When you were ten years old in those days, you were not looking to emulate gangsters; you were looking to emulate heroes. Cowboys were just like Superman and Batman are today, the only difference being they rode horses. Cowboys, sheriffs, and marshalls are undoubtedly men’s men, chasing bad guys and bringing them to justice. I remember the villains always wore black hats and the good guys wore white hats. I’ll never forget when one time my father took me to a parade, and who came trotting down the street but Hopalong Cassidy. He was waving to all us kids while sitting on a beautiful white horse with a shiny leather saddle and wearing a white hat. It was a man’s man image to behold.
Western movies started to change in the 1950s when directors started presenting a grittier view of the cowboy genre. Great actors like Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, Alan Ladd, and Gary Cooper all delivered a tougher type of western flick that spelled out “man’s man.” They paved the way for guys like Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood, and Kevin Costner, among other realistic Western heroes. Pictures like High Noon and Shane presented a view of the West like no director had ever orchestrated before. Movies broke away from the stereotype of bad guys being Indians and Mexicans, which was typical in films of the earlier period, fights became more realistic and villains started to have more character depth. Jack Palance as the villain in Alan Ladd’s Shane in the early 1950s set the stage for other Western villains like Sean Penn as the sadistic bad guy in Clint Eastwood’s Pale Rider, Gene Hackman in Eastwood’s Oscar-winning The Unforgiven , as well as Robert Duvall’s portrayal of Western villains in movies like John Wayne’s True Grit, his psychotic Jesse James role in The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, and others. The villains actually became cool to watch. As for the women in Westerns, that got better, too! I was never turned on by women in those early cowboy movies because they lived without running water, and I kind of imagined that they all had hygiene problems. Not to mention the fact that they were covered in bonnets and puffy clothing. More modern leading ladies in Westerns like Raquel Welch, everybody’s favorite “ten” Bo Derek, and Sharon Stone changed my mind about women in the Wild West!
I have always wanted to play a cowboy in a movie—it’s been my dream ever since I can remember. When my idol, Dean Martin, donned some spurs in movies like Rio Bravo, it made me yearn to act in a Western flick even more. I’m not alone; man’s man actor James Caan feels the same way about Dino (see the “Vegas” section). Unfortunately, I’ve never acted in a Western film. Hey, with my Italian background, if I acted like a cowboy it would be a real “spaghetti Western.” The closest I ever came to appearing in a Western was when I did an episode of the hit television show Walker, Texas Ranger starring Chuck Norris. I didn’t play a cowboy, but a mob guy who goes out West to take care of business. Though I didn’t get to ride a horse or wear a cowboy hat, we did film in Dallas-Fort Worth, and some real cowboys worked on the production. Not necessarily my dream come true, but fun nonetheless.
Now I’m going to clue you in to some of my all-time favorite man’s man Western flicks. Get a pen and take some notes, fellas!1. Shane (1953. Dir. George Stevens. Cast: Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Jack Palance, Van Heflin, Emile Meyer.) A lone gunfighter named Shane (Ladd) drifts into a nineteenth-century Wyoming town and gets a job on the homestead ranch of the Starrett family, Marion (Arthur) and Joe (Heflin). Shane is goaded into defending them and other local farmers from the evil cattle ranch baron Ryker (Meyer) and ominous gunslinger Wilson (Palance). Shane is admired by the family’s young boy Joey (Brandon de Wilde), who gets upset when his hero has to leave their Wyoming town at the end of the movie. This ultimate man’s man Western classic was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that.”—Shane (Alan Ladd)
2. Unforgiven (1992. Dir. Clint Eastwood. Cast: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris.) Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny (Eastwood) comes out of retirement as a pig farmer to rid the Old West of sadistic Sheriff Little Bill Daggett (Hackman). With key support from the likes of Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, and Gene Hackman, the director and star, Clint Eastwood, delivers a one-two punch that makes this man’s man Western flick a milestone. The music is also unique and memorable, as Clint followed his instincts and selected jazz great Lennie Niehaus to create the movie’s awesome score.Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “Dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’.” —William Munny (Clint Eastwood)
3. The Magnificent Seven (1960. Dir. John Sturges. Cast: Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Robert Vaughn.) Based on Akira Kurosawa’s Japanese classic film The Seven Samurai, this movie directed by John Sturges resets the story in Mexico and features a group of then relatively unknown man’s man actors. The “Magnificent Seven” set out to seek and destroy a cruel Mexican bandit leader (Wallach) and his nasty outlaw gang. Eli Wallach is at his maniacal acting best and helps to make this film a man’s man movie for the ages.Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “It looks like a few more than we planned on.”—Vin (Steve McQueen)
4. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966. Dir. Sergio Leone. Cast: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach.) The final installment of director Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy helped cement man’s man actor Clint Eastwood as a worldwide superstar. The three western rogues of the title, Eastwood as “the good,” Lee Van Cleef as “the bad,” and Eli Wallach as “the ugly,” perform a three-way duel in a deserted old graveyard. Squinting eyes staring each other down, quick cuts of hands reaching for guns, and Ennio Morricone’s amazing score established this as one of the most tense man’s man moments in film history.Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “I like big fat men like you. When they fall they make more noise.”—Tuco (Eli Wallach)
5. High Noon (1952. Dir. Fred Zinnemann. Cast: Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Grace Kelly.) Gary Cooper made the starring role in High Noon the ultimate “Cooper Part,” reflecting all the “strong, silent type” acting characteristics he became famous for. As retiring Marshal Will Kane, Cooper had to face outlaw Frank Miller (Ian McDonald) and his goons before leaving town with his new bride (Grace Kelly). Cooper acts the part of the ultimate man’s man as he is forced to face the outlaws alone after all the locals chicken out of supporting him in the crunch.Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “Quit pushin’ me, Harv. I’m tired of being pushed.”—Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper)
6. Pale Rider (1985. Dir. Clint Eastwood. Cast: Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Chris Penn.) With Clint Eastwood starring in the title role as “the preacher,” this movie (also directed by Eastwood) has been favorably compared with Shane. As a mysterious stranger who rides into a California gold rush town, Eastwood finds himself siding with some hardworking gold prospectors against the brutal head of a mining syndicate. Roughing up the syndicate boss’s bully son (Penn) leads to a showdown between the preacher and evil mining boss (John Russell) and his gang of hired guns. Eastwood gets into “man’s man mode” as he rids the town of all the bad guys before getting on his horse and moving on.Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “If you’re waiting for a woman to make up her mind, you may have a long wait.”—Preacher (Clint Eastwood)
7. True Grit (1969. Dir. Henry Hathaway. Cast: John Wayne, Glen Campbell, Kim Darby, Robert Duvall.) When hard-working Marshall “Rooster” Cogburn (an Oscar-winning performance by John Wayne) takes a young girl’s (Darby) side against outlaws who killed her father, watch out bad guys! Ned Pepper (Duvall) and his boys all bite the dust in one of the most classic shoot-out scenes of all time, as man’s man “Duke” Wayne takes out the opposition. Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “Fill your hand, you son of bitch!”—Marshall “Rooster” Cogburn (John Wayne)
8. My Darling Clementine (1946. Dir. John Ford. Cast: Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, Victor Mature, Cathy Downs, Walter Brennan.) One of the things that puts this movie a whole notch above the other retellings of the famous gunfight at the O.
K. Corral (like John Sturges’s 1957 version with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas) is that director John Ford actually knew Wyatt Earp and used his real stories to retell the famous event. Now that’s what I call retelling a story like a man’s man! Henry Fonda as Earp and Victor Mature as Doc Holliday are great, but the true “scene stealer” is Walter Brennan as Old Man Clanton, who is chilling and evil, not folksy like he first seems. However, he goes down with the rest of the Clantons in the gunfight scene.Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “What kind of town is this, anyway? Excuse me, ma’am. A man can’t get a shave without gettin’ his head blown off?”—Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda)
9. Young Guns (1988. Dir. Christopher Cain. Cast: Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, Jack Palance.) This flick features a great cast of then young and up-and-coming man’s man actors. A businessman in the Wild West teaches a group of young criminals how to live life on the straight and narrow. However, when their mentor gets killed, they go back to their old ways to seek revenge. Emilio Estevez does an incredible job portraying Billy the Kid.Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “Alex, if you stay they’re gonna kill you. And then I’m gonna have to go around and kill the guys who killed you. That’s a lot of killing.”—William H. Bonney (Emilio Estevez)
10. Bandolero! (1968. Dir. Andrew V. McLaglen. Cast: Dean Martin, James Stewart, Raquel Welch.) “Rat Pack” fans usually associate Dean Martin with the hip movies he made with fellow man’s man Rat Pack leader Frank Sinatra—Ocean’s 11, Some Came Running, Robin and the 7 Hoods, and many more. But, “Dino” made a group of Western movies without Sinatra that stand on their own. Bandolero! brought Dean together with James Stewart as two brothers who Mexican banditos make the mistake of messing with in Texas. Feisty and sexy leading lady Raquel Welch proved to Dino and Jimmy that the Old Wild West could, in fact, be “wild” in many ways!Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “You just walked into a bank and helped yourself to ten thousand dollars ’cause it seemed like the thing to do?”—Dee Bishop (Dean Martin)
Sports Flicks
I have always been a big sports fan. Whenever my father took me to Yankee Stadium as a young boy, it was always a treat. Seeing man’s man ballplayer #7 Mickey Mantle play in person always took my breath away. “The Mick” and Joe DiMaggio were the greatest ballplayers to ever live. My father was also an avid boxing fan and he took me to many fights. I have to say that the day I met Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest days of my life.
As a child, I emulated my sports heroes. The street was our playground, and with a pink high-bouncer ball, we played every kind of ball game imaginable—stick, box, curb, you name it. While I certainly had the coordination to play, I never had professional aspirations. Eventually, my passion for music took over and I focused my sights on a career in the arts. But I’ve always loved playing sports and often I miss it. I lived, and still live, vicariously through sports movies.
It is my honor to say that I acted in one of the greatest sports movies of all time, Raging Bull. As I said before, I had acted in one previous film called Death Collector. Martin Scorsese saw my work in that and I got a call from my agent to audition for Raging Bull. At the time, I had a full mustache and an Afro haircut (it was stylish back then). I went up to a hotel on Central Park West and was greeted at the door by a production assistant who escorted me into a suite, where I came face to face with Robert De Niro. I said, “Hello Bob, I loved you in The Deer Hunter.” He said, “I loved you in Death Collector.” Soon after, Martin Scorsese and Joe Pesci arrived. Joe and I read through the scene where we walk down the street, which was ultimately used in the film. A week later, I got a call to come in and to do a screen test. They asked me to shave off my mustache, which I had had for ten years. They cut my hair at the studio and put me in a 1950s suit and I proceeded to do a screen test for the role of Salvy. Honestly, I was never nervous. A man’s man always faces a challenge head-on. The next day, I left for a vacation to California. While traveling through the desert with some friends on the way from San Diego to Las Vegas, I called my agent and he told me I got the job. I was thrilled! We proceeded to Las Vegas and stayed up three days straight, partying like men’s men. Being cast in Raging Bull started a whole new chapter in my life. The film went on to be nominated for eight Academy Awards and De Niro won the Oscar for Best Actor for the role of boxing legend Jake La Motta. To top it off, Raging Bull would eventually be hailed by almost all critics as the film of the decade. Hey, not a bad way to start an acting career!
Okay, so what are some real man’s man sports movies? Before I present my top picks, here are the top five sports movies that you would never, I mean never, see a man’s man watching:
NON-MAN’S MAN SPORTS FLICKS■ Ice Castles (1978): Men don’t watch women ice skaters, they only date them.
■ A League of Their Own (1992): Mantle and Ruth are replaced by Geena Davis and Rosie O’Donnell? Enough said.
■ Best in Show (2000): A guy watching a movie about a dog show? Definitely suspect.
■ The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978): Mu shoo pork and pitching?
■ Air Bud (1997): A basketball-playing dog? The tagline is: “He sits. He stays. He shoots. He scores.” How about he just gives me back the $4.85 I just spent renting this bomb!
Thank goodness that’s over. Now we’re going to cover films that capture the action of sports and the feeling of winning like no other movies, films that make you want to knock someone out (Rocky), win big at pool (The Hustler), hit a home run like “The Iron Horse” Lou Gerhig (The Pride of the Yankees), and hit a grand slam in the bedroom with a woman as beautiful as Susan Sarandon (Bull Durham). Madone! There is truly something for everyone on my list of man’s man sports flicks.1. Raging Bull (1980. Dir. Martin Scorsese. Cast: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Frank Vincent—yours truly.) This classic Oscar-nominated film is based on the real-life of Italian bruiser and Bronx native Jake La Motta. The paranoid boxer La Motta is convinced that everyone is screwing his wife—including his own brother, Joey (Pesci). Scorsese masterfully shoots the fight sequences with exploding flashbulbs, flying blood, and explosive punches that suck you in. The blood dripping off the ring rope during the final fight between La Motta and Sugar Ray Robinson is pure poetry. Also, the transformation of Robert De Niro’s physical appearance from ripped-lean fighter to bloated, overweight drunk is incredible. Raging Bull is the ultimate man’s man sports film because it shows not just the triumphs of being a world-champion boxer, but also the tribulations. Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “You never got me down, Ray! You hear me? You never got me down.”—Jake La Motta (Robert De Niro)
2. Rocky (1976. Dir. John G. Avildsen. Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith.) The first of five installments, this is the story about a Philadelphia boxer beyond his prime who gets a shot at the title held by Apollo Creed (Weathers). In moments of self-doubt, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) is pushed by his veteran trainer Mickey (Meredith), who by the end of the movie becomes more like a father. Stallone was also the ultimate man’s man behind the scenes, as he rejected countless lucrative offers to sell his self-written script because the then-unkown actor was determined to star in the picture. Stallone was ultimately nominated for an Academy Award for his acting performance!Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “Yo, Adrian!”—Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone)
3. The Hustler (1961. Dir. Robert Rossen. Cast: Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott, Vincent Gardenia.) This is the story of “Fast” Eddie Felson (Newman), a small-time pool hustler who challenges the legendary pool player Minnesota Fats (Gleason) to a high-stakes game. Felson is off to a hot start making amazing shot after amazing shot. However, when the alcohol shows up, the game switches gears in favor of Fats. After a devastating loss, Felson is determined to get back on top. He eventually gets another shot at Fats for one of the most memorable man’s man pool games in film history.Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “I am the best y
ou ever seen, Fats. I’m the best there is. Even if you beat me, I’m still the best.” —“Fast” Eddie Felson (Paul Newman)
4. Hoosiers (1986. Dir. David Anspaugh. Cast: Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper, Sheb Wooley, Fern Persons.) This classic man’s man movie is all about redemption. Norman Dale (Hackman) is a volatile alcoholic basketball coach who was once the town’s star player. Defying all odds, Coach Dale takes his squad, an unlikely candidate, for an Indiana state championship run that will blow you away! The story is inspired by the Milan Indians’ victory in the 1954 Indiana State Championship.Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best you can be, I don’t care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game. In my book, we’re gonna be winners.”—Coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman)
5. Chariots of Fire (1981. Dir. Hugh Hudson. Cast: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Ian Holm, Alice Krige.) The man’s man theme music to the film, masterfully done by Vangelis, has become one of the most famous sports songs in film history. The movie revolves around a Jewish sprinter named Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) and his devout Christian opposition Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) who compete in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. One is compelled by his love of God and the other by his hatred of anti-semitism. Sports, drama, and great filmmaking make this man’s man movie win the race!Most Memorable Man’s Man Line: “If I can’t win, I won’t race!” —Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross)
A Guy's Guide to Being a Man's Man Page 5