Where the West Commences podcast

In this episode the boys debate the essential elements that qualify a movie to be called "A Western".

This episode explores the life and movies of Jimmy Stewart, and the contribution he made to the film library of American Westerns. We visit Indiana, Pennsylvania, and tour the Jimmy Stewart Museum to delve into his military career and his film legacy.

The Boys pay tribute to The Rifleman TV Show.

In a moment of impulsiveness, the core members of the infamous "Hole in the Wall Gang" dressed up and posed for a group picture in a Ft. Worth professional studio. Once that picture was developed, it was posted and circulated into the hands of every law enforcement agency in the country. That photo sealed the doom of this illusive gang, because no longer did the police have to rely on sketches, drawings, and verbal recollections of what these men looked like. They now had an actual photograph of Butch Cassidy and his gang to work from.

As a tribute to the legendary actor who filmed 18 westerns in his acting career, we celebrate the life and films of Kirk Douglas.

Daring and gutsy men were not alone in leaving their mark on the wild west. A handful of audacious women carved out their names in the western hall of fame. We will single out four of the many women who conquered the west in their own unique way - Annie Oakly, Calamity Jane, Susie Anderson, and Josie Earp.

March 6, 2020 marked the 184th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo. In honor of this crucial event in the history of the west, the boys pay tribute to the 13 days of glory at the siege of Alamo.

This episode celebrates the short-lived cross-country mail delivery service known as The Pony Express, which operated from April 1860 to October 1861. Daring riders fulfilled the promise of delivering a letter from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, in just ten days by horseback. Riders included such celebrated characters as Buffalo Bill Cody, who signed on at the tender age of 15.

Once the railroads became popular with American travelers, the flaws inherent in relying on "Solar Time" for railroad arrival and departure schedules required a remedy. In this episode we delve into the creation of the four standard time zones for the continental US.

The Transcontinental Railroad joined our nation together in 1869, making it possible to travel from New York to San Francisco in less than five days - a mind-boggling improvement over the usual 6-month wagon train ordeal. We salute this amazing achievement and the leap forward it contributed to the settlement of the west. 

The hallowed traditional cowboy "Code of the West" comes under careful scrutiny, with a point by point analysis of each of the ten behaviors expected of buckaroos in the old west.

The quality of medical care rendered to wounded soldiers on the battlefield during the American Civil War is explored, as well as lessons learned that greatly improved all aspects of the medical profession for generations to come.

Tom & Larry serve up clips from the 5 most popular episodes from their first 24 podcasts.

In this episode we celebrate that essential mode of transportation in the glory days of the wild west - the stagecoach. Along with the railroad and covered wagons, the stagecoach was synonymous with western travel in the 19th century. By today's standards it was cramped, crude, dusty, and bone-jarring, but in its day it was considered a luxury. 

There are rumblings in Hollywood that the traditional western as a movie genre is dead. We beg to differ. Tom and Larry offer their theories as to why western films have fallen into disfavor, and what needs to be done to fix it.

The wild west wasn't all fist fights and shootouts. Some of our western heroes made time to connect with the ultimate love of their life. In this episode Tom and Larry share some of the epic love stories of the old west, where life was fragile and the future uncertain, making affairs of the heart even more urgent.

Tom & Larry give a proper "Thank-You" to the western movie that started it all - and I mean all of it. It kick-started the entire film industry by showing everyone how to tell a story on film. It was made in 1903 and is credited as being the first actual movie. Despite its short 10-minute length, it drew crowds like no other film in the pre-nickelodeon era. And the name of the movie was "The Great Train Robbery". 

The reputation as "the fastest gun alive" was a two-edged sword in the west - you got respect, but you were the target of every  hot head determined to claim your title for his own. It is no surprise that no one who wore that title ever lived to see the age of 40. Tom and Larry will critique the top five deadliest pistoliers of the old west, as well as modern day competitors looking to win that same title in national quick draw contests.

In the next episode we explore the world of advertising and reveal the many ways Madison Avenue co-ops the appeal of "The West" by attaching its cachet to a wide range of products and services, from food to cars, perfume, cell phone carriers, to car insurance and even catheters - yes, that's right - cowboy catheters.  

There is a battle raging in the cowboy world, and we're talking about which brand of jeans you choose to wear. In this episode of WTWC the boys earn their combat pay by stepping right in the middle of the feud between Levis and Wranglers. So, button up your fly and join in the fray.

The boys recall the summer of '73 & '74 when they built a fully functioning western frontier fort at a Michigan summer youth camp for the enjoyment of campers.

The Boys delve into a wide range of historical and technical inaccuracies they've noticed in Hollywood westerns. Some of the errors are forgivable, but others are not. You can decide for yourself how much meticulous precision you demand for the sake of your viewing pleasure.

What kind of western hero do you admire most? The solitary individual standing his ground against evildoers? The resolute lawman defending the rights of others? The gritty mountain man battling the elements to survive? This week the boys explore the wide range of western heroes and share the ones they love the best.

We pull back the curtain and invite you into our creative kitchen to learn our "secret sauce". We share how we come up with story ideas, how we blend our different writing styles and divide up writing chores to take a book from concept to completion. If you ever thought about writing a book of your own, you'll draw inspiration from hearing our journey through the writing jungle. 

Saddle up for a ride through four of the wildest, most lawless frontier towns of the old west - the ones that made the west famous. These havens of villains and debauchery were written about and romanticized all over the east coast in their heyday, tantalizing every young buck with wanderlust in his veins to jump right into the middle of all that excitement. 

The boys tip their hat to two of the most famous western painters and sculptors of all time - Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell. Labeled by some as the "Norman Rockwell" of the American West, these two artists recorded the authentic look of the west on canvas as a reference for all future generations.

Tom & Larry delve into the world of cowboy grub out on the open range on a cattle drive. They praise the genius of the portable kitchen called the "chuck wagon", the importance of the cook to a successful drive, the typical cowboy menu, and the spoken and unspoken rules around the mealtime campfire.

Tom and Larry pay tribute to the hugely popular western TV show BONANZA, which ran for 14 seasons and ranked among the top rated network TV shows the entire decade of the 1960's. The boys share their memories of the famous Cartwright family and their adventures on the sprawling Ponderosa ranch, and offer up a few surprising trivia tidbits.

We celebrate the life and acting career of John Wayne with a review of his many film roles that established him as the symbol of the American West and epitomized the virtues of courage, toughness, humor, and loyalty.

Tom & Larry celebrate the talented composers, musicians, and singers that brought a unique musical sound to the western landscape. They review a sample of the best in western movie scores, symphony orchestras, Broadway shows, western balladeers, and musical bands that gave us those haunting tunes we will never forget.

Every generation creates its own colorful slang and jargon to express ideas unique to that time and place. This episode celebrates those delightful 19th century cowboy expressions and western slang that ranchers and wranglers shared with one another like a secret language. If you ever had a "beef" with someone, you can thank a cowboy for coming up with that descriptive term. Just don't go off the rails or fly off the handle. 

Tom and Larry navigate the world of the cowboy hat, with its many styles and rules for wear that all well-mannered buckaroos observed or ran the risk of bodily harm.

Tom and Larry pay tribute to the one worldwide syndicated comic strip dedicated to the American West - "Rick O'Shay". The strip ran from 1958 to 1977 under the artful hand of Stan Lynde, much to the delight of millions of fans. This episode explores some of the delightful characters that inhabited this strip, including Rick O'Shay, Hipshot Percussion, Gaye Abandon, and Deuces Wylde, as well as reasons why the detailed artwork and poignant storylines of Stan Lynde that made this comic strip so memorable.

Tom and Larry each share their top 5 favorite western movies of all time, and offer up their reasons for each selection. Love them or hate them, these lists are prepared and presented with tender loving care.

Tom and Larry pay tribute to the longest running TV western in history, celebrate its enduring legacy and colorful characters, and offer a few trivia tidbits. 

Western authors Larry and Tom Richardson welcome you to the inaugural episode of their new podcast "Where the West Commences", dedicated to the love of all things west. Being the first episode, they felt it only proper to introduce you to their backstories to give you a better idea of how they developed this passion for the rich legacy of the American West and the profound ways it shaped our culture. In future episodes they will share their thoughts on western movies, the music of the west, TV westerns, cowboy slang, iconic western destinations, western poetry, art, and a whole bunch of fun western trivia. So, let's get the party started.

Introducing Where the West Commences, the new podcast by western authors and brothers Larry and Tom Richardson as they share  their nostalgic love for the rich legacy of the American West and the profound ways it shaped our culture.