San Quentin (1937)

I've been watching Bogie lately, so consequently that is what I end up writing about.  Just finished San Quentin starring O'Brien, Bogie and Sheridan.  Not a bad little movie, storyline is a bit week but it's not bad.

The prisoners of San Quentin are getting out of hand under the iron fist and cruel treatment of the Captain of the yard (Barton Maclane).  The Warden sees this as a problem and hires a new Captain of the yard, Captain Stephen Jameson (O'Brien) to clean things up and regain the trust of the prisoners.


Bogie plays Joe 'Red' Kennedy, a mouthy little punk criminal who gets time in Quentin.  His sister is May (Ann Sheridan) a singer who believes her brother has just gotten a bad break in life.  O'Brien works with Bogie and for a while Bogie tries to reform but when the other prisoners lie to him telling him Jameson is only treating him good because he likes his sister, Bogie breaks out of Quentin to get back at O'Brien.

In the end Bogie gets shot trying to escape the police, but not before realizing that Jameson is "all right".

If you enjoy Bogie like I do, this is a pretty good movie.  If you are trying to turn someone on to Bogie, I wouldn't start them out on this movie.

Go here for a more detailed description of this movie.

Incredible Bogie in Petrified Forest (1936)

Like many actors of old, Bogie started in the theater not in Hollywood movies.  In fact he spent many years working hard in theatrical productions making very little.  It was while working these theaters that he landed the role of Duke Mantee in the theatrical performance of Petrified Forest.

If you can imagine, Playwright Robert Emmet Sherwood had originally suggested Bogart for the part of Boze Hertzlinger, the ex-football player who can't quite let go of his past and grow up, but producer-director Arthur Hopkins had a better idea that turned out to be genius.  Hopkins who made a point of seeing everything on Broadway each season and had seen Bogart in the play "Invitation to a Murder" noticed his silent moments in the play more than his actual speeches, "when he was quiet, time seemed to stand still" he said.

Well Bogie was cast as Duke Mantee the escaped convict and from there the rest is, as they say, history.  The part of Duke Mantee that he played in the theater and later in the Hollywood movie production shaped the type of character that Bogie would play for the rest of his life.  He may have wanted to do "more desirable" acting parts but he was good at the menacing gangster and his fans loved him that way.  I too am glad he stuck with the character because one of my favorite genres is the Gangster movie and that genre would not have been the same without the larger than life Bogie!

Over the years Bogart has become one of my favorite actors, second only to the larger than life John Wayne!

Treat yourself to this little gem, Petrified Forest, Bogie, Buttery Popcorn and an ice cold pop!  Oh Yeah!

My Favorite Bogie -- Treasure of the Sierra Madre

What an awesome movie!  Bogie plays an ordinary guy, down on his luck, stranded in a mexican town and waiting for a break.  He meets a couple of guys and embarks on a journey to find gold.  But greed and desperation raises its ugly head and the results are indeed ugly.  Bogart's transformation from down on his luck humble street bum to adventurous gold seeker to over-the-edge paranoia who would do anything to protect his share of the riches is both fascinating and unsettling.

The great Walter Huston (Father of Director John Huston) is animated and wonderful as always but Bogie stands out in this movie like no other movie he ever made in my opinion.  A very exciting south of the border gold seeking adventure complete with Mexican bandits...

murderous intentions...

exciting gunfights...

much suspense...

and a stark raving mad Bogie!

What more could a guy ask for?  Oh, maybe some buttered popcorn and an ice cold pop.  Gotta love it!

My Very First Blog Ever!

Me in a nutshell!
Truth be told you couldn't fit me in a nutshell cause I'm a fairly large guy, but... I think you get the idea.

What to write about?  Well, I thought I would just give you a hodge podge about me and what interests me and you can decide from there if you even want to waste your time here or not.  :)
I will probably post images and make comments about the following:

1. Books
I love to read.  I enjoy all kinds of books from Christian fiction to fantasy to spy novels to westerns (one of my favorite genres) to biographies to Christian non-fiction to ... to... to... I love to read!

 2. Movies
My favorite actor is The Duke (John Wayne) with Bogie (Humphrey Bogart) coming in a close second (not too close but close).  However, I love older movies (pre-1990) and will probably comment on many of them as I watch them and will even give my thoughts on newer movies if I find them interesting and worth the time.

3. Computers and Technology
I love computers and new technology.  Pictured above is a tablet I can't wait to come out, the Asus MeMO 370T.  As I mentioned, I love to read and I do read on electronic devices (although I still love the feel of a great book).  I currently own and read on a Sony e-Reader and love it but I think I will give it up for this little beauty when it comes out.

4. America
I love my country and am proud to be an American, however politics stress me out.  :)
I will probably comment once in a while about things going on in our world, however for the most part I want this blog to be more about fun things not stressful things.

5. Religion
Well now that is a scary word isn't it?  I am a Christian and I love Jesus with all my heart, however I don't see myself as religious but rather as having a personal relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Now, as you can see from this list, I am a pretty down to earth ordinary guy and enjoy all kinds of things, and my relationship with Jesus is one of them.  And although I have this section at #5, he is in fact #1 in my life.  As the title of this blog says "Just the Ramblings of An Ordinary Guy", this blog is about things that are interesting to me and that fill my life, and Jesus definitely fills my life, so periodically I will spend time on Jesus, Family, Country and the things that make America great!  Freedom to worship at a great church and believe in a caring and forgiving Lord is one of those great things!  Picture above is an old church in Silver City, Idaho, in the Owyhee mountains where we camp and 4-wheel a lot.

6. Camping, 4-Wheeling (ATV), Outdoor Life
I love camping, there is not much that makes better family and friendship memories than camping and my family and I go each year 3 to 5 times / year.  We also love to ride 4-wheelers in the mountains around our area called the Owyhees. I will definitely be posting family outings / adventures, history of the Owyhees and other mountain areas, outdoor pictures or sites that interest me etc.

7. Firearms (Especially those of the Old West)
Yes, I enjoy shooting firearms and will always enjoy shooting firearms.  That's just the way it is, if you don't like such things this site is probably not for you.

9. The Wild West
I really love western history and will be posting different things ranging from ghost towns to western gunfights to anything western related, I love the old west!

My wife Chantel and I at Disneyland having a great time!

Like I said, putting me in a nutshell would be an interesting task. :)

My gorgeous daughters.  Sarah (15) and Emily (11)

Well that's me in a nutshell, not a very interesting guy, just ordinary, hope you enjoy what I write about, if not, I surely understand, but I hope to interest and hear from some of you out there in cyber-space!  See ya there.