Outlaw-turned-savior Quirt Evans rides again in Angel and the Badman, a brand-new remake of the 1947 John Wayne classic. And on this special episode, we’re joined by the film’s director, Julio Quintana, who discusses the challenges of updating a beloved Western for modern audiences. You’ll hear fascinating stories about working with Oscar-winning legend Tommy Lee Jones, how stubborn horses and freezing temperatures impacted the production, why Julio chose to rethink the frontier family’s specific faith, and much more. It’s an insightful, spoiler-free interview that will deepen your appreciation of the film — and might actually be best heard before you see the movie.

On this special bonus episode, writer Christopher McKittrick joins us to discuss the illustrious film career of Vera Miles, who starred in five feature Westerns — two of which are considered all-time classics. The author of the first full-length biography of Vera Miles, Christopher fills us in on her experiences working alongside Western icons like John Ford, John Wayne, James Stewart, Henry Fonda and Sam Elliott.

To purchase a copy of Christopher’s superb biography, Vera Miles: The Hitchcock Blonde Who Got Away, visit the book’s page on the University Press of Kentucky website.

And to learn more about Christopher’s work, check out his own website.

On this deep-dive episode, author and professor Brooks E. Hefner visits the studio to chat with Andrew Patrick Nelson about director Nicholas Ray's fever-dream Western, Johnny Guitar. Together, they discuss the film's unique production history, its intriguing gender politics, its enduring cult legacy and much more. So don't miss this fascinating look at one of the oddest Westerns ever made.

Brooks's latest book is titled Johnny Guitar, published by the University of New Mexico Press as part of the Reel West series, edited by Andrew.

We also want to give special thanks to outlaw songstress Sarah Vista for graciously allowing us to include her haunting cover of the Johnny Guitar theme song in this episode. To purchase a digital copy of Sarah's beautiful collection of classic Western movie themes, "Songs from the Silver Screen," visit her Bandcamp page.