Johnny Guitar

Discussion of programming on TCM.
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HoldenIsHere
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Re: Johnny Guitar

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kingrat wrote: August 25th, 2009, 7:18 pm Perhaps one of you Nicholas Ray mavens knows: did Philip Yordan actually write the screenplay for JOHNNY GUITAR? In his autobiography Edward Dmytryk noted that Yordan was sometimes a conduit for work from blacklisted writers. Was that true for this film?
Supposedly most of the screenplay for JOHNNY GUITAR was witten by the black-listed Ben Maddow, with Philip Yordan acting as Maddow's front. Yordan was also Maddow's front for the screenplay for GOD'S LITTLE ACRE.

I admit I have a soft spot for JOHNNY GUITAR as I do for most of Joan Crawford's movies from the middle part of her career.

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HoldenIsHere
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Re: Johnny Guitar

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Years before I saw the movie JOHNNY GUITAR, I heard the song sung by Peggy Lee on a CD I discovered at my local library. As a kid, one of my favorite things to do was browse the extensive CD collection at the library. I was introduced to so much music. Some of the CDs I checked out multiple times. I'd get annoyed when I wanted to check out one of my favorites but discovered someone else had already checked it out.

The song "Johnny Guitar" was on a CD called PEGGY LEE: THE BEST OF THE DECCA YEARS. "The Siamese Cat Song" was another track on that album.

When I saw the movie, I was surprised that only a small part of Peggy Lee's vocals were used --- at the end. Joan Crawford's character Vienna plays the song on the piano at one point in the movie. I think her piano playing was dubbed.

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speedracer5
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Re: Johnny Guitar

Post by speedracer5 »

HoldenIsHere wrote: December 2nd, 2022, 12:23 am
kingrat wrote: August 25th, 2009, 7:18 pm Perhaps one of you Nicholas Ray mavens knows: did Philip Yordan actually write the screenplay for JOHNNY GUITAR? In his autobiography Edward Dmytryk noted that Yordan was sometimes a conduit for work from blacklisted writers. Was that true for this film?
Supposedly most of the screenplay for JOHNNY GUITAR was witten by the black-listed Ben Maddow, with Philip Yordan acting as Maddow's front. Yordan was also Maddow's front for the screenplay for GOD'S LITTLE ACRE.

I admit I have a soft spot for JOHNNY GUITAR as I do for most of Joan Crawford's movies from the middle part of her career.

Image
I just saw this movie for the first time earlier this year when the Criterion Channel had a spotlight on Sterling Hayden. I had heard of this film, but I didn't really know anything about it; but I was intrigued by the idea of Joan Crawford in a western. This film is named after Hayden's character, but this is Joan Crawford's film all the way. The film really should have been named Vienna. I loved the showdown scene between Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge. That scene was intense. I loved the style of the film and the tension throughout and I'm not typically a big fan of Westerns.
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HoldenIsHere
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Re: Johnny Guitar

Post by HoldenIsHere »

speedracer5 wrote: December 10th, 2022, 5:48 pm
HoldenIsHere wrote: December 2nd, 2022, 12:23 am
kingrat wrote: August 25th, 2009, 7:18 pm Perhaps one of you Nicholas Ray mavens knows: did Philip Yordan actually write the screenplay for JOHNNY GUITAR? In his autobiography Edward Dmytryk noted that Yordan was sometimes a conduit for work from blacklisted writers. Was that true for this film?
Supposedly most of the screenplay for JOHNNY GUITAR was witten by the black-listed Ben Maddow, with Philip Yordan acting as Maddow's front. Yordan was also Maddow's front for the screenplay for GOD'S LITTLE ACRE.

I admit I have a soft spot for JOHNNY GUITAR as I do for most of Joan Crawford's movies from the middle part of her career.

Image
I just saw this movie for the first time earlier this year when the Criterion Channel had a spotlight on Sterling Hayden. I had heard of this film, but I didn't really know anything about it; but I was intrigued by the idea of Joan Crawford in a western. This film is named after Hayden's character, but this is Joan Crawford's film all the way. The film really should have been named Vienna. I loved the showdown scene between Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge. That scene was intense. I loved the style of the film and the tension throughout and I'm not typically a big fan of Westerns.
EMMA (Mercedes McCambridge) I'm going to kill you.

VIENNA (Joan Crawford) I know, if I don’t kill you first.


The calm, matter-of-fact delivery of these lines by Mercedes McCambridge and Joan Crawford brilliantly sets the stage for the hatefest between their characters in JOHNNY GUITAR that is resolved in the famous showdown scene.
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