Sunday, July 28, 2019

Wanted: Dead or Alive // A Review of Sorts (Legends of Western Cinema Week)


This week has just gone by in a flash, hasn't it? How could we be at the end of Legends of Western Cinema Week already?! With life and everything else going on, I unfortunately didn't end up having enough time to write up all of the wonderful ideas for posts that I had for this blog party. D:
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But, after reading this post of Natalie's, I was especially determined that I just couldn't let this western-themed blog party go by without at least posting something about one of my favorite westerns right now, even if I am a day late.

What show is this? It's Wanted: Dead or Alive!

*Belts out show's opening music* DUN DUNN! ...DUN DUNN! ...Dun. Dun. DUN. dun DUUUUNN DUN DUN DUN dun....."
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Okay, Faith, we get it. You're super excited about this.
Ahem. Okay, so, as in the words of Josh Randall himself, "let's gooo" ahead and get into this, shall we? xD

In a nutshell, Wanted: Dead or Alive is about bounty hunter, Josh Randall, a man who rides throughout the wild west, seeking to bring about justice and protect the innocent -- all while being as cool, calm, and collected as he possibly can.

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Josh does his job for the money, of course, to make a living; and he values money quite highly. But you can also see that deep down, his main goal many times through his work is to see true justice be done. You can see this in the way he does his job and treats his prisoners. He takes the phrase "innocent until proven guilty" to heart. And when he knows someone is innocent, he does all he can to help fight for them.

He respects human life. He doesn't just kill for the thrill. Even though the poster says, "Wanted: Dead or Alive" he tries hard to give all of the people he tracks down a chance to come back alive, and be able to have a fair trial. However, if they don't take the chances Josh gives them though, well, he's not afraid to use his handy sawed-off shotgun when he needs to.



Despite his profession that is looked down upon by many people he comes across, Josh stays strong in his determination to see justice be brought about in each situation he finds himself in.

Josh is just an overall likable character. And that's quite an important thing, too since he's the only consistent character throughout the whole series (except for Jason who becomes his partner for a while in season two). The moral code Josh has, his stance on justice, and his willingness to protect the innocent are some things about him that causes admiration. He doesn't seem to care about what others think of him, and is willing to go against the masses to stand with what he believes is true.

And don't get me started on how fun it is to see him with the cute kiddos that occasionally appear on the show. There's just this soft, understanding side that comes out of Josh whenever he's around and/or talking with a little kid that we don't always see in him. For example, there's one episode where this little boy wants to hire Josh to find Santa Claus, and all the other men around him are just laughing at the little squirt about it. But Josh just listens, takes him seriously, and cares about his feelings; and that's one thing I really love about his character toward kids, especially in that episode. :)


So, Josh is a great guy, no mistake there. However, all of this great moral character of his though doesn't mean that he doesn't have his flaws. He does drink, gamble, and can't seem to help himself from flirting with certain beautiful women he runs into -- who usually happen to be saloon gals. But, despite those cringe-worthy, flirtatious moments when he tries to be romantic, he does show a respect for women overall, which is, of course, always a noteworthy attribute.
One thing that I think would have been a great addition to this series is if there was actually a good, moral lady that Josh liked who continually showed up throughout different episodes, and whom he ends up marrying in the end. But alas... The very few girls that I think would be right for Josh only really show up for one episode, and then move on and never show themselves again.

Au nom de la loi (Wanted : Dead or Alive) | Josh Randall | Steve McQueen | ©CBS. Première diffusion : à partir du 25 mai 1963.
                                          (I actually don't remember who this lady was... but it's such a sweet picture though, don'tchya think? :) )

Oh, but anyway. So, there's not a certain fabulous "ship" that I've found for Josh in the series yet, but oh well. :P
So, even with his and the show's occasional little quirks, it's still very enjoyable to watch, and I'm so glad my family and I came across it! We first discovered Wanted: Dead or Alive last year on MeTV. We somehow got quite into it and liked Steve Mcqueen's character a lot, and so decided to look the cool dude up to find out more about him. Well, when we first looked up Steve McQueen on Wikipedia, it was a little saddening to read about his rough childhood and and untimely death at fifty years old.

But then, one night when I was supposed to be asleep, I was on my phone while sitting in bed and noticed that I still had the Wikipedia page for him up. That's when I scrolled past something it said about him becoming a Christian toward the end of his life. I immediately looked into this further, read some articles and such about it (like this one), and found out that this really was true! I also discovered that there's even a documentary film all about how he came to Christ (which I still need and very much want to see). And so, of course, I WAS SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS I JUST could have ran around our house a dozen times or something. xD Now, whenever I watch Wanted (or anything else with Steve Mcqueen in it... which isn't really a lot of other things, but anywho), it adds that extra happiness to it just knowing that in his real life he finally found true life and peace in Jesus.

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So yes. Much happiness. :)

Now, back to the show... ;D

I suppose I should also say a little something about Jason as well. Even though he only becomes Josh's partner for a little while during the second season, he's still a character to be noted. He's not the most iconic or perfect sidekick ever. He, too has his flaws, and at times is irritatingly naive, but most of the time, he's a pretty good partner to have along. He helps out Josh a lot in several episodes, and learns much from him about bounty hunting... and maybe even teaches Josh a few things in the process as well.

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(Addionally, Jason has a look that could perhaps remind one of Woody from Toy Story... hmm.) *thinks up some highly unlikely conspiracy theory of how Jason was actually Pixar's true inspiration for the character of Woody*  XD

So yep. Wanted: Dead or Alive is just a good, fun, likable show. It gives ya all the western vibes. (I mean, obviously, pfft... that's a pretty redundant statement for a clearly western show. :P) Anyway. I do enjoy that there's a mix of both the serious and humorous throughout the series. Some episodes are more on a serious level, while there are a few that are just downright hilarious. There are some episodes, however, that don't have much of an ending at all or just leave you a bit befuddled at the end of it; or those few times when the writers push Josh out of his normal, smart character. (Like when he starts to fall in love with this lady prisoner, and just... like, WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING. JOSH. STOP. WHAT DID THOSE WRITERS DO TO YOU.)

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But then there are a lot of really great episodes as well with clever plots. So, you sometimes get a bit of a mixed bag as far as the stories go. But overall, it's really just a good show with some good stories and good characters. I believe it's definitely worth a watch... especially if you're a fan of classic westerns and/or Steve McQueen!

So there ya go! There's a bit about Wanted: Dead or Alive, and a few thoughts/rambles of mine about it! I could probably go on for a lot longer about this show, but I'll stop there for now. I'm sorry if this was a bit more of a ramble than a review, but whatever it was, I hope that perhaps it made you interested in checking this show out, or, if you've already seen it, made you fangirl smile a little at least. :)

Steve McQueen | Wanted: Dead or Alive | 1958 | as Josh Randall

Well, thanks so much for reading, y'all! This week sure has been a heap o' fun! I'm looking forward to going back and reading through some of the other western-y posts from this week! And you can check out all these other great posts as well that everyone else contributed here!

Thanks so much to Olivia, Heidi, and Hamlette for hosting this rip-roarin' party! I'm so happy that Legends of Western Cinema Week happened once again, and hopefully it will be a thing next year as well! ;D

Have an awesome week, everyone! Write to ya later, and God bless! *Waves cowboy hat in farewell*
~Faith

P.S. Have you ever seen Wanted: Dead or Alive? What did you think of it? Tell me your thoughts!

Friday, July 26, 2019

Just for a laugh... Legends of Western Cinema Edition!!


Howdy, friends!

I'm thrilled to be participating in this week's blog party, Legends of Western Cinema Week hosted by Olivia, Heidi, and Hamlette!

I thought it'd be fun to do another edition of my "Just for a laugh" series. And this time -- to commemorate this momentous blog party occasion -- we have a western-themed one! So, pull up a chair, sit back, and go ahead and have a good laugh! :D (Oh, but before you sit back, make sure your seat has a back to it first...)
one of my fav moments
xD Alrighty, let's get into this, shall we?

~~~~~

Person: "Old westerns are boring."
Me and my classic western-loving friends:
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Tsk tsk.....


10 Daily Funny Photos for Your Saturday
WHY IS THIS SO TRUE IN EVERY WESTERN??
(And I know, I know, I stole this one from Olivia.... but it was just too good to pass up... ;) )


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Hush up and give Mr. Eastwood his coffee!


When you ask a quiet person what they're thinking...
Little Joe is smitten with the daughter of a confederate sympathizer, and Adam disapproves, which Joe senses. From The War Comes to Washoe (Bonanza)
Indeed.....


Wanted Dead Or Alive GIF
Oh NO you don't!


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Hmm... I guess whoever was coming up with the name must have thought it sounded cooler than "The Ranger and Tonto". xD


What world do you live in??


The Shakiest Gun In The West GIF
No way!
*Hopes all my Shakiest Gun in the West peeps get this meme* :P


"And how many cookies did you really have?"
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So, the truth comes out!


And now, to wrap up all this wild west fun, here's a few funny western-themed skits for y'all! Enjoy! :D






Well, that sure was fun! I hope y'all had a good laugh there, and had as much fun as I did with putting all these memes/videos together! Be sure to check out all the rest of the blog party excitement over at Olivia, Heidi, and Hamlette's blogs!

Write to ya later, and God bless!
~Faith

P.S. Which was your favorite meme and/or video? Do you like westerns? Which western is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Friday, July 19, 2019

Another Update of Sorts + The #AwesomeBloggerAward!


*Suddenly noticing my blog and how neglected it's been lately*
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Oh... well, hello again!

I greatly apologize for my absence lately. Again. Yes, I've been busy with school and church and life and everything else...... But I don't want this just to be another update post on why I'm not posting regularly (especially since it's basically for the same reasons as I said last time), so I'll just provide you with some quick updates, and then get into a fun award that I was recently tagged for -- how about that? :)

Firstly, not too long ago I completed an online college course that had tight deadlines. These deadlines, while they were sometimes quite inconvenient and annoying, were actually very helpful for me, especially since I haven't in the past always been the best with time management. So anyway, this got me to thinking about my 3rd year blogiversary Q&A post that I was supposed to do *cough*abouteightmonthsago*cough*. (I know, this sounds like I'm totally going off topic, but just stay with me...) So, I put these two things together in my mind and realized that in order to truly get this Q&A post finished and posted, I probably need to make some sort of deadline for myself in order to truly get this accomplished.

So... That's why I'm letting you guys know that I will be posting my answers to y'all's Q&A questions that you asked me back at my 3rd year blogiversary by July 31st! (I guess it's now more like my 3rd and a half year blogiversary... but it will still be fun. :) )
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"But, Faith, why not post it just next week??"

Well, that's the another thing I was going to tell you guys about...
You see, there's something very exciting happening this coming week! No, it's not as exciting of a thing as someone getting married or having a baby or something like that. Definitely not. But in the blogosphere world, it's quite a fun thing... to anyone who likes westerns anyway. XD
Okay okay, I'll stop beating around the bush...
I'm going to be participating in a fun blog party, the Legends of Western Cinema Week!
My good blogging friend, Olivia over at her blog, Meanwhile in Rivendell shall be hosting it along with Heidi of Along the Brandywine and Hamlette of Hamlette's Soliliquy. I participated in this blog party a couple years ago, writing one post for it, so I'm excited to be able to be apart of it again! I'm rather looking forward to this, I must say. xD (And if you'd like to participate as well, I'm sure you can! Just let one of the hostesses know you'll be posting something for the blog party!)

Alrighty! Now, I think that's all the updates I have for the moment. Let's get on with the tag! :)

Kaitlyn over at her blog, Twin Thoughts tagged me for the #Awesome Blogger Award! Thank you so much for tagging me, Kaitlyn!

Here are the officially official rules for this awesome tag:
-Tag your post with #awesome blogger award
-Answer all the questions given to you
-Nominate at least 5 bloggers and inform them of their nomination
-Give them 10 new questions to answer

Sounds reasonable enough. Alright, let's get started! :D

1. What is one thing that make you sparkle? (Something that you get excited about)
There are a lot of things. XD One thing I always get excited about is hearing people's testimonies of either how they came to know Christ or how He has healed or helped them in some way, etc. I get so excited on the inside when I hear testimonies like that, especially someone's journey of how they found Jesus!

2. What is your favorite musical instrument?
The piano's probably my favorite (since it's the one I can play best), but I really enjoy hearing people play the violin and guitar, and would really like to learn how to play them someday.

3. If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go?
AHH, there are so many places I'd like to visit! I'd especially enjoy visiting some place in Europe, like maybe Switzerland, and see the Alps!
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4. What is your 'theme song'? (This could be an all-time favorite, or a song that describes your situation)
Hmmmm... Sunday School Rock by Carman has always been a favorite of mine. I grew up with the song, and it's always kinda been my jam. ;)
But, as for more of a "theme song", like one that describes my situation or one that's really touched me... I'd have to say Good Good Father by Chris Tomlin. I had heard this song for a while, but then, one Sunday a while back at church when we were singing it, one of the lines just really struck a chord in me. Now whenever I hear that song it just really resonates with me. God's such a good GOOD Father!!


5. What's your favorite thing about blogging?
One of my favorite things has been being able to get to know other Christian bloggers through my blog!

6. Of all of your hobbies, what is your favorite and how did you get started on it?
Writing and coming up with stories has always been a favorite hobby of mine (that hopefully I can turn into more than a hobby someday!) I'm not sure how exactly I got started with writing stories as I've been doing it for as long as I can remember. Some of the earliest stories I wrote were written on several folded pieces of paper stapled together, made to look like a book. And, when I was younger, I'd like going out in our yard and come up with pretend scenarios for movies or tv shows that I would then act out to myself. :P

7. Who is your favorite author, and which of their books is your favorite?
I honestly don't know who my favorite author is... there are so many good ones! One of my favorite books right now though is Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher. I enjoyed her writing style  a lot in this one, and hope to look into some of her other books.
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8. Which is your favorite book of the Bible, and why?
I'd probably pick John right now. (But again, like authors, there are so many good ones!) I love reading about Jesus and what He did and taught while He was here on the earth. I want to learn to follow Jesus as best as I can, and one of the best ways to do that I think is to read and learn about Him, Who He is, and what He did while on the earth in the Gospels. :)

9. Which of the four seasons best describes your personality?
Ooh, hmm... Maybe Spring? I get excited and happy over little things, want to make others happy and feel appreciated (I hope I do that), I always like to laugh, always enjoy a happy ending, and like brighter and pastel colors. You will rarely see me wear black unless I'm wearing it with another color. 
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I guess though I don't always show my excitement or "springyness" like that ^^ xD on the outside as much as I want to sometimes. If I'm really happy about something, it seems like I tend to hide my full excitement on the inside because I'm concerned about what other people will think of me. But that's one thing that God's been dealing with me about lately -- to not care so much about what others think, and just encourage people and say what the Holy Spirit is leading me to say or do without concerning myself with what others will think.

10. What is one thing that God has taught you recently?
Well, I suppose what I said up there for one thing, hehe. But along with that, another thing that God's taught me recently is that He lives inside me. I know it sounds simple, and I've known all of my life that when I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior that His Spirit came and now lives on the inside of me. But recently, God has just been making that more real to me. I've been learning to not put faith in just my own faith or what I can do, but put faith in God, and focus on Him, because He is going to do the work He wants done through me, not me. I just have to obey and trust. That's it. I don't have to do what God wants me to do all on my own. I just need to listen and do what He's telling me to do, and let HIM do the healing, the restoring, and the transforming!
(Hmm, that was maybe more than one thing, but oh well. xD)

That was fun! I tag.......
Faith @ Stories by Firefly!
Abby @ Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors

And here are your questions, ladies!
1. What is one thing that makes you sparkle? (Something that you get excited about)
2. What is your favorite color to wear?
3. What is your favorite song right now?
4. What is a favorite Bible verse of yours at the moment, and why does it resonate with you right now? 
5. What is a book (besides the Bible) that you would always recommend to someone?
6. What is a movie and/or book that you've wanted to watch/read for a long time, but haven't gotten around to it yet?
7. What is one thing that not a lot of people know about you?
8. How did you come up with your blog name? 
9. Which of the four seasons best describes your personality?
10. What is one thing that God has taught you recently?

I look forward to reading all you awesome bloggers' answers to these questions! (Of course, though if you'd rather not do this tag, that's completely fine, too!)

Okay, well I think that about wraps it up for today! It's so great to finally be back to blogging again after my rather long, unexpected hiatus I took there. I hope you enjoyed this post, and hope you're having a wonderful day!

Write to ya later, and God bless!
~Faith