Rio Bravo (1959), Howard Hawks

Yeah, that's some guy whacking John Wayne over the noggin - bad move, hombre! Wayne and a couple of self-pitying rejects must stand guard over local baddie while every pug, mug and thug in town tries to prevent him from being handed over to a US Marshal. Angie Dickinson's character was a bit of a speed bump, slowing down the action every time she appeared. Surprisingly, John Wayne and Dean Martin (can you imagine two more different men?) worked well together. I didn't recognize Dean Martin initially (was it the latent 'stache?) and not having seen him in a western ever, I wondered if he would "fit." Dude fits!

Best cowboy / possible dog name: Stumpy

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), John Sturges

A big Safeway cheese ball replete with lazy direction and crappy photography, plastic trees and scenery chewing. This should have started one hour into the actual running time, but instead we were forced to watch back story. The whole thing was nothing but lead up to... the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Both leads were flat. I like Kirk Douglas hale and hearty, not sweaty and horky. And Burt Lancaster's uptight Wyatt Earp sucked the air out of every scene. How did Burt Lancaster survive after having thrown his HAT on the bed? Zero for cowboy lore.

Young character actor watch: DeForest Kelley (I declare!), Lee Van Cleef, Dennis Hopper

Harlem Rides the Range (1939), Richard C. Khan

Part of the independent effort to produce films with an all-black cast during the 30s & 40s, this one's a true B-movie - no expenditure on production. Looks like they just plunked the camera down & starting filming. Most scenes have no cuts. There's also no soundtrack aside from sung sequences and in some instances no sound effects at all (thank God someone rustled up some pops and bangs for the final shootout). The story isn't bad, though, and alternates between the tale of hero's being framed for murder and a selection of gags, some of which have a bit of life in them still! White Hat is played by tall, thin Herb Jeffries. Probably a lot more fun than trying out for sidekick/stereotype roles (I'm looking at you, Mayor of Hell). Beef: why is this not in Leonard Maltin?