Hellbent for Letterbox

Michael, Pax, and their Crestwood House podcast co-host Shawn Robare talk about another weird Western just in time for Halloween. The prairie is full of eerie isolation in Emma Tammi's independent film, The Wind, starring Caitlin Gerard, Ashley Zukerman, Julia Goldani Telles, and Dylan McTee.

It's Friday the 13th! Mike and Pax are joined by their Crestwood House co-host Shawn Robare to begin the Halloween season with Grim Prairie Tales from 1990 starring James Earl Jones, Brad Dourif, William Atherton, and Marc McClure.

Michael and Pax are in the mood for some Ranown Westerns, starting with The Tall T. Directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, of course. Co-starring Maureen O'Sullivan and Richard Boone. And based on a story by Elmore Leonard.

Mike and Pax take a look at the Humphrey Bogart classic Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

Michael accidentally pulls a fast one and makes Pax watch a non-historical Western, John Sturges' The Walking Hills. It stars Randolph Scott and Ella Raines as two members of a party that enters the desert dunes looking for a lost wagon train and (according to legend) the gold that it was carrying.

Pax and Michael tackle another western-comedy.  This one stars George Segal and Goldie Hawn and is directed by White Christmas' Melvin Frank!

Michael and Pax watch the Coen Brothers' anthology movie, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Plus, Pax listens to the 1001 Stories from the Old West podcast and Michael watches The Secret of Convict Lake (1951) and Calamity Jane and Sam Bass (1949).

Mike and Pax try not to break out into a blood feud when they delve into the History Channel mini-series Hatfields & McCoys starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton.

Michael and Pax return to the world of Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove with the chronologically second mini-series in the saga, Comanche Moon, starring Steve Zahn, Karl Urban, Linda Cardellini, Elizabeth Banks, Melanie Lynskey, Wes Studi, and Val Kilmer.

Mike and Pax discuss another Clint Eastwood western, Hang em High from 1968!

Michael, Pax, and guest Evan Hanson wrap up their Zorro double-feature with the movie that started it all, the silent classic The Mark of Zorro starring Douglas Fairbanks.

Zorro Double Feature! In this episode we start with The Mask of Zorro from 1998 starring Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Sir Anthony Hopkins.  And we are joined by our good friend Evan Hansen.

Michael and Pax watch the Robert Altman revisionist classic, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie with smaller roles for Shelley Duvall, Keith Carradine, and Rene Auberjonois. 

In this episode Mike and Pax are joined by their friend Jeeg to discuss the South Korean western adventure The Good the Bad and the Weird from 2008.

In this special holiday episode, Michael and Pax watch John Ford's adaptation of Peter B Kyne's Christmas Western novel, The Three Godfathers. Starring John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, and Harry Carey Jr.

For this episode Mike and Pax put on their snow furs and galoshes to discuss this snowbound western by Sergio Corbucci, The Great Silence from 1968!

Michael and Pax stretch the definitions of both Western and Horror in this second Halloween pick, The Valley of Gwangi starring James Franciscus, Gila Golan, and Richard Carlson. And with visual effects by Ray Harryhausen.

For the first of our spooky Halloween double feature, Mike and Pax discuss the newer cowboys vs witches horror wester, The Pale Door from 2020.

Michael, Pax, and Shawn Robare travel with Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford in Robert Aldrich's The Frisco Kid.

On this episode Mike and Pax are joined by Shawn Robare to discuss the Anthony Mann western Tin Star (1957) starring Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins.

Michael and Pax watch the recent Western whodunnit, Murder at Yellowstone City, starring Isaiah Mustafa, Gabriel Byrne, Thomas Jane, Anna Camp, Zach McGowan, and Richard Dreyfuss. It's a mystery and we spoil it, so please watch the movie before listening to our discussion.

Mike and Pax delve into the 1963 comedy western 4 for Texas with the crazy good cast of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ursula Andress, Anita Eckberg, Victor Buono, Charles Bronson, and an appearance by The Three Stooges.  

Michael picks a classic that he and Pax have never seen. It's swift justice versus sure justice in William A Wellman's The Ox-Bow Incident, starring Henry Fonda, Harry Morgan, Dana Andrews, and Anthony Quinn.

On this episode Mike and Pax discuss Slow West from 2015 starring Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-Macphee, and Ben Mendelsohn.

Michael and Pax complete their Disney Westerns marathon with Jim Dale, Don Knotts, Darren McGavin, and Jack Elam in Hot Lead and Cold Feet. Pax also watches a bonus Disney Western with The Castaway Cowboy while Michael discovers the Call of Juarez video games with Call of Juarez: Gunslinger.

On this episode Mike and Pax continue their journey through Disney westerns with 1967's The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin starring Roddy McDowell, Suzanne Pleshette, and Karl Malden.

Michael and Pax watch both of Disney's Apple Dumpling Gang movies starring Don Knotts and Tim Conway with costars like Bill Bixby, Harry Morgan, Slim Pickens, and Jack Elam. Pax also checks out the Sergio Corbucci documentary, Django & Django, as well as the first novel in William R Cox's Cemetery Jones series.

Mike and Pax watch another Barbara Stanwyck western, The Furies, this time directed by the great Anthony Mann.

Michael and Pax watch the Western Noir Forty Guns starring Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, and Dean Jagger. And Michael also checks out Sam Worthington, Machine Gun Kelly, Heather Graham, and Thomas Jane in 2021's The Last Son.

Pax and Mike discuss 2021's Old Henry with Tim Blake Nelson, Stephen Dorff, and Trace Adkins.

When listener Mathias Skeppstedt sent in the list of his Top 15 Favorite Westerns, Michael and Pax decided to come up with their own lists to compare. Each of the three has a mix of classics and surprises, and we run through all of them in this short(ish) episode.

Michael and Pax finally watch the 2020 Western that everyone's been talking about, Paul Greengrass' News of the World starring Tom Hanks and Helena Zengel. And Pax looks into what the deal is with The Hateful Eight Extended Version.

On this episode Mike and Pax discuss the brand new Netflix western, The Harder They Fall.

Michael and Pax welcome back Evan Hanson to talk about Sidney Poitier's directorial debut, Buck and the Preacher, starring himself as well as Harry Belafonte and Ruby Dee.

On this episode Mike and Pax are joined by regular guest Evan Hanson to discuss A Man Alone from 1955 featuring Ray Milland doing double duty as star and director!

Wrapping up a Halloween double-feature, Michael and Pax jaw about Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter with returning Hellbent guest (and co-host with the fellas on the new Crestwood House classic horror podcast), Shawn Robare. 

On this spooky episode Mike and Pax are joined by Shawn Robare to discuss the first in a western horror double feature; Billy the Kid vs Dracula!

You can listen to Mike, Shawn, and Pax discuss more classic pre-80s horror movies on the Crestwood House Podcast which you can find on the Cult Film Club feed!  Check it out!

Michael and Pax watch the first of only a few Westerns starring Sidney Poitier, Duel at Diablo. Also starring James Garner and Dennis Weaver. 

On this episode Mike and Pax discuss the 1995 TV movie Buffalo Girls based on the Larry McMurtry novel.  The cast is stacked including Angelica Huston, Melanie Griffith, Gabriel Byrne, Peter Coyote, and Sam Elliot.

Michael and Pax discuss the Zellner Brothers' underseen and unexpected Damsel starring Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska. As always, we discuss the whole movie and this one is especially best seen without knowing anything about it, so we highly recommend watching the film before listening to this episode.

For this Hitchin Post Mike and I are actually in the same room and we are talking about the newly revised 100 Best Westerns from Cowboys & Indians magazine.

In this episode Mike and Pax discuss the 1958 Arthur Penn western, The Left Handed Gun, starring Paul Newman as Billy the Kid as well as appearances by Dukes of Hazard alums James Best and Denver Pyle.

Following Belle Starr's appearance in The Long Riders, Michael and Pax watch a highly fictionalized biography of the character starring Gene Tierney, Randolph Scott, and Dana Andrews. 

In this episode Mike and Pax are discussing the buddy dramedy Skin Game from 1971 starring James Garner and Lou Gossett Jr.

Michael and Pax watch another much-requested picture, Nicholas Ray's gorgeous Johnny Guitar starring Joan Crawford, Ernest Borgnine, John Carradine, and Mercedes McCambridge as an all-time great movie villain.

In this episode Mike and Pax disuss the original Django from 1966 starring Franco Nero and directed by Sergio Corbucci.

Michael and Pax finish up the Sabata series as Lee Van Cleef comes back to the role for Return of Sabata.

Something else that returns is the "Whatchoo Been Westernin'?" segment with Pax reading the comic The Legend of Oz: Wicked West by Tom Hutchinson and Alisson Borges and listening to Zaron Burnett's Black Cowboys podcast. Meanwhile, Michael's been watching the 1998 sorta-Western TV series, Little Men.  

For this episode we return to the East meets Western mash up genre and are joined by good friend Jeeg to disect the 1997 Jet Li actioneer, Once Upon a Time in China and America.

Michael and Pax celebrate their 100th episode with a long-requested classic: John Ford's The Searchers starring John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, and Natalie Wood.

On this episode Mike and Pax discuss the Walter Hill directed The Long Riders featuring three sets of brothers playing the real life James, Younger, and Ford brothers.

After loving Rio Bravo, Michael and Pax come back for more with the similarly plotted Howard Hawks / John Wayne / Leigh Brackett classic El Dorado. Robert Mitchum steps in for Dean Martin, James Caan subs for Ricky Nelson, and Charlene Holt replaces Angie Dickinson, but how do the films compare?

On this episode of Hellbent Mike and Pax discuss the 1995 western The Tall Men starring Clark Gable, Jane Russell, and Robert Ryan.

Shawn Robare returns to help Michael and Pax discuss the David O. Selznick mess, Duel in the Sun, featuring a legendary cast, but also six directors, a terrible script, and a central relationship that no one (including the movie) cares about. Happily, that makes for a great conversation anyway.

This month Michael and Pax are joined by their good friend Shawn Robare to discuss the 1967 Spaghetti Western Death Rides a Horse starring Lee Van Cleef and John Phillip Law.

Evan Hanson returns to help Michael and Pax analyze The Sisters Brothers starring John C Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Riz Ahmed.

(Deep apologies for the audio quality on Michael's microphone this episode. It was a technical issue that we were unable to correct, but we thought the movie and conversation were good enough that we wanted to release it anyway.)

On this episode Mike and Pax are joined by Evan Hanson to discuss 5 Card Stud starring Dean Martin, Robert Mitchum, and Roddy Macdowell.

In this very special Halloween Hitchin Post, Michael and Pax discuss the 1959 Universal Studios horror western, Curse of the Undead, featuring a vampire gunfighter.

Michael and Pax definitely wanted to watch Penélope Cruz, Salma Hayek, Steve Zahn, Dwight Yoakam, and Sam Shepard in Bandidas. Pax also reads the graphic novel Calamity Jane: The Calamitous Life of Martha Jane Cannary by Christian Perrissin and Matthieu Blanchin. And Michael gets in the Halloween spirit with Curse of the Undead.

On this episode of Hellbent Michael and Pax discuss the 1970 dramatic comedy Little Big Man starring Dustin Hoffman and Faye Dunaway.

Michael and Pax follow Pale Rider into town, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. Also starring Sydney Penny, Michael Moriarty, Chris Penn, and Richard Kiel.

Pax also shares insights from the Pale Rider novelization by Alan Dean Foster. And Michael watches another mountain man movie (Richard Harris and John Huston in Man in the Wilderness) and some Doctor Who.

Pax and Michael watch the first of the Terence Hill and Bud Spencer comedic Trinity movies, directed by Enzo Barboni.

Michael and Pax visit their second Elvis Presley Western with Flaming Star, a movie about racism that also stars Steve Forrest, Barbara Eden, Dolores del Rio, and John McIntire. Before that, Pax talks about vintage Western-themed advertising and Michael makes progress in his Western History film project and reviews the Batman Western comic, Batman: The Blue, the Grey, and the Bat.

On this episode Mike and Pax discuss Cheyenne Social Club starring James Stewart, Henry Fonda, and Shirley Jones.

Michael and Pax watch the Howard Hawks / John Wayne classic Red River featuring Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan, and Joanne Dru. 

Mike and Pax update everyone on their fancy soap purchases.

Mike and Pax discuss 1959's Rio Bravo starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Walter Brennan, and Ricky Nelson.

Michael and Pax watch Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, and Joel Edgerton in Gavin O'Connor's film about a woman defending her home from a gang of ruthless killers.

Pax also talks about Yul Brynner and George Segal in Invitation to a Gunfighter (1964), while Michael watches more Zorro and reads the collected webcomic High Moon by David Gallaher and Steve Ellis.

On this episode Michael and Pax discuss The Kid from 2019 starring Ethan Hawke and Dane Dehaan as Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.

Michael and Pax revisit the '90s classic about a sharpshooting cowboy (Tom Selleck) who teams up with a troubled woman (Laura San Giacomo) to fight a ruthless land baron (Alan Rickman) over his treatment of Aboriginal Australians. There's also a quick review of the graphic novel The Grave Doug Freshley by Josh Hechinger and mpMann.

Michael and I discuss men's hand soaps and recommend two great companies, Boll Weevil Soap Co and Outlaw Soaps.

On this episode Michael and Pax talk about Gun Fury from 1953 starring Donna Reed, Rock Hudson, and Lee Marvin.

Michael and Pax check out the sequel to 1969's Sabata (which they covered three years ago; how time does fly). Lee Van Cleef's character is played by Yul Brynner this time, so the fellas talk about that and other changes between the films, and attempt to reconcile the two. Also, Michael watches Errol Flynn play General Custer in They Died With Their Boots On.

Michael and Pax discuss the Elvis Presley 1969 western, Charro!

Michael and Pax break down this Bob Hope brew co-starring Jane Russell as super spy Calamity Jane. Pax also talks about the 1952 sequel, Son of Paleface, while Michael's reconsidering Joan Crawford as a contemporary cowgirl in 1930's Montana Moon.

Michael and Pax talk a little about the podcast's third birthday, what we could see on the show in 2020, and we go through the AFI Top 10 Westerns list.

Mike and Pax are back from their winter break and in this episode are discussing River of No Return from 1954 starring Marilyn Monroe, Robert Mitchum and Rory Calhoun.  Directed by Otto Preminger.

Michael and Pax wrap up Deadwood December with the reunion movie from earlier this year and talk about whether or not it was a fitting conclusion to the legendary TV series.

Pax and Michael finish watching David Milch's Deadwood and talk about how the show ended as well as their hopes for Deadwood: The Movie.

Part 2 of Deadwood December!  In this episode Mike and Pax discuss the second season of the HBO show Deadwood.  

Welcome to Deadwood December!  This month we are leading up to the 75th episode of the show! In this episode Mike and Pax discuss the first season of the HBO series Deadwood from 2004.

On this episode of Hellbent we are again joined by Shawn Robare to discuss Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, widely considered to be a classic in the genre.  Only some of us agree with that.

Michael and Pax are joined by Shawn Robare (Cult Film Club) to ruminate on Richard Brooks' end-of-the-West saga starring Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Woody Strode, Robert Ryan, Claudia Cardinale, and Jack Palance.

On this episode of Hellbent, Michael and Pax discuss the 1974 East meets West spaghetti western, The Stranger and the Gunfighter, produced by the Shaw Brothers and starring Lee Van Cleef and Lo Leih.

Michael and Pax watch Liam Neeson hunt Pierce Brosnan in David Von Ancken's thriller (and probably parable) co-starring Michael Wincott and featuring cameos by Anjelica Huston, Wes Studi, Jimmi Simpson, and Xander Berkeley.

Also: a podcast recommendation, Wild West magazine, a couple of silent Jesse James films with James' real-life son playing the legendary outlaw, and this excellent primer on Hong Kong cinema.

Michael and Pax are once again joined by Evan Hanson, this time to discuss the 1974 Mel Brooks western parody, Blazing Saddles.

Guest Evan Hanson returns to help Michael and Pax survey Seth MacFarlane's Western comedy.

On this episode Michael and Pax discuss the first collaboration between director Anthony Mann and Jimmy Stewart, Winchester '73 from 1950.

In this Texas-sized episode, Michael and Pax cover the classic mini-series starring Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, and a supporting cast as epic as the story itself. Also: Pax reads Larry McMurtry's Buffalo Girls while Michael does something Westerny for Fathers Day and reads a Mickey Mouse Weird West comic.

On this episode of Hellbent, Michael and Pax discuss the one movie Marlon Brando directed as well as starred in, the 1961 western, One Eyed Jacks.  Also starring Karl Malden and Ben Johnson.

Michael and Pax jaw about George Miller's (not that George Miller, though) Australian Western. One remembered loving it; the other remembered hating it. Have they changed their minds? Do they agree? What happened to Cookie's leg? A couple of those questions actually get answered.

Also: DC Comics discussion as Pax reads the early adventures of Bat Lash and Michael checks out the beginning of the 2006 Jonah Hex series.

On this episode of Hellbent Michael and Pax are once again joined by their wives, this time to discuss Bad Girls from 1994 starring Madeline Stowe, Andy McDowell, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Drew Barrymore.

Michael and Pax welcome their wives, Stephanie Holley and Diane May to weigh in on the women-focused Western, Five Bold Women starring Irish McCalla and Jeff Morrow. Pax also shares a couple of Western comics he's been reading: the first volume of Stern from Europe comics and the first couple of issues in Dynamite's Man With No Name series. Meanwhile, Michael's been watching the contemporary Western, The Rider (2017) by director Chloe Zhao.

On this episode of Hellbent Michael and Pax return to the Budd Boetticher-Randolph Scott oeuvre to talk about their very first collaboration in 1956, 7 Men from Now.  Also stars Gail Russell and Lee Marvin. 

Michael and Pax visit Michael Curtiz' Dodge City with Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, and Bruce Cabot. But before that they also talk briefly about a couple of '70s Robert Redford movies (The Sting and The Hot Rock) and Vincent D'Onofrio's new Billy the Kid movie, The Kid starring Dane DeHaan, Ethan Hawke, and Chris Pratt.

On this episode Mike and Pax discuss The Train Robbers from 1973 starring John Wayne, Ann Margaret and Ricardo Montalban.

Michael and Pax talk about the Indonesian Western Buffalo Boys by director Mike Wiluan. Also, Pax reads more Hex (guest-starring Batman!?) and Michael watches Charles Bronson as Wild Bill Hickok in The White Buffalo.

In this episode Michael and Pax discuss the 1969 western classic, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid starring Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and Katharine Ross.

Michael and Pax come back to shoot the breeze about George Stevens' classic Shane, starring Alan Ladd, Van Heflin, and Jean Arthur. Is Marian in love with Shane? Is Joey the most annoying character in cinema? What's up with that ending? And how does Batman fit into all this?

There's also Pony Express mail and short discussions of the Wrong Reel podcast's Billy the Kid episode and a couple of films: Blood on the Moon and Woman Walks Ahead.

On this episode Michael and Pax discuss Robert Redford in the 1972 classic, Jeremiah Johnson, written by John Milius and directed by Syndney Pollack.

This Kevin Costner/Robert Duvall classic is easily the most requested movie that listeners have asked us to cover, so Michael and Pax finally hit the Open Range. Also: Pony Express brings talk of a Western Christmas Carol, the real-life history behind The Night Riders, and the 2003 TV show Peacemakers. And Pax and Michael share some cool, Western comics: El Mestizo and Bat Lash.

On this episode of Hellbent Mike and Pax discuss the 1972 Paul Newman western The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, written by John Milius.

Michael and Pax explore the Three Mesquiteers. They talk about the history of the long-running series, then take a look at Riders of the Whistling Skull, in which Robert Livingstone, Ray Corrigan, and Max Terhune help a woman find her missing father and some lost treasure. Then in The Night Riders, Livingstone is replaced by John Wayne who leads the trio as masked vigilantes fighting an evil land baron.

It's '30s Saturday matinee pulp, but is it any good? The boys find out.

To celebrate the 50th episode of Hellbent for Letterbox, Pax and Michael set aside the Pony Express and Whatchoo Been Westernin' to focus exclusively on the two Young Guns movies starring Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, and a couple of posses' worth of other '80s Brat Packers. 

Michael and Pax are both crazy about Young Guns, but have different opinions about the sequel. It's a great discussion, so make yourself comfortable and settle in for this double-size celebration. 

On this episode Michael and I are discussing Clint Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales from 1976.

Michael and Pax raise the corpse of the DC Comics box office flop to figure out if it's as bad as its reputation and maybe even how to fix it. Jonah Hex stars Josh Brolin, Megan Fox, and John Malkovich and was written (in part) by the notorious Neveldine and Taylor. 

Pax also talks about the 1985 Jonah Hex comics reboot, Hex, and Michael wanders away from comics completely to review 1952's Bend of the River, starry Jimmy Stewart, Julie Adams, and Rock Hudson.

All this and Pony Express!

On this episode of Hellbent Michael and Pax discuss the 1970 spaghetti western A Man Called Sledge starring James Garner and directed by Vic Morrow.

Michael and Pax talk about Walter Hill's misleadingly titled film starring Matt Damon, Jason Patric, Wes Studi, Robert Duvall, and Gene Hackman. 

Also: quick reviews of Rick Geary's The True Death of Billy the Kid and the 1920 silent film, The Daughter of Dawn.

On this episode of Hellbent Mike and Pax talk about the 1986 western comedy Three Amigos starring Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short.  We laugh and quote lines throughout this one, it's a fun show.

Michael and Pax talk at length about the financial and critical disaster that was William Fraker's Legend of the Lone Ranger, starring Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse, and Christopher Lloyd. But along the way, they cover other iterations of the masked rider's adventures, including the original radio dramas, the 1938 serial, the Clayton Moore TV show, and a couple of cartoons. 

Also in this episode: Pony Express mail featuring two lists of Must See Westerns as compiled by comics writer Chuck Dixon:

"Must See" Westerns

A More Advanced List of Western Movies

This time on Hellbent Michael and Pax are discussing the Coen Brothers' re-adaptation of Charles Portis' novel.  We also get in some discussion on the original John Wayne version.

Michael and Pax finally visit the John Ford/John Wayne classic, also starring Claire Trevor, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, Tim Holt, Tom Tyler, and (uh oh?) Andy Devine. 

Also: Pony Express mail and quick reviews of McLintock! (1963) and The Great Missouri Raid (1951).

On this episode of Hellbent Mike and Pax discuss the 1971 East meets West western Red Sun starring Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune, Ursula Andress, and directed by Terence Young.

Michael and Pax giggle and groan over Hal Needham's slapstick comedy starring Kirk Douglas, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Ann-Margret. 

Also: a brief Lone Ranger discussion and mini-reviews of 1967's Hour of the Gun (with James Garner as Wyatt Earp) and Mighty Marvel Western featuring Rawhide Kid, Kid Slade, and Two-Gun Kid.

On this episode Mike and Pax are once again joined by Shawn Robare and this time we are discussing another Raquel Welch vehicle, Hannie Caulder from 1971.  We discuss what we thought of the movie as well as the influence it had on Quentin Tarantino.

Michael and Pax are joined by special guest Shawn Robare (Branded in the '80s, Cult Film Club) to talk about the Netflix mini-series Godless starring Michelle Dockery, Jeff Daniels, and Jack O'Connell.

And in "Whatchoo Been Westernin'?" we discuss the '80s cartoon Bravestarr and the movie Hostiles starring Christian Bale and Wes Studi.

Mike and Pax discuss the podcast on its 2nd anniversary, give a few hints as to what's to come and partake in a little Westernin'.

This episode Mike and Pax are talking about the 1975 western, Bite the Bullet starring Gene Hackman, James Coburn, Candice Bergen and Jan Michael Vincent.  

On this episode, Michael and Pax take a detour from traditional Westerns and talk about Blake Edwards' murder mystery in which Western movie star Tom Mix (Bruce Willis) and Western legend Wyatt Earp (James Garner) try to catch a killer in 1920s Hollywood. 

And as long as we're covering not-quite-Westerns, Michael shares some thoughts about last year's The Hero, starring Sam Elliott, Laura Prepon, Nick Offerman, Krysten Ritter, and Katharine Ross.

In this Hitchin' Post Michael and Pax recast the 1967 spaghetti western Day of Anger with a modern cast!

This time on the show we are talking about the 1967 spaghetti western, Day of Anger, starring the awesome and manly Lee Van Cleef!

It's cold out there, but Michael and Pax stay warm by talking about one of their favorite Westerns, 1994's Maverick with Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner. And in a special "Whatchoo Been Westernin'?" segment, they discuss some of the episodes of the Maverick TV show that they watched, too.

On this episode of Hellbent for Letterbox Mike and Pax discuss the 1968 western Bandolero! starring Jimmy Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch and George Kennedy.

Michael and Pax are joined by special guest Evan Hanson to discuss The Outrage, a remake of Akira Kurosawa's Rashômon, starring Paul Newman, William Shatner, and Edward G Robinson.

And in "Whatchoo Been Westernin'": Grit TV (feat. Death Valley Days), a comics adaptation of True Grit, and Jeff Bridges in Wild Bill.

Mike and Pax delve into the 1992 modern classic Unforgiven starring Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman.

Michael and Pax continue their love affair with Lee Van Cleef by talking about this Spaghetti-inspired, American-made thriller co-starring Warren Oates, Forrest Tucker, Kerwin Mathews, Mariette Hartley, and Marie Gomez. And in "Whatchoo Been Westernin'?": DC Comics' Jonah Hex/Yosemite Sam Special and the Billy the Kid episode of Brad Meltzer's Decoded. 

On this episode Mike and Pax are discussing the western comedy farce, Support Your Local Sheriff! from 1969 starring James Garner, Jack Elam, Bruce Dern, Harry Morgan and Walter Brennan.  We also talk a little bit about the "sequel" Support Your Local Gunfighter from 1971 starring many of the same people but in a completely different story.

Michael and Pax discuss the weird relationships and mega misogyny of Howards Hughes and Hawks' The Outlaw. It's Billy the Kid vs Doc Holliday with Jane Russell and a horse as the prizes (and Pat Garrett kind of crying in the corner, but with a gun in his hand). 

Also: Pony Express mail and quick reviews of The Undertaker and Hombre Rosa comics and the movie Three Godfathers (1936).

On this Hitchin' Post Michael and Pax discuss the two reunion movies for The Wild Wild West starring Robert Conrad and Ross Martin.  We also delve into the 1999 Wild Wild West movie with Will Smith and Kevin Kline.  

This time on Hellbent Pax and Michael discuss the 1965 TV series The Wild Wild West starring Robert Conrad and Ross Martin.  We talk about the stars, we talk about the villains, we go all through our favorite episodes.  It's a deep dive into the 4 season long TV series.

Michael and Pax finally watch the epic classic from directors Henry Hathaway, John Ford, and George Marshall; starring Carroll Baker, Debbie Reynolds, Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck, and George Peppard. And with cameos by everyone else alive at the time.

Does it live up to its reputation? Will the fellas finally be able to tell it apart from Once Upon a Time in the West? Only one way to find out.

Also: Pony Express mail and quick reviews of The Way West (1967) and The War Wagon (1967).

This episode Michael and Pax delve back into the world of spaghetti westerns with the Lee Van Cleef vehicle, Sabata, about a supernaturally accurate gun for hire and the crazy cast of characters he meets on the job.  

Michael and Pax deal with the shock of realizing that Tom Gries' 100 Rifles is not the light-hearted heist movie they expected from the cast of Jim Brown, Raquel Welch, and Burt Reynolds. But before they get to that, there's some discussion of the TV show Rawhide, the comic book Brimstone, and the 1965 film Cat Ballou.

Closing music for this episode by Daniel Pemberton from his score to The Man from UNCLE (2015).

Much of our discussion with guest Chris Schweizer happened outside of the shows we recorded.  Here's a part of our discussion where we talk about a bunch of different western movies and books.

Michael and Pax are once again joined by Chris Schweizer to talk about Lawrence Kasdan's 1994 historical biopic, Wyatt Earp, starring Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid.  And a literal cast of thousands.  We talk a bit about the history of the movie, we talk about Costner during the mid 90s, we also compare this movie a lot with Tombstone.  It's a good juicy discussion.  Join us!

After a brief in memoriam for Bill Paxton, Michael and Pax are joined by historical-adventure comics writer/artist Chris Schweizer (The Crogan Adventures) for the first part of an OK Corral double-feature. Chris brings his extensive knowledge of the turbulent making of Tombstone as well as the original script. What works, what doesn't, and how did the movie get that way? We talk about it all in this extra meaty discussion. 

And in "Whatchoo Been Westernin'?" we cover Jeff Guinn's book The Last Gunfight, the recent Western episode of Timeless, and a couple of not-so-recent episodes of Tales of Wells Fargo.

In this episode of Hellbent Michael and Pax discuss the 1985 ensemble western Silverado starring Scott Glenn, Kevin Kline, Danny Glover, Kevin Costner, Brian Dennehy and Jeff Goldblum.  

Pax and Michael dig into the first '30s Western on the podcast, George Marshall's Destry Rides Again starring Marlene Dietrich and Jimmy Stewart. And in "Whatcha Been Westerning," Michael recommends The Duel (2016) starring Woody Harrelson and Liam Hemsworth.

Pax and Michael discuss the 2007 remake of 3:10 to Yuma starring Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Ben Foster, Peter Fonda and Alan Tudyk.

Pax and Michael discuss one of Budd Boetticher and Randolph Scott's many collaborations. Ride Lonesome also stars James Best, Pernell Roberts, James Coburn, Karen Steele, and Lee Van Cleef. Plus: Season 1 of Westworld and Marvel's Apache Skies mini-series by John Ostrander and Leonardo Manco.

This week Pax and Michael discuss the 1989 TV series, The Young Riders, starring Ty Miller, Stephen Baldwin and Josh Brolin.   We talk about the premise of the show, the obvious connections to the Young Guns franchise and whether or not we thought it succeeded on its own merits.

Pax and Michael discuss Danish director Kristian Levring's The Salvation, starring Mads Mikkelsen, Eva Green, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Also: HBO's Westworld, Warlock (1959), Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957), and listener mail!

Before he was Doctor McCoy, DeForest Kelley was a cowboy. On this Hitchin' Post episode of Hellbent for Letterbox, Michael visits with author Kristine M Smith whose freelance writing career was launched by DeForest Kelley in 1969. It was DeForest and his wife Carolyn who encouraged Kris to try Hollywood on for size, which she did from 1989 to 2003. Most of Kris’s Hollywood career was spent at Warner Bros. Studios.

Kris served as Mr. Kelley’s personal assistant and caregiver during the final months of his life and presented heartfelt sentiments about her mentor at Paramount Studios' memorial service for him in 1999.

She has written two books about him: DeForest Kelley Up Close and Personal, A Harvest of Memories from the Fan Who Knew Him Best (2016) and The Enduring Legacy of DeForest Kelley: Actor, Healer, Friend.

For an extensive list of DeForest Kelley’s motion picture and TV westerns with links to information about each one and additional links to snippets of his performances, visit Kris' website at YellowBalloonPublications.com. You can also find reviews and excerpts from her books there.

Also visit Cowboys & Indians magazine for information on the November-December issue - on newsstands NOW as this episode is being released - featuring Kris' article about Kelley's Westerns. 

Pax and Michael are joined again by DiGio and Bloom of the Classic Film Jerks podcast. One of our favorite parts of the Classic Film Jerks show is when they re-cast older movies with modern actors, so we did that with 1988's Young Guns, each of us picking new actors to play the six main characters and maybe a side character or three. 

Michael and Pax welcome our very first guests this episode.  We are joined by Digio and Bloom from the Classic Film Jerks podcast and all four of us discuss the classic western remake, The Magnificent Seven, starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke.

Pax and Michael get ready for the upcoming remake by sitting down with the original Magnificent Seven starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, Brad Dexter, Horst Buchholz, and Eli Wallach.

We also revisit DC's Justice Riders, talk over Chuck Dixon and John Buscema's Punisher: A Man Named Frank, discuss Sam Shepard as Butch Cassidy in Blackthorn, follow up on Bo Hampton's 3 Devils, converse on Kid Colt Outlaw #171 (guest-starring the Two-Gun Kid), and gab about early John Wayne movies Sagebrush Trail and Riders of Destiny.

In this special Hitchin' Post Michael and Pax delve a little bit more into Sergio Leone's influences by discussing the 1961 samurai classic Yojimbo by Akira Kurosawa which was the influence behind A Fistful of Dollars.  We also discuss the 1998 TV movie Dollar for the Dead starring Emilio Estevez which itself was inspired by Leone's Dollars Trilogy.

In this episode, Pax and Michael finish Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy with the epic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach. It's the longest of the trilogy, but is it the best? And how does it fit in with the other two?

Tune in as we hash that out, right after a discussion of the Weird Western comic The Sixth Gun, William R. Cox's novel The Gunsharp, the 1967 film Hombre, DC's Justice Riders, and "The Origin of Kid Colt" from Kid Colt, Outlaw #170. 

All this and listener mail!

Pax and Michael continue exploring the Dollars Trilogy with the second installment, For a Few Dollars More, starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and a bunch of Sergio Leone's other favorite actors. We talk about the difference in Eastwood's character between Fistful of Dollars and this one, and we also start the discussion of whether or not the Dollars Trilogy works as a straightforward story of one man's adventures in the West. Plus: much love for Van Cleef and Gian Maria Volontè.

In our "Whatchoo Been Westerning?" segment, we cover the Vertigo comics series El Diablo by Brian Azzarello and Danijel Zezelj, John Ostrander and Leonardo Manco's Blaze of Glory for Marvel, Alejandro Iñárritu's film The Revenant, and Elmore Leonard's classic novel Hombre.

In this episode Mike and Pax start their three episode look at Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy.  We start with the movie that made Clint Eastwood a star, 1964's A Fistful of Dollars.  We talk about our history with this movie, we talk about Clint's performance, Ennio Morricone's score and we even discuss the rarely seen 4 minute CBS TV prologue filmed with Harry Dean Stanton.

At last! Pax and Michael discuss one of the greatest Westerns of all time. Or at least, certainly one of their very favorites. Grab your feather cape and gather 'round the campfire as we talk about the comedy classic starring Tom Berenger, GW Bailey, Marilu Henner, Sela Ward, Andy Griffith, and Carson from Downton Abbey.

Also up for discussion are the comic book series Six-Gun Gorilla, Trailblazer, and The Sixth Gun, the role-playing game Deadlands (which Michael can't remember the name of), Gary Cooper in 1929's The Virginian, Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson's Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights, and the pulp magazine adventures of Senorita Scorpion. 

Michael and Pax this week are watching the John Ford classic The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance starring Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Vera Miles, Lee Van Cleef and Woody Strode.  Before we talk about the movie we mention other things we're doing like reading the comics Galveston, Manifest Destiny, Kid Colt Outlaw and watching the movie The Big Trail starring a young John Wayne. 87bbvdpk

Pax and Michael bring noodles and meatballs to the campfire with the podcast's first Spaghetti Western episode. It's the Sergio Leone classic, How the West... no, wait... Once Upon a Time in the West. Keep getting those confused. Pax also shares Western reads To Hell on a Fast Horse and the two Rawhide Kid mini-series, Slap Leather and The Sensational Seven. Michael discusses the weirdness of the Shirley Temple short, Pie-Covered Wagon.

This week Michael and Pax are talking about The Quick and the Dead from 1995 directed by Sam Raimi and starring Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe.  

Pax and Michael discuss the recent movie, Forsaken starring Kiefer and Donald Sutherland, Demi Moore, Brian Cox, and Michael Wincott. We also briefly touch on the concept of contemporary Westerns and whether or not those scratch the Western itch for us.

In this bonus episode Pax and Michael each picked a movie that was based on the themes and plots of High Noon, which we previously talked about in episode 5.  First, Michael chooses Outland from 1981 starring Sean Connery in a sci-fi take on the High Noon concept.  Next Pax chooses a 1980 TV movie sequel called High Noon II: The Return of Will Kane starring Lee Majors, David Carradine and Pernell Roberts.  

Mike and Pax talk about the 1952 western classic, High Noon, starring Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly and Lloyd Bridges.  We talk about likes and we talk about a surprising number of dislikes.  Come see if we wind up liking High Noon.

Michael and Pax discuss the 1958 epic starring Gregory Peck, Charlton Heston, Jean Simmons, Chuck Connors, and Sam the Snowman. Also: Pax talks about the TV shows Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, and The Wild Wild West, while Michael mentions Tumbleweeds (1925) and Jesse James (1939). Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck may come up as well.

Michael and Pax talk about Kurt Russell's other 2015 western, Bone Tomahawk.

Michael and Pax are back to talk about The Keeping Room starring Brit Marling, Hailee Steinfeld, Muna Otaru, and Sam Worthington. Proving the diverse possibilities of the Western genre, this one's set in the South, has horror influences, and a predominately female cast. We also briefly discuss other recent Westerns, Jane Got a Gun and The Hateful Eight. 

Welcome to the very first episode of Hellbent for Letterbox.  This is a new monthly podcast hosted by Michael May and Paxton Holley talking about Westerns.  In this episode Michael and Pax introduce themselves and start setting up camp, talking about their love of the Western genre including movies, TV shows and books.  They also talk about what to expect from this show each month and Michael reveals what movie we'll be reviewing in our next episode.