Ryan O’Neal: From Peyton Place to Wild Rovers Academy Award nominee Ryan O’Neal, star of classics like Love Story, Paper Moon, and Barry Lyndon, strides into A Word on Westerns with tales of his big-screen adventures and a lifelong passion for film history. Joining host Rob Word and producer/co-host RJ Word, O’Neal recalls his early days as a budding actor on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, how boxing with a young Clint Eastwood nearly materialized, and his unlikely kinship with character actor Henry Brandon—best known as Chief Scar in The Searchers—who became a family friend and a key influence on Ryan’s Hollywood dreams. He also takes listeners behind the scenes of Blake Edwards’ Wild Rovers (1971), where he co-starred with screen legend William Holden. Along the way, O’Neal reveals never-before-heard anecdotes about Holden’s uproarious sense of humor, including the jaw-dropping fate of the actor’s Stalag 17 Oscar—supposedly tossed into the Bay of Naples. From his father’s work on the Randolph Scott Western Return of the Bad Men to O’Neal’s own reflections on stardom, this candid conversation roams from comedic tangles with Barbra Streisand to the rough-and-tumble sets of the Western heyday.
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26:16
Pepe Serna
Veteran character actor Pepe Serna, celebrated for his roles in Scarface and The Jerk, joins host Rob Word and producer/co-host RJ Word to reflect on a multifaceted career that has taken him from comedic hits to iconic Westerns. Raised in Texas and starting out in improv troupes, Serna shares how his early love of storytelling led him to memorable frontier roles and collaborations with legends like Henry Hathaway, Gregory Peck, and Lawrence Kasdan. Between surviving Hathaway’s on-set intensity in Shoot Out, portraying a quick-witted cowboy in Silverado, and contributing to powerful projects like Ballad of Gregorio Cortez and Conagher, Serna offers a candid view of the grit and camaraderie behind each Western. He also touches on the enduring importance of self-expression—both in his motivational outreach and his colorful artwork. Whether you know him best as a scene-stealer in modern classics or as a versatile player in the Old West, don’t miss this spirited conversation with an actor whose range and resilience mirror the frontier itself.
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34:03
Michael Beck
On this episode of A Word on Westerns, host Rob Word and producer/co-host RJ Word welcome Michael Beck, best known for his cool, stoic performance in Walter Hill’s cult classic The Warriors. Yet before and after crossing bats with the “Baseball Furies,” Beck rode west, exploring iconic tales of rugged heroes and flawed legends. From Triumphs of a Man Called Horse, where he played the son of Richard Harris’s legendary character, to portraying Jim Bowie opposite Sam Elliott’s Sam Houston in Gone to Texas, Beck sheds light on stepping into the boots of real-life American heroes. He recalls enduring tough on-location shoots in Mexico and Texas, contending with the relentless heat, and capturing the essence of frontier figures who are both epic and deeply human. Whether you know him from the electrifying streets of The Warriors or simply love delving into the thrills and tribulations of western cinema, saddle up for an engaging conversation that spans Michael Beck’s early stage experiences, the classic TV westerns he grew up on, and the excitement of bringing history’s boldest legends to life.
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26:16
The Wild Bunch Memories
On this special A Word on Westerns compilation, host Rob Word and producer/co-host RJ Word examine Sam Peckinpah’s masterpiece, The Wild Bunch, a Western that redefined on-screen violence, through five voices who survived its famously tumultuous shoot. Producer/assistant director Howard Kazanjian (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi) recounts corralling Peckinpah’s temper and fending off mass firings, while stuntman Gary Combs recalls being fired—then rehired—on the very same project. Costume designer-turned-producer Gordon Dawson describes frantic on-set scrambles and last-minute improvisations, and the late, great Bo Hopkins and LQ Jones share behind-the-scenes tales of squib-laden chaos, epic gunfights, and Sam’s restless search for inspiration. From Mexico’s sweltering backlots to the slow-motion carnage that forever changed Hollywood’s depiction of brutality, these firsthand accounts reveal Peckinpah’s tempestuous methods and the artistry that made The Wild Bunch a landmark Western—altering how cinema portrays loyalty, violence, and a vanishing frontier.
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39:44
Audrey Dalton
On this episode of A Word on Westerns, host Rob Word and producer/co-host RJ Word welcome Irish-born actress Audrey Dalton, whose wide-ranging career brought her to Hollywood’s golden era—and right into the heart of the Western genre. Known for her role in 1953’s Titanic (opposite Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb), Audrey also appeared in a host of classic TV Westerns and frontier features that showcased both her elegance and her grit. Audrey recalls filming Drumbeat in scenic Sedona, Arizona for star-producer Alan Ladd and director Delmer Daves, revealing how a then-rising Charles Bronson (credited for the first time under his new stage name) brought fierce intensity to the role of “Captain Jack.” She shares fond memories of working on Gunsmoke with Burt Reynolds, including the challenges of conquering her fear of horses for a fast-paced storyline. She also recounts guest turns on Wagon Train with Ward Bond, on The Big Valley with Barbara Stanwyck, and on The Wild Wild West wrangling live cheetahs—plus a brush with the legendary Boris Karloff. From surviving runaway stagecoaches to juggling comedic bits of costuming and accent changes, Audrey’s experiences shine a loving spotlight on Hollywood’s high adventure of the 1950s and ’60s. Saddle up as she takes us from the soundstages of Paramount to the rugged backlots and desert vistas that transformed a Dublin girl into one of the genre’s favorite frontier ladies.
With a special emphasis on the Western genre, A WORD ON WESTERNS is a podcast devoted to preserving and documenting the rich history of film, television, and related media. Hosted by television veteran Rob Word—joined by his son, producer and entertainer RJ Word—this award-winning interview series brings you in-depth conversations with the filmmakers, performers, and creative minds who shaped some of our most cherished screen classics. Many of these engaging discussions originate from the legendary Autry Museum in Los Angeles, California, offering authentic insights and firsthand stories that continue to keep the spirit of the West alive.
Österreich