The blog
Jeff Arnold's West is one of the unique stories among CMBA members. Started in 2010 by Jeff Arnold, the blog had a prolific output about Western Films. But in 2024, Jeff became sick and tragically died. Two people stepped in to carry on his work despite being an ocean apart. Let Bud and RR tell you their remarkable story of how they continue the blog started by Jeff Arnold at
jeffarnoldswest.com in this CMBA's new member profile.
Your site, Jeff Arnold's West, focuses on Westerns. Tell
us a bit about the site and how you both ended up running it following Jeff's
death. What is your vision for the future of the site?
The blog has existed since 2010 and encompasses 1820+ posts
about the American west. While some posts cover historical figures, books, and
geography, the majority are about Western film, from the earliest silents to
the present.
Prior to June 2024, all content was authored by the site’s
namesake, Jeff Arnold. That May, however, Jeff was stricken with an aggressive
illness. He announced that he would no longer post…. and also asked if anyone
within the blog’s readership would consider taking it over. We both responded.
Jeff provided his blessing in late May. And passed away in
early June.
Neither of us knew anything about blogs except how to read
them. We did not know Jeff outside of his site. Nor did we know each other. And
we are inconveniently separated by a large distance (and the Atlantic Ocean).
The site has a loyal base of readers. Even so, we soon
realized that new posts were needed to maintain engagement. So we
administer the site and develop new content as partners. Some posts are
co-written while others are written by one of us and edited by the other.
Our partnership is built upon a shared responsibility to
maintain Jeff’s legacy; ensuring the continuance of his blog was one of the
last acts of his life. We are also keenly aware of an audience that was already
in place. Unlike most bloggers, we did not have to build a site and readership
from scratch. These factors are not taken lightly.
As for the future… new Westerns are produced, although
infrequently. Jeff was decidedly prolific and covered the majority of the
genre’s cinematic classics. So we face a slight dilemma with future content. We
don’t prefer to repeatedly plow the same ground except to present an
interesting angle or differing opinion.
Still, the genre has veins to mine. Milestone anniversaries
and career retrospectives, like our ongoing Peckinpah series, have potential if
utilized sparingly. We continue to uncover the occasional picture from the
classic era that Jeff somehow missed. B-Westerns and serials are a subgenre
generally avoided by Jeff (but enjoyed by Bud in particular). Astonishing
restorations of classic film are appearing with some regularity. Finally,
despite the rumors of its demise, physical media in the form of blu-ray (and
the occasional 4K) discs of classic Western films and television shows are
frequently released. The upgrades in audio and video quality are generally
worth noting.
Which three classic era Westerns would you recommend to
someone who has never watched one before?
RR:
- High
Noon
- The
Ox-Bow Incident
- The
Naked Spur
The first two are terrific films (both quite short so they
won't try a novice's patience) that show how the Western is just the best when
it comes to compelling morality plays. The third introduces the “psychological” Western at its most engaging. And between the three you get Coop, Fonda and
Stewart - three of the genre's greatest stars - and on top of them, a host of
terrific supporting actors, and fine scriptwriting, direction, cinematography
and (particularly in the case of High Noon) editing.
Bud: RR highlighted three of the genre’s greatest
leads, so my picks will highlight three others.
- Four
Faces West: This film showcases Joel McCrea’s understated strengths,
playing an outlaw on the run who risks all for an act of human decency.
The chemistry with real-life spouse Frances Dee leaps from the screen, as
does crisp black-and-white cinematography by Russell Harlan. And no shots
fired!
- Hellfire:
Wild Bill Elliott, veteran of serials and B-movie series, plays a reformed
gambler aiming to build a church “the right way.” Ellliott co-produced and
fought to cast co-star Marie Windsor; the film has a cast of Western
stalwarts (Windsor, Forrest Tucker, and Jim Davis). The picture is Wild
Bill’s best overall (although his finest acting would occur two pictures
later in The Showdown) and just a fantastic Western. (Added bonus:
Jeff Arnold has not reviewed, so this capsule is something of a sneak
preview…)
- Coroner
Creek: A list of classic era Westerns without Randolph Scott would be
a sad list indeed. Boetticher and Scott’s “Ranown Cycle” (films directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott), plus Seven Men
from Now have a certain notoriety among film aficionados, but Scott as
relentless avenger first appears in Creek. Forrest Tucker again is
in the cast, always a good thing. A tough-minded film with at least one
sequence that is hard viewing now, let alone in 1948.
Besides Westerns, what are some of your other favorite
film genres?
Bud: Film noir, and particularly those of favorite
actor Robert Ryan. (In the Bud household, Robert Ryan pictures are practically
a genre.) The comedies of Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, and WC Fields.
Classic animation: Tex Avery at MGM; the Tom and Jerry series by Hanna Barbara;
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, with Yosemite Sam a particular favorite.
RR: 1930s screwball comedies, ‘40s and early '50s
noir. Some musicals - not all. The odd classic French or Japanese movie... And
having kids who are now in their late teens, as they grew up, we as a family
watched more or less the whole cycle of Marvel and DC films of the last twenty
years and I have to admit I enjoyed many of them. Oh, and since Bud has
mentioned them, I love Robert Ryan and classic cartoons, too!
How did you both become classic film fans?
RR: Growing up in England (in an Irish family) in the
1970s and ‘80s, Hollywood (and British) movies of the 1930s to ‘50s were very
much a staple of certain TV channels - particularly on Saturday and Sunday
afternoons. So I saw quite a few of those films and became familiar with some
of the actors - like John Wayne and James Stewart. My dad was particularly keen
on Westerns which I watched with him (some of them he'd no doubt seen in the
cinema in Ireland on their original release). Later I drifted away into other
interests but found myself being drawn back later, in adulthood - and
alternating phases of not watching too many old movies while busy with other
aspects of life, with phases of gorging on old movies every chance I got.
Bud: One of my earliest memories is sitting in my
grandmother’s kitchen around midday, transfixed while watching an episode of
the 60’s Batman series on her 13-inch television. My appreciation for genre
fare made itself known at a young age.
Growing up, my parents were of the mindset deplored by
movie moguls: why pay extortionate prices at a cinema when television was free?
So my movie-going was limited to special occasions and always a Disney release
or re-release.
My hometown of 3,000 was too small for cable television.
But, it was close enough to three midsize cities to access three channels of
over-the-air programming.
Later, however, my parents purchased a large antenna
and a tower (which did, in fact, tower over our modest split level home)
with a wired directional controller. THIS increased options, as we could
regularly tune in broadcasts from 70-100 miles away. Depending upon the time of
day and atmospheric conditions, we could occasionally pick up WGN from Chicago,
some 200 miles away.
Anyway, I spent many an oppressively cold or hot
Saturday afternoon in our family room as my mom watched series movies aired by
a Saint Louis independent station: the Tarzans of Weissmuller and Barker;
Ma and Pa Kettle (ugh); and, her particular favorites, Abbott and
Costello. (Alas, the weekend matinees ended when an ice storm wreaked havoc
with the antenna set-up, leaving tines drooping forlornly in its wake…but cable
television did arrive later.)
Few of these pictures could be deemed classics. But the
experience sparked an interest in classic comedians besides A&C and kindled
my affinity for genre movies.
Why should people care about “old” films today?
RR: So many of them are so good! And even when
they're not so good they shed interesting light on the times in which they were
made and the people who made them.
Bud: A personal note building upon RR’s comment: I
love language. Movies, especially those set around their production date, are a
moving time capsule of the words and expressions popular during their
production.
More importantly, any art form, even a popular one like
film, provides some insight into the human condition. Those insights are
timeless. And one can argue that some old films highlight that condition to a
greater extent since their creators could not indulge in cold digital
bits.
What do you consider to be the most rewarding thing
about blogging?
RR: Turning one's slightly disorganised initial ideas
into coherent ones and presenting them in readable prose - and then seeing what
people make of the information and opinions you've shared. It can be gratifying
when people agree with you but sometimes even more interesting when they
disagree. Provided they're polite about it! In the case of our blog, it's also
particularly rewarding to keep Jeff's work and community going - it feels like
giving something back, as when he was with us I'd be checking into his site
every few days and in a small way it added to the pleasure, and lessened the
pain, of life.
Bud: My work requires considerable writing about
mundane topics and is, of necessity, geared towards short attention spans. So I
appreciate the opportunity to stretch a bit.
I also enjoy the research needed for posts, weaving
information from disparate sources into a (hopefully) cohesive whole.
Echoing RR’s point, the site’s comments are generally a
pleasure. Certain readers clearly visit after watching a picture (“What did
Jeff think?”) so comments are not limited to the most recent post(s). During
our tenure, we’ve received comments from relations of classic film participants
(Virginia Mayo’s daughter, as an example) and actual participants, such as
stunt woman Sylvia Durando, around whom we built a post, and a writer/director
who took umbrage at Jeff’s somewhat critical post about his work. I’m curious
if other members have had such experiences!
What is something that most people don’t know about you
that you would like to share?
Bud: I am passionate in my devotion to the Oxford
comma and my abhorrence of mayonnaise.
Punctuation and condiments aside, I am an enthusiastic
musical omnivore, collecting jazz, classical, and pop vocal recordings. Should
anyone care to raise a pint and listen to a fantastically emotive album by that
awful Western actor, Frank Sinatra, let me know.
Also, I have reworded my response to this question entirely
too many times.
RR: My persona on the site is guarded about anything
in my personal life beyond film-watching so most readers know nothing about me,
other than possibly inferring that I live in London, am middle-aged, and am
partial to Westerns! So what can I share that won't shatter the enigma?? How
about that I play the banjo, very poorly and never in public, but find it
therapeutic and to be one of those instruments that sounds pleasant even when
played poorly...
PS by Bud: My response to this question just had to
be positioned first, since no reply could possibly follow RR’s epic admission.
Please visit Jeff Arnold's West at jeffarnoldswest.com
