Every month the Black Horse Western group airs western related issues, whether they be on writing, books, magazines, comics, tv series or films. Over the last few months we have gone from strength to strength with our 79th member recently joining us. Amongst the 150-200 messages that are posted each month, here is round-up of some recent items :

Favourite western opening hook?

Adam Wright: Steve Allison, also known as the Sonora Kid, was standing alone at the Gold Dust Bar when Johhny Elkins entered, glanced furtively at the bartender and leaned close to Allison's elbow. Out of the corner of his mouth he muttered, "Steve, they're out to get you." Knife, Bullet and Noose by Robert E Howard

Alfred Wallon: When he came to the desert town he knew that he had only three days left to live. But he promised himself that before he closed his eyes, he would give these guys a real bad time..." by Peter Dubina

Derek Rutherford: The Yuma Savings and Loan, Asuncion Branch, was held up on a Monday morning, early. By eight o'clock the doctor had dug the bullet out of Elton Goss's middle and said if he lived, then you didn't need doctors anymore - the age of miracles was back. Elmore Leonard's story "Blood Money"

Wild West Modelling - Martin Strutt

I've added some pictures to the Cactus Creek album at http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/oldwestmodellers/ to show that it's now completed. The story of the dio is very simple :

Three outlaws had been threatening to rip up the New Mexico town of Cactus Creek and word got out that they planned to ride in and raise hell. The town was ready. The Sheriff sat in the saloon waiting and the shopkeeper kept his pistol within easy reach during the long wait. The deputy watched silently, crouched on the corner of the Tribune office, listening intently for the distant sound of hooves. He would raise the alarm and the town would be ready. The paperboy and a young girl ran for cover as the Sheriff emerged from the saloon, pulling his Colt from its holster. The deputy's shotgun was loaded and ready and the shopkeeper hid behind the door, pistol poised.

As the outlaws hit town, one immediately hit the dust and another took a bullet in the shoulder. The third was eventually downed by the Sheriff as he rode towards him, with gun blazing the air. The Sheriff cooly strode into the street and raised his weapon. The man hit the ground and all fell silent...

Howard Hopkins on Lone Ranger #1

Just read the issue. I will have to reserve a full judgment until I have read more. Some things I liked, some things I didn't.

Picky, but I really like the original costumes and colors for Ranger and Tonto and it looks like they are going for a more accurate look in this book. I can't get the image of Jay Silverheels out of my mind and the look Tonto has in this book (which probably will bother only me) grates against me.

There is a lot of time jumping, as seems to be the recent trend (two minutes ago...now...one year later...etc....). It borders on overkill here because there is so much in such a short space and I think it takes away from the tension of them being ambushed. I felt like that part of the story needed more space and a bit more background because the shooting comes a little abrupt.

Butch Cavandish is gone, replaced by another outlaw. But those points aside, I don't want to seem downbeat because I really did enjoy it. The art is nice, and I think you can see the respect for the character there. Writing is good and it's a just a big thrill seeing the Ranger finally back in comic form. One has to expect artistic license and changes, I guess, but I have high hopes that this book will only get better (though I worry a bit about the "uneasy" relationship between Ranger and Tonto comment).

Definitely recommended to all western and Ranger fans. Light years better than the horrible (IMO) Loveless. I read Dynamite's Red Sonja and will be reading Classic Galactica and have to say their production is very nice and they are a top quality company. I am already eager for the next issue and hope the series has a long run.

Nice endorsement

W R Benton, contributor of September's BHE Article So, you want to write western fiction, reported:

I've just got a real nice endorsement to my soon to be released book War Paint from the acclaimed bestselling western author Don Bendell:

WAR PAINT, an action-packed story of love, struggle, betrayal, and revenge set in the wildness of the Old West. It is a must read for anybody who loves westerns. You will not be able to put the book down. Don Bendell Author of 23 books, including the western Colt series, with over 1,500,000 books in print worldwide.

Glenn Ford

The recent death of the veteran Hollywood actor encouraged two long time members of the group to provide their own tributes:

Dave Whitehead: Glenn Ford passed away overnight, at the grand old age of ninety years and three months. Born in Quebec, Canada, he began his acting career on stage before catching the eye of Hollywood mogul Harry Cohn, who soon put him under contract. Ford went on to make a wide variety of movies, but it's for his westerns that he will be best remembered. They weren't all classics, of course - anyone here seen SANTEE or DAY OF THE EVIL GUN? - but so very many of them were - COWBOY, THE SHEEPMAN, THE FASTEST GUN ALIVE and 3:10 TO YUMA, to name but four.

In Hollywood, Glenn Ford was widely considered to be the most accomplished horseman of all the western stars, and he loved horses. Like many of his contemporaries (especially Richard Widmark) he went on to buy a ranch and live the life of the cowboys he portrayed. A close friend of William Holden, he once confessed that he and Holden often stuffed paper into their shoes, so that each would appear taller than the other, and just maybe win the role they were both auditioning for. There were also rumours that he was very difficult to work with, but if that was indeed so, it never showed on screen.

Throughout the 1990s, Glenn Ford suffered a series of strokes and remained in poor health for the remainder of his life. He made his last public appearance by video link, to offer a brief but heartfelt message to everyone who attended his 90th birthday celebrations. A quiet, charismatic actor who could play heavy drama as well as he could light comedy, he will be sadly missed.

Mike Linaker - The death of Glenn Ford deprives movie fans of one of the greats. He was one of those actors I imagine who would always be on time, know his lines and hit the mark. Ford was from the old studio system early in his long career and seemed capable of turning his hand to any subject.

He did comedy and romance, drama and of course Westerns. His private life remained just that, proving that an actor can build a career without resorting to endless and boring publicity stunts, or exposing every facet of his/her existence, something many of today's over paid and over hyped celebrity performers could take note of. When you watched Ford at work he seemed to make his acting look easy. Which is the mark of a good actor. Whatever his character, whatever genre, he came across as a good guy struggling against the odds, and always brought a realistic edge to each performance. Look at his performance in The Blackboard Jungle (an early introduction to Ford for me, and what a movie) as the new teacher Richard Dadier. Struggling to make his mark in the tough school, Ford's hesitant portrayal still managed to show the intensity just below the surface. His growing frustration finally erupts and he turns to violent means to put an end to the situation, yet even then his acting draws you into his struggle not to become so hardened he loses the respect of his pupils.

And we can't forget his Sgt. Dave Bannion in Fritz Lang's classic Film-Noir The Big Heat. Here Ford's simmering rage and frustration was played out alongside Lee Marvin (one of Marvin's striking parts as a sneering, brutal villain) and Gloria Grahame's doomed moll, a performance that showed just what a good actress she was). Both films in b/w, still the best way to illustrate dramatic stories. In The Big Heat the use of b/w was brilliant, dark shadowy scenes that hinted at the violence just around the corner.

But of course the genre Ford excelled in was – the Western. In numerous films Ford was a Westerner. He looked comfortable in Western dress, rode as if he had been born to it, and handled guns with the assurance of a man who knew what he was doing. He simply looked like a cowboy. In 3.10 To Yuma, Ford played Ben Wade. Here he is the bad guy, playing a near two-hander to Van Heflin's reluctant captor. As they wait for the train of the film's title, Ford shows another side to his acting. As the prisoner he cajoles and plays mind games with Heflin. Tired of his outlaw life Ford wants simply to get away and his performance as the wily Ben Wade comes across well. If the mooted remake is made it will need to be exceptional if it wants to better the original.

The list of Westerns Glenn Ford made is long. I can't recall, personally, being disappointed after watching any of his performances. He also ventured into TV. Different series he guest starred in, TV Movies, and of course his, unfortunately short lived, series Cade's County in which he played a modern day lawman in a Western setting. It ran out too fast, but I still remember the catchy theme music. I hope TV has respect enough to show a season of his movies. Ford deserves that and so do his fans. He never short changed the viewer, probably never received the accolades he deserved. TV these days doesn't show much interest unless a program features sad unknowns acting like idiots while locked away in a TV house, or on a remote island. The only redeeming things about these reality shows are the phrases locked away and remote island. Just where the no hopers should be permanently.

If Glenn Ford doesn't have his talents honored I'm sure all his fans will still remember him and the hours of pleasure his performances have given. At least with the advent of the DVD we will be able to relive those times as often as we want.

Review: UTAH HIT by Charles Langley Hayes - A Black Horse Western, Hale, 1995

Butch Cassidy had become the most wanted outlaw in the whole West. The governors of four states wanted his hide. But he and his Wild Bunch are holed up in a remote part of Utah: Robbers Roost, a natural fortress with armed guards overlooking the few limited entry passes, unapproachable, unassailable. So the marshal, sent by the governors, figured there was only one way to handle Cassidy - hire a long shooting hit-man - then find some bait to lure the outlaw out of his sanctuary...

Charles Langley Hayes (really author B. J. Holmes) presents his readers with a book that begins with a train robbery then builds gently, and grippingly, to it's exciting conclusion. Amoungst the action there are plenty of humourous moments too and the characters - both fictional and real - are presented well. I found Cassidy's fascination with an archaeological dig - and Sundance's dismissal of it - made for some of the most entertaining reading of the story. And does the book present us with another take on what happened to Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? Well that's something you'll have to find out for yourselves.

All I can say is the book comes to a satisfying ending. B. J. Holmes writing as Charles Langley Hayes - or indeed under any of his other pseudonyms - is fast becoming one of my favourite western authors, and I'd suggest going to the trouble to find his books will be well worth your time. Highly recommended.

Shoot-out at U-bend - Robert McNeill

An item of news on BBC Scotland caught my eye tonight. It concerns a chap called Alistair Baranowski, who is in the process of starting up his own wild west town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Apparently his application to continue is pending the outcome of a council application. Not, as the BBC item pointed out, because noise made by shooting re-enactments might upset nearby residents, but due to the fact that his site is required to have toilet facilities.

PART 2 - THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON … OR DID THEY? By David Whitehead

...the events and characters we portray in fiction - especially genre fiction - have to be larger than life, for one very simple reason. We read this type of fiction in order to escape from the prosaic, humdrum predictability of everyday existence. Reading about someone taking his dog for a walk, or mowing the lawn or doing the washing-up, may be true to life, but it’s never going to provide the escapism we are almost guaranteed to get from a good old-fashioned shoot-’em-up. In any case, life is by and large a fairly ordinary affair, and - perhaps fortunately - few of us ever get the chance to go out in a blaze of glory, as do the characters we like to read and write about...

In 1876, James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok was shot in the back of the head by black-hearted Jack McCall. No gunfight - just straight murder. Wild Bill was 39.

John Henry “Doc” Holliday packed more than his share of living into his brief 35 years. He died the victim of tuberculosis, but nobody can say that he didn’t die with his boots on - even though he was in a sanatorium bed at the time.

Tom Horn wasn’t so much a gunfighter as an out-and-out killer. He was hanged in 1903, aged 42. And what about Frank and Jessie James? Jesse was 34 years old when he stood on a chair to straighten a picture on the wall - and was shot in the back of the head by “dirty little coward” Bob Ford. Frank, on the other hand, died of old age in 1915. He was 71.

And what about the Younger boys, who accompanied Frank and Jesse on so many raids? What kind of end did these miscreants meet?

Well, Robert Younger died of tuberculosis in Stillwater Penitentiary in 1889, where he was serving a life sentence. Jim Younger committed suicide in 1901, aged 53. And Cole Younger, the most famous of the clan, died of old age in 1916, aged 72.

The cause of gunfighter “Buckskin” Frank Leslie’s death was never satisfactorily established. It was said that he committed suicide in 1924 - at the age of 82. Likewise, historians have never been able to agree on the fate of Harvey Logan, better-known as “Kid Curry.” It’s believed that he went to South America with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And Harry Longbaugh, alias Sundance, did go out in a blaze of glory. Cornered by a group of Bolivian cavalrymen in 1907, he was cut down by a score of rifles as he broke cover to get some more ammunition. His partner, Robert Leroy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy, shot himself in the head rather than face capture.

Bat Masterson didn’t kill as many people as legend now has it, but he did deserve some of his notoriety. However, he died of natural causes in 1921, aged 66. Lawman “Texas” John Slaughter also died of old age, in 1922, aged 81.

Henry McCarty, alias Billy Bonney, alias Billy the Kid, was only 21 when he was gunned down by Pat Garrett. This could hardly be described as a gunfight, though. The action took place in a darkened room, and Billy couldn’t even see Pat to shoot back at him.

Henry Plummer was one of the most famous gunmen in the west. He was also a celebrated womaniser, drinker, crook and killer. In fact, he seemed to excel at so much that it was almost a shame when he became the guest of honour at a “necktie social” in 1864. He was just 27.

Of course, Warren Earp was killed in a gunfight with two rustlers in 1900, and John Younger did die in a gunfight with two lawman in 1874, at the age of 19. But for the most part, those men who lived by the gun - be it for good reasons or bad, or reasons over which they had no control - did not always cash in the way that Hollywood - or indeed writers like myself - would have us believe.

In conclusion, then, truth is often stranger than fiction … but rarely is it as colourful or downright dramatic!

THE BAD JOKE CORRAL

A man went to the doctor and said, "I don't know what's the matter with me, Doctor. One moment I feel like a teepee, the next I feel like a wigwam."  

The doctor snapped his fingers and said, "Your trouble is that you're two tense!"

A pastor at a frontier church ended a stirring sermon with, "All those who want to go to heaven, put up your hands!" Everybody enthusiastically raised their hands.... everybody except a grizzled old cowboy who had been slouching against the door post at the back of the room.

All heads turned as he sauntered up to the front, spurs jangling and said, "Preacher, that was too easy. How d'ya know if these folks are serious? I c'n gar-an-tee to prove who really means it an' who don't!"

Bemused and not a little frightenened the preacher said, "Ok, stranger, go ahead and put the faith of these good people to the test. Ask them anything you want."

At that the cowpoke pulled his twin six-shooters, turned to the audience and said, "Alright... who wants to go heaven... raise your hands!"

A new issue of Cowboy Bob's Trading Post will be available on Jan 1 2007
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