#Lone Star Outlaw;; { Sam }

[boisterousfifty]

"... You better get yer ass away from them cows if y'know what's good for ya."

[boisterousfifty]

Alright, he wasn't expecting to hear that today.

A glance is cast toward the dogs who were still very active and barking occasionally. Samuel takes a second to release a sharp, high-pitched whistle and immediately the dogs cease their noises and drop their butts to the floor. He wouldn't have them if they weren't well trained. A ranch had to be run as smoothly as possible.

This done, his gaze shifts back to Bavaria.

"... Mm. You're lucky I've finished th'chores for the day. I can show ya around, if you want."

He's not very keen on random visitors usually but the timing was fine, so why not?

Resi managed to maneuver herself past the dogs without any ease; having dogs herself made her an expert on how to prevent them from attacking so her journey up to the front door with ease.

She made it to the porch when he came out looking cautiously at her his gaze demanding an explanation of why she was on his property.

"Hmm, I'm Resi or Bavaria." She answers her thick Bavarian accent coming through. She leans against the post and looks at him, "I always wanted to see a real-life ranch so I am here hoping to see yours—sorry if that sounded weird but I have been a big fan of yours for years." she added adding the fact that she admired him and his state and thought that they were similar.

[esther-dot]

The Copper Queen 110k @jrojoyce

Is it possible to find love in such an inhospitable place? If you do find it, can it survive against both man and nature? Fresh from their discharge from the army, Jon Snow and his friend, Samwell Tarly, arrive in the small mining town of Copper Canyon, Arizona in hopes of building their future. Unbeknownst to Sam, Jon has picked this location for a specific personal reason. Will his choice lead them to a bright future or will their future evaporate like water in the desert? Sansa Stark had lived in Copper Canyon for over half her life. She and her sister, Arya, are all that remain of their once large family. In the old west rumor and gossip can quickly become legend. And if you believe the legends of Copper Canyon, than you know the Starks carry a curse. A curse placed on them by a man who still styles himself as their friend and protector. Will a chance meeting with the town's newest arrival be enough to break that curse?

Four Brides for One Jon 1k by @thefairfleming

It’s the flowers that do it. For the past hour, Sansa had been sitting in the stagecoach, trying to maintain some semblance of calm in the face of what appears to be an utter disaster. All four of them in this coach, four women taking a chance on a new life with a complete stranger, and it turns out they’ve all been summoned by the same stranger.

There's a feeling in your eyes (the shadows can't erase) 7k, incomplete

Following the sensational and mysterious deaths of her family, Sansa Stark marries her cousin, Jon Snow, a newly appointed Sheriff in the wild country of the Arizona Territory.

Ivory & Lace 68k by @vivilove-jonsa

Jon Snow was a loner and the townsfolk all agreed he was a dangerous man. Sansa Stark has been sent out West to marry Ramsay Bolton, a man she's never met. When Sansa and Jon meet in town, the attraction is immediate despite the obstacle of a fiancé in the way.

Leather & Lace 134k by @vivilove-jonsa

After her husband had died of consumption last year, many in town had doubted that a young woman of twenty could keep things afloat but Sansa Stark Tyrell is no ordinary young woman and she's determined to keep her ranch and to keep her newfound family together. But a ranch the size of the Golden Rose needed more than one old man, two green boys, three young women and a baby to keep it thriving. They needed at least one man in his prime. “A man in his prime for the ranch and a man in his prime in your bed,” Mya had teased when she’d spoke of hiring someone. She’d smothered a giggle and told Mya to hush up when she’d said it but something low in her belly tightened at the memory.

Deep in the Heart of a Lone Star Lady 11k

Sansa Stark finds herself running a cattle ranch in Texas in the 1800's but profits dip lower and lower each year. Just when she thinks she is on the verge of losing everything, the new ranch hand Jon Snow walks into her life and gives her so much more to live for.

An Outlaw and His Prize 1k by @framboise-fics

“Do you know what you’ve done?” she says, scathingly, her voice poised as ever even though he remembers the fear in her eyes when he burst in through the window of the room where Baelish was keeping her, even though her fingers clutch tightly to his coat where she sits sidesaddle on the horse before him.

Go West, Jon Snow 107k by @kittykatknits

The year is 1852. Jon Snow is ready to begin a new life in the Oregon Territory. To do so, he will travel via wagon train through one of the famous trails in the Old West. But, first, Jon needs to find himself a wife.

Seven Snow Brothers and Their Wives 6k WIP by @kittykatknits

Seven brothers, all backwoods mountain men, decide they need a woman's help with the cooking and other chores. Only, it turns out finding a wife isn't as easy as it seems. Soon enough, with some help from Sansa, it's time for them to go courting. And if that doesn't work, then they can always ride into town and steal their brides, like those Sobbin' Women they heard about. Maybe this way they'll be able to find the girl for them? And maybe even have a wedding or seven?

Desert Snow 10k by @tinywriter2018

Jon snow owns a ranch while Sansa helps run the family clothing store. Many rumors are going around about the mysterious rancher who mostly comes to town when he has to.

mountain man drabble by @charmtion

Season by season, the way he’d lived up till meeting her. But now he lives to drown, draws breath just so he can lose it in the depths of her eyes, the honey of her smile, the salt of her on his tongue, the sound of her some church-song in his ears.

Cathouse ficlets 1, 2, 3 by @justadram

Sansa’s only been working in Baelish’s cathouse for a week to pay off the debt she incurred from being brought out here to escape her bastard of a fiancé, when Mya comes to her and announces in that brash voice of hers that there’s a shy gentleman downstairs looking for a girl with red hair.

Gifset by @thewindsofwolves -- Gifset by @theirwinterfell -- Gifset by @dcbicki

PRE CANON - FAIRYTALES - REGENCY - LITTLE WOMEN - HOLIDAY - SEASON 6 ANNE OF GREEN GABLES - THE GIRL IN GREY - FREE CITIES - FAIRYTALE PART II - POLITICAL MARRIAGE - SALTY TEENS - POST CANON

[tcm]

Revisiting Oscar-Nominated and Winning Pictures By Susan King

We all have our favorite Oscar winners that we love to watch over and over again. But there are numerous Oscar winners and nominees that have gained new life thanks to TCM, HBO Max and DVD that are definitely worth revisiting. Here are some of my favorites:

RANDOM HARVEST

I interviewed the legendary funny man Carl Reiner a few months before his death and the conversation drifted to RANDOM HARVEST (’42) and how much he loved the romance. Robert Redford is also a fan. In the 1990s, he was planning on doing a remake, and in 2014, it was announced that Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey) was hired to pen a remake. The handsome MGM production based on James Hilton’s bestseller starring Ronald Colman and Greer Garson was a huge hit that year and was nominated for seven Oscars including Best Film, Actor for Colman, Actress in a Supporting Role for Susan Peters and Director Mervyn LeRoy. 

Both Colman and Garson had great success in other Hilton adaptations – Colman starred in LOST HORIZON (’37) and Garson made her U.S. film debut and earned her first Best Actress Oscar nomination in GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS (’39). RANDOM HARVEST is often overlooked by the other big MGM film released in 1942, William Wyler’s MRS. MINIVER. Not only was the stirring drama about a British family attempting to survive the years of World War II a blockbuster at the box office, but it also won a striking eight Oscars.

But I think RANDOM HARVEST is the more engaging film. It’s hard not to fall in love with this romantic tale with Colman at his most dreamy as a shell-shocked amnesiac veteran of World War I (Colman was wounded in the global conflict) named Smith who falls in love and marries a loving young entertainer (Garson). But Smithy, as Garson’s Paula calls him, is hit by a car on his way to a job interview and wakes up with no memory of the past three years but does remember who he really is – an aristocrat by the name of Charles Rainier.

Will true love reunite these two? The sigh level is very high with RANDOM HARVEST and this love story has a very strong place in my heart.

NONE BUT THE LONELY HEART

I’ve had more than a few people ask me why I like NONE BUT THE LONELY HEART (’44) so much. It’s depressing, they say. It’s downbeat, they say. But I think it’s a chance to see Cary Grant in a rare break out of his “Cary Grant” suave, sophisticated image. Adapted and directed by Clifford Odets from the novel by Richard Llewellyn (How Green Was My Valley), NONE BUT THE LONELY HEART casts Grant as Ernie Mott, a Cockney drifter who returns home to his Ma (Ethel Barrymore).  When he learns that she’s dying of cancer, Ernie stays to help run her second-hand shop. But Ernie can’t stay out of trouble, joining forces with a gangster stealing cars and pursuing the mobster’s wife (June Duprez). 

Meanwhile, his neighbor Aggie (Jane Wyatt) is madly in love with him and tries to save Ernie from a life of crime. The film was generally warmly received, earning four Oscar nominations and winning supporting actress for Barrymore. She shot her scenes during her two-week vacation from her Broadway triumph The Corn Is Green, and the Academy Award transformed the Broadway star into a much-in-demand film actress. She would go on to earn three more Oscar nominations.

Grant, who had earned his first Oscar nomination three years earlier for PENNY SERENADE (‘41), didn’t attend the Academy Awards where Bing Crosby won best actor for GOING MY WAY. Grant never earned another Oscar nomination, but received an Oscar honorary in 1970.

NIGHT MUST FALL

Handsome and charismatic Robert Montgomery was one of MGM’s top leading men in the 1930s, best known for his work in comedies including PRIVATE LIVES (’31) and FORSAKING ALL OTHERS (’34). Though he did an occasional dramatic part, nothing really stretched him as an actor until NIGHT MUST FALL (’37). Montgomery had long been bugging MGM head Louis B. Mayer for better roles. He supposedly allowed Montgomery to do NIGHT MUST FALL because the studio head thought the actor would be embarrassed when the movie failed. Montgomery later said, “they okayed me playing in it because they thought the fan reaction in such a role would humiliate me.” He went so far as to help subsidize the film’s production budget.

Based on the play by Emlyn Williams which ran on Broadway in 1936, NIGHT MUST FALL finds Montgomery playing Danny, a serial killer who just happens to have a trophy from his latest victim—her head—in a hatbox. Danny charms his way into the heart and home of a wealthy elderly woman (Dame May Whitty, reprising her London stage role). Rosalind Russell, who made five films with Montgomery, plays the elderly woman’s niece who has her suspicions about Danny but can’t convince her aunt that she’s in danger. Both Montgomery and Whitty earned Oscar nominations.

Though Montgomery returned to the comedy genre after NIGHT MUST FALL, he began directing films such as LADY IN THE LAKE (’46) and found great success in TV in the 1950s with the anthology series Robert Montgomery Presents, which often featured his daughter Elizabeth.

THE NAKED SPUR

Jimmy Stewart’s image took a 180 degree turn in the 1950s thanks to Alfred Hitchcock with REAR WINDOW (’54) and VERTIGO (’58), but most notably in the five Westerns he made with Anthony Mann. Far from the boy-next-door character he played pre-World War II, Stewart was transformed into conflicted, troubled men – anti-heroes who often could be as villainous as the bad guys who peppered these sagebrush sagas. (Mann also directed Stewart in three non-Westerns).

THE NAKED SPUR (’53), which earned a screenplay Oscar nomination for Sam Rolfe and Harold Jack Bloom, is my favorite of their collaborations. Stewart really digs deep into the character of Civil War veteran turned bounty hunter, Howard Kemp. He’s angry and bitter having lost his land during his conflict. Kemp hopes he can get his land back by working as a bounty hunter. And he’s doggedly determined to get outlaw Ben Vandergroat (a fabulously vile Robert Ryan). Along the way, he encounters two men (Millard Mitchell and Ralph Meeker) who join him on his journey. And when he finds Vandergroat, he also discovers he has a young woman (Janet Leigh) with him. Intelligent, often disturbing and brilliantly acted, THE NAKED SPUR is an exceptional exploration of the dark side of humanity.

[tabloidtoc]

TV Guide, February 1-14

You can now buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: The Hot List -- Outlander’s Sam Heughan on Men in Kilts

Page 1: Contents, Your Feedback 

Page 2: Ask Matt -- Call Me Kat, Las Vegas with Josh Duhamel, Lucky Dog, Coming Next Issue -- TV Guide Magazine’s February 15 issue cover story is When Calls the Heart 

Page 4: TV Insider -- 25 top shows 

Page 5: First Look -- Aisha Hinds and Rob Lowe in 9-1-1: Lone Star as wildfires devastate the Austin area, The Show We’re Talking About in the Office -- Prodigal Son, The Big Number -- 70 is the staggering number of original movies Netflix plans to release this year with at least one new title each week 

Page 6: The Roush Review -- WandaVision 

Page 7: Resident Alien, Snowpiercer, The Long Song 

Page 8: Hot List 2021 -- read on for 32 reasons to love TV now including beautiful stars and jaw-dropping drama and sizzling costar chemistry plus puppies! -- Hot Scots -- Sam Heughan on Men in Kilts 

Page 9: Hot Topic -- Grey’s Anatomy, Hot Mess -- Tom Payne on Prodigal Son’s Malcolm Bright, Hot on the Trail -- TV Investigators Clarice Starling of Clarice and Eliza Scarlet of Miss Scarlet & the Duke and Tom Brannick of Bloodlands 

Page 10: Hot Chemistry -- NCIS’ Ellie Bishop and Nick Torres, Warm Sendoff -- a tribute to Alex Trebek, Hot Heroine -- Javicia Leslie on Batwoman 

Page 11: Hot Spot -- Space, Hot Dogs -- Puppy Bowls’ pooches, Hot Groundbreaker -- The Bachelor’s Matt James, Hot Soap -- General Hospital 

Page 12: Hot Trend -- costar couples like Scott Bakula and Chelsea Field on NCIS: New Orleans and Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone on God’s Favorite Idiot and Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton on The Walking Dead, Hot Property -- Fixer Upper: Welcome Home, Hot Competition -- new game shows, Burning Hot -- the cast of Station 19 

Page 13: Hot Home Theater -- streaming movies, Red Hot -- Conan O’Brien, Hot Streak -- Reese Witherspoon, Hot Hosts -- Tina Fey and Amy Poehler 

Page 18: What’s Worth Watching -- Week 1 -- Queen Latifah on The Equalizer 

Page 19: Monday, February 1 -- The Investigation, Roots, All American Stories, Atlanta Justice, 9-1-1: Lone Star, Golden Turkeys on TCM 

Page 20: Tuesday, February 2 -- Charlie’s Angels, The Resident, Finding Your Roots -- Jane Lynch and Jim Gaffigan, Home Again With the Fords, Wednesday, February 3 -- Chicago Med, Super Bowl Greatest Commercials 2021, Europe’s New Wild 

Page 21: Thursday, February 4 -- Al Davis vs. the NFL, Married at First Sight: Australia, Summer House, Impractical Jokers

Page 22: Friday, February 5 -- Made in Italy, Killer Advice, Gold Rush, Magnum P.I., In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl -- Katy Perry and John Williams 

Page 24: Saturday, February 6 -- Wonder Woman, Whitney Houston & Bobbi Kristina: Didn’t We Almost Have It All, Beverly Hills Wedding, Devil May Care 

Page 26: Sunday, February 7 -- Super Bowl LV, Kitten Bowl VIII, Crikey! It’s the Irwins!, Miss Scarlet & the Duke 

Page 27-41: TV listings 

Page 42: Stream It! Your guide to the very best streaming available now -- Netflix -- Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, The Ripper, The Staircase, three reasons to binge The Crew 

Page 43: Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke on Firefly Lane, new movies for every mood -- I want sci-fi thrills...Outside the Wife, I want to be scared...Red Dot, I want international drama...The White Tiger, I want family comedy...Charming 

Page 44: Prime Video -- Anna Paquin on Flack, Dexter, Black History Month Movies -- One Night in Miami, Sylvie’s Love, Freedom, What I’m Bingeing: Mozart in the Jungle 

Page 45: Hulu -- 5 great rom-coms for Valentine’s Day -- Date Night, 50 First Dates, Palm Springs, The Princess Bride, The Wedding Planner, BritBox -- The Pembrokeshire Murders, A Confession, The Heist at Hatton Garden, The Moorside 

Page 46: New Movie Releases 

Page 47: Series, Specials & Documentaries 

Page 48: What’s Worth Watching -- Week 2 -- Robin Roberts on Tuskegee Airmen: Legacy of Courage 

Page 49: Monday, February 8 -- Black Lightning, Monk, Ellen’s Game of Games, Street Outlaws, Antiques Roadshow, Crossing Lines, American Greed 

Page 50: Tuesday, February 9 -- Clarence Stewart on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, House Hunters International, The Food That Built America, Battlestar Galactica 

Page 51: Wednesday, February 10 -- Louise Keoghan on Tough as Nails, Big Bend: The Wild Frontier of Texas, Name That Tune, Chicago P.D., Hart to Hart 

Page 52: Thursday, February 11 -- Clarice, Days of Our Lives, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Young Sheldon 

Page 53: Friday, February 12 -- Henry Ian Cusick on MacGyver, TCM Romantic Weekend Getaway, Ancient Aliens, Hip Hop Uncovered, Saturday, February 13 -- 30 Coins, Playing Cupid 

Page 54: Sunday, February 14 -- American Idol, Crossword Mysteries: Terminal Descent

Page 55-74: TV listings 

Page 80: Cheers & Jeers -- cheers to Jeopardy!, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, The Good Doctor’s Christina Chang, The Goldbergs, jeers to the Sex and the City sequel, This Is Us, Riverdale’s Auteur storyline 

[boisterousfifty]

Indeed the towering man before him did carry two pistols with him, but both guns were firmly holstered. Sam is a man of more credit than to just outright threaten someone with his guns right off the bat, this stranger'd have to do more than come around petting his cattle to earn being shot at. Dark eyes narrow slightly and the Texan shifts the stalk of wheat currently hanging from his lips, sliding it to the other side.

"Put yer arms down, I ain't gonna shoot ya."

Good grief.

He calmly walks over and reaches over to rub the snoot of the longhorn that Connor had just been petting, earning a low moo in answer. Were all Europeans this damn jumpy? The hell'd they been hearing about him that they thought petting a cow meant they'd be shot at?

"Only gave ya a warnin' cause the bull over there don't much like strangers."

Indeed, it was currently firmly staring at Connor and hasn't moved for at least a solid minute. Probably sizing up to see if it could get to him despite the fence.

Oh no. Connor sucked in a bit of air through his lips, straightening up with a jolt and whipping his head around to look at the stranger. His heart was pumping so quickly that it'd be a wonder if he could hear his own voice for the sound of his rushing blood. This guy absolutely towered over him; he might actually even be taller than Alistair. And if he didn't beat Connor into a pulp, then he might use him for target practice — Americans were so very fond of their guns, weren't they? Connor glanced to the cow he'd been petting, then to the wide-open pastures around them, and immediately realized that this would be just the way for him to die: buried in rural America, having pissed off a rancher.

He looked back up to the man with a strained, wobbly smile, and placed both hands up in the air, fingers splayed.

"I-I didan' mean any harm, I swear—" he stammered out, trying hard not to look at the rental car parked on the nearby gravel shoulder. If he could just make a break for it and get back to civilization, he could fly back home and pet his own cows all he wanted.

"I w-was jus' admirin' 'er! I've never seen a longhorn in person." And, well, he was used to having the right to roam. He knew things were a little different at Alfred's place, but did reaching over the fence actually count as trespassing? He smiled — wide, strained, and wobbly — as his body began to quiver from the force of his own anxiety.

"Sh-She's pure gorgeous, so she is!"

[plurdledgabbleblotchits]

We’d love you to get rid of your Sheriff and law enforcement . We don’t need no rules!   

Alvord-Stiles Gang (1899-1904) – Led by two ex-lawmen, Burton Alvord and Billy Stiles, this gang of train robbers operated in Arizona Territory at the turn of the century.

Archer Gang (1880s) – Much like the Reno Brothers who had operated two decades earlier, the Archer brothers — Thomas, Mort, John, and Sam, raided Orange and Marion Counties in Indiana for several decades.

Sam Bass Gang (1877-1878) – Led by Sam Bass, this gang robbed trains and banks in Texas. For South Dakota and Nebraska robberies, see the Black Hills Bandits.

Billy the Kid’s Gang, aka: The Rustlers (1876-1880) – Led by Billy the Kid, this gang formed out of the conflict of the Lincoln County War in New Mexico.

Black Hills Bandits (1876-1877) – Comprised of Sam Bass, Joel Collins, and four other men, they robbed stagecoaches in the Deadwood, South Dakota area and pulled off the Big Springs train robbery in Nebraska.

Blonger Brothers (1890’s-1922) – Louis H. “The Fixer” Blonger led one of the longest-running confidence rings in the American West.

Bummers Gang (1855-1860) – Operating in Denver, Colorado, the Bummers Gang began “raiding” the town in the mid-1850s.

Burrow Gang (1887-1890) – Reuben “Rube” Burrow, along with his brother Jim, and other members began to rob trains after Rube’s crops had failed in Texas.

Clanton Gang, aka: The Cowboys (1870s) – The Clanton family and their ranch hands were a loosely organized gang of outlaws who operated along the Mexican border of Arizona, stealing cattle, robbing stagecoaches, ambushing teamsters, and committing murder.

Cook Gang (1894) – Led by Bill Cook and Cherokee Bill, these outlaws terrorized Indian Territory (Oklahoma) in 1894. Ruthless, they shot anyone who got in their way.

Brack Cornett Gang – See Bill Whitley Gang

Dalton Gang (1891-1892) – Led by brothers Bob and Grat Dalton, the Dalton Gang robbed banks and trains throughout Kansas and Oklahoma until they were killed in the Coffeyville, Kansas Raid.

Daly Gang (1862-1864) – For two years the Daly Gang terrorized the town of Aurora, Nevada.

Dodge City Gang (1879-1881) – In the summer of 1879, a gang of desperadoes known as the Dodge City Gang masqueraded as lawmen in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Doolin-Dalton Gang, aka: Oklahombres, the Wild Bunch (1892-1895) – Led by Bill Doolin, the gang specialized in robbing banks, stagecoaches and trains in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Espinosa Gang – Bitter at the killing of six family members during the Mexican-American War, the Espinosas took their revenge on Colorado residents and travelers, murdering them viciously.

The Five Joaquins (1850-1853) – The Five Joaquins were said to be responsible for the majority of cattle rustling, robberies, and murders that were committed in the Mother Lode area of the Sierra Nevadas between 1850 and 1853.

Fleagle Gang in the Newspaper

Fleagle Gang (1920s) – The Fleagle Gang robbed banks and committed murder in Kansas, Colorado, and California during the 1920s. They were found and executed or killed after robbing the First National Bank in Lamar, Colorado.

Flores-Daniel Gang (1856-1857) – Led by Juan Flores and Pancho Daniel, the gang raided southern California, stealing horses, cattle, and robbing travelers along the roadways, sometimes leaving their victims dead.

High Fives Gang (1890s) – Also referred to as the Christian Gang, led by “Black Jack” Will Christian and his brother, Bob, from Oklahoma, the gang operated in New Mexico and Arizona after the Christian brothers escaped from an Oklahoma jail in 1895.

Hole-in-the-Wall-Gang – Active in the 1880s-1890s in the Hole-in-the-Wall Pass of the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming, the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang was not one organized gang of outlaws, but rather, was made up of several separate groups and individuals who made their hideouts within the pass in Johnson County, Wyoming.

Innocents Gang – The Innocents were an alleged gang of outlaw road agents in Montana Territory who operated during the gold rush of the 1860s, preying on shipments and travelers carrying gold between Bannack and Virginia City.

James Gang (1879-1882) – Three years after the demise of the James-Younger Gang, when the Youngers were arrested in Northfield, Minnesota, Jesse James put together another group to continue on with his criminal career. The James Gang lasted from 1879 to 1882, when Jesse was killed by Bob Ford on April 3, 1882.

James-Younger Gang (1866-1882) – After the Civil War, the James and Younger brothers hooked up, robbing banks, trains, and stagecoaches for ten years, becoming the most famous outlaw gang in America’s history.

Jennings Gang (1897) – This short-lived gang operated only a few months making several failed train robbery attempts in Oklahoma in 1897 before all were arrested or killed.

Jesse Evans Gang – The Boys (1872-1879) – Lead by Jesse Evans, this gang was actively involved in cattle rustling and armed robbery in New Mexico in the early 1870s.

Ketchum Gang (1896-1899) – Made up of a revolving list of members, the Ketchum Gang was led by Black Jack Ketchum. The gang robbed retail businesses, post offices, and trains in New Mexico.

John Kinney Gang (1870’s-1883) – Also known as the Rio Grande Posse, the Kinney Gang were successful cattle rustlers, robbers, and hired gunmen in New Mexico.

Lee Gang (1885) – In the mid-1880s, Cooke County, Texas, on the northern border of the Lone Star State, and the Chickasaw Nation just north in Indian Territory, were plagued by a gang of horse and livestock thieves led by James Lee and his brothers, Tom and Pink.

McCanles Gang – Led by David McCanles (or by some accounts, McCandless), this group of men were allegedly wanted for robbing banks and trains, cattle rustling, murder, and horse theft in the early 1860s.

McCarty Gang (1892-1893) – The McCarty Gang was run by Tom McCarty, who was one of the first to introduce Butch Cassidy to the life of banditry. The gang robbed banks until several members were killed.

Mes Gang – This bunch of primarily Hispanic outlaws and gunmen, were a rival of the John Kinney Gang, both operating out of New Mexico.

Musgrove Gang (1867-1868) – A gang of horse thieves and cattle rustlers who operated throughout Southern Wyoming and Northern Colorado in the late 1860s.

Oklahombres – See Doolin-Dalton Gang

Henry Plummer Gang – See the Innocents

Red Jack Gang – Led by “Red Jack” Almer, also known as Jack Averill, this gang preyed on Arizona stagecoaches during the early 1880s, particularly along the San Pedro River.

Reno Gang (1866-1868) – Four of the five Reno Brothers terrorized the state of Indiana for two years before they tracked down and hanged by the Southern Indiana Vigilance Committee in 1868.

Reynolds Gang (1863-1864) – A group of Confederate sympathizers that rampaged the South Park, Colorado area with the intention of raising money for the Confederate government.

Rogers Brothers Gang (1890s) – The Rogers Brothers Gang, led by Bob Rogers, terrorized Oklahoma and Kansas in the 1890s. The gang was involved in stealing horses, rustling cattle and robbing stores, post offices, banks, and trains.

Rufus Buck Gang (1895-1896) – A gang of ruthless outlaws who preyed on victims in Oklahoma, five of them were hanged at Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Selman’s Scouts (1878) – An outlaw gang in Lincoln County, New Mexico led by John Selman. For two months, during September and October 1878, the gang members terrorized the county by rustling cattle and horses, killing innocent men and boys, pillaging businesses and homes, and raping women.

Seven Rivers Warriors – (1870s) – Made up mostly of small-time ranchers from the Seven Rivers area of southeastern Lincoln County, New Mexico. supported the Tunstall/McSween faction against that of Dolan and Murphy in the Lincoln County War of New Mexico.

Silva’s White Caps, aka: Forty Bandits, Society of Bandits (1879-1893) – Silva’s White Caps were a vicious outlaw gang that operated in Las Vegas, New Mexico from about 1879 to 1893. They were a mafia-like organization that was led by led by Vicente Silva.

Smith-Dixon Gang – A Gang of horse thieves and whiskey peddlers operating in Indian Territory (Oklahoma), its members included Dave Smith, a former member of the Belle Starr Gang; his brother-in-law, Leander “Lee” Dixon; and a man teenager of about 17 years-old named William “Billy” Towerly.

Soapy Smith Gang (1879-1898) – Led by Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith, the gang operated in Denver and Creede, Colorado before moving on to Skagway, Alaska, running a number of con games against unsuspecting citizens.

Stockton Gang (1878-1881) – Led by Ike Stockton, this gang of cattle rustlers terrorized the area of northern New Mexico while posing as “gentleman cowboys” in Durango, Colorado.

Triskitt Gang – Known for having conducted several robberies and killings in Northern California, the gang killed 18 people in Sailor’s Diggings, Oregon and stole $75,000 in gold.

Vasquez Gang (1860s-1875) – Led by Tiburcio Vasquez, the gang committed armed robbery and rustled horses and cattle up and down central and southern California for years.

Bill Whitley or Brack Cornett Gang (1887-1888) – Comprised of about 12 outlaws, the gang was led by Texas desperadoes Bill Whitley and Brack Cornett, robbing Texas banks and trains in the late 1880s.

Wild Bunch (1896-1901) – Led by Butch Cassidy, the Wild Bunch terrorized the states of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Nevada for five years.

Wolcott’s Regulators (1892) – One of the most feared bands of gunfighters and outlaws in Wyoming was Wolcott’s Regulators, who preyed on homesteaders in 1892, frequently leaving dead bodies in their wake.

[boisterousfifty]

@amantebravo

Spain: OKAY, YOU KNOW WHAT?! TIME OUT! GET ON TOP OF THE FRIDGE! GET UP THERE!

Texas, climbing: THIS HOUSE IS A FUCKING NIGHTMARE!!!

[elisaphoenix13]

The Stars Pale In Comparison

**This is connected to the Mama Bear series but is not Ironstrange. This is AntLord. You have been warned!**

He didn't know when his attention switched over from Tony, but he did know that it hadn't taken long. One moment he was appreciating a man with dark chocolate eyes, a tan body filled with sarcasm and snark, but most of all, the entirety of said man held so much love for the sorcerer and the spider kid. That was why Quill decided to return to Earth. Maybe he wouldn't ever be a part of that infinite amount of love, but seeing it made the outlaw wonder just what else he was missing out on. Love in space was rare. He saw more of it in a span of a few hours on Titan than he had seen in his entire life. Peter Quill didn't exactly grow up with much of it. Not after his mother died anyway. He was always threatened by his kidnapper that he would eat him, but in the end that same man had chosen to save Quill when they were stuck floating in space with the only spacesuit they had. His biological father on the other hand just wanted to use him and tried to kill him. Then he lost Gamora to that damned purple alien.

Love was a bit of a fucked up concept for him.

He still wanted to see though. He wanted to see the happiness Tony had with Stephen and Peter. The married couple snarked at each other, but it was never said in any way but fondness. It was baffling for Quill. The same couple that traded quips would treat each other so gently at the end of the day, and the space pirate wanted that. He wanted the fond faux-arguments, the gentle caresses, the ability to not have to worry about his ship being attacked at any moment...all of it.

Then he met Scott. His floor/roommate for whenever he visited Earth. The ant guy was nice enough to help him catch up on what he had missed since Yondu captured him and he knew that couldn't have been an easy feat. Quill was sure it took an enormous amount of patience to deal with Starlord's incessant questions and dumbassery as he figured things out, but Scott did it. He did have a teenage daughter after all. That probably helped.

They were fast friends, and before Quill knew it, he knew Scott's habits. His likes, dislikes, they had nicknames for each other, and they even worked well together during missions. They even had arguments, but they always ended with annoyed huffs and one of them asking the other if they wanted to watch a movie. The answer was always the same.

"Yeah, alright."

Sadly, it took a few months for Quill to realize he was in love with Scott. The problem with that though was that Scott had eyes for Stephen. So he never said anything. He was okay just being friends. They had a connection no one else had, and Quill wallowed in it. He suspected that others knew though. They all gave him and Scott funny looks, but he pretended not to notice.

He pretended not to notice how Scott naturally smelled of mint, and that whenever he shrunk or grew, he smelled of oranges afterwards. The man smelled like a teenage breakfast. Like he had brushed his teeth and then drank orange juice afterwards. Quill had no idea why that was so appealing. Those two things shouldn't work the way they did on Scott.

He pretended not to notice the way the sun made Scott's eyes look nearly gold when it hit them just right, or the way he puffs up his cheeks when he gets frustrated on a project for work. Then, of course, was Scott's smile. As typical and cheesy as that was, Quill loved it.

Quill even liked how doting Scott was over Cassie.

Then he had to return to space for some time, and for once in his life, he yearned to go back to Earth. He missed the tower, the other Avengers...he missed Scott. He had become a part of his daily life, and he had never felt so lonely in his life. He had a ship full of friends and all he could think about was the man back home and his daughter. Even Cassie had wormed her way into his heart.

Rocket had figured out Quill's feelings and kindly told him to grow a pair when he dropped him off back on Earth. He even said that they wouldn't come back until Quill acted on his feelings.

Yeah right.

He just went back into his regular routine with Scott and never said a thing. At least until that one fateful mission when Quill thought he had lost someone else he loved.

Everything was going great. It was going to be an in and out kind of mission, but it all went bad when Scott's suit stopped working. It had malfunctioned in the middle of battle, so when he was trying to shrink to avoid a hit coming his way, nothing happened and he was sent flying. Quill saw red after that and couldn't have told anyone what happened after that. (He was told later that he kicked some serious ass; Sam's words, not his.) He only found himself by Scott's side where the man was impaled on a metal bar, and fading fast. Quill had so badly wanted to tell him how he felt but he choked on his words and ended up telling him that he would be okay, but he needed to stay awake.

Stephen portaled Scott to the medbay and that was the longest six hours of his life. Even when Bruce told him that Scott would be fine, he didn't believe it until he saw the man for himself. He was pale, but alive, and Quill had never felt so relieved. He stayed by Scott's side when he was finally released from med-bay, and after a couple of weeks of hovering, Scott finally got fed up with him.

"I don't need you hovering over me anymore, Spaceman! I can walk just fine by myself! Geez, even Cassie stopped helping a couple of days ago, but you won't let up! Which brings me to my next point. Why have you been acting so weird--"

Quill had thrown caution to the wind because he couldn't stand it anymore. He knew Scott just viewed him as a friend, but he needed the kiss. His brain didn't even think about the repercussions until it was too late. Just when Scott raised his arms to undoubtedly push the pirate away...the unimaginable happened.

The hands didn't push him away. They just pulled Quill into an even more passionate kiss and he was on cloud nine. Only the need for air had them pulling apart, and he grinned through their short gasps, causing Scott to give him a half dazed questioning look.

Quill's brain to mouth filter failed on him spectacularly and he sputtered out the first thing on his mind. "You even taste like a teenage breakfast."

Scott barks out a single laugh. "You're an idiot."

Then he was pulled into bliss again.

[boisterousfifty]

He shifts the wheat stalk in his mouth to the other corner, exhaling slowly through his nose.

"... Y'been more of a Pa than any of th'others. Especially Mexico."

The only one who came close was Spain but even he had been more than a little neglectful.

[meanstreetspodcasts]

Lone Star Law and Order

“Texas - more than 260,000 square miles - and fifty men who make up the most famous and oldest law enforcement body in North America!”

In the Golden Ages of Radio and Television, police dramas and Westerns ruled the airwaves.  Some shows successfully combined these genres into a single program; Gunsmoke grew out of CBS’ desire for a “Philip Marlowe in the Old West,” and Have Gun - Will Travel offered a private eye whose beat was the post-Civil War West.  One series combined the classic cowboy hero with a 20th century forensic approach to crime solving, sort of a Dragnet with spurs.  That show was Tales of the Texas Rangers, which enjoyed a nearly 100 episode run on NBC radio before heading out to ride the television trail. That radio run began on radio on July 8, 1950.

The Rangers had a long reputation as iconic lawmen of the west.  The group was created when Stephen Austin recruited a small cadre of men to protect settlers in the territory following the Mexican war for independence from Spain in 1823.  When Texas became a republic, the Rangers fought off Native Americans and took part in battles during the Mexican-American War.  Following a brief suspension during the Civil War, the Rangers were reassembled in 1873 and their reputation (and legend) took shape in the hearts and minds of Texans.  They fought Indians and chased outlaws.  Among the notable criminals caught (and killed) by Rangers were bank robber Sam Bass and the legendary Bonnie and Clyde (as recently dramatized in the terrific Netflix movie The Highwaymen).

Producer/director Stacy Keach (father of Mike Hammer star Stacy Keach, Jr.) initially envisioned a feature film based on the exploits of the Texas Rangers but he shifted his focus to a radio series.  At the time the series premiered, there were only 50 Rangers on duty, adding to the mystique of the frontier lawman.  Keach explained the job of the Rangers was “to solve major crimes using known scientific devices, old-fashioned tracking techniques, and psychological analysis.“

Like Jack Webb and the Los Angeles Police Department in Dragnet, Keach had to obtain the cooperation of the Texas Rangers. Each script required official approval from the Rangers’ office.  Fortunately, Keach and his writers found a patron and a muse in Captain M.T. "Lone Wolf” Gonzaullas, a 30 year veteran of the Rangers who claimed to have killed 31 men during his time on the force.  Keach said twenty percent of the stories produced on Tales of the Texas Rangers came from Gonzaullas’ personal experiences.  As Keach recalled later, “[Gonzaullas] never could remember our writers’ names, but he could recall names, dates, and places of every case he had ever worked on.”  His cooperation allowed Keach and his team access to Ranger case files and interviews with the men behind the legends.  Some case reports were brief, but colorful.  Examples included “Shot all to pieces, but not serious,” and “Had a little shootin’ match. They lost.”

The series found its star in an actor who was entering his third decade in show business.  Joel McCrea started in Hollywood in the late 1920s as a stand-in for some of the stars of the silent film era, including Rudolph Valentino.  He got his first major movie role in 1934 and embarked on a career as a leading man.  McCrea starred in films from Preston Sturges (Sullivan’s Travels) and Alfred Hitchcock (Foreign Correspondent), but admitted he felt most comfortable in the Stetson and spurs garb that Westerns offered.  

“I liked doing comedies, but as I got older I was better suited to do Westerns. Because I think it becomes unattractive for an older fellow trying to look young, falling in love with attractive girls in those kinds of situations. Anyway, I always felt so much more comfortable in the Western. The minute I got a horse and a hat and a pair of boots on, I felt easier. I didn’t feel like I was an actor anymore. I felt like I was the guy out there doing it.” 

McCrea lent a tough, no-nonsense air to the lead role of Ranger Jayce Pearson.  He’s Joe Friday with a touch of Gary Cooper; Wyatt Earp with a radio and forensic knowledge.

The series premiered on NBC, the home of Dragnet, and featured many of the same supporting actors who popped up on that Jack Webb series, including Parley Baer, Stacy Harris, Tony Barrett, and Barney Phillips.  Keach also employed some of the same sound effects crew from Dragnet.  While the soundscapes for the two shows were very different, both benefited from a very real, authentic sound to the proceedings.  Hoofbeats, footsteps on rocky terrain, lonesome train whistles, and the sounds of the prairie were commonplace and helped to ground the series as docudrama.

Though it had a relatively short run (another radio series that arrived on the wrong end of television’s debut), Tales of the Texas Rangers is a unique entry in the world of radio detectives.  As a then-present day Western, it was a rarity in and of itself, but the combination of cowboy justice and methodical police work (backed up by taut scripts and production values) makes it worth a listen to audiences today.

[ladyeowyn]

I have recently reached my next follower goal and honestly, I have no words..! There are so many of you ahhh!! Thank you very much!! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who gave me a follow over those years and to those who support my edits. ❤️ Here is a small celebration as a thank you! 😊 Pick as many of these as you like but, please, be patient with me if it takes a while.

R U L E S :

must be following this gal

reblog this post (likes will not count, sorry)

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send me an ask about your day or week / something you're looking forward to / fun fact about yourself / recs / literally anything that comes to your mind

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a e s t h e t i c ❤️ • element: water - air - fire - earth - æther • season: spring - summer - autumn - winter • flower: lilac - lavender - daffodil - peony - orchid - sunflower - iris - magnolia • scent: citruses - rain - coffee - cinnamon - roses - vanilla - books - mint • landscape: city - forest - rainforest - country - mountains - beach - lake - ocean - desert • celestial object: sun - moon - stars - nebula - planet - comet • supernatural being: dragon - phoenix - mermaid - witch - werewolf - ghost - elf - vampire • following: no(t yet) sorry, but ily ♥ - now! - yes ofc - always and forever

A S O I A F 👑 • allegiance:  House (Stark - Lannister - Martell - Tyrell - Baratheon - Targaryen - Greyjoy) - Night’s Watch - The Lord of Light - Free Folk • occupation: knight/knightess - septon/septa - lord/lady - mercenary - entertainer - spy - faceless man/woman - red priest/priestess - healer • home: Winterfell - Lannisport - Highgarden - Sunspear - Highgarden - King’s Landing - Eyrie - Riverrun - Dragonstone - Pyke - Castle Black - Volantis - Braavos - Pentos • weapon of choice: sword - dagger - crossbow - poison - words - knowledge - axe - spear - dragonglass • hero: Nymeria of Ny Sar - Ser Duncan the Tall - Brandon the Builder - Visenya Targaryen - Lann the Clever - Azor Ahai - Durran Godsgrief - Good Queen Alysanne • trusted ally: Arya Stark - Sansa Stark - Jon Snow - Arianne Martell - Ellaria Sand - Jorah Mormont - Missandei - Gendry Waters - Meera Reed - Davos Seaworth - Melisandre - Jamie Lannister - Asha Greyjoy - Loras Tyrell - Brienne of Tarth • following: no(t yet) sorry, but ily ♥ - now! - yes ofc - always and forever

G r i s h a v e r s e ☀️ • grisha order: heartrender - healer - tailor - sun summoner - inferni - squaller - tidemaker - durast - alkemi • occupation: Second Army soldier - member of king's guard - member of the Dregs - runaway Drüskelle - privateer - acrobat - spy - thief - demolitions expert - inventor - scholar • home: Ravka - Fjerda - Kerch - Novyi Zem - Shu Han • weapon of choice: knives - explosives - your abilities - guns - sword - axes • friend: Sturmhond - Genya Safin - Inej Ghafa - Wylan Van Eck - Tamar Kir-Bataar - Alina Starkov - Jesper Fahey - Nina Zenik - Leoni Hilli - Zoya Nazyalensky - Matthias Helvar • tale: The Soldier Prince - Ayama and the Thorn Wood - Little Knife - The Too-Clever Fox - When Water Sang Fire - The Witch of Duva • following: no(t yet) sorry, but ily ♥ - now! - yes ofc - always and forever

S t a r  W a r s 🚀 • occupation: jedi knight - sith lord - gray jedi - smuggler - resistance fighter - pilot - scavenger - stormtrooper - ambassador - spiritual warrior-monk - bounty hunter - mechanic - senator • allegiance: the Dark Lord - the New Republic - the Jedi Order - the Resistance - the First Order - yourself • homeworld: Jedha - Tattooine - Naboo - Coruscant - Alderaan - Jakku - Takodana - Corellia • weapon of choice: blaster - explosives - lightsaber (blue - red - purple - green - black - silver) - staff - martial arts - diplomacy - the Force (telekinesis - mind control - lightning) • ship: X-Wing - Millennium Falcon - Star Destroyer - Jedi Starfighter - TIE Fighter - Alderaan Cruiser - Nubian Royal Starship • friend: Obi-Wan Kenobi - Ashoka Tano - Mace Windu - Luke Skywalker - Leia Organa - Jessica Pava - Cassian Andor - Bodhi Rook - Finn - Rey - BB8 - Matt the Radar Technician • following: no(t yet) sorry, but ily ♥ - now! - yes ofc - always and forever

M a r v e l ✨ • species: human - inhuman - mutant - Asgardian - Xandarian - Krylorian • occupation: secret agent - scientist - attorney - investigative journalist - private detective - mercenary - professor - soldier - pilot - ravager - outlaw - bounty hunter - Asgardian warrior - Valkyrie - member of Dora Milaje • hero: lone superhero - leader / member of a superhero team - sidekick - vigilante - antihero • home: Hell’s Kitchen - Brooklyn - Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters - London - Asgard - Vakanda - Xandar • weapon of choice: gun - explosives - throwing knives - bow & arrows - supersuit - martial arts - your fists - your superpowers - your mind • superpower: telepathy - telekinesis - electrokinesis - teleportation - superspeed - shapeshifting - flight - regeneration - healing - manipulation (fire - water - wind - earth - ice - weather) • sidekick: Peter Parker - Gamora - Lady Sif - Nakia - Melinda May - Matt Murdock - Sam Wilson - Steve Rogers - Thor - Carol Danvers - Bruce Banner - Negasonic Teenage Warhead - Scott Lang - Ororo Munroe - Daisy Johnson • following: no(t yet) sorry, but ily ♥ - now! - yes ofc - always and forever

J a n e  A u s t e n - e s q u e🌹 • identity: the tender-hearted orphan of a mysterious origin - the rich & independent heiress - the respectable & kind daughter of a clergyman - the perfectly tolerable & witty middle sister - the spirited & adventurous only child - the brave & lovable wallflower - the noble & wealthy patroness of arts - the enigmatic & runaway daughter of an empoverished family • occupation: gentlewoman - respectable young miss - governess - lady’s companion - theatre diva - writer - painter - explorer - piano teacher - charity worker • location: Barton Cottage - Mansfield Park - Hartfield - Kellynch Hall - Northanger Abbey - Netherfield - Bath - Pemberley - London • kindred spirit: Elinor Dashwood - Emma Woodhouse - Anne Eliot - Jane Bennet - Eleanor Tilney - Fanny Price - Charlotte Lucas • soulmate: Edward Ferrars - Colonel Brandon - Mr Darcy - Elizabeth Bennet - George Knightley - Frederick Wentworth - Henry Tilney - Catherine Morland - Edmund Bertram • quote: • following: no(t yet) sorry, but ily ♥ - now! - yes ofc - always and forever

T o l k i e n ⚔ • race: maia - elf - human - hobbit - dwarf • location: Gondolin - Rivendell - Alqualondë - Lothlórien - Mirkwood - Minas Tirith - Edoras - Fangorn Forest - Bag End - Erebor - Lake Town - Ithilien - Tol Galen - Dol Amroth • occupation: Dúnedain ranger - rider of Rohan - shieldmaiden - soldier of Gondor - lord / lady of (Númenór - Gondor - Rohan - the Noldor - the Sindar - the Teleri) - Galadhrim warrior - jeweller & weaponsmith - scholar & librarian - gardener - burglar • weapon: sword (Ringil - Andúril - Guthwine - Orcrist - Glamdring - Sting) - Gondolin knife - spear Aeglos - longbow of the Galadhrim - Númenorian steelbow - Black Arrow - the Phial of Galadriel • jewel: the Silmarils - ring of power (the One Ring - Nenya - Narya - Vilya) - Arkenstone - the Ring of Barahir - the Evenstar necklace • Vala: Manwë - Ulmo - Aulë - Oromë - Mandos - Lórien - Tulkas - Varda - Yavanna - Nienna - Estë - Vairë - Vána - Nessa - Melkor • following: no(t yet) sorry, but ily ♥ - now! - yes ofc - always and forever

[roseisread]

My Year in Movies: Favorite Non-2018 Feature Films (Part 2)

Continuing the countdown of my favorite movies I saw for the first time in 2018 that were released in previous years... for part 1 of this list, click here.

39. Tokyo Drifter (1966, directed by Seijun Suzuki, country of origin: Japan)

Seijun Suzuki pulls together his favorite tropes from the Western, film noir, and Yakuza genres and throws a post modern, new wave sensibility on top complete with lots of neon and surrealism. The end result is one of the most stylistically bold movies I’ve ever encountered, and its influence extends to modern auteurs like Quentin Tarantino, Jim Jarmusch, and Nicolas Winding Refn. Tokyo Drifter (which has nothing to do with the Fast & Furious franchise as far as I know) follows a gangster on the run, but the plot really is secondary to the overall feel of the movie. Really fun and one I can imagine revisiting a lot just for its aesthetic choices and action set pieces. Rent it on Amazon Prime; in the meantime, here’s a pretty decent fan-made trailer.

38. Born to Kill (1947, directed by Robert Wise, country of origin: US)

Hollywood’s original bad boy Lawrence Tierney stars in this nasty little noir that fully lives up to its violent title. Sam Wilde (Tierney) is a gorgeous, amoral social climber who doesn’t let a little trifle like murder stand in the way of getting what he wants. Helen Brent (Claire Trevor) finds herself strangely drawn to him, even as she learns of his criminal leanings. There’s a particularly lustful scene between Sam and Helen that could be a direct influence on Natural Born Killers, actually. The fact that this picture was directed by Robert Wise, best known for his work on The Sound of Music and West Side Story, makes it all the more interesting--this pulpy film doesn’t have any musical numbers but it certainly is well-crafted and choreographed. If you love a good antihero, you owe it to yourself to watch this. Available for rent on Amazon, YouTube, and Vudu. 

37. Throw Momma From the Train (1987, directed by Danny DeVito, country of origin: US)

This comic riff on Strangers on a Train starts off with murder on its mind, but there’s a surprising sweetness lying just below the surface. I’m sure most people have already seen this film but in case you haven’t, you’re in for a hilarious and endearing story that showcases peak Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito. Anne Ramsey plays the titular “Momma,” and she was nominated for both the Oscars and the Golden Globes in this supporting role. There are lots of ways to watch this movie for free, including Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vudu, GooglePlay, and Showtime. 

36. Johnny Guitar (1954, directed by Nicholas Ray, country of origin: US)

The title refers to Sterling Hayden’s outlaw cowboy, but the real star of the show is Joan Crawford as Vienna: a saloon owning, jeans wearing, piano playing woman who takes on the whole town in a showdown. Portrayals of women in Westerns vary, but few emanate such power and self-assuredness as Vienna. 

Another woman, tellingly named Emma Small (played by Mercedes McCambridge), has set her sights on getting rid of Vienna and her establishment once and for all, and she will stop at no amount of violence or trickery to make it happen. So basically this is Mean Girls but in the Wild West. Offscreen, Joan Crawford was hooking up with director Nicholas Ray; and she’d previously been romantically involved with McCambridge’s now-husband. Both ladies also consumed a fair amount of booze while filming. This led to their rivalry bleeding into real life, and perhaps added to the tension we see on screen between the two. 

This movie didn’t have the warmest reception when it premiered stateside (Bosley Crowther on Crawford’s Vienna: “...as sexless as the lions on the public library steps and as sharp and romantically forbidding as a package of unwrapped razor blades.”) But European audiences devoured it, and it became beloved of people like Francois Truffaut who saw it as a major influence. You can watch it now on Hulu or rent from a number of streaming platforms. 

35. Sonatine (1993, directed by Takeshi “Beat” Kitano, country of origin: Japan)

Takeshi Kitano wrote, directed, and starred in this cult take on Yakuza films. In it, he plays Murakawa, a gangster who dispatches (often in creatively cruel ways) anyone his bosses happen to dislike. But he’s starting to grow weary of this way of life when he gets sent on a new assignment that has him mediating a dispute with a rival gang in Okinawa. He suspects that he may be the real target, but goes along with the order. While hiding out between confrontations, Murakawa and a batch of young recruits find ways to pass the time--shooting cans off each other’s heads, playing a roulette version of rock paper scissors, pretending to be sumo wrestlers, and more. 

There’s not a lot of dialogue here, and Kitano plays his character with a stoicism that Buster Keaton and Alain Delon no doubt influenced. But the poetry and emotion are all in the action (and inaction) on screen. Here is a man whose main accomplishments are surviving bloody shootouts and racking up the body count for his employer--no wonder he hallucinates about self-destruction and walks the beach in a daze. There’s actually a good bit of comedy here too, as the movie isn’t afraid to veer into cartoonish moments and satirize the very genre it portrays. I also have to specifically call out the action scenes, especially one near the end--completely memorable, unique, and gorgeously shot. Watch this via rental on Amazon, YouTube, and GooglePlay--especially if you’re a fan of movies like Drive, Kill Bill, or Le Samourai. 

34. Metropolitan (1990, directed by Whit Stillman, country of origin: US)

My first encounter with Whit Stillman came via 2016′s Love and Friendship, his adaptation of a Jane Austen story. When his debut film appeared on Filmstruck, I realized what a perfect fit Austen and Stillman really are. This movie follows a group of (mostly) wealthy teenagers in Manhattan, who attend debutante balls and gather at each other’s homes for long pretentious conversations and romantic sparring. If Austen were alive today, no doubt she would have written a novel in the same setting, filled with the same biting wit (no pun intended) that Stillman displays. If you like your movies with a lot of action and plot twists, this may not be your cup of tea; but if you enjoy the works of, say, Woody Allen/Noah Baumbach/Wes Anderson then you will definitely find this a subtle delight. No big names amongst the cast; and many of them only did one or two other projects after this, but I think that adds to the feeling of naïveté and naturalism. Random observation, but when I watched this movie I found connections between a number of its characters and the cast of The Breakfast Club--see if you agree. Right now you can rent this via iTunes, and since it takes place around Christmas and New Year’s, this would be a great time to watch. 

33. Radio Days (1987, directed by Woody Allen, country of origin: US)

This might be the sweetest, least cynical movie in Woody Allen’s filmography. It’s a love letter to the 1930s and 40s, when families would gather around the radio (rather than the TV) for music, serials, and news of the outside world. Seth Green plays the Woody stand-in as a child, Mia Farrow plays an aspiring radio actress, Larry David pops up as the Communist next door neighbor--it’s a real hoot. The music (from the likes of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Glenn Miller) is gorgeous and it’s fun to see old New York recreated for this film. Suitable for all ages and utterly delightful, you can watch it on Hulu with a subscription or rent it on Vudu for $2.99. 

32. Pickup (1951, directed by Hugo Haas, country of origin: US)

I caught up with this low-budget B-movie noir during Noir City Chicago, and fell head over heels for it. The director plays the lead character, a lovable but lonely railroad worker named Hunky (he does not live up to this name in appearance). When he encounters the gorgeous and sassy Betty (Beverly Michaels) at a carnival, he can’t believe a guy like him could hold the romantic interest of such a hottie. As luck would have it, though, she’s more attracted to his life savings than to him. What a golddigger. What sets this movie apart is the addition of a little plot twist: Hunky loses his hearing in an accident, which is just fine by the conniving Betty who can now scheme and talk trash around her husband. But when Hunky’s hearing unexpectedly returns, he doesn’t tell anyone and discovers that his beloved wifey is plotting his demise. Bonus: There’s a pretty adorable puppy in the mix. This isn’t available on DVD, sadly, but someone has uploaded it to YouTube and if you have 77 minutes to kill, I recommend checking it out.

31. Ghost (1990, directed by Jerry Zucker, country of origin: US)

Look, I love Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg and Patrick Swayze just as much as the next person, but for some reason I had always assumed that Ghost was this really cheesy paranormal romance. Wrong! It’s a charming murder mystery with some legit scary moments a lot of comedy, and, yes, some romance too. So if you have somehow missed this gem, you can catch up with it for 99 cents right now on Amazon or rent it for a Few Dollars More on other streaming sites.

30. One False Move (1992, directed by Carl Franklin, country of origin: US)

In part one of this list, I mentioned watching multiple Bill Paxton movies in 2018. This one features Paxton as a small town sheriff with illusions of grandeur--instead of settling small time domestic disputes, he’d love to one day solve murders and thwart serial killers and arrest drug kingpins in the big city. He gets his chance to do something bigger when a car full of murderous fugitives rolls into town. The LA detectives on the case don’t quite know what to make of Paxton; but he views them as heroes. When he gets his chance to show them what he’s made of, he doesn’t flinch. 

Billy Bob Thornton co-wrote the screenplay and co-stars in the film, another connection between this and the other Paxton entry on my list (A Simple Plan). Here, he’s a vile and brutal sociopath (a role he’d go on to play in the TV adaptation of Fargo), with a girlfriend named Fantasia (Cynda Williams) that might be having second thoughts about their relationship. Director Carl Franklin is perhaps better known for the Denzel Washington neo noir Devil in a Blue Dress; and Franklin himself introduced a double feature of these two films at Noir City Chicago. He’s a brilliant, economical director with a deep well of classical film knowledge and a knack for capturing defining character traits in the space of a few frames. Rent this movie on Amazon, Vudu, or YouTube and prepare for a gritty, moving ride. 

29. Peeping Tom (1960, directed by Michael Powell, country of origin: England)

I caught up with this out of print masterpiece (purchased at my local library sale for 50 cents on Criterion DVD!) during my October horror viewing, and immediately wanted it to find a wider audience. Reviled upon its initial release, it follows a talented but troubled young filmmaker whose obsession involves recording the final moments of his murder victims’ lives, as they realize their fate. Pretty twisted, I know. The exploration of voyeurism and the relationship between the camera, its subjects, and an audience really make this a fascinating watch, both from a technical perspective and as a critique of moviemaking and consumption. One can’t help but see the influence this movie has had on horror filmmakers from Wes Craven to John Carpenter, particularly in the way it forces us to identify with the psychologically damaged killer instead of centering the narrative on his victims. Massively underrated, and deserving of your attention if you consider yourself a fan of horror movies. Watch it via rental on a number of streaming platforms. 

That concludes part 2 of the list! Stay tuned for the next segment, coming soon! 

[boisterousfifty]

valorblooded​:

valorblooded​:

@boisterousfifty from here

He takes this in quietly before falls to his knees dramatically.

“I need to make a will. I am not long for this world. I can’t believe this is how I die; stung to death but a bunch of tiny pricks. ”

He holds his hand and there are some nasty looking pokes, red and angry.

“You get my Superman comic book collection.”

“I just told ya it probably wouldn’t kill ya... just hurt like hell.” He was most used to this kind of behavior already. Rarely was dad not dramatic when it came to many situations.

“Still take the comics though.”

[destielfanfic]

I’m Your Huckleberry

"He really likes cowboys!” “Yes, he does.” 

And so do we! Whether set in the Old West or on a contemporary ranch, there is just something about our boys, and cowboy boots that just gets the heart racing. Ya know what they say, Save a Horse... 

Be sure to also check out our western au tag and our first  Western Destiel rec list as well as our Wild West and Cowboy asks. Most links go to our reviews or submitted rec posts. Newly added fics are marked with asterisk *

I. Contemporary Westerns/Ranch

Blackstrap Molasses by Neonbat [NC-17, 40,000 word count]

Castiel has come back to his small Kansas hometown to work as a veterinarian while he aids in the care of his smallest siblings. An influx of new patients has him a little busy, but when he finds himself making home calls to an old acquaintance from High school his life takes a turn. Dean pulls him into his orbit, and the two must deal with the perceptions of hometown life, bigotry, and self-sabotage if they want a shot at things together.

Broomstick Cowboy by jupiter_james [NC-17, 18,000 word count]

Dean Winchester is one of the finest circuit riders of his generation, right after his legendary father. He's got the life he loves, with the exception of one thing - one person: his biggest sponsor, Castiel Milton. Despite being a ranch owner, Milton is only interested in one thing, and that's making money, even at the expense of animals past their prime. At least, that's what Dean's animosity has been lead to believe. However, coming face to face with his misunderstanding makes him reevaluate a lot of things, including his feelings for Castiel.

Fire N Ice by WincestersRaven [NC-17, 71,700 word count]

Dean and Jimmy Novak met a year and a half ago and they’ve been dating for eight months. When he meets Castiel Novak, Jimmy’s identical twin, Dean’s shocked to say the least. Jimmy never mentioned having a brother, let alone a twin brother. The more he gets to know Cas, the more he finds himself falling hard for the man who has his boyfriend’s face, but is different in so many ways. Author’s note: Dean doesn’t cheat in this fic. There is no three-way with Dean and the twins.

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy by palominopup (submitted rec) [NC-17, 67,300 word count]

Sam and Dean Winchester are owners of Winchester Farms, a large Quarter Horse ranch.  Sam loans their bunkhouse to a writer so he can get some privacy to finish his latest book.

Texas State of Mind by palominopup [NC-17, 69,800 word count]

Dean Winchester was once an award winning country music star, but fame came too early. Now, he’s fifteen years sober and owns a ranch in western Texas. He’s happy with his life. He has horses, a nice herd of cattle and so what, if he’s alone. He tells his friends that he’s happily single. Back when he was touring, men and women threw themselves at him – but he knew they only wanted him for his fame. Cas Novak just won his fifth CMA award. He loves singing, but the touring was getting old. Living in a bus nine months out of the year was slowly destroying his creativity. He hasn’t written anything new in over a year. Then he hears an old song on the radio. He vaguely remembers the handsome singer and wondered whatever happened to him. Before he knew it, he’d written a new song. The only problem was…it was a duet. A duet that could only be sung with a voice like Winchester’s.After locating the man’s ranch, Cas makes a surprise visit. Will he be able to talk Dean into joining him on stage after all these years? Will the two men find what they’ve been looking for all their lives – someone to share a future with?

II. Historical fics set in the Old West

A Road For Home by hymnaries (submitted rec) [NC-17, 17,880 word count]

It’s been six years since Sheriff Castiel Milton last saw Dean Winchester, three since he left his life in Massachusetts behind for a lonely outpost in New Mexico Territory. In this self-imposed exile, he’s at last begun to separate himself from the man he used to be. But after a tragic event causes Dean to reach out to him once more, Castiel not only finds himself confronted with the past he so desperately tried to forget, but also with a newly grown-up Dean who has not so easily buried the feelings that propelled their unconventional relationship into uncharted territory those many years ago. Against the backdrop of the Reconstruction Era West, the two men revisit the events that led to their separation and tentatively explore the possibility of a future together.

Down by the Water by Cas_Wings (submitted rec) [NC-17, 88,400 word count]

When Castiel loses everything dear to him due to a botched river crossing, including his supplies, livestock, covered wagon, and even his wife, he has no where to turn, no way to survive stranded in the middle of his journey. That is, until he meets Dean Winchester, who offers him a life saving deal: In exchange for help on his farm, Dean offers to provide much needed room and board. But how will this decision affect Castiel as he moves through his grief, and discovers feelings he never would have expected? Fighting with injury, pain, grief, and even the threat of death, Dean and Castiel find themselves in the one place they would have never expected: down by the water, struggling to accept their unforeseen love. ((Set in 1853. AU.))

Eldorado Canyon by TerenceFletcher [T, 92,800 word count]

Sam and Dean Winchester are hunters. Finding new supernatural cases, solving mysteries, helping innocents to survive—things most ordinary people can barely even imagine—are all part of their daily routine. Life is sometimes easy, sometimes tough, but almost always dangerous. When they get their new appointment in Nevada, they hit the road without thinking twice. The only thing is—it’s the fall of 1861, the Civil War has been ongoing for several months, and the enemy is nearly invincible. In a world without cell phones and cars, the only gear the Winchesters have is their black stagecoach and precious Colt gun. And a weird local preacher who is trying to help them. A DCBB 2017 fic

Hope on Fire by Ltleflrt (submitted rec) [M/light NC-17, 32,600 word count]

The Civil War ended, but left Castiel weighted down with guilt and shame. In an attempt to start over, he moves West, building a life for himself outside the small mountain town of Purgatory. Five years later a storm blows in, bringing the Winchester brothers and bitter memories along with it. A DCBB 2014 fic

Hunter's Caress by Ltleflrt  [NC-17, 161,100 word count]

Castiel Jameson won't rest until the outlaw who murdered his brother faces justice, and Dean Winchester is the only man alive who can help him track the villain down. Some say Winchester is a cold-blooded killer himself; others say he'd been wronged his whole life. All Castiel knows is that the desire glinting in Dean's green eyes is even more dangerous than he is. Castiel fights to keep his mind on business, but during the long nights on the trail with the dangerously handsome hunter he finds himself dreaming of yielding to Dean's illicit kisses and losing himself in lawless passion. Dean Winchester is about to hang when Castiel saves his neck with his crazy plan. But dying might be better than spending day and night playing nursemaid to such an infuriating city slicker. He appreciates the stubborn detective's desire for justice, but he'd appreciate Cas a lot more if he'd stop being a lawman long enough to just be a man. He certainly has all the right equipment. Dean aches to run his fingers through Castiel's dark hair, yearns to know how Castiel's golden skin will feel against him. And before the coming of the next dawn, Dean vows to teach him the pleasures and sweet rewards of a Hunter's Caress.

Lost to the Flames by jinxedambitions (submitted rec) [NC-17, 29,700 word count]

Castiel was happy running a mission for omegas where they could live in peace and have power over their lives. When a group of alphas come asking to buy the land, so they can use it for mining, Castiel sends them away. However, they come back and burn the mission to the ground leaving Castiel a broken man. Sam and Dean are sent after an outlaw leaving a string of dead alphas across the western territories. They track him for months before they realize the outlaw is an omega hunting sadistic alphas. Sam and Dean must decide whether they agree with Castiel’s mission, whether they should bring him to justice, and whether Dean’s found a kindred spirit in the outlaw.

Mail Order Familiar by Amethystaris, BlueMasquerade  [M, 62,000 word count] (previously recced here) *

Dean Winchester was a Familiar meant for the wide-open spaces of the frontier. An ad in the paper combined with increasing pressure from his grandfather to sign a contract with a Witch of Samuel’s choice was just the motivation Dean needed to leave the big city behind. What he expects to find is a year of hard work and rough living cleansing the land of magics that corrupted it centuries ago. What he doesn’t expect is that the Witch waiting for him just might be exactly what he has been looking for his whole life. Castiel Angelus is cautiously optimistic that the Familiar he’s agreeing to work with, sight unseen, will be a good fit for his power. He’s chosen to work on the frontier in order to escape his demanding family and their unceasing ambitions. He finds that Dean’s compatibility is beyond his wildest dream. Their bonds, both magical and personal, will be tested to the limits as they encounter the source of the corruption and seek to defeat it, before it’s too late.

Plain and Tall by destielpasta and mtothedestiel [NC-17, 69,900 word count]

Dean is a Kansas farmer who only wants to work his land and care for his infant daughter. With his wife gone and his brother moving on to a life beyond the homestead, Dean finds himself in need of another pair of hands. Castiel, a lonely drifter freshly arrived in town, may prove the solution to Dean’s troubles. Over the course of four seasons, the two men face the everyday challenges of prairie life, and learn to overcome the betrayals of their past to discover a new definition of family. A DCBB 2016 fic

The Right Side of the Law by elizaye [NC-17, 2,000 word count]

We stand here today, September 14th, 1861, to execute heavenly justice upon Castiel—on Castiel for the crimes of murder, fraud, impersonation of a priest, theft, desertion, and public indecency.

The Shawnee Trail by emmbrancsxx0 [NR, 166,000 word count] *

In 1887, Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak lead a peaceful life in Lawrence, Kansas. Dean and Sam are stagecoach messengers for Wells, Fargo and Castiel is the town doctor. When Castiel's patient, Kelly Kline, knocks on their door one night about to give birth, she asks for the Winchesters and Castiel's help in protecting her son against one of the west's most notorious outlaws. To fulfill that promise, the men set out on a journey full of shootouts, trouble with the law, gambling, and an important discovery: Dean and Castiel really need to define the nature of their relationship.

Vagabonds by amarillogrande [Nc-17, 87,000 word count]

Dean is a sheriff in a tiny town in Colorado, restless and unsatisfied with his life. It's not what he's read about in the dime novels since he was little, capturing dangerous outlaws and being the last word of the law. More like tossing the town drunk in a cell to sober up when he gets a little too rowdy. But his chance comes when a thief rolls through their town. Dean pursues the thief, and that puts him right into the path of Emmanuel, a notorious outlaw. When he's captured by the outlaw and his gang to be held for ransom, he starts off on a journey he could have never envisioned, and learns that perhaps there's more to Emmanuel than meets the eye.

We Dig In Our Heels, As Hard As We Can by AlreadyPainfullyGone (submitted rec) [NC-17, 11,000 word count]

Castiel is a union surgeon fresh from the civil war, Dean is a confederate soldier working as a prostitute in a dangerous town. 

If you enjoyed the fic, please drop by the archive (AO3) and let the author know with your comments and/or kudos! And if you found our recs useful, let us know by Liking and/or Reblogging our posts! 

[sunshine-captain]

Sarek has some diplomatic business that requires he stay on earth for a while, like six months or so, but he has to stay in San Francisco to do it. Amanda wants Spock to experience more of earth, but not the city which he's already seen plenty of, so she takes him out to the countryside (Iowa), to a little rental place right near the Kirk farm. Spock is 11 and lonely because Amanda is busy working on the universal translator a lot of the time so he wanders over to behind the property next to theirs, where a little stream is flowing. He finds little Jim Kirk crouched in the mud, armed with a book about ancient wooden sailing ships and a pile of sticks and string, trying to recreate one of the ships in miniature so he can sail it down the creek. His little ship keeps collapsing so Spock comes over and without a word glances over the book then starts to help him. They work in silence for over an hour and then set their little ship to sail , and it floats. They watch until it's out of sight and then Jiim scratches his forehead, gets mud all over his face, and introduces himself. Spock tries to teach Jim the Vulcan salute, successfully. Then he tries to teach Jim how to say his last name, unsuccessfully. It turns out that Spock and Amanda’s neighbors, the Kirks, have two sons. Jim is 8, and lonely because his brother Sam just wants to hang out with and impress girls all the time now. Spock comes over to Jim's house every day, except for the days when Jim comes to his. Jim shows Spock all his books. He's interested in a new topic every week, and the week after ships it's the ancient Earth period known as ‘the old west.’ He tells Spock how brave the sheriffs were for facing down gangs of outlaws all by themselves, his eyes glowing. They save everyone and make their towns safe. Jim wants to be that brave someday. It turns out he loves ancient Earth history. Spock shows Jim his own books on planets and space and science. He talks seriously about how much there is out in the universe to discover. Spock wants to know everything. He tells Jim about the specimens he's already collected at home on Vulcan. Jim takes Spock to the patch of flowers he is growing with his mother, Winona, and Spock tells him of Amanda's rose bushes, which he often helps tend. They get lost in the field of corn for an afternoon. Jim pulls a carrot out of the ground and grins broadly at Spock's surprise. They rinse it off and Spock eats it. Jim wrinkles his nose in response when he tries to offer him a bite. They sit together in Spock's room and he patiently tries to show Jim how to speak and write Vulcan. Jim is terrible at writing it (which gives Spock the shameful urge to smile; his mother has been practicing for years and still hasn't mastered it), but good at learning the spoken language. By the time Spock and his mother have to leave, he and Jim can have short conversations in Vulcan. The night before Spock and Amanda have to go back to San Francisco to rejoin Sarek, Jim spends the night at their house. He brings a sleeping bag for himself, and Sam’s old one for Spock, in case Spock wants to sleep in one, too. Amanda is familiar with the human custom of sleepovers, and when Jim suggests he and Spock sleep in the backyard and watch the stars, she smiles and agrees.

They stare up at the stars, and Spock tries to point out where Vulcan is. Jim tells Spock all about Starfleet, which both his parents served in. They retired when their sons were born, but they’ve told Jim all about the things they saw and did.

Jim is even more passionate and excited about space than he is about Earth’s history. He tells Spock all about the places Starfleet officers go and the things they do. He declares he’s going to join Starfleet someday, and be a captain, and sail the stars.

When they say goodbye the next day, Jim hands Spock one of the flowers he and his mother have cultivated, along with some seeds so that he and Amanda can plant them and grow their own when they return to Vulcan, if they wish. Spock thinks about Jim’s words about Starfleet as he and Amanda travel to the transport station.

Jim doesn’t know he’s planted a very different kind of seed, and won’t know for many years.