Last night I ran the blu ray DVD movie Rio Bravo (1959) with John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson , Walter Brennan and Angie Dickinson. In the movie there is one magical scene I never grow tired of watching.The movie is about The sheriff ( John Wayne) of a small town in southwest Texas must keep custody of a murderer whose brother, a powerful rancher, is trying to help him escape. After a friend is killed (Ward Bond) trying to muster support for him, he and his deputies - a disgraced drunk (Dean Martin) and a cantankerous old cripple (Walter Brennan) - must find a way to hold out against the rancher's hired guns until the marshal arrives. In the meantime, matters are complicated by the presence of a young gunslinger (Ricky Nelson) - and a mysterious beauty (Angie Dickinson) who just came in on the last stagecoach.
The scene takes place in the sheriffs office/jail where Dean Martin is laying on a bed with his hat over his head singing "My pony my Rifle and Me" accompanied by Ricky Nelson on guitar and Walter Brennan on a harmonica while John Wayne looks on drinking a cup of coffee. If you click on the title there is a YouTube video of the scene. Everyone of the actors in the scene is gone now.....
This was Ward Bond's last movie with John Wayne. Bond died a short time later. they had been good friends and drinking buddies since their days at U$C playing football. At the time he was staring in the TV series "Wagon Train."
The movie was filmed at "Old Tuscon Studios" in Arizona. When the kids were younger I took the family there on our 'Southwest trip" and I love the place.
