwalked over there. He waited awhile, then went back to his bed and turned around five times and sat down.

Finally I couldn't help myself. "You must be crazy," I said.

"Uh, uh—Huh?" Ronnie said it like I had just woke him up out of a dream.

"You're nuts, Ronnie."

"What?"

"Another thing is, you're also a big pussy."

"Take it back," Ronnie said.

"Make me."

"I will, Andy, I will."

"Yeah? You and who's army?"

"The three of us," He said. And of course I knew what came next. Sure enough Ronnie said, "Me, myself, and I."

That was so lame. Sometimes Ronnie disgusted me too much to even bother with. "O. K.," I said, "you win."

"No, Andy—first take back what you said."

"I do, Ronnie. I truly do take it back."

"No, say, ‘You're not a pussy, Ronnie.’”

"O. K., you're not a pussy."

"Say my name, too."

"You're not a pussy, Ronnie."

"Good thing, too," he said. "That was just in time."

Yeah, right, like what if I didn't take it back? Ronnie was hopeless, so I gave up and shut up. The next morning, as per usual, I felt his sheets. So far the average for his sheets being soaked was five days out of seven. By the time Alice changed the beds each week all Ronnie's piss had dried into yellow stains that overlapped and made rusty patterns—kind of pretty designs—light to dark and back again. Alice never let on and neither did Ronnie. Neither did I. That would have been just too mean.

One night I watched Ronnie with one of my eyes, the other one blocked by my pillow. I had been in the middle of a good dream about earwax when some kind of noise woke me up. Ronnie was on his bed by the window, moonlight behind him that made him look like a cutout. At first I didn't move, kept my head down, half-stuck in the pillow. Ronnie sat still on his bed except when he swayed. He'd be still for five seconds—listening for who knows what?—then he'd do small rocking moves side to side. The sways were so tiny you could hardly tell. He'd rock side to side some and then sit like a statue, then do more moves. The house was quiet. I think I saw a bat go by the window, but maybe not—they're so fast. Ronnie claimed bats were nighttime swallows that wouldn't suck your blood. No matter what I heard about bats, I shouldn't believe that, Ronnie said. "Trust me," he said, “no bat will every drink a drop of your blood.”

Another night, Alice screamed from down the hallway and Ronnie glanced up from his jigsaw puzzle at the bedroom door, then back down. It was so split-second I almost didn't catch him—one smooth action—just his eyes moving. That jigsaw was humongous. It had all the animals in some African jungle, plus grass and trees and bugs, and huge-beaked birds. Ronnie had the edges done on three sides and some on the last side. It was a big jaggie rectangle, empty in the middle. He pretended to work at it for five minutes—zero talk, just tiny whimpers—the same puzzle piece in his hand the whole time. Ronnie's hand didn't move. More time. Then Alice screamed again and grunted real big—then a bunch of grunts that went from high-pitched to low and then back up again real high. In the nighttime quiet her grunts came down the hall like a church bell. Ronnie still kept still. Then Alice laughed a big screeching laugh and Ronnie smiled but didn't look up. Then his hand moved over the jigsaw like a helicopter and dropped the puzzle piece in exactly the right spot.

Part four of The Last Dog will post tomorrow.