Dead Freight for Piute


Book Description

A hard-riding cowboy teams up with a stubborn farm girl to save her family’s freight business in this adventure from a master storyteller of the West. When her brother finds himself locked in a vicious battle with corrupt kingpin Craig Armin for control of the freight business in a silver town called Piute, Celia Wallace sells the family farm and goes west to help him. She’s just short of her destination when bandits attack her stagecoach, pressing a pistol to Celia and making her hand over every cent she has. She’s ruined—but she’ll fight to get her revenge. Meanwhile, Armin’s nephew Cole, who knows nothing about his uncle’s underhanded dealings, has come to Piute looking for a job running one of his uncle’s mule trains. But he will find a cause instead: helping Celia search for her stolen money, betraying his own family to do what’s right. Dead Freight for Piute is a hard-hitting, authentic western about the brave men and women who had the true grit to stand up to evil, greedy men in a land where the only law was the law of the gun.







Shooting Scripts


Book Description

In their heyday, pulp westerns were one of America's most popular forms of entertainment. Often selling for less than 50 cents, the paperback books introduced generations to the "exploits" of Billy the Kid and Jesse James, brought to life numerous villains (usually named "Black" something, e.g., Black Bart and Black Pete), and created a West that existed only in the minds of several talented writers. It was only natural that filmmakers would look to the pulps for stories, adapting many of the works for the big screen and shaping the Western film genre. The adaptations of seven of the pulps' best writers--Ernest Haycox, Luke Short, Frank Gruber, Norman A. Fox, Louis L'Amour, Marvin H. Albert, and Clair Huffaker--are analyzed here. Insightful and humorous, the work looks at how the pulp novels and the movie adaptations reflected the times in which they were produced. It examines the cliches that became a part of the story: the rescue of the heroine, the gunfights, the evil banker or rancher ready to steal the land of the good, law-abiding citizens, and the harlot with a heart of gold. A critical examination of how the books were interpreted--or frequently misinterpreted--by filmmakers is included, along with commentary on the actors and directors who put the pulps on screen.




The Films of Randolph Scott


Book Description

Reclusive American actor Randolph Scott, known for his subtle, dignified performances in almost 60 westerns, has been called the "most genuine Westerner." His career began in 1928 with the first of several bit parts; his first starring role was 1932's Heritage of the Desert. He fought in World War I, studying horsemanship, shooting, and bayoneting, and acted in a variety of films in every genre from musical to swashbuckler. His final film was Ride the High Country (1962). Chronologically arranged from his birth in 1898 to his death in 1987, this book covers every film in which Randolph Scott acted. Each section begins with a biographical chapter and then lists Scott's films from that period: each film's entry has filmographic information, a synopsis, and detailed commentary, discussing such topics as the financial aspects, production details, acting, other participants, anecdotes, and critical responses. Quotes from interviews with figures in the industry and published reviews bolster the entries. A bibliographical essay completes the work, which is heavily illustrated with stills and promotional materials.




List of New Books ...


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Catalog of Copyright Entries


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Pine-Thomas Productions


Book Description

Dubbed "The Dollar Bills," William H. Pine and William C. Thomas made 1940s Hollywood take notice with their B movies for Paramount that gave solid entertainment while cutting costs to the bone. In the 1950s, with television looming, Pine-Thomas Productions began making bigger-budget films with stars including James Cagney and Jane Wyman, and incorporating trends like 3-D. "The public is Hollywood's boss," Pine said, and the company gave moviegoers what they wanted. Written with the assistance of the Pine and Thomas families, this book draws on Thomas' never-published memoir, interviews with colleagues and relatives, and rarely seen photographs to document the story of Pine-Thomas and its founders. An annotated filmography covers their 76 feature films and five shorts. Appendices give biographical sketches of such actors as Robert Lowery, Jean Parker and John Payne, as well as the directors, cinematographers and other crew members who made movies at top speed with more ingenuity than money.




"A" Western Filmmakers


Book Description

From High Noon to Unforgiven, the "A" Western represents the pinnacle of Western filmmaking. More intellectual, ambitious, and time-consuming than the readily produced "B" or serial Westerns, these films rely on hundreds of talented artists. This comprehensive reference work provides biographies and Western filmographies for nearly 1,000 men and women who have contributed to at least three "A" Westerns. These contributors are arranged by their role in film production. Cinematographers, composers, actors, actresses, and directors receive complete biographical treatment; writers whose work was used in at least two Westerns are also featured. An appendix lists well-known actors who have appeared in either one or two "A" Westerns, as specified.




Fiddlefoot


Book Description

A hard-charging tale of oppression and revenge by an award-winning author who helped define the western genre. Frank Chess didn’t care for much in this world. Especially himself. So taking a job for local big shot Rhino Hulst was an easy choice. Each day drifted into the next: running Rhino’s crooked errands, blowing his meager pay in the nearest poker game, drinking it down in the closest saloon, and handing it over to the next soiled dove. All because Rhino killed a man in cold blood, pinned it on Frank, and now holds the hangman’s rope over him. And who would give a damn? Frank came into town a drifter—a fiddlefoot, they called him—worth nothing to no one. He didn’t matter. But none of the townspeople know Frank. Where he came from. What he’s done. And when he finally remembers what it’s like to care about something, they have no idea how much hell he’s about to bring down on them all. Along with legendary authors like Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour, Luke Short helped transform the stories of the American West from dime-store pulp into a respected and immensely popular literary genre. Originally serialized in the Saturday Evening Post, Fiddlefoot combines Short’s plainspoken style with the hard-edged authenticity that marks his novels as true classics of western adventure.




Bounty Guns


Book Description

Hired to find a killer, a drifter rides into a deadly family feud, in this action-packed novel from an award-winning storyteller of the West. For $10,000, Tip Woodring must ride into a frontier town full of murderers and find one particular killer. The deal—offered by Rig Holman, a saloon owner who liked the way Woodring knocked out a nasty drunk in front of his bar—could make him a fortune . . . or cost him his life. Last spring, a prospector named Blackie Mayfell walked into Holman’s office with $15,000 in gold and a strange proposition. He asked Holman to keep the money and get it to his daughter if he died, handing over a little extra for insurance. Then Mayfell was slain by someone who wanted a piece of his claim. Holman wants to know who pulled the trigger, and Woodring will find out—or die trying. Filled with stunning action scenes, memorable characters, and authentic historical atmosphere, Bounty Guns is a suspenseful tale: part mystery, part western, all Luke Short.