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Sat down this morning with a cup of coffee, a slice of mincemeat pie and a big chunk of the book this blog’s named after, 50 Westerns From The 50s. And with the year coming to an end, it kinda made sense to let y’all know what’s going on with this thing.

Started working on 50 Westerns From The 50s in August of 2009. This blog cranked up a couple months later. I had absolutely no idea that 16 years later, I’d still be working on this thing. Embarrassing.

But it’s getting close. Every chapter’s been written; some are more written than others. Have more than the prescribed 50 Westerns, giving me the chance to ditch some things that don’t make the grade. There are a handful of things needing more research, and I’m still trying to track down a better copy of one film.

There’s a target publishing date, but I’m not gonna share it just yet. Missed enough of them already. I’ve put all my other writing things on hold till this one’s done. Juggling three movie books and a rather lame attempt at a novel doesn’t move anything along too quickly.

Thank you for your patience along the way. I hope it’ll be worth the wait.

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I recently had the extreme pleasure of chatting with Heath Holland of Cereal At Midnight. Click on the logo up top to check it out.

We cover everything from the origin of this blog to our shared love of Quantez (1957) to my daughter being a fan of Phantom Empire (1935) as a toddler to the lady who told me black and white movies hurt her eyes.

Much love of Sam Katzman is expressed.

Heath is a big proponent of physical media and we should all appreciate his efforts to convince others that loading up your house with DVDs and Blu-Rays is a good thing.

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27587, a magazine out of Wake Forest, NC, has an article on me, DVD/Blu-Ray commentaries and this blog in its Winter 2024 issue. Turns out one of the magazine’s designers, Bob Bogert, actually looks at this thing from time to time. (Howdy, Bob!)

A big thanks to Philip Read. I really appreciate his attempt to make me sound more interesting than obsessive.

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Some of us have been going back and forth about this for over a year. Well, now’s the time to make it official. Marie Windsor, my all-time favorite actress, gets a blogathon. It kicks off on her birthday, December 11. 

If you’re interested in playing along, email me at fiftieswesterns@gmail.com with the Marie Windsor movie you want to cover. I’ll be keeping a list to try to avoid too much duplication. More info will come as the event gets closer.

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There’s something about this blog I’ve always been uncomfortable with. Through DVD/Blu-Ray new release information or reviews, by plugging a Kickstarter campaign to restore something, or by mentioning a book that’s on the way (including mine), I have a tiny influence on people’s buying decisions. I work in Marketing and Advertising and do this every day, so I ought to be OK with it, but it’s different at this more informal, semi-personal level. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know quite a few of you, and I make a point of not telling my friends how to spend their money.

Having said all that, now I want to tell you how to spend your money. Not really, but kinda.

Back in the 90s, before 50s Westerns took over my life, I used to watch a lot of old Poverty Row horror and 60s spy movies (especially those goofy European James Bond ripoffs). A great source for such things was a company in Oregon called Sinister Cinema. Maybe you’re familiar with them. A friend and I (how ya doing, DV?) ordered from them quite a bit (it was VHS back then) or would rent their stuff from a mail-order place called Video Vault. 

Nowadays, Sinister Cinema deals in DVDs, of course, and they’ve taken a real shine to B Westerns of the 30s and 40s. You’ll find some terrific pictures on their site, from Hoot Gibson to Bob Steele to Ken Maynard. And some titles I’d been looking for decent copies of — Riders Of The Whistling Skull (1937), Hell Canyon Outlaws (1957) and A Lust To Kill (1958).

The folks at Sinister Cinema are talking about shutting down. First, I’d hate to see that happen because old movie nuts aren’t supporting them like we should. So I encourage you to visit their site. Click on the logo above, and away you go! And I highly recommend Hell Canyon Outlaws. (Click the lobby card up top for that link.) It was directed by Paul Landres and has a great part for Dale Robertson. Sinister’s copy is from a well-worn 16mm print, but it’s very watchable. It’s full-frame, so if your TV will let you zoom a bit, you can approximate its 1.85 framing.

And since these titles are less than $10 each, I don’t feel so bad about trying to make you part with your dough. You might even thank me for it.

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This coronavirus mess has many of us stuck in our homes, whether we want to be or not. I’ve been using some of that time to make some progress on 50 Westerns From The 50s, the book-in-progress that is this blog’s namesake.

Thought it would be fun to “sneak preview” some of the 50s Westerns (50 of ’em) the book will highlight (with a chapter dedicated to each). So click on the old ad up top and you’ll be transported to the book’s Facebook page. The ad says 8:40PM, and who am I to argue with Hollywood circa 1957? The first one will appear on Facebook at that time tonight (Eastern Standard Time).

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Happy Trails.

The Apple MacBook Pro responsible for the heavy lifting on this blog and A Million Feet Of Film has reached the end of the trail.

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When researching and writing my first book A Million Feet Of Film: The Making Of One-Eyed Jacks, the Facebook page I created for it turned out to be a real godsend. Through that page, I secured several images used in the book and even lined up a couple interviews.

So with this blog’s namesake a priority these days, it seemed like time to create a similar page for it. You’ll find it at facebook.com/50WesternsFromThe50s

There’s not much there yet, but there will be.

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This month, 50 Westerns From The 50s hits its 10th anniversary.

A few numbers. This is post #1,334. There have been 2.5 million views. It’s followed by over 200 people. To all of you out there who’ve made that happen, a big fat thanks.

Now let’s mount up for another 10 years on the trail.

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This morning, 50s Westerns From The 50s got its two millionth view. A big fat thanks to all of you who mosey through this place.

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