Summer "Camp"

One summer, right after I got out of college, a bunch of my friends (including SpoilSport and Jon) and I went to the Walker Art Center sponsored Movies and Music in the park. While many of the films were really campy, some were quite important as well. "Johnny Guitar" was one of them. I remember the fall after I watched it in the park seeing it again in a film class that I sat in on - SpSp and I almost got kicked out because we were laughing so hard at it. It's a equal parts 50s Western and cat fight with Joan Crawford as the lead cat. Starring opposite her was an "actress" named Mercedes McCambridge.

Crawford plays a hotel owner named Vienna who owns a valuable piece of land (the railroad is coming through). She has to take on a posse of angry cowboys who want to take over the land so they can maintain control of the town as it grows. This bunch is lead by Emma Small (McCambridge) who's voice sounds exactly like Rocky the Squirrel. The movie is AMAZING - the technicolor makes Crawford look severe and frightening, and the whole thing is just plain surreal. I own the video, but couldn't find it on DVD.

Luckily, YouTube has a clip - a clip that just happens to be my favorite scene in the movie. The initial showdown between Emma and Vienna. It's four minutes long, but well worth the viewing, especially to hear each of Emma's lines. Her final line, "I'm going to kill you" is classic. I've never quite heard a delivery like this one. When I get back, we need to have a viewing of this bizarre film.



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