The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982)

Gregorio Cortez is a folk hero among Mexican Americans along the Rio Grande border in Texas. In 1901, he was questioned by Sheriff W. T. (Brack) Morris regarding a reported horse theft.  When asked by Sheriff Morris's interpreter Boone Choate if he had traded a horse, Gregorio Cortez  truthfully told him, "No." Mr. Cortez had traded a mare (in Spanish, yegua), which in Spanish is distinct from a male horse or stallion (in Spanish, caballo). Boone Choate misunderstood this, and as a result Sheriff Morris decided to arrest Gregorio Cortez and drew his gun. He shot Gregorio Cortez's brother Romaldo, after which Gregorio Cortez shot Sheriff Morris in self-defence. Gergorio Cortez then took his brother to Kenedy, Texas to seek medical treatment, after which he fled. He was then pursued by the Texas Rangers and other law enforcement in what was the biggest manhunt in U.S. history up to that time. He was captured on June 22, 1901, and tried for murder. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison for second degree murder. This verdict was overturned and he was ultimately tried five more times, with the final trial resulting in life in prison for the alleged murder of Sheriff Robert M. Glover while he was on the run. In 1913,  Governor Oscar Colquitt issued him a conditional pardon.

Even as Gregorio Cortez was on the run, he was becoming something of a legend. He would become a folklore hero among Mexican Americans, admired for his ability to elude the Texas Rangers. The famous ballad "El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez" dates back even as Gregorio Cortez was on the run and transformed Gregorio Cortez into a legend. A study of the evolution of Gregorio Cortez into a folklore hero, With a Pistol in His Hand by Américo Paredes, was published in 1958. The book would serve as the inspiration for the movie The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982).

The origins of The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) go back to producer  Moctesuma Esparza, who had been active in the Chicano civil rights movement as a teenager in Los Angeles. After receiving his Master of Fine Arts degree at UCLA, he decided to devote himself to making movies that would combat the Latin stereotypes common on film for much of its history. He then brought his idea of producing Mexican American films based on books such as With a Pistol in His Hand to the National Council of La Raza. They helped him raise $1.3 million from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broad­casting. Part of this went to buying the film rights to With a Pistol in His Hand. 

To write the screenplay, Moctesuma Esparza hired Victor Villaseñor, who had written such novels as Macho! and Jury. To play Gregorio Cortez, he hired Edward James Olmos, who had appeared on stage in Zoot Suit (as well as the movie version) and the movie Wolfen (1981). It was Edward James Olmos who suggested Robert M. Young as the director. He had directed such movies as Nothing But a Man (1964) and The Plot Against Harry (1971),  and had directed Alambrista! (1977) in which Edward James Olmos had a bit part. He had also made public affairs programs for the TV program NBC White Paper. 

Ultimately, Moctezuma Esparza had to go to work on another project, so that Robert M. Young and Edward James Olmos would be responsible for much of the production of The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez. For the film's cinematographer, Mexican American Reynaldo Villalobos was hired. He had shot both Urban Cowboy (1980) and 9 to 5 (1980). He would work with Edward James Olmos again on American Me (1992). 

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) was screened at a San Antonio cinema before it aired as the final episode of the first season of the PBS series American Playhouse on June 29, 1982. The film received largely positive reviews. At the 1983 Sundance Film Festival it won a Special Jury Award. It was added to the National Film Registry in 2022.

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez does depart from history in that in the movie Gregorio Cortez does not speak English. However, according to records, Gregorio Cortez did speak English, although his command of the language may have been limited. 

One thing that is historically accurate about The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) is the racism against Mexican Americans that existed in the early part of the 20th Century in Texas. Indeed, the movie challenges the idea of the Texas Rangers as heroic figures devoted to bringing in bad men. Despite their reputation in books, on film, and on television, the Texas Rangers have a history of violence against Mexican Americans. Indeed, it was in 1918 that the Texas Rangers, with local rangers and the U.S. Cavalry, killed 15 unarmed Mexican American boys and men outside Porvenir, Texas, despite having no proof that the villagers of Porvenir were involved in any wrongdoing. 

Although often described as a Western, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) is perhaps best described as a period piece. It is true that it features many elements of the Western, such as horses, sixguns, and trains, but it is also set in 1901. Both automobiles and cars appear. Even if one considers it a Western, it is very different from any Western before it. Gregorio Cortez is not only portrayed sympathetically, but is the protagonist of the film. It is the Anglo lawmen pursuing him who come off as villains. Furthermore, Gregorio Cortez is clearly not a traditional Western hero. Beyond being Mexican American, he is extremely gentle with horses, even petting them, hugging them, and talking to them. In the movie, horses not merely transportation to Gregorio Cortez, but living beings to be treated with dignity and sympathy. Furthermore, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) does not climax with a gunfight, but with a criminal trial. 

In many ways, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) was a pioneering film. Released before such classics as Stand and Deliver (1988) and Mi Vida Loca (1994), The Ballad o Gregorio Cortez pre-dates the films devoted to Chicanos in the late Eighties into the Nineties. It was also one of the earliest independent movies released during the indie boom of the 1980s, pre-dating the Coen Brothers' Blood Simple (1994), Robert Rodriguez's El Mariachi (1993), and Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It (1996). Whether regarded as a Western or not, it turns the Western genre's conventions upon its head, with a heroic Mexican American on the run and villainous Anglo lawmen. Early in the 1980s indie boom and released before the Chicano movie boom of the late Eighties and Nineties, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) is in many ways a remarkable movie. 

The Late Great Abbe Lane

Abbe Lane, the singer and actress who performed with her husband Xavier Cugat and appeared in both movies and on television, died on April 25, 2026 at the age of 93.

Abbe Lane was born Abigail Francine Lassman on December 14, 1932, in Brooklyn. She was raised in Manhattan. Her show business career began when she was only four years old, and a child she appeared on both radio and in the 1938 Vitaphone short "Toyland Casino." She also did some modelling. She attended the High School of Music and Art. In 1947, billed as Abbe Marshal, she appeared on Broadway in Barefoot Boy with Cheek. The following year she appeared on Broadway in As the Girls Do, still billed as Abbe Marshall. In 1949, she was signed as a vocalist on bandleader Vincent Lopez's television show.

Xavier Cugat was looking for a new vocalist when he saw Abbe Lane performing on stage. The following day he was a guest on Vincent Lopez's show, where he met Abbe Lane in person. He then hired her as his new vocalist. Abbe Lane's mother accompanied her for a year as she toured with Xavier Cugat. Abbe Lane and Xavier Cugat married in 1952. The two recorded four albums together, and Abbe Lane appeared on Xavier Cugat's 1957 television show.. The two divorced in 1964. 

While Xavier Cugat once told her words to the effect that she would not be a success without him, Abbe Lane proved to have even more success on her own. She recorded albums with Tito Puente and Sid Ramin, as well as her own solo albums. She proved to be a popular act at nightclubs around the country and toured both the United States and Europe. She proved popular on television the 1950s, and appeared on such variety shows and talk shows as House Party, The Colgate Comedy Hour, The Steve Allen Show, The Tonight Show, The Red Skelton Show, The Hollywood Palace, The Dean Martin Show, Laugh-In, The Ed Sullivan Show, and The Mike Douglas Show. She also appeared on game shows such as Password, The Match Game, To Tell the Truth, What's My Line?, and Hollywood Squares.

In addition, Abbe Lane also acted in both films and on television.She made her movie debut in 1949 in the Italian film Al diavolo la celebrità. In the Fifties, she appeared in the films Wings of the Hawk (1953), Ride Clear of Diablo (1954), The Americano (1955), Chicago Syndicate (1955), Lo scapolo (1955), Quando tramonta il sole (1956), Donatella (1956), Tempo di villeggiatura (1956), Parola di ladro (1957), Susana y yo (1957), Totò, Vittorio e la dottoressa (1957), A sud niente di nuovo (1957), Maracaibo (1958), Totò, Eva e il pennello proibito (1959), Mariniai, donna e guai (1959), Roulotte e roulette (1959), I baccanali di Tiberio (1960), and My Friend, Dr. Jekyll (1960). She appeared on Broadway in Oh, Captain! in 1958.

In the Sixties, Abbe Lane continued to appear in films in Europe. During the decade, she appeared in Giulio Cesare contro i pirati (1962), Das Feuerschiff (1963), and Risate all'italiana (1964). She also made guest appearances on television on the shows Naked City, Burke's Law, F Troop, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Flying Nun, and The Brady Bunch. She was a voice in the animated television special Cricket on the Hearth. In the Seventies, she guest starred on Love, American Style and Vega$. In the Eighties, she guest starred on Hart to Hart and Amazing Stories. She appeared in the film Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). 

It's no longer on YouTube, but on the video service there was a clip from The Dean Martin Show in which Dean Martin performed "Real Live Girl" with Abbe Lane and Sid Caesar. Ever since I first saw it, I can't help but think of the song when I think of Abbe Lane, as it certainly fit her. Abbe Lane was gorgeous, talented, intelligent, and blessed with a beautiful voice. She could speak four different languages fluently (English, French, Italian, and Spanish). She could sing. She could dance. She could act. She had a gift for comedy. 

Performers are sometimes described as triple threats. Abbe Lane was even more than that. While I was very young, I do have fond memories of Abbe Lane's appearances on variety shows and talk shows. She was a great singer and all-around performer.. In interviews, she displayed a great sense of humour and an enormous amount of wit. I better remember her guest appearances on scripted television shows, which I have seen in reruns. In the F-Troop episode "Spy, Counterspy, Counter Counterspy," she played Lorelai Duval, a glamorous spy show charms the men of Fort Courage, particularly Captain Parameter (Ken Berry). On Naked City, she played model Estelle Reeves, who is having an affair with Maxwell Ronan (Keenan Wynn), who masterminds a fur heist. On The Brady Bunch, Abbe Lane played a snobbish, picky perfume heiress. Throughout her career a lot of attention was paid to Abbe Lane's looks, and there can be no doubt she was gorgeous, but she was also a gifted singer, a skilled dancer, a brilliant comedian, and a talented actress. She was a consummate performer. 

"Here, There and Everywhere" by The Beatles

Yesterday marked the 60th anniversary of the release of The Beatles' album Revolver. It is my favourite Beatles album and I consider it the greatest album ever made. It is also one of two Beatles albums on which my favourite song is by George Harrison. In the case of Revolver, it is "Taxman." Today I will share with you another song "Here, There and Everywhere." It is my favourite song by Paul McCartney and he also considers it his favourite song. The Beach Boys' song "God Only Knows" served as inspiration for "Here, There and Everywhere." Jane Asher, whom Paul was dating at the time, is also assumed to have been a source of inspiration for the song. 

The video below was made in 2022 by Trunk Animation and portrays The Beatles on tour during the Revolver era. Trunk Animation has also created other videos for The Beatles, including "Back in the U.S.S.R." in 2018, "Glass Onion" in 2018, and "Here Comes the Sun" in 2019.

Godspeed Scott Hylands

Scott Hylands, who starred on the show Night Heat and appeared in the movie Daddy's Gone A-Hunting (1969), died on July 29, 2026, at the age of 83. In October 2021, he had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.

Scott Hyalnds was born Scott Hyalnds Douglas in Lethbridge, Alberta on February 27, 1943. His father was killed in action during World War II. His mother was a public health nurse and later a maths teacher. He grew up in British Columbia and attended Shawnigan Lake Boys School on Vancouver Island. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1964.

Following college, Scott Hylands moved to New York. He appeared in an off-Broadway production of Billy Liar in 1965. That same year he was an understudy on Broadway in And Things That Go Bump in the Night. He spent several years in San Francisco with the American Conservatory Theatre, In 1969, he made his film debut in Daddy's Gone A-Hunting, playing the antagonist in the film. He also appeared in the movies Operation Snafu (1970) and Fools (1970).

In 1971, Scott Hylands made his television debut in the unsold pilot Earth II. During the Seventies, he guest starred on the shows The Sixth Sense; The Streets of San Francisco; Owen Marshall, Counsellor at Law; Gfiff; Kung Fu; Ironside; The Magician; Harry O; Medical Story; Police Woman; Joe Forrester; Cannon; Medical Center; Barreta; The Quest; Wonder Woman; Police Story; Baa Baa Black Sheep; For the Record; Project U.F.O.; Insight; and When the Whistle Blows. He appeared in the mini-series The Lives of Benjamin Franklin and Centennial. He appeared in the movies Slipstream (1973), The Visitor (1973), Earthquake (1973), Bittersweet Love (1976), The Boys in Company C (1978), and Coming Out Alive (1980).

It was in 1985 that Scott Hylands began a four season run as Detective Kevin "O.B." O'Brien on the TV series Night Heat. Night Heat was the first Canadian drama to air simultaneously on Canadian and American television. It was also the first original, first run television show to air in a late-night time slot on American television. It aired on CTV in Canada and on CBS Late Night in the United States. During the Eighties, Scott Hylands also guest starred on the shows The Waltons; Today's F.B.I.; Hart to Hart; Cassie & Co.; The Powers of Matthew Star; The Yellow Rose; Airwolf; Blue Thunder; and Street Legal. He appeared in the mini-series Tales of the Klondike and George Washington. He appeared in the movies Death Hunt (1981), Isaac Littlefeathers (1984), and The Oasis (1984). He appeared on Broadway in The Queen and the Rebels.

In the Nineties, Scott Hylands guest starred on the shows Counterstrike; Palace Guard; Beyond Reality; Neon Rider; Top Cops; Street Justice; Sweating Bullets; Scales of Justice; Matrix; Kung Fu: The Legend Continues; Secret Service; Cobra; NYPD Blue; Lonesome Dove: The Series; The X-Files; F/X: The Series; Due South; The Outer Limits; Stargate SG-1; and Cold Squad. He appeared in the mini-series To Catch a Killer and Titanic. He appeared in the movie Decoy (1995).

In the Naughts, Scott Hyland had recurring roles on the shows Falcon Beach and V. He guest starred on the shows The Outer Limits; MythQuest; Mutant X; The Twilight Zone; The Dead Zone; Eureka; Whistler; The Guard; and Shatter. He appeared in the movies Ignition (2001), Pursued (2004), The Hamster Cage (2005), Freezer Burn: The Invasion of Laxdale (2008), and Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010).

In the Teens, Scott Hylands guest starred on the shows Supernatural; Artic Air; Guidestones; The Returned; Once Upon a Time; Heartland; and Wynonna Earp. He appeared in the movies Knockout (2011), Becoming Redwood (2012), Rememory (2017), and Elsewhere (2017).

There is little wonder that Scott Hylands was as prolific as he was. With his talent, he was very much in demand. In his movie debut, he gave a chilling performance as the psychopath Kenneth Daly in Daddy's Gone A-Hunting. Years later he played level-headed, experience police detective Kevin O'Brien. Over the years he played everything from villains to heroes and everything in between. He played John Jacob Astor Iv in the mini-series Titanic. In the mini-series Centennial, he played Mike Lasater, a drover on a cattle drive. In his final appearance, on the show Wynonna Earp, he played Wyatt Earp. During his career, Scott Hyland played everything from police officers to criminals, to military officers and yet other roles. What is more, he always gave a good performance.