(Or Why I Love Westerns)
*Quote from The Outlaw Josey Wales, Warner Brothers, 1976
To hop, scroll down or CLICK HERE!
When I was a kid, my mom worked evenings, which is why I spent a lot of time with my dad, an avid tennis player and movie buff. This meant, when the weather turned cold and the tennis nets came down, I got to go to the movies.
A lot.
And I don’t mean fluffy Disney films either. I mean, real movies. Once Upon a Time in the West, True Grit, Two Mules for Sister Sara, The Shootist, High Plains Drifter, and The Outlaw Josey Wales.
Movies that could put hair on your chest. Even if you were a girl.
It was the 70s, and the great American anti-hero had come into his own. It’s no surprise then that, even at a tender age, I began a lifelong love affair with his rugged Western counterpart—John Wayne at the end of his career and Clint Eastwood in his prime.
BROKEN VOWS is my homage to the Westerns I grew up on.
***
Tell me about your favorite Western movie, TV show or book. Or for movie trivia folk, below are five of my favorite classic Westerns along with quotes. Match ‘em up! (Try to resist googling!)
** REMEMBER: Everyone is invited to comment, but you must leave your email address to qualify for hop prizes.** (See details above. Winner to be announced at 10 p.m. EST on February 26, 2013.)
- “Dear Mary, Mother of God, help this no good atheist to shoot straight.”
- “Don’t tell me how to rob a bank. I know how to rob a bank.”
- “Baby sister, I was born game, and I intend to go out that way.”
- “Get ready, little lady … Hell is coming to breakfast.”
- “Even bad men love their mommas.”
- (A) True Grit
- (B) Two Mules for Sister Sara
- (C) 3:10 to Yuma
- (D) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
- (E) The Outlaw Josey Wales
Thanks for stopping by!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LINKS TO THE ROMANCING THE WEST BLOG HOP!
Delynn Royer 
True Grit is a favorite of mine, both the old and the new! llouiselinder (at) gmail (dot) com.
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I love both versions, too. I was skeptical at first, but I thought they did a great job with the remake. Thanks for stopping in!
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I love the old True Grit movie, it has some great lines in it. Another movie I always enjoy watching is McLintock.
skpetal at hotmail dot com.
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McClintock! Oh, yes! John Wayne was the man, but … Maureen O’Hara! What a pair they made. And talk about the perfect inspiration for a romance heroine. Full of spark and beautiful to boot. Thanks for stopping in!
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Dear Mary, Mother of God, help this no good atheist to shoot straight.”The Outlaw Josey Wales
2.“Don’t tell me how to rob a bank. I know how to rob a bank.”Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
3.“Baby sister, I was born game, and I intend to go out that way.”True Grit
4.“Get ready, little lady … Hell is coming to breakfast.”Two Mules for Sister Sara
5.“Even bad men love their mommas.” 3:10 to Yuma
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Darn close, D’Ann!. 🙂 I had a lot of fun deciding which quotes to pick from each movie, so I’m glad someone has been brave enough to play. Thanks for dropping by!
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High Plains Drifter is tops. Completely different, the old Cheyenne series is still one of my favorites. Cheyenne Brody was always a hero.
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A double Clint fan! You and my dad would agree on High Plains Drifter, Gerri. And as for Cheyenne, stand-up hero Clint Walker wasn’t too hard on the eyes, either. The White Hats have a whole charm of their own.
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True Grit was a great cowboy movie.
susanmplatt AT hotmail DOT com
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True Grit is an all-time favorite for so many. I’m glad they were able to bring it back for modern audiences. Thanks for commenting!
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True Grit, A Man Called Horse, Little House on the Prairie, Bonanza, Urban Cowboy….I could go on forever…Gotta love a man in cowboy boots!
videoclimber(at)yahoo(dot)com
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Thanks for visiting, Tia! I could go on forever, too, and I must confess, I’ve probably seen every Little House on the Prairie episode. 🙂
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I really liked the old True Grit, but the new one was okay and I liked The Searchers 🙂
lilypondreads at gmail dot com
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Agreed on The Searchers, Lily! There are so many great films in this genre, and I haven’t thought of that one in a while. It was one of John Wayne’s best performances.
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Oh, yes True Grit, love it, and the latest version with Bridges and Damon as well 🙂
swordlily_girl(at)yahoo(dot)com
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Karina, I still love the old True Grit, but it was also fun to see the remake with my dad. We compared the two versions all the way home in the car. We agreed that Jeff Bridges did a great job of reprising the Duke’s role of Rooster Cogburn. And those were not easy shoes to fill. Thanks for commenting!
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Great movies! Not too good with matching quotes, but I do remember the movies. Some of my favorites are “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”, “The Quick and the Dead”, and “True Grit”.
Mel
bournmelissa at hotmail dot com
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Hi Mel! The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a must-see, as are the others in the Dollars trilogy. The Quick and the Dead is also a keeper. Russell Crowe, Gene Hackman, and Sharon Stone… hard to go wrong there!
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My answers for your quiz:
1. B
2. D
3. A
4. E
5. C
Great movies 😉
Books, since I read so much I will keep my list simple (Warning, eclectic reader here)
Zane Grey
Lorlore James
Kimberly Raye (cowboy vampires)
Lori Wild
The TimeSwept series that was released back in the late 1980’s to early 1990’s (various authors & titles)
Carolyn Brown
Linda Lael Miller
C R Moss
BeckeyWhiteATgmailDOTcom
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Hi Beckey! Flying colors on the quiz. (It must be due to all that eclectic reading. Great list!) I haven’t personally ventured out to experience cowboy vampires (yet), but I have gotten as far as Cowboys and Aliens. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
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HI Delynn,
Your blog really triggers readers to think back at what draws them to the Wild West. No one mentioned author John Steinbeck so I guess I’m alone on this one. He is probably the first author who influenced my opinion about the West — East of Eden and Of Mice and Men. They were tragedies but they really dug into me deep. Of course, today I enjoy the happily after ever westerns and I’m moving along the hop to find more fantasy-oriented authors of the West, but I can honestly say Steinbeck’s novels initiated my interest in the West, although I never pass up “Two Mules for Sister Sara” with Shirley MacLaine and Clint Eastwood when its on television. Still waiting for the DVD to go for $5 at Walmart.
susan_francesny [at] hotmail [dot] com
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Hi Susan! I’m certain that you are *not* alone in being influenced by Steinbeck. Those are powerful classics. And please drop me a note when Two Mules for Sister Sara goes to five at Walmart. I’ll be there, too. 🙂 Thank you for visiting!
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outlaw josey wales and other early clints are some of my all time fav movies – regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com
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Me, too, Daniel. The Outlaw Josey Wales, the Dollars Trilogy, and Hang ‘Em High. Thanks for stopping by!
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I’ve always been a John Wayne fan and I love True Grit so I was also a little skeptical about the remake but I thought it was surprisingly good. I also really like Tombstone and Rustler’s Rhapsody because it is so funny.
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Hi Ellen! Wayne’s career spanned so many years and so many great roles, but I have a special fondness for his later roles, Rooster Cogburn and John Books in particular. Not sure why except maybe nostalgia. And Tombstone, yes! Can’t forget that one. Kurt Russell,. Val Kilmer and Sam Elliot all in one serving works for me. Rustler’s Rhapsody? I never saw that one but I’m adding it to my watch list. That reminds me of Blazing Saddles. Madeline Kahn and Harvey Korman as Lili von Shtupp and Hedley Lamarr. Priceless! Thanks for commenting! 🙂
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Great Blog! I confess I suck at movie quotes. My favorite western is Young Guns. I love Unforgiven and Rawhide, True Grit–I liked both versions, and The Outlaw Josey Wales to name a few. I LOVED Little House on the Prairie so much I named my daughter Laura. And who doesn’t love Bananza?
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All goodies, Sara! Unforgiven hasn’t been mentioned yet, but it’s in my top 10 Western films. And it’s just plain fun to watch early Clint in Rawhide. As for Bonanza, no list of best TV Westerns is complete without it. Although it could be dangerous to fall in love with a Cartwright. Did you ever notice how many love interests and wives never made it to the closing credits? 😉
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I grew up watching westerns and one of my favorites was Bonanza.
Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com
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Hi RIta! You’re not alone. Bonanza and Gunsmoke lasted all those years for good reason. I wonder how many of us had a favorite Cartwright brother? Little Joe was the pretty boy, but I was always partial to Hoss. Big guy with a heart of gold. Thanks for stopping by!
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I like 3:10 to Yuma.
bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
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Me, too! Russell Crowe plays a great villain. Thanks for stopping by!
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Two Mules for Sister Sara was the best western. It had action, comedy, and passion. And a HEA. Thanks for being in the Western blog hop.
roya-clan@sbcglobal.net
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Hi Mary! That one is in my top five, too, probably because of the comedy and romantic elements. The pairing of Eastwood and MacLaine was great fun. Thank you for commenting! 🙂
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I fell in love with John Wayne while watching old westerns with my grandfather. Then we watched old reruns of The Maverick and James Garner won a piece of my heart. But then I discovered Sam Elliot. His voice alone is enough to give you goosebumps!
Bookworm (dot) judy (at) gmail (dot) com
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Hi Judy! Doing this hop has been such fun because it’s reminded me of so many great classics. James Garner’s Maverick is one of them that hasn’t been mentioned till now. And I’m with you on Sam Elliot too. Thanks for visiting!
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I grew up watching Bonanza. I was in love with Little Joe/ Michael Landon. I’m not sure who wrote my first romance book with cowboys but I do know that I’m totally hooked on them.
sstrode at scrtc dot com
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Thanks for visiting, Sherry. I’m not sure of the first western romance I read, either, but it might have been an oldie by Rebecca Brandewyne. And I’m beginning to get the idea that women liked Bonanza more than Gunsmoke, which aired at the same time. Maybe Little Joe Cartwright might have had something to do with that. 🙂
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LOL, not a huge fan of western movies, but the ones i liked are:
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Rio Grande,…
anasmithblue AT gmail DOT com
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For not being a fan, you picked two goodies, one of which I never got around to seeing and want to add to my watch list: Rio Grande. Thanks for commenting! 🙂
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Growing up, one of my favorite movies used to be The Cowboy Way. My grandma used to put this movie on all the time for me! I loved it! hehe Thank you for the awesome hop and giveaway!!! 🙂
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
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The Cowboy Way with Kiefer Sutherland and Woody Harrelson? How did I miss that? 🙂 I’ll check it out. Thanks for stopping by!
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A lot of my favorite old westerns were mentioned, but not The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance or the Maverick remake. I loved the young girl in the remake of True Grit. She was outstanding.
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You’ll get no arguments from me, Ava! All good mentions. Gosh, I love Jimmy Stewart in anything he ever made, and Hailee Steinfeld did an awesome job in reprising the role of Mattie Ross!
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