COWBOY MOVIES
Marshall Singletary

Margaret and I double dated with some friends last night. Nothing fancy, just good conversation, good food and a movie. This time the guys were able to avoid the "chick flick"that we usually (somewhat) graciously settle for on date.

I'm not sure how it happened, but we were able to see a real western movie! Not many are being made these days, so it's a treat when cowboy fans find a new one in the theaters. Of course, we are obligated to let our wives pick the next movie. It's only fair, I guess. Most of my friends know that I've been cowboy fan since I saw my first Roy Rogers movie in the first grade. There was something about a man riding his horse down a lonely street, ready to set things right, that stirred the imagination of boys a generation ago. The determined set of his jaw and a steely look in his eyes hinted to boys what might be expected of them when they became men.

I met a boyhood friend awhile back. During the conversation, he asked if I remembered the first time we met. I didn't. He told me that the first time we met, I had on an old hat and was slinging a broken fan belt. When he got out of the car, I walked over and said: "My name is Lash LaRue." It must be true. Gerald Horne is a Church of God preacher, so I don't think he would lie. Apparently, I've been playing cowboy a long time.

Before I go any further, let me say that we did not see a Roy Rogers or Gene Autry movie last night. Cowboys in white hats, riding beautiful palomino or sorrel horses have all ridden over the ridge and into the sunset. Trigger, Champion, Silver and the other faithful horses are now grazing in celestial pastures. Just a while back, Roy and Gene joined Tom Mix, Lash LaRue and the others at the Big Bunk House to rest a while and talk about their adventures. (Yes, I'm reasonably sure that I read somewhere in the Bible that all good cowboys go to heaven.)

I have no idea what the Lord will do with cowboys today. Sometime in the Nineteen Sixties, cowboys became gritty men who talk the way real cowboys talked. The fantasy of clearly drawn lines between right and wrong has been traded in for a more realistic fantasy that includes moral ambiguity and making choices between the lesser of evils. I suppose this too gives a hint of what is expected of men. Yes, and women too.

Westerns have changed across the years. Still, the lessons of the cowboy movie remain about the same: find the courage to do the right thing; ride alone if you must; kick up as much dust as you can, and take care of your horse.

Well, partners, I've got to mosey along for now. United Methodist ministers always have a few strays that need rounding up. Adios.

You can reachMarshall K. Singletary at P. O. Box 420, Waynesboro, GA 30830, by phone, 706-554-2188, or via email: msingletary@wfumc.org.