The Outlaw Josey Wales

Running on the treadmill on Saturday and Sunday, I watched The Outlaw Josey Wales. Released in 1976 and based on the book Gone to Texas, it stars Clint Eastwood, Chief Dan George and Sondra Locke.

In part, the movie tells the story of Missourians who fell prey during the Civil War to the Kansas-based Unionists called "Red-Leggers" (after their red-striped stockings and gaiters).

The movie is also interesting because it marks the beginning of the relationship between Clint Eastwood and Sandra Locke. They ended up living together for the next 14 years and making six films together.

Two Mules for Sister Sara

Running the on treadmill over the last two weekends, I watched Two Mules for Sister Sara. Released in 1970, the movie stars Clint Eastwood and Shirley McLaine. The movie is set in Mexico after the Civil War during the French intervention.

Filmed partly on location in Cuaútla and Jantetelco in the province of Morelos in Mexico, I enjoyed the scenery.

Hang 'Em High

Running on the treadmill on Sunday and Monday, I watched Hang 'Em High as a HD rental on the AppleTV. Unlike the earlier Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns, it was filmed in hollywood and includes a cast of recognizable stars, including Dennis Hopper, Alan Hale, Jr. and Ed Begley.

High Plains Drifter

Running on the treadmill on Sunday afternoon, I watched the last half of High Plains Drifter as a rental on the AppleTV. Directed by Clint Eastwood, he had an entire town built on the shores of Mono Lake for the project.

I really enjoyed the scenery. Sharon and I hiked through the tufa towers along the shores of Lake Mono on our anniversary trip to Mammoth Lakes in 2001. Additionally, I took this picture of the lake on a ski trip with Larkin.

Pale Rider

Running on the treadmill, I watched the second half of Pale Rider as an HD rental on the AppleTV. The title is a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as the rider of a pale horse is Death.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

With Paul Newman's death in late September, Sharon bought a copy of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Sharon, Jack and I watched the movie this weekend.

The American Film Institute rates Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as one of the ten top westerns films. I enjoyed the movie, but having watched a number of westerns lately, I am not that I would put it in the top ten.

The movie includes the song Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head. Jack spent the rest of the weekend running around singing the song. Given I have some strong memories associated with this song, this was a little surreal. Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head is included in the Soundtrack for my Life.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Running on the treadmill this weekend, I watched The Good, The Bad and the Ugly as a rental on the AppleTv. Released in 1966, this is the third of Italian spaghetti western films directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach in the title roles. The 2002 DVD release includes 18 minutes of footage that was cut from the original North American Release. Including these scenes, the running time is just short of three hours.

I have always been fond of soundtrack to this movie. I included the title song in the soundtrack of my life. Watching all three of the Sergio Leone westerns starring Clint Eastwood (A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) in the last couple months, I realized that my memories are strongest for A Fistful of Dollars. The version of The Good, The Bad and the Ugly that I saw must have been cut down to show in a two hour block on network television.

Western Movies

I have started to watch old western movies while I run on the treadmill. To date, I have seen:

08/31/2008 - Once Upon a Time in the West
07/14/2008 - Unforgiven
07/03/2008 - The Magnificent Seven
06/28/2008 - For A Few Dollars More
05/24/2008 - A Fistful of Dollars

Once Upon a Time in the West

Running on the treadmill over the last two days, I watched Once Upon a Time in the West. I had mentioned to Phil that I was watching the old Clint Eastwood westerns A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More and he lent me this movie to watch.

Once Upon a Time in the West is a 1968 spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. The film stars Henry Fonda unusually cast as the villain Frank, Charles Bronson as his nemesis "Harmonica", Jason Robards as the generally benign bandit Cheyenne and Claudia Cardinale as a newly-widowed homesteader with a past as a prostitute, Jill.

Unforgiven

With the heat and the bad air quality the last couple of weeks, I have been running a lot on the treadmill. I watched the last half of Unforgiven in HD on the AppleTV. The American Film Institute ranks Unforgiven as one of the top ten Westerns.

Lighted Boat Parade and The Magnificent Seven

Sharon and Janie have made it a quasi tradition (5 out of the last 7 years?) to go to the Virgin Sturgeon on July 3rd and watch the lighted boat parade on the Sacramento River.

I did an evening run on the treadmill watching a rental of The Magnificent Seven on the Apple TV. Released in 1960, the cast includes Yul Brunner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn and Robert Vaughan. I am not sure that I have actually ever seen the movie before...

Last weekend, I watched For a Few Dollars More on the Apple TV while running on the treadmill.

A Few Dollars More

Running on the treadmill on Saturday and Sunday, I watched Clint Eastwood in A Few Dollars More on the AppleTV.

A Fistful of Dollars

Running 9.9 miles on the treadmill, I watched A Fistful of Dollars with Clint Eastwood in HD on the AppleTV. It has been a long time since I watched this movie. I have always enjoyed the music from Eastwood's spaghetti westerns and I was not disappointed. I was also pleasantly surprised at the storytelling and the quality of the plot.