John Charet’s Favorite Budd Boetticher Films

by John Charet

* * * * (Out of * * * *)

  1. Ride Lonesome (1959)
  2. A Time for Dying (1969)
  3. The Tall T (1957)
  4. Seven Men from Now (1956)
  5. Comanche Station (1960)
  6. Bullfighter and the Lady (1951)
  7. Arruza (1968/1971/1972)
    (Documentary)
  8. The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960)
  9. The Killer Is Loose (1956)
  10. Buchanan Rides Alone (1958)
  11. Decision at Sundown (1957)
  12. Westbound (1959)
  13. The Rifleman – Season 3 (1961)
    Episode: Stopover
    (Television)
  14. Maverick – Season 1 (1957)
    Episode: War of the Silver Kings
    Episode: Point Blank
    Episode: According to Hoyle
    (Television)

13 thoughts on “John Charet’s Favorite Budd Boetticher Films”

  1. No arguments with the top 5, top 6 to be honest. Personally, I would have placed Decision at Sundown higher, the movie has grown on me a good deal over the years.

    Conversely, I’m not keen on Westbound, and that’s despite the presence of Randolph Scott, and of Virginia Mayo too, or maybe even because of their presence as that alone creates some unfulfilled expectations.

    I’ve not seen the documentary or the Maverick episodes so I can’t comment on those, but I would have liked to add a couple of his Jeff Chandler movies: Red Ball Express, the climactic drive through the fire storm is worth the price of admission by itself, and East of Sumatra, which is enjoyably pulpy. I’d want to fit in The Man from the Alamo somewhere too.

  2. I think I have only seen two of those films, but I did watch both ‘Maverick’ and ‘The Rifleman’ when they were shown on TV in the UK.

    Best wishes, Pete.

  5. Great post John thank you for introducing me to a new artist!!! Jack Gonder

  10. Interesting Colin 🙂 Some have said that Decision at Sundown was the B-Western (and I mean this as a compliment) equivalent of 3:10 to Yuma. What do you think about that? 🙂

    I did read that Westbound was more of a contract film than one that Boetticher and Scott had really wanted to do.

    Thank you for the reminders of Red Ball Express, East of Sumatra and The Man from the Alamo 🙂 Been a while since I saw those and a fresh viewing will do me well 🙂

  11. That’s an interesting way of looking at it. The basic siege setup is mirrored to a degree in the films – though you could argue Last Train from Gun Hill plays around with those elements too – but the characters and motives are very different. Scott’s character is badly broken in a way Heflin’s Dan Evans never is for one thing.

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