Westward Ho

 

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RIDE BEYOND VENGEANCE-1966-In Texas, a bartender (William Bryant) tells a census taker (James MacArthur) the tale of buffalo hunter Jonas Trapp (Chuck Connors) who returns after 11 years hunting in Kansas. Unfortunately, he's mistaken for a cattle rustler by rancher Brooks Durham (Michael Rennie) and his two nutty henchmen, Johnsy (Bill Bixby) and Elwood (Claude Akins). They beat him up, brand him and steal his $17,000. While unconscious he dreams about meeting his future wife Jessie (Kathryn Hays) and arguing with his adopted father (Gary Merrill). 

He's rescued by Hanley (Paul Fix). He finds Jessie but she doesn't recognize him and she rejects him, saying Jonas is dead. She's ready to marry Durham. He gets help from a local Mexican (Jamie Farr) to get revenge on Johnsy who's planning to run away with an unhappy wife (Gloria Grahame). After killing Johnsy with a branding iron, he visits his father. Then Frank Gorshin as a ranch hand Tod Wisdom has a standout scene explaining how Johnsy died. Jessie isn't happy with Jonas being around and blames him for the death of her aunt (Ruth Warwick). Then he beats up Buddy Baer! Joan Blondellbernard is Mrs. Lavender, a madame. 

The meandering story line is made up of weird cameos, some related to Connors TV shows. Fix was a regular on “The Rifleman”. Bryant was Gen. Grant on episodes of “Branded” on which Rennie and Akins (who also was in at least one episode of “The Rifleman”) both appeared. Also with Harry Harvey. It's narrated by Arthur O'Connell. Director Bernard McEveety later made THE BROTHERHOOD OF SATAN (1971) and a few other movies but worked mostly in TV. 

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Three Again Rambling

I've always liked the ZATOICHI series featuring Shintaro Katsu as the blind swordsman- gambler-masseur who always finds trouble while helping the down trodden in Feudal Jaoan. Many of the storylines are essentially the same: Z comes to town and runs afoul of the local crime boss and his gang, he meets someone (usually a woman) in need and helps them, exposes crooked gambling, slaughters all the bad guys, leaves alone and disillusioned. It's Katsu's performance in the lead that makes the series however. He is gentle, soft spoken, humble and extremely deadly.






I'm not a fan of Robert Rodriguez. It's hard to like ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO (2003) with it's meandering story, over the top violence and self indulgent "Tarantino inspired" direction. It completes the trilogy started with the far superior EL MARIACHI and is partially saved by Johnny Depp as the weird "3 armed" CIA agent but Antonio Banderas is laughable as the legendary hitman who whispers a lot and rarely shows any emotion. The interesting, wasted cast includes Reuben Blades, Wilhem Defoe, Mickey Rourke, Ceech Marin, Salma Hayek and Danny Trejo. Pedro Armendariz Jr. plays the corrupt "El Presidente".



BUFFALO STAMPEDE from 1933 is an early western effort from Henry Hathaway (his third movie) about the troubles brewing over the hunting of buffalo and the trading of their pelts. Randolph Scott, Buster Crabbe (who was the lead in TARZAN THE FEARLESS the same year) and Harry Carey are the bickering leads. Also with Raymond Hatton, Noah Berry, Judith Allen, Barton McLane and Monte Blue. It's based on a story by Zane Grey and also known as THE THUNDERING HERD.

Scott was in ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, MURDERS IN THE ZOO and SUPERNATURAL the same year. Hathaway would make THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE (the first Technicolor film shot outside of a studio) in 1936 (the same year Buster Crabbe debuted as Flash Gordon ) and then better bigger budgeted Hollywood films.

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