Hellbent for Letterbox

Paxton Holley and Michael May talk Westerns in movies and sometimes other media.

Shanghai Noon (2000) 08/07/2026

Shanghai Noon (2000) Michael and Pax finally cover one of their favorite Western comedies, Shanghai Noon starring Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, and Lucy Liu. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/42289065

Shalako! (1968) 07/24/2026

Shalako! (1968) Mike and Pax dig into this 1968 western based on a Louis L'amour novel starring Sean Connery and Brigitte Bardot. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/42206875

The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (1974) 07/03/2026

The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (1974) Michael and Pax revisit one of Michael's childhood favorites to see if it holds up. The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams was a cultural phenomenon in its day, but is it as good as all its sequels, TV show, and lunchboxes suggest? We also rank our favorite Western movie posters, which you can /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/41856805

Nevada Smith (1966) 05/31/2026

Nevada Smith (1966) Pax and Mike seek out the 1966 revenge adventure Nevada Smith starring Steve McQueen, Brian Keith, and Susanne Pleshette. We also talk a bit about the movie The Carpetbaggers from 1964 where the Nevada Smith character originated. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/41482775

Hell Bent for Leather (1960) 05/01/2026

Hell Bent for Leather (1960) Michael and Pax finally visit the podcast's namesake (more or less): George Sherman's Hell Bent for Leather starring Audie Murphy, Felicia Farr, and Stephen McNally. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/41023710

Wild Bill (1995) 04/17/2026

Wild Bill (1995) Mike and Pax discuss the Walter Hill directed Wild Bill starring a cast of thousands including Jeff Bridges, Ellen Barkin, and John Hurt. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/40906455

Don't Fence Me In (1945) 03/06/2026

Don't Fence Me In (1945) For the second time in Hellbent history, Michael accidentally picks a non-historical Western. This time he has Pax join him on a 1940s dude ranch for Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Gabby Hayes in Don't Fence Me In. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/40273320

Chisum (1970) 02/19/2026

Chisum (1970) In this episode Pax takes Mike to Lincoln County New Mexico and they talk about the misadventures of John Wayne as Chisum! /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/40151905

Hostiles (2017) 01/16/2026

Hostiles (2017) Michael and Pax finish a double-feature of 2017 Westerns with Scott Cooper's Hostiles, starring Christian Bale, Wes Studi, and Rosamund Pike. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/39691005

The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017) 01/04/2026

The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017) Mike and Pax discuss the 2017 western Ballad of Lefty Brown starring Bill Pullman, Peter Fonda, Jim Caveziel, and Tommy Flannagan. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/39601225

The Devil's Mistress (1965) 11/07/2025

The Devil's Mistress (1965) Michael and Pax welcome back Shawn Robare to finish this year's spooky season double-feature. We're watching the little-known The Devil's Mistress about a gang of ruthless outlaws who stumble across the wrong cabin on their run from justice. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/38943685

Ravenous (1999) 10/24/2025

Ravenous (1999) Mike and Pax are joined by their Crestwood House co-host to talk about the horror western Ravenous from 1999 starring Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/38646830

Appaloosa (2008) 10/10/2025

Appaloosa (2008) It's been on our list a long time, but Michael and Pax finally get around to talking about Appaloosa, directed by and starring Ed Harris. It also stars Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, and Jeremy Irons, and is based on the novel by Robert B Parker. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/38468180

Red Headed Stranger (1986) 09/24/2025

Red Headed Stranger (1986) In this episode Mike and Pax finish up a Willie Nelson double header with Red Headed Stranger from 1986. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/38333790

Barbarosa (1982) 07/04/2025

Barbarosa (1982) Michael and Pax watch one of Michael's favorite '80s Westerns, Barbarosa starring Willie Nelson, Gary Busey, and Gilbert Roland. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/37253055

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) 06/20/2025

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) Mike and Pax cover another Peckinpah. Will they love it or hate it? Listen to find out! /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/37090370

The Violent Men (1955) 05/23/2025

The Violent Men (1955) Thanks to a listener's suggestion, Michael and Pax watch Glenn Ford, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G Robinson, and Brian Keith in Rudolph Maté's The Violent Men. The movie also features Dianne Foster and Richard Jaeckel. It begins with a couple of classic Western tropes, but takes them in surprising and dark directions. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/36616435

There Was a Crooked Man... (1970) 05/09/2025

There Was a Crooked Man... (1970) In this episode Mike and Pax talk about a twisty western comedy called There Was a Crooked Man starring Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, Warren Oates, Hume Cronyn, Burgess Meredith, and John Randolph. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/36490955

Tall in the Saddle (1944) 03/28/2025

Tall in the Saddle (1944) Michael and Pax check out Young John Wayne and Ella Raines in the Western mystery Tall in the Saddle. The movie also features Gabby Hayes and Ward Bond. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/35901945

My Darling Clementine (1946) 03/19/2025

My Darling Clementine (1946) In this episode Mike and Pax continue watching OK Corral movies with this acclaimed adaptation by John Ford starring Henry Fonda and Victor Mature. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/35780500

The Dead Don't Hurt (2023) 02/14/2025

The Dead Don't Hurt (2023) For Valentine's Day, Michael and Pax watch the Western romance, The Dead Don't Hurt, written and directed by Viggo Mortensen. Mortensen also wrote the score and acted alongside the movie's real star, Vicky Krieps. The film also features Danny Huston and Deadwood favorites W Earl Brown and Ray McKinnon. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/35279230

Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957) 01/25/2025

Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957) Mike and Pax discuss another OK Corral movie, this one starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas as Wyatt and Doc. And with appearances by DeForest Kelley, Jack Elam, and Dennis Hopper. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/35004900

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) 01/10/2025

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) Michael and Pax finally revisit Andrew Dominik's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, a movie that Michael liked on first viewing, but Pax didn't, and neither has seen in a very long time. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/34731430

The Old Way (2023) 12/21/2024

The Old Way (2023) Mike and Pax discuss The Old Way from 2023 starring Nic Cage. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/34564675

Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1980) 11/22/2024

Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1980) Always on the lookout for Westerns starring women, Michael and Pax watch Lamont Johnson's Cattle Annie and Little Britches. Amanda Plummer and Diane Lane insert themselves into a demotivated outlaw gang (run by Burt Lancaster and Scott Glenn) as it tries to avoid capture by Marshal Rod Steiger. Pax also watches The Thicket (2024) while Michael takes a look at Heart of Arizona (1938) and The Bold Caballero (1936). /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/33963677

Joe Kidd (1972) 11/13/2024

Joe Kidd (1972) In this episode Mike and Pax discuss another Clint Eastwood western, Joe Kidd, also starring Robert Duvall, John Saxon, and directed by John Sturges. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/33901122

House II: The Second Story (1987) 10/31/2024

House II: The Second Story (1987) Michael stretches the definitions of both "Western" and "Horror" when he makes Pax and guest Shawn Robare watch House II: The Second Story. Though it does have undead cowboys. The movie is the sequel to 1985's House and stars Arye Gross, Jonathan Stark, Royal Dano, John Ratzenberger, Bill Maher, and Lar Park-Lincoln. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/33700622

Knife for the Ladies (1974) 10/19/2024

Knife for the Ladies (1974) It's October! Check out the first of Hellbent's Halloween episodes where Mike and Pax are joined by Shawn Robare to discuss Knife for the Ladies from 1974 starring Jack Elam! /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/33521077

Comanche Station (1960) 10/11/2024

Comanche Station (1960) Michael and Pax finish watching the Budd Boetticher / Randolph Scott Westerns with Comanche Station, also starring Nancy Gates and Claude Akins. And Michael also watched a couple of 1930s Westerns: Buck Jones and Louise Brooks in Empty Saddles (1936) and William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy in Partners of the Plains (1938). /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/33387207

Last Train from Gun Hill (1959) 09/20/2024

Last Train from Gun Hill (1959) Mike and Pax discuss a listener request; The Last Train from Gun Hill from 1959 starring Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn. /episode/index/show/hellbentforletterbox/id/33127167

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