Acosta, Rodolfo

Old Yeller 2-Movie Collection (Old Yeller/Savage Sam)

OLD YELLER: Walt Disney's first and quintessential film about a boy's love for his dog is now an American original as much as it is a Disney classic. No film better portrays the powerful emotions of hope, courage, and friendship. When his younger brother adopts a frisky lop-eared stray, 15-year-old Travis (Tommy Kirk), acting "man-of-the-house," tries to shoo him away. But Old Yeller soon proves he is anything but "yellow" when he protects the family farm and saves Travis' life. From its charming simplicity to its gripping conclusion, the drama, humor and heart of OLD YELLER belong in everyone's collection. SAVAGE SAM: Now discover what happens next in SAVAGE SAM, the sequel to Walt Disney's classic adventure OLD YELLER, where adopting a new pup sets the stage for more thrills in the untamed West. With his two young masters Travis and Arliss Coates (Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran), gentle and true-blue Sam faces even greater dangers than Yeller. From the ferocious attacks of wolves and wildcats to tracking renegade wrongdoers, our four-legged hero proves his pedigree. SAVAGE SAM is a compelling story of love, devotion, and trust that is sure to win your heart.

Hondo (Full Screen)

Although scarcely seen in its original 3-D, and entirely out of sight for a decade and a half after its producer-star died, Hondo has maintained a high rep among John Wayne fans--and it wasn't even directed by Howard Hawks or John Ford. (Actually, Ford did shoot some second-unit stuff while visiting Wayne on location.) Half-breed Hondo, companioned only by an antisocial dog, tends to be more sympathetic toward the Apaches than toward the white society he occasionally scouts for. He falls into uneasy friendship with a New Mexico farmwoman (Geraldine Page) whose husband deserts her for long stretches, and whose son (Lee Aaker) is blood brother to the local Apache chieftain. A good, spare frontier tale--Louis L'Amour via James Edward (Angel and the Badman) Grant--in which danger and solace come in unexpected ways. John Farrow, who did direct, brings it in at a lean 84 minutes. Page was Oscar^®-nominated for this first film role. --Richard T. Jameson

Based on the Louis L'Amour story "The Gift of Cochise," this sparkling western has Wayne as a half-Indian Cavalry scout who, with his feral dog companion, finds a young woman and her son living on a isolated ranch in unfriendly Apache country. A poetic and exciting script, outstanding performances, and breathtaking scenery make this an indisputable classic. Page's debut.

The Sons of Katie Elder

John Wayne recovered from his first bout with cancer to appear in this 1965 film as the brother of Dean Martin, Earl Holliman, and Michael Anderson Jr. All four characters are wandering souls prone to trouble, but after the funeral of their frontier mother, they set out to avenge her death. Directed by Henry Hathaway (Wayne's director on True Grit), the film moves like a conventional, latter-day Western, with good performances from Wayne and Martin, who'd already costarred with the Duke in Howard Hawks's Rio Bravo. Nice support from Dennis Hopper (who had a legendary conflict with Hathaway on this film), Strother Martin, and George Kennedy. --Tom Keogh

Flaming Star

Definitely a contender for the underwhelming title of Best Elvis Movie, this handsomely shot Western actually makes Elvis act, rather than coast on his personality. (As though to underscore the point, the two obligatory songs are dispensed with under the opening credits and in the first scene.) Don Siegel was probably the best director the King ever worked with, and he draws a quietly smoldering performance from Elvis, who was still undeniably raw. Even better, Siegel captures an existential starkness to homestead and town, and calmly makes a pro-Native American case without preaching (Elvis plays a half-breed caught between sides in an Indian vs. settlers dustup). Yes, this was 30 years before Dances with Wolves--there were actually quite a few such movies during this era. All in all, a decent picture, and an indication of where Elvis's career might have gone if he hadn't given himself over to fluff. --Robert Horton

West Texas in the years after the Civil War is an uneasy meeting ground of two cultures, one white. The other native American. Elvis portrays Pacer Burton. The son of a white rancher (John McIntire) and his beatiful Kiowa Indian wife (Dolores DelRio). When fighting breaks out between the settlers and natives, Pacer tries to act as a peace maker, but the "flaming star of death" pulls him irrevocably into the deadly violence.

Return of the Magnificent Seven

Yul Brynner returns to lead a new band of gunfighters in this sequel to the classic Magnificent Seven, which delivers enough Western action to please genre fans. Return has Brynner's Chris recruiting a new Seven to rescue original member Chico (Julian Mateos, replacing Horst Buchholz), who has been kidnapped by a bandit (Emilio Fernandez). The Magnificent Seven is such an established critical and fan favorite that comparisons between it and Return will inevitably yield negative reactions, and while some aspects of the second film are inferior (in particular, a colorless new Seven, save for veteran scene-stealers Claude Akins and Warren Oates), it's capably directed by Western specialist Burt Kennedy, who is aided in no small part by returning composer Elmer Bernstein's rousing score. Two sequels followed--Guns of the Magnificent Seven and The Magnificent Seven Ride!--with George Kennedy and Lee Van Cleef, respectively, in the Brynner role. --Paul Gaita

The legendary Magnificent Seven thunder through Mexico and make cinematic historyagain! StarringAcademy AwardÂ(r)winner* Yul Brynner and a stellar supporting cast that includes Robert Fuller, Warren Oates and Claude Akins, Return of the Magnificent Seven features Elmer Bernstein's OscarÂ(r)-nominated** score and raises the bar for rugged western adventure to a new, heart-stopping level!It's been six years since Chico (Julian Mateos) rode with Chris Adams (Brynner) and his band of gunslingers. It was then that he married the beautiful Petra (Elisa Montes) andpromised to lay down his weapons forever. But when the cruel outlaw Lorca (Emilio Fernandez) beginsto terrorize his village, Chico, Chris and five new brave gunmen must ride again. Now, with the odds against them, the heroic seven emerge with guns blazing to face the shootout of their lives and what may be their final battle!

The Proud Ones

The main draw (and quick draw) of this 1956 Western is the marvelous presence of Robert Ryan in the lead role. This underappreciated actor plays a Kansas marshal with a history of perceived cowardice in his past. Everything comes to a head in a single week: a cattle drive ends in town, bringing shootin' and hollerin'; Ryan's nemesis, a casino-runner played by veteran bad guy Robert Middleton, arrives to soak the suckers; and young hotshot Jeffrey Hunter, whose father was killed by Ryan, arrives with revenge on his mind. Oh, and Ryan himself begins to suffer from blinding headaches. Despite the crowded plot, the results are Fifties Western boilerplate, with few distinguishing features beyond the cast. But the supporting ranks are crowded with essential horse-saga actors: Walter Brennan, Arthur O'Connell, Rodolfo Acosta, and of course the bearded, lizard-eyed Middleton. Virginia Mayo plays Ryan's hotel-keeper ladyfriend. Ace cinematographer Lucien Ballard gets a few good outdoor CinemaScope set-ups into the generally backlot feel of the thing. But the reason to see the film is lanky Robert Ryan, whose compelling mix of neurosis, gentleness, and fury is on full display here. --Robert Horton

When a flood of lawless gunmen invades his once peaceful town, Marshal Cass Silver (Ryan) knows it?s up to him to force them out. But the only chance he might have is to gain the help of a gunslinger named Thad (Hunter), who wrongly believes the Marshal is responsible for his father?s death. To save the town, Silver will have to earn the aid, and trust, of a man sworn to send him to his grave!

The Great White Hope

James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander won Oscar nominations for their riveting performances in this study of a great fighter brought down by lesser men.

The Sons of Katie Elder / The Shootist

RKO Adventure Classics Double Feature: Appointment in Honduras/Escape to Burma

A special DVD pairing two adventure classics from the Golden Age of Hollywood and the legendary studio RKO Radio Pictures. Featuring all the action, adventure, romance and intrigue you can handle, plus an impressive cast of stars, including big-screen legends Glenn Ford and Barbara Stanwyck! The twin-bill includes APPOINTMENT IN HONDURAS (1953) and ESCAPE TO BURMA (1955). Bonus Features: Original Theatrical Trailers| "Escape to Burma" is Anamorphic Widescreen Enhanced for 16x9 monitors| Actor Bios| Scene Selection. Specs: DVD10; Dolby Digital Mono; 165 minutes; Color; 1.33:1 & 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1953-1955; SRP - $6.99.

One Eyed Jacks

Early in 1959 Marlon Brando began one of his most unique projects of his career - directing himself in One-Eyed Jacks. Taken from Charles Neider's novel One-Eyed Jacks is a tale of revenge set in Mexico. Stanley Kubrik was originally signed to direct but he and Brando failed to agree on much of anything and he was dismissed four weeks prior to filming. Marlon decided to direct the movie himself. The movie went well over budget. On completion Brando the director had set a new world record by exposing over one million feet of film stock. --- It's the Old West of 1880 and Brando stars as Kid Rio who along with his partner Dad Longworth (Karl Malden) are bank robbers who are caught holding up a Mexican bank. Longworth gets away and allows his partner to get caught and go to jail. When Rio is released five years later he goes out to seek revenge however he is surprised to find his partner is married with a stepdaughter and a sheriff of a town. Complications set in when Rio himself falls in love with the stepdaughter.System Requirements: Running Time 141 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 787364441198 Manufacturer No: 44411-9