The Maverick Mesa Picture Show

Elias T. Ludlow
  • 5.0 (2)
  • TV & FILM
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

A show about western films. What they mean. How they reflect history. And what they say about our society and culture today.

Episodes

  1. 05/03/2025

    Wagon Master

    Mormons and stunt ridin' cowboys take us through the red scare and communist hunters in Hollywood, the debate between consumerism and producerism, and whether or not some buckaroos have free will. (Also, a guy who dreams of a gorilla eventually directs King Kong.) It's John Ford's 1950 film, Wagon Master. Director: John Ford Writer: Patrick Ford, Frank S. Nugent Cinematography: Bert Glennon Editor: Jack Murray Starring: Ben Johnson, Joanne Dru, Harry Carey, Jr, Ward Bond, Charles Kemper Sources McBride, Joseph, Searching for John Ford. St Martin's Press, 2001. Eyman, Scott, Print the Legend: the Life and Times of John Ford. Simon and Schuster, 1999. Gallagher, Tag, John Ford: the Man and His Films. University of California Press, 1986. Carey, Jr, Harry, Company of Heroes. Taylor Trade Publishing, 2013. Lim, Dennis, "'Wagon Master' Rolls on" LA Times, 2009. De Tocqueville, Alexis, Democracy in America, Vol II. Whitman, James Q, "Consumerism Versus Producerism: A Study in Comparative Law." The Yale Law Journal, 2007. Utah Blackhawk War Pod Info Music: Western electric Guitar Riff by Bertsz Email: elias@maverickmesapictureshow.com

    1h 24m
  2. Meek's Cutoff

    04/17/2025

    Meek's Cutoff

    Power dynamics amongst the powerless. Morality in the face of the unknown. The beginnings of a 'whites only' state. Learning the nearly lost language of Nez Perce. Post 9-11 paranoia. And the cynical savior complex of the US during the Afghan and Iraq Wars. This is 2010's Meek's Cutoff. Director/Editor: Kelly Reichardt Writer: Jonathan Raymond Cinematographer: Chris Blauvelt Music: Jeff Grace Starring: Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Rod Rondeaux, Will Patton, Zoe Kazan, Paul Dano, Shirley Henderson, Neal Huff, and Tommy Nelson. Sources “Woman, War, and the Politics of Emancipation in Afghanistan” by Ashraf and Kennedy-Pipe “Meek’s Cutoff: Mind and Matter” by Richard Brody “In Such a Place, A Person Might Die in a Day” by Thomas Powers “Out on the Frontier, Bringing All That Baggage With Them” by A.O. Scott “Film Review: Meek’s Cutoff” by Kate Stables Going West: the Making of Meek’s Cutoff (Fresh Air, April 14, 2011) Cayuse War Cockstock Incident Oregon Black Exclusion Laws Pod Info Music: Western electric Guitar Riff by Bertsz Email: elias@maverickmesapictureshow.com

    59 min
  3. The Big Trail

    04/04/2025

    The Big Trail

    A production that could rival a military expedition. The first leading role of John Wayne. A film so massive in scale that it contributed to the downfall of a studio. The Big Trail is a mostly forgotten epic, but represents a unique era of America culture. Debuting in 1930 at the dawn of sound films, just before the Great Depression, this film tried to elevate Westerns from their b-movie status to something more prestigious. Unfortunately, its financial failure would scare-off any attempt at a 'prestige' Western for almost a decade. Director: Raoul Walsh Screenplay: Jack Peabody, Marie Boyle, Florence Postal & Fred Serser Based on the Novel The Shaggy Legion by Hal G. Evarts Cinematographers: Lucien Andriot & Arthur Edeson Editor: Jack Dennis Starring: John Wayne, Marguertie Churchill, Tyrone Power, Sr, Ian Keith, Charles Stevens, Ward Bond, Tully Marshall, Ward Bond Sources: Simmon, Scott. The Invention of the Western Film: A Cultural History of the Genre's First Half-Century. Cambridge University Press, 2003 . Nick Pinterton - "The Big Trail", 2013 Fred Camper - "Wide West," Chicago Reader, 1988 Mordaunt Hall - "A Grandeur Production," New York Times, 1930 Walt Whitman - Pioneers! O Pioneers!, 1865 Rudyard Kipling, The White Man's Burden. 1899 Mark Twain - To the Person Sitting in Darkness, 1901 William James - The Philippine Question, 1903

    50 min
  • 3 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

A show about western films. What they mean. How they reflect history. And what they say about our society and culture today.

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