May 21, 2011 johnny guitar is an unusual western movie from 1954. Johnny guitar sterling hayden travels to a saloon owned. The production history of johnny guitar alluded to in david thomsons have you seen. Indeed, some critics see it as a strong feminist statement, while others emphasize the films unintentional gaycampy sensibility.
Mcivers gives vienna and the four 24 hours to clear out. And, of all the genres, american filmmakers belonging to the studio era preferred the western to express their social concerns of the time. Johnny guitar internet movie firearms database guns in. Taos unlimited movie locations of the great southwest. Western icon ben cooper, known for movies like johnny. Johnny guitar holds a potentially familiar quality for contemporary firsttime viewers steeped more in the american westerns european descendants than in vintage homegrown horse opera. In johnny guitar 1954, directed by nicholas ray and filmed in sedona, arizona, cooper rode the same horse that carried alan ladd in shane. Ringo, the mark of vengeance western movie, spaghetti western, english, full. Im 61 and i have a very hard time finding older westerns i havent seen or at least dont remember seeing. The timely arrival of johnny guitar thwarts emmas dark plans, but doesnt prevent a.
Jun 20, 2007 johnny guitar can be viewed and enjoyed on different levels. Johnny westerns television show, which allowed him to sing to his young audience before introducing the days western movie, lasted for two years. The movie was selected for preservation in the united states national film registry. When four men hold up a stagecoach and kill a man the town officials, led by emma small, come to the saloon to grab four of viennas friends, the dancin kid and his men. Johnny guitar is an unusual western movie from 1954. As hes leaving, young gunman turkey ralston ben cooper shows off and johnny guitar grabs a gun and bests him. Feb 26, 2020 actor ben cooper has died at the age of 86. During this period, he got to play concerts with western stars such as rex allen and tex ritter, and had them as guests on his show. Ray had a knack for finding subversive subtexts in standard material, and on the surface johnny guitar s outlaws on the run, factions battling over a towns future, and love and betrayal among the tumbleweeds seem like the stuff of a typical western. Johnny guitar is a 1954 western drama directed by nicholas ray. Ben cooper, who portrayed the bandit turkey ralston in the joan crawford drama johnny guitar, just one of his many appearances in westerns on. Nicholas rays johnny guitar 1954 is surely one of the most blatant psychosexual melodramas ever to disguise itself in that most commodious of genres, the western. This is the titular johnny guitar sterling hayden, who initially spends his time fending off hostility both from mcivers and his group and from four apparent outlawminers, especially bart lonergan ernest borgnine.
The screenplay was adapted from a novel by roy chanslor. Aug 03, 2012 johnny guitar holds a potentially familiar quality for contemporary firsttime viewers steeped more in the american westerns european descendants than in vintage homegrown horse opera. One of nicholas rays best films, the garish, fullcolor freudian western is an amazing, weird. Johnny guitar was adapted to a campy stage musical in 2004 story. He is a member of the western music association hall of fame and the country music disc jockey hall of fame. Drama, action, western, adventure movie 1954 gambling house operator vienna seeks control of a town as archrival emma small sets out to force vienna out of town.
Johnny guitar is a 1954 american trucolor western drama film directed by nicholas ray starring joan crawford, sterling hayden, mercedes mccambridge, and. Sep 28, 2016 so what does that mean for family tv night. His character, in a gang with ernest borgnine, royal. Compared to other westerns, johnny guitar is high artrichly atmospheric and with noir elements that will remind viewers of such dramatic films as key largo. Nicholas rays 1954 gem, starring joan crawford and sterling hayden, is an extraordinary psychological drama.
James adds that spaghetti western is a subgenre of instrumental surf rock, and it might or might not include horns, spanish guitar, unusual percussion and organ. Watch johnny guitar streaming online hulu free trial. The action centers on a twostory saloon outside town, but we never even see town, except for a bank facade and interior set. Johnny guitar is a western drama film starring sterling hayden, joan crawford, mercedes mccambridge, scott brady and directed by nicholas. Western icon ben cooper, known for movies like johnny guitar. This movie is a western in the same way that the three stooges films are philosophical. The timely arrival of johnny guitar thwarts emmas plans, but doesnt prevent a showdown between the women. Nov 30, 2012 johnny guitar is a difficult film to describe. Its worth watching and telling others to watch if they love the 1950s era or good western action films.
Rays contrast of modern issues with the landscape of the western genre makes this movie particularly interesting. Western movie star ben cooper, famous for his portrayal of the bandit turkey ralston in the joan crawford drama johnny guitar, has. Feb 26, 2020 ben cooper, who portrayed the bandit turkey ralston in the joan crawford drama johnny guitar, just one of his many appearances in westerns on television and the big screen, has died. Agent lew wasserman had cobbled together the project and enlisted the author of the. Ben cooper, western star of johnny guitar and bonanza. In 1954, however, he gave up the program, heading for hollywood. American audiences didnt know what to make of it in 1954. Imagine a gunfight, a posse hot on the trail of an outlaw or even a lonely latenight ride through the desert all while listening to spaghetti western music. Johnny guitar is a film that overflows with such melodramatic passion and visual excess that even the most baroque westerns of the day, like fritz langs rancho notorious, seem straitlaced by comparison. Released november th, 1998, johnny guitar stars joan crawford, sterling hayden, mercedes mccambridge, scott brady the movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 50 min, and received a score of out of.
Johnny guitarjoan crawford, sterlling hayden, mercedes mccambridge, ward bond, scott brady, ernest borgnine, ben cooper, royal. Ben cooper, an actor known for his appearances in johnny guitar, bonanza and rawhide, has died at age 86, his family announced monday evening. Vienna stands strong against them, and is aided by the presence of an old acquaintance of hers, johnny guitar, who is. Imagine the notoriously deadly old west and an unarmed cowboy with only a guitar. Its not the kind of movie you pop in for mindless entertainment. Watch johnny guitar starring joan crawford in this western on directv. Rays contrast of modern issues with the landscape of the western genre makes this movie. Crawfords former love interest reappears in her saloon, and he, sterling hayden as johnny guitar, is twelve years younger than she in real life but crawford plays her role as vienna as if she was, in reality, 25.
Johnny guitar simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Rays johnny guitar is like no other western that i have ever seen. Starring joan crawford and sterling hayden the following firearms were used in the film johnny guitar. Nicholas ray s johnny guitar 1954 is surely one of the most blatant psychosexual melodramas ever to disguise itself in that most commodious of genres, the western. Relentlessly feminist, johnny guitar examines the costs of a womans independent action through lurid, violent exaggeration. Johnny guitar 1954 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Jan 10, 2019 director nicholas ray brings us a western of a whole other stripe, casting joan crawford as a woman with gumption in the cult classic johnny guitar. Play the guitar, play it again, my johnny maybe youre cold but youre so warm inside i was always a fool for my johnny for the one they call johnny guitar play it again. A mysterious gunslinger sterling hayden rides back into the town where vienna joan crawford rides herd in johnny guitar 1954. In 2008, johnny guitar was selected for preservation in the united states national film registry by the library of congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. Its worth watching and telling others to watch if they love the 1950s era or good western. Johnny guitar can be viewed and enjoyed on different levels. It turns out his real name is johnny logan, and he and vienna have a lot of history, although they havent seen each other in five years. Director nicholas ray brings us a western of a whole other stripe, casting joan crawford as a woman with gumption in the cult classic johnny guitar.
Ben cooper, a western star of films and tv like johnny guitar, bonanza, rawhide and more, died in his sleep on monday according to his nephew on the actors facebook fan page. For the longest time, i simply thought that i wouldnt like johnny guitar. According to the actors nephew, pete searls, cooper, who appeared in a slew of westerns on television and film over the years, died in his sleep. He was a founder member of rory storm and the hurricanes, the first. Ben cooper, western icon of johnny guitar and gunsmoke. While it certainly is all of theseand moreits about time it was acclaimed for it what it really is.
And also one of the boldest and most stylized films of its time, quirky, political, twisted. Its not a typical formulaic western with a strong male hero rescuing a damsel in distress. On the outskirts of town, the hardnosed vienna joan crawford owns a saloon frequented by the undesirables of the region, including dancin kid scott brady and his gang. Johnny guitar is a film that is many things to many people, from camp spectacular to revisionist epic, and nearly every interpretation seems spoton. There are numerous ways to consider this film as an outsider.
When i saw the title i was very familiar with the song johnny guitar. Released november th, 1998, johnny guitar stars joan crawford, sterling hayden, mercedes mccambridge, scott brady the movie has a runtime of about. Starring joan crawford, sterling hayden and mercedes mccambridge, it is very untypical of the genre. Yet, johnny johnny guitar was a shocking disappointment to me.
Few westerns more obviously begged the question what was the studio thinking. Feb 27, 2020 ben cooper, a western star of films and tv like johnny guitar, bonanza, rawhide and more, died in his sleep on monday according to his nephew on the actors facebook fan page. Its amazing that for how popular this movie is i had never seen it till i just watched here on prime. The thought of joan crawford in a classic western was just too much for my mind to take in. A personal introduction to 1,000 films reinforces his conviction that its difficult to approach johnny guitar as the result of any kind of sensible process. Watch johnny guitar online stream full movie directv. Well, johnny guitar isnt a guilty pleasure, thats for sure. Johnny western born october 28, 1934 is an american country singersongwriter, musician, actor, and radio show host. I really love what i have seen of joan crawford and sterling hayden, so having the two of them as the leads made this one seem like a slam dunk.
Guitar is the pseudonym for johnny logan, a notorious gunslinger who retired five years ago. Western movie star ben cooper, famous for his portrayal of the bandit turkey ralston in the joan crawford drama johnny guitar, has passed away his. Johnny guitar, nicholas rays low budget trucolor western made under the republic pictures banner, starts off, like any other western, with a lone drifter riding into a remote, sparsely populated frontier town. Dont get me wrong, i love both joan crawford and classic westerns, but the two somehow combined in absurdity didnt seem like a good idea to me. The battle of wills was not between two male gunfighters, but rather between two strong women. Though it looked and felt like a traditional western, it was like nothing they had ever seen. Joan crawford is incredible as the toughest lady gun in the west. Ray had a knack for finding subversive subtexts in standard material, and on the surface johnny guitars outlaws on the run, factions battling over a towns future, and love and betrayal among the tumbleweeds seem like the stuff of a typical western. Bonanza and johnny guitar star ben cooper dead at age 86. Jun 21, 2019 imagine a gunfight, a posse hot on the trail of an outlaw or even a lonely latenight ride through the desert all while listening to spaghetti western music.
Though the setting, the characters, and the wardrobe fit into a typical western, johnny guitar starts off quite unpredictably and stays this way till the end. A unique western where two women are the centre of the movie, possibly emma hates vienna because she is in love with her and vienna doesnt love her even if emma apparently is in love with the dancin kid who is viennas lover. Vienna stands strong against them, and is aided by the presence of an old acquaintance of hers, johnny guitar, who is not what he seems. Joan crawford explodes off the screen in this heady, freudian western masterpiece. A brief introduction to spaghetti western guitar with. Johnny guitar 1954 in the fifties, the western genre experienced a revitalization that saw new approaches to the form. Toss them in a western with nicholas ray at the helm and oh boy do we have a winner. Western language english director nicholas ray cast. Johnny guitar is a 1954 american trucolor western drama film directed by nicholas ray starring joan crawford, sterling hayden, mercedes mccambridge, and scott brady. Cooper, who starred in dozens of westerns, including johnny guitar and gunsmoke, died in his sleep in memphis, tennessee on monday, feb. Johnny guitar 1998 stream and watch online moviefone.