CLASSIC MOVIE NIGHT at the Historic USO Building

September belongs to the ladies in Western film adventures.

Classic Movie Night continues its latest film series, “Westerns…with a Twist” on Wednesday, September 10 and Wednesday, September 24 with two off-beat films of the western genre.

First up, on 9/10, Joan Crawford literally tears apart the screen and (on and off-screen) nemesis Mercedes McCambridge in a singularly unique western saga filmed in 1954 by small studio, Republic Pictures.

On the outskirts of town, the hard-nosed Vienna (Joan Crawford) owns a saloon frequented by the undesirables of the region, including Dancin’ Kid (Scott Brady) and his gang. Another patron of Vienna’s establishment is Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden), a former gunslinger and her lover. When a heist is pulled in town that results in a man’s death, Emma Small (Mercedes McCambridge), Vienna’s rival, rallies the townsfolk to take revenge on Vienna’s saloon — even without proof of her wrongdoing.

It’s obvious, from the film’s opening scenes, that Crawford and McCambridge are headed for a bang ‘em up showdown, and director Nicholas Ray doesn’t disappoint. Crawford had never done a part like this before, but her professional star was fading, and at this point, and much to her credit, she was willing to try different things.  A brilliant supporting cast that includes: Ernest Borgnine, Royal Dano, and Ben Cooper, with a haunting theme song performed by famed recording artist, Peggy Lee, this production was far above the quality of Republic’s usual output of standard westerns and serials.  Upon initial release, neither critics nor general audiences knew quite what to think of this unusual film.  However, it did fairly well at the box office, and after much scrutiny through the years, the film has gone on to be a cult favorite.