DEAR SEAN:
My dad just left my mom and me… He’s a real *&@#$ and I’m so pissed off, I don’t even know why I’m writing you…
I am so mad and I wish we could make him pay for this in some way if that could be possible…
I just can’t figure out why.
Thanks for reading this,
JACOB, (13 years old)
DEAR JACOB,
Before I answer you letter, I want to say one thing, and it’s a little off the subject, so bear with me.
Have you ever watched any old Westerns? I’m talking silver-screen heroes in ten-gallon hats with quickdraws, who call everyone “Pilgrim.”
No, you probably don’t watch movies like that. Only geeks watch those sorts of movies. Geeks like me.
Still, it makes me sad that we don’t have Westerns like that today. There was a time when mankind was fortunate enough to have Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Glenn Ford, Randolph Scott, and the immortal John Wayne.
Anyway, we don’t know each other, so you probably
don’t want any advice from a middle-aged fuddy-duddy like me.
But.
If you WERE to ask me for some advice, which you didn’t, it is my basic belief that all 13-year-old boys need classic Western movies in their lives.
Look, just because there are no great silver-screen cowboys in today’s age doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the old vaqueros. The Duke is still alive and well in digital color. Hopalong couldn’t look any better. And don’t forget “Maverick,” “Gunsmoke,” and “Bonanza.”
If you were to ask me which old Western movie to start with, I would have an answer for you.
“Stagecoach.” John Wayne’s first big movie. The Pilgrim himself, saving the day.
Then I’d tell you to watch “True Grit,” and “Red River.” From there you could work your way up to “The Searchers,” and…