I don't know why it took me half a century to see this flick, but I am glad I finally decided to watch it when it popped up on one of the Encore TV channels recently during one of my sleepless periods. Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea are two of the iconic western actors, and this was the last western for each of them -- and for Scott the last film, period. It is a complete pleasure to watch these two professionals do their thing in a picture directed by Sam Peckinpah.

It deserves to be grouped with The Shootist (and Peckinpah's later film The Wild Bunch) as a tale of old gunfighters who have outlived their era. A couple of scenes with early automobiles in the streets of a western town establish the time frame for us, and later on when a bad guy (Warren Oates!) starts shooting at the few good guys with a semi-auto Remington Model 8, it is jarring but completely consistent with the suggested chronology. (The Model 8 looks like it has a fairly small bore, so maybe it's a .25; but I'm not sure. It isn't a .35.) There is also a Winchester 95 carbine and a short-barreled SAA without an ejector rod. Is that the Sheriff's Model? I am not a student of SAAs. Peckinpah knew his guns, and I am sure he had a hand in arming his characters and probably revealing character through the weapons they used. Joel McCrea has a 7.5" SAA, making him the most obvious big-gun guy in the movie. He could be Harry Callahan's grandfather.

Any western with a camel race, a semiauto rifle, and a long set piece in a canvas-built miners' town up in the mountains automatically has something going for it. Throw in the great outdoors scenery and Mariette Hartley's first screen appearance, and this is one to watch. There are also a couple of actors you never saw again, or won't remember if you did, but the whole thing is engaging in a 1960s western kind of way.

Seriously, what more can you ask for? If you haven't yet seen this movie, hunt it up. If you haven't seen it in a long time, find it and watch it again.

I'm not going to pretend it is a perfect film. There is some silly low-budget stuff in it here and there, just as there is in some of John Wayne's 1960s westerns. If you are willing to give those Wayne films a break, you should also give this one a pass on the shallow formula moments.

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David Wilson

Never seen that one. Thanks, I'll try to find it.

One of my favorite rifles is my Rem. model 81, so to see that Model 8 in a movie was great. Yeah, Warren Oates also used a colt Sheriff's Model. When Randolph Scott takes that guys (L.Q. Jones?) gun and holster notice it was an ivory handled Remingtom Model 1875. It makes perfect sense that McCrea uses a long barreled gun. He's from an earlier post civil war period where sixguns with 7 1/2" and 8" barrels were popular. Look at the James and Youngers and Wes Hardin in the 1870's.
Notice Joel McCrea even gets on that young guy for littering! That's a great movie alright.

I always enjoyed that one too. I think an '86 Winchester gets some use in there too.,,but it's been a while since I've seen it.

Definetly not your common 'everyone has a '94 Winchester' movie.
Not a violent shoot 'em up though, so some may go away somewhat disappointed.

Boys---if you have not wacthed those two actors in Westerns you have missed the growing up of the western. Those boys were good actors and the stories were good.
Blessings

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TEXAS, by GOD

If I'm remembering clearly, Ride the High Country was both Joel McCrea's and Randolph Scott's last movie.

It's definitely worth seeing.

Mixed opinions here. As I recall the movie dates from around 1969 or so. Some of the westerns from around then started getting some sleaze and sadism thrown in--to stay in step with the times?

Basic story, excellent. Extraneous sleaze. IMHO.

Great Classic !
Love anything "Sam Peckinpah" ~

~ Joe

I think this movie was 1962. It sounds like you're talking about Pekinpah's 1969 movie "The Wild Bunch" which had the sex and massive blood spurts in slow motion.

Excellent film, saw it the other day myself. There is a certain flavor or color to this piece of work that stands out in this genre.

There was the "I know you're married to my brother, but we SHARE in this family, and tomorrow's my night" kinda thing, going on at the mining camp. That's sleazier than I'd expect in a Randolph Scott western.

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I always take precautions

There were definitely a couple of envelope-pushing scenes and lines of dialog in the film compared to other westerns of the era. I doubt there was an extended wedding scene set in a brothel in any movie before this one, for example. And before directors like Peckinpah came along, the actions of abusive parents were mostly described rather than shown. Still, that kind of stuff was beginning to show up in contemporary dramas and even comedies in the late '50s and early '60s. At least they kept their clothes on and just talked racy.

Despite these elements, RTHC still feels like a fairly restrained and conservative film compared to movies I have seen advertised in the last 20 years which I simply will not go see, or watch if they happen to get pushed in my direction by the cable service. I walked out on Silence of the Lambs, for example, and have never seen all of it. I don't care how many awards it got.

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David Wilson

If you ever see "The Naked spur" come up watch it, its worth the time it has James Stewart, Robert Ryan and Janet Leigh and I always thought it was an above average wetern movie with a lot of great scenery. Jeff

When the movie started filming Scott and McCrea were playing the other characters parts. Neither actor liked the role and both approached the director to drop out of the film. The director suggested they swap and the roles clicked for both.
Randolph Scott came out of retirement to do this movie so he could work with Joel McCrea. The movie did not do well when released and dropped form sight for years.
I consider this as one of the best westerns to made. I have watched it many times and hope to see it several more times through the years.
Oh, I bet the mining camps scenes were tame to the actual happenings during that time.
Butch

See the first post. Your question will be answered.

Oh. Duh. Thanks.

I wish to report a strange coincidence that is sort of connected to the discussion of this movie. It involves a Model 81, the slightly different descendant of the Model 8 featured in a couple of scenes.

I have never seen a Remington Model 8 or 81 (the original Woodsmaster) in any gun store I have ever visited. But today, when I went to my LGS to arrange a ship-in from out of state for a couple of postwar non-model-marked revolvers I am acquiring from a forum member, there sat an 81 on the rifle rack behind the counter -- one of a scant few rifles on display in a picked-over rack where there are usually several dozen long guns to choose from.

I checked it out and found it was a .300 Savage unit in excellent condition. The serial number pointed to production in 1945, my birth year. How many coincidences does one need to draw the conclusion that one's personal gun angel is pushing one in a particular direction? So I told them I would take it. It will be a few days before I can get it out of California quarantine, but once I have it I will take some pics and post them here in The Lounge.

Good thing it doesn't have a flash suppressor or thumbhole stock! I'm tempted to see if I can find a 10-round magazine for it, as longer magazines were reportedly produced for LE use. (I'm not predicting congressional action at that number; California already has 10-round magazine capacity limits.)

I'm not really a rifle guy, but I am drawn to the more unusual or distinctive types made from about 1900 to 1950.

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David Wilson

Dave, I thought those extended magazines were kind of a custom thing. Did they make them off the shelf? I may have my guns confused.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

Your answers, and MORE, can be found here:

The Great Model 8 & 81

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War Eagle! '10 BCS & '13 SEC

I haven't seen it in a while, but it is a great movie. If its making the rounds again, I'll have to look for it.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that they were off-the-shelf accessories. But there were police equipment agencies that offered extended magazine conversions. I just hoped that one of those might be a drop-in (or snap-in) replacement for the standard box, assuming I could even come across one. I actually think detached larger cap magazines for 8s and 81s will be hard to find and harder yet to fit to standard rifles.

I am at a bit of a disadvantage discussing this because I never even held one of these rifles until today. I will probably know more in a couple of weeks after I get a chance to tear one down and look at the way it goes together.

35Rem, that is a great website. I had found some scattered info in different places, but that site looks like it pulls everything together in one place.

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David Wilson

Mr. Wilson,
It is a great site run by Model 8 and 81 lovers, historians, and tinkerers. Most all the info known about these guns is there.
The forum there has tons of info.
The front page has a lot.

The Peace Officer's Equipment Co made the extended mags and converted guns for their use. The Model 8 and 81 have fixed magazines and require a good bit of modification to use detachable mags.
There are a few, few guys that can do it, and have. See the forum for details.

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War Eagle! '10 BCS & '13 SEC