Cowboy Church #241

 Hello, my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church. 


Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing, Sweet Hour of Prayer. The words of this hymn are believed to have come from William W. Walford, a blind preacher from Warwickshire, England. It is believed that when fellow minister and friend, Thomas Salmon visited him in 1842, he asked Salmon to write down the words of a poem he had written about prayer. When Salmon was in the United States, three years later, he showed the poem to an editor of The New York Observer. It was then printed in an issue dated September 13, 1845. In 1861, William Bradbury would write the music for this hymn. Bradbury had also written the music for such Hymns as Just as I Am, He Leadeth Me and The Solid Rock. This recording of the hymn was the title track of Roy and Dale's 1957 gospel album.

This is followed by Jean Shepard with Where No One Stands Alone. This song was written by Mosie Lister, one of the most influential and important gospel songwriters of the 1950's. Mosie was also one of the founding members of the gospel singing group, The Statesmen Quartet. Not long afterwards he left the band and performing to concentrate on songwriting and that is when he wrote many of his finest compositions, including this one.

Afterwards is Patty Loveless with You Burned the Bridge. This recording comes from her 2009 gospel album, Mountain Soul II.

Then is The Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis with Too Much to Gain to Lose. 

Next is the Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of Heavenly Airplane. This song was written by Bob Nolan, one of the founding members of the group and one of my favorite songwriters. Bob also has the lead vocals on this song. Hugh Farr's fiddle playing here is truly wonderful. This recording was done when Roy Rogers was still a member of the group before embarking on his solo career. 

Afterwards is Washington Phillips with his 1927 recording of Paul and Silas in Jail.

It is hard to believe that a song like The Man Comes Around was so late in Johnny Cash's career. Most of the time singer/songwriters don't release and certainly don't write their best music in their sixth decade, but as all music fans know Johnny was one of the rare artists with such a long career, who left this world at the top of his game musically.  At this time John was on fire for the lord. No longer was he the wild crazy man he had been in the 1950's and 60's, instead by this time he had become a true man of God, and wanted to do all he could for the lord before he passed away. He knew he had wasted too much of his life being controlled by sin and finally wanted to be a servant to God instead of to his own fleshly desires. At this time he was also seeing a musically resurgence, where he was more popular than ever and young audiences were embracing his new music just as much as they did any younger artist of their generation. What he wanted to do was to create a modern day gospel song that would speak directly to this younger audience and The Man Comes Around more than fit that bill. Because this song was so near and dear to him he spent more time writing it than any other song he had composed. In his book, Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon, Pastor Greg Laurie wrote "Personally I think it is the strongest song Johnny ever wrote. It is both biblical and personal, powerful and poetic."

Today's musical selection ends with Anne Wilson with Still Do. This comes from Still Do. This song is from her 2025 album, Stars.

Now for a message from S.M. Lockridge. 

Now for the Red Ryder movie, Vigilantes of Boomtown (1947). 

Psalm 46

 

 

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

 

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again. 

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #254

 Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons. 

Today's cartoon selection starts with a delightful early Mickey Mouse short, The Gorilla Mystery (1930). This short film was somewhat spoofing the 1925 play The Gorilla which also involved a dark house and a sinister gorilla. This play had been made into a silent feature film, The Gorilla (1927). The same year as this cartoon was released a talkie remake, The Gorilla (1930). A more comedic approach to this story was the later Ritz Brothers feature, The Gorilla (1939). The gorilla used in this Mickey cartoon (according to studio documentation) is the same one who would appear in the future Mickey Mouse shorts, Mickey's Mechanical Man (1933) and The Pet Store (1933). This movie benefits from some great atmospheric touches that show just how advanced the Disney studio was even at this point. Those of you who have seen the Mickey Mouse short film, Get a Horse (2013), should note that that Mickey's shout of "Minnie" in this cartoon was reused in that film. Mickey's cry of "Bring her back Mr. Ingagi" is a reference to the movie, Ingagi (1930), which also featured an evil gorilla.

Up next is the Terry Toons cartoon, A Truckload of Trouble (1949). I really like the three main characters in this short and wish they could have been used in more cartoons.  

Now for the Aesop's Sound Fables cartoon, Foolish Follies (1930). The following is a review from an issue of Motion Picture News, "Van Beuren's stock of pen and ink animal characters provoke a load of laughter with their version of 'Foolish Follies' on the stage of the Casino, where they burlesque the more popular types of vaude acts. Running time, 6 minutes. Good stuff for heavy feature."
 

Next is the early Porky Pig cartoon, Plane Dippy (1936). This is the film in which we learn Porky's full name, Porky Cornelius Washington Otis Lincoln Abner Aloysius Casper Jefferson Philbert Horatius Narcissus Pig. I'm sure you all will memorize that name. As well as Porky this film also has some other characters that also premiered in the Merrie Melodies cartoon, I Haven't Got A Hat (1935) such as Little Kitty (who plays an important role here). Comic fans may also notice that the character of Professor Blotz looks extremely similar to a character from the Mickey Mouse comic strip, Professor Ecks. Though this movie is directed by Tex Avery, don't except the pure insanity of his later cartoons, as this was still early in his directorial career and he hadn't fully developed his style yet. Still this cartoon has many very funny gags in it, I especially love Porky writing his name. The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "PLANE DIPPY: Looney Tune—This is a very comical cartoon. Above the average.—Paul J. Pope, Avon Theatre, Geneva, Ala., Small Town and Rural Patronage." 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for a silent classic, Mutt and Jeff in The Globe Trotters (1926). The more of these Mutt and Jeff cartoons I watch, the more I am convinced that they are some of the best cartoons of the silent era. 

Motion Picture News, 1917

Now we join Andy Panda in Crow Crazy (1945). This is the first of two cartoons to feature Andy's dog Milo. The other was Mousie Come Home (1946). Andy would have different dogs in other cartoons, but I think Milo is the most memorable. 

Now for Dudley Do-Right in The Centaur (1969). 

Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in Jumping Bart (1987). This is one of the shorts made for The Tracey Ullman Show before the animated family received their own TV show.

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another selection of animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.

Resources Used

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein. 

Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

Movie Review: Die My Love

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

A flawed movie that works because of a masterful performance by Jennifer Lawrence. 

Jennifer Lawrence truly shines in the role of a woman who is having a mental breakdown after having a baby. She is absolutely incredible here. This is one of those performances in which you forget you are watching an actress or a fictional character. All you see is a real person on the screen. And though sometimes I found myself getting angry at the character's actions (she can be selfish and downright cruel), I could feel the authenticity in every one of these moments. Though Lawrence has always been a very strong actress, this movie shows the depth and maturity she is capable of. Robert Pattinson and Sissy Spacek (a personal favorite actress of mine) are great as well, but this movie is Jennifer Lawrence's time to shine. And shine she does. 

I am also greatly impressed with the very cinematic way this movie is told. The rural setting and the way this setting is shot and often lingered on, greatly enhances the feeling of isolation. Meanwhile the soundtrack is very effectively used. There are moments that are almost silent and moments that are deafeningly loud, both of which are used masterfully to put us in the mindset of the main character. 

However, this movie is relentlessly depressing. While there have been many great sad movies most of them have at least a few moments that relieve you from the sadness or offer a faint glimmer of hope. That is not here at all. We simply see our main character fall further and further down the rabbit hole of misery. Many of the ways this is done feel completely unnecessary. Did we really need the whole subplot about the dog or having her husband cheat on her, when the focus of this movie is on the effect motherhood has on her? These subplots only exist to tie her down with even more misery. It gets to the point fairly early on, when it is easy to become fed up with the misery this movie constantly heaps on its characters that we simply find ourselves wanting this movie to just end. This can make this movie feel much longer than it actually is. 

This movie is also brought down by the use of unnecessary symbolism and avant-garde visuals. This is a film that works best when it tells its story and a more realistic and relatable fashion. The more abstract and artsy scenes seem to be too much in contrast with the majority of the film. 

This is a very flawed movie but also one that is held down by a truly great lead performance. 
 

Michael's Christmas Movie Guide: Iron Man 3 (2013)

 

Iron Man 3 was the first of the live action Iron Man movies (not counting The Avengers (2012)) to be directed by someone other than Jon Favreau (though he still served as an executive producer and played the character of Happy). The director instead would be Shane Black. Shane Black had made his directorial debut with another movie starring Robert Downey Jr., Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005). His other directorial effort The Nice Guys (2016), The Predator (2018) and Play Dirty (2025). Before becoming a director, he worked as a writer on such movies as Lethal Weapon (1987), The Monster Squad (1987), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), The Last Boy Scout (1991) and Last Action Hero (1993). About taking over this film series Black stated, "truthfully, the way to go about doing a part 3, if you're ever in that position, as I'm lucky enough to be, is to find a way that the first two weren't done yet. You have to find a way to make sure that the story that's emerging is still ongoing and, by the time you've finished 3, will be something resembling the culmination of a trilogy. It's about, 'How has the story not yet been completely told?,' and I think we're getting there. I think we've really found ways to make this feel organic and new, based on what's come before, and that's what I'm happy about." 

In this film, Tony Stark finds himself during with strong PTSD after the events of The Avengers. He is having bad anxiety attacks and is having trouble sleeping. Meanwhile a terrorist known as the Mandarin is supposedly behind a series of bombings. When Tony investigates, he discovers that there might be more going on here than meets the eye. 

This is one of the most underrated MCU films. It is rarely listed when people talk about the best Marvel movies, however it is truly excellent. 

Like many of the best superhero movies, this functions as a character study first and foremost. Tony Stark feels even more real and human here than in the other MCU films. After two solo movies and one Avengers film, it is amazing that the filmmakers were able to find a new side to Tony to explore here. Exploring the character's anxieties and unhealthy obsession with control is a great route to go here. The way the film deals with these sides to him are incredibly well done. It feels very real, giving a strong weight to this superhero film. This vulnerability is increased by having Tony separated from his Iron Man suit for the majority of the film. The movie feels like a real-world drama at many times with a few comic book style embellishments and this is the secret to why it is so effective. 

This movie's story is also quite refreshing. It is rare to find a 21st century action packed Hollywood blockbuster that is not completely predictable. Yet this movie has some very clever twists and turns that initially took me by surprise. The film does a great job of building clear expectations and then completely subverting them in very intelligent ways. 

Though the action is not the focus here, the action scenes are excellent, living up to the high standards laid in place by the previous films. This action scenes are quite exciting and often feel larger than life.   

The movie does have some flaws though. The pacing is off at times. Certain scenes go on too long, while some plot points and subplots are quite rushed. The humor can also fall quite flat at times (though there are a couple really funny moments here) and is not always in tune with the more serious tone of much of the movie. 

These flaws though are very well drowned out by all the elements that are truly great here.   

About how this movie ended up taking place around Christmas Shane Black stated, "Well it just sort of evolved oddly enough in Iron Man 3, because I had resisted it. It was [co-screenwriter] Drew [Pearce] who taught me... I think it's a sense of if you're doing something on an interesting scale that involves an entire universe of characters, one way to unite them is to have them all undergo a common experience. There's something at Christmas that unites everybody and it already sets a stage within the stage, that wherever you are, you're experiencing this world together. I think that also there's something just pleasing about it to me. I mean I did LETHAL WEAPON back in '87 and Joe liked it so much he put Die Hard at Christmas and there was some fun to that. So, look, you don't have to do every film that way." He would add "It's a time of reckoning for a lot of people, when you take stock of how you got to where you are now and lonely people are lonelier at Christmas and you tend to notice things more acutely, I think."

This film was a major box office success grossing $1.266 billion worldwide. The movie outgrossed Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010) combined. It would be the second highest grossing movie of 2013 with Disney's Frozen being the top film. Critical reviews were mostly positive, though not as glowing as was the case for the first Iron Man.  

Resources Used

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/2013/

https://www.slashfilm.com/525964/why-iron-man-3-is-a-christmas-movie/

https://collider.com/robert-downey-jr-shane-black-iron-man-3-interview/

Movie Review: Violent Ends

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B-

A well-made but very familiar thriller. 

This movie has a very familiar storyline about a man who comes from a family of criminals. He wants to break away from his family's criminal ways because he is going to get married and have kids. However, his fiancée is killed in a botched robbery that he believes his family is responsible for. He seeks revenge on those who he believes killed his fiancée. We have seen this type of story many times before and that can make it to where this film will blend in with similar ones in our minds. However, this does not mean it can't be well told. 

There is quite a bit to like here actually. Our main character is quite a good one. He is a character that we at first really like and root for. However, as his darker side comes out, our feelings towards him become more complicated. His moral decline is presented in a completely believable and gradual way. With this the movie does a great job of showing us how a seemingly good guy can have a monster living inside. This is all helped by an excellent lead performance by Billy Magnussen. The movie is also full of some really effective action scenes and some surprisingly good twists and turns.

I could have done without this film's opening scene where the main character hunts and kills a deer. He then very graphically cuts the deer up into meat. As a vegetarian and strong believer in animal rights I have always been very uncomfortable with these overly gory animal scenes. Beyond this though the scene is simply pointless in the context of the movie.   

This may be overly familiar, but it is quite good for what it is.  

 

100 Years of Brodies with Hal Roach: The Jaunty Journeys of a Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Pioneer (2014)

 

For those of us who love classic comedy, Hal Roach is a legendary name. He produced many classic films starring the likes of Laurel and Hardy, Harold Lloyd, the Our Gang kids (also known as The Little Rascals), Charley Chase and plenty more. All these years later these films stand as some of the greatest comedies of all time. So of course, for us any book about Hal Roach makes for essential reading. However, this book stands as one of the best books about the subject. This is because it not only gives us a historical overview of one of the best comedy studios of all time, but it also gives us the most vivid portrait of Hal Roach as a person available. 

Author Craig Calman is a comedy filmmaker himself who discovered the work of Hal Roach at a very young age becoming enamored with the films of Laurel and Hardy. Little did he dream as that young kid that one day he would meet the producer of those classic Laurel and Hardy films. At the age of twenty he went out on a limb and tried to contact Hal Roach, when working on a term paper. This resulted in a decades long friendship. This book is the result of that friendship. Much of the book is filled with quotes from Hal Roach. Because of this we not only get a view of how films were made at the Hal Roach Studio but also insights into Hal Roach viewed comedy and filmmaking. His views on comedy are quite revealing from him speaking about taking children into consideration but never making films only for them to him talking about how he believed that comedies should not exceed forty-five minutes (though he would make feature length comedies out of necessity). He even speaks about others in the comedy field from Mack Sennett to Benny Hill. While I may not agree on some of those comments, they do say a lot about his approach to comedy and how it differed from others. Even the times when Roach's memory proved to be faulty, what he remembers about his own work says a lot about the way he viewed his career and the various films he worked on. 

Though by design this book cannot go into as much detail about individual films as Randy Skretvedt's Laurel and Hardy books or Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann's book about Our Gang, it still gives a very nice historical overview of the work from this movie studio. Probably most valuable is that for each year of the studio's existence, Calman provides a list of how many films were made with each of the studio's comedy stars as well as how many dramatic features or special productions were made for each year. Calman as well as using his personal experience with Hal Roach also digs into studio documentation and old movie magazines to create an even greater dig into the history of these films. 

Also unlike many histories of the Hal Roach Studio, this book does not neglect the studio's later involvement in TV. This includes both TV shows made by the studio and those that used the studio's resources for filming (did you know The Abbott and Costello Show was filmed there?).

 This book is a must have for any fan of classic comedy. 

For any fan of classic comedy 

How Mack Sennett Picks His Bathing Beauties

Other than the Keystone Cops, Mack Sennett's Bathing Beauties are the most famous staple of the silent comedies produced by Mack Sennett. Sex sells is not a recent idea and more than 100 years ago, filmmakers knew that nothing would get audiences' (especially male audiences') attention as much as beautiful women. Mack Sennett took this idea even farther. When it came to his filmmaking style Mack Sennett certainly believed that more was more. This was not only true when it came to his unsubtle brand of slapstick humor but also to how many beautiful women, he would have onscreen. If one beautiful woman in a bathing suit would capture someone's attention, then multiple women in bathing suits would do so even further. Thus, was born Mack Sennett's bathing beauties. 

If you are wondering how Mack Sennett picked his bathing beauties than look no further. Such is explained in the following article from a 1923 issue of Screenland magazine. If you have any trouble reading the pages below click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. 

Here is a MAck Sennett produced short featuring the Bathing Beauties, Heroic Ambrose (1919).