Arizona Rangers and the Outlaws of Arizona Territory

Last week, I had the privilege of hearing Jack Lasseter speak about the "good guys and the bad guys" of the old Arizona Territory. He started out by telling the story of the hold up of the Benson stage and the shooting of Bud Philpot.

I've read this story before in books on Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. Reading is one thing, but the story, as Jack Lasseter told it, left me spell bound... a fitting beginning for his talk that would recount the stories of a dozen or more lawmen and scoundrels.

Almost everyone knows at least something about the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral. But what most people don't know, is that the Bud Philpot story was a significant precursor that lead up to that conflict between the Earps on one side and the Clantons and McLaurys on the other.

For a good accounting of this story, see:
www.tombstonetimes.com/stories/benson.html

Jack Lasseter directs tours of Southwest for Pima Community College, taking participants to "where it happened," as you travel back in time and hear the tales of those who lived and died there. If you ever get a chance to take one of these tours, don't miss it.

Movie Review: Open Range

Kevin Costner directs and stars with Robert Duvall and Annette Bening in this conflict between free-grazing ranchers and a corrupt sheriff and other bad guy leaders of the town. This film climaxes in what is, quite possibly, the most exciting gun fight I've ever seen.

Here's my shortest review ever .................. "WOW!"

My Rating: *****

Move Review: The Big Country

At 2 hours and 50 minutes, this picture would have had to be good to keep me interested. It was. The story was riveting and the western scenery was awesome.

A retired sea captain, James McKay, played by Gregory Peck, decides to try a life on the western frontier. He finds himself in the middle of a personal feud between two big ranchers and a fight over water. The story blurs the line between the good guys and the bad guys. Besides Peck, other stars include Charlton Heston and Burl Ives.

My Rating: *****

Movie Review: Jeremiah Johnson

Loner Robert Redford seeks isolation in the mountains, where he's forced to battle both nature and almost every American Indian in the area to survive. Interestingly, Redford speaks very little in this flick. Packed with action and awe-inspiring Utah scenery, where the movie was filmed.

This was a very engrossing film.

My Rating: ****

Movie Review: My Darling Clementine

Released in 1946, this is one of the very early -- maybe even the earliest -- big screen account of the OK Corral incident. As a real fan of the movie Tombstone, I watched this with great anticipation of how the story would be told, not that long after the death of Wyatt Earp. The story was terribly inaccurate. For instance, it has both his brothers, Morgan and Virgil Earp being killed in Tombstone, when actually, only Morgan was gunned down there.

Anyhow, it was entertaining, and I'll watch it again sometime.

My Rating: ***

Movie Review: McCabe & Mrs. Miller

Warren Beatty, as John McCabe is a vagabond and entrepreneur. He moves to a ramshackle Pacific Northwestern town to establish a saloon/brothel. He soon connects with the shrewd and experienced professional madam, Mrs. Miller. They build a successful business (and a relationship) together.

Quite honestly, this move was S-L-O-W and boring. One man's opinion ... it sucked.

My Rating: *

The Town Too Tough to Die

Tombstone Arizona, known as “The Town Too Tough to Die,” was the home of Wyatt Earp and his brothers, Virgil and Morgan Earp. The Earp brothers, along with the notorious Doc Holliday, took on the Clantons and the McLaurys in the infamous Gunfight at the OK Corral. Those few seconds, that will forever live in Western history, here in this video.



Tombstone is still alive and well today … indeed, the Town Too Tough to Die. It’s located about an hour from Tucson, Arizona. I go there at least a couple of times a year. It feeds my frontier spirit and provides an escape back to yesteryear when the West was a wild and wooly place.