Tag: Steve McQueen

The Hanging of Tom Horn

Tom Horn Prison

On October 22, 1903, Tom Horn was hanged in Wyoming, one day short of his forty-third birthday. Historians generally do not dispute that Horn had killed a number of men.  But most believe Horn was innocent of the killing for which he was hanged. Many are familiar with Horn’s later life through one of Steve McQueen’s final films.

Tom Horn’s Life

Horn was born on November 21, 1860 at a family farm in Scotland County, Missouri. Young Tom had a troubled early life, growing up in a large family with an abusive father. In one of his early fights, he was beat up by two boys who then killed his dog.

At the age of sixteen, Horn moved West.  There, he worked a number of different jobs, including acting as a scout for the Army. Horn acted as an interpreter when Geronimo surrendered to the Army. After the Apache Wars, Horn bought his own ranch.  But cattle thieves overran his ranch, again causing him to wander.

Horn found other work, such as as a prospector, a ranch hand, a deputy sheriff in Arizona, and an agent for the Pinkerton Detective agency. But it was his work for cattle companies that eventually led to his demise.

During the Johnson County War in Wyoming, Horn worked for the Wyoming Stock Growers Association. Reportedly, Horn killed a number of men in this role. He then worked in Colorado for the Swan Land and Cattle Company, where he again killed more men who were suspected of rustling.

Horn then served in the Army in Cuba during the Spanish American War. Eventually, though, he ended up back West working for cattle owners, this time working for cattle baron John C. Coble in Wyoming.

The Murder and Trial

On July 18, 1901, the body of a 14-year-old son of sheep ranchers was found murdered. Authorities began investigating the killing of the young Willie Nickell, soon focusing on Tom Horn.

The government put Horn on trial in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  The trial featured as a key piece of evidence a statement Horn made.  He had claimed, apparently while still drunk, that if he did the killing, it was the “best shot that I ever made and the dirtiest trick that I ever done.”

On October 24, 1902, the jury found Horn guilty of the murder. A few days later, the court sentenced him to death by hanging.

During the appeal, Horn wrote his autobiography while in jail, focusing on his early life: Life of Tom Horn, Government Scout and Interpreter. Eventually, the Wyoming Supreme Court turned down the appeal.

The governor refused to stop the hanging. And Horn was hanged in Cheyenne by means of a “Julian Gallows” that used water as a means of releasing the trap door.

Many historians believe Horn was innocent of the killing of Willie Nickell, while noting that he did do a number of other killings. Still, his case is a reminder of how innocent people may be convicted of capital crimes. Still today, we discover innocent people on death rows across America.

Tom Horn on TV and Film

Tom Horn’s story has resonated in popular culture. The 1954 television series Stories of the Century, took an unflattering look at Tom Horn and his crimes.

The episode portrays Horn as someone who worked for the law but “then for some reason turned criminal.” In the episode, actor Louis Jean Heydt portays Horn.

Steve McQueen provided the most famous portrayal of Horn in the 1980 movie Tom Horn. The film was based on Horn’s writings, and McQueen gives a largely sympathetic portrayal of Horn, while not shying away from his violence.

Steve McQueen McQueen was notorious for clashing with his directors, and Tom Horn went through several directors before TV director William Wiard came on board to finish the film. McQueen also requested several rewrites of the script, which included work by the great Western writer Thomas McGuane.

Tom Horn — which was released on March 28, 1980 — was the next-to-last film released that starred McQueen. During the filming of the movie, McQueen had trouble breathing, and he was later diagnosed with a form of lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma. On August 1 of that year, his final film, The Hunter, was released. McQueen died on November 1, 1980 at the age of 50.

The movie Tom Horn received mixed reviews and did a disappointing $12 million at the box office. At the time, Variety claimed that McQueen appeared to be walking through the lead role. But actor James Coburn claimed Tom Horn was McQueen’s best film. Currently, it has a 68% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie seems to have aged well over time, as has Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate, which was released the same year.  Empire calls Tom Horn an “underrated, gloomy Western.”

In subsequent years, viewers were more tolerant of Westerns that focused on something besides action.  In 2014, True West explained that the movie and McQueen’s acting in the film were ahead of their time: “Audiences were used to action-packed Westerns with gunfights and brawls. McQueen offered them something different—a meditation of the West and a character study of one of America’s best-known figures of the era.”

Below is the trailer for Tom Horn. Check it out.

Photo via public domain. What did you think of the movie “Tom Horn”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Folk Singer Glenn Yarbrough, the Real Most Interesting Man in the World

    Baby the Rain Must Fall A certain beer commercial gives viewers glimpses of the life of “the most interesting man of the world.” If the commercials were to choose a famous singer, a good choice for the most interesting man would be folk singer Glenn Yarbrough, who passed away recently on August 11, 2016 in Nashville at the age of 86.  Yarbrough, who was born in Milwaukee on January 12, 1930, had quite an interesting life outside his music career, which included the hit song, “Baby the Rain Must Fall.”

    The Limeliters

    As the New York Times obituary reported, Yarbrough was someone who “found fame and fortune . . . but who walked away from it all for a life at sea.”  Yet, there is more to the story.

    Yarbrough first turned to music while in college after hearing and meeting Woody Guthrie.  The next day, he went and bought a guitar.

    During the Korean War, Yarbrough worked as a codebreaker and then went on to entertain troops.  After his service, he opened a club in Aspen, Colorado called the Limelite.

    The club name provided the foundation for the folk group Yarbrough formed in the late 1950s with Alex Hassilev and Louis Gottlieb.  The Limeliters released their first album in 1960.

    During the folk revival of the 1960s, the Limeliters achieved significant success selling records, performing, and in TV appearances.  They performed both traditional (“John Henry”) and contemporary (“Charlie, the Midnight Marauder”) numbers.

    Below, you may see the Limeliters performing in 1963, starting with “Wabash Cannonball.” Yarbrough is the singer on the right who is playing guitar and has a wonderful tenor voice.

    “Baby the Rain Must Fall”

    Yarbrough left the group in 1963 with the intent to spend the next decade sailing.  But the record company convinced him to continue recording as a solo artist.

    In 1965, Yarbrough had his biggest hit with “Baby the Rain Must Fall,” the song from the movie of the same name starring Steve McQueen and Lee Remick.  In the film, McQueen lip synced the song as a singer named Billy Strange actually provided the vocals. The song was written by Elmer Bernstein and Ernie Sheldon.

    While the movie presented a folk version of “Baby the Rain Must Fall,” Yarbrough’s version features drums and a full instrumentation, more fitting of a pop song in the 1960s. Below, Yarbrough performs “Baby the Rain Must Fall” on Hollywood Go Go.  Before he starts singing, you may hear him talking about his love of the sea.

    Other Music in the 1960s

    In the mid-1960s, Yarbrough collaborated with poet and songwriter Rod McKuen on several albums, including The Lonely Things: The Love Songs of Rod McKuen (1966).  That album featured the song “People Change.”

    Yarbrough also sang the title song from the holiday TV special, The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t (1966). You may hear his voice toward the end of this commercial for the American-Italian film.

    Helping Others . . . and Sailing the Sea

    Yarbrough remained restless as he built his successful music career. For example, in the mid 1960s, he became frustrated performing for the well-off people who could afford tickets to his concerts.

    So, by the late 1960s, Yarbrough sold many of his possessions — including several fancy cars and real estate holdings. And he started a school in the mountains outside Los Angeles for disadvantaged children, most who were African-American. The school lasted until it had to close for lack of funds in the early 1970s.

    By then, Yarbrough returned to the sea for the most part of five years. He rented out his home and traveled with his second wife and their baby aboard a 57-foot sailboat he had helped build.

    For the next three decades, Yarbrough spent much of his time at sea.  He returned to dry land periodically to make money recording and performing both as a solo artist and at Limeliters reunion concerts.

    If you saw the 1977 animated Rankin/Bass television version of The Hobbit, you may remember Yarbrough’s recognizable voice. He sang musical numbers for The Hobbit, including “The Greatest Adventure.” He also recorded songs for The Return of the King (1980).

    Until Yarbrough moved to live with his daughter six years ago, he lived on Lake Chapala, near Guadalajara, Mexico. There, he grew fruit and vegetables that he gave to the poor.

    Restlessness and Meaning

    Although Yarbrough suffered from dementia at the end of his life, he seems to have been one of the most perceptive and grounded entertainers in history. He once commented how success is “meaningless,” where a performer is loved not for his music but for his fame.

    Yarbrough’s life seems to have been a constant struggle to give meaning to his restless life. From what we know, he never seemed completely settled, being separated from his fourth wife at the time of his death. But through the various left turns, he constructed a fascinating life.

    Yarbrough gave to others in a number of ways.  But I hope as he sails the heavens that he realized how much he also gave with his voice.

    What is your favorite Glenn Yarbrough song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Antoine Fuqua, who previously directed Training Day (2001) and King Arthur (2004), directs the new film. From the trailer, it seems he at least roughly follows the story of the 1961 film, which was directed by John Sturges. That film, in turn was based on the great Japanese film, Seven Samurai (1954), which was directed by Akira Kurosawa.

    The trailer shows a widow (Bennett) seeking help to get vengeance for her husband’s death. As in the original The Magnificent Seven, the new trailer indicates one thing leads to another, so that the rag-tag band of seven has to stand up against an army to protect a town. Check out the trailer below.

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    12 Years a Slave (Short Review)

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    In describing the film, one has to be careful not to ruin the story, but like the miniseries Roots (1977) or the movie Schindler’s List (1993), you sort of know what to expect when you decide to watch it. Not surprisingly, the movie features scenes of nearly unwatchable brutality, and generally the line between good guys and bad guys is clear, and the bad people are really bad.

    Solomon Northop Yet, there are two main reasons to see 12 Years a Slave. One reason is the fine performers, especially actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, who portrays Northup, bringing a complicated humanity to the man. Ejiofor makes Northup a three-dimensional human being that helps the audience understand the man’s agony as he discovers his fate and struggles to find a way home. In more than one scene, Director Steve McQueen lets the camera linger on Eliofor’s face and eyes, relying upon the actor to carry a scene without movement or dialogue. Eliofor, who has made small parts memorable in such movies as Children of Men (2006) and Love Actually (2003), here shows that he is an actor who should be commanding more lead roles. Similarly, other performers like Lupita Nyong’o as Patsey (who the New Yorker calls the hero of the film) and Michael Fassbender as an unstable slave owner are outstanding. Producer Brad Pitt also makes a welcome appearance.

    The other main reason to see 12 Years a Slave is that it is a true story. Were the movie fictional, it would carry less gravitas and in some ways would border on unbelievable. But the movie, with a screenplay by John Ridley, presents an essential reminder of the American legacy of slavery and how humans can treat each other in immoral and brutal ways.

    Although in the past I have written how I hate when movies manipulate viewers into cheering for violence against characters, while watching 12 Years a Slave, I found myself longing for Jamie Foxx as Django from Django Unchained (2012) to suddenly appear and render his bloody justice. But unfortunately 12 Years a Slave is not a fantasy, and real life does not end so neatly.

    Conclusion: 12 Years a Slave is essential viewing. The high Rotten Tomatoes rating (critics: 97%; audience: 94%) may partly reflect how a movie with such a subject is beyond criticism, but it also reflects powerful filmmaking.

    Bonus Real-Life Information (Spoiler Alert: Do Not Read If You Have Not Seen the Movie): For some reason, one of the most moving moments in the movie for me was the epilogue where the titles explained what happened to Northup. I found it disturbing that nobody knows what happened to him. Wikipedia explains that some people believe that he may have been kidnapped into slavery again, apparently dying in anonymity on a Southern plantation. Others believe that he died of natural causes in the North. I choose to believe the latter because the former is too horrible to imagine. And so I pray that Northup’s final line in his book came true: “I hope henceforward to lead an upright though lowly life, and rest at last in the church yard where my father sleeps.”

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