Western RoundUp: Western Film Book Library – Part 7

Western RoundUp: Western Film Book Library – Part 7

About every year I share some interesting titles related to the Western film genre in this column. Here’s my take on a mix of brand new and vintage western themed books for 2023!

There is an exciting new series of paperback westerns, Reel West, recently published by University of New Mexico Press.

The publisher describes them as “short, well-crafted volumes that explore individual films throughout Western history” and also calls them “clever, concise investigations”. Now that I’ve read the first two books in the series, I found the descriptions accurate. I am delighted with the titles I have just read and look forward to reading the titles to come.

blood on the moon is a 99-page book based on the 1948 film of the same name. It was written by film historian Alan K. Rode, whose other books include excellent biographies by Michael Curtiz and Charles McGraw. Incidentally, Charles McGraw appears in the film as a rancher and memorably wears a bearskin coat.

The new book succinctly yet comprehensively describes the history of the 1948 western, recounting admirable details of the film’s production while simultaneously placing the film in a larger context. Readers will understand how the film fits into the history of the Western, film noir and RKO studios, as well as the careers of filmmakers such as director Robert Wise and rising star Robert Mitchum.

The book also follows the story of author Luke Short, whose book formed the basis of the screenplay; His novels have been filmed several times over the years.

There are detailed chapter notes and a bibliography, but no index. The book contains many interesting black and white photographs, many of which were new to me. While an index would have been handy for future reference to the book, I felt it lived up to the publisher’s promise of being a “well-designed volume,” including a three-page spread listing the credits of the film are detailed.

blood on the moon is a very absorbing read that I devoured in a single flight. Western and classic film fans will find it equally entertaining and informative.

It was a pleasure unexpectedly meeting Kirk Ellis, the author of Drive lonelyat a recent film festival – even more so because I happened to have the book with me and was able to have him autograph it!

On 207 pages Drive lonely The book is about twice as long as blood on the moon. It follows the same style, with chapter notes, bibliography, and a number of black and white photographs, but no index.

The 1959 movie Drive lonely is my favorite of the seven westerns Budd Boetticher directed Randolph Scott, and I’ve also been to the film’s Alabama Hills locations several times, so reading an entire book about this popular western was a real treat. I also liked that Ellis herself describes a hike into the Alabama Hills to see the places firsthand.

In his introduction, Ellis describes Drive lonely as “one of the sharpest, leanest and most relentless films of all genres of this period”. That’s about it for sure – I love the short 73-minute running time and the memorable somber ending – although I also find it rather optimistic how outlaw Sam Boone (Pernell Roberts) ends up teaming up with Randolph Scott’s Ben Brigade, and that too Right Maybe after “The End” there’s a better life.

The author’s personal relationships with both Boetticher and screenwriter Burt Kennedy add an extra dimension to his knowledgeable text. He tells the personal stories of both men as well as the production history of the film. he placed Drive lonely in the context of the other Ranown westerns, and also provides excellent critical analysis of both Kennedy’s script and the finished film. It offered so much insight that I can’t wait to pull this film off the shelf again in the near future and watch it from this new perspective. In short, I loved this book and I highly recommend it.

Heroes, Heavyweights and Mugwort is a 1972 book by Arthur F. McClure and Ken D. Jones. I discovered it thanks to my friend, the film historian Toby Roan; I immediately looked for a copy, as the author’s book from 1970 James Stewart films It’s been on my bookshelf since I was a teenager when I found it on a discarded table in the attic of Pickwick Books in Hollywood.

It’s a 351-page hardback full of photos, packed with biographical information and credits for a variety of western supporting players. Below are examples of some pages. Although a significant portion of the biographical data – especially death dates – is outdated in the half-century since its publication, the book still contains great value.

The many photos are useful for identifying western players by name, and photos like this have always piqued my interest in movies I plan to watch in the future. This is a wonderful read and reference resource for Western fans.

I was browsing the film book section of my favorite second hand bookstore while visiting family in Eugene, Oregon recently and happened upon the amazing 1992 reference Sweethearts of the Sage: Biographies and Filmographies of 248 Actresses Who Appeared in Western Movies.

This 632 page book by Buck Rainey published by McFarland is truly remarkable and it was definitely worth what I paid for as I will refer to it for years to come.

As can be seen from the pages above, the book contains biographies of varying lengths; Some are quite detailed, and in any case, the book is a great way to learn more about western leading actresses. The book also includes a detailed index of film titles on the back cover.

As I delve into this topic, I would like to remind readers of books on western heroines that I have covered in the past: western women And ladies of the westernwhich I wrote about here in July 2019, and The heroine or the horsewhat I wrote about last summer.

I’m going to end this month’s column with two books about Randolph Scott, who just so happened to star in the book discussed earlier Drive lonely.

The first title is The Randolph Scott films by Robert Nott, published by McFarland in 2004. I wrote about Nott’s 2000 book The Last of the Cowboy Heroes: The Westerns by Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Audie Murphyhere in January 2021.

This time, Nott examines Scott’s entire career, starting with small parts. He provides film credits and plot outlines, production history and critical reactions, while also adding his own take on the titles. See the following pages for examples.

Some of the information inevitably overlaps with Last of the Cowboy Heroes, but it’s all very useful and I really enjoyed reading about Scott’s other films and putting his Westerns in the context of his overall career. Nott summarizes facts about each film to make for a smooth and interesting read on each title, and the book is beautifully illustrated with high quality black and white reproductions on the book pages. Scott fans will want this book, especially if they don’t have the earlier title.

The other Scott title, Randolph Scott: A Biopic, is an older book originally published by Empire Publishing in 1987. Empire also published the book by David Rothel Tim Holt what I shared here in November 2019.

Randolph Scott: A Film Biography was written by Jefferson Brim Crow III and has 303 pages. It’s a heavy book with glossy pages.

The text is lighter than Nott’s book, with a strong focus on photographs. There are also several pages of reprints of original Scott film reviews that are fun to read – those with older eyes might need a magnifying glass – and there is a long film credits section at the end of the book.

The photos are very appealing and make this book a nice addition to Nott’s writings on Scott.

I hope that the above suggestions will be useful to my readers! For more western movie book ideas, check out my July 2019, November 2019, May 2020, January 2021, July 2021, and August 2022 lists.

Thank you to the University of New Mexico Press and editor Andrew Patrick Nelson for providing review copies blood on the moon And Drive lonely.

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– Laura Grieve for Classic Movie Hub

Laura can be found on her blog, Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, where she has written about films since 2005, and on Twitter at @LaurasMiscMovie. A lifelong film buff, Laura loves classics like Disney, film noir, musicals and westerns. She regularly reports on classic film festivals in Southern California. Laura will be writing about all things western at the Western RoundUp for CMH.