Just Watched This For 1st Time Since 1954

Hey folks,

I just watched this for the first time since I first saw it back in 1954. While I did not like it as much as "Shane," I thought it was a pretty good western at the time. Back then, I had no idea of the difference in geography between Sedona Arizona and the Lost River area of Oregon. Since then, I have visited both of these places several times, and when I see the film now, it seems really dumb to have filmed it in Sedona.

Having said that, however, I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed viewing the many beautiful Sedona sights seen in the film. Cathedral Rock from Oak Creek is beautiful any time of the year, but from the look of the low water level of the creek as seen in the opening, the film must have been shot in a period of drought at the time. When Ladd and Bronson were fighting in the creek at the end of the film, it looked to me like it was shot at the Slide Rock State Park area, but I could not be sure.

In the "Did You Know" Goofs section for this film, it was noted that a guide wire could be seen when the gal on the stagecoach is shot with an arrow. The scene came and went, but I could not see any wire. I backed up the DVR and went through the scene frame by frame. Sure enough, there was the wire to be seen in a dozen frames. My wife could not see it until we went closer to the screen where it became evident. Do not misunderstand me, the wire was not easy to see even when viewed frame by frame. Therefore, I wonder who the wonder man was who was able to spot the wire. How can any mortal man or woman spot these kinds of things? They just blow right past me.

All in all, I did enjoy watching this film again, but the story did not seem as good to me now as it did almost sixty years ago. That's the way it goes for a lot of stories after the passage of time.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile