"Rio Bravo" Japanese Poster

Yesterday marked 65 years since the release of Rio Bravo (1959) starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickenson and Ward Bond. It was directed by Howard Hawks.

The movie was filmed in Old Tucson, Arizona.

Here is a Japanese poster for the movie's release in Japan:

 

"Rio Bravo" Soundtrack CD

Above, the Rio Bravo CD set. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In 1959, the classic Howard Hawks/John Wayne western was released.

From Wikipedia:

Rio Bravo is a 1959 American Western film produced and directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, and Ward Bond. 

Roger Ebert called Rio Bravo Hawks's "masterpiece". While that may be the case, it was aided by a great soundtrack by Dimitri Tiomkin.

I went on a little CD-buying spree last week and the first one arrived today. It is the two-disc Rio Bravo soundtrack album. This was perfect timing for me as it has been raining today and this gave me something new to listen to (maybe I'll watch the movie while having dinner tonight).

This will come in handy on long RV drives in The Beast during camping/travel season.

As I mentioned, this is a two-disc set and there's lots to enjoy. Disc One has most, if not all, music cues along with the main theme. On the case, it is listed as "The Score Part 1".

Disc 2 is a lot more enjoyable. It is listed as "The Score Part 2" with more music cues. Then it goes into the "Original Soundtrack" and "Bonus Tracks".

It is on Disc 2 that various version of "My Rifle, My Pony and Me" are presented, including the version with Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson and Walter Brennan. There's also studio versions featuring Martin alone (man, he had a smooth voice and style). There's also "Cindy" from the movie and studio versions by Nelson. And, there's a recording of Nelson singing "Restless Kid".

Also, in Disc 2, is an introduction by John Wayne of Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson.

I'd say Disc 2 is worth the purchase price alone! And, there's also a 16-page booklet!

If one is a western movie fan or just a fan of movie soundtracks, I highly recommend the Rio Bravo CD set.

My grade: A+.

Rex Allen At The Shrine Auditorium

Above, Rex Allen obliges autograph-seekers. My cousin Maria is on the right. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While going through my photo albums, I came across one of country star Rex Allen at the Shrine Auditorium on February 3, 1980. The event was a Reagan campaign event, "Rally 'Round Reagan".

The program included appearances by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Wayne Newton.

After the event, I took the above photo of Allen signing autographs outside of the Shrine Auditorium. My cousin Maria is on the right.

According to Wikipedia:

Rex Elvie Allen (December 31, 1920 – December 17, 1999) was an American film and television actor, singer and songwriter, known as "the Arizona Cowboy" and as the narrator of many Disney nature and Western productions. For his contributions to the film industry, Allen received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1975, located at 6821 Hollywood Boulevard.

"Rio Bravo" and Old Tucson

My Blu-ray of the 1959 John Wayne western, Rio Bravo, arrived today.

It had been years since I last saw it and it seemed like rediscovering a movie. Along with the Duke, Rio Bravo starred Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan and Angie Dickinson. Of all the leads, only Angie Dickinson is still with us. It was directed by Howard Hawks.

The movie was filmed at Old Tuscon Studios, just west of Tucson, Arizona. Old Tucson is still a working movie studio and it is open to the public. The Blu-ray has a featurette on Old Tucson as one of the extras.

About Old Tucson:

Old Tucson is one of Arizona’s top Wild West attractions, featuring live action stunt shows, musicals and live entertainment, vintage rides for the kids, genuine southwest BBQ and special events throughout the season. Step back in time as you make your way through town, walking the same streets made famous by movie legends such as John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Elizabeth Taylor, Steve Martin, Sharon Stone and Martin Short. 

Immortalized in more than 400 films and commercial productions, Old Tucson remains the region’s premiere film location. For more information about Old Tucson, call us at (520) 883-0100. Old Tucson is located at 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona  85735.

I'll have to find time to pay a visit to Old Tucson one of these days.

To view the Old Tucson website, go here.

Dearly Departed Tour - Part Three

One of the highlights of the Dearly Departed Tour, was a 25 minute stop at the Westwood Cemetery (located behind the Avco Center) where many celebrities are buried.

Here are some of them:

Above. Don Knotts. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Mel Torme. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Truman Capote. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Heather O'Rourke (from the original Poltergeist). Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Marilyn Monroe. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Dean Martin. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Burt Lancaster. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Louis Jourdan. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Dorothy Stratten (1980 Playmate of the Year). Photo by Armand  Vaquer.

Above, Billy Wilder. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

End of part three. More celebrity graves in part four.

UPDATE (3/17/24):

I was reading about director Peter Bogdanovich earlier today. I enjoyed his interviews about director Howard Hawks in several Hawks-directed John Wayne movies. I went to Find a Grave and found that he is buried next to Dorothy Stratten, the Playboy Playmate murdered by her estranged husband in 1980. She was living with Bogdanovich at the time of the murder. He later married her sister.