Saturday, March 23, 2024

"White Warrior" (Cheyenne, Season 3, Ep 13)(1958)


"White Warrior" is the second episode of Cheyenne (1955-63) I ever saw.  I mentioned recently how, when we moved to North Carolina when I was 12, my whole world expanded thanks to a local video rental store with a fantastic collection of classic movies, particularly westerns.  That video store also had a lot of episodes of classic TV shows on VHS, including two each of Cheyenne, Bronco, Maverick, and Wanted: Dead or Alive.  One of those episodes of Cheyenne was this one, and it's the ep that made me fall in love with this show.  


In "White Warrior," Cheyenne Bodie (Clint Walker) is leading a wagon train.  I really love wagon train stories (so much so that I wrote one), so that alone would probably make this episode a favorite.  There's something so compelling for me about a group of people who have decided to leave home and family and familiarity behind them and are setting off into what they hope will be a better world.  But they're also stepping out into the unknown, with uncertainty and hard work and a lot of possible dangers around them.  Also, one of my great-grandmothers was born in a wagon train while her family headed to their new home in the Dakota Territory, so that might be part of why they fascinate me.



Anyway, the wagon train Cheyenne is leading has a couple of total creeps in it, Eli Henderson (Peter Whitney) and Matt Benedict (Morris Ankrum) in particular.  Eli Henderson is a trader who wants to bilk settlers and American Indians out of whatever he can by selling them subpar and sometimes illegal goods.  Matt Benedict is a harsh, hateful man who pushes his son Neal (Chuck Courtney) to bully others in order to prove what big and powerful people they both are.  Cheyenne has plenty of trouble keeping the two of them from creating havoc even before the titular character arrives.


A handful of Apache warriors meet up with the wagon train and want to trade with Henderson.  While Henderson is wheeling and dealing with them, Cheyenne notices that one young man riding with them (Michael Landon) is a Comanche captive, not an Apache.  He trades a horse for the captive because he knows the Apache warriors will most likely brutally torture and then murder him when they get back to their own people.


Cheyenne frees the Comanche and learns that he speaks English.  He also notices a distinctive scar on the young man's wrist.  Some of the people on the wagon train, egged on by Henderson and Benedict, demand that Cheyenne get rid of the Comanche because they are sure he will kill them all in their sleep.  Why?  Because he's an Indian, and they don't trust Indian.  When Benedict snarls, "He's an Indian.  There's too many of them, anyway," Cheyenne retorts, "That's exactly how they feel about us. Only, they got better reason."


Then Cheyenne drops a little bomb on their let's-hate-the-Comanche party:  the captive he freed isn't Comanche by birth, but by adoption.  The captive confirms this reluctantly -- he is a young white man named Alan Horn who was captured by the Comanche when he was a child and adopted into their tribe through a blood ceremony that left the scar on his wrist.


The settlers still aren't cool with this, even after Cheyenne explains he knew Alan had been adopted by the Comanche because the same thing happened to him as a boy, only he was adopted by the Cheyenne instead.  This is a big part of why I love this episode: we get to hear more about Cheyenne's backstory here than we do in any other episode I have seen.  He was rescued by the Cheyenne after his family was killed by raiders, and they adopted him into the tribe.  But, when he was in his teens, about the same age as Alan, he had to decide for himself where he belonged.  And Cheyenne Bodie decided he wanted to rejoin the white world, even though he never would quite feel at home there or find total acceptance because of his Indian upbringing.


Cheyenne gives Alan Horn the same choice.  If he wants to rejoin the Comanche, Cheyenne will send him on his way with a horse, water, food, and a knife.  If he wants to try living with the white people, Cheyenne will help him find a place in that world instead.  And that is another big reason why I love this episode -- Cheyenne never pushes Alan to decide one way or another.  He lets him make his own choice.  He never even tries to persuade him that one society would be better than the other.

The way this show as a whole treats American Indian characters was pretty revolutionary when it first aired in 1955.  That was the height of the popularity for western shows and movies, and the vast majority of those portrayed the American Indians as nameless, faceless, remorseless enemies.  Of course, there were exceptions.  And, of course, Cheyenne's being raised by a native tribe is often used as a way to make him seem exotic and special.  But the show insists on treating Indian characters with dignity, as intelligent individuals.


Anyway, Alan Horn does find some acceptance in the wagon train, particularly being befriended by Clara Bolton (Randy Stuart) and Lyle Gordon (Richard Garland).  But others are determined to drive him out, especially when he reveals that he overheard Eli Henderson making a deal with those Apache warriors to sell them rifles and ammunition, which is against the law.  Matt Benedict even tries to convince his son Neal to kill Alan Horn just because he was talking to a white girl.

Cheyenne believes and trusts Alan, and of course, the bad guys are stopped, the good guys are rewarded, and the wagon train is able to safely continue on the way to their new homes.  This is a fifties show with a lot of kids in the audience, after all.  But that doesn't keep it from taking a deeper, harder look at issues like trust, kindness, and belonging.  The show as a whole doesn't shy away from difficult subjects, and that's another reason that I love it.

In fact, Cheyenne is one of my top favorite western shows of all time, despite my only having seen two episodes of it as a teen, and then all of season one when I was in my twenties.  I now have all seven seasons on DVD and have been having a jolly time making my way through the show.  I'm only halfway through season two, but I jumped ahead to rewatch this episode so I could review it this weekend.


Michael Landon's star was on the rise when he guest-starred in this episode.  In a matter of months, he would be starring on Bonanza and become a household name.  His performance here is understated and lovely, showing his inner conflict mainly through his haunted eyes and hesitant words.


This review is my contribution to the 10th Annual Favorite TV Show Episode Blogathon hosted by A Shroud of Thoughts all weekend long.

I've been crushing on Clint Walker for more than thirty years, so here is one last shot of him looking particularly good in this episode.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Upcoming Book Releases

Yes, that title is plural for a reason!  I have several new releases and rereleases in the works for 2024, and it is long past time for me to be talking about them here.  Life has been kinda... extra... the last couple of months, and things like blogging have gotten shoved to the back burner a bit.  Part of that mayhem has been that I have a LOT of book projects I'm working on all at once, so let me give you a quick run-down on what is on the horizon for my books!


First off, I'm releasing my Sleeping Beauty retelling, The Man on the Buckskin Horse as an illustrated paperback on April 30!  It will also be available (with the illustrations!) for ebook -- you can pre-order the Kindle edition here already.  The illustrations are all by Skye Hoffert, whom I commissioned to do character art for My Rock and My Refuge.  It was such a joy to work with her again!

This is the novella that won the Rooglewood Press retelling contest and was included in their 2016 anthology Five Magic Spindles.  The publication rights have reverted back to me, and I am excited to be able to finally make this book an official part of my Once Upon a Western series!

Info about book launch goodies and so on will be coming after Easter, so be on the lookout for that.

Okay, that's announcement number one.  Here's the next one:


I will be releasing a collection of ten short stories this summer!  There will be two stories related to each book in my Once Upon a Western series, all either prequels or sequels to those books.  You've been able to read some of those stories before, but three will be brand-new, and several others have only been available to my author newsletter subscribers previously.

Speaking of which, if you haven't signed up for my author newsletter yet, you can do that right here.  It's a much faster way to find out about my book news than waiting for me to have time to post things on my blog ;-)

Okay, piece of news number three:


I have signed a deal with ONE Audiobooks to produce audiobook versions of my entire Once Upon a Western series, including the short stories that I'll be releasing this summer!  This is a dream come true, and I am really excited about this additional way for people to access my books.

(This is the same company that I wrote A Christian Reader's Guide to Jane Eyre for last year, which should be released sometime this spring.)

And now, my fourth and final announcement:


Last fall, I was invited to be part of a multi-author series called the Cornerstone Series which will be a set of sixteen novellas, each retelling a fairy tale, but focusing on a side character from the fairy tale.  So, imagine a Cinderella retelling that's about the fairy godmother, or a Snow White retelling that focuses on the huntsman, that kind of thing.  (Those are examples ONLY -- I don't know if any of the authors are writing anything like that.)  The series will be all non-magical fantasy novellas, which means there may be fairy tale creatures like unicorns or mermaids, or other fantasy elements, but there will be no magicians, witches, wizards, or sorcerers.  

My book, A Noble Companion, is an Ugly Duckling Retelling that focuses not on the ugly duckling himself, but on a childhood friend.  It is set in a fantasy version of Spanish California in the early 1800s where there are talking animals and a dragon.

I'll be revealing more about A Noble Companion in the coming months, and it will be released November 12.  You can already pre-order the ebook on Amazon if you want to.

Okay!  That's all my news!  Are you breathless?  I kind of am. That's a LOT to be working on in one year!!!  Drop a comment below and tell me which of these projects you're the most excited about :-D

Saturday, March 02, 2024

Movie Music: Rachel Portman's "Chocolat" (2000)


Here I am again, ready to discuss more movie music with you. I really enjoy Rachel Portman's movie scores.  Her music for both Chocolat (2000) and Emma (1996) make me happy and are particularly great for listening to when I feel like listening to something sprightly, but with a pang of melancholy here and there.  I reviewed the Emma soundtrack a while ago, so today, I'm going to share my other favorite Portman soundtrack.

Considering the movie's subject matter, I'm sure it's no surprise that I really like to listen to the Chocolat soundtrack while I bake.  It's also great for doing housework or powering through a writing session that needs some upbeat vibes.

I'll start you off with a feel-good song, lots of energy and spring to it. It really conveys the idea of vigorously setting to work, doesn't it? 


Here's a completely different mood. "Caravan" is soft and sensuous, a slow and beautiful simmer. It was first performed by Duke Ellington in the 1930s, but here, the guitar track is laid down by none other than Johnny Depp, who co-stars in the film. 


My favorite track on the whole soundtrack is "Minor Swing," another '30s jazz song which Johnny Depp also plays guitar on. It's joyful and energetic and just plain fun -- it gets my toes tapping and my fingers snapping. 


If you like those selections, you can listen to the whole soundtrack on YouTube right here :-)

(This review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on September 15, 2015.)

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Winners of the Sibling Stories Giveaway + Wrap Up


And now, the post you've all been waiting for, right?  


Prize One:  A set of three Little Women bookmarks -- Summer

Prize Two: One vinyl sticker featuring the Pevensie siblings -- Eva C.

Prize Three:  A paperback copy of Sense and Sensibility -- Lydia H.

Prize Four:  A paperback copy of The Outsiders -- Chloe the MovieCritic

Prize Five:  A "novel journal" with a Peter Pan theme -- Breann M.

Prize Six:  A DVD copy of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) -- Naomi M.

Prize Seven:  A DVD copy of Little Women (1994) -- Roxann R.


Congratulations to the winners!  I will be contacting you at the email addresses you provided to the giveaway widget to find out where to mail your prizes, so please be on the lookout for that message!

Thank you to everyone who joined the party this week!  I'm still working on reading everyone's posts, but I love what a variety you have all provided :-)  If you have any posts you still want to contribute, I'm not shutting down the widget!  In fact, here it is again, to make it easier for people to access without having to scroll and scroll down my blog page.


Answers to the Sibling Movie Poster Game


Here are the answers to the second game :-)  Scores are below!  

Interestingly, absolutely no one guessed the Defiance (2008) poster (#10), which makes me a little sad because that is an amazing movie based on such an inspiring true story.  If you're curious about it and want to learn more, I reviewed it here a couple years ago.

#1


#2


#3


#4


#5


#6


#7


#8


#9


#10


#11


#12


Scores

Jenni Sauer -- 11
Chloe the MovieCritic -- 10
Beth -- 9
Carissa (Regency Woman) -- 9
Debra She Who Seeks -- 9
Heather Barnes -- 9
Lizzie Hexam -- 9
Sarah Seele -- 7
Roxann -- 4

Answers to the Missing Sibling Names Quiz


Here are the answers to the first game!  Scores are below.


1. Eomer and Eowyn (The Lord of the Rings)

2.  Adam, Hoss/Eric, and Little Joe (Bonanza)

3.  John, Wendy, and Michael Darling (Peter Pan)

4.  Isa, Jessie, Oliver, Hyacinth, and Lacey Vanderbeeker (The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street)

5.  Bofur and Bombur (The Hobbit) [Bifur is their cousin, actually.]

6.  John-Boy, Jason, Mary Ellen, Erin, Ben, Jim-Bob, and Elizabeth Walton (The Waltons)

7.  Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March (Little Women)

8.  Judah and Tirzah (Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ)

9.  Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

10.  Bret, Bart, and Brent Maverick (Maverick)

11.  Darry/Darrel, Sodapop, and Ponyboy Curtis (The Outsiders)

12.  Laertes and Ophelia (Hamlet)

13.  DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle Tanner (Full House)

14.  Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden (The Boxcar Children)

15. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)


Scores

Ivy Miranda -- 12
Carissa (Regency Woman) -- 9
Sarah Seele -- 9
Chloe the Movie Critic -- 8
Debra She Who Seeks -- 7
Charlotte (Mother Owl) -- 6
Roxann -- 6

Thursday, February 22, 2024

The Sibling Stories Tag -- My Answers

Time to answer my own tag :-)  If you haven't done it yourself yet, you can get a clean copy of the questions on the party kickoff post.



1. Do you have any siblings?  Yes, I have one brother who is five years younger and four inches taller than I am.  We were very close when we were growing up, once he got to be about 7 years old and interesting enough for me to want to play with him.  I'm afraid I was a fairly negligent older sister until then.  But from then on, we were extremely close friends, and we're still close now.

2. Who are some of your favorite fictional siblings?  The Curtis brothers in The Outsiders, Boromir and Faramir in The Lord of the Rings, all the Barkleys in The Big Valley, Sigrid and Tilda and Bain from The Hobbit movies, and all the Weasleys from Harry Potter.

3. Are there any fictional families you wish you could belong to yourself?  I would love to join the Barkley clan!  Victoria is such an amazing mother.



4. Have you ever watched or read a book that reminded you of your own family?  Hmm.  Speaking ONLY about the siblings, I think maybe Boromir and Faramir might be the closest match to my brother and I.  We're actually both quite bookish, but my brother is rather less smash-and-bash by nature than I am.  Plus, I'm older than he is, and my hair is more reddish, while his is blond.  He actually dressed as Faramir for Halloween last year!  (But I didn't go as Boromir, alas.  I totally would sometime, though!)



5. What fictional sibling would you NOT want for your own sibling?  John Thorpe from Northanger Abbey.  I don't want any John Thorpes anywhere near me, ever, thank you very much.

6. Are you more drawn to stories about brothers or sisters?  I'm much more drawn to stories about brothers, but I enjoy many about sisters too.



7. What makes a story involving siblings interesting to you?  The sibling dynamic is so varied!  It's a bond that can be close or loose.  You can have siblings who are super protective of each other, siblings who cause problems for each other, or siblings who are indifferent to each other.  You can explore so many human emotions and difficulties and strengths and weaknesses with sibling relationships.