Monday Movie Madness/Wednesday Whatever: Mashup!

Hello Posse!

Sorry I missed the Monday Movie Madness this week. Migraines can be a real killer for me. It is odd that when I get one now, it almost always lasts three days. I have no idea why it works out that way. Just a quirk of being me, I guess.

Any way, on with the blogs!

We'll start out with the Wednesday Whatever portion. I have started work on the next book in the serial, Part Five, Into the West: ??? I still have not settled on a title for it. In this instalment, things are going to come to a head with the bandits and local lawmen but others are going to come into the picture to complicate things.

Since the lawmen tracking down the bandits is a main portion of the story, I have been playing with ideas for the title: ITW: The Last Stand, ITW: Final Shootout, ITW: Justice Served, ITW: Final Revenge, or ITW: Final Justice. You can see a theme there.

Now, I just have to make up my mind. I have also been trying to pick the cover art for this but I am not sure if I want to go with people or just something like the photo you see here.

Hopefully, I will get a few things figured out here quickly so I can get started on the actual writing. I would love to have this and the final book in this serial finished by Christmas but we will see what I can do. My best laid plans always have a way of changing no matter my intensions. Cross your fingers for me.

Now, as for Monday Movie Madness. This movie is near and dear to me for few reasons, 1. I love Jimmy Stewart, 2. It's just a great movie, 3. I was in a stage production of this in high school and it is one of my favorite high school memories. I played a saloon girl and had a feather shot off of my head in one scene.

Funny thing, the first day we rehearsed with the prop guns, it took several pulls for the prop gun to hit the blank load. Each time it clicked, I jumped. When the load finally went off it was very loud in the empty auditorium and I was so nervous by that point that my legs gave out and I dropped to the floor. A few people thought I had actually been shot for just a moment. Ah, memories.

The movie, Destry Rides Again, was released in 1939 by Universal Pictures. It was directed by George Marshall and stared two of the great screen legends of the era, Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. The supporting cast may not be names you are familiar with but if you are a fan of westerns of this time period, you will recognize their faces. The supporting cast includes, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Mischa Auer, Bill Cody Jr., Charles Winninger, Irene Hervey, Billy Gilbert, Lillian Yarbo, and Una Merkel.

The name, Destry Rides Again, comes from a Max Brand novel. The book had inspired an earlier script with a different actor, but this incarnation with Stewart and Dietrich is almost completely different from the previous script. This classic western was selected by the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for preservation in 1996 for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

The story takes place in the lawless town of Bottleneck. The local Saloon owner, Kent (Donlevy), and his saloon girl girlfriend, Frenchy (Dietrich), have the local sheriff killed when he starts asking too many questions. The town's major, Hiram Slade (Hinds) is corrupt as well, and to help keep Kent in power, he names the town drunk, Washington Dimsdale (Winninger), as the new sheriff.

Kent and Slade think Dimsdale will be easy to control. However, Dimsdale had once been a deputy to great lawman, Tom Destry. Dimsdale is determined to take his job seriously, he stops drinking and sends word to Tom Destry Jr. (Stewart), who is also known to be a formidable lawman, to help him clean up the town.

When Destry first arrives in town he is not what anyone, especially Dimsdale, expected in a respected lawman. The townspeople are shocked to learn he does not carry a gun. He quickly becomes a laughingstock when he is handed a mop and bucket to help him clean up the town. Later, a band of cowboys ride into town and raise a ruckus. Destry is forced to demonstrate just how skilled a marksman he really is; earning the respect of the townspeople in the process.

Destry sets to work on solving the murder of the former sheriff and finds himself the target of the Kent and his gang. With the help of some good people, Destry will try to save the day and maybe even find love in the process.

For a great movie snack, what could go better with a movie about a cattle town than Steak Nachos by Eat This, Not That! Check out my Facebook page (<--- click here) for the link to today's movie snack.

It's time to get your snacks and settle in. It's movie time!

Enjoy,