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The Westerners: Interviews with Actors, Directors, Writers and Producers

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C. Courtney Joyner's book is a lover letter to a glorious film genre and the characters that brought the genre to greater glory, behind and in front of the lens. It's obvious from reading that it'd be hard to find anyone with a greater point of view on the genre, than Mr. Joyner. His interviews are pointed and insightful and resonate with true devotion to a dying (sadly) corner of the film world.

This would be a great gift for a guy who just can't get enough of the west.

If ever there was a book written for the classic Western film buff, it's C. Courtney Joyner's THE WESTERNERS. It's jam-packed with enlightening, entertaining interviews with actors, directors, writers, and producers of Western films and television shows from way back in the rack to today.

Joyner, a Hollywood veteran screenwriter with numerous produced scripts to his name, over many years conducted these interviews with giants behind and in front of the camera. In addition to spending time at the bar with immortals such as one-time Livingston, Montana resident Sam Peckinpah and Warren Oates (The Wild Bunch), Joyner's book brims with engaging, revealing interviews with such notable as Jack Elam, Glenn Ford, Andrew McLaglen, Elmore Leonard, Harry Carey, Jr., Virginia Mayo, and more. If some of these names don't ring bells, their classic Western work most certainly will.

C. Courtney Joyner's THE WESTERNERS not only informs the casual Western fan, but with its extensive bibliography and solid index it provides ample details for scholarly pursuits. Plus, you'll find yourself jotting titles that will keep the Netflix account humming for some time to come. Get the drop on a copy and you'll see classic Westerns in a new, enlightened light.

"The Westerners" is a series of interviews with actors, directors, writers and producers of the western genre. Joyner, a prolific screenwriter, knows his subject. His questions aren't fluff, and he extracts interesting and unique stories in each interview.

Such as: Elmore Leonard on Sam Peckinpah's sense, or lack of, humor: "Unless he had been sniffing cocaine, then he opened up." Director Burt Kennedy on John Wayne: "When Duke was at his absolute worst, he thought he was the best. And he would try to do things that were just embarrassing...." Andrew J. Fenady on Louis L'Amour and Hondo: "He really had nothing what the hell so ever to do with the movie...let's get this straight." And the beautiful Julie Adams talks about something I've never heard another actor admit, the important part a superior horse could play in an actor's performance. "Very often, it's the horse that makes us look good."

"The Westerners" is an admirable addition to the library of any film addict. To the western fan, it's a great, cozy, gossipy read about a group of people so loved, they seem almost like family.