Hellbent For Letterbox

Michael and Pax jaw about George Miller's (not that George Miller, though) Australian Western. One remembered loving it; the other remembered hating it. Have they changed their minds? Do they agree? What happened to Cookie's leg? A couple of those questions actually get answered. Also: DC Comics discussion as Pax reads the early adventures of Bat Lash and Michael checks out the beginning of the 2006 Jonah Hex series.

On this episode of Hellbent Michael and Pax are once again joined by their wives, this time to discuss Bad Girls from 1994 starring Madeline Stowe, Andy McDowell, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Drew Barrymore.

Michael and Pax welcome their wives, Stephanie Holley and Diane May to weigh in on the women-focused Western, Five Bold Women starring Irish McCalla and Jeff Morrow. Pax also shares a couple of Western comics he's been reading: the first volume of Stern from Europe comics and the first couple of issues in Dynamite's Man With No Name series. Meanwhile, Michael's been watching the contemporary Western, The Rider (2017) by director Chloe Zhao.

On this episode of Hellbent Michael and Pax return to the Budd Boetticher-Randolph Scott oeuvre to talk about their very first collaboration in 1956, 7 Men from Now.  Also stars Gail Russell and Lee Marvin. 

Michael and Pax visit Michael Curtiz' Dodge City with Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, and Bruce Cabot. But before that they also talk briefly about a couple of '70s Robert Redford movies (The Sting and The Hot Rock) and Vincent D'Onofrio's new Billy the Kid movie, The Kid starring Dane DeHaan, Ethan Hawke, and Chris Pratt.

On this episode Mike and Pax discuss The Train Robbers from 1973 starring John Wayne, Ann Margaret and Ricardo Montalban.

Michael and Pax talk about the Indonesian Western Buffalo Boys by director Mike Wiluan. Also, Pax reads more Hex (guest-starring Batman!?) and Michael watches Charles Bronson as Wild Bill Hickok in The White Buffalo.

In this episode Michael and Pax discuss the 1969 western classic, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid starring Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and Katharine Ross.

Michael and Pax come back to shoot the breeze about George Stevens' classic Shane, starring Alan Ladd, Van Heflin, and Jean Arthur. Is Marian in love with Shane? Is Joey the most annoying character in cinema? What's up with that ending? And how does Batman fit into all this? There's also Pony Express mail and short discussions of the Wrong Reel podcast's Billy the Kid episode and a couple of films: Blood on the Moon and Woman Walks Ahead.

On this episode Michael and Pax discuss Robert Redford in the 1972 classic, Jeremiah Johnson, written by John Milius and directed by Syndney Pollack.

This Kevin Costner/Robert Duvall classic is easily the most requested movie that listeners have asked us to cover, so Michael and Pax finally hit the Open Range. Also: Pony Express brings talk of a Western Christmas Carol, the real-life history behind The Night Riders, and the 2003 TV show Peacemakers. And Pax and Michael share some cool, Western comics: El Mestizo and Bat Lash.

On this episode of Hellbent Mike and Pax discuss the 1972 Paul Newman western The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, written by John Milius.

Michael and Pax explore the Three Mesquiteers. They talk about the history of the long-running series, then take a look at Riders of the Whistling Skull, in which Robert Livingstone, Ray Corrigan, and Max Terhune help a woman find her missing father and some lost treasure. Then in The Night Riders, Livingstone is replaced by John Wayne who leads the trio as masked vigilantes fighting an evil land baron. It's '30s Saturday matinee pulp, but is it any good? The boys find out.

To celebrate the 50th episode of Hellbent for Letterbox, Pax and Michael set aside the Pony Express and Whatchoo Been Westernin' to focus exclusively on the two Young Guns movies starring Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, and a couple of posses' worth of other '80s Brat Packers.  Michael and Pax are both crazy about Young Guns, but have different opinions about the sequel. It's a great discussion, so make yourself comfortable and settle in for this double-size celebration. 

On this episode Michael and I are discussing Clint Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales from 1976.

Michael and Pax raise the corpse of the DC Comics box office flop to figure out if it's as bad as its reputation and maybe even how to fix it. Jonah Hex stars Josh Brolin, Megan Fox, and John Malkovich and was written (in part) by the notorious Neveldine and Taylor.  Pax also talks about the 1985 Jonah Hex comics reboot, Hex, and Michael wanders away from comics completely to review 1952's Bend of the River, starry Jimmy Stewart, Julie Adams, and Rock Hudson. All this and Pony Express!

On this episode of Hellbent Michael and Pax discuss the 1970 spaghetti western A Man Called Sledge starring James Garner and directed by Vic Morrow.

Michael and Pax talk about Walter Hill's misleadingly titled film starring Matt Damon, Jason Patric, Wes Studi, Robert Duvall, and Gene Hackman.  Also: quick reviews of Rick Geary's The True Death of Billy the Kid and the 1920 silent film, The Daughter of Dawn.

On this episode of Hellbent Mike and Pax talk about the 1986 western comedy Three Amigos starring Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short.  We laugh and quote lines throughout this one, it's a fun show.

Michael and Pax talk at length about the financial and critical disaster that was William Fraker's Legend of the Lone Ranger, starring Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse, and Christopher Lloyd. But along the way, they cover other iterations of the masked rider's adventures, including the original radio dramas, the 1938 serial, the Clayton Moore TV show, and a couple of cartoons.  Also in this episode: Pony Express mail featuring two lists of Must See Westerns as compiled by comics writer Chuck Dixon: "Must See" Westerns A More Advanced List of Western Movies