Momma, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys

Joel Achenbach shows his kids a real western movie with The Duke and …

Naturally, I had to show the kids a John Wayne movie. We went to the video store and settled on “Red River.” Directed by Howard Hawks, co-starring Montgomery Clift. The teaser explained that John Wayne plays a cowboy who takes his massive herd on a long cattle drive. Perfect: A cowboy movie with lots of cows.

A little ways into the movie, the young Montgomery Clift makes his first appearance, playing “Matt,” the adopted son of the John Wayne character. He sort of . . . slinks around. Pantherish. Boy, he’s one pretty cowboy.

Another handsome young man, played by John Ireland, shows up and wants to join the cattle drive. Matt bristles at the newcomer, but it’s clear that the two lads are instantly fascinated with each other.

“That’s a good-lookin’ gun you were about to use back there. Can I see it?” the Ireland character says.

Matt hands him his gun.

“Maybe you’d like to see mine.”

Whoooaaaaaa, dogie!

There’s more like that — flirtatious comments about Matt’s gun. Mock hurt. Why did the new guy want to go on the cattle drive? “Just a notion I had, then Matt turned me down. Made me want to go. Besides, then I took a liking to that gun of his.”

I was practically shouting at the screen, “Get a room!”

Later I found out from the Internet what every film buff and “Brokeback” reviewer knows: “Red River” is famous for its suggestion of homoerotic behavior on the range. The “gay cowboy movie” has a long history. …

Which is exactly why Crash will get the Oscar.

Go fly a kite

… and take pictures from it.

Ferrari Case Takes New Twist

NewMexiKen has been following the Ferrari story in the Los Angeles Times. It keeps getting more bizarre, with some obscure “homeland security” undertones.

They now say the car was going 162 mph when it hit the power pole on the Pacific Coast Highway.
 
 

A most significant date

March 4th is among the most significant days of the year in the history of the United States Government.

The Constitution was approved on September 17, 1787. The required ninth state, New Hampshire, ratified the Constitution on June 21, 1788. On September 13, 1788, the Confederation Congress approved an act that called for “the first Wednesday in March next to be the time for commencing proceedings under the Constitution.”

The first Wednesday the following March was the 4th day of March, and hence the terms of the President and Vice President and members of Congress began on March 4, 1789. As it turned out, the first Congress convened on March 4, but did not actually have a quorum in either house until early April. Washington did not take the oath of office until April 30, 1789.

But officially the Constitution went into effect on March 4, 1789.

Thirty-two times March 4th was inauguration day. Four times — 1821, 1849, 1877, 1917 — March 4th occurred on Sunday and the inauguration was postponed until the next day.

The 20th Amendment changed inauguration day to January 20 effective in 1937.