American Civil War in the West

The on-line "eZine" OldWestNewWest.Com continues to impress with its series of articles devoted to documenting The American Civil War in the West. In the August issue, the focus is on the Battle of Pea Ridge in northwestern Arkansas.

"To some," says OldWestNewWest.Com editor Mike Harris, "America's Civil War and the settling of the American West seem two totally unrelated parts of American history. The Civil War, however, did reach into the American West, and the stories of how the two sides fought west of the Mississippi River are filled with stories of daring and courage.

"The effort by the South to win Missouri effectively ended with the 1862 Battle of Pea Ridge. Keeping Missouri in the Union was critical to President Abraham Lincoln and his generals if federal forces were to control the Mississippi River and divide the Confederacy."

The August issue also includes a look at the Pea Ridge National Military Park, operated by the National Park Service. The park, covering more than 4,300 acres, is one of the nation's most intact Civil War battlefields. "Pea Ridge was a crucial battle in the West," Harris says, "and for anyone interested in the Union-Confederate struggle for the West, they should go experience it."

Coming soon: Appaloosa

Maybe there really is hope for a revival of the Western: Variety, the showbiz bible, reports that Ed Harris, Oscar winner Renee Zellweger and former Cowboys & Indians cover boy Viggo Mortensen will co-star in Appaloosa, an adaptation of Robert B. Parker's novel about two lawmen hired to protect a lawless town from the machinations of a renegade rancher. Filming is set to start Oct. 1 in New Mexico, with Harris doing quadruple duty as director, co-scriptwriter, producer and star. Take it from me: The novel was pretty doggone good. And these folks could turn turn it into a terrific movie.

Big John

From the Associated Press: John Wayne has been honored on the 100th anniversary of the year of his birth with a larger-than-life bronze statue at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Sculptor Edward J. Fraughton said he modeled the 8-foot, 8-inch statue -- which the museum officially unveiled Saturday -- after the middle years of Wayne's career and tried "to portray him in a real epic form rather than as an individual in a particular film."

Poster posting

The marketing gurus at Lionsgate are taking a fairly nervy approach to their poster art for 3:10 to Yuma: No attempt to hide or even soft-pedal the fact that it's a Western, but no close-ups of top-billed Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Instead, a dramatic rear-view of a supporting player -- Ben Foster as Charlie Prince, second-in-command to Crowe's outlaw chief -- in a sepia-toned illustration with a vaguely Sergio Leone-ish look. It's attention-grabbing, to be sure. But will it be audience-attracting?

Cowboys and Indians and Emmys

The Emmys went Western this morning, as the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced 17 nominations for Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, the epic HBO movie based on Dee Brown’s non-fiction best-seller, and 16 for Broken Trail, the AMC miniseries starring Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church. Here at the C&I Corral, we're proud to say that both productions were previewed in Cowboys & Indians cover stories. But, of course, we're not bragging or anything. Well, not much.

Wounded Knee loomed large in the marquee category of Outstanding Made for Television Movie, Broken Trail rode tall among the Outstanding Miniseries nominees, and, not surprisingly, Duvall was nominated as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie.

In several other categories, however, the Westerns will be competing against each other for top honors. For example, Church will face off against Wounded Knee co-stars August Schellenberg (as Sitting Bull) and Aidan Quinn (Sen. Henry Dawes) for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie; Greta Scacchi (Broken Trail) and Anna Paquin (Wounded Knee) are rivals for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie; and Walter Hill (Broken Trail) and Yves Simoneau (Wounded Knee) are among the honorees for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special.

Speaking of Hill: After Thursday's early-morning Emmy announcement, the veteran filmmaker (whose feature credits include the Westerns Wild Bill, The Long Riders, and Geronimo: An American Legend) seemed at once grateful and flabbergasted that Television Academy voters would be so appreciative of Broken Trail. "What can I say?” he told the Associated Press. “They're too kind. We were on so long ago, we were on last June, so I've been surprised and very pleased that people remember."

Dick Wolf, executive producer of Wounded Knee, said the clutch of nominations for his HBO movie was a validation of a very difficult project: "Anybody who says it's not nice or it doesn't mean anything to get this many nominations, it's the ultimate sour grapes because it sure feels great.”

(A complete list of all Emmy Award nominations is available here.)

3:10 will arrive a bit earlier

This just in from Pamela McClintock of Variety: The much-buzzed-about Western 3:10 to Yuma will open Sept. 7 -- not Oct. 5, as originally announced -- so Lionsgate can (a) take more time to launch "a big awards campaign" (i.e., a major push for Oscar consideration), and (b) head off at the pass another star-studded Western, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (which will hit the trail starting Sept. 21.) "We certainly wanted to be the first Western in the marketplace," says Tom Ortenberg, Lionsgate president of theatrical films. Sounds like those reports of rave responses at preview screenings were correct.

Independence Day greetings from Cowboys & Indians