Season 21 Episode 4: The Last of the Mohicans & The Revenant

Hile, Cromrades! Join us as we brave the dark solstice of the year and welcome in Old Man Winter... Herein we discuss Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans (1992) alongside Alejandro Iñárritu's The Revenant (2015)! We hope you have stoked the fire, and have a few blankets at hand. 

If you want to prep up for our next episode, be sure to check out Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby (2004) and Sean Durkin's The Iron Claw (2023)!

One Things:

Jon - The Oscar-contender, Conclave!

Josh - Legends of Localization, by way of a bit of Final Fantasy!

Luke - Union Grove Talking Machine Records!

Questions? Comments? Curses?

Call us at (859) 429-CROM!

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Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: XXX as composed for the movie by Jerry Goldsmith! Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work! 

Cromtober 2021 - A Trio of Vampire Tales

Welcome back, Cromrades! For Halloween 2021, we have a mega-episode for you all about vampires! Listen here as we discuss 'Dracula's Guest' by Bram Stoker, 'A Rendezvous in Averoigne' by Clark Ashton Smith, and 'The Horror from the Mound' by Robert E. Howard!

One Things

Jon: 'The Enchanted World' Series, by Time-Life Books!

Josh: The Muppets' 'Haunted Mansion!'

Luke: Planet X Games! You can back 'King Tut's Rootin' Tootin' Weird West Extravabonanza' here!

Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music from the OST for Salem's Lot. All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 11, Episode 3: Stage to Lordsburg by Ernest Haycox

Howdy, Cromrades! This week, we're heading down the dusty trail on the Stage to Lordsburg! This influential story by Ernest Haycox was first published by The Saturday Evening Post in 1937, and the 1939 adaptation was a cornerstone in the development of the western film genre! We were excited to talk about the archetypes found within this story.

Ernest Haycox

Watch the full version of the original film on YouTube.

Also, be sure to check out this blog post by Jeff Arnold for more information about the story!

Original art by our very own Luke! 

One Things
Jon: Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail by Hunter S. Thompson
Josh: 1776 by David McCullough
Luke: The Ginger Star by Leigh Brackett

Next time - We get weird in the west with Old Garfield's Heart by Robert E. Howard!

Questions? Comments? Curses?

Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)

You know you want to follow us on Twitter!
Did you know that we're on Facebook?
We're posting photos on the Instagrams!
Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner!
Or, check us out on iTunes!
We're also on Stitcher Radio and Google Play!
Finally.... Call us! (859) 429-CROM!

Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. 

Outro: "Stagecoach" by Willie Nelson. Music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Announcing Season 11 - The Western Road Story List!

Howdy, Cromrades! Where do we turn after our jaunt off-world to Arrakis? How about the Wild West? Saddle up and join us on our trip through the plains for stagecoach robberies, gunfights at high noon, and adventure!

Season 11: The Western Road

1.    “Law-Shooters of Cowtown”- Robert E. Howard (Cross Plains 1974): An intro episode where we talk about our experiences with westerns and how REH started writing them as well. We’ll begin with a grim western that features Grizzly Elkins and a fist fight with a mob that is supposed to be quite memorable. (From End of the Trail (Bison Books)

2.    “Stage to Lordsburg”- Ernest Haycox (Saturday Evening Post 1937): Called by some “the greatest stagecoach story ever written” this short story also served as the inspiration for John Ford’s “Stagecoach”. Haycox was a pulp writer who published two dozen novels and about 300 short stories and was an early pioneer of the western. University of Arizona PDF

3.    “Old Garfield’s Heart”- Robert E. Howard (Weird Tales 1933): A focus on REH and his hand in creating the weird western. What has this genre offered us in pop culture. This story specifically focuses on an old Texas Pioneer gains immortality by replacing his heart with something from another world. Was adapted into a Conan story “Old Garrod’s Heart” in SSoC #203.

                The Horror Stories of REH (Del Rey)

                Black Stranger and Other American Tales (Bison Books)

                Project Gutenberg Link

4.    “A Man Called Horse”- Dorothy Johnson (Collier’s 1950): A rich Bostonian is enslaved by Crow Indians. While enslaved he eventually gains the respect of the tribe through cunning and bravery in battle. Eventually he takes the name “Horse” and falls in love with an Indian woman.  PDF Link

5.    “Trap of Gold”- Louis L’Amour (Argosy 1951): The master of the western, L’Amour was prolific in his production. How has the genre solidified 20-30 years after Howard was tinkering with it? This short story focuses on a prospector, Weatherton. Weatherton finds the dream of a lifetime, a vein richer in gold than he ever cared to imagine. He knew he had more than he needed, but he almost lost his senses - and his life - as the fever began to take control of him. PDF Link

6.    Western Film Fest: The Cromcast talks western movies with a classic “The Wild Bunch” by Sam Peckinpah and a modern western “The Proposition” by John Hillcoat.  

7.    “Mountain Man”- Robert E. Howard (Action Stories 1934): Breckenridge Elkins is a lesser known but extremely important Howard creation. With 26 published stories, he was actually Howard’s most commercially viable and longest published character. His stories are called “funny westerns” and feature tall tale structure with printed Texan vernacular. We will be reading and analyzing his first appearance.

Wikisource link

The Complete Action Stories (Wildside Press)

 Riot at Bucksnort (Bison books)

8.     “Vultures of Whapeton”- Robert E. Howard (Smashing Novels Magazine 1936): A conclusion to The Western Road, where we wrap up by talking about what is considered to be REH’s finest western story. Steve Corcoran, a Texas pistoleer, finds a job as deputy of the boom town of Wahpeton. At first, he doesn’t know that his boss is the secret head of the outlaw gang of “Vultures” who are preying on the town.

                Vultures of Whapeton (Zebra Books)

                Best of REH Vol 2: Grim Lands (Del Rey)

                End of the Trail (Bison Books)

                Project Gutenberg link