Posted on 07/17/2015 4:20:27 PM PDT by DemforBush
The Civil War is over, and amnesty has been granted to many folks, including Jesse James and the Younger Gang. Not everyone is happy about that, however, and a series of twists and turns lead to the idea of one last bank robbery to set things right...
Starring Cliff Robertson, and Robert Duvall.
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
ping.
The movie is interesting in various ways: great music by Ry Cooder, good lines, good cinematography and brothers play brothers: Quaids, Carradines, Keach
Home viewing bookmark.
Northfield, Minnesota was chock-full of Civil War Vets and the bank that these outlaws targeted was THEIR BANK, necessary for their town's continuing prosperity. To the James-Cole-Younger ad hoc gang, it was a chance to score enough money to get them whiskey and women until their next robbery. Means and determination versus target and poor planning.
Only in liberal land are we to feel sympathy for those poor survivors of Bloody Kansas and Quantrel's bloody murders. The movie is far superior to the real facts.
“I hate square heads.”
ping
Open range was the same way- towns people, who fought in the Civil War and against Indians, weren’t about to get cowed by some crooks.
Northfield and what happened to the Dalton Gang in Coffeyville disproved the well-loved liberal myth of cowardly townspeople relying on the single hero to save them.
19th century American was mostly composed of people who had lived very hard lives and little desire to put up with people robbing them.
If you were in, or stood against, Pickett’s Charge, I really doubt four or five thugs could intimidate you.
Long Riders is a very good flick, too. One of my favorite character actors (James Remar) is in it. Remar plays Sam Starr, and is the guy who gets into the barroom knife fight with Carradine.
You know, I’ve never gotten around to seeing High Noon. I know the story, but never actually sat down to watch the movie itself.
I know him from Dexter, plays Dexters father. It has been years since I saw Long Riders but agree, very good movie.
I like the actress who plays Belle Star: Pamela Reed
I grew up in Northfield. The building that housed the bank is still downtown and is a museum now. Still has the bullet holes in the wall. The have a Jesse James days festival every year where the reinact the raid. The town is very proud of the armed defense that they performed.
Thank you for the movie link. My sister named her first son “Heywood” (middle name) in honor of our great great uncle, Joseph Lee Heywood, the hero. In fact, my father inherited most of Heywood’s heirlooms due to a paucity of cousins, such as a portrait and first editions of books about the James’ brothers.
Joseph Lee Heywood (1837-76) was acting as a substitute banker when the James Outfit arrived in town. The James brothers knew that the Northfield First National Bank contained two million dollars to start up Carleton college. When the brothers entered the bank and asked Heywood for the lock combination, Heywood told the truth and said, “I don’t know the combination.” The gun fire that followed motivated the locals to take action. As a result, the locals made sure that this truly was James’ last ride.
Northfield, Minnesota does a fine re-enactment of the raid every early September and I encourage everyone to go.
http://visitingnorthfield.com/?page_id=316
Director Howard Hawks: “Rio Bravo” was made because I didn’t like a picture called “High Noon”. I saw “High Noon” at about the same time I saw another western picture, and we were talking about western pictures and they asked me if I liked it, and I said, “Not particularly”. I didn’t think a good sheriff was going to go running around town like a chicken with his head off asking for help, and finally his Quaker wife had to save him. That isn’t my idea of a good western sheriff. I said that a good sheriff would turn around and say, “How good are you? Are you good enough to take the best man they’ve got?” The fellow would probably say no, and he’d say, “Well, then I’d just have to take care of you”. And that scene was in “Rio Bravo”.
I get a little sick of these New Yorkers who want me to make some psychic thing, like ‘The Left-Handed Gun.’ They don’t know anything about Western history.
Thank you! Your movies make summer rerun viewing time so much more tolerable!
Glad to hear it! :-) I’ve been doing some deep digging of late and have found a whole slew of good flicks to keep my little movie house running through the summer season.
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