The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) Movie REACTION! 

Madison, as a 70 ish year old, watching old westerns with you is a joy.

Lee Marvin ranks with Jack Palance in Shane as iconic Bad Guy in Westerns here. His stagger & fall off the boardwalk is my favorite death scene ever!

As another 70 ish year old, I agree with Bill O. This particular western is one of my all-time favorites!! Great story, great cast, and great moral lesson. I'm so glad you got around to watching it Madison, and even more glad that you really enjoyed it!!! Congrats on your book!!!

Liberty Valance was played by Lee Marvin. Another great actor

The Gunfighter 1950 with Gregory Peck, Hondo 1953 with John Wayne, and The Fastest Gun Alive 1956 with Glenn Ford are three very good westerns...

Orson Welles was asked what directors he looked to for inspiration, he paused and said "the old masters", specifically, "John Ford, John Ford and John Ford". As an artist, you'd be interested in Ford's skills at composition with a camera. Ford witnessed the artist Winslow Homer for an entire summer, who was painting at the seaside of Maine, where Ford grew up. Ford took with him these lessons of composition from the rugged seascapes of Maine and applied them to western landscapes. You'll have to watch other Ford films, like the Searchers, to get a taste of his powers of landscape composition with a camera. Liberty Valance was almost exclusively filmed on sets.

Andy Devine was not Piglet, although he was in a lot of movies and did a lot of voice acting. Piglet was originally voiced by John Fiedler. "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." One of the all-time great movie quotes.

Jimmy Stewart, highest ranking actor serving in military.

I'm glad you reacted to this, it is in my opinion one of the most underrated westerns.

Gene Pitney recorded the title song “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” in 1962. The film was released before the song was finished recording and so it missed being included in the film. Great song. Worth listening to.

Lee Marvin won his best actor Oscar for his role in Kat Ballou. You might consider that movie for one of your westerns.

when I was 15 I went to see this movie in a theatre in Buffalo with my sister, I always remembered that day because it was such an impactful movie western, a great story. Not too many westerns tell such a good story.

Lee Marvin was a WWII Marine, And Jimmy Stewart was a B-24 pilot in the 8th Air Force, also WWII. My favorite in this was Edmond OBrian as Dutton Peabody. His line; "Courage can be purchased in yon tavern. Was classic.

So glad to see you watching these great films Madison. You may want to check out the great westerns that James Stewart made with director Anthony Mann..."Winchester 73"..."Bend of The River"...and "The Naked Spur". As well as Duke Wayne in his Oscar winning "True Grit" as well as his last film "The Shootist" (once more with James Stewart). Congratulations on your book! You are the best!

John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart were in another movie together 14 years later, called "The Shootist". Also staring Ron Howard. John Wayne knowingly had cancer while filming the movie, and it was his last movie.

The first date I ever had with a girl was to go see this movie in 1962. I'm 77 now. Great movie with some of the best Western actors ever. Thanks for reacting to it Madison. El Mirage, Arizona

Lee Marvin was perfect in the roll of liberty valance,and Strother Martin is great in any roll,another really good Jimmy Stewart western that you may like is called "the naked spur" I enjoy your channel Madison, you have great reactions.

Here are some of MY favourite westerns (I highly recommend my first section for watching): • High Noon (1952) • Red River (1948) • The Shootist (1976) • The Searchers (1956) • Last Train From Gun Hill (1959) And… • The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) • Destry Rides Again (1939) • Wyatt Earp (1994) • Stagecoach (1939)

‘Cause the point of a gun was the only law that Liberty understood…

A few westerns that I like that you might consider: The Westerner (1940) The Wild Bunch (1969) The Cheyenne Social Club (1970) Little Big Man (1970) The Shootist (1976) Thank you for sharing your reactions with us.

The last scene where the conducter says "nothing is too good for the man who shot Liberty Valance", brings the tragic personal themes of the film out fully in the open. Rance's political career has been made possible by Tom. Rance's marriage has been made possible by Tom. It's clear that Allie had the passionate love of Tom and Rance realizes she loved Tom. Tom Doniphon gave up everything he loved to help create the new west, someplace he didn't even belong. John Ford had the makings of a tragic poet.

I absolutely LOVE your book being in the background! I'm so happy for you!

John Wayne and Lee Marvin team up briefly in another western called 'The Comancheros', with Lee again playing a ruthless bad guy.

Madison if you enjoyed the pairing of Jimmy Stewart and the Duke Jimmy is also in the Duke's last movie "THE SHOOTIST"

piglet was mostly played by John Fielder also threw off the emperors groove "beware the groove"

Things are more realistic now that the people who were there are gone LOL

Andy Divine our rotund City Marshal was not the voice of Piglet. You will however find the voice of Piglet in 1969's True Grit as Lawyer Daggett, the actor John Fielder.

Madison, The Reivers, 1969,William Faulkner story, 2 academy award nominations, John Williams, Steve McQueen and there's a 🐎.

There aren't many actors that can stand with legends like Wayne and Stewart, " toe-to-toe," and practically steal the scenes with his own talent, while helping make a film a classic. Marvin was a HELL of an actor! (P.S. May I recommend 3 other John Wayne Western classics: Red River, Stagecoach, Rio Bravo)

Here in TEXAS we have a saying "never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Thanks for the great reaction. Enjoyed your discussion of Western themes. When John Ford worked on silent westerns in the 19teens...Wyatt Earp was a consultant on the studio lot.

Man I’m glad you enjoyed this one. It’s one of my favorites. As you talked about truth versus legend, it reminded me of Wyatt Earp and the stories about him. Late in his life, he worked as a consultant for one of the movie studios. He would often eat lunch in the commissary and was often joined by a very young John Wayne who was just doing odd jobs for the same studio. It is said that Wayne based his ‘style’ on Earp’s personality and the stories told to him by Earp.

You will be hard pressed not to find this western in any top 10 greatest list presented by fans of the genre. Classic Western. One of the best.

Thank you so much for just watching a older black and white movie. My Dad and older brothers watched movies like this

John Ford's earlier Western FORT APACHE you should see as well also starring John Wayne with Henry Fonda has similar themes and is kind of a seedbed for how Ford looked at the Western mythology. Great reaction. My friends Joseph McBride and Tag Gallagher both wrote critical biographies about John Ford you might enjoy reading. Best wishes. Looking forward big time to getting the hard copy of GONE OUTLAW.

While listening to your summery, I suddenly got a hankerin to watch Have Gun Will Travel.

Jimmy Stewart did a handful of highly rated westerns with director Anthony Mann in the 50s. He also did an engaging western comedy of a sort with Marlena Dietrich early on in his career in the 30s.

"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." I recently read the memoirs of John Fremont (1813-1890) an explorer, military officer and later Senator of California. I also read Six Years With the Texas Rangers: 1875-1881 by James Gillett, along with several similar books. I wanted to hear the story of the opening of the West from the people who were there. I was actually surprised - not by the difference - by the similarities of the stories they told and these early Western films. They got a lot right.

The "Print the legend" quote is from William Randolph Hearst (Citizen Kane) newspaper magnate/power broker in the 1920s & 30s.

Great reaction, Madison - I especially enjoy the commentaries you give at the end. I've said this before but I really think you should get into giving straight up reviews and/or recommendations (even of movies you've already seen). Your writer's ability to discern why a story, character etc. works or doesn't gives you better insight than most. Congratulations on 19K subs.

Red River ( 1948 ) Voted one of the 10 best Westerns of all-time ! John Wayne,Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru, Walter Brennan, Harry Carey Jr A movie about the first cattle drive up the Chisholm Trail Speaking of dark realism..this movie has it all, John Wayne is amazing

Great watching old movies with you. Maybe try John Wayne in his only Oscar winning perfomance, True Grit.

There are 2 movies you should consider. "The Big Country" 1958 starring Gregory Peck, Charlton Heston, Burl Ives, Chuck Connors, Jean Simmons, second movie "Silverado" 1985 starring Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, Brian Dennehy, Rosanna Arquette, Jeff Goldblum, Linda Hunt. Both movies show the pendulum about halfway point, there is civilization, but it is still ruled by the gun to a degree.

John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Lee Marvin, Vera Miles, Andy Devine, Woody Strode...WOW! Not sure if you corrected this, but Liberty Valance was played by Lee Marvin, not Lee Van Cleef.

in our lives and in our times we all have known our liberty valance.

I love this movie. It's one of my favorites. Here are three more westerns I highly recommend: Sergeant Rutledge (1960) - action, courtroom drama, social commentary against bigotry; Fort Apache (1948) - colorful, likable protagonists at odds with a complex, humanly relatable antagonist who is fatally flawed by pride, ambition, dogmatism, and prejudices about class and race; High Noon (1952) - a favorite of many American presidents who related to its theme of standing firm on what you believe in even when the people who said they'd stand by you abandon you.

Deep Cut Mads; solid oater. FYI: Andy Devine (the marshall) voiced Friar Tuck in Disney's animated ROBIN HOOD; oddly enough - today is John Fiedler's birthday (and he voiced Piglet!)

A great western movie and an AMAZIN and rare young lady......heck of a good day!

One of my favorite western is Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda in the Cheyenne Social Club, It's hilarious!

Liberty Valance... I think the name is not something random... like he's the unfortunate bastard son of Manifest Destiny that must be dealt with. "Valance" means "a length of decorative drapery hung above a window to screen the curtain fittings." There was a huge body of modern myth study coming out of academia in the 1950s, questioning iconic imagery. To me, this movie is a critique of simplistic western myths... and a brilliant one at that.

If you want to continue with B&W classics, try "Stagecoach", "Red River", "My Darling Clementine" or "High Noon"

Just another 70ish adding my vote to watch "The Treasure of Sierra Madre". Action, greed, Banditos(We don't need no stinkin' badges") and a great ending. Love great westerns.

"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" is my favorite John Wayne film. To me, there are scenes which hearken back to Wayne's films from the 1930s. Director John Ford captured the "feel" the nuances of Wayne's earlier films, notably, "Stagecoach.' James Stewart and John Wayne were brilliant. Lee Marvin was like a rattlesnake -- coiled and ready to strike. The ancillary characters were truly great - the kind of folks who helped settle the American West. Paramount studios were hesitant to film "westerns", but they struck gold with this gem. Oh yeah, I first saw this movie on NBC's Saturday Night at the Movies. It was first run on TV back then. I recommend, "Hombre," with Paul Newman. Many thanks, Madison K. Thames!

John Wayne made a lot of westerns... here are some of note other than this one and the Searchers: John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart again in "The Shootist"... Wayne's last film playing a dying of cancer gunfighter and Stewart playing a town doctor. "McClintock... a western rom-com with Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.... "Stagecoach" and "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" were other classic John Ford directed movies. Other genres he made were war movies like "Sands of Iwo Jima" .... and a post war rom-com starring again with Lee Marvin in "Donovan's Reef".

By chance, there is a western to add to an understanding of the "West". The film is "The Shootist", and stars John Wayne, with co-star's Jimmy Stewart; Ron Howard; Lauren BaCall; Richard Boone;John Carradine; Hugh O'Brien and Harry Morgan. It was the last film by Wayne; Stewart and Carradin. It is set in 1901 Carson City, Nevada. So, the dying day's of the "Old West. A modern western of note is "3:10 to Yuma". Or, "Unforgiven", if you have not seen it. It's one of Clint Eastwood's more modern (1992) western's. I love that these are getting some new fan's of the genre, and reacting. My Grandpa brought me to my first western to watch on the big screen at "Shines Theater" .It was the "Spaghetti Western" "For a Few Dollar's More", starring Eastwood and Van Cleef. Thank you and sorry for rambling!

John Wayne appeared as himself in season 5, episode 2 of I Love Lucy. The episode: "Lucy and John Wayne" aired October 10th, 1955.

One of the Great Pictures. That man talking at the State meeting was John Carradine- father of the Carradine Brothers - and a great character actor

Andy Devine (the Marshall) was the voice of Friar Tuck in Disney's Robin Hood. John Fiedler was the voice of Piglet, but he also was a church mouse in Robin Hood, and Juror #2 in 12 Angry Men. Both had great film and TV careers. Andy Devine was a prominent character on Flipper. I think he also did radio and a lot of B westerns. I read somewhere something caused him throat damage which is why his voice was so distinct that way.

When you ready for more classic Westerns, check out John Wayne in Stagecoach (1939) and Red River (1948), check out James Stewart in Winchester '73 (1950) and The Naked Spur (1953) -- where Stewart plays against type -- and also check out Joel McCrea in Colorado Territory (1949) and Ride the High Country (1962).

You've seen John Wayne's best western, The Searchers. Now onto Jimmy's Stewart. He has a long list of very good movies, which includes some outstanding westerns. The Far Country being the best IMHO. BTW Jimmy Stewart rode the same horse, named Pie, in 17 westerns. Oh, and at the beginning of WW2 Jimmy Stewart left Hollywood and enlisted in the Army Air Corp, flew bomber missions over Europe, retired from the Air Force as a General AND made a ton of movies. Yeah, I like Jimmy Stewart.

Winchester 73' is another great Jimmy Stewart film and imo has the best marksman scene in any western.

The transition of Tincup from a rough frontier town where Wayne belonged to a civilized area where law and order were established is the real theme of this old movie. Wayne was a necessary part of the transition though it meant he belonged to the earlier time.

I wish SOMEONE would react to the Searchers on RU-vid. Such an amazing story and non-traditional role for John Wayne. For it's time, it exposed and challenged prejudices against Native Americans.

There were very few one-on-one shoot outs in the mid 1800s west. Most of the settlers had been in the army on one side or the other of the Civil War and all of them could shoot. If a bad guy had the guts or bad judgment to threaten the town often, he was shot from a lot of directions from cover. It's like the Ken McElroy shooting in Skidmore, Mo in 1981. He, a career criminal and local bully ended up dead from wounds from several different guns and to this day no one will say who shot him. although he was shot in, broad daylight, sitting in his truck next to his wife. Good reaction, glad you enjoy westerns.

My favorite western and probably my favorite movie. I’m with the newspaper publisher “Beer’s not drinking!”

I would be so bold as to say that "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" is the American "A Tale of Two Cities." Though Doniphon didn't sacrifice his life the way Sydney Carton did, he did sacrifice the happiness that he would have had being married to Hallie for the sake of saving Stoddard and turning him into a hero. I mean, he never even had the heart to rebuild the room he built for her and burned down after he realized she wouldn't be needing it. The implication that his final years were very sad indeed. At the end, when Stoddard is at his low point and saying that "I'm going to go back east where I belong," Doniphon reveals his secret to him, thus persuading him to go back to the convention hall and dedicate himself to serving his constituents. Basically, "The reason you have the fame and prestige that you have, indeed the very reason you're still alive, is because of me. So get your ass back in there, become the best version of yourself that you can be and marry the woman I love." If that's not a "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known" statement, I don't know what is.

Vera Miles (Halle) plays Laurie in The Searchers, by the way.

Andy Devine who plays the pathetic Marshal Appleyard also starred in "Stagecoach", John Ford's landmark 1939 western, which was John Wayne's breakout film. It also stars legendary actor John Carradine (father of actors David, Keith and Robert), who appeared in over 200 films (not including tv appearances). *Edit- Robert Carradine's first film role was at the age of 18 in The Cowboys (1972) with John Wayne. A definite "must watch" in the John Wayne catalog. It also stars a creepy/evil Bruce Dern, Slim Pickens and the unmistakable Roscoe Lee Browne.

Look at this! Here you go! Someone said women weren't treated right back then, well it certainly seems that in Hollywood they were strong women.

Jimmy Stewart made a half dozen iconic westerns with director Anthony Mann throughout the 50s, beginning with “Winchester 73”. He made only one western in his early career, a nifty comedy with Marlena Dietrich, “Destry Rides Again” ✅

One of myy all-time favorites. I too am in my 70s. Love the theme song, even/ James Stewart westerns? Try TWO RODE TOGETHER with Stewart and Richard Widmark Andy Devine co-starred with Guy Madison (such a hunk) on WILD BILL HICKOCK a popular TV western when I was young. He played "Jingles"

James Stewart was superb in " Flight Of The Phoenix " and also loved Lee Marvin as a hilarious drunken gunslinger in " Cat Ballou "

What John did to Van Cleef in the saloon is what he learned from Wyatt Earp on the silent western movie sets.

Lee Marvin played such as bad guy in this movie that I would recommend you watch The Professionals, he redeems himself as a good guy. He is lead with Burt Lancaster and Jack Palance. Woody Strode, who played Pompe in this movie has a much larger part in The Professionals, is always good on the screen.

Vera Miles was also in the Searchers, and she was in Psycho. She played the nagging girlfriend who started the fight, and loved it, and on Psycho she played the sister of the woman killed in the shower. She is a chirpy 93. P.S. Andy Devine's played Friar Tuck in Robin Hood 1973 Animated film, and his last movie was The Mouse and his Child, he voiced the Frog, great movie not just for kids, but it doesn't get much recognition today for some reason.

Great reaction to one of the greatest westerns. John Wayne born as Marion Robert Morrison is a national treasure. He was also known as The Duke. I’m glad you have decided to go down this path. Too bad we have to wait another month for a new western.

John Wayne is my favorite westerns actor. He does funny to heartbreaking and everything in between in the same genre. *McLintock* is hilarious but *The Cowboys* is a tearjerker.

I'd have to say the westerns made in the 30's and 40's and 50s and 60s are the best. They were closer to the time of the west and more accurate and are not as focused on the gun effects to "western" the movie as todays films are. John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Robert Mitchum, Audie Murphy, Joel McCrea, Stewart Granger, Henry Fonda, Glenn Ford and Burt Lancaster are in some great ones. Thanks for watching these.

Frederick Jackson Turner published his frontier thesis in 1893. There are a lot of ideas in this, one of the most important papers ever, about American history. We’ll only dig a little bit into this. The idea was that America started as a wilderness and slowly civilization started building on the East coast. As America moved west there was a sort of buffer zone between civilization and wilderness, the frontier. The frontier was the area that was moving toward civilization but wasn’t there yet. The wilderness had trappers and mountain men, cattle ranchers and outlaws. But settlers, farmers came with families. Settlers wanted things like schools, law and order. The rough elements resisted this. Farmers wanted fences to protect their crops. Cattlemen wanted their cattle to roam free. This forms the basis for conflict in 100s of Western movies. So the idea in this and so many movies, Shane, The Magnificent Seven, … is that the settlers are too civilized to fight against the outlaws so they need to find someone as violent, as ruthless, to fight back. So here Rance represents law, school, civilization but he is powerless against the unbridled evil of Liberty. Liberty can’t be defeated by law books. Tom is just as violent as Liberty but he wants some of the benefits civilization brings, like a wife. Tom demonstrates his power more with threats rather than actual violence. Note that Liberty is also a contradiction. He can read the newspaper but rejects law. So civilization comes but what a price.

66 year old grandfather. My wife and I grew up watching classic films like this when we born in the late 50's and grew up in the early to mid 1960's. Enjoy 👍🙏 "Ken And Brenda Russell"

One of my favorite Jimmy Stewart westerns, is "Bandolero!".

"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend" reminds me of the story of Panfilov's 28 Guardsmen from WW2 in real life. In 1941, during the defense of Moscow, a Soviet journalist reported that 28 men of the 316th Rifle Division (nicknamed Panfilov's Division) made a valiant last stand and fought to the death destroying 18 German tanks. The story did so much to boost Russian morale that Soviet leaders demanded more details, and the journalist published more details which included an inspiring quote which would become famous in the Soviet Union: "Our nation may seem vast, but there is nowhere for us to retreat, for behind us stands Moscow" attributed to an officer named Diev. Unfortunately, the details that were published didn't match the facts (including the fact that there was nobody named Diev in Panfilov's Division), and an investigation by Soviet military prosecutors thoroughly debunked the story in 1948. In spite of this, because the story did so much to inspire the Russian people to fight and sacrifice to win the war, memorials to Panfilov's 28 Guardsmen were erected throughout the Soviet Union including several 12 meter tall statues and a memorial park, and they remain to this day. In 2015, Sergei Mironenko, director of the Russian State Archive, cited historical documents including the 1948 Soviet prosecutors' investigation to publicly call out the story as a fabrication, and this resulted in Mironenko being removed from his post. Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky said of Mironenko "It is my deep conviction that even if this story was invented from the start to the finish ..., it is a sacred legend which it's simply impossible to besmirch. And people who try to do that are total scumbags."

You know, there is an obvious upswing lately in Western or Western themed programming. Yellowstone, 1883, Tulsa King, etc. Ms. Madison is onto something, and this is a great reaction film for her. Right in her wheelhouse!

John Wayne also did many war films. My fav is In Harms Way (naval film). The Shootist (western also w/ Ron Howard) is the only other Wayne/Stewart film they did together. Wayne's final film. True Grit is a true classic western. Andy Devine did voice Friar Tuck in Disney's animated movie Robin Hood, but not piglet. (I thought he might have been Pooh, but not him either).

Nora also played a leadin lady on the western series High Chaparral and "Dirty" Sally Ferguson on the long runnin series Gunsmoke. Lee Marvin "Liberty" also played an awesome character in a World War 2 war movie called The Dirty Dozen.

THAT WAS MY STEAK LIBERTY...Chills Everytime..lol

IMHO the best John Wayne Westerns are this, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Rio Grande and The Shootist. Oteh Westerns you might consider are The Magnificent Seven (1960), How the West Was Won (1962)

I think you're the only one who reacted to "the Missing". Anyway thanks, keep it up 👍

A classic. Great choice M.

Madison looks great in a that type of hat. I said it before and its true.

You're relating to Hollywood's version of the western in that time period, but as a child of the 1960's, there were a ton of western's on television, Wagon Train, The rifleman, Have gun, will travel, Rawhide, just to name a few, and that "happy medium" of which you speak, will be found in those TV shows if not in western movies at the time.

You would love the Sons of Katie Elder for classic John Wayne. For Jimmy Stewart, Harvey and Philadelphia Story. For both of them together again... The Shootist

You may recognise Vera Miles from Psycho (1960). Here she plays Hallie, Tom’s girlfriend.

Hmmm ... Only 60, so that may explain why my favorite western is Hombre (from an Elmore Leonard story back when he used to write westerns rather than crime type stories). I think my favorite John Wayne is Rio Bravo, though the Cowboys was fun.

I've always wondered if this was one that you had already seen, but I'm so glad that we got to share it with you. In my opinion this is the best Western movie ever made. Thank you for the reaction If you're looking for another similar movie, there's an obscure one that is fantastic called, "The ballad of Lefty Brown" (2017) And I think it would be right up your alley

I'm the 1000th like! I love all your reactions, especially the older movies. Kicking back to watch this one... I'll be back later. Well this was wonderful! I hadnt seen this movie in forever, and watching your reaction brings back all the emotions of this film. So iconic!

This was one of dad's favorite westerns. His (and mine) others were the mini series Lonesome Dove and Open Range

This movie is sooo ahead of its time ❤

Andy Devine is not the voice of Piglet although I can hear why you thought that. John Fiedler is the voice of piglet and many others. you would recognize Mr Fiedler if you saw him.

Lee Marvin (Liberty Valance) was in a good WW2 movie: The Dirty Dozen. It was about a group of convicted soldiers who were recruited to do a dangerous mission based on their skills. There was a whole training montage and then the mission itself.