Pete, regarding the western set you just got, I must confess I've only seen a few of them, the two John Wayne movies which were from his "B" western days...those are cheaply made westerns (usually shot in about a week) and with a short running time, about an hour each. They're not a bad way to spend an hour or two if you can get in a nostalgiac mood...grab your cowboy hat and a cap pistol and have at it! I looked up the others in "Western Movies", a Leonard Maltin-like review book except that only westerns are covered. Here are some short comments on the other films...
Powder Keg--"Pretty fair action drama which resulted in the brief TV series 'The Bearcats'".
boot Hill--"Rather complicated and somewhat hard-to-follow spaghetti western."
To The Last Man--"Excellently told, highly recommended." Directed by Henry Hathaway who would go on to direct True Grit a mere 38 years later.
Song of Arizona--"Fairly lively actioner in the Roy Rogers series."
Rage At Dawn--"Pretty good Randolph Scott vehicle with a good script, direction and cast."
This Man Can't Die--"Pretty good spaghetti westerner which should please Guy Madison fans."
Cry Blood Apache--"Pretty anemic actioner enhanced only by Joel McCrea's brief cameo." (Though you list Joel McCrea for this movie, the real star is Joel's son Jody McCrea.)
The Hellbenders--"Highly actionful but statical Italian oater with a fine performance by Joseph Cotten."
It Can Be Done Amigo--"Amusing, rambling Spanish-made oater with little bloodshed."
Chino--"Entertaining and colorful Charles Bronson vehicle made in Spain."
Kid Vengeance--"Overly violent oater filmed in Israel." (Wow, remember when westerns used to be made in the U.S.?)
My Outlaw Brother--"More than passable actioner."
Desperate Mission--"Ricardo Montalban good in the title role, but overall a mediocre film."
The Hanged Man--"Better-than-average oater made for television."
Between God, The Devil and a Winchester--This movie isn't listed in the two books I looked in...which means it either didn't play in this country or did under a different title or (most likely) is such a minor western they chose not to include it in either book.
The Grand Duel--"Another typically violent Western from Europe..."
The Sundowners--"Pretty well done action melodrama" (and I think it was done in America, woo-hoo!)
White Comanche--"Made in Italy, this is one of the better 1960s European westerns, enhanced by good work by Joseph Cotten and William Shatner, the latter in a dual role."
As I have said, I have only seen the pair of John Wayne movies but I also have White Comanche (which I have put off watching because my copy doesn't have particularly good video quality) and the two Randolph Scott westerns. I should watch the Scott movies soon since they got good notices here. But next time, buy some American westerns!
