DANA ANDREWS AND MERLE OBERON CONNECT IN 'NIGHT SONG'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xCzmCWFvNzhQ9POraL1B25fnBhS6FOdG2Mznpqtds5c1kcKYvmB1m8gad9rOuNOKk5DaQQVOvVXP6YNVIzlAV0jPneErr7Tx8Zo_c86XwbPqWiN8BcgqDk7uVvIU6w8Oj6MbWhPexh8Q/s1600/61243505_713440795751766_6148394607920021504_n.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="741" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xCzmCWFvNzhQ9POraL1B25fnBhS6FOdG2Mznpqtds5c1kcKYvmB1m8gad9rOuNOKk5DaQQVOvVXP6YNVIzlAV0jPneErr7Tx8Zo_c86XwbPqWiN8BcgqDk7uVvIU6w8Oj6MbWhPexh8Q/s400/61243505_713440795751766_6148394607920021504_n.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Dana Andrews in NIGHT SONG Year: 1947</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The third of three films featuring Dana Andrews with musician Hoagy Carmichael, and this time, Andrews, after playing frontiersman or a war vet to Carmichael's musical moral conscious ala <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2018/03/CPassage.html">CANYON PASSAGE</a> and <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2016/05/BYOOurLIVES.html">THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES</a>, Dana's now a musician too: a blind pianist and plenty pissed about it, working for and living with Carmichael's jazz club manager, Chick, who winds up in cahoots with lovely rich girl Merle Oberon...<br> <br> The best scenes happen early when she first meets Andrews at the nightclub with her stuffy friends in tow (including sassy blonde Jacqueline White ) and he, between jazz sets, is playing a smoky classical composition only <i>she</i> seems to hear, and then pretends to "run into him," first at the beach, and then meeting up for private piano lessons: all the while pretending to be blind. And she's got her own insightful advise-giving friend in scene-stealing Ethel Barrymore, equipped with great lines like "no one detests money like the rich." <br>

dana andrews, ethel barrymore, forties, hoagy carmichael, jacqueline white, melodrama, merle oberon, music, romance

DANA ANDREWS AND MERLE OBERON CONNECT IN 'NIGHT SONG'

Dana Andrews in NIGHT SONG Year: 1947 The third of three films featuring Dana Andrews with musician Hoagy Carmichael, and this time, And...

KNOCKOUT BARBARA PAYTON IN THE BOXING NOIR 'BAD BLONDE'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzKta2A-BlWWJG_2fkYH5QuPRyeXO0zkrej8A1W1h0Y_1QYXcjit3JS70MdEoekUf1fBJrIzAwHOvJary-DfxuI20NJPnpfPqwqmrg5HKFeqj6hGR0hiR-co9Dt0qzvY5K1BOKKLm7Ubx/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-01-08+at+10.55.58+AM.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="842" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzKta2A-BlWWJG_2fkYH5QuPRyeXO0zkrej8A1W1h0Y_1QYXcjit3JS70MdEoekUf1fBJrIzAwHOvJary-DfxuI20NJPnpfPqwqmrg5HKFeqj6hGR0hiR-co9Dt0qzvY5K1BOKKLm7Ubx/s400/Screen+Shot+2020-01-08+at+10.55.58+AM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Barbara Payton is Hammer's BAD BLONDE Year: 1953</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> In the Hammer British Film Noir BAD BLONDE originally titled THE FLANAGAN BOY, a bulky and not altogether brilliant English boxer gets a shot when his trainer connects with a rich Italian promoter who can make it all happen...<br> <br>But first, everyone has to live at a rural lakeside estate where the fighter, Charlie Sullivan (Tony Wright), will prepare for future moneymaking matches... Second and most important, Charlie needs to get along with the rich man’s baby-faced, perpetually pursed-lipped wife Lorna, played by goading, manipulating, voluptuous Barbara Payton. Basically, the first moment Charlie sets his smitten eyes on the sullen temptress, his edge is gone… As is his common sense and sanity, much to his trainer's chagrin...

barbara payton, boxing, british film noir/melodrama, british new wave, hammer films, hammer noir, john slater, love triangle, sport, thriller

KNOCKOUT BARBARA PAYTON IN THE BOXING NOIR 'BAD BLONDE'

Barbara Payton is Hammer's BAD BLONDE Year: 1953 In the Hammer British Film Noir BAD BLONDE originally titled THE FLANAGAN BOY, a bu...

GEORGE SEGAL SLUMS IN 'BORN TO WIN' WITH ROBERT DENIRO

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5Oe_O64mHQLn5tlH-sWi3v-Ue7So__UX1usnrTg9h6MK4izrO6i1eQVNZ6rkHwitUj8lGrr64NDpPIX3AcB3REQ7gdiH9nYp19-5K-hbJuQHMFthWdQtoDeAxjGrb7ZVV7lRnVKlTgGu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-05-24+at+1.34.08+PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="1600" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5Oe_O64mHQLn5tlH-sWi3v-Ue7So__UX1usnrTg9h6MK4izrO6i1eQVNZ6rkHwitUj8lGrr64NDpPIX3AcB3REQ7gdiH9nYp19-5K-hbJuQHMFthWdQtoDeAxjGrb7ZVV7lRnVKlTgGu/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-05-24+at+1.34.08+PM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>George Segal and Marcia Jean Kurtz YEAR: 1971</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> With a title full of irony about a current junkie/former hairdresser doing all he can to score smack on the streets of New York City, there's far too much downtime...<br> <br> And it happens right when things are at a nice rudimentary pace, beginning with a groovy soundtrack during an attempted small-time heist by George Segal and his cool black sidekick...<br> <br> Who soon separate... and while it's clever that Segal's "J" meets his lady while attempting to steal her car, a contrived bedroom scene with Karen Black happens far too soon. Ironically, given her super-cool track record at that point, she doesn't seem like the renaissance era starlet from the likes of FIVE EASY PIECES or the gem that started it all, EASY RIDER. Her part here is a mainstream role in a would-be full-blown avant garde exploitation flick....<br>

counter-culture, drug culture, exploitation, george segal, hector elizondo, karen black, marcia jean kurtz, paula prentiss, robert deniro, seventies

GEORGE SEGAL SLUMS IN 'BORN TO WIN' WITH ROBERT DENIRO

George Segal and Marcia Jean Kurtz YEAR: 1971 With a title full of irony about a current junkie/former hairdresser doing all he can to s...

INFAMOUS JOHN CARPENTER 'VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED' REMAKE

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hO_nj7xSWfske0wtMItYhlpU42FNa_oCcodOUJjQxLL0YLQnwbkjRj8FLhgVxe-JWIZTSimWO067z_eKlkbTUcd_nHFpEGGpYGNA6POQidCBkL85bcLqYTkyJ-Wnw0JtVh8XIXGP894D/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-05-21+at+3.08.23+AM+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="1215" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hO_nj7xSWfske0wtMItYhlpU42FNa_oCcodOUJjQxLL0YLQnwbkjRj8FLhgVxe-JWIZTSimWO067z_eKlkbTUcd_nHFpEGGpYGNA6POQidCBkL85bcLqYTkyJ-Wnw0JtVh8XIXGP894D/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-05-21+at+3.08.23+AM+2.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Front and back left Lindsay Haun with </u><u><u>Jessye Quarry</u>  YEAR: 1996</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> What happened to John Carpenter's filmmaking skills in the 1990's is a mystery. Even more mysterious is why it took four years after THEY LIVE to enter that decade, and then direct an unnecessary remake,  MEMOIRS OF THE INVISIBLE MAN, which is THE THING compared to what's possibly his worst film, also a remake, titled VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED — although it's still pretty fun to watch i.e. make fun of... <br> <br> Starring a handful of actors and actresses who all starred in franchise films, there's main man Christopher Reeve in his last role before the tragic horse-jumping accident. But, alas, the four-time SUPERMAN is pretty wooden here as the politically-correct husband of one of several townswomen who — after the entire town of Midwich falls unconscious at the same time — wind up impregnated by what the characters later learn are alien children: Who are the best thing going, especially the leader played by an icy-cold  Lindsey Haun, with a penetrating expression of experience and cunning, and she's more worthy to fear than the one good kid (Thomas Dekker) is to sympathize with...<br>

camp, christopher reeve, horror, john carpenter, kirsty alley, linda kozlowski, mark hamill, michael pare, nineties, remake, thriller

INFAMOUS JOHN CARPENTER 'VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED' REMAKE

Front and back left Lindsay Haun with Jessye Quarry   YEAR: 1996 What happened to John Carpenter's filmmaking skills in the 1990...

TIM CONWAY & GARY GRIMES STAR IN DISNEY'S ASS KICKING 'GUS'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5uIrO4HKzrAdBwSVp67EPZHaGRt-7_nqOXIUtDZ8pjL25Qa-d-JoZ4nzibYLEeSv59llXwbL20k2QnZZh6j47L9tcEtRzTltiphrqUZqTIOZTGMOOwVHLlDpQI_2pHMD1XPSiqssQZ0V/s1600/60262937_704054333357079_7221663985517461504_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="960" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5uIrO4HKzrAdBwSVp67EPZHaGRt-7_nqOXIUtDZ8pjL25Qa-d-JoZ4nzibYLEeSv59llXwbL20k2QnZZh6j47L9tcEtRzTltiphrqUZqTIOZTGMOOwVHLlDpQI_2pHMD1XPSiqssQZ0V/s400/60262937_704054333357079_7221663985517461504_n.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Tom Bosley with Tim Conway in GUS Year: 1976</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Despite the fact it's about a Donkey kicking field goals... literally an ass kicking movie... GUS is one of the most entertaining Disney live action ventures made during the 1970's. The plot involves an underdog teen from some foreign land who is the younger brother of a perfect, square-jawed soccer star sibling, worshiped by his father. But Gary's Andy Petrovic has something that will make him famous without making him famous, but rather, his pet mule has all the talent: able to kick a football far into the surrounding forest. Although Gary's Andy is not altogether worthless.<br /> <br /> Gus only kicks after hearing the important word, spoken by Andy and, for the most part, Andy only: "Oyage!" Thus, mule and boy is witnessed by a football scout for a losing team called THE ATOMS played by Ronnie Schell, voice-star of the second best Disney venture, THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE, who was sent to the Petrovic farm to witness the older brother for his magic foot for the team's punter. But compared to the ball kicking jackass, Soccer boy means nothing.<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_RdhcmMs6_cohPQx4An_UOiJu0MffOxtlpFopB9i3pUkuKfPUBrCZHqsk337ORL8OQ_dZ1tmvIoNm94bz3WtMHIt4cM7Zs4Eqv9Ov7aTH22AfI8u136BwchITl4xcROQFAcm2BHln-p3/s1600/60119418_704056560023523_3183284207648505856_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="671" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_RdhcmMs6_cohPQx4An_UOiJu0MffOxtlpFopB9i3pUkuKfPUBrCZHqsk337ORL8OQ_dZ1tmvIoNm94bz3WtMHIt4cM7Zs4Eqv9Ov7aTH22AfI8u136BwchITl4xcROQFAcm2BHln-p3/s400/60119418_704056560023523_3183284207648505856_n.jpeg" width="280" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Signed by Tim Conway and Ed Asner</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The best scenes occur when Andy and Gus get slowly, awkwardly warmed up with the team and his fans, and like the first half of most Disney films, our title hero just can't loose. Eventually, Andy gets lost in the mix despite falling in love (and vice versa, which rarely occurs so quickly) with one of the cutest Disney ingenues ever, Louise Williams as Debbie, who, along with Don Knotts, is on the DVD cover (shown above) autographed by Ed Asner, as the team's grumpy coach who really has to put faith into this risky decision, while Tim Conway plays...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDt_Rfn-ehN6tzfcCYPyhFg8_w22vXtvVYiTWBLMB4gc-_kiTpwKLbmtHysqeO-1I25jjNI49lUmUaEkaTYH_YzhzXcX6O3HnBUSx3fQZROL4tO3KWKREEEQxS-7jRKpv8OW4Mc3DdzU/s1600/3.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDt_Rfn-ehN6tzfcCYPyhFg8_w22vXtvVYiTWBLMB4gc-_kiTpwKLbmtHysqeO-1I25jjNI49lUmUaEkaTYH_YzhzXcX6O3HnBUSx3fQZROL4tO3KWKREEEQxS-7jRKpv8OW4Mc3DdzU/s320/3.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>GUS Score: ****</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> So let's center on the bad guys who rule one particular scene that intentionally steals the entire movie; Gus causing two hired thugs, Tom Bosley as Alpha Male ex-con Spinner with his dopey sidekick, Tim Conway's Crankcase, to chase the escaped-kidnapped donkey around in a supermarket. Wide-eyed when experienced on the big screen as a child, this fifteen minute scene, occurring while Gus is trying to return to a big climactic game.<br /> <br /> And hell, if this store scene doesn't bring a smile to your face, something is wrong. But poor actor Gary Grimes despises GUS for ruining an already fledgling, at that time, career... And yet, GUS doesn't hurt <i>our </i>career one bit, but provides an eclectic two-hours of one of the most bizarre, wonderfully campy and genuinely creative comedy films ever. And you CAN'T quote the film's star on that, but Cult Film Freak stands behind it fully: "OYAGE, Muthas!"<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_O4x1tAZ2vRnotQmYEa_y3YWD-jiV3E7mZBkZgMqi2bGBE5tRZcqhfD3pK59xFiblLIhdQJ9sUqCcoW-YGfeyt4bTWv8zVC7JYnsOLY8RzSwM495085qAb-CNJC_n4j8KKjUk_EhIqfO_/s1600/60348712_704054330023746_8234371601232035840_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_O4x1tAZ2vRnotQmYEa_y3YWD-jiV3E7mZBkZgMqi2bGBE5tRZcqhfD3pK59xFiblLIhdQJ9sUqCcoW-YGfeyt4bTWv8zVC7JYnsOLY8RzSwM495085qAb-CNJC_n4j8KKjUk_EhIqfO_/s1600/60348712_704054330023746_8234371601232035840_n.jpeg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Tom Bosley's skeleton fighting Gary Grimes' with a cat in GUS</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div>

comedy, disney, don knotts, gary grimes, seventies, sports, tim conway

TIM CONWAY & GARY GRIMES STAR IN DISNEY'S ASS KICKING 'GUS'

Tom Bosley with Tim Conway in GUS Year: 1976 Despite the fact it's about a Donkey kicking field goals... literally an ass kicking m...

DORIS DAY TRIBUTE W/ JAMES CAGNEY IN 'LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BxWaJojkZhCC3CJ4PPHluvJUcWgMKLskqdsZLuYhZJozcsilnJ7Jz5-Y1kzrDPSdA0KkQAmp45lQ92y0EvTD6y7RjvhNc1jbFE1eY-0lNoEOyXbkPjEXzDLo59_8RoKg8tlM1uI0Oz5J/s1600/60100696_702910533471459_8059966929395253248_o.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="1064" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BxWaJojkZhCC3CJ4PPHluvJUcWgMKLskqdsZLuYhZJozcsilnJ7Jz5-Y1kzrDPSdA0KkQAmp45lQ92y0EvTD6y7RjvhNc1jbFE1eY-0lNoEOyXbkPjEXzDLo59_8RoKg8tlM1uI0Oz5J/s400/60100696_702910533471459_8059966929395253248_o.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>James Cagney and Doris Day YEAR: 1955</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> LEAVE ME OR LEAVE ME is both a showcase for Doris Day's incredible singing voice and proof she could really act, and, going up against James Cagney she plays singer Ruth Etting as a tough, stubborn, assertive dance hall girl who Cagney's jealous gangster Eddie Snyder falls for upon lovestruck first sight in a scene where, as she fends off a grabby creep, she's red hot from the get-go...<br> <br> As a biopic, it never feels like the complete truth, and when the tempestuous working relationship peaks at the halfway point, the next morning they're married without an explanation, and strangely enough, it's after what bordered on rape the night before. The real life relationship between the singer and gangster was probably more amicable albeit feisty, and they do show her as a climber who uses Snyder in what are the best scenes, going from the dance hall to a dancing gig to a jingle singer to the nightclub's lead to the radio, and then the Ziegfeld Follies and beyond...<br> <br> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-JVxfR_90GHyGEJVVs0pGu7jGoDzhxBmeUTW6RpGDzyjCb6HXXAFgiq3e7QDw7DCFP-9Fq_6JzAteX4vui5Np_IS0E5JO3i72_CJkqr3y6WQQslHqENEdv_sdi8PxSUtAUfePCjG_EIe/s1600/60163328_703040210125158_7080692962610380800_o.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1280" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-JVxfR_90GHyGEJVVs0pGu7jGoDzhxBmeUTW6RpGDzyjCb6HXXAFgiq3e7QDw7DCFP-9Fq_6JzAteX4vui5Np_IS0E5JO3i72_CJkqr3y6WQQslHqENEdv_sdi8PxSUtAUfePCjG_EIe/s400/60163328_703040210125158_7080692962610380800_o.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>James Cagney and Cameron Mitchell RATING: ****</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Meanwhile the last half continues with more montage-style tunes where the drama feels too randomly injected, as if they were intruding upon the music as opposed to how things began...<br> <br> Winding up with nice guy pianist Cameron Mitchell (who is usually more natural in the creepy gangster role), the most third-act fun is how perturbed our stocky antagonist gets while being sympathetic and pathetic at the same time. Something only a great actor can pull off, and this is one of Cagney's best 1950's performances. But it's Doris Days' film, and shows she really had an edge, on and especially off the stage. <br>

biopic, cameron mitchell, doris day, drama, fifties, gangster, james cagney, melodrama, music, romance

DORIS DAY TRIBUTE W/ JAMES CAGNEY IN 'LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME'

James Cagney and Doris Day YEAR: 1955 LEAVE ME OR LEAVE ME is both a showcase for Doris Day's incredible singing voice and proof she...

GENE HACKMAN RIDES IN 'BITE THE BULLET' WITH JAMES COBURN

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWU9XbmqOsvkx5hkDOZIsqLS6lLx9RM_8-dJkDWSJr3htURJt5QIwVOzF1rzk1bMmhS0ffaS7jhTUTjvAZIxlOoi7avktbcJY6mAdGGSoMLzJNGiS4ursZedXjjWzbW65a9nHbu8sF32Xc/s1600/4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="755" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWU9XbmqOsvkx5hkDOZIsqLS6lLx9RM_8-dJkDWSJr3htURJt5QIwVOzF1rzk1bMmhS0ffaS7jhTUTjvAZIxlOoi7avktbcJY6mAdGGSoMLzJNGiS4ursZedXjjWzbW65a9nHbu8sF32Xc/s400/4.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>James Coburn in BITE THE BULLET Year: 1975</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> A homesteader's chopping wood when James Coburn rides up and, after asking several questions without a response, tells the man he doesn't know nothin', for which Wood Chopper replies: "I ain't the one who's lost." And snappy dialogue is the best thing going, especially with Coburn's scene-stealing character, at one point saying to young and obnoxious Jan-Michael Vincent, more antagonistic than he'd ever been before or after: "I want you to tell me the story of your life: Just skip everything up till the last fifteen minutes."<br> <br> BITE THE BULLET is a Western action/adventure about a horse race more character-driven than horse-driven, and that's good and bad since the characters are played by wonderful actors who share a few wonderful moments, but some are borderline cliché: Like pacifist Gene Hackman as an ex Rough Rider who may have been the founder of PETA while Candace Bergen is a modern feminist in chaps, and would have been more realistic if played by tougher-looking "hooker" Sally Kirkland, who'd sell her body the same year in another Western, BREAKHEART PASS: both featuring a pivotal train and veteran actor Ben Johnson, here an old-timer with a predictable death scene...<br>

action, adventure, ben johnson, candace bergen, ensemble, gene hackman, james coburn, jan-michael vincent, richard brooks, sally kirkland, seventies, western

GENE HACKMAN RIDES IN 'BITE THE BULLET' WITH JAMES COBURN

James Coburn in BITE THE BULLET Year: 1975 A homesteader's chopping wood when James Coburn rides up and, after asking several questi...