Our 5 Favorite Western TV Shows

In honor of the last day of this amazing blog party we decided to do a short post on our favorite western TV shows. Our '5' favorite, to be exact.
(This is in no particular order)

1) Maverick

This show's got humor. This show's got heart. This show is amazing! (And it's also one of the only shows our mother sits and watches with us 😁)
Bart (below) and Bret (above) Maverick are two brothers who gamble instead of work for a living. This of course leads to them getting into a heck of a lot of trouble because nobody likes gamblers...For good reason...
But for real, how could you not like these boys? We have two words for you: 'Charm-Ing'! (No, we didn't go to school)
Besides Bart and Bret, the show has two other main characters, Beau and Brent (their cousins), who come in later seasons. However, we don't really consider them the stars of the show (but they are quite nice, in their own way).
Bart and Bret aren't your typical western TV show heroes. Let's just say, they aren't exactly law abiding citizens. Of course that does not mean they go around breaking the law all the time, but they do tend to be reluctant to fill in their 'Hero Shoes'.
But we love them anyway!

2) Lawman

These three....They're such a family! Marshal Dan Troop, with the help of able and lovely Deputy Johnny McKay, is in charge of keeping law and order in 1880's Laramie, Wyoming. And let me tell you, with the townspeople's track record of being absolute jerks (with the exception of Lily Merrill (guy on the right. JK, lady in the middle) and never, EVER, helping when Dan needs them, it's a good thing he's so tough and... Tough! He's a sweetie too, though. And of course, from the very first episode, Marshal Troop has the ever-needed help of Deputy Johnny McKay. In the first episode Johnny is green. Very green. Buuuuutttt, he proves himself to the ever-skeptical Marshal when he *sniff* practically saves his life. He's wonderful.
And let's not forget Lily Merrill. Literally the only female character in a western t.v. show that is interesting and helpful. She's also really spunky and fun, especially when she's around Marshal Troop. *Wink, wink*😍😎😏
And we mustn't forget to mention that we watched all four seasons of this in about three weeks... And it only took us that long because we had to order the next seasons from the library! It's just a really good show, very entertaining, very heart-warming, and very awesome! So watch it!... If you want to, that is...

3) Laramie

Ahhh, Laramie! So many fuzzy feelings. Most people don't understand just how wonderful this show is (namely our siblings) and it's quite difficult to explain. Just the whole family feeling you get when these four are together makes you want to smile and give them all a big bear hug! Let's talk characters. The two main characters are Slim Sherman(far left) and Jess Harper (middle left), who in the beginning don't hit it off very well. It was mostly Jess's fault, considering he trespassed and started teaching Slim's little brother Andy (far right) how to be a card shark...Anyway, Slim and Jess soon become the best of friends.
Andy and Jonesy (middle right) are the two secondary characters who unfortunately leave in the second season.

 The show is about the Sherman ranch that is also a relay station and that of course leads to a lot of mishaps and mayhem that our boys handle with aplomb!
The third season is not as good as the first two seasons (we haven't seen the fourth yet), but it still has good qualities. 

4) The Rifleman

So, Irene writing alone here for a minute. This is my show. I've watched all five seasons and know most everything about it. Anna doesn't dislike it, but she doesn't feel a strong attachment to it either. Mr. McCain (most people call him Lucas, but I like calling him Mr. McCain) and his son Mark (he's my favorite character) live on a nice little ranch in New Mexico near the town of North Fork. Mr. McCain, though a kind and loving father, as well as a good Christian, is also a highly skilled user of his uniquely designed Winchester rifle. Hence his title of 'The Rifleman'. Let me tell you, Lucas McCain has chalked up more dead bodies that the United States Marines. What I love about this show is the unique relationship, not shown on any other television program that I know of, between a widowed father and his only child, and the way that Mark grows up through the five seasons. It's honestly really wonderful to watch. And let's not forget the humor and action, both of which are in full supply throughout the run of the entire show. The Rifleman does not slowly lose it's quality as the years go by. Rather, it remains golden and fresh all its too-short life!

5) The Virginian and Bonanza

Now we know what you're thinking. This is six instead of five and well, you're not wrong. The truth of the matter is, we couldn't decide which one we liked better! (Isn't that the worst?)
The Virginian is about a bunch of ranch hands who always get into trouble, and Bonanza is about a bunch of ranch hands who are brothers who always get into trouble. To be fair, Bonanza is actually about three brothers and their dad who own the ranch, but whatever.
You can probably see our conundrum.
We love The Virginian because it has 'The Virginian' (top photo, dark haired center) who is just a really great guy and it also has Ryker, who is probably one of our favorite characters of all time! (That might be an overstatement, but it also might not be) Not to mention it has a bunch of side characters that often get their chance to shine.
We love Bonanza because who wouldn't love a show about a bunch of brothers that get in fights all the time? Adam, the oldest, is the more academic and 'cultured' one; Hoss, the middle child, is a big teddy bear who is very, very strong; and Little Joe is, well, Little Joe. He tends to be too big for his britches. Last of all is their father. What's great about Bonanza is the fact that unlike other shows, it has a great father figure who is actually - big shocker here - not dead!
As you can see there really is no way to tell which show is better, so therefore we could not exclude one and leave in the other.
If you've learned anything from this blog post it should be that you just need to watch both The Virginian and Bonanza (only the first nine seasons). 😁

Our last post for the last day of Legends of Western Cinema Week. That week sure went by fast. It was a lot of fun. Thanks to all the ladies who hosted it. We sure had a swell time! See you later, God willin' and the creek don't rise!

P. S. Irene also likes Tombstone Territory, but don't tell Anna she said that.

Crossfire Trail (2001)

                            

                                                             

Crossfire Trail is an extremely overlooked western, especially considering it's a beautiful example of the genre. I had seen it once, when Mama brought it home from the library, but it obviously didn't strike a chord within me, or my family, considering the next time it was brought home nobody really remembered anything about it. Which was incredible, because the second time my family and I watched it we all agreed it was amazing! Not a huge fan of Tom Selleck here, but he does justice to what I think Louis L'Amour was looking for in his main character, Rafe Covington. Now onto the review...

Rafe Covington (Louis L'Amour was always good at thinking up eccentric names) promises his dying best friend that once he gets back to America (he's at sea at the time) he'll take care of this man's beloved wife and Wyoming ranch. Covington makes his way, along with an Irishman and a green kid, across America to this wonderful ranch without any trouble. But as any watcher or reader of Louis L'Amour stories knows, things aren't gonna go smoothly for long. When Rafe gets to his friend's ranch, he find that the local big-shot, Barkow, wants not only the beautiful ranch, rich with oil, but the widow who now owns the ranch as well. 

The disgusting antagonist Barkow on the left, and widow-woman Ann Rodney on the right.

Since Rafe Covington won't budge from his path if he knows he's in the right, Barkow, in his desperation, hires a professional killer with a sniper rifle in addition to his already large motley crew of no-goods. An epic battle ensues, involving Barkow and his cronies attempting to get Covington off the ranch, not caring if the methods they employ are less than ethical. You remember me mentioning an Irishman and a green kid earlier? Well, they're both amazing.

David O'Hara as Rock Mullaney...

And Christian Kane as J.T. Langston.

With the help of Mullaney and J.T., along with a random old guy, Rafe Covington manages to keep odds somewhat even... That is, for a Louis L'Amour creation. Minor Spoiler Alert: Time progresses, and we have Rafe and Ann falling in love amidst the war, somebody very wonderful dying (I am definitely not still crying over his death), and just a heck of a lot of good, western action and excitement going on. It all culminates into one epic showdown that takes place in town. I won't spoil exactly what happens, but let me just tell you it is VERY exciting! Besides the good western fun in this movie, some of the other thing I love about this film are the scenery...

The characters...

And I couldn't find it on Youtube, but from what I remember the music is pretty darn good too. So next time you feel the urge to watch a western, but you want it to have color and beautiful cinematography (nothing against black and white movies, just saying color is nice too and the cinematography in this movie IS amazing) and maybe a slightly modern feel to it, but nothing inappropriate (like, there are a few things you might not want to show your 6 year-old, but nothing terrible), dig yourself up this wonderful western and go and have yourself a doggone good time!

                                                           

                                                                                                ~Irene

This has been Horseback to Byzantium's second post entry into The Legends of Western Cinema Week.

Been havin' lots of fun so far! Hope you have too!

Legends of Western Cinema Tag

Here's our (Anna and Irene's) first post entry for the Legends of Western Cinema Week. Hope you enjoy it!

- Legends of Western Cinema Week Tag -

1) Do you tolerate, like, or love westerns?

A: LOVE WESTERNSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (duh)

2) What do you enjoy about them and, more broadly, the west itself (e.g. the history, accompanying paraphernalia, etc)?

A: They're sooo..........Beautiful! There is a nostalgic quality about westerns that makes you want to jump on a horse, round up some cattle, and then ride off into the sunset, saddle leather creaking with the smell of sage brush and manure dancing with the heat waves! Men were men. Somebody probably already said that, but it's worth repeating. Women were women too, but we don't really care about women. LOLLLLLLLLLLLLL JK Anyway, everything about the old west was beautiful, and even westerns that we don't feel a deep adoration for still have a charm to them that no other genre can touch. Plus, cowboy clothes make even the most unattractive and repulsive men look at least half way decent. And if the man is good-lookin' to start with.....

3) What's the first western you can remember watching?

A: The Magnificent Seven. Been watching it since we were born. Well, maybe not the specific DAY, but pretty close.

4) Who are your favorite western stars, the ones whose presence in a western will make you pick it up off the shelf?

A: John Wayne and Alan Ladd. Yup, yup, yup.

5) What's your favorite performance by an actress in a western?

A: The Spanish lady in High Noon. Katy Jurado is the actress. She's one cool cat.

6) What is your "go-to" western, the one you'll typically reach for?

A: See answer 3.

7) Do your family/friends share your interest in westerns, or are you a lone ranger (pun completely intended)?

A: Pretty lonely. We're working on it. No friends and some of our siblings haven't seen the light yet.

8) Pick one western to live inside for a week, and explain why you chose it.

A: See answer 6. The country's beautiful (if a little hot), the people are beautiful (except Calvera)...everything's beautiful!

9) What are some of your favorite lines from western movies? Are there any you quote regularly?

A: "Wouldn't want to loose you children!" (John Wayne in Big Jake); "Want me to hold your hand?" (Dean Martin in Rio Bravo); "I'm partial to cold buttermilk." (Kim Darby in True Grit); "Hey Langston, ten o'clock!" (Kevin Costner in Silverado); "*Slaps knee* That's what I told 'im!" (Kevin Costner in Silverado); "*Sarcastic tone that Paden uses* You're kidding." (Kevin Kline in Silverado); and a good many more!

That was fun. Enjoyed it we hope you did! 😎

                                           - Anna and Irene