Monday, March 8, 2010

My Rifle, Pony and Me

A few weeks back, my daughter Merrianna bought a DVD of the John Wayne movie Rio Bravo. We enjoyed watching it again -- it has been a favorite for years.

The theme of strong men trying to do the right thing against all odds appeals to me. Then there are tactical survival hints, such as what John Wayne's character does just before he sits down to talk to Ward Bond's character in the hotel lobby.

Another attractive aspect is the mutual respect and camaraderie among the main characters. Nothing forges bonds like facing hard times together.

At one of their low points, the main characters are hunkered down in the jail house. In the providence of the writers, it's just the time for a song -- and thanks to good casting, Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson are on hand to do the singing.

(Note to my barber: In our personal dark times, we never broke into song, bro, but we did hunker down and laugh at the absurdities of the evil around us. Enjoy the song.)

1 comment:

The Warrior said...

I'm not usually into westerns, but maybe I should check this one out....