Hotter than the noonday sun!

This here's the stuff I'm watching, reading, and listening to for inspiration!
It moves me and guides me and shapes what I think and what I write.
I've also tossed in a few lists of stray thoughts and odd notions
that have invaded my mind while working on this here project.
-- Mike Mitchell

Date  Hot List 
6/22/2014  DEADWOOD - Grave Names 
7/5/2013  DEADWOOD - Undertaker Names 
12/28/2011  Cool Saloons (Real) - List 2 
9/1/2011  Cool Saloon (Real) - List 1 
12/20/2010  Desperado Songs - List 2 
11/1/2009  Things I Learned from Watching Westerns - List 2 
7/10/2009  Things I Learned from Watching Westerns - List 1 
5/1/2009  Spice it up with some Generic Western Quotes - List 1 
3/3/2009  Things I Expect from a Good Saloon Fight 
1/17/2009  Favorite Western Movie Clichés - List 2 
11/21/2008  Favorite Western Movie Clichés -- List 1 
8/1/2008  Favorite Southernisms - List 1 
6/1/2008  Songs From Boot Hill 
4/6/2008  Desperado Songs - List 1 
2/1/2008  Great Western Names: Towns & Places - List 2 
12/10/2007  Cool Outlaw Names (real) - List 2 
10/30/2007  Great Western Names: Towns & Places - List 1 
6/3/2007  Cool Outlaw Names (real) - List 1 
10/15/2006  Southern Accents: Favorite Southern Songs (Modern) 
1/11/2006  You know you have too many miniatures if ... 
8/31/2005  You might be a Gutshot gamer if... 
7/11/2005  You might be a redneck gamer if -- List 2 
4/21/2005  You might be a redneck gamer if -- List 1 
11/11/2004  Cool Cowboy Names (Fictional) 
9/17/2004  Favorite Western Comedies 
6/13/2004  Horses I'd Kiss 
4/11/2004  Favorite Classic Westerns: (pre 1965) 
Hot Lists Displayed: 27
 
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DEADWOOD - Grave Names
  1. Rust N. Peace
    This has always been one of my favorites.
  2. I. L. Beback
  3. Ray N. Carnation
  4. I. M. Mortal
  5. Theo Later
  6. U.R. Gone
  7. Six-Gun Sam
    Under his name, you can write, "Because it took 6 bullets to kill me!"
  8. The Coffin Kid
    On the marker: "I told yuh I wuz sick!"
  9. Count Alucard
    Read it backwards - This was actually the name the count used in 'Billy The Kid vs. Dracula.' Maybe you can draw a bat on the marker?
  10. Arch Stanton
    This was the name next to the unmarked grave from 'The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.
  11. M.T. Tomb
  12. The Grave With No Name
    What else would you give a man with no name?

The Coyboy's Lament

"O bury me not on the lone prairie
 Where coyotes howl and the wind blows free
 In a narrow grave just six by three—
O bury me not on the lone prairie"

 "It matters not, I've been told,
 Where the body lies when the heart grows cold
 Yet grant, o grant, this wish to me
 O bury me not on the lone prairie."

 "I've always wished to be laid when I died
 In a little churchyard on the green hillside
 By my father's grave, there let me be,
 O bury me not on the lone prairie."

 "I wish to lie where a mother's prayer
 And a sister's tear will mingle there.
 Where friends can come and weep o'er me.
 O bury me not on the lone prairie."

I've always liked this tune. I recall singing it as kid in Scouts and in school. To be honest, I couldn't imagine kids today being taught this song. And that's sad, because (and I don't care if I tick you off by saying it), I think we've allowed too many whiney people to dilute our culture into some sort of mamby pamby shadow of our former glory.

But I digress...

In Gutshot, eventually you're going to kill enough folks (all bad, I'm sure) that you'll need your own boot hill grave yard, and yer gonna want some names to put on the markers that are already there.

I also strongly suggest that you put some dead character names on the stones or wooden planks.

Thanks again to the guys at The Miniatures Page for their help, especially richarDisney!

- Mike Mitchell
06/22/2014

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DEADWOOD - Undertaker Names
  1. Will Diggum & Barry M. Quick
  2. Dewey, Plantum, & Howe
  3. Claude Clay
  4. Rigor O'Mortise, The Smiling Undertaker
  5. Barry M. Deep & X. Hume
  6. I.C. Graves
  7. Seymour Graves
  8. Amigone Funeral Home
  9. Doug Graves & Sammy Terry
  10. U. R. Wormfood
  11. Dirtnap & Sons
  12. Nick Romancer

I wouldn't exactly call the local undertaker an "unsung hero" (frankly, I'm not sure I'd want to sing that song), but the fact remains that the local undertaker served an important function in many a Wild West town.

So, if you're going to add a shop to your town that caters to the funerary arts, here are some ideas for names to hang on its shingle.

Thanks again to the guys at The Miniatures Page for their help!

- Mike Mitchell
07/05/2013

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Saloons where I'd like to wet my whistle
Cool Saloons (Real) - List 2

We're back for another shot of cool saloons. Once more, these are drawn from the real world of history (both old and modern).

As before, some are included because of historical significance. Others are here just because they have cool names!

Thanks again to the other fellers over at www.theminiaturespage.com for their contributions to these two lists: Florida Tory for the Cold Beer reference, richarDisney, CPT Jake, Jeff of SaxeBearstein, religion, and Murphy.

And here's a little bit of info about Saloons

The presence of saloons soon spread into cities in the United States western territories and were eventually called "Old West Saloons." In the early days of the Old West, saloons were tents that could be built up and taken down quickly. As towns grew, however, permanent buildings were erected to facilitate gambling. The first building in the Old West to be called a saloon was Brown's Saloon, which was located at the Wyoming-Colorado-Utah border. Brown's catered to pioneers who settled in the area.

Read more: Steamboats and Casinos of the 1800s | ehow.com/info_8536355_steamboats-casinos-1800s.html#ixzz1SvFxQFh8

- Mike Mitchell
  12-28-2011

  1. The Jersey Lily - Langtry, Texas
    One of the famous Saloons owned and operated by the famous (or is that infamous) "Judge" Roy Bean. Name, of course, after the focus of his affection, Miss Lily Langtry.
  2. Papa Joe's Texas Saloon - in Lorena, Texas
  3. The Bucket of Blood -  Virginia City, Nevada
  4. The Dragoon - Tombstone, Ariz.
  5. The Long Branch Saloon - Wichita, Kansas
    Wyatt Earp dealt faro here during 1874 while also working with the police.
  6. Jack Harris Vaudeville Saloon and Theater - San Antonio, Texas
    A very famous saloon that was rumored to be haunted in later years, but during its heyday it was famous for bringing quality entertainment to its patrons.
  7. Brown's Saloon - Wyoming-Colorado-Utah border
    Said to be the first building to use the word "Saloon" in its name in 1822. See side note (in red).
  8. The Bucksnort Saloon - Sphinx, Colorado
    This modern-day saloon is included because of its awesome name! If you're ever near the Arapaho National Forest, drop by and have one of their famous burgers.
  9. Elixir Saloon - San Francisco, Calif.
    Built in 1858, this was one of the most famous watering holes on the West Coast.
  10. The Imperial Cabinet Saloon - New Orleans, Louisiana
  11. Belgian Jennie's Bordello Bistro & Pizzeria - Jerome, Ariz.
    Named after a famous madam, this bistro offers great food and a fun atmosphere. Also, I designed their logo a few years back. To be honest, I'm not sure if they're still open, so if you're ever in the neighborhood, drive by and check 'em out.
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Saloons where I'd wet my whistle
Cool Saloons (Real) - List 1

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. Othertimes, you want to sit with yer back against the wall (c'mon Bill, what were yuh thinking?). Whatever suits yer preference, the best watering holes in the Wild-n-wooly West tended to be saloons.

In no particular order, here are some real saloons that existed (and still exist, in some cases). Rosa's Cantina earns the top spot in my heart because it's from the town I was born in, and I've actually been there. Admitedly, it did not exist in the 1800s, but Marty Robbins is such a great singer, I'm willing to cut it a little slack.

As for the rest of these... some are included because of historical significance. Others are here just because they have cool names!

Thanks again to the other fellers over at www.theminiaturespage.com for their contributions: Florida Tory for the Cold Beer reference, richarDisney, CPT Jake, Jeff of SaxeBearstein, religion, and Murphy.

And finally, thanks to skinkmasterreturns (at TMP) for this simple bit of useful trivia: "Most people dont realize why a saloon is different from a bar. The answer is obvious,if you think about it. There are no seats at the bar."

Finally, for more info about famous saloons, check out this site: www.legendsofamerica.com/we-saloons.html 

- Mike Mitchell
  9-1-2011

  1. Rosa's Cantina - El Paso, Texas
    Also featured in Marty Robbins' song, "El Paso"
  2. Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. 10 - Deadwood, SD
    This is where Wild Bill Hickock was shot by the coward Jack McCall on Aug. 2, 1876.
  3. The Gem Theater - Deadwood, SD
    Also featured prominantly in the TV show, Deadwood.
  4. Bella Union - Deadwood, SD
    Also featured prominantly in the TV show, Deadwood.
  5. The Bull's Head Saloon - Abilene, Kansas
  6. Big Nose Kate's - Tombstone, Ariz.
    Yes... it's that Big Nose Kate from Butch and Sundance fame.
  7. The Crystal Palace - Tombstone, Ariz.
  8. The Oriental - Tombstone, Ariz.
  9. Cold Beer - Cold Beer, New Mexico.
    It's the name of the town, too, which consists of the saloon and one house trailer.
  10. The Silver Palace - St. Louis, Missouri
  11. First Chance Saloon - Miles City, Montana
  12. The Holy Moses - Creede, Colorado
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Desperado Songs
More songs about them bad boys - List 2
  1. Streets of Laredo
    (Roy Rogers)
    One of my favorite songs about a young cowboy who's done wrong.
  2. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
    (Gene Pitney)
    One of the meanest darned owlhoots out there... from one of the greatest Westerns ever made.
  3. Lonesome Dove
    (Garth Brooks)
    This song ain't got nothing to do with the novel (and mini-series) of the same name. Story has it Garth watched the show and was inspired to write this tale about a Texas Ranger and the people who avenged him.
  4. The Master's Call
    (Marty Robbins)
    Another classic about a young rustler who was spared by the Good Lord who granted him a pardon "the night the savior called [his] name." I always liked to imagine that he turned his guns to the other side of the law, that night... kinda like Pale Rider.
  5. A Horse With No Name
    (America)
    I can't tell yuh why, but I've always reckoned that this fella was on the run from the law. Either that, or he planned the worst vacation ever.
  6. Sonora's Death Row
    (Robert Earl Keen)
    A sad tale of a cowboy who does wrong in a Mezcal dream.
  7. Bounty Hunter
    (Molly Hatchet)Dang straight! This would make a great theme to a campaign!
  8. Do It Again
    (Steely Dan)
    The opening lines of this song would make for the start of a movie I'd watch! "In the morning you go gunning for the man who stole your water..."

"Outlaws on the loose,
Running, running from the noose.
I'm a bounty hunter, I'll hunt you down, yeah, I will.

Did you know $500 will get your head blown off?
It will... ha, ha, ha!

Blue steel flashing, hot lead flying,
I wonder what they feel like when they're dying.
Someday soon it might be my turn,
Is it worth the money I earn?
And it seems to me this is one hell of a way,
For a man like me to earn that pay."

Bounty Hunter
Molly Hatchet


Some more of them bad boys.

A few might seem like odd choices, such as Steely Dan's "Do It Again."  But yuh can't argue with me including a song that opens with these lines: "In the mornin' you go gunnin' for the man who stole your water, And you fire till he is done in but they catch you at the border, And the mourners are all singin' as they drag you by your feet, But the hangman isn't hangin' so they put you on the street."

Heck, if that ain't a set up fer western, then Ah don't know what is.

- Mike Mitchell
12/21/2010

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Things I Learned from Watching Westerns
List 2
  1. Good guys wear white hats are good guys and bad guys wear black hats.
    Unless of course it's a Spaghetti Western or modern, in which case anything goes.
  2. Pistols are deadly accurate at 150 yards, but can't hit a barn door at 5 yards.
    This is particularly true if the bad guy's nameless goons are doing the shooting.
  3. Always wear a badge or carry a bible in an inside pocket, as they will stop bullets better than +1 armor.
    This also works with watches and lockets, as long as they were given to you by a parent or sweetie.
  4. Only wrap the reins around a hitching rail once.
    Yeah, yer horse won't wander off, especially if yuh kiss him goodnight on a regular basis.
  5. All laundry is done by chinese immigrants.
    And they usually do a danged good job of it, too.
  6. Bad guys can only hit good guys in the arm or leg.
    Unless you're a supporting character or have a brother to avenge you. If you've got a gunslinging brother, you're as good as dead.
  7. When you draw Aces and Eights in a poker hand, just fold and run (don't walk) away.
    Them cards is just bad luck, especially if yuh got yer back to the door. C'mon Bill, what were yuh thinking?
  8. If a man doesn't have a gun but appears awfully confident when faced with a bad guy then the bad guy is about to be knifed.
    Especially if he's got long sleeves or seems to be putting his hands too close to the back of his neck.
  9. Killing the Duke is not a good career move.
    That is, of course, assuming you're dumb enough to even try it.
  10. A woman can fit an entire beauty salon in the back of a wagon.
    Frontier women were resourceful-especially when it came to applying blush, eye shadow, lipstick, perfectly coiffed hair and nails on the open trail or out in the middle of nowhere.
  11. Even in the middle of the desert (or Monument Valley) you can always find plenty of trees to chop down to make a log cabin or a palisade around your fort.
    And axes and saws, too, for that matter.
  12. Chuck wagons magically refill whiskey flasks every night.
    That's why Cookie never seems to run out, now matter how many weeks the trail drive spends between towns.
  13. Colts should not be aimed (you´re sure to miss). Just shoot from the hip.
    That always worked for the Duke... of course, you're not the Duke, are you, pilgrim?
  14. Forget water. Whiskey is the best way to slake your thirst.
    A little rotgut is much more satisfying than a nice sip of cool water. Your horses, of course, prefer Beer.
  15. In a barfight, it´s impolite to throw someone on the floor. Drop him on a table instead to break his fall.
    He'll thank yuh for it in the morning.
  16. The saddle horn is made of the strongest stuff known to man.
    You can tie a rope to it and easily yank out iron bars or solid timber buildings.
  17. Percussion 'cap and ball' revolvers never existed.
    The Colt .45 and Winchester '73 were manufactured, sold and in widespread use much earlier than historians would have us believe – probably from about the time of the Alamo or the Seminole war.

I got me a head fulla learning over the years. From watching the Duke outdraw the badguys to watching them Maverick boys pull one outrageous con after another, I've surely been thoroughly schooled.

Of course, not everything I learned is exactly... shall we say, accurate? Here's another saddlebag fulla legends and lore picked up from a passel of Western movies and Oat Operas.

I want to extend a heap'o thanks and gratitude to muh buddies over at www.theminiaturespage.com for their assistance with this list. In particular, I wanna give a virtual tip o' the hat to these gents:

  • FreddBloggs
  • EagleSixFive
  • vtsaogames
  • Gamer With No Name
  • Grelber
  • buckTurgidson
  • Farstar
  • JammerMan
  • ghostdog
  • Pijlie
  • arthur1815


- Mike Mitchell
  11-1-2009

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Things I Learned from Watching Westerns
List 1
  1. "Head 'em off at the pass..."
    No matter where you live, there’s always a pass when you’re chasing bad guys.
  2. High ground and surprise don’t help much in a gunfight.
    There is always a guy with a rifle on a roof, gunned down with a revolver who invariably falls off the roof no matter his position.
  3. Old coots are devastating with shotguns
    When your eyesight starts to go, just get a bigger weapon.
  4. No matter where you go, there you are.
    Most of the west was concentrated around Monument Valley.
  5. Campfires can make people chatty.
    You can ride with someone for years, yet suddenly, one night around a campfire, yer best buddy will suddenly give up embarrassing facts about themselves.
  6. All Western rivers are 2 feet deep.
    Unless there’s been a torrential rain, of course, then there's often a ball of angry snakes waiting for you.
  7. All Western towns have one street, all businesses and no houses.
    I reckon everyone lives upstairs or in a back room.
  8. Saddlebags are really bags of holding.
    They can easily hold coffee pots, plates, cutlery, coffee, food and all manner of camping equipment. Except your bed roll, that has to go on the back of your saddle.
  9. Empty canteens are heavy!
    When you’re in a desert and the canteen runs dry, toss it out. After all, it’s not like you’re ever going to find another watering hole, right?
  10. Bad guys don’t like noise to spoil their entrances.
    If you’re big enough and bad enough, when you enter the saloon the piano player will stop and a hush will fall over the room… until you finish entering, then the noise will resume again.
  11. You can make a fortune if you own a window glass repair shop.
    What with all the people being thrown through them at the saloon, and all that. Go West, young glazier!
  12. Walls are bullet proof.
    At least in old movies, a thick plank wall will completely stop a bullet or shotgun blast.
  13. Empty guns are disposable.
    Once they run out of ammo, pistols cannot be reloaded and are therefore thrown away – frequently in the direction of the enemy (even if he ignored the bullets, he'll probably dodge the thrown gun).
  14. The more recent the Western, the dirtier the cowboy.
    In the 1930s – 1950s,
    cowboys, ranchers, and ladies looked like they frequently made it into town for a bath and shave (even on cattle drives).
    In modern shows like Deadwood, everyone looks like they rolled in the dung heap over at the livery stable... even after taking a bath earlier in the episode!

 

Western movies and TV shows ain’t just entertaining… they’re educational! As you’ll see from this list below, I’ve soaked up a passel full of learning from watching them old horse operas on muh TV set when I was a whippersnapper.

Of course, reading it all spelled out here, Ah ain’t all too sure that this is a good thing, so ta speak, but it sure is danged fun!

Thanks to muh buddies over at www.theminiaturespage.com for their assistance with this list.


- Mike Mitchell
  7-10-2009

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Spice it up with some Generic Western Quotes
List 1

All you gotta do is just utter these phrases and people instantly know that you’re doing a scene from a Western movie or TV show. They might not know exactly which movie or show, but that really doesn’t matter, does it?  Just saying these lines brings to mind wide open ranges, slow-moving wagon trains, and dusty main streets in one-horse towns.

So, pilgrim, if yuh wanna add a little spice and flavor to the palaver in yer next Gutshot game, just toss in some of these here phrases and you’ll have folks thinking yer native born to th’ Wild-n-Wooly West.

Thanks again to the other fellers over at www.theminiaturespage.com for their contributions. Oh, and in case you’re wondering what the “Wilhelm scream” is all about, check out these videos on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdbYsoEasio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PxALy22utc&feature=related


- Mike Mitchell
  5-1-2009

  1. “Circle the wagons!”
  2. “Smile when you say that.”
  3. “Whet yer whistle.”
  4. "White man speak with forked tongue."
  5. "Yer yeller!" (of course, this must be said in yer best Gabby Hayes voice)
  6. Indians saying "How!"
  7. "Hit the trail."
  8. Calling someone “Pilgrim” (in yer best John Wayne voice, of course)
  9. “A fate worse than death.”
  10. "He died with his boots on."
  11. "That'll be the day!"
  12. The Wilhelm Scream!!! No Western is complete without it!
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Things I Expect from a Good Saloon Fight

The saloon fight is a staple of many a Western movie and TV show. The second you see a bunch of guys in a large saloon with an interior balcony and a wagon-wheel chandelier, you just know that someone is going to be dangling from it at some point as the fists fly and the bottles smash.

Here are just some of my favorite scenes (yes, they happen so often that I do call them clichés) from countless hours of viewing. And very special thanks to our old buddy, Judge Roy Bean, for contributing a slew of the items used in this list. Similar thanks to mashrewba, and the other fellers over at www.theminiaturespage.com for their contributions.

Thanks, pardners!


- Mike Mitchell
  3-1-2009

  1. Someone will take a face slide down the length of the bar.
  2. The mirror behind the bar must be smashed.
  3. Someone will fall or jump from the second-floor balcony/gallery. If he jumps he'll grab the chandelier (usually a nice wagon wheel type).
  4. Someone will be thrown through the batwing doors.
  5. Someone will be thrown through the plate glass window
  6. The fight will spill over into the street and someone will wind up in the horse trough.
  7. At least one table must be smashed by a body landing on it.
  8. Some guy will punch another guy in the gut, look up and realize with horror that the big guy didn’t even feel it (this often precedes that face-slide down the bar).
  9. At least one bottle will be broken over someone’s head.
  10. At least one chair will be broken over someone’s back.
  11. The comedy drunk, old timer who hits unsuspecting fighting cowboys over the head with a bottle or similar, when they happen to come within range.
  12. …and the same comedy drunk who upon seeing something odd looks hard at his bottle and throws it away.
  13. If there is a stack of glasses, you just know they’re going to wind up in pieces.
  14. Nothing good will happen to the piano player.
  15. The bartender will have a double-barrel shotgun under the bar (and this will probably end the fight).
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Favorite Western Movie Clichés
List 2
  1. A guy is talking to someone and the arrow from nowhere hits him in the back with that special sound – shuuuuunk.
  2. The stagecoach is out of control (the driver probably heard that shuuuunk sound right before he keeled over) and the cowboy rides up along side, climbs up, and takes control… usually just in time to keep it from going over a cliff.
  3. The hero in the spaghetti western movies is always an anti-hero.
  4. The woman will always fall in love with the hero (or anti-hero, but in that case, he just uses her and then discards her).
  5. Shootout and massacres that makes OK Corral pale in comparison were actually quite commonplace.
  6. They must use Nair in the shaving cream because, when the marshal/sherrif's weekly shave in interrupted by the bad guys coming into town, all he does is towel off and he's clean shaven on both sides of his face.
  7. The townsmen are too afraid to help the hero... until some young girl (who is smitten with the hero, of course) puts them to shame with some dramatic speech.
  8. The Evil Cattle/Railroad Baron that is trying to get the homesteaders off of their land, and hires a gunfighter to terrorize them.
  9. The career Cavalry officer, the brash young lieutenant, and the plucky old tough-as-spit, hard-drinkin' Irish First Sergeant.
  10. The runaway stagecoach with the guy who goes down "between the horses" to regain control of them (originally done by Yakima Canutt).
  11. The sage and terse Indian companion.
  12. The grizzled old Irish Sergeant.
  13. Single, naive, good-looking school teacher that just arrived from Boston and wants to make the world a "better place." She is, of course, destined to fall in love with some dashing young hero in tight pants.
  14. The guy who is not smart enough to suspect that the guy he just shot might be only lightly wounded and is possibly playing possum, so he just walks up and stands beside him only to then be stabbed or shot at point blank range by the supposed corpse.
  15. Emptying the coffee pot dregs onto the camp fire when it’s time to say good night.

 

We’ve got more of those fun movie clichés that just make Westerns so much danged fun. Honest to gosh, I can actually see most of these scenes in my mind. I think most of them are actually from TV shows, like Maverick, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and shows like that. Nevertheless, these scenes are classic and, once more, thanks to the people over at www.theminiaturespage.com for their invaluable contributions to this list, especially on the proper spelling of the “shuuuuunk” sound, as you can see in this exchange:

Jeremy Sutcliffe:  Arrows go shuuuuunk.
Dragon Gunner:  Shuunk LOL thanks for that.
Jeremy Sutcliffe: Dragon Gunner, you spell "shuuuuunk" with five "u"s not three.

By the way, any one of these scenes would make for some great flavor to add to your next Gutshot game.


- Mike Mitchell
  1-17-2009

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Favorite Western Movie Clichés
List 1

I love a good Western movie. Heck, I even love some of the bad Western movies! And the same thing goes for TV shows, particularly Maverick.  After watching a few hundred (if not thousands) of hours of horse operas, you can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, you’ve seen this scene before.

With that in mind, here are some of my favorite scenes, or clichés, that I’ve observed in Westerns through the years. And just because call them clichés does not mean I’m being critical or mean. Truth be told, these scenes are classics and the movies would be poorer without them. And, for that matter, every single cliché was fresh and new at one time -- it's just that over the years people have copied them to the point where they seem a bit dated. Kinda like that "bullet-time" effect in the Matrix movies. It was daring and even groundbreaking when it first came out, but within a few years it was being treated as a visual joke in other shows like Scary Movie (yup, the ole Marshal likes bad comedies, too).

I want to give a big “Thankee kindly, gents!” to the fine folk over at www.theminiaturespage.com for their assistance in helping me come up with some of the items on this here list. A few folks that bear mentioning by name include: Jeremy Sutcliffe, Mog sat in the Dark, ElaineP, Judge Bean, and a slew of other kind folks (some of whome will be thanked by name in future Hot Lists). One fella that deserves a tip of the Stetson right now, though, is our ole buddy mweaver for the last three items on this list (his comment about the tuba just cracks me up!).

Finally, a special thanks to these two fellers for one of the most entertaining exchanges in that discussion:

CuorDiLeone:  Unlimited Ammo
GeoffQRF: "Unlimited Ammo"  That doesn't count – 44 isn't the calibre, it's the magazine capacity :-D


- Mike Mitchell
  11-21-2008

  1. The Showdown (classic scene, two guys face each other in the street).
  2. The cattle stampede (whether someone dies or not is up to the director… but my money is definitely on at least one cowboy hat wearing fatality).
  3. Indians attacking the Cavalry in their wooden fort behind that tall fence (yup, it's made of logs with pointy tips).
  4. The bank robbery (outlaws charge in, bandanas up over their faces).
  5. Fist fights along the roof of the train (made all the better if there's a tunnel along the route).
  6. Shooting a gun out of someones hand (now, if you wear a mask or are a singing cowboy, it's okay, but for everyone else it's a bit hokey).
  7. Bad girl who loves the hero and conveniently gets shot (usually saving his life because she's in the way of the bad guy's shot) so he can have the nice girl.
  8. Jumping from an upper floor window or balcony onto horseback and riding off (without hurting his groin or the horse).
  9. During the showdown, the bad guy is faster and for a second it looks like he won, but then he collapses and dies.
  10. Indians playing tom toms just before they attack a wagon train. Yes, let's give up all pretense of staging a surprise attack.
  11. Indians attacking the wagon train, which has just circled up, and the Indians ride circles around the wagon camp and get shot to pieces by the settlers.
  12. The racist white major or colonel who orders his men to attack the Indians in violation of some treaty or agreement. He will, invariably, have some young, junior officer who objects to this, but is over ruled.
  13. The sheriff grabs a posse out of the saloon and the men manage to ride for days without taking the time to provision themselves first.
  14. The annoying kid that "Just want's to be like you, mister!"
  15. The rootin' tootin' young woman raised by Daddy after Mama died ("Puberty hit her awfully hard").
  16. The farmer's daughter + the cattle baron's son = Romeo and Juliet ("Oh, the farmer and the cowman should be friends").
  17. The family in the wagon train that has to abandon their piano. (Notice no one ever abandons their tuba).
^ Back to top
Favorite Southernisms
List 1
  1. "This ain't my first rodeo."
    "I'm not a kid," or "I've done this before." Typically used when someone asks you if you can do something or handle some kind of situation.
  2. "That dog don't hunt."
    "I don't believe it," or "That just doesn't work for me." Typically used when someone tries to convince you of something that you know ain't true. Basically, if you were talking about a dog you would be insinuating that it was useless.
  3. "Rode hard and put away wet."
    Really worked hard and is very busy. Refers to someone who is so busy that he rode his horse hard (not stopping for feed, water, or rest) and then put it in the barn while it's still dripping with sweat. To be blunt, sometimes this is used to refer to sexual activity.  As such, the phrase kinda has a "naughty" connotation, so yuh might not want to use it in polite company.
  4. "That boy would complain if I beat him with a golden stick."
    "He's whiney and complains a lot, even when there's something good happening." This was one of my daddy's favorite phrases... usually directed at me! I'd tell him I'd stop complaining if I got to keep the gold stick.. that didn't really help the situation.
  5. "You look like somebody just shot your dog."
    "What's wrong? You look depressed." Typically used to tell someone that he looks down in the dumps and is upset and sad. This focuses more on the saddness of the person than their anger.
  6. "If yer feelin' froggy, then jump!"
    "If you think you're man enough to back up your words, then go for it!" Often used as a dare or warning seconds before the fists start to fly. If you say this to someone, you're giving him one last chance to back down from a fight. Or you might use this as a variation of the phrase, "Piss or get off the pot." In other words, "Quit talking about it and do it!"

 

Every region in the world has it's own way of saying things. I hope you'll forgive my sudden lack of modesty when I say that I believe that the folks down South got the rest of ya'll beat when it comes to colorful language.

Now, I know some of these phrases ain't exclusive to the South. And I also know that these might not be the most colorful expressions you've ever heard... but I do guarantee that these ain't a bunch of words I copied off the Internet or out of a book. These phrases are alive and well and I hear them on a regular basis. In fact, I was in a meeting a few minutes ago at muh "day job" and one of the sales managers used the phrase, "He probably looks like someone just shot his dog."

So, the next time you and yer buddies pony up to the game table, pepper yer lingo with some of this palaver and folks'll think yer a native.

- Mike Mitchell
08-03-2008

 

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Songs from Boot Hill
Music from the haunted plains

An old cowboy went riding out
one dark and windy day
Upon a ridge he rested
as he went along his way
When all at once a mighty herd
of red eyed cows he saw
A-plowing through the ragged sky
and up the cloudy draw

Their brands were still on fire
and their hooves were made of steel
Their horns were black and shiny
and their hot breath he could feel
A bolt of fear went through him
as they thundered through the sky
For he saw the Riders coming hard
and he heard their mournful cry

Yippie yi Ohhhhh
Yippie yi yaaaaay
Ghost Riders in the sky
-- Johnny Cash

I love a ghost story... and even more, I love a song about a ghost. Whether the song directly has ghosts or suprnatural elements, or whether it's just got a creepy vibe to it, I love this kind of music.

There's a few obvious choices on this Hot List, such as the always-fantastic "Ghost Riders in the Sky."  In fact, I had a bit o' trouble deciding which version of the song to use in this here list. Although I did finally settle on the Johnny Cash version, I'm real fond of the version by Jake and Zeke in The Blues Brothers movie.

A few other songs might be less obvious, such as Marty Robbins' "El Paso."  Now, most of yuh probably don't think of this as a ghost song, but think about it. If the cowboy singin' the song dies in the last line of the song, just how exactly is he singin' it to us?

And did anyone else ever consider that mebee them riders weren't after him for killin' that cowboy, but maybe fer bein' a horse thief? After all, he went out to the stables and "caught a good one, it looked like he could run."

Well, Ah reckon we'll leave that question to our good buddy Judge Roy Bean to sort out. In the meantime, here's a few songs that sent some chills up my spine.

Click here to listen to this list (or most of it) on YouTube!


- Mike Mitchell
6-1-2008

PS: A special tip-o-the Stetson to some fine folks over at TheMiniaturesPage.com for some great suggestions for this list: jpattern2, smokeyroan, beartooth, Flashman14, Wolfshanza, and thosmoss.

  1. Ghost Riders in the Sky
    (Johnny Cash -- 1979)
    I think this is the quintessential song in this genre.  I've often tried to imagine the devil's herd... an image that would send a bolt of fear through any cowboy. Johnny ain't the first to sing it, but he's one of the best.
  2. El Paso
    (Marty Robbins - 1959)
    Probably one of the greatest Country Western songs ever recorded.
  3. Midnight in Montgomery
    (Alan Jackson -- 1992)
    An ode to Hank, Sr. The opening always sends a chill up my spine.
  4. El Paso City
    (Marty Robbins -- 1976)
    The odd "sequel" to the hit, El Paso. Probably more about reincarnation than a true ghost song, but still a favorite of mine.
  5. The Bounty Hunter
    (Mike Cross - 1989)
    How can you not love a song with lyrics like this: "Now my muscles start to rust, my thoughts are growing cold, while Gabriel and Satan shoot craps for my soul."
  6. Riding with Private Malone
    (David Ball -- 2001)
    Okay, this one ain't a Western, but it's still one of my favorite ghost songs ever.  Brings  a danged chill to muh eyes every time I hear it.
  7. Ballad of the Alamo
    (Marty Robbins - 1959)
    "But sometime between the setting and the rising of the sun, You can hear a ghostly bugle as the men go marching by." You can be danged sure that we will always remember the Alamo!
  8. The Long Black Veil
    (Johnny Cash -- 1965)
    I know I've listed this before, but it's sung by a man in his grave, who would rather hang than betray his sense of honor (okay, I think he's crazy, but I've always been a bit more "modern" than that).
  9. Running Gun
    (Marty Robbins - 1959)
    Okay, I can't say for certain that he dies at the end of the song, but I kinda think he does, so I reckon that it's his ghost singin' to us.
  10. The Ride
    (David Allan Coe -- 1983)
    Not exactly a Wild West song, but I've always had a thing for Country legends driving phantom Cadillacs.
  11. Crossing Muddy Waters
    (John Hiatt -- 2000)
    Another favorite that's not exactly a Wild West song, but I just love that hint of bayou magic lurking in the lyrics.
^ Back to top
Desperado Songs
Band on the run - List 1
  1. Seven Spanish Angels
    (Willie Nelson & Ray Charles - 1985)
  2. Desperado
    (The Eagles - 1973)
  3. Blaze of Glory
    (John Bon Jovi - 1990)
  4. Pancho & Lefty
    (Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson - 1983)
  5. Between Raising Hell
    and Amazing Grace

    (Big and Rich - 2007)
  6. Bad Company
    (Bad Company - 1974)
  7. Billy the Kid
    (Marty Robbins - 1959)
  8. Behind Blue Eyes
    (The Who - 1971)
  9. Shooting Star
    (Royal Wade Kimes - 2002)
  10. The Long Black Veil
    (The Chieftains
    with Mick Jagger - 1995)
  11. Band on the Run
    (Paul McCartney & Wings - 1973)
  12. Take the Money and Run
    (Steve Miller Band - 1977)
  13. Wanted, Dead or Alive
    (John Bon Jovi - 1990)
  14. Big Iron
    (Marty Robbins - 1959)

 

"A lost soul, looking for a grave
too far gone for anyone to save
Shattered dreams and a broken heart
left to wander in the dark.
A lost soul, looking for a grave."

Shooting Star
Royal Wade Kimes
Cowboy Cool (2004)


Sometimes the right music just sets my toes-a-tappin' and my mind-a-wanderin' down those dusty trails of the old West.

This particular saddlebag holds a baker's dozen of tunes that ain't just about the West or cowboys, but about them bad boys that rode the range.  Yup, a playlist of songs about outlaws and desperados.

I'm gonna admit, there's a few on here that might not exactly be songs about no good owlhoots ("The Long Black Veil" is a bit of a stretch), but in my mind, these songs always conjur up visions of six-gun showdowns and hombres goin' down in a blaze of glory.

By the way, when my saddle pal, Mad Dog Mauer, read this, he was quick to comment that Johnny Cash sang "Long Black Veil" first.  Yup, he surely did, and it was a right fine version, too.  But I gotta be honest with yuh, folks. The Chieftans & Mick Jagger really did that song and laid it ta bed fer me.

So remember, folks, in these here Hot Lists, Ah ain't sayin' these are the best versions or the first versions of these songs... Ah'm just sayin' these are the versions that Ah listen to.

- Mike Mitchell
04-06-2008

 

^ Back to top
Great Western Names: Towns & Places
List 2

As I walked out on the streets of Laredo.
As I walked out on Laredo one day,
I spied a poor cowboy wrapped in white linen,
Wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay.

"I can see by your outfit that you are a cowboy."
These words he did say as I boldly walked by.
"Come an' sit down beside me an' hear my sad story.
I'm shot in the breast an' I know I must die.

"It was once in the saddle, I used to go dashing.
Once in the saddle, I used to go gay.
First to the card-house and then down to Rose's.
But I'm shot in the breast and I'm dying today.

"Then beat the drum slowly, play the Fife lowly.
Play the dead march as you carry me along.
Take me to the green valley, lay the sod o'er me,
I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong."

-- "Streets of Laredo," or "The Cowboy's Lament"
Classic folk song

I gotta admit, I don't recollect ever makin' it to Laredo. Can't say I didn't pass through there when I was a whippersnapper, but I honestly don't recall it. Now I do recall the great song by the late, great Johnny Cash (and a slew of other versions including Roy Rogers, which is probably my favorite version).

I also enjoyed the Lonesome Dove novel of the same name, even though I don't think they ever once set foot in that town.

And before yuh come gripin' at me about the lyrics up here not bein' exactly the ones from the song, keep in mind that this old folk song has lots of variations

Special thanks and a tip of the Stetson to the kind fellers over at TheMiniaturesPage.com for suggesting some of the names on this list! Thanks to:

  • SeattleGamer
  • Saladin
  • Doc Shaftage
  • 11th ACR
  • Frederick
  • Alfrik

By the way, if you'd like more information about the ghost towns featured in this list, please visit this great reference Website: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/LA-Ghosttowns.html

And, if you're interested, I actually created the logo and sign for Belgian Jennie's Bordello Bistro & Pizzeria in Jerome, Arizona (make sure you check out their merchandise page): www.belgianjennies.com


- Mike Mitchell
2-1-2008

  1. Laredo, Texas
    Roy Rogers' version of "Streets of Laredo" always brings a tear to muh eye.
  2. Pecos, Texas
    Good ole "Judge" Roy Bean was the law west of the Pecos (of course, he meant the river, but this town shares its name and is one dusty place to this day).
  3. Roundup, Montana
    Thought to be the end of the Texas Trail in the waning years of the cattle drive, this name evokes visions of dusty trails and longhorn cattle.
  4. Juarez, Mexico
    On the opposite side of the Rio Grande from El Paso, this border town was the "home away from home" for many a notorious outlaw on the run.
  5. Del Rio, Texas
    The name translates to "The River," and this town was a favorite stomping ground for cowboys and folks making a dash across the border.
  6. Bachelor Gulch, Colorado
    This remote area was settled by rugged mountain men who wanted to get away from the noise of city life. This remote region was known for its logging, trapping, and hunting. And, for the life of me, I can't help but wonder just how bad them fellers smelled if there weren't no women around to make 'em clean up!
  7. Canyon Diablo, Arizona
    Built in 1880, this lawless settlement earned a reputation of being meaner than  Tombstone and Dodge City combined! When they finally did get a lawman, they pinned on his badge at 3 p.m. and had him laid out for buryin' at 8 p.m. When the railroad bridge cut through the canyon, the town withered away into the dusty annals of history.
  8. Calico,  California
    Home of the Silver King mine (as well as dozens of smaller claims), this mining camp boomed in the late 1870s and prospered on revenues from silver and borax mining. It was a wild place, home to more than two dozen saloons and gambling halls that never closed. But the town went bust by 1930, leaving behind nothing but silver dust and faded memories from the town's once lively heyday.
  9. Eldorado Canyon, Nevada
    This remote area was actually part of the Arizona Territory when gold was first discovered here. Word spread and by the 1860s mining camps spread throughout the canyon, populated by gunmen, Civil War deserters, and men who didn't want to talk about their pasts. It had such a sinister reputation that even lawmen feared to tread in "the canyon of gold."
  10. Buckskin Joe, Colorado
    Named after an eccentric mountain man by the name of Joseph Higgenbottom, this gold town quickly boomed and went bust. During its glory days from 1859-1866, ready gold and runaway inflation rasied the cost of a bag of flour to $40! The town was abandoned and is said to be haunted by the ghost of a beautiful dance hall girl known only as "Silver heels."
  11. Fort Griffen, Texas
    This community grew up near the US Army fort of the same name, and quickly became known as one of the wildest places in the Old West. It was home to gamblers, outlaws, gunmen, numerous painted ladies and was the famous meeting place of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. It was also a stopping point on the Western Trail to the Dodge City, Kansas railheads.
  12. Hangtown, California
    Now known by the rather dull name of Placerville, this gold rush boom town was known for its wild times and propensity to hang folks when they broke the law.
  13. Hardscrabble, Colorado
    Named after the canyon which provides a winding pass through the Wet Mountains, this rough region was home to many honest farmers and settlers. Even though it wasn't a "wild" place, the name definitely has a rough-n-ready ring to it.
  14. Jerome, Arizona
    This copper town was once called the  “Wickedest City in the West” by a New York newspaper, this town boasted more than 100 soiled doves. Of these, the most famous was probably Jennie Banters, better known as "Belgian Jennie." She owned one of the most popular bordellos in "Husband's Alley," which is where the cathouses moved when the decent citizens of the town forced them off Main Street. Today the town is an artists community and there is even a pizzeria named after the famous Belgian Jennie.

 

^ Back to top
Cool Outlaw Names (real)
List 2
  1. Wild Bill Hickok (real name James Butler Hickok)
    Scout, professional gambler, and possibly one of the first superstar celebrities, "Wild Bill" led an adventurous life that ended at a card table in Deadwood, South Dakota. The hand he held when he died, a pair of aces and a pair of eights, is still referred to as the "dead man's hand."
  2. Calamity Jane (real name Martha Jane Cannary-Burke)
    To be honest, there are so many tall tales about this woman that it would be an injustice to summarize her exploits here. Let's just say she was a scout, frontierswoman, and knew Wild Bill in Deadwood during his final days. And, for our money, you cannot beat the performance of actress Robin Weigert as Calamity in the HBO series, Deadwood.
  3. Doc Holliday (real name John Henry Holliday)
    Dentist, gambler, gunfighter, and even stage performer... and a name that combined two nice things (a man who will make yuh feel better and a happy day like Christmas or yer birthday) with a gun spitting leaden death. Who could ask for anything more?
  4. Black Jack Ketchum (real name Thomas Edward Ketchum)
    Train robber, thief, and outlaw. He was the only man hanged in New Mexico specifically for train robbing. And his name, which includes the word "black jack," which is a weapon used to knock people out and a last name that sounds like a taunt to sheriffs everywhere, "catch him," is just too good to be true.
  5. Soapy Smith (real name Jefferson Randolph Smith)
    Bunco man, gambler, and leader of organized crime. Known as the "king of the frontier confidence men," Although he was a natty dresser, he actually earned the nickname "soapy" because of a soap scam that works similarly to three-card monty or a shell game.
  6. Al Swearengen (real name Ellis Alfred Swearengen)
    I admit it -- without the incredible performance by Ian McShane in the HBO series, Deadwood, I might not have thought this was such a great name. But the way the character was written to be a "swearing engine" that just poured out profanity with such vim and vigor that it bordered on poetry... well, how could I leave him off this list?
  7. Turkey Creek Jack Johnson
    Jack Johnson was a fairly common name, so it's a bit hard to pin down the details on this fella.  A few things we can be sure of are that he rode with Wyatt Earp's posse on the infamous "vendetta ride." He was also known as a deadly gunman and may have even slammed down some whiskey at Al's saloon in Deadwood.
  8. Texas Jack Vermillion (real name John Wilson Vermillion)
    A confederate veteran who fought under J.E.B. Stuart, he wound up out West. The nickname's origin is unknown, but it was used on a wanted poster (he shot a man during an argument at cards). When asked about why he was called Texas Jack, he replied "Because I'm from Virginia." He's most famous for riding in the vindetta posse with the Earps and Turkey Creek Jack Johnson.
  9. Buffalo Bill Cody (real name William Frederick Cody)
    One of the most famous showmen of all time, he got his nickname for supplying Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with bison meat. He was a brilliant self promoter and, through his "Wild West Shows, he worked with many of the legendary names of his time, including Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane, Sitting Bull and others. In his later years, he was also known as a conservationist who worked to ensure the survival of the Buffalo.
  10. The Verdigris Kid (real name Sam McWilliam)
    A minor outlaw who rode with Cherokee Bill. He most likely gets his name from the Verdigris River, which is a tributary of the Arkansas River in southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma.
  11. Mysterious Dave Mathers (real name Dave Mathers)
    This tight-lipped feller didn't like to talk about himself, which is probably what earned him his nickname. An associate of Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp, he was a lawman in Dodge City, Kansas and Las Vegas, New Mexico. He's famous for helping Bat during the Railroad Wars of 1879-80, and (working on the other side of the law) was also a member of the "Dodge City Gang" in Las Vegas where he knew Hoodoo Brown and Doc Holliday.
  12. Hoodoo Brown (real name Hyman G. Neill)
    Known in his day as "the baddest cowboy of them all," he was the leader of the Dodge City Gang in Las Vegas, New Mexico. He was also the coroner in that town and he'd put his fellow gang members on the Coroner's Juries to ensure that questionable murders would be rules as "self defence."
  13. Deadwood Dick (real name Nat Love)
    To be honest, I don't think there was a "real" Deadwood Dick. I'm reasonably sure it was a fictional character that became popular in dime novels (along with a fictionalized version of the real Calamity Jane) and this fella came along later and claimed that the novels were based on him.  Even though I don't buy it, the name is pretty danged great and Nat, famous for his roping and bronco skills, seems like a decent enough fella.
  14. Doc Scurlock (real name Josiah Gordon Scurlock)
    A founding member of the Regulators during the Lincoln County War in New Mexico, Scurlock rode alongside such men as Billy the Kid and was famous in his time as an Indian fighter and gunman. There's just something about how his name rolls off the tongue that moves this homrbre to this list.

“My God, Don't Shoot!”
-- Soapy Smith's famous last words

Thanks to the fellers over at The Miniatures Page for some help in fleshing out a second list. Some of the men in this rogue's galley are every bit as interesting as some of the more famous ones who made my first list last month.

If yuh get a chance, mosey on over to Wikipedia or do a google search on some of these names. Their stories (like the details of Soapy Smith's soap scam) will really brighten your day.

Before I mosey off, I want to give a special shout out to these fellers:

  • Mexican Jack Squint (aka Howard Whitehouse)
  • SpuriousMilius
  • BunkerMonkey
  • smokeyroan
  • (and of course) Judge Bean

- Mike Mitchell
12-10-2007

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Great Western Names: Towns & Places
List 1

Out in the West Texas town of El Paso
I fell in love with a Mexican girl.
Night-time would find me in Rosa's cantina;
Music would play and Felina would whirl.
Blacker than night were the eyes of Felina,
Wicked and evil while casting a spell.
My love was deep for this Mexican maiden;
I was in love but in vain, I could tell.

-- Marty Robbins classic song, El Paso

I've been to Rosa's Cantina (not at night, though), and it's a dump.  That's just puttin' it kindly, son.  It's just a cheap bar in a border town, a Winchester's range from the Rio Grande. Nevertheless, you can't help but sense some of the magic in the place where Marty Robbins sat down and penned his classic tune about the recklessness of youthful passions that are as "wild as the West Texas wind."

I've also been to Tucson (both Old and new) and walked the streets where the Earp brothers and their buddy Doc Holiday worked to bring peace and justice to a lawless town.  Now, I admit that I was just knee-high to a palomino when I was last there, but I still have vivid memories of the dusty streets and the glaring heat. Most specifically, I recollect Old Tucson, which was still a working movie town in those days before it was given over completely to the tourists.

When it comes to the West, the places and names evoke as much a sense of the wild and wooly frontier.  After all – and I ain't badmouthin' my Yankee friends from up North – but I just gotta say it: Marty Robbins wouldn't be famous today if he'd sung about a wild young cowboy in Portland, Oregon.

- Mike Mitchell
10-30-2007

  1. El Paso, Texas
    Maybe I'm partial to it because that's where I was born, but be honest with me... doesn't the mention of its name make yuh think of that wild young cowboy in Rosa's Cantina?
  2. Tombstone, Arizona
    Get on the wrong side of the Earp brothers and their buddy Doc, and you'll be needing one of these fer yer grave!
  3. Deadwood, South Dakota
    A rogue settlement thrown together by the roughest men north of the Mason-Dixon line, the first part of this name tells you what your fate is likely to be.
  4. Dodge City, Kansas
    Before this town was tamed, dodging this place would help yuh avoid a fatal case of lead poisoning.
  5. Hole in the Wall-- Wyoming
    The name kinda says it all -- it's a great hole to hide in when the law's on yer trail.
  6. O.K. Corral -- Tombstone, Arizona
    An "okay" place tuh die, Ah reckon! This name just evokes the classic Western shootout.
  7. Jackson Hole, Wyoming
    There's just something about the name that evokes a feeling that you've left civilization far behind yuh.
  8. Las Cruces, New Mexico
    "The Crosses," in Spanish, brings to mind the final days of Billy the Kid and the dusty frontier of the desert.
  9. San Antonio, Texas
    Tell me, could yuh "Remember the Alamo" or dance with yer "San Antonio Rose" if this town weren't there?
  10. Santa Fe, New Mexico
    Long before them hippies moved in and took over, this was a major transportation hub during the expansion of the United States.
  11. Yuma, Arizona
    Long before either movie came out, this town had a reputation for being a wild-n-wooly town!
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Cool Outlaw Names (real)
List 1

“This is as good a day to die as any.”
-- Cherokee Bill, March 17, 1896 at Fort Smith as he stepped into the courtyard and saw the gallows which awaited him.

Let’s get this straight right up front: the name of this here list is “Cool Outlaw Names” because the names of these guys are really cool.  I mean, Jesse James, Billy the Kid, The Apache Kid, Kid Curry, Cherokee Bill… these names just exude character and instantly spark your imagination back to a time when the West was really wild.

But most of these guys were heartless bastards of the worst kind: rapists, murderers, robbers, and really despicable people.  For some of them, hangin’ really was too good for them.  That’s why this list is not called “Great Outlaw Names.”  I didn’t want anything to think I was enamored or impressed by these people.

I also don’t want you to think that this is a list of the most famous outlaws and pistoleros of the Wild West.  This list is about the names, not the celebrity of the outlaw, which is why you won’t find Sam Bass here.  Even though he’s worthy to be named among the best/worst outlaws of all time, his name just doesn’t have that “cool” ring to it.

But the rest of these varmints?  Oh man, you just can’t beat their names! If you can’t find something on this list to inspire you to name your character during your next game… well, it just might be time to hang up yer spurs, pardner!

- Mike Mitchell
6-03-2007

  1. Jesse James
    Robber & outlaw
    The alliteration of the “J” just makes this a classic name that easily rolls off the tongue.
  2. Billy the Kid (real name William Bonney or Henry McCarty)
    Famous killer and possibly a psychopath.
    He embodies the whole “the kid” name phenomenon in Western games.
  3. The Apache Kid (real name Zenogalache)
    Murderer, rapist, and outlaw
    One of the perfect names from the West: an Indian name combined with “the Kid” makes for an unforgettable combination.
  4. Kid Curry (real name Harvey Logan)
    Horse thief, train robber, and outlaw.
    More alliteration and another famous “kid.”
  5. Curly Bill Brocius (real name William Brocius)
    Known in his lifetime as “Arizona’s most famous outlaw,” this murderin’ nutcase has a name that sounds like he could’ve been in the Three Stoodges. However, he was a deadly man and the leader of the notorious “cow-boys” who plagued the Earps in Tombstone.
  6. Cherokee Bill (real name Crawford Goldsby)
    Murderer, train robber, and outlaw, this feller was just no good! Of course, his name (allegedly given him by notorious outlaw Bill Cook) is sheer classic!
  7. Black Bart (real name Charles E. Boles)
    Stagecoach robber. With a name like this, he sounds like a modern-day pirate.
  8. “Bitter Creek” Newcomb (real name George Newcomb)
    Also known by the name “Slaughter's Kid” because of his early association with Texas John Slaughter: famous as a robber and outlaw.
  9. John Wesley Hardin
    Murderer, robber and (worst of all) lawyer.
    There's just something classic about how his three names blend together. It probably has to do with that old Time-Life commercial on TV that declared that he “was so mean he once shot a man for snoring.”
  10. The Sundance Kid (real name Harry Longabaugh)
    Train robber, bank robber, and murderer.
    Famous for his association with Butch Cassidy, he was convicted of being a horse thief and spent 18 months in jail at Sundance, Wyoming, which is where he picked up his super-cool nickname.
  11. Butch Cassidy (real name Robert LeRoy Parker)
    Train robber, bank robber, and murderer.
    Famous for his association with The Sundance Kid .  His name is really masculine... macho... dare we say it... Butch.
  12. Johnny Ringo (real name John Peters Ringo)
    There are a few questions about just how “bad” this man might have really been. Some, including Louis L’Amour, say he was mostly a surly, bad-tempered man.  But that aside, he was a powerful figure in the “cow-boys” gang, and did gun down several unarmed men.
  13. “Dirty” Dave Rudebaugh (real name David Rudebaugh)
    Train robber, stagecoach robber, rustler, murderer, and no-account, no-good, polecat.
    He got his nickname as you might expect -- by skipping his Saturday night bath.  He was also called “The only man that Billy the Kid was afraid of.”
  14. Luke Short
    Gambler, gunfighter, and probably a cold-blooded killer in his younger days.  Noted now for being a snappy dresser, he is the epitome of the "classic gambler" of the Wild West. He was friends to Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp, drifting a bit on both sides of the law.
  15. Belle Starr (real name Myra Maybelle Shirley)
    Convicted of being a horse thief, she and her husband at the time, Jim Reed, did nine months in prison. But it was the things she got away with (thievery, rustling horses, and fencing stolen goods) that made her an early crime boss of her time. With a name like hers, she sounds both like a lady (the belle of the ball) and a celebrity (a star).
  16. Jack Slade
    Definitely a murderer, but it's hard to say after that, as he's accused of everything from rustling to robbing. One thing's for certain, he had a mean temper that was even worse when it was fueled by liquor.
  17. “Big Steve” Long (real name Steve Long)
    Lawman turned gunfighter turned outlaw.
    Big Steve started off as a lawman in Laramie, Wyoming where he was more apt to gun someone down rather than waste time arresting him.  He owned a saloon with his half brothers that was nicknamed "The Bucket of Blood" because it was so dangerous. Unfortunately, he eventually turned to robbery and was lynched, hanged next to his brothers in his own saloon.
  18. Zip Wyatt (real name Nathaniel Ellsworth Wyatt)
    Robber and murderer. Also know by “Wild Charlie,” he was a well-known outlaw in Oklahoma.
^ Back to top
Southern Accents
Favorite Southern Songs (Modern)

"There's a southern accent, where I come from
The young'uns call it country
The yankees call it dumb
I got my own way of talkin'
But everything is done, with a southern accent
Where I come from"

- Tom Petty
Southern Accents

  1. El Paso - Marty Robbins
  2. Red Dirt Road - Brooks & Dunn (2003)
  3. Southern Accent - Tom Petty
  4. Awful Beautiful Life - Darryl Worley (2004)
  5. I Dreamed Of A Hillbilly Heaven - Dolly Parton
  6. Tequila Sunrise - The Eagles
  7. Old King - Neil Young (1992)
  8. Texas - George Strait
  9. Country Boy Can Survive - Williams Hank Jr
  10. My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys - Willie Nelson
  11. The Night They Tore Old Dixie Down - The Band
  12. Texas - Chris Rea
  13. Jambalaya - Hank Williams Sr.
  14. Pancho & Lefty - Willie Nelson
  15. If You're Gonna Play In Texas (You Gotta Have A Fiddle In The Band) - Alabama
  16. All Jacked Up - Gretchen Wilson
  17. Nowhere Road - Steve Earl
  18. Everclear - Pat Green
  19. Luckenbach Texas - Waylon Jennings
  20. Fancy - Reba McEntire (1990)
  21. Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys - Waylon Jennings
  22. Mayberry - Rascal Flatts
  23. My Front Porch Looking In - Lonestar
  24. Riding With Private Malone - David Ball (2001)
  25. Oklahoma - Billy Gilman (2001)
  26. Crossing Muddy Waters - John Hiatt
  27. Don't Wear Your Guns to Town - Marty Robbins
  28. The Ballad Of Ira Hayes - Johnny Cash
  29. Galveston - Glen Campbell
  30. Good Ride Cowboy - Garth Brooks

I'm from Texas, which is part of the south. I was born in El Paso and went to a 3A high school in Mineola.

Now I live in Houston. There's just certain songs that make me think of home... which, for me, is wherever I hang my hat -- as long as they have iced tea on the menu and Shiner Bock beer in the bar.

These are songs that make me think of home.

- Mike Mitchell
10/15/2006

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You know you have too many miniatures if ...

Spring-cleaning hit with a vengeance, and this time it wasn’t my wife who persuaded me to do it! I was trying to find “the twins” on my workbench, and had to dig through about 50 pounds of unpainted lead to find them.

The twins, by the way, are a pair of matching female bounty hunter minis that I had recently stripped (of their PAINT, get yer minds out of the gutter) to repaint. These were some of the early figs I had painted and their quality is even worse than what I’m capable of today.  So, in a pique of madness, I decided to strip ‘em of their perfectly serviceable paint jobs and start fresh.

Now, I’ve never been a prolific painter to begin with, and the last thing I need is to start undoing old work so I can do it over.  To be blunt, if I do this, I will NEVER finish the miniatures I’ve already got.

Now, the sad thing is, compared to most gamers I know, I really don’t have that many figures.  I guess “50 pounds” is a bit of a tall tale… to tell the truth, I’ve got under 200 figures that need a paint job (not counting some old Ral Partha Fantasy minis and some “off topic” figs that I picked up when a game store closed its doors – realistically I’ll never paint those figs because I don’t have any use for them. I mean, a 15mm dwarf in a WWI German helmet?  Where the heck did that even come from?). So, the cleaning bug hit and, although I didn’t actually part with any minis, I did buy shelves, storage bins, and other organizers to help me find my stuff.

Yet, as I put away my “Duck Wader” mini (picture Darth Vader as Daffy Duck, just don’t ask why I bought it), I began to picture the theme for this particular Hot List.  Thanks once again to all the guys at TheMiniaturesPage.com who helped me flesh this out!

A few stray comments from the TMPers:

Dervel: "Ahhh, but you forget the all important question: Painted or Unpainted?"

Hundvig: "Too many miniatures? I don't speak your crazy moon language, sir!"

Dom Skelton : "Umm, I use the fridge door as temporary storage. Does this mean I have a problem…?"

Don Lowry: "When you've run out of wars???"

- Mike Mitchell
01-11-2006


  1. The weight of your collection has actually cracked the foundation of your house.
  2. Your upstairs workshop is now in the basement.
  3. You have so much lead lining the walls of your house, that Superman's X-ray vision can't see through it.
  4. You save the filings and flash off your minis so you can melt it down to make new figures.
  5. You have so many unopened blister packs in your house that visitors just assume you've opened up your own shop.
  6. The last time you moved you had to rent a truck and hire three burly guys just to move your Warhammer armies.
  7. You have enough lead on hand to field a 1,000,000,000 point army.
  8. You're bidding against the Chinese on lead futures.
  9. The only spot in your house without a paint drop/stain is the part of your chair where your butt rests!
  10. Your house was hit by a tornado and the tornado bounced off.
  11. Light is starting to bend when it passes by your house.
  12. You win a great auction on eBay, get the figures and go to put them in away only to find out you already have 3 blisters of them unpainted.
  13. It is easier to buy new armies rather than move the mountain of boxes just to get to the ones you already have that are buried at the bottom of the pile.
  14. You actually own more models of a vehicle than were ever produced.
  15. You can pick any "historical" battle from your genre and recreate it in 1:1 scale.
  16. NASA is investigating a wobble of earth's rotation and discovers it's caused by your collection.
  17. Traders chase away other customers when you arrive at their booth and prostrate themselves when you address them
  18. You considered making the cealing magnetic to use as more storage space.
  19. The ceiling collapsed when you tried to use it as storage space.
  20. Your miniatures are packed so tight they start to fight among themselves.
  21. Much of your furniture is made out of storage boxes.
  22. People have staked a minerals claim on your residence.
  23. Your house is listed on local tourist maps like the ball of twine and shopping bag collection.
  24. Stearilite and Rubber Maid send you Christmas cards along with the latest product catalog.
  25. When you have enough stacks of lead lining the walls of your game room that it doubles for the family's radioactive-proof fallout shelter.
^ Back to top
You might be a Gutshot gamer if...

Last night I was watching a classic Western on TV, “Two Rode Together” with Jimmy Stewart, and I caught myself trying to figure out what year it was, based on the standard Army Pay for a scout in the U.S. Army at a fort in North Texas. The amount was $80 per month, and I was thinking that had to make it in the 1880s… and then I realized that perhaps I was falling victim to Gamer Trivia Syndrome.

You know what this is. You can’t remember to pick up eggs at the grocery store, but you can remember 19th Century Army pay schedules from the American Western Frontier.

I won’t say it’s a sign that you’ve been gaming too long, but these are signs that you might wanna take a break for a week or two. You can do some yard work, soak in the pool, nibble on your wife’s neck… or paint that big stack of lead minis gathering dust in the corner!

By the way, here’s my favorite quote from the movie:

Sergeant Posey: "You! You're supposed to be dead!"
Marshal McCabe: "I'm sorry, Slim. I didn't quite make it."
Two Rode Together (1961)

- Mike Mitchell
08-31-2005

  1. You’ve ever had to interrupt a cattle stampede to take out the trash for your mom.
  2. Someone asks you what you did over the weekend and you tell a 30-minute story about how you escaped from a Mexican prison, floated on a raft down the Rio Grande to fight a horde of banditos to rescue the Cattle Baron’s daughter, and then end the tale with, “and then we ordered out for pizza.”
  3. You have ever spent more on miniatures than you have on rent.
  4. You know where you can buy dice made of semi-precious stones like Amethyst or Tigers Eye.
  5. You actually OWN a set of dice made of semi-precious stones like Amethyst or Tigers Eye.
  6. You can quote long passages of rules about Cover, Line of Sight and Retaliation Fire… but you can’t remember your wife’s birthday.
  7. You keep hunting on ebay to see if you can find one of those really cool spring loaded derringer thingies that James West used to pop the gun into his hand on “The Wild Wild West.”
  8. You have ever had a long, serious discussion about whether or not Jesse James could have killed Superman with Kryptonite bullets.
  9. You have ever come to blows while arguing about whether Tonto was a better sidekick than Festus.
  10. You have ever complained about not getting enough lead in your diet.
  11. You have ever bet money on the outcome of a dice roll, and you weren’t in Las Vegas.
  12. You have ever shed real tears about the outcome of a dice roll, and you weren’t in Las Vegas.
  13. During a house fire, you don’t even hesitate before grabbing your game books and campaign notes instead of the family photo album.
  14. You have ever lost sleep trying to decide between white primer or black primer.
  15. You have ever agonized trying to choose between Caramel Tan and Hesitant Fawn when selecting the color for your gunfighter miniatures’ duster.
  16. You meet the new guy at work and ask him what his TN is.
  17. You’re watching the big game on TV with your buddies, your team scores, and you stand up shouting “Boxcars!”
  18. The total weight of all your miniatures is more than your body weight (and for most of us gamers, that’s a lot!).
  19. Your family has had an intervention about your “addiction” to miniatures.
  20. You easily escaped from the rehab center by using your gamer knowledge.
  21. You have ever paused a DVD to write up stats for Liberty Valance, Jimmy Stewart, and John Wayne.
  22. You know more about the shootout at the O.K. Corral than your junior college history professor.
  23. For extra credit in junior college history, you re-enacted a 25mm mock fight of the Shootout at the O.K. corral.
  24. You have ever gotten hoppin’ mad because you saw the hero in a Civil War movie used an 1872 Colt Army Revolver.
^ Back to top
You might be a redneck gamer if...
List 2
  1. You think "Necron" is a new kind of engine oil.
  2. Your local "opponent finder" is the bathroom wall down at the A&P.
  3. Your Space Marine heroes are all named Lee, Longstreet, Jackson, Hood, or Hill.
  4. Your children are all named Lee, Longstreet, Jackson, Hood, or Hill.
  5. Your chainmail hauberk has a special pocket for a chewing tobacco can.
  6. Your mother does better at renaissance faire tournaments than you do.
  7. Your terrain pieces are all either dripcans or spitoons.
  8. You're still searching for those minis of dogs playing poker.
  9. You and your minis have about the same level of formal education.
  10. You whistle the theme from Deliverance while your opponent's forces move towards your ambush.
  11. This evening's scenario was to save the king, and you figured it was about a trip to Graceland.
  12. You think every mini looks good painted plaid.
  13. You carry your vinyl gaming mat rolled up in the gun rack.
  14. You've ever driven a tractor to a hobby store.
  15. Your mom gives you tips on how to sneak booze into gaming conventions.
  16. You make your own paintbrushes using the bristles from the road kill your wife brought home to cook for dinner.
  17. Your FLGS has a beer cooler by the front door.
  18. You own the soundtracks to Braveheart, Conan the Barbarian, and Star Trek -- on 8-track.
  19. You paint your orks "John Deere green."
  20. You make little saddles for the cockroaches and use them as alien cavalry.
  21. You keep calling the Home Shopping Network to ask when the Battle for Maccrage set will be coming on.
  22. More than half your terrain pieces are made primarily of duct tape.
  23. You thought "Galadriel" was a kind of Scotch.
  24. You've ever referred to plastic minis as "new-fangled."
  25. You've ever asked the Warden if you can sculpt minis instead of stamping license plates.
  26. You ask the hobby store clerk how much that would be in Confederate banknotes.
  27. The first time you showed your wife a d20, she thought you'd taken up golf as a hobby.
  28. You and your kids all suffer from advanced lead poisoning, and nobody can tell the difference.

 

That Redneck Gamer list is still growing, folks!

As yuh may recall, a while back I started a topic at TheMiniaturesPage.com in honor of Jeff Foxworthy... A simple lil' thang called "You might be a redneck gamer."

Well, that has gotten bigger'n a tick that's hit an artery! It's got danged near 250 posts and about 500 redneck jokes!

I still haven't gone through and collected the best of the best, but in the meantime, a feller who goes by the handle of javelin98 came up with a very good list-within-the-list. Since I really enjoyed it, I'm presenting most of it here with very little editing.

Thanks again, Jav!

- Mike Mitchell
07-11-2005

 

^ Back to top
You might be a redneck gamer if...
List 1

MM: "You might be a redneck gamer if you're mad as heck because you can't find a 25mm blue tick hound."
CG: "Dixon makes them."
MM: "You might be a redneck gamer if you know off the top of your head where to buy a 25mm blue tick hound!"
(An exchange between Mike Mitchell & Craig Griswold from theminiaturespage.com forums)

  1. Your miniatures are painted the same color as your car... primer gray!
  2. You think Stargrunt is a collection of celebrity porn!
  3. You've ever played "strip Gutshot!
  4. You use tobacco juice to wash coat miniatures.
  5. Your dice have cigarette burns.
  6. You play Starship Troopers with real bugs.
  7. You have your favorite character's name tatooed on your body.
  8. You base your miniatures on bottle caps.
  9. You've ever 'executed' another player's miniature with a firecracker.
  10. You feel obligated to come to the table at least as well armed as any miniature you use.
  11. You've ever traded a firearm for gaming rules or miniatures.
  12. Most of your game nights end when two player's 'take it outside' to settle a rules question.
  13. Your collection of game models, minis, terrain and books cost are worth more than your car.
  14. You include Skoal on every character's equipment list, regardless of the game or era.
  15. You've ever gamed in your underwear.
  16. You've ever gamed in someone else's underwear!
  17. You've ever played Live Action Battle Cattle!
  18. You've ever forgotten where you were and accidentally spit in someone's dice cup.
  19. You consider cow patties a cheap alternative to foam hills. (Just pour some flock on it, who's gonna know?)
  20. You ever played Live Action Car Wars.

One Friday afternoon a few weeks ago, I was updating the Website and realized that I hadn't posted a new "Marshal Mitchell's Hot List" in quite a while. I have some partial notes around on several lists, but one in particular had been slow in coming. I'm not even gonna deny it -- I'm a big fan of Jeff Foxworthy, so I've been working on a list of "Redneck Gamer" jokes. Rather than slave over it any longer, I decided to post a thread at theminiaturespage.com and see what the guys there could come up with.

I posted it before lunch and when I checked back that afternoon, there were about 80 replies! It turns out most of them were from one guy named Craig Griswold. Apparently he had a gluccose test earlier that day and he was still VERY wired from it and was being very, VERY prolific. In fact, he was so prolific that I decided to post a list of some of my favorite posts that he made over the weekend.

In a few days I'll post a second (and possibly third) list of the rest of the best from this thread (which, as I write this, has 186 posts and probably more than 300 redneck gamer jokes).

Right now, though, this is Craig's show -- thanks man!

- Mike Mitchell
04-21-2005

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Cool Cowboy Names
(Fictional)

What's in a name? Danged near everything, that's what! Would a certain masked man be quite as famous if he were called the Lonely Lizard? I don't think so, hombre!

When it comes to setting us up for action, nothing does it quite as fast as a good cowboy name. Honestly, Kid Colt is one of the best danged names for a cowboy that I can think of. It says it all: he's a kid who uses Colts. Can't fault Blaine Colt for not providing us with truth in advertising.

If you want to evoke a sense of menace, then a name like Jonah Hex is in order. That's a fitting name for the bounty hunter who started his career in Weird Western Tales.

Of course, if you really want to evoke mood and mystique, you can use one name, like Shane or Paladin. Or, you can avoid names altogether. But, if you're going to try pulling off being a Man With No Name, it helps if you're as cool as Clint Eastwood. In fact, I dare you to think of him and not start humming the classic opening by Ennio Morricone from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (taka taka taka -- waaaah waaaah waaaaah!)

As usual, these aren't the best cowboys or cowboy heroes on this list (otherwise I'd have included Captain Woodrow F. Call and Augustus McCrae). These are just names I've encountered that are just downright cool…

- Mike Mitchell
11-11-2004

“You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.”
-- The Man With No Name
(The Good, The Bad and The Ugly)

  1. The Lone Ranger
    (Radio, TV, movies… he could do it all, and looked soooo cool in that mask)
  2. The Man With No Name
    (Definitely a "less is more" approach; character brought to life in several movies by Clint Eastwood)
  3. Kid Colt
    (Marvel Comics, quintessential Robin Hood of the West)
  4. Jonah Hex
    (DC Comics, notorious bounty hunter with a scared face)
  5. Rooster Cogburn
    (“One-eyed fat man” marshal played by John Wayne in True Grit and Rooster Cogburn)
  6. Rawhide Kid
    (Marvel Comics, another Robin Hood of the West)
  7. Maverick
    (TV show con-man and gambler played by James Garner)
  8. Shane
    (Outlaw trying to reform in the self-titled movie; with only one name, he's the Cher of the Wild West)
  9. Lady Rawhide
    (Topps Comics, Enemy, then ally of Zorro)
  10. Matt Dillon
    (Gunsmoke TV show; how he resisted Miss Kitty's charms is beyond me...)
  11. Bat Lash
    (DC Comics, gambler & ladies man)
  12. Cinnamon
    (DC Comics, bounty hunter)
  13. Cheyenne Kid
    (Charlton Comics, another do-gooder “outlaw”)
  14. Ghost Rider
    (Marvel Comics, and yup, he was a cowboy first!)
  15. Paladin
    (Star of radio and TV shows, "Have Gun, Will Travel")
  16. Two-Gun Kid
    (Marvel Comics, another lone rider)
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Favorite Western Comedies

"Be down at the old oak tree near Boot Hill at twelve o'clock sharp for your hanging. And bring your own rope."
-- Judge Homer McCoy
(Harry Morgan, in The Apple Dumpling Gang)

  1. Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)
  2. Blazing Saddles (1974)
  3. Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971)
  4. City Slickers (1991)
  5. The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)
  6. The Villain (1979)
  7. Maverick (1994)
  8. Lust in the Dust (1985)
  9. Rustlers' Rhapsody (1985)
  10. The Shakiest Gun In The West (1968)
  11. The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979)
  12. They Call me Trinity (1971)
  13. Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978)
  14. The Paleface (1948)
  15. Son of Paleface (1952)
  16. Terror of Tiny Town (1938)

I suspect that some of these here films wouldn't be so high on my list (or at all) if I hadn't first seen 'em when I was just knee-high to a prairie dog.

But, movies like Hot Lead and Cold Feet and The Apple Dumpling Gang wormed into my psyche in my formative years. So there they stay, right next to classics like Blazing Saddles and Support Your Local Sheriff!

Now, I suspect that some of you cowpokes will get downright uppity because I put Sheriff above Saddles. Well, I ain't got no defense, and I don't owe ya one, neither. Even though Blazing Saddles is probably the best Western comedy of all time, this list is about my favorites... and James Garner splashing red paint on the floor and walls of a jail cell to scare a man into staying inside, well, that's just plum funny stuff!

Plus, I think Hot Lead and Cold Feet could make the list just on the theme song alone! And as for Lust in the Dust, well... it's probably best not to dwell on why I like that one!

- Mike Mitchell
9-17-2004

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Horses I'd Kiss

“Hi-yo Silver, Away!”
- The Lone Ranger

  1. Silver (The Lone Ranger)
  2. Trigger (Roy Rogers)
  3. Banshee (The Night Rider / The Ghost Rider)
  4. Champion (Gene Autry)
  5. Steel (Kid Colt)
  6. Nightwind (Rawhide Kid)
  7. Lightning (Jane West)
  8. Skyrocket (Spin & Marty)
  9. Thunderbolt (Johnny West)
  10. Dan (from the song, "Cool Water.")
  11. Thunder (Outlaw Kid)
  12. Scout (Tonto)
  13. Thunder (Two-Gun Kid)
  14. Whirlwind (The Western Kid)
  15. Clover Fax (El Ravager)
  16. Aragorn (Valkyrie of the Defenders)
  17. A Horse With No Name (from the song of the same name)
  18. Mr. Ed. (Wilbur)
  19. Whiskey (The Villain)

 

Well, I don't know that I'd actually kiss them all, but I'd buy 'em some beer while my men were drinking whiskey.

I chose these cayuses for this list based on their fame, importance to the stories, and the sound of their names.

Some of these ain't exactly Cowboy horses, but that don't mean they don't warrant a mention here. I list the horse and then its owner (or the media source where I heard of them).

Skyrocket made it so high on this list, for example, because that was my dad's horse and there are pictures of me'n my older brother and sister riding on him when we were just little shavers. I was too little to remember much about him in his prime, but I do recall feeding him apples in his declining years when he was too old to go carting a buncha young 'uns around the corral.

Now I ask ya, can ya blame me for putting Skyrocket so high on the list?

- Mike Mitchell
6-13-2004

 

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Favorite Classic Westerns
(pre 1965)

May. 11, 2004
A Message from Mike Mitchell:

It's time to pay homage to the past.

I'm a Native Texan, born "out in the West Texas town of El Paso," and if that wasn't enough to make me crazy about the Wild West, I've been working on Gutshot for four years now. During that time, I've watched a lot of movies, read a lot of books, and whooped and hollered at a lot of rodeos. I even enjoy both kinds of music, "Country and Western!" (a special online Howdy will go to the first person who figures out what movie that line is from!).

For a while now I've been making mental lists of my favorite Gutshot stuff: movies, TV shows, comics, and music. The other day I wondered why I was keeping this stuff to myself. That's why I've created Marshal Mitchell's Hot List.

From now on, whenever I get a burr under my saddle, I'm gonna post my current Hot List here on the Gutshot Website. This is the stuff I watch, read, and listen to that is shaping the final Gutshot product line.

And just to let you know, these aren't Top-10 lists or the best or greatest of their type. This is just the stuff I've watched and enjoyed and is shaping things to come.

I hope you enjoy these lists. And feel free to send me things you think I would enjoy!

-- Mike Mitchell, Gutshot co-creator

“This isn’t civilized Pennsylvania. This is a raw frontier... This is a place where mayhem, theft, and murder are the commonplace and not the unusual.”
- Dr. Mangrum,
Angel and the Badman
  1. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
  2. High Noon (1952)
  3. Rio Bravo (1955)
  4. The Phantom Empire (serial version, 1935)
  5. Angel and the Badman (1947)
  6. Shane (1953)
  7. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
  8. Stagecoach (1939)
  9. In Old Caliente (1939)
  10. My Pal Trigger (1946)

4-11-2004

 

 
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