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TV & Film

Hellbent for Letterbox

Michael May and Paxton Holley

Paxton Holley and Michael May sit at the campfire to talk Westerns in film and other media.

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  • 20 episodes
  • Avg 1 hr 12 min
  • English

Episodes 20

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  • Wednesday · 1 hr 8 min

    The Lone Ranger (2013)

    Mike and Pax delve into the kind of a mess Disney Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer.

  • August 7 · 1 hr 4 min

    Shanghai Noon (2000)

    Michael and Pax finally cover one of their favorite Western comedies, Shanghai Noon starring Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, and Lucy Liu.

  • July 24 · 1 hr 17 min

    Shalako! (1968)

    Mike and Pax dig into this 1968 western based on a Louis L'amour novel starring Sean Connery and Brigitte Bardot.

  • July 3 · 1 hr 12 min

    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 see if you follow us on Bluesky.

  • May 31 · 1 hr 5 min

    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.

  • May 1 · 1 hr 8 min

    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.

  • April 17 · 1 hr 1 min

    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.

  • March 6 · 1 hr

    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.

  • February 19 · 1 hr 7 min

    Chisum (1970)

    In this episode Pax takes Mike to Lincoln County New Mexico and they talk about the misadventures of John Wayne as Chisum!

  • January 16 · 1 hr 23 min

    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.

  • January 4 · 1 hr 3 min

    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.

  • Nov 7, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min

    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.

  • Oct 24, 2025 · 1 hr 41 min

    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.

  • Oct 10, 2025 · 1 hr 18 min

    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.

  • Sep 24, 2025 · 1 hr 25 min

    Red Headed Stranger (1986)

    In this episode Mike and Pax finish up a Willie Nelson double header with Red Headed Stranger from 1986.

  • Jul 4, 2025 · 1 hr 12 min

    Barbarosa (1982)

    Michael and Pax watch one of Michael's favorite '80s Westerns, Barbarosa starring Willie Nelson, Gary Busey, and Gilbert Roland.

  • May 23, 2025 · 1 hr 18 min

    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.

  • May 9, 2025 · 1 hr 26 min

    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.

  • Mar 28, 2025 · 1 hr

    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.

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes