During our discussion of the Sam Fuller’s The Baron of Arizona, we drank Three Weavers The Time is Ripe IPA. A perfect breakfast beer. This lead us on a discussion of when it is and is not appropriate to drink in the morning. Michael concluded only on vacation and during camping outings.
Sam Fuller based the movie on the Real James Addison Reavis. There are several books worth pursuing if interested in the subject:
Powell, Donald M. (Summer 1959). "The "Baron of Arizona" Self-Revealed: A letter to His Lawyer". Arizona and the West. 1 (2): 161–73.
Powell, Donald M (1960). The Peralta grant; James Addison Reavis and the Barony of Arizona. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Cookridge, E. H. (1972) [©1967]. The Baron of Arizona. New York: Ballantine Books
In addition, The Land of Sunshine (in the public domain) has an 1898 article written by Will Tipton titled “The Prince of Impostors” regarding James Reavis. This is a picture of Reavis in penitentiary at Santa Fe:
We discussed the James Wong Howe the Director of Photography. He had a very interesting career and life and is worth further investigation.
Michael and I really appreciated Vincent Price and his acting added to our enjoyment of the movie. In addition, his character had several lines of dialogue that would make a decent t-shirt:
“Only peasants cry”
“Rich curtain before doorway of wild wonderful miracle”
“I’ve known many woman but with you it’s different, I am afraid”
“In my office without an appointment”
Michael was pleased that they didn't force accents among the monastery staff in Spain. Father Guardian is referred to by Michael as George from Minocqua.
I can vouch that 'swindle' has indeed become part of Michael's regular vocabulary.
We discussed why this probably did not do so well on its initial release. Except for the setting, it is difficult to refer to this as a western. Movie is more in line with a 'con' or 'crime caper' movies. As Michael stated, it is an amalgam of various genres in a western setting.
The exterior of Reavis' mansion is the Higgins/Verbeck/Hirsch Mansion located at 637 S. Lucerne Blvd.
We dived into why Reavis did not except the US Government's initial offer of $25 million. As Michael said "Money can't buy you happiness, but it gets me closer." We offered various reasons of why he declined the money.
Somehow a Blazing Saddle quote wormed its way into our discussion and we had a hard time not laughing. "Not only was it authentic frontier gibberish..." Line gets me every time.
This movie is a gem and worth seeking out if you haven't seen it.
Intro music for this episode is a mix of (1) Turn on The Funk (Story Blocks Audio subscription), (2) sample 1961’s The Phantom Planet [in the public domain], and (3) sample 1968’s Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women [in the public domain]. Outro music The Eternal Story by Juan Mares (Story Blocks Audio subscription)
Comentarios