Why Westerns?

 

Post by Doris McCraw aka Angela Raines

This post is about a question and book list of sorts. 

I have a good idea why I chose to write in the Western Genre, but often wonder why others decided to tell stories in this time frame. For me, it's the idea of wide-open spaces, being independent and responsible for one's self, and the possibilities that came from that westward movement. When you think about it most of the people who headed west were doing so because they were wanting something new, something different. Ultimately they were the risk-takers, for it takes courage or desperation to make that decision.

I do confess that watching Saturday morning television shows, Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, Sky King, the Cisco Kid, and of course Gene Autry probably had something to do with my love of the West. Additionally, an inherent love of history and the stories of the people who came before are also part of that inspiration.

To that end, some of the authors that inspired and continue to inspire me are:

Peter Dawson, L. P. Holmes, Gwen Bristow, Louis l'Amour, Andre Norton's Space Westerns, Lauran Paine just to name a few.

I would like to know whether you chose to write in the Western genre or it chose you? Who were the Western authors that inspired and perhaps still continue to inspire you? Most of the authors that I listed above not only tell character-driven stories but many times their secondary characters catch my fancy. I find myself wondering what happened to them. As a writer, I get to try to answer that question. Do you ever find yourself doing that?

Photo Property of the Author

Until next time happy reading and writing, and if you so choose feel free to contact me if you would like to have a discussion about some of the questions I've asked. I know I would enjoy that.

Doris McCraw

LOVE ME SOME WESTERNS

Post by Doris McCraw
writing as Angela Raines

Photo property of the author

I am going to go out on a limb and say most of those who write for and read this blog love westerns. For myself, I've been re-visiting and finding the old television shows and movies between work and writing. I thought I'd share some that have been fun, along with the stars that made them memorable.

One of the first series I watched was "Yancy Derringer". It only ran one season, and actually took place in New Orleans. Not really west, but the idea of the lone hero (or anti-hero depending on your view), righting wrongs fits the idea of the early Western. It starred Jock Mahoney. Here is a link to some additional information about the show: Yancy Derringer

Cast of Yancy Derringer, Jock Mahoney is on the right
photo from Wikipedia

Of course, who doesn't remember "The Cisco Kid"? Even if you never saw the show, the Cisco Kid is a part of our combined consciousness. The show ran for six seasons and as the official IMDb site, " The Cisco Kid and his English-mangling sidekick Pancho travel the old west in the grand tradition of the Lone Ranger, writing wrongs and fighting injustice wherever they find it." The show was filmed in color, even though most televisions were black and white. The other interesting fact was Duncan Renaldo and Leo Carrillo had starred in Cisco Kid movies prior to the television show. And Carrillo was seventy years old when filming the series. For more info: Cisco Kid

Duncan Renaldo as Cisco and Leo Carrillo as Pancho

These were followed in short order by "Whispering Smith" with Audie Murphy as a Denver Colorado police detective, "The Dakotas" with Jack Elam and a young Chad Everett, as two of four federal marshals and "The Texan" with Rory Calhoun, a loner who traveled the west righting wrongs.

Of course the "B" movies with the likes of Alan 'Rocky' Lane, Sunset Carson, Don 'Red' Barry, Wild Bill Elliott, and of course Charles Starrett as "The Durango Kid".

Alan 'Rocky' Lane with Lucille Ball
Photo from Wikipedia

There was also the "Gene Autry", "Roy Rogers" and the ever-popular "Hopalong Cassidy" movies and TV shows.

I once read that when William Boyd, who starred as Hopalong Cassidy, finally meet the author who created the character, Clarence Mulford, Mulford was reputed to have said something to the effect of  "So you're the SOB who changed my character". Still, the two were reputed to have gotten along well. Clarence Mulford

Of course, there were many movies and TV shows that came after these early offerings.

And just in case you think it's only movies and TV westerns, I've also been revisiting the stories of Western writers, T.T. Flynn, Alan LeMay, Peter Dawson, Lauran Paine, and L.P. Holmes. If you get a chance, give them a read if you have some time after you read your favorite author and are waiting for their next book to arrive.

What were your favorite old-time movies and TV Westerns? I know all the above and more inform my stories, including my most recent ones 'Duty', in the anthology "Hot Western Nights" and "The Outlaw's Letter"

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Doris Gardner-McCraw -

Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History

For a list of Angela Raines Books: Here 

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