I'm watching a movie that stars several well known stars like Charlton Heston, aka known a Moses.
It has Chuck Connors, aka the Rifel Man.
Both are armpits to the star of the movie, Gregory Peck.
He is Atticus Finch to me.
Love that movie and book.

,

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Sounds like "The Big Country"... Gregory Peck as a ship captain who is to marry some fancy blonde gal who's Daddy, "the Colonel" (Union Civil War) owns a gigantic ranch somewhere in the West. His top hired man is Charlton Heston. He's treated as something of an idiot by his soon-to-be father in law and fiancee, and a jealous Heston who's kinda got eyes on the fiancee and moving up to the boss. Peck ends up falling for a local schoolteacher friend of the fiancee, whose parents died and she inherited their hardscrabble ranch "the Big Muddy" which has a river flowing through it that is the main source of water for all the cattle on her ranch and the adjoining ranches. She's looking to sell out, tired of being caught between the officious Colonel and the wild owner of another ranch up in the hills and canyons above them, played by Burl Ives, probably most famous for his singing "Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer" in the claymation cartoon we've all been watching for 60 years every Christmas. Ives is a rough character who's basically at each other's throat with the Colonel, and Ives ne'er-do-well son (Chuck Connors) who along with his men harrass and beat one of the Colonel's men, igniting something of a brush war between their rival ranches.

Peck ends up dumping the fiancee due to his new interest in the schoolteacher, played by Jean Simmons, which some of yall may remember as the elderly female inquisitor/Admiral Satee from the Star Trek:TNG episode "The Drumhead" who grills Picard in a witch hunt to no purpose. She's kidnapped by Connors and taken back to their ranch, to try to force her to sell Big Muddy to them, so they can deprive the Colonel of a source of water for his cattle ranch. Little do they know that she already sold the ranch to Peck, who rides in to negotiate her release, over the Colonel's objections, who tries to stop him and threatens to shoot him. Peck gives an impassioned plea that a range war is a futile waste of lives, and rides off. Heston sees the logic in what Peck has said, and isn't willing to follow the Colonel and lead his cowboys into a needless and pointless blood bath. The Colonel curses them for cowards and rides on toward Ives' ranch anyway, alone. Heston decides he cannot let the Colonel face him alone, and decides to ride with him, along with their men. Ives and Connors threaten to kill Peck, but Simmons pretends to be "visiting them" since they won't allow her to leave. Peck shows them the recorded deed, that he's the new owner of Big Muddy, and he has no objection to allowing ALL the ranchers to water their stock on the river on Big Muddy. Ives is wary but finally comes around, but Connors is a hothead and provokes a fight with Peck over the girl. Ives steps in and tells them to "settle it like gentlemen" and pulls out a case with two single-shot dueling pistols that Peck had given as a gift to the Colonel, and presents them both with one and referees a duel between them, after cursing Connors for his gunfighter ways with the six-shooters, saying the single shot is the REAL test of a gentleman, and telling him to "not disappoint me for once". Connors takes his shot early, grazing Peck's forehead, and shows cowardice because Peck still has his shot and aims carefully to take Connors out. Seeing him cowering on the ground behind a wagon, Peck finally just shoots into the ground a few feet away, and tosses the empty pistol to Ives. Connors, seeing his chance, suddenly grabs a six shooter from one of their cowhands and is about to kill Peck, when Ives guns him down for his cowardice and double crossing. As his son Connors is dying, Ives holds him and berates him for his cowardice and hot-headedness. Ives allows Peck and Simmons to leave in peace, BUT at about this time, the Colonel and his men are seen riding into the entrance to the canyonlands where Ives' ranch is, and sounds an alarm. Peck offers to negotiate a settlement, telling Ives they can BOTH water their cattle on Big Muddy, restoring the status quo. Ives says its pointless and rides off to finish this business once and for all. The Colonel foolishly leads his men into an ambush in a canyon, as Ives' cowboys all have the high ground and block them in with obstacles dropped across the canyon entrance and exit. Peck shows up and tries one last time to reason with the Colonel, but Ives is determined to have a showdown as is the Colonel, and they ultimately end up shooting each other and dying. Heston and Ives' men stand down, accept Peck's offer, and move the blockade and return to their own ranches. Peck rides off with Simmons into the sunset.

It's a great movie from 1957... back in the grand era of film epics... Later! OL J R

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Best fairly new western I've seen in years: Badland

Open Range is another favorite.

Appaloosa is another good one.

Mike