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Hellbent for Letterbox

Entertainment

Paxton Holley and Michael May sit at the campfire to talk Westerns in film and other media.

Location:

United States

Description:

Paxton Holley and Michael May sit at the campfire to talk Westerns in film and other media.

Language:

English


Episodes
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Chisum (1970)

2/19/2026
In this episode Pax takes Mike to Lincoln County New Mexico and they talk about the misadventures of John Wayne as Chisum!

Duration:01:07:04

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Hostiles (2017)

1/16/2026
Michael and Pax finish a double-feature of 2017 Westerns with Scott Cooper's Hostiles, starring Christian Bale, Wes Studi, and Rosamund Pike.

Duration:01:23:33

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The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017)

1/4/2026
Mike and Pax discuss the 2017 western Ballad of Lefty Brown starring Bill Pullman, Peter Fonda, Jim Caveziel, and Tommy Flannagan.

Duration:01:03:29

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The Devil's Mistress (1965)

11/7/2025
Michael and Pax welcome back Shawn Robare to finish this year's spooky season double-feature. We're watching the little-known The Devil's Mistress about a gang of ruthless outlaws who stumble across the wrong cabin on their run from justice.

Duration:01:02:28

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Ravenous (1999)

10/24/2025
Mike and Pax are joined by their Crestwood House co-host to talk about the horror western Ravenous from 1999 starring Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle.

Duration:01:41:12

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Appaloosa (2008)

10/10/2025
It's been on our list a long time, but Michael and Pax finally get around to talking about Appaloosa, directed by and starring Ed Harris. It also stars Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, and Jeremy Irons, and is based on the novel by Robert B Parker.

Duration:01:18:20

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Red Headed Stranger (1986)

9/24/2025
In this episode Mike and Pax finish up a Willie Nelson double header with Red Headed Stranger from 1986.

Duration:01:25:53

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Barbarosa (1982)

7/4/2025
Michael and Pax watch one of Michael's favorite '80s Westerns, Barbarosa starring Willie Nelson, Gary Busey, and Gilbert Roland.

Duration:01:12:42

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Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)

6/20/2025
Mike and Pax cover another Peckinpah. Will they love it or hate it? Listen to find out!

Duration:01:17:42

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The Violent Men (1955)

5/23/2025
Thanks to a listener's suggestion, Michael and Pax watch Glenn Ford, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G Robinson, and Brian Keith in Rudolph Maté's The Violent Men. The movie also features Dianne Foster and Richard Jaeckel. It begins with a couple of classic Western tropes, but takes them in surprising and dark directions.

Duration:01:18:42

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There Was a Crooked Man... (1970)

5/9/2025
In this episode Mike and Pax talk about a twisty western comedy called There Was a Crooked Man starring Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, Warren Oates, Hume Cronyn, Burgess Meredith, and John Randolph.

Duration:01:26:13

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Tall in the Saddle (1944)

3/28/2025
Michael and Pax check out Young John Wayne and Ella Raines in the Western mystery Tall in the Saddle. The movie also features Gabby Hayes and Ward Bond.

Duration:01:00:24

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My Darling Clementine (1946)

3/19/2025
In this episode Mike and Pax continue watching OK Corral movies with this acclaimed adaptation by John Ford starring Henry Ford and Victor Mature.

Duration:01:06:41

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The Dead Don't Hurt (2023)

2/14/2025
For Valentine's Day, Michael and Pax watch the Western romance, The Dead Don't Hurt, written and directed by Viggo Mortensen. Mortensen also wrote the score and acted alongside the movie's real star, Vicky Krieps. The film also features Danny Huston and Deadwood favorites W Earl Brown and Ray McKinnon.

Duration:01:15:49

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Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957)

1/25/2025
Mike and Pax discuss another OK Corral movie, this one starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas as Wyatt and Doc. And with appearances by DeForest Kelley, Jack Elam, and Dennis Hopper.

Duration:01:08:30

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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

1/10/2025
Michael and Pax finally revisit Andrew Dominik's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, a movie that Michael liked on first viewing, but Pax didn't, and neither has seen in a very long time.

Duration:01:16:33

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The Old Way (2023)

12/21/2024
Mike and Pax discuss The Old Way from 2023 starring Nic Cage.

Duration:00:55:27

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Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1980)

11/22/2024
Always on the lookout for Westerns starring women, Michael and Pax watch Lamont Johnson's Cattle Annie and Little Britches. Amanda Plummer and Diane Lane insert themselves into a demotivated outlaw gang (run by Burt Lancaster and Scott Glenn) as it tries to avoid capture by Marshal Rod Steiger. Pax also watches The Thicket (2024) while Michael takes a look at Heart of Arizona (1938) and The Bold Caballero (1936).

Duration:01:05:06

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Joe Kidd (1972)

11/13/2024
In this episode Mike and Pax discuss another Clint Eastwood western, Joe Kidd, also starring Robert Duvall, John Saxon, and directed by John Sturges.

Duration:01:03:30

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House II: The Second Story (1987)

10/31/2024
Michael stretches the definitions of both "Western" and "Horror" when he makes Pax and guest Shawn Robare watch House II: The Second Story. Though it does have undead cowboys. The movie is the sequel to 1985's House and stars Arye Gross, Jonathan Stark, Royal Dano, John Ratzenberger, Bill Maher, and Lar Park-Lincoln.

Duration:01:46:20