A Cowboy's Christmas Prayer

I ain't much good at prayin', and you may not know me, Lord-
I ain't much seen in churches where they preach Thy Holy Word,
But you may have observed me out here on the lonely plains,
A-looking after cattle, feelin thankful when it rains,
Admirin' Thy great handiwork, the miracle of grass,
Aware of thy kind spirit in the way it comes to pass
That hired men on horseback and the livestock that we tend
Can look up at the stars at night and know we've got a Friend.

So here's ol' Christmas comin' on, remindin' us again
Of Him whose coming brought good will into the hearts of men
A cowboy ain't no preacher, Lord, but if you'll hear my prayer,
I'll ask as good as we have got for all men everywhere.
Don't let no hearts be bitter, Lord; don't let no child be cold.
Make easy beds for them that's sick, and them that's weak and old.
Let kindness bless the trail we ride, no matter what we're after,
And sorta keep us on Your side, in tears as well as laughter.

I've seen old cows a-starvin', and it ain't no happy sight;
Please don't leave no one hungry, Lord, on Thy good Christmas Night,
No man, no child, no woman, and no critter on four feet-
I'll aim to do my best to help You find 'em chuck to eat.

I'm just a sinful cowpoke, Lord -ain't got no business prayin' -
But still I hope You'll ketch a word or two what I am sayin'
We speak of Merry Christmas, Lord - I reckon You'll agree
There ain't no Merry Christmas for nobody that ain't free.
So one thing more I'll ask You, Lord, just help us what you can,
To save some seed for freedom for the future sons of man!

S. Omar Barker

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL WHO READ MY BLOG!

A FEW DOLLARS FOR DJANGO

Pochi dollari per Django - Italian title
Alambradas de violencia - Spanish title
Django no perdona - Argentinian title
Poucos dolares para Django - Brazilian title
Django vestens skrappeste mand - Danish title
Een paar dollars voor Django - Dutch title
Sankari Montanasta - Finnish title
Quelques dollars pour Django - French title
Bravo Django - French title
Django kennt kein Erbarmen - German title
Django: T'onoma mou einai 'Thanatos' - Greek title
Trypia dolaria sto Far West - Greek title
Poucos Dólares por Django - Portuguese title
Nagra fa dollar for Django - Swedish title
Some Dollars for Django - English title
Django a Bullet for You - U.S.A. title
A Few Dollars for Gypsy - U.S.S. TV title
A Few Dollars for Django - English title

A 1966 Italian, Spanish co-production [Marco Film (Rome), R.M. Films (Madrid)]
Producer: Marino Girolami
Director: León Klimovsky (León Dulfano), Enzo G. Castellari (Enzo Girolami)
Story: Manuel Sebares, Tito Carpi (Fiorenzo Carpi)
Screenplay: Manuel Sebares, Tito Carpi (Fiorenzo Carpi)
Cinematography: Aldo Penelli [Eastmancolor, Techniscope]
Music: Carlo Savina
Song: “There Will Come a Morning” sung by Don Powell
Running time: 89 minutes

Cast:
Regan/Django - Antony Steffen (Antonio de Teffe)
Sally Norton - Gloria Demme (Gloria Osuna)
Jim Norton - Frank Wolff
Trevor Norton - Frank Wolff
Sam Lister - Thomas Moore (Enio Girolami)
Amos Brandsbury/Brownsberg - Alfonso Rojas (Alfonso González)
Buck Dago - José Luis Lluch
Barkley - Alfonso de la Vega
Graham - Joe Kamel (Giuseppe Frisaldi)
Mayor Fisher - Tomás Zalde (José Zalde)
Smitty - Ángel Ter
farmer - Enzo Castellari (Enzo Girolami)
judge - Sandalio Hernández
Freeman - Joaquin Parra
with: Félix Fernández (Félix Garcia), Gonzalo Esquiroz

Regan/Django, a bounty hunter is hired by the bank to recover loot stolen by the notorious Jim Norton and his gang of bandits. Without much trouble he manages to track down, kill most of the criminals and return the filthy lucre to it's rightful owners. The only slight problem is that he is unable to capture Jim Norton - who has apparently been murdered in a gunfight elsewhere. Not entirely persuaded by this story, he decides to journey to Montana , where the villain's 'twin brother' Trevor happens to live.

Montana , however, is in the grip of an escalating range war between the farmers, who want to erect barbed wire fences around their land, and the ranchers, who want the right for their cattle to roam freely. Matters are especially tense in Miles City , the town where Regan ends up - mistaken as the new sheriff (and equipped with essential diminutive, alcoholic, cackling deputy).

His workload immediately become burdensome. The ranchers are led by a particularly unappealing individual called Bransbury, whose credentials are cemented by the way in which he regularly twists the ends of his moustache in a caddish fashion. The farmers, suffering from his unpleasant habit of burning down their property, have formed a resistance group, led by. Trevor Norton. Trevor, despite appearances, believes in peace and seems to be an essentially good man; only willing to fight when pushed into having no options. He also has a pretty niece, Sally, to whom Regan soon takes a shine.

Adding to the already complicated story is the fact that Bransbury has also hired a couple of killers, Buck Dago and Sam, who were coincidentally members of the original Norton gang. They realize the new identity of their old boss and are determined to find out what exactly has happened to the money that they helped steal. - Matt Blake

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivqOnb_Nkic

Who are Those Gals? - Carroll Baker

Karolina Piekarski was born on December 28, 1931 in Johnston, Pennsylvania. Her father was a traveling salesman. She attended community college for a year and then found work as a dancer and a magicians assistant. She won a beauty contest as Miss Florida Fruits and Vegetables in 1959. After a brief marriage to a furrier named Lou Ritterand and had a small part in “Easy to Love” (1953), she then enrolled in the Actors Studio in 1954. She then appeared in a bit part on Broadway and made a few commercials. During her studies at the Actors Studio she met and married director Jack Garfein [1930- ] (1955-1969). From their marriage their daughter, actress Blanche Baker [1956- ] was born. Warner Brothers sensing a future Marilyn Monroe cast her in 1956's “Giant” and “Baby Doll” for which she received an Oscar nomination. She found her greatest success during the 1960s. Appearing in “How the West Was Won” (1962), “The Carpetbaggers” and “Cheyenne Autumn” both in 1964, and as Jean Harlow in “Harlow” and “The Greatest Story Ever Told” both in 1965. She moved to Italy in the late 1960s and appeared in Italian, German, British and Mexican films. Among which was her only Euro-western “Captain Apache” in 1970 opposite Lee Van Cleef. She returned to American films and married actor Donald Burton [1934-2007] (1982-2000). Today Carroll Baker is currently living in London, England.


BAKER, Carrol (aka Carrol Baker) (Karolina Piekarski) [5/28/1931, Johnston, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. - ] - writer, stage, TV actress, married to director, screenwriter Jack Garfein [1930- ] (1955-1969), actor Donald Burton [1934-2007] (1982-2007), mother of actress Blanche Baker [1956- ].
Captain Apache - 1970 (Maude)

Remembering Hannes Fischer

Hannes Fischer was born on December 23, 1925, Berlin, Germany. He studied acting at the Deutches Theater in Berlin from 1947-1949. After graduation while still at the Deutches theater he worked as an actor and theater director. He acted at the Mecklenburg State Theater of Schwerin and in major stage productions at the Volksbühne Berlin. During his stage career he also acted in films from 1954 until the mid 1980s. Among his film appearances was one Euro-western “White Wolves” (1969). Fischer died on January 23, 1989 in Dresden, Germany. Today we remember Hannes Fischer on what would have been his 85th birthday.

A FEW BULLETS MORE

El hombre que mató a Billy el Niño - Spanish title
...E divenne il più spietato bandito del sud - Italian title
Minä ammuin Billy the Kidin - Finnish title
L’homme qui a tue billy le kid - French title
Seine Steckbrief ist kein Heiligenbild - German title
Billy, o megalos paranomos - Greek title
O homen que matou Billy the Kid - Portuguese title
Mannen som skot ‘Billy the Kid’ Minä ammuin Billy the Kidin - Swedish title

A 1967 Spanish, Italian co-production [Aitor Film (Madrid), Kinesis Films (Rome)]
Producers: Silvio Pattistini, Ricardo Sanz
Director: J. Buchs (Julio Garcia)
Story: Julio Buchs (Julio Garcia), José Mallorqui, Federico de Urruti
Screenlay: Julio Buchs (Julio Garcia), Federico de Urruti
Cinematography: Miguel F. Mila (Miguel Fernández Mila), Domenico Scala [Eastmancolor
Totalvision]
Music: Gianni Ferrio (Giovanni Ferrio)
Running time: 103 minutes

Cast:
Billy Bonney - Peter Lee Lawrence (Karl Hirenbach)
Pat Garrett - Fausto Tozzi
Helen Tunstill - Diane Zura (Dianik Zurakowska)
Mrs. Bonney - Gloria Milland (Maria Fié)
Murphy - Carlos Casaravilla (Carlos Rios)
John Tunstill - Antonio Pica (Antonio Serrano)
MacGregor - Enrique Ávila
Peter MacGregor - Miguel Palenzuela
Heredia - José Canalejas
peddler - Paco Sanz (Francisco Sanz)
Mark Liston - Luis Rivera
vaquero - Barta Barry (Bernabe Barri)
Tunstill foreman - Alfonso Rojas (Alfonso Gonzalez)
Señor Huerte - Luis Prendes (Luis Estrada)
Señora Huerte - Margot Cottens (Margot Costa)
Philip Martin - Antonio Molino Rojo
townsmen - Luis Barboo, Santiago Rivero, Miguel Armario
MacGregor henchman - Emilio Rodriquez
Francisco - Tito Garcia (Pablo Gonzalez)
Garcia - Milo Quesada (Raul Alonso)
gravedigger - Manuel Alexandre (Manuel Abarca)
Sheriff of Lincoln - Tomás Blanco (Tomás Garcia)
Teniente - Miguel de la Riva
Greg - Gonzalo Esquiroz
Hols - Alfonso de la Vega
Mexican - Simón Arriaga
Morris - Luis Induni (Luigi Radici), José Canalejas
Cotilla - María Isbert (María Soriano)
teamster - Frank Braña (Francisco Pérez), Fernando Bilbao, Antonio Cintado, Alvaro de Luna
gamblers - Angel Menendez, Antonio Orengo (Antonio Alonso)
with: Orlando Baralla, Carmen Porcel, Alfredo Santa Cruz (Alfredo Santacruz), Adriano Dominguez, Erasmo Pascual (Erasmo Colmenero), José Orjas (José González), Vicente Roca, Rufino Inglés

Billy Bonney, witnesses an attack on his mother by a criminal. He is forced to intervene, killing the attacker. The danger of vengeance by the powerful brother of the murdered man, leads the boy to leave the country, it also recommended by Pat Garrett, a friend of his father. But one of his victim's brothers follows him and once again Billy has to kill in self-defense. By now, even without meaning to, his fame has spread and when legendary gunman is about to begin a quieter life - made through a happy friendship with John Tunstall, a peaceful farmer, and the love of his daughter. When John is murdered, Billy is forced to become a bandit and when the governor of the state offers all the outlaws of the territory a complete amnesty, provided they abandon their weapons and devote themselves to peaceful occupations, Billy surrenders to Pat Garrett, who has became sheriff, and hands over his weapons. An old enemy assassinate him from a distance. The boy has now paid for the severity of his errors without ever being able to rebuild his life honestly, because of the wickedness of others.

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcsUeVRCJsg

First Day of Winter 2010

GALLOWWALKER

GallowWalker - International title

A 2006 U.S.A., U.K. co-production [Sheer Films (London)]
Producers: Jack Bowyer, Hamish Skeggs
Director: Andrew Goth
Story: Andrew Goth
Screenplay: Andrew Goth, Joanne Reay
Cinematography: Henner Hofmann [color]
Music: Stephen Warbeck
Running time: 90 minutes

Cast:
Aman - Wesley Snipes
Fabulos - Riley Smith
Kansa - Kevin Howarth
Angel - Tanit Phoenix
Apollo Jones - Steven Elder (Steven Lawrence)
Marshal Gaza - Patrick Bergin
Scorpius - Dallas Page (Page Falkenberg)
Mistress - Jenny Gago
Sueno - Alyssa Pridham
Forty Bold - Alex Avant
Hool - Hector Hank
Kisscut - Simona Brhlikova
Slip Knot - Jonathan Garcia
Bubis - Jack Bowyer
Red - Arthur Berezin
Mosca - Derek Griffiths
Hool gang members - Joe Zmztsky, Pierre Roos
one legged prisoner officer - Willem Venter
Soprano - Shani Maritz
Poe - Vilo Vilonel
Cunny - Sean Naude
church elders - Derek Soutwork, Wotan Swiegers
Aman’s mother - Vicky Moller-Forbes
young Aman - Frederick Haraseb
pulley driver - Roberto Husselmann
church novice - Martin Strauss

When a nun broke her covenant with God to save the life of Aman, her unborn son, he was cursed for life. As an adult, Aman has killed those who have crossed him, but his curse brings his victims back to life, and as the undead they puruse him endlessly for revenge. Forever suffering this curse, Aman, enlists the help of Fabulos, a young gunman, to fight by his side against the undead victims.


[With Wesley Snipes now serving a three year prison sentence for tax evasion this long awaited film will most likely be released only on DVD. Since it’s been in the production state for four years the film was completed in 2010 but has still not been scheduled for release. I’ve decided to post it before this year is up.]

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5fhixV9c9M