Since I selected directtv Ohio as my satellite television provider, my favorite premium movie channel is Encore Westerns. In the 50s and 60s, I grew up watching westerns, both on television and the movies. Encore Westerns gives me the best of both. They carry popular western television series such as Cheyenne, Maverick, Have Gun Will Travel and Gunsmoke, the longest running and probably best loved western television series of all time.
Each month they highlight a particular Western movie star, such as John Wayne. Recently I enjoyed a marathon of the Dukes films including Stagecoach, The Sons of Katie Elder, Rio Bravo, Chisum and McClintock.
Their lineup also includes many of the old Westerns and western movie serials with Gene Autry and his cohort, Smiley Burnette. These were originally shown at Saturday matinees preceding the main movie feature of the day and were the origin of the traditional sayings such as the good guy wears the white hat and he always gets his man, etc.
I’ve discovered some movies that I missed either in theaters or on television before. Recently I saw Zandy starring Gene Hackman and Liv Ullman. This movie was a realistic look at life in the old west and was far different from the television and movies of the 50′s and 60′s. Encore Westerns is a great value for entertainment.