Hellbent for Letterbox

Michael and Pax revisit one of Michael's childhood favorites to see if it holds up.  The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams was a cultural phenomenon in its day, but is it as good as all its sequels, TV show, and lunchboxes suggest? We also rank our favorite Western movie posters, which you can  see if you follow us on Bluesky.

Pax and Mike seek out the 1966 revenge adventure Nevada Smith starring Steve McQueen, Brian Keith, and Susanne Pleshette.  We also talk a bit about the movie The Carpetbaggers from 1964 where the Nevada Smith character originated.

Michael and Pax finally visit the podcast's namesake (more or less): George Sherman's  Hell Bent for Leather starring Audie Murphy, Felicia Farr, and Stephen McNally.

Mike and Pax discuss the Walter Hill directed Wild Bill starring a cast of thousands including Jeff Bridges, Ellen Barkin, and John Hurt.

For the second time in Hellbent history, Michael accidentally picks a non-historical Western. This time he has Pax join him on a 1940s dude ranch for Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Gabby Hayes in  Don't Fence Me In .

In this episode Pax takes Mike to Lincoln County New Mexico and they talk about the misadventures of John Wayne as Chisum!

Michael and Pax finish a double-feature of 2017 Westerns with Scott Cooper's  Hostiles , starring Christian Bale, Wes Studi, and Rosamund Pike.

Mike and Pax discuss the 2017 western Ballad of Lefty Brown starring Bill Pullman, Peter Fonda, Jim Caveziel, and Tommy Flannagan.

Michael and Pax welcome back Shawn Robare to finish this year's spooky season double-feature. We're watching the little-known  The Devil's Mistress  about a gang of ruthless outlaws who stumble across the wrong cabin on their run from justice.

Mike and Pax are joined by their Crestwood House co-host to talk about the horror western Ravenous from 1999 starring Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle.

It's been on our list a long time, but Michael and Pax finally get around to talking about  Appaloosa , directed by and starring Ed Harris. It also stars Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, and Jeremy Irons, and is based on the novel by Robert B Parker.

In this episode Mike and Pax finish up a Willie Nelson double header with Red Headed Stranger from 1986.

Michael and Pax watch one of Michael's favorite '80s Westerns,  Barbarosa starring Willie Nelson, Gary Busey, and Gilbert Roland.

Mike and Pax cover another Peckinpah.  Will they love it or hate it?  Listen to find out!

Thanks to a listener's suggestion, Michael and Pax watch Glenn Ford, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G Robinson, and Brian Keith in Rudolph Maté's  The Violent Men . The movie also features Dianne Foster and Richard Jaeckel. It begins with a couple of classic Western tropes, but takes them in surprising and dark directions.

In this episode Mike and Pax talk about a twisty western comedy called There Was a Crooked Man starring Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, Warren Oates, Hume Cronyn, Burgess Meredith, and John Randolph.

Michael and Pax check out Young John Wayne and Ella Raines in the Western mystery  Tall in the Saddle . The movie also features Gabby Hayes and Ward Bond.

In this episode Mike and Pax continue watching OK Corral movies with this acclaimed adaptation by John Ford starring Henry Fonda and Victor Mature.

For Valentine's Day, Michael and Pax watch the Western romance,  The Dead Don't Hurt , written and directed by Viggo Mortensen. Mortensen also wrote the score and acted alongside the movie's real star, Vicky Krieps. The film also features Danny Huston and  Deadwood favorites W Earl Brown and Ray McKinnon.

Mike and Pax discuss another OK Corral movie, this one starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas as Wyatt and Doc.  And with appearances by DeForest Kelley, Jack Elam, and Dennis Hopper.

Michael and Pax finally revisit Andrew Dominik's  The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford , a movie that Michael liked on first viewing, but Pax didn't, and neither has seen in a very long time. 

Mike and Pax discuss The Old Way from 2023 starring Nic Cage.

Always on the lookout for Westerns starring women, Michael and Pax watch Lamont Johnson's  Cattle Annie and Little Britches . Amanda Plummer and Diane Lane insert themselves into a demotivated outlaw gang (run by Burt Lancaster and Scott Glenn) as it tries to avoid capture by Marshal Rod Steiger.  Pax also watches  The Thicket  (2024) while Michael takes a look at  Heart of Arizona  (1938) and  Th...

In this episode Mike and Pax discuss another Clint Eastwood western, Joe Kidd, also starring Robert Duvall, John Saxon, and directed by John Sturges.

Michael stretches the definitions of both "Western" and "Horror" when he makes Pax and guest Shawn Robare watch  House II: The Second Story . Though it does have undead cowboys. The movie is the sequel to 1985's  House and stars Arye Gross, Jonathan Stark, Royal Dano, John Ratzenberger, Bill Maher, and Lar Park-Lincoln.