The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was released in 1962. I was 12 or 13 when I first saw it at the Loew’s Oriental. At that age I was interested in gunplay, which is virtually absent from the film. I was probably disappointed that it was in black and white. I did not appreciate the solid story lines, which are, outside its amazing cast, its chief assets. It is a small scale depiction of how the west was won, which includes the necessity of violence to conquer those who stand in the way of the advance of civilization. The most surprising aspect is the pain John Wayne’s character suffers when he realizes he has lost Vera Miles to Jimmy Stewart, a rare display of screen vulnerability from the Hollywood legend. The cast is a movie buff’s dream. Has anyone ever communicated a greater sense of menace, as a good or bad guy, than Lee Marvin? Has anyone portrayed sleaze better than Strother Martin? Has anyone’s eyes been more memorable than Lee Van Cleef’s? In a great bit of trivia posted at IMDb, those three appeared together in
The Grave, an episode of
The Twilight Zone, a year earlier. Has anyone portrayed the frontier woman better than Jeanette Nolan? Has anyone’s voice been more recognizable than Andy Devine’s? Has anyone ever communicated quiet dignity better than Woody Strode? Has any actor ever been more under-rated than Edmond O’Brien, rarely mentioned among the all-time greats, although he clearly was one? Has anyone ever been more larger than life than the prolific David Carradine? All these marvelous talents have equals in their strengths, but no superiors. And there are three other familiar faces along for the wonderful ride: John Qualen, Denver Pyle and Willis Bouchey. The great John Ford directed. The script was adapted from a short story by Dorothy M. Johnson by James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck. The rousing theme song, a top ten hit for Gene Pitney, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, was not used. That’s the only bad thing I can say about this classic, although it may be argued that the music is too modern for a western. The film was shown last night on Movies! (113 on Cablevision in NYC), a channel apparently created by movie lovers.
Here's another kid who will arouse the envy of weekend hackers. The appropriately named Cole Hammer, 15, has made the U. S. Open field, shooting rounds of 64 and 68 in the qualifying tournament. He has grown four inches in the past ten months, raising his weight to a whopping 125 pounds. Show off.
The weather was a duplicate of yesterday. When I left the house at ten-thirty, rain seemed certain. I thought I needed to be somewhere where shelter was near, so I decided to set up shop beside the ell at Bay Parkway. For the first two-and-a-half hours it looked like the wrong move, as the sun came out but book buyers didn't. Then Neil of
Della Peppo Village TV came along and bought
Rising Star. My thanks,
paisano.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
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