Posts by Sterling Price

Watched "How the West Was Won" again yesterday in flat screen "living room Cinerama".

Deb's Meadow where the "True Grit" showdown shootout would take place 7 years later in 1968/69 played center stage in many of the scenes of this same "West Was Won" movie as did "Courthouse Mountain" and "Chimney Peak" (all True Grit locations). Even the creek-side campsite where Rooster says to LaBoeuf ~ "If ever I meet one of you Texas waddies who ain't drunk from a hoofprint, I think I'll, I'll shake their hand or buy'em a Daniel Webster cigar!" ~ is also the very same location where a major scene is played between Robert Preston and Debbie Reynolds almost 7 years earlier.

Henry Hathaway was one of several directors on this movie and he would later go on to also direct True Grit. He obviously fell in love with the scenery there in the San Juan mountains and thanks to that ~ a beautifully photographed True Grit would go on to become a movie classic.

Watched "How the West Was Won" again yesterday in flat screen "living room Cinerama".

Deb's Meadow where the "True Grit" showdown shootout would take place 7 years later in 1968/69 played center stage in many of the scenes of this same "West Was Won" movie as did "Courthouse Mountain" and "Chimney Peak" (all True Grit locations). Even the creek-side campsite where Rooster says to LaBoeuf ~ "If ever I meet one of you Texas waddies who ain't drunk from a hoofprint, I think I'll, I'll shake their hand or buy'em a Daniel Webster cigar!" ~ is also the very same location where a major scene is played between Robert Preston and Debbie Reynolds almost 7 years earlier.

Henry Hathaway was one of several directors on this movie and he would later go on to also direct True Grit. He obviously fell in love with the scenery there in the San Juan mountains and thanks to that ~ a beautifully photographed True Grit would go on to become a movie classic.

Looks like I'm gonna have to clarify what I've written about Ben Johnson doubling for Bill Elliott. I just did a more thorough research on both of these men and apparently Ben did do a lot of doubling for Wild Bill including riding and stunt work. If Ben did say what you said he said about Elliott then maybe it is true. IMPO Bill Elliott really didn't look "rugged enough" to be a movie cowboy ~ he looked too "pretty" and maybe that's why the studio had other "more expendable" actors doubling for him ~

I had never personally met Bill Elliott and I also need to clarify an error I made earlier about his being "best man" at Art and Barbara Reeve's wedding in 1961. Bill Elliott and Art Reeves were mutual friends and both men were born in Missouri. When Art Reeves told me about Wild Bill Elliott being "best man" at his wedding when I first started working for Art and Bob Taylor in 1962 ~ I had assumed that he was referring to his then present wife Barbara. But as my ancient memory has now re-arranged itself into proper order once again, I had forgotten that Art had been married once before, in Missouri, and that was when Bill Elliott agreed to be his best-man.

And now of course I've also just uncovered that you've already previously done your own research into what I had previously posted about Bill Elliot's early life and film background. I take my Stetson off to you Paula for being the dedicated film historian that you are. Great website on Shutterfly and a more than interesting body of work.

Let's see if I can sort some of this out for you Paula. Author/Commentator Paul Dellinger has written pretty extensively about cowboy film actor Bill Elliott. Below is a cut and paste of just some of what he's written about him ~

"He was born Gordon Nance, on a ranch in Pattonsburg, Missouri, on Oct. 16, 1903, according to John Leonard's definitive book on his films, appropriately titled Wild Bill Elliott. Nance grew up around horses, riding his first one at age five. His father was commissioner at the Kansas City stockyards, where young Nance saw many actual cowboys riding and roping. By age sixteen, he won first place among those cowboys in the American Royal Horse and Livestock Show. But it was a silent movie he saw at age nine that pointed him in the direction of his career. It was a movie featuring legendary western star William S. Hart, and inspired the young viewer to want to become a cowboy star someday. Many of his later features would use the old Hart storylines of a badman who reforms."

"In every film I've seen him in prior to the Hickok serial, the thing that stands out the most about the actor named Gordon Elliott is that there is absolutely nothing that stands out or even suggests a "screen presence" of any kind. I don't make "best" lists, but on any list I compile of "my favorite" western actor, Bill Elliott will be somewhere in the top four or five. Always. Actually, he is 3rd. But, aside from Westerns, he also qualifies as one of the most-forgettable actors I've ever seen."

There might have been some professional "rivalry" between those two back then, Ben and Bill ~ but who knows? For me at least, it's just hard to imagine someone who was practically "born in the saddle" needing "instructions" from anyone on how to ride a horse.

If Ben Johnson ever did actually double for Bill Elliott, either riding or in fight scenes, then that must have been by way of insistence of the studio brass. With the kind of early background he had, I couldn't imagine Bill Elliott ever voluntarily letting anyone substitute for him. JMO.

Thank you Paula for your post about Robert Taylor. Not entirely accurate but what the heck, just a couple of 'Hollywood type' "wranglers" having a little fun with stretching the truth some. Easily understood back in 1954 ~ but today? Not so easy.

Couple of things they were right about though is Ben Johnson and Joel McCrea being two of the best "real cowboys" making Hollywood movies back then. In my opinion BJ was one of the best genuine cowboy horse riders in Hollywood of that period except maybe for Yakima Canutt (who was more of a stunt rider) ~ and a better rider than even John Wayne himself ~ which these two so-called erudite "Hollywood wranglers" linked together with the likes of film actor Van Johnson who I can't remember ever having seen him on a horse, much less even a western movie.

"Val Valdez" never broke any horses for Bob. Carlos Valdez on the other hand was a very well known and respected horse trainer during that time period and did "train" some of the Taylor's newly acquired horses for use on their new "ranch" in Mandeville Canyon. Whether Carlos actually "broke" any of them first or not would have been before I got there in 1962. After that, no horses were ever "broke" that I was aware of.

Robert Taylor never thought of himself as being a "cowboy actor". He was an actor who simply starred in several cowboy type "movies" and made it look as though he might have been a "real" cowboy ~ but he wasn't. He was just that good of an actor and that's what really good actors are supposed to do ~ make the rest of us believe that they really are the characters who they portray on screen. John Wayne is another perfect example of this. The "Duke" never was a real cowboy either ~ but many people today find that hard to believe.

And lastly, that "Bob" Elliott these two Hollywood wrangler characters referred to in that article as being the #3 cowboy ~ didn't exist. It was Bill ("Wild Bill") Elliott who was the real #3 cowboy (according to their own personal standards). Bill Elliott was "best man" at Art & Barbara Reeves' wedding in 1961 and Art Reeves, who was Robert Taylor's full time ranch foreman at Mandeville Canyon ~ was actually the same man who asked and then hired me to work P/T for him and Bob in '62. Without any hesitation I said yes and the next seven years following that evolved into some of the most memorable experiences of my life.

Sorry for the long dissertation but that's what some old timers like me like to reminisce about and rarely have the opportunity to do so within our own family ~ whereas now, JWMB seems to be the perfect outlet.

This may be slightly "off topic" ~ but still relevant to the general discussion of how someone might well come into possession of what may be genuine movie memorabilia.

Some years ago, my son perusing through one of Hollywood's old western movie prop houses came across a number of old cowboy movie hats. He bought 4 of them and mailed one of them to me. It fit perfectly and I wear it often as one can see by my JWMB avatar.

It's really the on-camera telephone call that Ethan places to the actual person who is 'said' to have authenticated this unusual looking Cavalry movie-sword ~ and who also just happens to be a personal friend of Ethan Wayne.

When Ethan's friend verifies that the document actually does look like his "signature" (via photo phone) ~ but definitely is not consistent withanything else he also sees on the document (neither does he even remember ever authenticating this item) then the expression on the current owner's face is absolutely priceless. Obviously he is quite shocked because, as he says, he also has a number of other rare items "authenticated" by the same person who sold him this movie sword and bogus certificate.

On the one hand I feel somewhat sympathetic towards this poor fellow. He looked "honest and genuine" enough to me as so many others do who 'honestly' believe they are buying something 'genuine' (and presumably valuable) ~ but then only to find out much later that they have become nothing more than just another unwitting pawn of someone else's cunning and greed.

William Claude Fields Jr. (aka W.C.) ~ unfortunately had it right all along. Apparently there really is one born every minute.

Ethan Wayne did precisely what his father would have expected him to do on that Pawn Stars TV episode yesterday. Be polite, meticulously accurate and decisive in his evaluation about that "John Wayne sword" that poor fellow brought in to sell thinking it was real. Sure as hell looked "real" to me ~ but as we all now know, it was just another beautiful looking "fake". But perhaps even more shocking to the current owner of the sword was Ethan's proof that even the "Certificate of Authenticity" itself was not only a fake ~ but also a forgery. Caveat Emptor.

Don't sell George Clooney too "short" as an accomplished actor just yet Irish ~ He may be a liberal and still a contemporary actor but I wouldn't hold that against him. There is one film of his in particular that I personally like and can identify with called "Up In The Air". (I'd rather you'd not ask me to explain) ~ you'll just have to watch the film.

"The Descendants" and "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" and even "Leatherheads" are three more reasons why I still enjoy watching this "liberal actor" over and over again. For me personally, I don't give a damn about an actor's politics so long as they don't use their talents to promote their own political agendas.

"Lost In Translation" with Bill Murray is another "little film" that I have also watched well over 10 times. It reminds me of me and my first 'solo trip' to Tokyo for the Company I use to work for many, many ~ many decades ago. The brilliant dazzle even back then of the "Ginza" ~ the extreme politeness of the people ~ even the 'chimes' in the elevators and the "translation" of Japanese to English/American language which my own Japanese translator never quite managed to accurately convey what in the hell the people I was there to meet with were "really" saying ~ all made for one of the most memorable experiences of my life ~ except of course for the brief and delightful encounter as Bill Murray did with one so lovely as Scarlett Johansson.

And here's another reason why I may not quite 'fit in' with some of the "ordinary" die-hard JWMD film buffs on here ~ Just a short time ago I finished watching yet another multi-repeat TV episode of "The Sopranos". Not because it was mostly filmed in the New Jersey town I was born and raised in or may have mildly been "acquainted with" some of the colorful "characters" depicted in the series, but also because I enjoy anticipating what the "unique musical endings" after each episode might be ~ and tonight's episode was especially rewarding ~ "My Rifle, My Pony & Me" sung by Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson straight out of John Wayne's classic film ~ "Rio Bravo" .

For me personally ~ I would really enjoy reading the opinions of others on this thread as to 'why' anyone might want to take the time out of their otherwise busy lives to watch a certain movie over and over again. Is it because of the story, the acting, the actors, the dialogue, the scenery, the mystery, the comedy or a combination of everything in it that 'touches' each of us personally in some way or another?

I hadn't listed this in my earlier post ~ but "On Golden Pond" is definitely a movie that I've watched at least as many times as John Wayne's "True Grit".I see myself as a combination of JW's character Rooster Cogburn and Henry Fonda's character of Norman Thayer Jr. ~ separated only by the passage of time. In real life I'm still as ornery and cantankerous as 'Rooster Cogburn' ~ but also still feisty, sensitive and now nearly as old as "Norman Thayer Jr."

These two movies in particular have a personal 'meaning' for me which is why I will always continue to watch them over and over again until either the sun no longer rises in the East or sets in the West.

True Grit ~ 10 X 10 or more and also North to Alaska ~ Both films making good use of "Hot Creek" near Mammoth Lakes, California.

Uncle Buck and just about every other John Candy movie. Candy was far more than just a funny comic ~ he was also one helluva great actor. In '91 he and Maureen O'Hara were a perfect matchup in Only the Lonely. The acting 'chemistry' between those two reminded me a little of Wayne and O'Hara in Mclintock ~ only without the "big fight" scene. Nice "almost cameo" part for Anthony Quinn in that one too.


Shane ~ Alan Ladd never looked "taller" than he really was in that movie. Jack Palance also never looked meaner or more manacing than he did in that movie too only then to later become a "pussycat villain" in City Slickers and Slickers-2 ~ both films of which I will immediately stop watching whatever else is on TV at the time.


Casablanca ~ Excellent B&W film with memorable acting and memorable quotes ~ ".....You know, Rick, I have many a friend in Casablanca, but somehow, just because you despise me, you are the only one I trust."


Open Range ~ Best damned (most realistic) cowboy gunfight ever filmed. Plus, I will watch everything Robert Duvall ("...the older the fiddle, the sweeter the music") (Lonesome Dove) plays in over and over and over again ~ not to mention that I am also hopelessly in love with Annette Bening

I know there's more ~ just can't think of 'em right now.

Just to set the record straight Ringo ~ I never actually owned an M1 Garand. My Country only let me borrow one of "theirs" for a few years back in the 1950's but then told me that I would have to give it back to 'em if I ever wanted to be discharged from the Army. That was a no-brainer for me.

And I do also remember seeing those short barrelled 'Tanker Garands' you said you once owned but then you had to sell it for what ~~~ an air conditioner??? What in the hell were you thinking ~ a good ol' boy from Texas like you? That surely must have been one helluva damn HOT Summer to give up something as beautiful as a weapon like that. Although ~~ since you are considerably younger than all of my own grown children are now ~ then I'm willing to forgive you for that knowing that your own 'head' was probably where their heads were also at the time too ~ but thank God, they all got over it and eventually came to their senses.

As for my own trusty ol' .30-40 Krag/Jorgensen Carbine ~ I bought mine from a friend in the early 1950's about a year before I was drafted into the Army. $25.00 cash money including an almost full box of cartridges is all that it cost me back then. It too, also had the original leather shoulder strap which really came in handy 'cause it was not an "un-heavy" rifle to carry when fully loaded for long "deer stalking" periods of time. If I'm not mistaken, I also seem to recall a small "raised icon" of a gold colored anchor somewhere along the right hand side of the forestock grip. This always led me to believe back then that my rifle may once have been part of either US Navy or US Marine inventory.

They sure as hell don't make "lethal weapons" as beautiful as this anymore do they?

Quote from The Ringo Kid

............... looking for something completely unrelated to what I was doing--and finding TWO boxes of Winchester 9mm ammo I forgot I had.

OK, I'll bite ~ So what was it that you were doing that was so completely unrelated before finding that 9mm "forgotten" ammo ~ and then made you so "Happy"?

In a similar way, my weapon of choice during my early deer hunting years (1950's) was a 1898 Springfield 30-40 bolt action Krag carbine. Never saw any reason to want to upgrade since all of my 'deer kills' back then were made one bolt action shot at a time. For me, anything semi-auto was "un-sportsman" like (plus as I recall ~ except for my old Army M-1 Garand ~ commerically produced semi auto sporting rifles weren't even available yet). As "luck" would have it, in 1960 my trusty Krag was stolen and as "fate" would have it, that was also the last year I ever went deer hunting.

Fifty one years later in 2011 I too found an old box of Winchester .30-40 cartridges that I had completely forgotten I still had. It brought back a hell of lot of fond memories for me. Maybe not the same kind of "happiness" you felt over your 'lost' ammo ~ but it still put a "warm glow" over these tired old bones of mine when I think back on those early days. Thanks for the reminder Ringo.