Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter, and Richard Widmark star in the western classic "Yellow Sky"

Yellow Sky (1948) is an American western directed by William A. Wellman that stars Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter, and Richard Widmark.

Anne Baxter confronts Gregory Peck in Yellow Sky

The plot centers on Peck and his band of outlaws who rob a bank and flee the law by riding into the desert. Desperate and out of drinking water, they come upon a ghost town inhabited by a young woman named Mike (Baxter) and her grandfather (James Barton). They are Yellow Sky’s sole inhabitants. The old man has been prospecting for gold and the gang sees a chance for them to make some easy money by intimidating Mike and her grandfather out of the estimated $50,000 in gold he has mined thus far.

Yellow Sky is based on an unpublished novel by W. R. Burnett. Burnett is the best-selling author of Little Caesar, Scarface, and High Sierra. Many of his novels were turned into films, which led to a career as a scriptwriter in Hollywood. Burnett worked with top directors, writers, and actors like Raoul Walsh, John Huston, John Ford, Howard Hawks, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Steve McQueen, and Clint Eastwood. As a scriptwriter, he wrote This Gun for Hire (1942), Action in the North Atlantic (1943), San Antonio (1945), and The Great Escape (1963).

Some exteriors for Yellow Sky were filmed at Death Valley National Monument. The ghost town of Yellow Sky was an old western set that actor Tom Mix had built in 1923. The crew hired by Twentieth Century-Fox basically demolished the movie set located near Lone Pine, California.

William Wellman directed the original version of A Star Is Born.

Director William A. Wellman (1896 – 1975) got his start in the movies as an actor but decided he’d rather work behind the camera as a director. He directed his first film in 1920. Seven years later, Wellman directed the World War I epic Wings. His other notable films in the sound era include The Public Enemy (1931), A Star Is Born, Nothing Sacred (both 1937), Beau Geste (1939), and The Ox-Box Incident (1943).

By 1948, Gregory Peck (1916 – 2002) was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He had three Best Actor nominations under his belt, including one for Gentleman’s Agreement (1947). Besides Gentleman’s Agreement, Peck starred in three other films that year, including Alfred Hitchcock’s The Paradine Case. He had non-exclusive contracts with David O. Selznick and Twentieth Century-Fox which gave him great flexibility in the roles he chose to play. Yellow Sky was Peck’s only film released in 1948.

Lobby card for The Valley of Decision (1945) starring Greer Garson and Gregory Peck

Anne Baxter (1923 – 1985) won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Sophie MacDonald in The Razor’s Edge (1946). She was signed to a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox in 1940. In 1948, Baxter starred in four movies, with Yellow Sky being her most prominent role to date. She went on to have a prolific career in film, television, and theater. She is probably best known for her Oscar-nominated performance as Eve Harrington in All About Eve. Frank Lloyd Wright was Baxter’s grandfather.

Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington in All About Eve (1950)

Richard Widmark (1914- 2008) had a sensational movie debut playing the crazy villain Tommy Udo in director Henry Hathaway’s Kiss of Death (1947). In the film’s most notorious scene, Widmark’s character pushed an old lady in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs. His performance won him a Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year – Actor. He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Udo. Widmark was also under contract to Twentieth Century-Fox where he played mostly villains (Yellow Sky is no exception). Later in his career, he started playing more heroic roles in films like Slattery’s Hurricane and Down to the Sea in Ships (both 1949).

Richard Widmark stands between Cornell Wilde and Ida Lupino in Road House (1948).

Join us on October 24, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, clicked here. Once you RSVP, you'll receive an invitation and link to join the discussion on Zoom.

To watch the movie on YouTube, click on the link below.

Questions for Discussion

1. What were your overall impressions?
2. Did the movie remind you of any other movies you’ve seen?
3. What did you think of Anne Baxter’s character? 
4. Did anything about the movie surprise you?
5. Was the ending satisfying? Was it realistic?

Gregory Peck is "The Gunfigher"

The Gunfighter (1950) is an American western drama directed by Henry King and starring Gregory Peck. The cast members include Helen Westcott, Millard Mitchell, Karl Malden, and Jean Parker. The cinematography was by Arthur C. Miller (How Green is My Valley).

Gregory Peck stars as Jimmy Ringo, who is famous for being the fastest draw in the West. Because of his renown, he is constantly hounded by younger gunslingers who want to take him on. When Ringo is confronted by a young cowboy named Eddie, he has no choice but to defend himself. When Eddie’s three brothers find out they follow Ringo out of town. Ringo ambushes the brothers, disarms them and drives their horses away. He tells the brothers to walk back to town but they follow him on foot.

Ringo eventually arrives at the town of Cayenne where his wife and son live. He hasn’t seen either of them in eight years. Ringo wants to reunite with his wife (Helen Westcott) and son but Peggy doesn’t see how they could make a life for themselves and their son due to his gunfighter notoriety.

What remains for Ringo? Will he be able to carve a new life for himself or will his gunfighter’s reputation keep him from living a quiet, “normal” life?

Gregory Peck

Henry King (1886 - 1982) was an American actor and director. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Director and seven films that he directed were nominated for Best Picture including The Song of Benadette (1943) where he directed Jennifer Jones to a Best Actress Academy Award. While under contract to Twentieth Century-Fox he directed many films starring Tyrone Power and Gregory Peck. Some popular films directed by King include Lloyd's of London (1936), In Old Chicago (1937), Jesse James (1939), Twelve O'Clock High (1949), The Gunfighter (1950), David and Bathsheba (1951), The Sun Also Rises (1957), and The Bravados (1958).

Gregory Peck (1916 – 2002) was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He had three Best Actor nominations early in his career for The Keys to the Kingdom (1944), The Yearling (1946), Gentleman’s Agreement (1947), and Twelve O’Clock High (1949). He had non-exclusive contracts with David O. Selznick and Twentieth Century-Fox, which gave him great flexibility in the roles he chose to play. Other classic Peck film roles include Roman Holiday (1953), The Big Country (1958), The Guns of Navarone (1961). He finally won a Best Actor Academy Award for his iconic portrayal of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).

The Gunfighter trivia

• The script was originally written with John Wayne in mind.
• The producers hated Peck's period mustache.
• The western street is the same one used in The Ox-Box Incident (1942).
• This was supposedly one of Gregory Peck's favorite roles.

To watch the movie on YouTube, clicked the link below.

To join the discussion on October 3, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. Was Peck convincing as an outlaw on the run?
2. The producers hated Peck's mustache that fit the period and thought it contributed to the film's failure at the box office. Did Peck's mustache work for you or did you agree with the producers at Twentieth Century-Fox?
3. Do you think Peck's character had a chance at a new life with his wife and son?
4. Was the ending inevitable? Would you have written a different ending?
5. Why do you think audiences didn't embrace The Gunfighter in spite of the mostly glowing reviews from the critics? 

Gregory Peck and Helen Westcott

Barbara Stanwyck and Barry Sullivan in Samuel Fuller's "Forty Guns"

Forty Guns (1957) is an American western written and directed by Samuel Fuller and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Barry Sullivan. The film also stars Dean Jagger, John Ericson, and Gene Barry.

John Ericson and Barbara Stanwyck

Jessica Drummond (Stanwyck) runs the territory of Tombstone in Cochise County, Arizona, with her "Forty Guns," men and landowners who she controls, with an iron fist. Enter Griff Bonnell, and his brothers, Wes and Chico. Griff, a reformed gunfighter, is working for the Attorney General's office, looking to arrest Howard Swain (Chuck Roberson). 

Things get tense when Griff confronts Jessica's baby brother Brockie (John Ericson), a drunk bully who routinely bullies the town, going so far as to shoot the town marshal (Hank Worden) in the leg. Griff pistol whips Brockie and knocks him out with one blow, bringing order back to the town.

Will Jessica seek revenge for her brother, setting in motion, more strife in Tombstone?

Jessica Drummond and her Forty Guns

Samuel Fuller (1912 - 1997) was an American director, screenwriter, novelist, and journalist. Fuller got his start writing and directing B-pictures. He wrote and directed two cult films in the early 1960s: Shock Corridor (1963) and The Naked Kiss (1964). In 1957, he directed Barbara Stanwyck in the western classic Forty Guns. Later in Fuller's career, he directed the big-budget World War II film, The Big Red One starring Lee Marvin and Mark Hamill. Fuller's work influenced directors Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino.

Barbara Stanwyck (1907 – 1990) was an American film star who got her acting start with a supporting role on Broadway in a play called The Noose (1926). The next year she had the lead in another Broadway production, Burlesque which was a huge hit. She eventually made it to Hollywood where her success was not immediate. Director Frank Capra saw something in Stanwyck and he educated her in filmmaking and film acting and the rest is history. Stanwyck was nominated four times for the Best Actress Oscar—Stella Dallas (1937), Ball of Fire (1941), Double Indemnity (1945), Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)—and remains one of the most beloved movie stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Barry Sullivan (1912 - 1994) was an American film actor whose career dates back to the 1930s. Sullivan had roles on the stage as well as in film. He was under contract to Paramount and MGM studios, playing mostly supporting roles, although he often had some leading-man roles opposite stars like Lorreta Yound, Lana Turner, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, and Barbara Stanwyck. Sullivan worked in television during the 1950s and beyond. He guest-starred on Highway Patrol, Alfed Hichcock Presents, Playhouse 90, Mission: Impossible.

Forty Guns trivia:

• Stanwyck did her own stunt, being dragged by a horse, when the stunt woman refused to do it.
• The film contains one of the longest camera takes in film history.
• Jessica Drummond was the name of Stanwyck's character in My Reputation (1946).
• Reviews in the U.S. condemned the violence, but in Europe it was admired for its energetic style.
• Working title was Woman with a Whip.

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

To join the discussion on June 6, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions:

• Stanwyck was 49-years-old when she made this film. Does this fact surprise you?
• How does the violence from Fuller's Pickup on South Street compare to Forty Guns?
• What do you make of Fuller's depiction of the two main woman in this film? Are their characters believable to you?
• Did this film remind you of any others you've seen?
• The relationship between Jessica and Griff is a complicated one. Did it work well on film?
• Did anything about this film surprise you?

“The Furies,” the first western from legendary director Anthony Mann

The Furies (1950) is an American western directed by Anthony Mann, produced by Hal Wallis, and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey, and Walter Huston in his final film performance.

Director Anthony Mann got his start directing films noir and The Furies, his first western, has its noir moments. The stark desert landscape is brought to life by the beautiful cinematography of Victor Milner, a ten-time Academy Award nominee. He won his only Oscar for his work on Cleopatra (1934).

The plot centers around T. C. (Walter Huston) and Vance Jeffords (Barbara Stanwyck), widowed father and daughter respectively who clash over how to run their vast cattle ranch empire. Like Gene Tierney in Leave Her to Heaven (1945), Stanwyck’s character has some daddy issues. T. C. wants to leave the cattle ranch to Vance who has a better head for business than his son his Clay (John Bromfield) under the condition that he approves of the man she is to marry. Vance is in love with Juan Herrera (Gilbert Roland), but she knows her father will never approve that relationship. Vance eventually falls in love with businessman Rip Darrow, but her father disapproves and buys Rip off. The trouble really begins when T. C. declares that he is to marry Flo Burnett (Judith Anderson) and Vance sees her place in the eyes of her father diminishing.

Will father and daughter be able to resolve their differences or will their bitterness destroy them both?

Anthony Mann (1906 – 1967) was an American director. Mann got his start in film working as a talent scout for David O. Selznick. He later became an assistant director, assisting Preston Sturges on Sullivan’s Travels (1941). Mann went on to direct a variety of low-budget, but successful films at Republic, RKO, and Eagle-Lion studios. The Furies was Mann’s first A picture. After The Furies, Mann went on to direct many successful westerns including Winchester ’73 (1950), Devil’s Doorway (1950), Bend of the River (1952), and The Naked Spur (1953).

Victor Milner (1893 – 1972) was an American cinematographer. He was nominated for ten cinematography Academy Awards. He worked for all the major studios like M-G-M, Universal, and Paramount. He was nominated for his work on The Furies. Milner photographed Stanwyck in Union Pacific (1939), The Lady Eve (1941), The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), The Other Love (1947), The Furies (1950), and Jeopardy (1952).

Below is the link to the movie on YouTube. Please use this link; there are several prints uploaded to the channel, but this one is from Criterion and the quality is excellent.




Join us on Zoom for a discussion of this film on June 23, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Check below for meeting links.

Stephen Reginald is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Discussion of "The Furies"
Time: Jun 23, 2020, 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71307260342?pwd=R3lIb2tkeWl4RWNkS3U2ZnhOQlVmQT09

Meeting ID: 713 0726 0342
Password: 2KaXpb

Questions for discussion:
1. Is this film more noir than western or a mixture of both or something else completely?
2. What did you make of the father-daughter relationship between Huston and Stanwyck’s characters?
3. Were you surprised by the relationship between Stanwyck and Juan Herrera (Gilbert Roland)?
4. Some critics have noted that the film has allusions to Greek tragedy. Do you see those allusions?
5. Did you like the ending? Was it a surprise or expected?

Yellow Sky—Classic Western with Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter, and Richard Widmark

Yellow Sky (1948) is a western directed by William A. Wellman that stars Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter, and Richard Widmark.

Anne Baxter confronts Gregory Peck in Yellow Sky

The plot centers on Peck and his band of outlaws who rob a bank and flee the law by riding into the desert. Desperate and out of drinking water, they come upon a ghost town inhabited by a young woman named Mike (Baxter) and her grandfather (James Barton). They are Yellow Sky’s sole inhabitants. The old man has been prospecting for gold and the gang sees a chance for them to make some easy money by intimidating Mike and her grandfather out of the estimated $50,000 in gold he has mined thus far.

Yellow Sky is based on an unpublished novel by W. R. Burnett. Burnett is the best-selling author of Little Caesar, Scarface, and High Sierra. Many of his novels were turned into films, which led to a career as a scriptwriter in Hollywood. Burnett worked with the top directors, writers, and actors like Raoul Walsh, John Huston, John Ford, Howard Hawks, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Steve McQueen, and Clint Eastwood. As a scriptwriter, he wrote This Gun for Hire (1942), Action in the North Atlantic (1943), San Antonio (1945), and The Great Escape (1963).

Some exteriors for Yellow Sky were filmed at Death Valley National Monument. The ghost town of Yellow Sky was an old western set that actor Tom Mix had built in 1923. The crew hired by Twentieth Century-Fox basically demolished the movie set located near Lone Pine, California.

William Wellman directed the original version of A Star Is Born.

Director William A. Wellman (1896 – 1975) got his start in the movies as an actor but decided he’d rather work behind the camera as a director. He directed his first film in 1920. Seven years later, Wellman directed the World War I epic Wings. His other notable films in the sound era include The Public Enemy (1931), A Star Is Born, Nothing Sacred (both 1937), Beau Geste (1939), and The Ox-Box Incident (1943).

By 1948, Gregory Peck (1916 – 2002) was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He had three Best Actor nominations under his belt, including one for Gentleman’s Agreement (1947). Besides Gentleman’s Agreement, Peck starred in three other films that year, including Alfred Hitchcock’s The Paradine Case. He had non-exclusive contracts with David O. Selznick and Twentieth Century-Fox which gave him great flexibility in the roles he chose to play. Yellow Sky was Peck’s only film released in 1948.

Lobby card for The Valley of Decision (1945) starring Greer Garson and Gregory Peck

Anne Baxter (1923 – 1985) won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Sophie MacDonald in The Razor’s Edge (1946). She was signed to a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox in 1940. In 1948, Baxter starred in four movies, with Yellow Sky being her most prominent role to date. She went on to have a prolific career in film, television, and theater. She is probably best known for her Oscar-nominated performance as Eve Harrington in All About Eve. Frank Lloyd Wright was Baxter’s grandfather.

Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington in All About Eve (1950)

Richard Widmark (1914- 2008) had a sensational movie debut playing the crazy villain Tommy Udo in director Henry Hathaway’s Kiss of Death (1947). In the film’s most notorious scene, Widmark’s character pushed an old lady in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs. His performance won him a Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year – Actor. He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Udo. Widmark was also under contract to Twentieth Century-Fox where he played mostly villains (Yellow Sky is no exception). Later in his career, he started playing more heroic roles in films like Slattery’s Hurricane and Down to the Sea in Ships (both 1949).

Richard Widmark stands between Cornell Wilde and Ida Lupino in Road House (1948).

Join us on May 5 as we discuss Yellow Sky on Zoom. Watch the film on YouTube first and be ready to discuss it on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Your Zoom invitation link is below.

Stephen Reginald is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Discussion on  "Yellow Sky"

Time: May 5, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/78225892657?pwd=QXRRUWtoeWYvS2tEdmFvSmFUN3QyZz09

Meeting ID: 782 2589 2657

Password: 0mZXAG

Questions for Discussion:

1. What were your overall impressions?

2. Did the movie remind you of any other movies you’ve seen?

3. What did you think of Anne Baxter’s character?

4. Did anything about the movie surprise you?

5 Was the ending satisfying? Was it realistic?