Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns
Page 25
The Lone Rider in Ghost Town
(1941) [Film; WMW]
Premiere: May 16, 1941; Main Cast: George Houston as Tom Cameron/The Lone Rider, Al “Fuzzy” St. John as Fuzzy Jones, Alaine Brandes as Helen Clark, Alden Chase as Robert Sinclair, Edward Peil Sr. as Dennis Clark, Budd Buster as “Moosehide” Larsen; Producer: Sigmund Neufeld; Story: Joseph O'Donnell; Director: Sigmund Newfield; 64 min.; Producers Releasing Corporation; b/w.
Robert Sinclair and his gang use a supposedly haunted ghost town as a base for their gold mining operations.
“Lone Star Planet”
[Magazine fiction; SW]
Authors: H. Beam Piper, John J. McGuire; First publication: Fantastic Universe Science Fiction, Vol. 7, No. 3, March 1957
A junior diplomat is assigned to a planet of Texans with dinosaur-sized cattle.
They had found Capella IV, a Terra-type planet, with a slightly higher mean temperature, a lower mass and lower gravitational field, about one-quarter water and three-quarters land-surface, at a stage of evolutionary development approximately that of Terra during the late Pliocene. They also found supercow, a big mammal looking like the unsuccessful attempt of a hippopotamus to impersonate a dachshund and about the size of a nuclear-steam locomotive. On New Texas' plains, there were billions of them; their meat was fit for the gods of Olympus. So New Texas had become the meat-supplier to the galaxy.
See: A Planet for Texans
“Lone Star Traveler”
[Short story; SFW]
Editors: William F. Nolan, William K. Schafer; First publication: California Sorcery: A Group Celebration; Abingdon MD: Cemetery Dance, 1999.
A time traveler visits Texas in 1910 in an attempt to save the life of an important person from the year 2060.
Lone Stars: The Texas Rangers
[RPG book; WW]
Author: Christopher McGlothlin; First publication: 2001; Setting: Deadlands: The Weird West; System: Classic and D20; Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
Guide to the Confederated States organization Texas Rangers.
“Long Live the King”
[Pulp fiction; WW]
Author: Lon Williams; Character: Lee Winters; First publication: Real Western Stories (April 1955).
Deputy Marshal Lee Winters is puzzled when a strangely dressed man calling himself King Kiff-Wiff rides into town on an enormous black hog. Is he a ghost or the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian pyramid builder?
Lord of Thunder
[Novel; Juvenile: SW]
Author: Andre Norton; First published: New York: Harcourt, Brace & World Inc., 1962.
The tribes of Arzor join the Norbies as they journey into the uncharted country beyond the mountains known as the Blue. The Beast Master and Storm must follow them into the forbidden country to prevent the Arzor from suffering a horrible fate.
The second novel featuring exiled Native American Indian Hosteen Storm.
Lost Angels
[RPG book; WW]
Authors: Matt Forbeck with John Goff, Paul Beakley; First publication: 1998; Setting: Deadlands: The Weird West; Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
Sourcebook for the post–Devil's Tower City o' Lost Angels, California, and the havoc and destruction caused by Reverend Grimme and his cannibal cult. Includes the adventure “The Heart o' the Matter.”
Lost Colony: Book Two: The Red Menace
[Graphic novel; WW]
Author: Grady Klein; First published: 2007; Publisher: First Second.
In wintertime, Indian hater Sherman Krutch arrives on the island where existing Red Menace hysteria is further fueled by plans to build an army of Indian-fighting robots.
Set on a mysterious island in the mid-1800s, the book series examines 19th century America through parody.
Lost in Space
(1965) [TV series]
The adventures of the Space Family Robinson and their attempts to find a way to return to Earth after becoming lost in space.
“WEST OF MARS” (2:11) [SW]
Air date: November 30, 1966; Main Cast: Guy Williams as Prof. John Robinson, June Lockhart as Maureen Robinson, Mark Goddard as Major Don West, Billy Mumy as Will Robinson, Angela Cartwright as Penny Robinson, Marta Kristen as Judy Robinson, Jonathan Harris as Dr. Zachary Smith/Zeno; Guest Cast: Lane Bradford as Pleiades Pete, Allan Melvin as Enforcer Claudio, Mickey Manners as Dee; Producer: Irwin Allen; Story: Michael Fessier; Director: Nathan Juran; 60 min; 20th Century–Fox Television, CBS, Irwin Allen Productions; Color.
Dr. Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris) is mistaken for his lookalike, intergalactic gunslinger Zeno.
“Lost Paradise”
[Pulp fiction; SW]
Author: C. L. Moore; First publication: Weird Tales (July 1936).
A stranger with a mysterious package reveals his past to Northwest Smith as Smith journeys through time and space to the moon of Seles and an encounter with Baloise the Beautiful and three gods who feed on death.
Love in Vein: Twenty Original Talesof Vampiric Erotica
[Book anthology]
Editor: Poppy Z. Brite; First publication: New York: HarperPrism, 1994.
Features the Vampire Western “Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu” by Norman Partridge.
Lucky Luke
[Comic book; Belgium]
1. First appearance: Le Journal de Spirou, December 7, 1946; Creator: Morris (Maurice de Bevere); Story: Rene Goscinny. Publisher: Dupuis.
Capable of shooting a gun faster than his own shadow, lanky cowboy Lucky Luke, his intelligent chess-playing horse Jolly Jumper and incredibly stupid dog Rantanplan fight crime in the Old West.
Primarily a parody of the Old West featuring historic characters such as the Daltons, Jesse James and Billy the Kid, Lucky Luke incorporated Weird Western themes in the short-lived Italian live-action TV series and French animated TV series.
Although Lucky Luke has enjoyed long-lasting success in continental Europe, he hasn't captured the imagination of the British or American public to the same extent.
2. TV series; Italy; [WW]
Premiere: 1991; Main Cast: Terence Hill as Lucky Luke, Nancy Morgan as Lotta Legs, Fritz Sperberg as Averill Dalton, Ron Carey as Joe Dalton, Bo Greigh as Jack Dalton; Producers: Lucio Bompani, Rey Atalia; Story: Lori Hill, Carl Sautter, Doug Molitor; Directors: Terence Hill, Ted Nicolaou, Richard Schlesinger; Paloma Films, Reteitalia; Italy; 8 × 60 min; Color.
Short-lived Italian Western series with elements of fantasy, based on the long-running comic book character.
Season One [WW episodes]
“MAGIA INDIANA” (GRAND DELUSIONS) (1:02); DIRECTOR: TERENCE HILL.
Lucky Luke witnesses the townsfolk of Daisy Town attending his own funeral.
“IL TRENO FANTASMA” (GHOST TRAIN) (1:04); DIRECTOR: TED NICOLAOU.
A gold prospector's fanciful stories of a ghost train are treated with scorn until people begin to disappear in front of their eyes.
“UNA NOTTE DI MEZZA ESTATE A DAISY TOWN” (MIDSUMMER) (1:06); DIRECTOR: TERENCE HILL.
A gypsy's love potion causes the person who drinks it to fall in love with the first person he or she sees. But confusion follows when the townsfolk fall in love with the wrong person.
See: Les Nouvelles Aventures de Lucky Luke
Lynch
[Novella; WW]
Author: Nancy A. Collins; First publication: 1998; Publisher: Cemetery Dance Publications.
The life of former desperado Johnny Pearl is shattered when a psychotic cavalry officer slaughters his wife and their unborn child. Pearl is left hanging from a tree until the arrival of a medicine wagon driven by the weird Dr. Mirablis and his traveling companion, the giant Sasquatch.
Macabre Western
[Comic book; WW]
First appearance: 1971; Art: Bill Black, Dick Ayers; Publisher: Paragon Publications.
This title featured the first Magazine Enterprises Ghost Rider reprints under the new title Haunted Horseman. Macabre Western lasted two issues and inclu
ded the classic Dick Ayers Ghost Rider strips “The Devil Deals in Death,” “The Living Head,” “The House on Skull Mountain” and “The League of Living Dead” and the horror strip “A Web for a Wedding Dress.” The second issue also featured Red Mask in “Face of Death” by Frank Bolle.
The original Ghost Rider name couldn't be used because Marvel Comics owned the copyright with the publication of their version of Ghost Rider in February 1967. Bill Black, creator of Macabre Western and the re-titled Ghost Rider name Haunted Horseman, stated, “Vincent Sullivan protested Marvel's use of the name Ghost Rider but lost since Magazine Enterprises was out of business by the 1960s.”
See: Paragon Western Stars
MacGyver
(1985) [TV series]
Refusing to carry a gun, secret agent Angus MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) relies on ingenuity and resourcefulness to outwit his opponents.
“SERENITY: (5:12) [WW]
Air date: January 8, 1990; Main Cast: Richard Dean Anderson as MacGyver, Dana Elcar as Pete Thornton; Guest Stars: Teri Hatcher as Penny Parker, Cuba Gooding Jr. as Billy Colton, Robert Donner as Milt Bozer, Michael des Barres as Murdoc; Executive Producer: Stephen Downing; Story: Stephen Kandel; Director: William Gereghty; 45 min.; Henry Winkler/John Rich Productions, Paramount Television; Color.
MacGyver falls asleep and finds himself in the town of Serenity in the Old West. When he awakes, he is confused. His dream was so vivid it felt as if it really happened. When he spots a pocket knife with a bullet hole lying next to him, he recognizes it as the same knife that saved his life in his dream.
“MCGYVER'S WOMEN” (6:08) [WW]
Air date: November 12, 1990; Main Cast: Richard Dean Anderson as MacGyver, Dana Elcar as Pete Thornton; Guest Stars: Wil Calhoun as Jesse James, Russell Hamilton as Billy the Kid; Traci Lords as Jenny, Marshall R. Teague as Logan, Dale Wilson as Sundance; Executive Producer: Stephen Downing; Story: Stephen Kandel, Lincoln Kibbee; Director: Michael Preece; 45 min.; Henry Winkler/John Rich Productions, Paramount Television; Color.
In his dreams, MacGyver revisits the Old West town of Serenity where he meets Jesse James and Billy the Kid.
Mad Amos
[Short story anthology; WW]
Author: Alan Dean Foster; First publication: New York: Ballantine Books, 1996.
Mountain man Mad Amos Malone and his crossbreed horse-unicorn Worthless encounter dragons, headless Indian spirits and a South Pacific island shaman in this collection of ten short stories.
Mad at the Moon
(1992) [Film; WW]
Main Cast: Mary Stuart Masterson as Jenny Hill, Hart Bochner as Miller Brown, Stephen Blake as James Miller, Daphne Zuniga as Young Mrs. Miller, Eleanor Baggett as Older Mrs. Miller, Fionnula Flanagan as Mrs. Hill, Pat Atkins as Mrs. Russell; Executive Producer: Michael Jaffe; Story: Martin Donovan, Richard Pelusi; Director: Martin Donovan; 98 min.; Republic Pictures; Color.
Jenny Hill's mother (Flanagan) disapproves of her daughter's love for outlaw James Miller and arranges a marriage to young frontier farmer Miller Brown. Jenny's unhappiness is compounded when she discovers her husband turns into a werewolf every full moon.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
(1981) [Film; Australia; SFW]
Premiere: December 24, 1981; Main Cast: Mel Gibson as “Mad” Max Rockatansky, Virginia Hey as Warrior Woman, Bruce Spence as Gyro Captain, Max Phipps as , Emil Minty as the Feral Kid, Mike Preston as Pappagallo, Vernon Wells as Wez; Story: Terry Hayes, George Miller, Brian Hannant; Producer: Byron Kennedy; Director: George Miller; 94 min.; Kennedy Miller Productions, Color.
In a post-apocalyptic world of warring gangs competing for scarce gasoline reserves, Max Rockatansky strikes a deal with the natives of a besieged outpost to supply him with gas in return for a tanker to transport their gasoline reserves to safety.
Madame Tarantula
[Comic book character; SFW]
First appearance: Tigress Tales, 2001; Creator: Mike Hoffman; Publishers: Antimatter Hoffman International, Eye Bank Comics.
Osimvah's father and aunt were murdered by the Apache Indian tribe who then raised the orphaned child as their own. Osimvah was eventually returned to the white people by Apache Curled Fingers when she was a young woman.
Capable of kindness and cruelty in equal measure depending on the circumstances, Madame Tarantula (the Apache translation of Osimvah is tarantula) has amazing regenerative powers with DNA replete in nanites that can restore limbs and heal wounds within seconds.
She lives her life as an outcast in the American New West of 4077 A.D. where she wanders between mining towns encountering Bioautomatonic drones from the feared Twilight Agency, indirectly responsible for the destruction of Earth's environment, and prospectors searching for radiumite with the help of robots.
Mike Hoffman describes his creation:, “I wanted to adapt traditional Western themes specifically to allow freedom in designing landscapes, flora and fauna, robots and other characters. Artistically, it was an exploration of odd, unusual shapes. My conception of Madame Tarantula probably owes something to actress Tura Satana as I later produced a comic book on her.”
Madame Tarantula. Artwork © Mike Hoffman. Used with permission.
Madame Tarantula in “Ghosts of the Second Empire” from Madame Tarantula: The Black Mariah Magazine #1 (October 2004). Story-Art © Mike Hoffman. Used with permission.
The Magic Wagon
[Novel; WW]
Author: Joe R. Lansdale; First publication: Garden City NY: Doubleday, 1986.
Orphaned youngster Buster Fogg travels through Texas on a Magic Wagon with the mummified body of Wild Bill Hickok and a wrestling chimpanzee.
Lansdale's first novel mixes the traditions of the Western with eccentric characters and supernatural landscapes.
Magico Vento
[Comic book character; Italy; WW]
First appearance: Magico Vento #1, July 1997; Creator: Gianfranco Manfredi; Publisher: Sergio Bonelli Editore.
When former soldier Ned Ellis is wounded in an explosion, the Lakota shaman who nurses him back to health believes him to be a messenger from the Great Spirit. With his new identity of Magico Vento he lives between the world of man and the world of magic and the spirits. The metal shrapnel lodged in his brain has destroyed all of his memories but allows him to foresee the future. His enemies include the secret association known as the Black Vault and demonic creatures Iktomi, the Demon of Deception, predatory monster Windigo, the animal- and human-devouring Beast and the winged creature Vultur.
Creator Gianfranco Manfredi has stated that Magico Vento was inspired by actor Daniel Day-Lewis, whose rugged features express “intelligence and sensitivity.”
The Man with No Eyes
(2001) [TV pilot; SFW]
Premiere: October 2001; Main Cast: Mel Stewart as Stranger, Tania Gonzalez as Claire, William Bassett as Cleetus, Lidia Pires as Rebecca, Michael Yavnielli as Domingo; Producer: Tavin Marin Titus; Story: Tim Cox, David Goodin; Director: Tim Cox; 21 min.; USA Networks, Exposure Studios, Sci-Fi Channel; Color.
An alien gunslinger seeks vengeance in the Old West.
Manitou
[Comic book character; WW]
First appearance: Ghost Rider #1 (February 1967); Publisher: Marvel Comics.
A Native American Indian God of unlimited powers replaces the Great Spirit as ruler of the Anasazi.
Mantoka, Maker of Indian Magic
[Comic book character; WW]
First publication: Funny Pages #34 (January 1940); Story: Richard Bruce; Art: Jack Cole; Publisher: Centaur Publications.
Aged medicine man Great Bird passes on the ancient secrets of magic to his son Mantoka, who uses them to escape the clutches of a ruthless mine owner exploiting Indian labor. Mantoka's amazing skills include turning his body to stone, vaporizing, swelling his body to twice its normal size, freezing water and trapping miners' souls in rats.
La Marca de Satanás
(1957) [Film; Mexico; WW]
Prem
iere: December 12, 1957; Main Cast: Luis Aguilar, Crox Alvarado, Jaime Fernández, Pascual, García Peña, Flor Silvestre; Producer: Luis Manrique; Story: Ramón Obón; Director: Chano Urueta; 94 min.; Universal; Spanish; b/w.
Mexican horror Western. Re-edited third chapter from the Headless Rider serial.
See: El Jinete sin Cabeza, La Cabeza de Pancho Villa
Marshal's Handbook
[RPG book; WW]
Author: Shane Lacy Hensley; First publication: 1999; Setting: Deadlands: The Weird West; Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
Gamemaster's guide to the world of Deadlands. Includes the adventure “Comin' 'Round the Mountain.”
Marshall Law
[RPG book; WW]
Authors: John R. Hopler, Angel Leigh McCoy; First publication: 1996; Setting: Deadlands: The Weird West; Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
Gamemaster screen and adventures. Includes two adventures: “This Harrowed Ground” by John R. Hopler and “Ghost Riders in the Sky” by Angel Leigh McCoy.