Print the Legend
Pairing wine with movies! See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies, and many more, at Trailers From Hell. This week, a trio of legendary films and a wine pairing for each.
The 1962 Western, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, was directed by John Ford, and starred John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart. If that’s not enough talent for you, check the supporting cast. Lee Marvin, Vera Miles, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Strother Martin, Edmund O’Brien and Lee Van Cleef are in the picture, too. It’s hard to believe that even the big screen was big enough for all those acting legends.
Stewart plays a U.S. Senator, but don’t hold that against him. He travels to his hometown of Shinbone, which is a fantastic name for a frontier town. The newspaper there is called The Shinbone Star, which, today, sounds more like a skateboarder’s tattoo.
It is the newspaper editor who provides us the title for this week’s digital ink. The editor learns that the man who actually shot the hated and feared outlaw Liberty Valance was not who people think it was. He destroys a reporter’s notes and says that, “when the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” That’s journalism 101, kids. Now, you’re on your own.
Legend Vineyard Exclusive is the wine outlet for singer John Legend. LVE has a Carneros Chardonnay for $55 and a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for $95. Legendary.
https://lvewines.com/collection/all-wines
In Stagecoach, from 1939, Ford got another shot at directing Wayne, this time alongside Claire Trevor. Strangers are thrown together for a long ride. This sort of travel was never considered comfy-cozy, but this trip is made even more uncomfortable by expected attacks from Apache tribes and the looming presence of an escaped outlaw.
The travelers represented a strange cross-section of the territory’s population. A prostitute, a Southern belle, a whiskey salesman, a boozy doctor, a banker, and a U.S. Marshal all got on board. It sounds like a rousing game of Clue was afoot, but there weren’t enough weapons to go around. Plus, there was only one room. “Is it, ah, the drunk doctor in the stagecoach with a broken whiskey bottle?”
Stagecoach is considered one of the great films, influencing many, including Orson Welles. He called the movie a “textbook of filmmaking” and reportedly watched it 40 times while prepping for his own masterpiece, Citizen Kane. The best steal only from the best.
Stagecoach Vineyard, overlooking Napa Valley, is one of the more beloved places in California to get grapes. Miner Family Winery has a 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon from Stagecoach Vineyard for $125, and their Stagecoach Vineyard Merlot can be had for half that price.
1945’s They Were Expendable had John Ford behind the lens again. This time the testosterone from John Wayne and Robert Montgomery was offset by Donna Reed as an Army nurse, because every war story should have a romance attached to it.
The film centers on U.S. Navy PT-boats, relatively small vessels that were largely assigned to deliver mail. Until Pearl Harbor happened. It was all-hands-on-deck time, and the Little War Boats That Could were itching to see action.
Some have complained that the movie, taking a cue from actual Navy Men, praised the PT-boats a bit too highly. Yes, they made their mark in WWII, but probably not to such an incredibly high degree. They were small and slow, and their torpedoes were reportedly a step behind the times in accuracy and effectiveness. Anyway, it’s a good wartime flick. One critic, offering faint praise, liked all the sunshine in the outdoor shots. That was the Florida Keys, by the way, not the Philippines.
Veteran-owned Vintage Escapes Winery of Minnesota makes wine from their award-winning Marquette grapes and labels them for the various military branches. $23.
https://www.vintageescapeswinery.com/military