Forgot to mention, great pics also Keith!
Posts from Dooley in thread „The Cowboys (1972)“
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One of the neatest things in my life. But, I sure do know how those boys felt after the first day. The owner and trail boss said he wouldn't cut me any slack because I was a woman, and he sure didn't. I also roped a calf I couldn't get out of a draw. Yep, my cousin's husband was a rodeo guy...specialty was calf roping. I visited a few days and besides the horses, he had the cattle horns that moved, and the back leg contraption of the calves....you rope them that way if you want to turn them over for competition. You have to BOUNCE the noose off the ground and have it come up over their back feet......then close the noose before it can get down to the ground again. I got it FIRST time and he couldn't beLIEVE it. Took me a whole 'nother day to do it again, LOL! Beginner's luck.
But, the one on the drive was just a throw around his head so I could make him follow me out of the draw.Riding horses is great. I now ride Carat only bareback, and he has never even seen a bit. But, having all that gear on the trail and actually moving cows...can get dangerous as you will see in The Cowboys....that is the real thing. Our rides had always been out in the country over my uncle's huge farm and those of his neighbors. Lots of banks to slide down into rivers and swim across, open pastures, woods to get through without getting scraped off or getting your leg pinned, wild gallops over even terrain, hills that went almost straight up.....and then back down again! I rode on a "made up" trail once.....never again. Most boring thing I have ever done, LOL. We usually camped out from Friday after school until early Sunday morning. We would gallop back to the stable, walk the horses for about a half hour, groom them really well, feed them and then put the western gear away and tack them up with English gear for my uncle and his friends. They got there right about the time we finished, LOL....and off they went on their Sunday ride. But, just because Uncle Floyd rode English most of the time, didn't mean he wasn't one heck of a rider. Once, when he was 78, he was racing another younger fellah and his horse mistepped and penned him.....broke his hip and thank goodness, did not hurt the horse. Two months later, he was back on Joe, the same horse, racing the same young fellah......won too, LOL! Keith
Interesting you mention the English and western styles. It was quite interesting riding through monument valley 'western style' compared to the 'formality' of the English style. I'm really lazy so enjoyed the relaxed western style, lol!
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Oh, I am so happy for you Peter! OPEN your mind. Be the man you are, and you will love it. Oh sure, I cry just thinking about it. So what? You can cry if you want to......only men who are not sure they ARE men can't cry! And we already know you are a man....you DID put the Island in the Sky Poster in your Man's Room didn't you......should have asked for a photo of it there!
Just pay attention to the development of those boys into semi-men and the change in Will's attitude, oh, and the help that Roscoe gave him to change.
I once took a cattle drive three days with friends of friends from Louisiana. First, they had to make sure I could stay aboard a cutting horse......NOT like normal horses, LOL although I am a DANG good rider. If a cow takes off at a right angle direction....so does the horse....no cue from you! Can't tell you how many times I ALMOST got left sitting on the ground! Never had saddle sores after many hours of riding............thought I would DIE the next day and we had two more days of driving, LOL! Don't know how, but the next two days were like magic to me. I had learned to anticipate what my horse would do, I was whooping and waving my lariat like all the others......I thought just WHO the HECK I was! Give me a chance...just a chance to go on a REAL drive like that one....not one of these fakey things....and I will be there.
Anyway, the kids in the movie had to learn all of that. The acting kids had to learn what the rodeo kids could teach them, and the rodeo kids had to learn to act! Hope your blue-ray has the extras on it....explains the making of the movie. All of the kids admitted crying when Will lay dying. Some of them said they had finished though by the time the shooting got around to them.
Wish you had told me this yesterday. Spent about an hour and a half doing screen shots of the old drab Cowboy film I had in case someone wants a composite like The Shootist. I am for SURE going to do one of all the boys, some of them when Will took special attention to them.
If you REALLY watch and pay attention and don't love every one of those kids and Roscoe, and Will...........something is WRONG with you Peter Dooley! KP
Wow Keith. Doing the real thing must have been amazing!
It's the one thing us UK guys can never duplicate. I ride horses but its nothing compared to that! I'm very envious!
I only bought The Cowboys when I posted on the forum, didn't know beforehand, impulse buy as it was starring at me and cheap! P
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I've decided to bite the bullet and get The Cowboys on blu ray.
Everyone seems to hold it in high regard so you can't all be wrong, lol!
I know the transfer is a corker so ill do my duty and watch it again and see what I get out of it. -
The Cowboys.
I going to unleash the wrath of the forum with this but I still don't really 'get' this film! It's a good Duke film, don't get me wrong, but not one I want to go back to over and over again.
