Wild West Land Blog

How about this for a novel way to get people into recycling?

The triplepundit blog is covering the Going Green Film Festival which takes place in Beverly Hills, California in April 2010 and a particularly quirky approach to increase eco awareness amongst US audiences:

David Dibble, an LA-based filmmaker and his crew are re-enacting the wild, wild west. With an eco-conscious marshal. “It’s a typical high-noon Clint Eastwood situation, where you’ve got a marshal and a bad guy’s coming into town,” Dibble said. But in this town, the outlaws recycle.

… watching iconic figures of the wild west recycling old guns, shells and cigars is sure to be memorable and puts the environment top of mind.

As JK from Jamiroquai would sing in the 90s hit song Space Cowboy, I’ve just entered my ‘interplanetary good vibe zone’ with news that the web comic Cowboys and Aliens will soon begin shooting, quite possibly under the watchful eye of Iron Man movie duo Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr.

I can’t say I’d come across this comic before but since reading the gossip about the Dreamworks production I’ve read the online comic with interest. What better crossover is there than the wild west meets alien invaders?

The graphic novel mixes Western and science fiction genres. Set in 1800s Arizona, a skirmish between cowboys and Apaches is interrupted by the crash landing of a space ship. The alien commander plans to tame the Old West and enslave everyone, but the cowboys and Native Americans turn their six-guns against the alien invaders.

The comic artwork is amazing - just look at this screen grab featuring cowgirl Verity, the Trail Master partnered up with trail boss Zeke Jackson, blazing away at the alien hordes flying in on Judge Dredd style speeder bikes:

Let’s hope the movie does this authentic western imagery justice. It should do given that Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, the Platinum Studios CEO who created C&A (no, not that C&A) ran Malibu Comics when graphic novel Men in Black was transferred into a hit film.

Will Smith as Zeke Johnson? Well he does have the experience of working on Wild, West West…

Should be in cinemas in 2011.

I was looking for information on that most famous of redneck TV vehicles, the General Lee from 80s favourite The Dukes of Hazard, when I stumbled across the Veluzat brothers.

Apparently the family was involved for a few years in the wholesale destruction, sorry, I mean creation, of a couple of hundred bright orange 1969 Dodge Chargers, hand built for the stunt men to jump off ever increasingly large ramps.

Thrown into the description of their motion picture and TV handiwork was mention of the brothers buying up Gene Autry’s old Melody Ranch Studios out in Saugus, California some 30 miles north of Hollywood.

Autry had owned the ranch from 1952 up until 1990 when his horse Champion passed away. Appropriately enough, the ranch had been the location for countless classic western movies from the earliest days of the studios and boasted an impressive western street featuring hotels, a church, bank and jailhouse.

If you visit the website for the Veluzat Motion Picture Ranch today the history just jumps out at you:

experience a page torn from history on the street where famous westerns were made such as The Lone Ranger, Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke, Hopalong Cassidy, Annie Oakley, Rin Tin Tin, The Cisco Kid and Deadwood

If you like exploring film locations like the folk at movie-locations.com then the two Veluzat websites are well worth a visit, featuring pictures and virtual tours of some classic western wooden building architecture.

Sure the original western street was destroyed back in 1962, but let’s thanks the owners for investing in a new town that can boast over 65 different storefronts to help future western moviemakers bring new life to the genre.

Sad news today for Dirty Dancing and Ghost fans - dancer turned actor Patrick Swayze has died at the age of 57 after losing his battle with pancreatic cancer.

Whilst I won’t be joining the ‘Yo Patrick Swayze’ Twitter movement, I did want to remember the actor for his Roundhouse role (a late 80s mullet haired classic) and also mention his famous Kansas rodeo champ connections. Rest in peace.

Exciting times at the 2009 Puyallup Fair!

Two steers taking part the opening Western Rodeo Parade and Cattle drive wandered off course when they saw a break in the crowds lining the parade route and detoured into a local Food Mart convenience store.

A brave pair of cowboys entered the store on horseback to retrieve the cattle as this security video from the AP shows:

According to comments on the Tacoma, Washington News Tribune site “It’s the most excitement Puyallup has had in ages!!”

Watch the event unfold with aerial footage of the sedate stampede on the KING5 News website. Witnesses reported that the cattle were impeccably behaved and declined to act like bulls in a china shop…

Just watched this hilarious BBC video about an Irish bovine ‘invader’ - a runaway bull who escaped and decided to pay a quick visit to the Cummins’ SuperValu store in Ballinrobe, County Mayo:

Two things to note:

1. The CCTV footage shows a brave meat counter man (with food hygiene hat) who plays matador with a supermarket trolley. Get that man a medal now!
2. Good on John Cummins, owner of the store, to see the funny side and make a joke about ‘fresh meat’. He should get the bull stuffed and mounted outside the front of the shop for posterity.