He’s still got it

 Last night I looked out the back window a little after midnight and I saw a very large opossum running along the top of my back fence. Suspecting it might be trying for my new chickens, I summoned the dogs and sent all three of them out into the yard. Belle and Merida just goofed around aimlessly for a minute before peeing and coming back inside, but Murphy...ah, that dog. He never saw the opossum but he put his nose in the air, took an alert stance, and went right to the corner of the fence where I’d last seen it. I’d lost sight of it while rallying the dog troops but old Murphy scented it right off and went hunting for it. For a few minutes he paced the fence in that back corner, pretty sure that something he wanted was on the other side. He’s about 12 years old now; old for a Shepherd. He has arthritis  and can't run any more, and his eyes are clouding up a bit with age, but that old dog’s still very much alert and aware and motivated, still more so than either of the others have been or ever will be. Senior dog or not, he was all about taking the fight to whatever was out there last night. He was so beautiful to watch, and I’m proud to have him as my dog buddy. I know my home is in good paws when he's watching over it.

Always on watch, this one.

A Day Well Spent.

It was a nice day on Wednesday, and business brought me downtown Washington DC and left me with time to kill--paid time--so I went across the river to pay a visit to a man who was a friend, real or on-line, to many of us.

I haven't been over since they placed the marker, but it looks ok. For anyone else planning to visit Arlington National Cemetery, Ed Rasimus can be found in Section 55, plot 3809.

And yeah, that's a nickel on the grass that *someone* threw there.

Ed's got a few good neighbors, too.

On January 9, 1945, Then-Major Curtin Reinhardt flew the first prototype of the Boeing C-97 Stratofrighter from Seattle, WA to Washington, DC is just 6 hours, 4 minutes with 20,000lbs of cargo aboard. At the time, this was a most impressive aviation accomplishment.

Robert Bullin. He was UDT (Underwater Demolitions Team), a precursor of the Navy SEALS. This guy clearly had a set of brass ones because theses guys were bad-ass. And after leaving the Navy, he spent the next 20 years as a Deputy with the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Department in Virginia.

Rangers lead the way indeed.

And not too far away, in section 60, there's another name known to many in military and flying circles.

John "Forty Second" Boyd, a fighter pilot/engineer turned strategist who revolutionized the way that both aerial combat and ground war are fought.

And yeah, that's another nickel on the grass.


Leaving that area, enroute to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, I ran into a traffic jam of sorts.

I didn't mind waiting for this one. Whoever he was, he earned it.


Then I took my place on the marble steps across from The Tomb, and watched the Changing of the Guard ceremony.

The ceremony never gets old, no matter how many times that you see it. The precision of their movements, the impeccable uniforms and the solemnity all come together perfectly to create a moment that never ends.


After watching the Changing of the Guard, I walked over to visit America's most-decorated World War Two.

Audie Murphy was awarded every medal for valor that our country gave out, plus several from other countries. He also starred in 44 movies post-war and bred and raised quarter horses, all while suffering from what is known today as PTSD, but back then,few knew what it was. He fought on behalf of returning Korean Warand Vietnam vets to get the government to fund studies into this syndrome and to get health care benefits for vets to treat it. He died in a plane crash in Virginia in 1971 when the non-instrument-rated pilot flew into fog and crashed into the mountains just west of Roanoke, Virginia. He was 45.


Leaving there, I saw two other markers side-by-side. One has to wonder if these two Marines knew each other. I'd personally think so, as the Corps. is a relatively small community, and it's career officer cadre even more so.

Three wars together? They had to have known each other. You can't help but ponder such things as you walk through this place.

Sergeant First Class Lawrence Joel, a 27-year vet who served in both Korea and Vietnam. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for selfless gallantry as a medic in Vietnam, treating his comrades during a 20-hour firefight despite being shot twice himself.

Willard D. Miller. Then a Seaman in the US Navy, assigned to the Gunboat Nashville, he was awarded this medal for his role in cutting an underwater telegraph cable under heavy fire off Cuba. His brother, Herbert Miller, was also awarded the Medal of Honor for the same operation.

Also noteworthy is that we still had veterans of the war with Spain still living in 1959.

Or 1960.

Saturday Man Movie--Memorial Day Special.

I first heard of Audie Murphy back in the early 70's. When I was young, my father used to talk about him sometimes, always with reverence and pride. I was too young to understand back then, but I imagined that he was a great big giant of a man. I figured that he had to be, the way my father spoke of him. I found out later that he was just a small guy, 5'5 and 110lbs.

Quiet and humble, Audie Murphy tried to enlist several times when World War Two broke out, only to be rejected by the Marines, the Army and the Navy for being underweight. But he was persistent and kept trying, and he finally made it into the Army, where he fought across North Africa, Sicily, Italy and France. By war's end, he'd risen from Private to 1st. Lt. (Later to Major on the Reserves) and he'd been awarded every medal that the US Army presented, including the Congressional Medal of Honor when he was just 19 years old.

In this clip from To Hell and Back, real-life war hero-turned-actor Audie Murphy shows how he saved his squad mates from destruction by taking out three German machine gun nests after a band of Germans pretended to surrender, only to pull weapons and cut his unit to pieces.


He was the real deal. And we visited him at Arlington National Cemetery last week, too.


Here's his war-time autobiography: To Hell and Back

If you haven't read it yet, buy a copy and read it.



After the war, he found a career in Hollywood, making movies and raising horses on his ranch when not battling the demons of PTSD and campaigning to help other vets suffering from the condition. He lost most of his money due to a gambling addiction but even in bankruptcy, he refused to do then-lucrative commercials for cigarettes or alcohol because he did not want to be a bad influence to Americas's youth. He was killed in a plane crash in Virginia not too far from here in 1971.

When you've got a free evening, a lot of his movies are available for free on Nexflix or even Youtube. They're worth the time if only for the picture that they give us of this great American.

A nice, relaxing day.

No Black Friday for us.

Murphy and I ate more turkey, then I primed pistol brass while watching Ride Clear of Diablo (1954) with Audie Murphy. It also starred western character actors Dan Duryea, ack Elam, Denver Pyle, and Russell Johnson, best known for his later role as "the professor" on Gilligan's Island. You remember him, right? He was the guy who could make radios out of coconuts and who could build pretty much anything out of bamboo and vines, except a boat, of course. Back in the day, he played lots of parts in westerns, including a role in Law and Order (1953) where he shot Ronald Reagan. (Hmmmm...the actual last name of the Professor on Gilligan's Island was Hinkley. Eerie coincidence, eh?) But in this flick, Audie Murphy shot him down in a gunfight in a mine. (Ever fire a gun in a mine tunnel? I have. Once. My ears are still ringing.) The movie also features Susan Cabot, who played opposite Murphy in many of his movies, mainly because she was one of the few actresses in Hollywood at the time who was shorter than he was and didn't tower over him.

Anyway, I got four hundred .40 S&W cases primed and ready for the powder measure now, and I've always believed that ammo prepared in the presence of old western greats like Murphy, Wayne, Eastwood and Stewart shoots better and straighter so this should be good stuff.

Now I'm going to go out to the airport and mess with the plane a bit, then maybe go see that new James Bond movie and try to convince myself that Daniel Craig really didn't wreck the whole Bond franchise.

I might also stop by Wal-Mart and see if any of those union flunkies are protesting in front of it, just so I can cross their little picket line and buy something. It's pathetic to think that most of them aren't even Wal-Mart employees but merely shills and paid slugs holding up signs on behalf of unions that want to force their way into Wal-Mart. I'll support any business that keeps unions out just on principle, especially a business that by necessity only hires people to do unskilled drone labor that was never supposed to be career employment in the first place. Big-box store labor jobs are pretty much by definition intended to provide part-time work for people who either want a second income or who are just starting out in the working world. If the people who do work there want more money, they are free to go to school and better themselves or establish themselves there as a good employee and then move on, using Wal-Mart as a positive reference. So to have some fat SEIU toad telling me that I need to pay more for everything at Wal-Mart so that the people who stock shelves, mop floors or stand in front of a cash register can make more money (most of which the union will skim off as "dues") is offensive to me, especially as the union will turn around and use much of that money to buy influence with the Democrats, the political party working to destroy the American way of life as most of us knew it.

Anyway, gotta go. Back later. Have a good "Day after Thanksgiving". And if you're bored, click on the link above and watch the movie.

Saturday Western

In 1957's Night Passage, James Stewart and Audie Murphy play against each other as brothers gone down different paths. It's also one of the movies that casts war hero Audie Murphy as a villain. Aside from that, it's noteworthy for giving Stewart a chance to play the accordion and sing. Stewart was a real accordion player since his days as a World War Two bomber pilot in England.

It's been a long time since Hollywood's had real men like those two starring in it's pictures.

Saturday Man Movie

In honor of Memorial Day, we'll look at movie footage of a real man playing himself. To Hell and Back(1955), a movie about Audie Murphy, played here by Audie Murphy.


And there was a song, too.

Saturday Western

The movie: Duel at Silver Creek (1952).
The build up: Marshal "Lighning" Tyrone has been forced into a duel with Johnny Sombrero.

As they face off in the street, the town watches, knowing that Johnny Sombrero is the better gunfighter. But suddenly a shot rings out...

Yep folks, it's the Silver Kid, played by western star and real-life World War Two hero Audie Murphy, winging the Marshal and taking his place against Johnny Sombrero.

Those were the days, when movies were great, and the heroes were men. Not like today at all.
Today, Hollywood is pronouncing the strong Alpha Male dead (undoubtedly because most Hollywood actors today are leftist girly-men like George Clooney, Tom Cruise and Matt Damon who understandably have trouble trying to portray real men.)

Come back, Shane...and bring John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart and the rest of the real men back with you!

Arlington National Cemetery notables

Over 300,000 veterans are resting in Arlington National Cemetery. Each one has a name. Most you won't recognize, but some you almost certainly will.

Boyington, Gregory



Donovan, William J.



Doubleday, Abner



Evers, Medgar W.



Hayes, Ira H.



Louis, Joseph B.



Marvin, Lee



Miller, A. Glenn



Murphy, Audie L.



O'Neill, William O.



Powers, Francis G.



Puller, Lewis Jr.




Known only to God. There are a lot of these in Arlington and other national cemeteries.


Enjoy your barbecues this week-end, but be sure to take some time to reflect on the Americans who sacrificed so much for this country and the freedom of the world.

Duelling Destrys

What a great day for Cowboy movies.

This morning, AMC was running Destry Rides Again followed immediately by Destry. Both, of course, were the same story. The first was made in 1939 and starred James Stewart in the title role, and the second was done in 1954 and starred war hero-turned-actor Audie Murphy in the Destry role. Both were directed by George Marshall, and both were--and are--great movies.

The story deals with a rough-and-tumble town run by a rich and powerful bad guy. When the Sheriff disappears, the crooked mayor appoints the town drunk as Sheriff, figuring that he'll stay out of everyone's way. But the old drunk used to ride with frontier lawman legend Tom Destry back in the old days. That Destry--a fast and feared gunfighter--is dead, but he has a son, Tom Jr., played by Stewart and Murphy, who comes to town to help clean it up. But when Destry Jr. gets to town, the people are shocked and amused to find out that he doesn't even carry a gun! He quickly becomes the butt of a lot of jokes before the people start to realize that he doesn't need one.

In the first movie, Stewart has a great female lead in Marlene Dietrich. Murphy, fifteen years later, doesn't do too much worse when he gets paired off with Mari Blanchard, another big star from the 50's and 60's. But Dietrich definitely nailed the role, in my opinion.

Murphy did benefit from one other rising star in his version. The minor but important character of Jack Larson was played by a very young Alan Hale jr., a frequent bit player in old westerns later to become immortalized as The Skipper on Gilligan's Island.

I liked being able to watch the two films back-to-back because it gave me the opportunity to compare the actors' performances against their peers playing the same roles in the same story. It was easy for me to prefer Dietrich playing Frenchy over Blanchard's portrayal of Brandy (different names, but same "bad girl" character otherwise) but Stewart v. Murphy....Wow. Tough call there. Both are favorites of mine.

I watched the first one while eating breakfast and playing with Lagniappe, and then I drove to the gym to work out while the second one was on. I caught most of that one while on the treadmill, thus ensuring that I got MY workout in while Destry solved the murder of the missing sheriff and cleaned up the town.

As for my pick of the better Destry character...as much as I like Audie Murphy in those old westerns, I have to give the nod to Stewart in this particular role.

But hey--don't take my word for it. watch 'em both yourself and tell me who you like better. It's not like it'll kill you to watch the same movie twice with different actors in each version. It's a good tale that moves along fast and you'll never be bored.

I'll state in closing--as I have before--that both of these movies starred real war heros. Jimmy Stewart was an Army Air Corps bomber pilot over Germany--he enlisted even though he didn't have to because he felt that it was his duty as an American. Likewise, Alan Hale joined the Coast Guard and served in the Pacific Theater.

Audie Murphy wasn't an actor before the war, but his military credentials as America's most decorated combat veteran are beyond dispute.

It's a damned shame that Hollywood took such a sharp left turn between those days and now. Back then, many of the silver screen's best and brightest rushed off to serve. Nowadays, we're stuck with punks like George Clooney and Sean Penn who are more than willing to pocket big buck pretending to be soldiers on screen but who not only refuse to serve like more talented and patriotic actors did in the 1940's, but openly criticize our military and our Commander-in-Chief during a time of war, and in the case of traitors like Penn, provide actual aide and comfort to our enemies.

A good western week-end

So this week-end, Lagniappe and I watched a couple of good westerns while cleaning guns and loading ammunition onto belts. I have this theory that ammo works better when loaded in proximity to good westerns and/or war movies.

The first was the ago-old classic, The Magnificent Seven, with Yul Brenner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn and Robert Vaughn.
How could any movie with those guys in it be bad?

Of course anyone who likes westerns knows that it's a true classic. It's a tale of a small farming village in Mexico that's regularly robbed by bandits, led in this case by Eli Wallach, another veteran character actor best known for playing Tuco in another classic, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The villagers collect what meager money they have and a couple travel to America to find guns and hopefully get some Americans to return with them and solve all their problems. (Sometimes movies do mirror reality, eh?) They find Yul Brenner and Steve McQueen, who agree to help them and who recruit the others and bring them along too. They run the bandits off the first time, but then the bandits return and the villagers betray the seven heroes to the bandits in an attempt to appease the bandits and avoid further fighting. The movie predictably ends in an epic gunbattle like all good westerns do, and most of the Magnificent Seven die honorably, after which, Brenner and McQueen ride into the sunset as Chico, played by Horst Buchholz, decides to stay behind with a stunning little Mexican girl. And the credits roll. Ya gotta love it.



Then we caught Walk the Proud Land, with war hero turned actor Audie Murphy, playing John Clum, a real-life Indian Agent. Sadly this one doesn't have any clips available to post, but it's still good just because it has Murphy and Charles Drake in it, not to mention Mrs. Robinson herself, Anne Bancroft, made up to look like the smokingest-hot Indian gal the world's ever seen. Of course it's got real Indians too, notably Jay Silverheels, best known as Tonto, sidekick to the Lone Ranger. Here he gets to play Geronimo. (Obviously if we can accept Anne Bancroft as an Indian, we can accept Silverheels--a Mohawk--playing Geronimo, an Apache). And like The Magnificent Seven, it's a good movie, well worth seeing if you haven't already.

But what would movie day be without a list of the lessons learned? Back in the day, movies had morals and lessons to be learned. And these were no exception. The lessons learned from these movies were:

--Don't trust Mexican villagers. You'll do them a favor and they'll screw you.
--If you're a Mexican bandit, don't just tell seven of Hollywood's deadliest gunfighters to walk away and even give them their guns back when they go. They will be back and you'll be sorry.
--If you're an Indian or John Clum, Indian Agent in the territories, don't trust the US Government, because they'll screw you over every time.
--Finally, it doesn't matter if you're Audie Murphy or Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft is going to complicate your life and look good while doing so.

It's also interesting to note that in both of these, as in most other period westerns, almost all of the speaking parts for Indians and Mexicans seem to be played by white people who are made up to look like Mexicans and/or Indians. Real Mexicans and Indians seem to have been restricted being little more than non-speaking extras, even in films dealing with Mexican and/or Indian issues and settings. Ah, the 1960's and Hollywood...

Saturday? Yee-hah!

Snow shovelling aside, it's still Saturday at the Lair, and that means Cowboy movies on TV. I try not to watch much TV during the week unless there's something good on the History Channel, but on Saturdays I indulge in the westerns on AMC. This morning's pick was North Passage, a 1957 classic starring James Stewart and Audie Murphy. I never tire of watching Stewart stand up to the old west bad guys, even when one of those bad guys is Murphy, someone that I'm used to rooting for as the hero. And one of the fun things about these old westerns is seeing who else got cast in bit parts. Lots of people that we came to know in later shows and movies often had small parts in these old westerns and the one that caught my eye in this one was Hugh Beaumont, who played the railroad tycoon's right hand man. Beaumont is of course much better known as Ward Cleaver from the "Leave it to Beaver" series and it was cracking me up to watch him being a cowboy. Another one of my favorite actors to watch for is James Best. We allknow him as Roscoe P. Coletrane from the Dukes of Hazzard show, but Best actually starred in many old westerns, usually in smaller roles, which is too bad, because he was usually pretty good.

But perhaps one of the strangest actors to star in a western was Oliver Hardy, who played Willie Paine, sidekick to John Wayne's John Breen in The Fighting Kentuckian (1949). Hardy, half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy (I realize that many today have no idea who they were...) was actually a good friend of John Wayne and Wayne asked him to take the role. It's worth watching just to see him play a semi-straight role (he's still comedy relief) but it's also a great one for watching John Wayne shooting and punching the bad guys and saving the day.

Yep, I gotta have my old westerns on Saturdays now. It's a highlight of my week, which would be pathetic if they weren't truly some of the best stuff on TV. They beat that crap put out by Hollywood today hands down. Put into contest with him over water rights or the girl, John Wayne would kick Jack Bauer's ass any day.

Now my only regret is that I'd never discovered Audie Murphy as a western star when I used to work out at Arlington National Cemetery. I saw his grave every day, and while I appreciated him as the war hero that he was, I was totally ignorant of his acting abilities.