USMR - Jimmy Stewart Westerns
Unsolicited Movie Ranking - Jimmy Stewart Westerns Version
A few observations.....I had seen all the films at least once except for Firecreek. How I missed a western starring Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda is beyond me but I had never even heard of it until now. It wasn't a big hit but still.....I should have known. It had been as much as 30+ years since I had seen some of these. Certain impressions I had from years ago have definitely changed. Here are a few things that stuck out.
One, probably because I'm a father of a 19 year old daughter the number of instances in these films where Jimmy's love interest eventually ended up being an actress less than half his age was glaringly obvious. Stewart, by all accounts was a good guy and a gentlemen. But I have to admit when watching these films with matured eyes it adds a creepier aspect to a lot of films from this era....not that the same doesn't still go on.
Two, the films that relied heavily on a detailed depiction of interactions with Indian tribes invariably hurt the overall quality of the film. It just leaves such a believability gap. (Don't get me started on the ridiculous gun fights) It is easy to knock how Hollywood portrayed Native Americans....which was blatantly racist. That alone shouldn't diminish the film when watching it in proper context. My problems come from just bad film making. The writing and acting and direction, even when really good film directors like Anthony Mann tried to depict Native American life and lives, really stands out and hurts some of the films. It hurts them contextually and it hurts them as sheer entertainment.
Three, the number of actors who pop up in multiple films is pretty amazing. It was common with the studio system and directors to use actors they were comfortable with. Some practically play the same character with different names. Will Geer (Grandpa from the Waltons), John McIntire, Andy Devine, Arthur Kennedy, Harry Morgan (Col Sherman Potter), Millard Mithcell, Dan Duryea and Jack Elam were all staples. Not to mention future stars who made appearances like Rock Hudson, Shelley Winters, Tony Curtis, Audie Murphy, and Shirley Jones.
Finally, and this is important, there isn't a bad movie in the bunch. Some come off as a bit campy for today's viewers to be sure but watching them with context and era in mind it is an amazing body of work. Especially when you consider these are only 13 of the 17 westerns and constitute less that half the films Jimmy starred in between 1950-1970...SHUT UP!
13. Broken Arrow ('50) A classic Anthony Mann western based on a true story. If you want to talk authenticity issues....Jeff Chandler, born Ira Grossel to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, got nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Apache War Chief Cochise. To its credit, this was one of the first movies that showed Indians as something other than savages. Cochise was portrayed as a wise and thoughtful leader. That aside, all the interactions with the Indians are so clumsily filmed and written it just has a difficult time translating to a current audience.
12. Firecreek ('68) Not a bad movie at all. Even with two huge stars it feels a little like a TV movie. There was a lot to explore here that the script or director just never chose to exploit. Would have loved to see a director like Peckinpah shoot this. It wanted to be edgier but just never got there.
11. Two Rode Together ('61) Great cast. Stewart plays a scheming, opportunistic sheriff to a tee. Great chemistry with Richard Widmark. Like John Wayne's Searchers this movie is about finding and "rescuing" white captives of Comanche war raids. Definitely inspired by actual events it is still awkward to view the portrayals of the Native Americans especially with Chief Quanah Parker being played by German born Henry Brandon. The movie tries to show the complexity involved but again, maybe because of censor rules or just the melodramitic acting style, or should I say overacting, really dings what is otherwise a very enjoyable film.
10. The Naked Spur ('53) Robert Ryan eats up his scenes and Janet Leigh takes her turn as the lady who is half the age of the men she is likely to show interest in role.
09. The Rare Breed ('66) This was actually the only film that I wasn't able to re-watch. But I have seen it 3 or 4 times so I thought I was good. Stewart, Maureen O'hara and Brian Keith. It's a return to the gruff loner Stewart played so many times eventually making a connection and caring for something or someone besides himself.
08. Bandelero ('68) When Jimmy isn't playing a gruff loner he's probably playing the cowboy with a heart of gold who is out to save his ne'er-do-well brother who is almost always on the wrong side of the law. Here the brother is Dean Martin and the love interest was Raquel Welch. All wrapped up with George Kennedy as a jealous, obsessed sheriff.
07. The Cheyenne Social Club ('70) A real buddy movie with two real buddies. Fonda and Stewart were roommates as young actors and they had a lifelong friendship. Their comfort and ease with each other is great in this western comedy. Light-hearted and charming.
06. The Man From Laramie ('55) Another great mysterious loner who gets wronged and gets even. A stranger in a strange land taking on a rich land baron and his crazy son. I knocked this down to 6 cause of some silly Indian stuff but it really is top notch.
05. Bend of the River ('52) I could easily shuffle 6 through 3. All four with solid stories. All four about grit and determination and fighting the odds. Along with Far Country this is the some of the most gorgeous cinematography of all the films. The other thing you will notice is some of the stars are actually pretty solid horsemen. Filming where they take some of the wagons in this movie really gives you a good idea to how difficult some of these drives and conditions were. Arthur Kennedy is great in this film as he goes mad over making money....and Aunt Bea from Mayberry makes an appearance.
04. Night Passage ('57) Along with Winchester 73 this has one of the better scripts. Throw in Audie Murphy and Brandon DeWilde (the kid from Shane) and the railroads traveling through the Rockies you have a really special film.
03. Far Country ('54) One of the few films of the era set in Alaska. It was the 4th Anthony Mann western and they were were in their stride. Plus no goofy interactions with the natives. This movie's famous climax was set up all through the film starring Jimmy's horse Pie. Jimmy rode Pie in 17 films and often said he was the best costar he ever had. That's some pretty good company. When Pie died he was buries on the Stewart family ranch.02. Winchester 73 ('50) This was the one that showed people Jimmy could be a believable tough guy. It started the 20 year western run and it was a superb story and well written. The throughline with the rifle changing hands held the narrative. Rock Hudson as a 20 year old Indian chief and Tony Curtis as an Army grunt and Shelly Winters as the damsel.
01. Man Who Shot Liberty Valance ('62) Often the greatest casts on paper don't make the greatest films. It is hard to imagine a better cast than Stewart, John Wayne and Lee Marvin. That's heavyweight. Directed by one of the masters John Ford. Funny that a film full of legends is remembered for the famous line. "When the story becomes legend...Print the legend."
