Nice new interface! First time I've seen it. Kudos.
Posts by Peridot
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I haven't seen it either, but I want to. I love Gregory Peck, he's a fantastic actor and this film is packed with talent.
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There's been a great deal of speculation about radiation from that site contributing to the deaths of the actors working on that film. Their smoking habits caused their cancer without the need for a contribution from residual radiation from bomb testing. Had there been any significant radiation remaining on site, it would have remained closed.
John Wayne smoked five packs of cigarettes per day.
IMHO we were lucky to have him around as long as we did. -
Howdy, Big Jake. Nice to meet you.
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David Needham told me that Boone read that script and told Hal that it was a good one to showcase his acting and his stunts. Hal Needham had been attending Boone's acting classes and it was time for him to have a featured part. Boone was wise. Hal Needham did well as Buddy. Then again, Hal Needham did everything well. He was a helluva man, a helluva innovator and a really nice guy. We've lost a true Hollywood genius.
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I was shocked to hear of the death of Hal Needham. Earlier that day I'd been watching him featured in an episode of Have Gun - Will Travel called Dream Girl. He was brilliant in the part, in the acting and the stunts.
Hal portrayed Buddy, a fellow who had fallen in love to with a girl named Ginny. Unbeknownst to him, she worked in a saloon. Buddy went off to earn a fortune as a prospector so he could return and marry Ginny. In five years he'd collected half a million dollar's worth of gold dust and returned to his girl, thinking that all that time she'd been waiting for him. Of course, Buddy was disillusioned at the end when he learned how Ginny earned her living and he destroyed the saloon in anger. I marveled at Hal Needham's grace and athleticism as he flew around the set, destroying chairs and the mirror. He cleared the bar in flying leaps like gravity had no hold on him. It was incredible how he moved. He never seemed to touch the floor. As I watched this as he lay dying.
Hal Needham was an incredible auteur. I'm proud that I got to know him a little. David Needham, his son, told me that he's glad he can pop in a DVD and see his dad anytime he wants. Surely that must be a comfort to his family. What I know from my own contact with Hal is that he was a gracious and a kind man and that he was incredibly generous to me. I shall miss him fiercely. The world has lost a true genius and an amazing innovator. We shall never see his like again.
RIP, Hal Needham. You earned it. You're doing stunts with the angels now and they're amazed how gravity truly has no hold on you at all. Fly free and fly high, there are no limits now.
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Wow!
Do you suppose he had any idea how handsome and charming he was? 
Somehow I doubt it. What a lovely man. Woof! -
Wish I knew where to catch it again without buying the DVDs. There's no space left here for anything that doesn't have Richard Boone in it somewhere...
BTW, the new interface is nice. Well done.
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Always wanted my own copy but I had to be satisfied with reading the library copy. Recently I checked it out again and I was mortified when my cat, Jet, chewed the cover! I paid for the damaged book and now I have my own copy at the expense of everyone else in the system. Bad kitty! (He thinks he's a dog.) I feel guilty that no one else will be able to read Dobe's book. It was the only one in the system. I hope it gets reprinted soon so I can donate one to the library as a replacement.
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They're here, they're here! At long last my DVD collection of HGWT is complete! I'm so happy I'm singing praises and thanking the Lord! My heart is singing! I'm not even angry about the extra 2 years between the release dates any more.
Now, as time permits and my son's health allows I can finally go through all the episodes and finish reviewing all. That project was begun last year but my son fell seriously ill again and that took my attention.
I notice that Amazon has a placeholder for HGWT Blu-Rays. With my excellent up-scaling Blu-Ray player I'm not certain how necessary they would be but if they come with any extra content at all I say bring them on! I'm in for the total HGWT experience and anything extra is worth the additional expense.
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A hearty welcome to all newcomers! It's a nice place here and people are all friendly.
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The Yuma Treasure
Gene Roddenberry, Herb Meadow
Indians and Rattlesnakes and Beefcake, Oh My!,
It was just a few days before Christmas. What a gift to the ladies of the Fifties: Richard Boone stripped to the waist!
Who in Hollywood today would be audacious enough to handle a living fanged venom-bearing rattlesnake? Richard Boone was a brave man, or he was insane or he was insanely brave. The viewer must decide. He walks up to a venomous snake, a living diamondback rattlesnake hanging from a tree, grasps it in his bare hands and holds it over his head for the next two scenes. Would an actor today perform this heroic feat? More importantly, would the insurance company allow it?
Paladin accompanied an Army commander into Indian country to try to make peace between the Army patrols and the local Maricopa Indians. The commander had an agenda and when the wounded Indian returned to camp, Paladin turned his back and got whacked on the head.
In the next scene Richard Boone as Paladin lies stripped to the waist and staked spread-eagled in the desert. Boone had been a gifted athlete but he'd never bothered with beefcake shots as other actors had done. He was the first Western television star to remove his shirt. Indians soon staked out other Western actors, but Paladin was the first to be staked out on his back in the sand and show off his torso. At age 40 Boone's torso was still worth a look. There's little to add except to be very grateful to Gene Roddenberry for the scene. Beefcake is always to be appreciated. This is one of only two occasions when Boone appeared shirtless in this series. No accusations of objectifying him for his art will be made.
Paladin's horse comes to the rescue to get him out of this trouble. This is completely out of character for HGWT. Paladin is the focus of every episode, never the horse he rides. According to the book, Silent Hoofbeats, this particular well-trained mount was called Curley.
Paladin doesn't sing or play the guitar or do any of those other Western clichés. He rarely uses a rope to lasso anyone or anything (episode The Kid notwithstanding), so the help from this well-trained equine is the first and only time we see Paladin rely on his horse to get out of trouble. Paladin does not call the horse by name, either.
The conflict over the gold is trite, but the rattlesnake and the stakeout make this well worth viewing. It's true that people are greedy and filled with gold lust. Major Wilson trying to recall Paladin from West Point amuses. This is the first hint that Paladin is a nom de guerre.
Paladin's Horse: Curley, a bay with front white stockings and a white face stripe. Curley should be called Einstein.
Paladin's Gear: Black concha hat, black Western shirt open at the neck, black trousers, black holster with Colt. The spurs return and appear to be a different style in this episode.
Paladin Shoots: No one. Major Wilson is an accident. He doesn't count in the death toll.
Accidental Deaths: Major Wilson
Paladin's Total Kills: Manfred Holt, Jailbreak Team 3, Miguel Rojas, Strome's lackey, Mulrooney
Total Kills by Paladin: 7
Paladin Wounded: 0
Paladin Concussed: 1
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The Englishman
Sam Rolfe and Herb Meadow
The Biter Bit
This episode would never make it to the screen today. Too many stereotypes to count in this one. The skin lodges (teepees) in the town, the 'firewater' the giant feather war bonnet would never be worn on a fake raid, the Englishman wearing shorts in Montana, a woman running a ranch alone who can't wait for a man to arrive and take everything over, it goes on. The war dance around the keg was over the top, and wasn't it illegal to give whiskey to Indians? Absent the stereotypes the episode could have been enjoyable.
A practical joker plays 'jokes' that are more cruel than amusing. Alix Talton (Felicia Carson) was a former Miss Georgia, but she lacks any sort of proper southern accent. She sounds more Midwestern twangy and unpleasant. She may have been coached out of her natural speech. She should have been left alone, her voice is most unpleasant and grating to the ear. Paladin's relationship with the English gentleman is the most interesting bit of this one, and it's dull and predictable.
Paladin's Horse: Rafter, played by Curley. (Bay with front white stockings and a white face stripe.)
Paladin's Gear: Black Conchita hat, black Western shirt open at the neck, black trousers, black holster with Colt. The spurs are back in this episode.
Paladin Shoots: No one.
Deaths: 0
Paladin's Total Kills: Manfred Holt, Jailbreak Team 3, Miguel Rojas, Strome's lackey, Mulrooney
Total Kills by Paladin: 7
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No Visitors
Typhoid? Cholera? Death on a dark horse? No, it's Paladin!
Typhoid isn't spread from person-to-person, it spreads via contaminated water from infected stools and bad septic fields. All the fears of the people in the town were completely unfounded. This discovery was made in 1854 by John Snow, but it took 30 years to be accepted and another 50-75 years for public health developments to solve the problem of clean drinking water and sewage treatment facilities. Of course this doesn't apply to Third World countries where cholera still exists and kills. Rehydration therapy solves most of the problems that come with typhoid and cholera these days.
Another reviewer complained that Grant Withers as Mulrooney failed to provide the required menace in his part. This writer recalls clearly the demonisation of people suffering from such recent plagues as HIV and AIDS who were homosexual were considered to deserve their dreadful fate. Does Mulrooney differ from them? Withers showed quite enough menace in his role as a hateful demagogue.
Today's headlines are full of rhetoric from those who fail to keep church and state separate. Combining the two are a bad idea. Here's why: if the two are combined, which version of church are we going to use, yours or mine? I've met white supremacists who think their church belongs in school. Not on my watch.
It's clear that Mr Mulrooney had an agenda: he wanted Clara Benson for his wife. That was a fate worse than death, Mulrooney being a malevolent bushy-haired loony. When she refused and her baby fell ill, that was enough to drive her from the wagon train society and abandon her two day's ride from the nearest settlement. Had not Paladin ventured by, Mrs Benson and her child would have perished, from lack of water if nothing else.
June Lockhart is the town doctor in this episode. She's absolutely beautiful and she turns in a wonderful performance. Whit Bissel is the storekeeper and Ruth Storey is Mrs Clara Benson. Pay close attention to the breakfast table scene, there seems to be a bit of improv involved.
Richard Boone as Paladin flexes his dramatic acting muscles against all the small-minded townsfolk, forcing them to see how wrong they are in their actions. One of them saves Paladin's life.
Paladin falls to a microorganism in the end, poor sod. Of course, he considers himself fortunate.
Paladin's Horse: Bay with front white stockings and a white face stripe. From now on this horse will be referred to as Einstein for reasons which will later become clear. Note: this horse is called Curley
Paladin's Gear: Black concha hat, black Western shirt open at the neck, black trousers, black holster with Colt. The spurs are back in this episode.
Goofs: Paladin enters the store and a hand appears at the bottom of the door to hold it shut.
Paladin Shoots: Mulrooney (a backshooter)
Deaths: 1, Mulrooney
Killed By Paladin's (Total): Manfred Holt, Jailbreak Team 3, Miguel Rojas, Strome's lackey, Mulrooney Total Kills: 7
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It returns, my friend. It will return. There are only about 7 episodes in which it isn't heard.
Be patient, it won't be gone for long. -
Wow, it's been ages since I've seen this show. I remember liking it but that was mostly due to Richard Boone. I would love to see it again to see if it holds up.
Yes, it's wonderful. I admit I was unable to get hold of the episodes (ahem) by conventional means. I have obtained them and they are something special indeed.
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I've taken the liberty of asking the son of famous stuntman Hal Needham, David Needham, to join us here. I thought he might enjoy our company.
Here's a direct quote from Hal Needham via his son, David, regarding the riding proficiency of Richard Boone:
QuoteAs for Mr. Boone's horsemanship, Dad said after he came on board he worked with him to improve his posture on his horse. It wasn't that he insisted on 'old' horses, but you need to have a 'calm' horse that won't spook or move around when you come up to the camera. If you have a horse that's wild and moving all over the place, it would take all day just to get through a scene.
He said Boone was actually a pretty good horseman overall. He also said, as for the guy making these false statements
about Boone and his horses: 'He's full of ----!'There you have it from Hal Needham himself. RB hated horses but he could ride them.
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I've taken the liberty of asking the son of famous stuntman Hal Needham, David Needham, to join us here. I thought he might enjoy our company.
Here's a direct quote from Hal Needham via his son, David, regarding the riding proficiency of Richard Boone:
QuoteAs for Mr. Boone's horsemanship, Dad said after he came on board he worked with him to improve his posture on his horse. It wasn't that he insisted on 'old' horses, but you need to have a 'calm' horse that won't spook or move around when you come up to the camera. If you have a horse that's wild and moving all over the place, it would take all day just to get through a scene.
He said Boone was actually a pretty good horseman overall. He also said, as for the guy making these false statements
about Boone and his horses: 'He's full of ----!'There you have it from Hal Needham himself. RB hated horses but he could ride them.
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The first 3 eps of disc 3 season 1 of: Have Gun Will Travel. The third ep was the first time they played the Paladin theme.
It was written by Johnny Western as a thank you to Richard Boone and Andy McLacklaghlen (sp?) for the episode in which he guest-starred. The music was added retroactively to the earlier episodes. It was in the episode No Visitors.
