Spotlight: Audie MurphyAs most of you know,
Audie Murphy was America's
most decorated soldier of World War II. After the war, Murphy went to Hollywood and began a movie career under the tutelage of
James Cagney. Most of the movies he made were westerns.
Indian Prairie has acquired the Audie Murphy Western Collection, which contains four films.
Sierra (1950)
is the first. Murphy's inexperience as an actor shows in this, his second starring western. And his then wife,
Wanda Hendrix, gives him no help due in part to her unusual voice. The film is nevertheless worthwhile because of the spectacular photography, the singing of
Burl Ives (who sings a few very beautiful ballads and a very comical song for children), and the appearance in small roles of future superstar,
Tony Curtis, and television's most famous western marshal
James Arness.
All four films include an introduction by Turner Classic Movies'
Ben Mankiewicz. The special features section of each film includes interesting facts. Also,
Sierra includes a mini-biography of Murphy. One of the interesting stories about this film is a mock fast draw gunfight between Murphy and Curtis. If you watch the other films in this collection, you will note how much Murphy grew as an actor.
The other films in the collection are
Drums Across the River (1954),
Ride Clear of Diablo (1954)
, and
Ride a Crooked Trail (1958). They are all solid westerns well worth watching.
In addition, Indian Prairie has three other Audie Murphy films: His autobiographical
To Hell and Back (1955);
Night
Passage (1957), a film I previously reviewed; and
No Name on the Bullet (1959).
To Hell and Back was Universal Studios' biggest box office hit ever, until it was eclipsed 20 years later by
Jaws.
Audie Murphy was good actor, who, unlike most actors, was a genuine hero. He stood 5’5”, had a baby face, but with his genuine humility and his life experiences he brought something special to his films. A friend said at his funeral, "Like the man, the headstone is too small." He is buried at
Arlington National Cemetery and after John Kennedy, his grave is the most visited gravesite.