April 24, 2006
Yesterday afternoon Kathy went to Blockbuster and got “Capote” and “The Squid And The Whale.” I watched “Capote” on my laptop while I painted on Sue (see image below). It’s so amazing to me that I can slide this little disk into a laptop and watch a movie on a shelf? Incredible. That said, I’m even more convinced that Heath Ledger got reamed for the Oscar.

We tried to see “The Squid And The Whale” twice in the past three months and both times it was sold out. I can now see why. I really dug this movie. So smart, so honest, so amazingly profound. One of the best movies I’ve seen this year. Very New York, though.

Lo And Behold, Ask And Ye Shall Receive Department
“The Rifleman should start running on Encore Westerns at the end of 2006. We are also going to work with Johnny Crawford to get some inside stories about his days on that wonderful series.”
—Jeff Hildebrandt

Wet Street & Dry Trails
“Another reason the dirt can be dusty in one movie scene, and wet in another, is: a lot of times, a water truck is used to dampen the ground to keep the dust from blowing. If it's a long shot, no one is really bothered by the dust. But in closer shots, billowing dust can obscure the actors' faces. And sometimes, by mistake, they over-water. That can leave mud puddles.”
—Stephen Lodge, Author-Screenwriter

I have a question for TW Moments on Encore TV. Could you answer this
on the bit you do?

Why is it in the Hollywood westerns, when someone is being chased or
something by men on horseback, they never just shoot the horse to stop
them? They always try for the men. Wouldn't it be easier to try for
the horse? It is a bigger target and would stop the chase right away.
I have always wondered about this. The horses hardly ever get hit. Is
this just Hollywood or was their a reason for it? Did horses get shot a
lot in the real old west?

This would make for a great TW Moment trivia question and I am sure you
have the answer for the viewing audience. I would appreciate it Bob.
—Bob of Olympia, Washington

Bob,
Excellent question. The short answer is yes, horses were shot often and it was quite brutal. I'm doing the Wham Payroll Robbery for the next Classic Gunfights in True West magazine and in this robbery the robbers shot the lead mules of two wagons (3 total) and the other mules were injured trying to get away, pulling the wagon out across the desert, thru rocks, nasty stuff.

In my Çlassic Gunfights, Volume II book I relate the story of two guys ambushed at Steins Pass on the New Mexico, Arizona line, and the ambushers shot the horses out from under both riders. I have a hunch this was more common that movies would like us to believe.

One of the oldtime cattle guys allegedly called out in a gunbattle, "Shoot high, the horses are mine!"

This perhaps led to the old joke, "Shoot low, they're riding Shetlands."

Mas Circ Sites
Saludos, Bob! Hope all is aces, jake, and better than swell with you, amigo!

Even though I am about to be an Arizonan in four weeks, I thought I should
pop in and pitch a few Oklahoma possibilities to you for your Bonus Circulation Locations list. Such as:

• Cattlemen's Steakhouse, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
http://www.cattlemensrestaurant.com/

• The Seely House Bed and Breakfast Inn. Guthrie, Oklahoma.
http://www.seelyhouse.com/

• Best Western Territorial Inn. Guthrie, Oklahoma.
http://www.bestwesternoklahoma.com/hotels/guthrie/territorialinn

• Gold Penny Inn. Guthrie, Oklahoma.
http://www.goldpennyinn.com/guthrie.htm

I've listed the URL to the Gold Penny's links page because Guthrie, OK has what I would consider several good candidates for your list and this links page runs them down nicely.

Also, there is the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City to consider. Of course, there is the possibility that your magazine is already on their Museum Store racks. But, in case not...
http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org

I hope you find some of the above helpful!

Take care!

Sincerely,
Chris, Maniac #946

The Wild is back in the West
“This past year a French Film Crew made a film about investigation #2003-274 ‘The Billy the Kid investigation’. The Film was selected for the Cannes Film Festival. The Film maker is taking [Tom] Sullivan and I to Cannes. Kris Kristofferson who played the kid is going to be there to meet us. We may have put the Kid on the front pages of the New York times but now we have taking our bandit buddy to Cannes. We should blend in France. Does it get any funnier?”
—Steve Sederwall

These Boots Were Made For Taking Off
“I was able to find you on the True West Magazine web site and also from the tag on the bottom. Bob. If you do feature any information about my question on the Encore Westerns Channel, I would love it if you would do the segment without wearing boots. It would remind me of the old western television series that used to be on television where the main cowboy characters were in situations where they may have had to give up their boots but were still able to deal with their adversaries, even though, the hero(s) were either socked-footed or in their barefeet. Besides, a good-looking cowboy without his boots is sexy.”
— Samantha Aldridge, Parsons, Kansas.

Favorite Onion Headline de Jour
Report: 9/11 Commission Could Have Been Prevented

“Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you.”
—Old Vaquero Saying