Western Movies

SKY KING Double Feature with 2 popular episodes. "2 Gun Penny" is a 1952 episode chock full of suspense as enemy agents capture a scientist. While Sky and Clipper search from the air, Penny dons men's western wear, packs two six-shooters and goes out on her own. She finds the scientist's teenage daughter (played by future Bond girl Jill St. John!) and then is taken prisoner by the baddies. Fan favorite Penny shows that a woman's place is not just in the kitchen! Sky flies the Songbird, a Cessna 150. Starring Kirby Grant, Gloria Winters, Ron Hagerthy, Chubby Johnson, Nestor Paiva, Steven Geray, Jill St. John (billed as Jill Oppenheim), John Hart "Sky Robbers" is a 1959 story involving a local air competition with more flying than most episodes. One of the pilots in the race is part of a gang of robbers who steal the admissions from the charity event with plans to dump the money from the air to his cohorts in the desert. Will Sky, with Penny's help, figure it out and go after the crooks? You bet!! Sky flies the Songbird II, a Cessna 310-B Starring Kirby Grant, Gloria Winters, Ewing Mitchell, Dwight Brooks and Bill Catching. #tv #tvseries #western #skyking #flying #airplane #classic #tvwestern #tvclassics #pilot #cessna #cowgirl #crossdressing #disques #kirby #penny #songbird #awordonwesterns #filmhistory #retro #jamesbond #spies #kirbygrant #1950s #doublefeature #arizona #aviation #cessna150

Starring in his first serial, John Wayne was young, energetic, and surprisingly natural. It’s THE SHADOW OF THE EAGLE, a 12-chapter Mascot serial released in 1932, that we are presenting in its entirety. That's over 3 hours of John Wayne! However, to keep the action movie fast, the opening and closing credits and the recap at the beginning of each episode has been deleted. Watching this will be more like the current series on Netflix and other systems and...much more fun! Yes, you can binge on Duke! Wayne was cast as the lead in several poverty row serials following the financial failure of Raoul Walsh's stunning epic, THE BIG TRAIL, which launched the former Marion Morrison as a star. After that expensive 1930 Fox flop, the major studios lost interest in pushing him as an A-picture star and he took what work he could get from lesser Hollywood Studios. Mascot Pictures was certainly a step down for the young actor, but he kept working his way up without complaint because he needed employment and because the B-western and serial market still had room for a tall, athletic, good-looking action lead. Wayne made three Mascot serials: THE SHADOW OF THE EAGLE in 1932, THE HURRICANE EXPRESS later in 1932, and THE THREE MUSKETEERS in 1933. In THE SHADOW OF THE EAGLE Wayne starred as a young carnival stunt pilot, a daring occupation that matinee kids attending the weekly serial chapters found exciting. The plot is designed for them. A former World War I flying ace now runs a struggling carnival and is suspected of being “The Eagle,” a mysterious skywriting avenger threatening the directors of an aircraft company. His daughter, played by Dorothy Gulliver, and Wayne race from chapter to chapter through kidnappings, fistfights, clues, airplane stunts, and circus carnival dangers to prove her father innocent and expose the real villain. As a piece of 1932 action entertainment, THE SHADOW OF THE EAGLE still has value and packs a wallop: the carnival atmosphere gives it color; the skywriting is a fun, hysterical looking gimmick; and the Depression-era California locations give the serial a documentary feel that was never intended but is fascinating today. Historically, THE SHADOW OF THE EAGLE matters because it helped keep Wayne active as a screen hero after THE BIG TRAIL nearly sank him. The fast production pace of Duke’s B movies gave him a solid background in production and plenty of on screen time to perfect his craft. It also brought him into a career enhancing relationship with Yakima Canutt, the great rodeo champion and stuntman who became one of Wayne’s closest friends, teachers, and action collaborators. It’s easy to spot Yak. He had been a star of his own series of silent westerns and plays one of the henchmen while contributing to the stunt work. Wayne also did a good share of his own action, including motorcycle work. THE SHADOW OF THE EAGLE was produced by Nat Levine, directed by Ford Beebe and credited also to up and coming action director B. Reeves Eason, written by Beebe, Colbert Clark, and Wyndham Gittens. The cast includes Wayne, Dorothy Gulliver, Walter Miller, Roy D’Arcy, Pat O’Malley, Bud Osborne, and Yakima Canutt who was the uncredited stunt coordinator and became an action mentor and close friend of Duke. A friendship that lasted their entire lives. Mascot Pictures was entrepreneur and producer Nat Levine’s baby. Levine formed Mascot in 1927 after starting as an independent distributor, and he became one of the key pioneers of the transitioning of silent to sound serials. Mascot made cheap, fast, profitable chapterplays.By the mid-1930s Levine owned the old Mack Sennett studio, a serial-making staff, and valuable western talent around him. In 1935, Herbert J. Yates, whose Consolidated Film Industries processed film for Mascot and other Poverty Row companies, engineered the consolidation that created Republic Pictures by calling in the overdue bills. Mascot was folded into the new company, along with Monogram and other independent outfits. Levine brought Republic not only serial know-how, but writers, cinematographers, sound men, effects people, and the production habits that made Republic the great serial factory of the late 1930s and 1940s. Levine got outsmarted by Yates, who ended up with the power. VIDEO CHAPTERS 00:01:25 Chapter 1 The Carnival Mystery 01:27:55 Chapter 2 Pinholes 01:44:39 Chapter 3 The Eagle Strikes 01:59:25 Chapter 4 Man of a Million Voices 02:13:55 Chapter 5 Telephone Cipher 02:29:19 Chapter 6 Code of the Carnival 02:43:45 Chapter 7 Eagle or Vulture? 02:58:53 Chapter 8 On The Spot 03:14:13 Chapter 9 When Thieves Fall Out 03:29:00 Chapter 10 The Man Who Knew 03:42:50 Chapter 11 The Eagles Wings 03:46:45 Chapter 12 The Eagle Unmasked #johnwayne #johnwaynemovies #movie #film #filmhistory #retro #awordonwesterns #actionmovies #action #blackandwhitemovie #bmovie #circus #povertyrow #hollywood #onlocation #losangeles #serial #stunts #carnival

FOR THE FIRST TIME, two SKY KING music videos are premiered! You can vote which one is your favorite. Leave a comment and your vote for which song you prefer. The winner will be announced at the end of the month. Now, out of the clear blue of the western sky comes SKY KING! The classic modern western series aired on network television non-stop from 1951 to 1966. SKY KING was then seen in syndication, cable and home video. The TV series is a classic and a favorite of baby boomers. Through repeat broadcasts and discovery of the show on the internet, SKY KING has continued to expand its appeal to new generations of fans. Starring Kirby Grant as Sky, Gloria Winters as Penny and Ron Hagerthy as Clipper, the show was 72 episodes of compelling stories that involved chasing criminals, detective work, search and rescue and encounters with foreign spies. The Songbird was Sky’s plane and many youngsters were dazzled by the two airships used on SKY KING and credit the show with inspiring their careers in aviation. In this episode of “A Word On Westerns,” host Rob Word is joined by editor Mike Clark in looking at the grand history of a little show that made a difference, especially during its run on Saturday morning television. Join the fun as we take a deep dive into the performers, the planes, history and the continued success and appeal of SKY KING. Chapters 00:00:00 Chapter 1 Introduction 00:01:40 Chapter 2 The Sky King Story 00:05:20 Chapter 3 Kirby Grant 00:07:58 Chapter 4 Gloria Winters 00:10:33 Chapter 5 Ron Hagerthy 00:11:15 Chapter 6 Radio Show 00:14:00 Chapter 7 Season 2 00:15:34 Chapter 8 Season 3 00:17:37 Chapter 9 Season 4 00:19:15 Chapter 10 Merchandise 00:20:43 Chapter 11 Syndication 00:21:21 Chapter 12 Carson and Barnes 00:21:39 Chapter 13 Lost Episodes 00:22:04 Chapter 14 Florida 00:22:43 Chapter 15 1977 Kirby interview 00:23:36 Chapter 16 1984 Good Morning America 00:24:13 Chapter 17 Kirby Grant epilogue 00:25:16 Chapter 18 Gloria Winters epilogue 00:25:48 Chapter 19 Ron Hagerthy 00:26:00 Chapter 20 Favorite episode 00:27:37 Chapter 21 Wrapup 00:28:25 Chapter 22 Music Video 1 00:33:11 Chapter 23 Music Video 2 00:39:36 Chapter 24 Runaway Truck #tv #tvshow #tvshows #western #tvwestern #skyking #documentary #classic #classictv #classiccharacters #oldtimeradio #hollywood #hollywoodstars #kidshow #airplane #songbird #music #musicvideo #musicvideos #tvhistory #tvseries #flying #cowboystar #actor #pilot

THE WESTERN CODE starring icon Tim McCoy…is Pre Code. This early 1932 talkie western was filmed at a time during that moment when B-western silent movie heroes were learning to talk faster than they shot. This film may be the very first time that audiences heard the now classic line, “This town ain’t big enough for both of us.” Yep, it's that early! The popular film cowboys who were the Big Guns of the genre were Buck Jones, Ken Maynard and Tim McCoy. They were the former silent western stars with voices who actually made the changeover to sound look easy. Tom Mix wasn't so lucky. He had been the biggest silent western star but was now older and his voice was deemed too gruff. The three Big Guns took over the talkie range. Our hero for THE WESTERN CODE, Tim McCoy, wasn’t just a studio-made western hero: he’d lived the life—worked as a cowboy out West, served as a U.S. Army cavalry officer in World War I, and became known for his deep knowledge of Native languages and customs. That’s what first brought him to Hollywood in 1923 as a technical adviser on the silent classic, THE COVERED WAGON. That authenticity in the saddle—plus having a wonderful voice—helped him glide into sound pictures when a lot of other silent cowboy heroes got bucked off by the microphone. THE WESTERN CODE has a murder-and-forgery plot. Texas Ranger Tim Barrett (McCoy) rides into town to assist a fellow Ranger—only to land into a situation that puts him on the side of Polly Lumas and her brother Dick (Nora Lane & Dwight Frye). They’ve been cut out of their mother’s estate by a will that Tim thinks is a forgery, starts pulling strings, and when town boss Wheeler Oakman turns up “dead,” both Polly and Dick confess—each trying to save the other. It’s an unusual plot for a B western. The supporting players are an interesting collection. Leading lady Nora Lane was a busy, capable B-picture leading lady who logged 80+ films in a career that included co-starring with James Cagney in JIMMY THE GENT and making four Hopalong Cassidy films. She married in 1941 and retired from movies. She lived happily with her new husband until tragedy struck in 1948. On a fishing trip, he had a heart attack and died. Grief stricken Nora wrote a note to her son saying she could not go on living without her husband…and shot herself dead. She was 43 years old. Wheeler Oakman was one of those actors giving distinction to menacing roles. Mischa Auer—yes, in a western, the actor known as “the Mad Russian,” who was later Oscar-nominated for MY MANY GODFREY, makes a rare B western appearance The name that really jumps out to genre fans is Dwight Frye. He was fresh off immortal turns the year before as Renfield in DRACULA and Fritz in James Whale’s FRANKENSTEIN. In THE WESTERN CODE Dwight is Nora’s hot-blooded brother whose loyalty makes him dangerous to himself. Now the real casting surprise for me is seeing Emilio Fernandez in a small part. Yes, it’s the same Emilio “El Indio” Fernández who became a towering Mexican director and later acted for Sam Peckinpah as Mapache in THE WILD BUNCH. Fernández’s real-life story is bigger than any one role: a military academy background, political upheaval, exile in the U.S. during the early 1930s, then a return to Mexico where he helped define the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. His 1946 film MARIA CANDELARIA, starring Dolores Del Rio and Pedro Armendariz, won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 1946, a landmark international breakthrough for Mexican film. Our star, Tim McCoy has always been one of my favorites. When I was growing up, there were a lot of B westerns on TV and Tim’s look, fancy wardrobe and charisma made them special for me. Seeing this early talkie with such an amazing cast brings back those youthful memories. But after years of film research, I have a much greater appreciation for the genre. Tim made over 100 films. I think THE WESTERN CODE with it’s unusual cast, is one of his most interesting. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for watching and sharing this film with your friends. Now let’s go back almost 100 years ago for this early look at Tim McCoy in THE WESTERN CODE. #movie #film #western #westernmovies #filmhistory #intro #introduction #classicmovies #precodehollywood #bwestern #blackandwhitemovie #cowboys #mexicancinema #emilio #timmccoy #talkies #dracula #frankenstein #characteractor #robword

Alex Cord was born May 3, 1933, making him a very determined and headstrong Taurus. The man could ride! He was the real deal. For the remake of STAGECOACH, Alex stepped in the boots of John Wayne to become the Ringo Kid and romanced Ann-Margret in the 1966 remake! On GUNSMOKE he tussled with Harrison Ford in “The Sodbusters”…and then won a shootout with the young actor. He went to Spain for one of the best Spaghetti westerns, A MINUTE TO PRAY, A SECOND TO DIE, and was the mysterious Archangel on TV’s AIRWOLF. Alex, who died August 9, 2021, at the age of 88, was a charismatic actor who left many fine performances. He shared memories of those days for western fans in 2015 while in Kanab, Utah, for this on location edition of A WORD ON WESTERNS. Born Alexander Viespi, Jr. in New York, Alex was stricken with polio as a child and was sent by his parents to a ranch in Wyoming to regain his strength. His love for horses, nourished by his mother when he was even younger, grew to such an extent that Alex dropped out of school and went on the rodeo circuit, riding broncs and bulls. It wasn’t until years later that he joined the elite group of celebrities who rode with Oscar winner and rodeo champion Ben Johnson where Alex learned to Team Rope. The popular Pro-Celebrity Rodeos raised money for various children’s charities. In 2001, Alex received the coveted Golden Boot Award, called the “Oscar of westerns." Fortunately, we have this interview with Alex so you can hear him tell his own story with enthusiasm and his joyful memories of a life well lived. #gunsmoke #western #rodeo #stagecoach #films #filmhistory #westernmovies #classic #tvseries #spaghettiwestern #awordonwesterns #interview #alex #horse #horseriding #cowboys #cowboystar #caseys #jamesarness #garycooper #characteractor #robword