NEXT MONTHS THEME!

Once or twice I have taken on a daunting task and soon discovered it was bigger than I expected. That's what happened to me this week. My challenge was to unearth some of our greatest actors who served are country and organize them into the department they served under. Some were obvious while others were not as easy to find as I had hoped.

All in all, I have chosen to shelve this project for another time and move onto the next theme. I have been excited to start this month since the beginning of the year. In January, I began with Inspirational movies. As it moved into February I transitioned into the Romantic films. March was for Musicals and April was dedicated to the "fools" of Comedy. May & June was set aside for my parents favorite films, as July was in honor for the Patriotic films of Hollywood.

Now we find ourselves in August, a hot month at that, and I have chosen the theme of Westerns. What an amazing genre it is. I remember speaking with some foreigners about the films of the past, and they wouldn't stop talking about westerns. I asked why they loved them so much and their response was a discovery. "No other country ever experienced Cowboys & Indians, Mountain Men & Pioneers" they said. Think of it for a moment, we are the only country on this earth with such a heritage. And this heritage makes for some darn good stories.

Westerns, not unlike some of its other fellow genres, began in the pictures before sound. Since it's humble beginnings we have seen radio shows, popular TV series, epic trilogies and even musicals, heavily dominated by the western theme. Almost every key movie star of Hollywood has been seen in a western and some of them did so well that they soon became known for them. Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Gary Cooper and others fit perfect on the saddle. Some stars were only known for westerns, yet this did not make them any less popular; Roy Rogers, Gene Autry & Harry Carry were among many whose stardom revolved around their cowhand talents.

These films created heroes both fictional and non-fictional. Every kid wanted to draw faster, shoot straighter, ride harder and fight tougher like the men they idealized on the screen. Probably one of the best movies to portray this is Shane (1953). In this film we see the story of a retired gunfighter through the eyes of a little boy. We begin to understand how pointless violence is at times and the effect it can have on the mind of a child. We feel connected to the hero as the boy urges him to stay on. Shane was a clean hero in a dirty world and you hated to see him ride away into the dark.


Besides all of the amazing contributions westerns have made in our age, there is still another to mention. Through these films we get a little taste of what are ancestors fought against. Unknown enemies, disease, hunger, bitter cold, mother nature, animals, and even each other were the challenges of their day. Contrast this with are own challenges of work, family, technology and the society we live in. Quite a difference don't you think. These films gave us a piece of history unique to this country alone. We see men and woman fighting back the things that would have oppressed the freedoms they cherished.

I hope to make this month as interesting as the west itself. I also hope to learn more about some of the movies and characters I have loved as a boy and bring to the surface some of the hidden gold clusters in the sand. Yee ha!