DR GEORGE E. GOODFELLOW - A NOVEL

My latest novel, THE DOCTOR, is published now in paperback and ebook by Western Fictioneers Library. This is the latest in the West of the Big River series of novels, which are all based on historical characters of the Old West.

Dr George Emory Goodfellow was without doubt one of the most remarkable characters ever to practice medicine and surgery. He was a polymath, a man who would have made an impact anywhere, any time. He just happened to be practising as a doctor in Tombstone, Arizona during one of its most violent epochs.

Dr George Emory Goodfellow (1855-1910)

Among his many achievements, he was the first doctor to perform a laparotomy (the operation to open the abdomen) to treat abdominal gunshot wounds. He was the first surgeon to perform a perineal prostatectomy and he was an early advocate of aseptic surgery and of spinal anaesthesia. He was a geologist (his father was a mining engineer), an expert on Gila Monsters, a boxing champion in his youth and a man that you didn't cross (he carried and was prepared to use a concealed Italian poniard dagger).

West of the Big River is a stand-alone series that can be read in any order. In Tombstone, Arizona Territory, the town too tough to die, Dr. George Goodfellow is known as the Surgeon to the Gunfighters. Friends with the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday, his services as a doctor are needed in the aftermath of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, but Goodfellow is handy with a gun and his fists, too, and he needs those skills to survive when he's stalked by a crazed miner and has to untangle a deadly murder mystery! 

REDEMPTION TRAIL

My latest ebook is out now, published by Western Trail Blazer.

In a nutshell:

Sam Gibson used to be a lawman, until the day he made a terrible mistake that could never be taken back. Since then, he has alternated between wishing there were a way he could redeem himself and believing he deserved punishment. 

He’s about to get both… 


It is a novella of 18k, or 61 pages. Short enough for a read in one or two sittings.

SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS

I went to see this brilliant 1927 silent movie the other night. It won three Academy Awards and I can quite see why. It is haunting and enchanting at the same time.

Basically, it is a morality tale about a young woman from the city, played by Margaret Livingstone, who has an 'affair' with a farmer, played by George O'Brien. She persuades him to drown his wife, played by Janet Gaynor. When it comes to it, he cannot, for he realises that he loves his wife. Yet she fears him and runs off to the city with him in pursuit. They rediscover their feelings for one another (which had almost gone after the hard work of scratching a living on the farm) and after a wild day full of romance, partying and adventure they head for home.

I will say no more, lest I spoil the movie. Suffice to say that there is much more and it is worth seeing.

George O'Brien and Margaret Livingston

We saw it in at the  Grand Theatre and Opera House in Leeds  and enjoyed live music specially composed to accompany it, provided by pianist Joanna MacGregor  and jazz saxophonist Andy Sheppard.

The movie was directed by F W Murnau, an exponent of German Expressionism. 

and the cast was as follows:

George O'Brien as The Man

Janet Gaynor as The Wife

Margaret Livingston as The Woman from the City

Bodil Rosing as The Maid

 J Farrell MacDonald as The Photographer

Ralph Sipperly as The Barber

Jane Winton as The Manicurist

Arthur Housman as The Obtrusive Gentleman

Gibson Gowland as The Obliging Gerntlemen

Janet Gaynor

The cast list suggests that there are scenes that are comedic against the backdrop of the romance, the drama and the potential tragedy. There are and they work well.

The three Academy Awards were given at the Ist Academy Awards in 1929, for the movies of 1927 and 1928. These are therefore the best of the first batch of Academy Awards.

• Best Actress in a Leading Role to Janet Gaynor. She was superb as the wife. The Oscar was given for three films she made in 1927, since the 1st Award was for the body of work in the year. The rule would be changed for the 2nd Academy Awards, so that it would be given for one film only.
• Best cinematography - Charles Rosher and Karl Struss
• Best Unique and Artistic Production - this was the first and only time that this particular Award was made at the Academy Awards.

George O'Brien (1899 - 1985) was a successful movie actor of the silent era, who went on to become a successful Western actor in the talkies. He had been decorated during the Great War and was light heavyweight champion of the Pacific Fleet.

Margaret Livingston (1895-1984) was successful in both the silent era and the talkies, making another twenty movies in the talkies era. She married the band leader Paul Whiteman and retired from acting in 1934.

Janet Gaynor (1906-1984) was successful in both the silent and the talkie era, but semi-retired from acting in 1939.

If you love the movies of the silent era, then this is gem worth seeing.

FOUR FEATHER FALLS

One of the first Western TV shows that I remember was Four Feather Falls. It was set in the town of the same name in Kansas, where a daring sheriff called Tex Tucker was the sheriff.

The four feathers that the town was named after were magical feathers given to Tex by a medicine man called Kalamakooya, as a reward when Tex saved his grandson, Makooya who was alone and lost in the desert. When Kalamakooya appears, Tex and Makooya and Tex's horse and dog were all extremely thirsty, so the medicine man caused a waterfall to appear. A town is later built on the spot and Tex becomes the sheriff. Aptly, the town was named after the four feathers and the waterfall.

Four Feather Falls was a puppet show produced by Gerry Anderson for Granada Television in 1960. He would go on to produce other puppet shows like Fireball XL5, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and most famously of all Thunderbirds.

Tex was brave, resourceful and utterly honest. He proudly wore the feathers on his hat. Two of the feathers gave his horse Rocky and his dog Dusty the power of speech. The other two caused his guns to swivel in their holsters and fire whenever he was in danger. They could, of course, shoot the guns out of the hands of baddies whenever needed. In keeping with the times and the genre Tex also used to burst into song and had a great voice.

The full introduction

Kids loved the show which was screened every week in black and white. Each episode was a mere thirteen minutes long, but they all had a neat little adventure that provided conflict when Tex either lost or had his feathers stolen. Thus, although he had the magical feathers that made him and his friends, Rocky and Dusty unbeatable, yet he often had to get out of trouble by using his brain or his fists. And of course, Rocky and Dusty contributed their special equine and canine wisdom.

The show ran for thirty-nine episodes  throughout 1960 and attained a cult following among British youngsters. The stories were narrated by the legendary Nicholas Parsons, while Michael Holliday, a popular singer of the day, provided Tex's singing voice. You'll hear him 

Four Feather Falls may have been responsible for instilling a love of Westerns in many British youngsters back in the '60s. The stories have an old world charm about them. Pure nostalgia.

The complete series is available on DVD:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Feather-Falls-Complete-DVD/dp/B001NPKR9A/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1398073574&sr=1-1&keywords=four+feather+falls

LONG SHADOWS BY TERRY JAMES

This is a great Western novel published by a fellow Black Horse Western author, Jo Walpole, who writes as Terry James. Recently, Hale have reissued three of her Western novels as ebooks.Here is the first one, Long Shadows.

This is a really enjoyable page-turner of a Western. It features a strong female character and a strong square-jawed US marshal. Yet it is Ros West, the fiery redhead who carries the story. She has amnesia, but is struggling with memories that come back fleetingly. The story is told with panache and it keeps tempting you onwards as her past unfolds and gradually everything starts to come together. Having said that, the way things come together reveal past family schisms and a cartload of duplicity. There is danger all the way through, building to a great ending.

Bravo! I thoroughly recommend this novel and I am heading off to buy Terry James' next one.

THE GATHERING MURDERS TRANSLATED INTO CZECH

I am pleased to say that The Gathering Murders, which was the first of my West Uist crime series, featuring Torquil McKinnon has been translated into Czech.

I am pleased with the cover.

Here is one of the first reviews (Please note, this is a Google translation from Czech to English)

Murders in the Hebrides ( Keith Moray )
Published: January 29, 2014 | 

Review by Michael Turková

Keith Moray Murder on HebridáchKdyž Ann Cleevesová proved that even the small Scottish islands can deliver quality thriller , has broken the way for other authors. Keith Moray chose Hebrides , namely fictional West Uist , so who read Shetland Black raven from Cleevesové may also compared.

The hero is the young inspector Torquil McKinnon, who is preparing for a bagpipe competition during the annual literary festival. He is known to his friends as Piper. The literary festival and highland gathering on the island brings a diverse mix of tourists, writers and fans to the island - and a mysterious villain, who, according to the prologue has just murdered their relatives. 

Keith Moray simply writes about the Scottish islands without frills, but is quite optimistic - a lot of Gaelic, golf and enthusiastic young people. However, police on the island consists of three people with a low average age, and none of them are  melancholy - but that does not want to touch Inspector Perez , I loved it and I hope that they come from other parts of Shetland series ... But just cops Torquil , Morag and Ewan are quite balanced and happy nature.

We have , however, several candidates to be murdered. Fiona is a hot tip, the author of detective stories inspired by real cases and persons. Her next book is said to be about someone from the island Oddly enough, the first corpse will be a different kind of writer , also a participant of the festival, poet Ranald Buchanan.

New episodes investigation par excellence, západouistský police force is busy, and even have to take on auxiliary constables (although the Drummond twins only seem to share a brain cell.) Island is closed , no one is allowed to sail because, as possibly explained Sergeant Driscoll officer McPheeovi " Ewan , dear, right now they are in the West Uist suspects absolutely everyone ! "

But as the investigation goes always slow addition of three people and an island full of suspects , it was necessary to increase the risk escalate adversity really dramatize the plot . Author accomplish the threat Dudáková superior that the quest have 24 hours - before they will lift the embargo , the suspects leave and arrive commander, will take over the case and the buggers . Time is running ...

Murders in the Hebrides is a straightforward thriller that does not even attempt to play something else. Although they are quite manage to subtly show life on the island as it is today. When the modern era struggles with ancient legends and superstitions of the seal where men Selkie investigating inspector who travels around the island on a motorbike and a leather jacket. I enjoyed every page and in the spirit marveled at how the author managed to tangle ties and motives of a few key characters , as featured here . And until the last chapter, I believed that there was finally a Scottish thriller that is NOT depressed. I hope that we will see other cases pipers McKinnon and his two-member division - good reading can please , though rainbow ends and alpenglow ...

Original: The Gathering Murders, 2006
Translation: Michal Frost
Published by: Lykeion , 2013
216 pages

JOHNNY GUITAR - A WESTERN MOVIE WITH A DIFFERENCE

“The Beauty and the Beast of westerns, a western dream," 

Francois Trauffaut

I went to see this movie at a special showing at the Grand Theatre in Leeds last night. Before it started we had an introduction by Dr Lee Broughton, who is the Lever Trust Early Career Fellow in World Cinema at Leeds University.  He has studied the movie and provided a background to the Western movies of the period and highlighted just how unusual a movie it was, given the state of American politics and how they were reflected in the cinema in the 1950s. And indeed it is an unusual movie, with singing cowboys and female gunslingers.

It was made in 1954 by Republic Pictures, an independent studio. Nicholas Ray directed it and it starred Joan Crawford, Mercedes McCambridge, Sterling Hayden and Scott Brady. There were also a strong cast of Western stalwarts, including Ward Bond, Ernest Borgnine and John Carradine.

The screenplay was credited to Philip Yordan,  based on a novel by Roy Chanslor. But in fact, the screenplay was written by Ben Maddow, who had been blacklisted during the MacArthy era, because of past left-wing sympathies. Republic were making a lot of cheap movies and Maddow would have been offered the lower paid 'blacklist rate.' That was an interesting piece of social history, because it demonstrated that blacklisted writers could still work, but they just weren't credited.

The plot is fairly simple, but it stands out because of the strong female characters and the reversal of the traditional Western movie roles. Also, the title song co-written by Peggy Lee and Victor Young, and sung by Peggy Lee is quite haunting.

In 2008 Johnny Guitar was selected for preservation in the United States Film Registry because it was considered to be culturally, historically and aesthetically significant. I can quite see why it was. It isn't the greatest Western ever made, in my opinion, but it was unusual and it certainly made an impact on me.