To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day. Hardly spoke to folks around him, didn't have too much to say. No one dared to ask his business, no one dared to make a slip. Because the stranger there among them, had a Big Iron on his hip.
I grew up in Arizona where Marty was from. I worked in country radio for years. I knew Marty's twin sister Mamie and his son Ronnie Robbins. I met Marty once when he opened for a Merle Haggard concert in 1980 in Phoenix. Marty was a great ballad writer and had one of the best voices of any music genre. Gunfighter Ballads and Trail songs was one of the first concept albums ever from 1960.
jimwest6571. When I was a kid about 65 years ago, boarding with my aunt, she was always playing Marty Robbins gunfighter ballads, and Frankie lane. I've got a USB stick in my car and it's nearly always on. Love the old songs. Can't stand this Rap crap.
*History of the Big Iron* --- The "Big Iron" that inspired this song was originally built by Andy Anderson (a Hollywood gun-maker and fast-draw holster-maker favored by Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood) in his Gunfighter Shop, using parts from several models. The gun was constructed with a Great Western frame and a 12" barrel made from an 1892 Winchester center-fire .44 rifle/carbine barrel. Since Anderson was 6'4" with large hands, he favored Colt 1860 Army grips and so fixed a grip frame from an 1860 Army pistol and added a Great Western cylinder chambered for .44 Magnum loads. Marty Robbins was in the shop on the day the finished gun was sold. The purchaser, also a very large man, impressed Marty by the speed of his fast draw. One week later, Anderson received in the mail a recording of "Big Iron," which Marty had written immediately after seeing the gun demonstrated. The song "Big Iron" was first released to the public on the _Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs_ album in September 1959, then as a single in February 1960. Today, the gun which so inspired Robbins resides in a private collection (see Wikipedia sv Big Iron, see also The Fast Draw Resource Center, and cf Shooting Chef, Waxahachie TX).
@@raulcarmello1163 "Big Iron" is the name of Marty Robbins's song, not the name of an actual movie. Of all the old West movies, my own favorite is the 2010 version of _Monte Walsh,_ starring Tom Selleck, Isabella Rossellini, and Keith Carradine. Of course, being an old-line Texas cattle rancher, I also favor the 1960 version of _The Alamo,_ starring John Wayne et al.
@@ChollaRanch Cool, I'm a city guy , we watch porn instead, my own favorites are the 1973 The Devil in Miss Jones and 1972 Deep Throat. I'm kidding, maybe not. Have a nice day.
He was faster, but he didn’t seem to hit his mark. You can be the fastest draw, but if you don’t have the accuracy, a miss will cost you. If you have the accuracy, but not the speed, it won’t matter if you can shoot the guy between the eyes, he’s already ripped a bullet through you. Before you know it, you’re in the dirt. Unless you’re quick *and* sharp as a deadeye.
Actually Navy revolvers were .36 caliber. Smaller than Army revolvers at .45 caliber. Big Iron usually refers to either the earlier Walker or Dragoon colts. Both were heavier "saddle" guns.
@@stinkinhippy1724 Horses are very intimate type animals. They love closeness. They don't like surprises. They kinda shy. lol. When you touch a horse your hand merges with their body. For an instant you are one. It's communication for the horse person. For the horse as well. And of course, less likely to get kicked. I grew up with horses in NH around the middle of the last century. I live in AZ now. I'd love to be in that new movie. LOL
@@stinkinhippy1724 Yes, you don't want to surprise a horse as they kick if they are startled. So you must always be real careful the horse understands it's you moving behind it and not something dangerous. Also, IF the horse still kicks you you are better off the closer to it you are as the hoof has less distance to gain speed before hitting you and also it's more likely to hit for example your legs than your head or torso which means you'll have broken bones but you'll probably survive. Horses are incredibly strong (and not too smart, they react on instinct before they think), they can easily kill a human by accident if their defensive instincts are triggered. I have seen a horse casually snap a one inch wide thick leather rein the other end of which was fixed to the bit in his mouth with a slight movement of his head when he accidentally stepped on the other end.
I think big iron is the only song that I know that actually has a fanbase. A fanbase that loves this song so much that people turned it’s to memes cosplay recreate the song with film it’s been animated multiple times it’s been referenced in many different forms. And finally it’s was made into a film Marty the creator of the song would have no idea how popular it would be. This was a nice short humble film made with a lot of love thanks for this.
I'm 70 now & I grew up watching the old B&W westerns. I also love listening to the songs & instrumentals of westerns. Marty sang some of my favorites, BIG IRON being my favorite. It would've been great if they played that song at the end, otherwise good short movie.
From an analytical point of view I think the ranger only won because he called Red by his real name which shook him. Unlike with his other shootings we see Red hesitate and his hand shaking, while danger remains cool and collected. Nice touch
Thank you! We have a great team. I believe the film's composer, Kennoniah Dean, will be posting the soundtrack in the next week or so. We'll follow up!
Couple of things. For those who asked, there is an annimated version of BIG IRON, the annimated version is also synced to the record. There is also an AI version for EL PASO tied into the record. There is another song by Marty Robbins about a lawman and an outlaw who are brothers. The song starts "A tall handsome stranger rode into town, boots were all dusty, coat open wide, six ways of dyin' hung low on his side"
thats "Tall Handsome Stranger", the song ends : "He stood there a moment and looked all around Slowly and lifeless, he fell to the ground The stranger's my brother, born an outlaw He must have forgotten I taught him to draw The whole town was waitin' and I was alone The blood that I spilled was just like my own When she hears this story, how mother will cry Brother 'gainst brother and one had to die"
This was great. I'd have preferred if the final duel had been like the song, "Texas Red had not cleared leather 'fore the bullet fairly ripped, and the ranger's aim was deadly with the big iron on his hip." Otherwise this was fantastic.
This was amazing! Always been a fan of Westerns and this song, I was blown away by this! The nice touch of the kid being Marty witnessing this to inspire the song…just brilliant!
This was excellent! One issue, in the story, "Texas Reds had not cleared leather," in the movie he did. Most excellent add that Marty was the boy, just excellence.
I was waiting for the showdown. Other than it, I liked the short. But, I was definitely disappointed. Having Robbins being the teenager was a very nice touch.
So many memories here. As a high school aged teenager driving friends up to the Alberta Rockies for a day of skiing in my Dad's car (a '72 Buick land yacht) . Only had two 8-track tapes: One we wouldn't listen to and the other was Marty Robbins' Gunfighter Ballads. We all learned every word of every song. Big Iron was one of the faves since it was the lead-off song on the first side of the album and 8-track. I think El Paso and Utah Carol were the other two amongst the top three with us.
Texas Red (Eric Riggs), reminds me of one of my favorite character actors of the 50s and 60s. That being Jan Merlin. Very well done and acted short film. I enjoyed it very much.
The ranger here seemed more like the real deal than the song. In the song he is called a "handsome stranger". Excellent video, of a classic western song.
I listened to Marty Robbins with my dad as a kid, and I still do now, he would have loved this. Thank you for bringing one of my favourite songs to life. I'd love to see you do the same to El Paso.
I have been a Marty Robbins fan for to many years to count and Big Iron was one of my favorites of oh so many of his. Outstand production, thank you for sharing.
Use the Pause feature on the video progress bar to stop the video at 10:55 (you may have to move the progress bar back and forth a little to find the exact frame described next) - I know it's a movie skit (and a good one) but you will see Red's holster rising upward into the air as he drew because he had made a mistake no true western gunfighter would have made. His holster was not tied down at his thigh resulting in it being carried upward along with his six shooter's barrel as he drew it ( "had not cleared leather" in the song) and struggled to bring it into firing position - which was all the delay the Ranger needed to fire first delivering the fatal shot with his black powder 1847 Colt Walker revolver!!
@@ytucharliesierra With respect - no "The Colt Walker is the definition of big iron, and a clear frontrunner whenever the identity of the gun in Marty Robbins’ song is debated. As the most powerful black powder revolver in history, ___THE WALKER DWARFS THE SINGLE ACTION ARMY ___ in size, weight, barrel length (LOOK AT the barrel length of the ranger's weapon as he draws and fires [10:56] !), and raw power. In short, the kind of gun that would have made an impression on a small frontier town unfamiliar with the massive six-shooter" (caps plus comment in parenthesis added) "Often called the magnums of their day, the Walker fired a .44 caliber ball with a 60 grain maximum powder load, a significantly higher charge than other black powder revolvers. This impressive power was one of the features requested by Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker when he commissioned Colt to design a weapon that would aid the Texas Rangers on the battlefield, and Samuel Colt delivered a true powerhouse of a gun" (www.rockislandauction.com/riac-blog/what-is-the-gun-in-big-iron) ADDENDUM: Have been trying to respond to the next response regarding the loading rod comparison between the 1860 Colt Army and 1847 Colt Walker but it's not been posting for some reason. The following picture shows that not _all_ 1847 Walkers had a "pointed" loading rod - one of the two pictured does - but the other DOES NOT - so using the incorrect presumption that a non-"pointed" loading rod to discredit the "Big Iron" in the skit as _NOT_ being the 1847 Walker isn't valid (with all due respect ytucharliesierra) external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.2j7dxXNoCfIr6bfbyB3DZgHaFo%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=108fe4e4f4a8a2f05f673fb0e02ac13815cecdddc20a625215e17207d1caf154&ipo=images
Thank you for the detailed reply @@jdagg1998 Nonetheless I have to maintain that the ranger fires an 1860 Colt Army (cap and ball, a precursor of the Single Action Army). I used the slomo feature in addition to the pause function to nail a good freeze frame against the sky. The tip of the loading rod is not pointed in the film like it would be on the Walker. The part that holds the connecting hinge of the ramrod is also very different. I own an 1860 Colt Army replica by Pietta so I can tell... If this movie is based on Marty Robbins song requiring a Walker they still used an Army in production.
@ytucharliesierra Thank you in turn for your response. I would point out, with respect, that not all Colt Walkers came a "pointed" loading rod, the feature you used to validate your opinion that the ranger fired an 1860 Colt Army not an 1847 Colt Walker. Here is a URL showing three of that model - the bottom two of which have different ends on the loading rod - one pointed - one NOT pointed: www.warhistoryonline.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/64/2016/10/colt-walker.jpg While you may still be right - please note the quotation stating "(the Colt Walker)...a clear frontrunner whenever the identity of the gun in Marty Robbins' song is debated") - was not my statement but the opinion requoted from Rock Island Auction - one of the top auction houses for antique and collector firearms. One final point - if you look at the firearm in the holster shot at 13:28 (a) it's a huge weapon as the Walker was in comparison to the 1860 Colt Army and (b) it APPEARS that the loading rod _IS_ pointed on the end (blew up the pic as far as I could to determine) which seems to indicate it's the 1847 Colt Walker. In any case, I'm sure we can agree that which ever weapon it is, it's a great skit and fun to watch :)
honestly, the only thing that bugs me is the Ranger's badge; it's not the badge of an Arizona Ranger, which would've been a silver five-pointed star with rounded points. Other than that, I can tell that the ranger did fire slightly before Texas Red had cleared leather, the momentum would've carried the gun out of the holster, though the Ranger did fire his shot before Red could unholster and fire his. The pistols in question are even period-correct. Other than those two details, I'd say it's a solid 9.5/10.
Marty, in universe, probably wrote the line "had not cleared leather" when he made the song even though Texas Red did cleared it. He was so enraptured at the Arizona Ranger's awesomeness that he couldn't help himself to make him more awesome by putting that line in. Sometimes even the greatest stories has a lie thrown in there to make it better
I also like to see it as a final "screw you" to Texas Red, the outlaw who's been terrorizing their town for over a year. Marty made sure he's remembered as someone who never stood a chance against the handsome ranger with the Big Iron on his hip.
I wasn't sure what I was expecting but I definitely didn't think it'd be THIS GOOD. Perfect Bite Size Spaghetti Western. Thank you guys for bringing the song to the silver screen!
Victor: “You won’t believe what I found in the graveyard, Doc. Another barely alive corpse with a bullet in his head. I figure them same bad apples who shot that Courier did it again.”
Just wanted to say. Whoever directed this film did amazing! Brought a song I’ve listened to for years to life! Probs to you and your great direction! Great film!
Nice! "Write about that.. the death of Texas Red" Nice reinvention of the Hollywood gunfight tropes! This genre will truly live on forever. A nice little piece of retro filmmaking!
Spectacular. Congratulations to everyone involved. And, yes, that the "not cleared leather" bit was likely an embellishment on Marty's part adds a touch of realism, I believe. Saluti dall'Italia. Edit: piece of trivia: "mancino" means left-handed in Italian.
I have two words for you. Brilliantly. Executed. Loved the bits about making Marty Robbins a witness to the duel and the Ranger being a victim of Texas Red. Absolute icing.
The swiftness of the ranger is still talked about today. We could have 2 or 3 seasons of 1/2 hour westerns based solely on marty robbins songs. And an El Paso movie trilogy.
Thank you for making this film, I have waited for someone to do this for decades! Fantastic! Only Texas Red didn't clear leather, but other than that it's dead on!! Make more!!
If you stop-action at the moment Red draws - his holster wasn't tied down at the leg and the barrel of his gun drug it upward preventing it from clearing and being able to be fired quickly. The resulting delay for Texas Red being able to cock, aim, and fire was only a split second or two - but all the time needed for the ranger's fatal shot to find its mark!
I note comments re Texas Red clearing leather. I'm fairly certain in the song the words are "Texas Red had JUST cleared leather when a bullet fairly ripped".
I listened to that sang with my Dad so many times.This is a great tribute and nice touch to play Marty into the scene too... only thing missing was the song itself as the Arizona ranger rides out of town
Goddamn, the hairs on my arms are static whenever the scenes have small excerpts of the song. Pure badassery. This was an awesome and dignified tribute to the song and the story within the song. Post scriptum, the aftermath of the duel is a nice nod to Once Upon a Time in The West and High Plains Drifter.
@@dawg6169 oooo, El Paso would be fantastic! I bet Master's Call would be crazy too. Of course, I could go on. I really love "hangin' me toni.." as well!
Wow! I absolutely loved this what a great story paying homage to one of my favorite singers of all time Marty Robbins. my parents got to see him perform down under here in Australia in 1976 or 1977 I was too young to go see him aged 9 or 10 y.o.
personally i think it would have been better when Texas Red asked who are you that he just answered with "I'm lucky number thirteen", but it is still great as is
Thank you so much for making this, but you made me cry as well AAAGH!! --- My dad's 83 and has been getting agent orange cancers cut out, but he's ok at the moment. Big Marty Robbins fan he is. He's been a working muso most of his life too. He will be seeing this film 😁
I usually don't like Westerns at all, but I absolutely loved this one. It actually left me wanting to see more, to watch a two-hour film about how Red became an outlaw in the first place and how the ranger eventually found him, but the fact that it's short and to the point while leaving room for questions is extremely fitting: This is probably how the townspeople would have felt when a stranger swept in, shot the local outlaw, and took his leave without saying too much to anyone. And I love the little twist that Marty Robbins is a child inspired to write a song about what he saw. The ranger has no idea that this young boy is going to make sure his victory over Red is remembered for all time, and I think the real Marty Robbins would definitely have enjoyed seeing the video. It makes me want to watch other short films based on his songs where he's a little boy watching the action unfold, writing about it in his journal to turn it into a song someday. I can almost see that being a full movie: Marty (the character in this video) has a brother named Joe ("Little Joe the Wrangler"), but despite the fact that he admires heroes, when Marty gets to be a grown man, he turns outlaw (thinking along the lines of "El Paso" and "San Angelo") and is eventually caught and sentenced to hang (something along the lines of "They're Hanging Me Tonight" and "Cottonwood Tree"), but is granted pardon before his execution and becomes a good person, but he sings about the heroes he once met (like in "Big Iron") and how being an outlaw got him in a lot of trouble. He becomes an old man in the 20th Century, but he still sings about his life in the Old West and how he almost didn't survive this long. Don't come asking me how you'd manage to combine the plots of so many different songs. Feel free to think up your own creative liberties here. Sorry for such a long comment. I just can't get over how good this video is. No wonder it won an award. I hope it won a few dozen of them at the very least!
"Ohh, he might have went on living, but he made one fatal slip when he tried to match the ranger with the big iron on his hip."
👏🏻👏🏻👂👂👂
"BIG IRON on his hiiiipppp"
@@Heisenvader1 Big Iron, Big Iron, When he tried to match the ranger with the Big Iron on his hip, Big iron on his hip.
Most "award winning" videos I see are a waste of time. Well done.
Thank you!!
Excellent dude but one critique: Texas Red had not cleared leather ‘fore a bullet fairly ripped
Stories get exaggerated for greater effect. Perhaps the Marty character takes some artistic liberties.
@@jasonscraper4238thank you! I love that you thought to mention this
This definitely does NOT do the song justice. It's like watching children try to imitate Clint Eastwood.
@@donbailey8760 the song is an exciting rendition. This is a boring, poorly directed snoozefest.
Sorry, you're wrong
@@Kyle_Riel Can you make a better version?
To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day. Hardly spoke to folks around him, didn't have too much to say. No one dared to ask his business, no one dared to make a slip. Because the stranger there among them, had a Big Iron on his hip.
Love it!!! 😂
Love the way Marty Robbins told the story with his songs.
*Hardly spoke to folks around him
big iron on his hiiiiiiiiiiipppppppppppp
Had a big orange on his lip 💋
I grew up in Arizona where Marty was from. I worked in country radio for years. I knew Marty's twin sister Mamie and his son Ronnie Robbins. I met Marty once when he opened for a Merle Haggard concert in 1980 in Phoenix. Marty was a great ballad writer and had one of the best voices of any music genre. Gunfighter Ballads and Trail songs was one of the first concept albums ever from 1960.
Johnny Cash also had one of the first concept albums that same year 1960. Ride This Train.
jimwest6571.
When I was a kid about 65 years ago, boarding with my aunt, she was always playing Marty Robbins gunfighter ballads, and Frankie lane. I've got a USB stick in my car and it's nearly always on. Love the old songs. Can't stand this Rap crap.
*History of the Big Iron* --- The "Big Iron" that inspired this song was originally built by Andy Anderson (a Hollywood gun-maker and fast-draw holster-maker favored by Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood) in his Gunfighter Shop, using parts from several models. The gun was constructed with a Great Western frame and a 12" barrel made from an 1892 Winchester center-fire .44 rifle/carbine barrel. Since Anderson was 6'4" with large hands, he favored Colt 1860 Army grips and so fixed a grip frame from an 1860 Army pistol and added a Great Western cylinder chambered for .44 Magnum loads.
Marty Robbins was in the shop on the day the finished gun was sold. The purchaser, also a very large man, impressed Marty by the speed of his fast draw. One week later, Anderson received in the mail a recording of "Big Iron," which Marty had written immediately after seeing the gun demonstrated.
The song "Big Iron" was first released to the public on the _Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs_ album in September 1959, then as a single in February 1960. Today, the gun which so inspired Robbins resides in a private collection (see Wikipedia sv Big Iron, see also The Fast Draw Resource Center, and cf Shooting Chef, Waxahachie TX).
Thank you for explanation. Because without the final twist, it's like a trailer for any western
Thanks for the info, although I'm a western movies fan I had never heard of "Big Iron" .
@@raulcarmello1163 "Big Iron" is the name of Marty Robbins's song, not the name of an actual movie. Of all the old West movies, my own favorite is the 2010 version of _Monte Walsh,_ starring Tom Selleck, Isabella Rossellini, and Keith Carradine. Of course, being an old-line Texas cattle rancher, I also favor the 1960 version of _The Alamo,_ starring John Wayne et al.
@@ChollaRanch Cool, I'm a city guy , we watch porn instead, my own favorites are the 1973 The Devil in Miss Jones and 1972 Deep Throat. I'm kidding, maybe not. Have a nice day.
Strange fact: Jerry Lewis is known to be 2nd and Sammy Davis Jr. 1st as the fasted gun slingers in Hollywood.
This Texas Red was faster than the one in the ballad. Still, this was great. I love the young Marty idea.
Thank you! That Marty touch was our brilliant writer, Ben Matthews handiwork
Me too. I've often thought how you could weave a bunch of Marty Robbins' songs into a Western movie.
He was faster, but he didn’t seem to hit his mark. You can be the fastest draw, but if you don’t have the accuracy, a miss will cost you. If you have the accuracy, but not the speed, it won’t matter if you can shoot the guy between the eyes, he’s already ripped a bullet through you. Before you know it, you’re in the dirt. Unless you’re quick *and* sharp as a deadeye.
Love how they’re using Colt Navy revolvers, literal Big Irons
🤔... 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Actually Navy revolvers were .36 caliber. Smaller than Army revolvers at .45 caliber. Big Iron usually refers to either the earlier Walker or Dragoon colts. Both were heavier "saddle" guns.
@@cmdrgunslinger5955 ah interesting
The colt navy isnt really big caliber and size wise, the colt walker and dragoon are some real behemoths
Looks like the ranger was using an 1860 Colt Army .45 and Red an 1851 Colt Navy in .36 caliber. Ranger did have a big iron...
I love the subtle reference of Marty Robbins looking like Marty McFly
The fact that the Ranger uses a cavalry twist draw.
👨🍳👌
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Hadn't noticed till you said
western duels, they never grow old.
Nope. They're just becoming rarer, sadly.
Neither did the losers!
The outlaw lost, eventually. Not that I mind.
Ni they don't grow old but they become very camp.
I liked that the Ranger put a hand on his horse as he went around behind. Exactly right.
Letting the horse know he was walking behind it.
I've never been around horses so forgive my ignorance but is this so you don't spook the horse and get kicked?
@@stinkinhippy1724 Horses are very intimate type animals. They love closeness. They don't like surprises. They kinda shy. lol. When you touch a horse your hand merges with their body. For an instant you are one. It's communication for the horse person. For the horse as well. And of course, less likely to get kicked. I grew up with horses in NH around the middle of the last century. I live in AZ now. I'd love to be in that new movie. LOL
@@stinkinhippy1724 Yes, you don't want to surprise a horse as they kick if they are startled. So you must always be real careful the horse understands it's you moving behind it and not something dangerous. Also, IF the horse still kicks you you are better off the closer to it you are as the hoof has less distance to gain speed before hitting you and also it's more likely to hit for example your legs than your head or torso which means you'll have broken bones but you'll probably survive. Horses are incredibly strong (and not too smart, they react on instinct before they think), they can easily kill a human by accident if their defensive instincts are triggered. I have seen a horse casually snap a one inch wide thick leather rein the other end of which was fixed to the bit in his mouth with a slight movement of his head when he accidentally stepped on the other end.
Saw that too.. nice touch. Accurate.
As a kid Marty came into my dads music store. Northeast Texas. We were ivited to watch him race at Tyler speedway .
Rode that dead man all the way back to AZ without even tying him down to the saddle. The thing legends are made of.
😂😂 that's great
Watching this, thinking of my grandfather and it’s getting dusty in the room all of a sudden. I miss you Papa. ❤
Wholesome thing to read. Thank you. ❤️
Same here
I’m guessing the kid was Marty Robbins’ grandfather? A lot of his songs are directly based on the stories his grandfather told him as a kid.
I think big iron is the only song that I know that actually has a fanbase. A fanbase that loves this song so much that people turned it’s to memes cosplay recreate the song with film it’s been animated multiple times it’s been referenced in many different forms. And finally it’s was made into a film Marty the creator of the song would have no idea how popular it would be. This was a nice short humble film made with a lot of love thanks for this.
Thank you!! We were listening to the album on set and love Marty Robbins' music. It is truly incredible how long of a life Big Iron has had.
"Oh he might have kept on living, but he made on fatal slip,"
The only other song I know that has it's own fanbase is "Dawson's Christian"
People love a song about justice being served, and Marty sure had the nicest voice to sing it with.
“Never gonna give you up”
I'm 70 now & I grew up watching the old B&W westerns. I also love listening to the songs & instrumentals of westerns. Marty sang some of my favorites, BIG IRON being my favorite. It would've been great if they played that song at the end, otherwise good short movie.
Copyrighted
I was raised listening to Marty too.
I love this, but "Laredo" is my favorite Marty Robbins song.
❤❤❤
From an analytical point of view I think the ranger only won because he called Red by his real name which shook him. Unlike with his other shootings we see Red hesitate and his hand shaking, while danger remains cool and collected. Nice touch
Winning doesn't have any rules. He who fights fair is a loser. Survival is all that matters.
Thank you to everyone involved with the making of this film. The filming of it was one of the most surreal experiences in my lifetime thus far.
I would love to see it made into a full-length feature film! This is amazing, Arik!
Love it, especially the soundtrack! ❤️
Where can I get the ending song.
Thank you! We have a great team.
I believe the film's composer, Kennoniah Dean, will be posting the soundtrack in the next week or so. We'll follow up!
@@arikhess8320 Okay. Thank you.
Marty robbins, greatest poet that ever lived. Still listen to his music. Good short film.
Thank you! We're really proud of it.
Couple of things. For those who asked, there is an annimated version of BIG IRON, the annimated version is also synced to the record. There is also an AI version for EL PASO tied into the record. There is another song by Marty Robbins about a lawman and an outlaw who are brothers. The song starts "A tall handsome stranger rode into town, boots were all dusty, coat open wide, six ways of dyin' hung low on his side"
thats "Tall Handsome Stranger", the song ends :
"He stood there a moment and looked all around
Slowly and lifeless, he fell to the ground
The stranger's my brother, born an outlaw
He must have forgotten I taught him to draw
The whole town was waitin' and I was alone
The blood that I spilled was just like my own
When she hears this story, how mother will cry
Brother 'gainst brother and one had to die"
@@danewood230914:29
@@danewood230914:29
14:29
@@danewood230914:29 14:29
This was great. I'd have preferred if the final duel had been like the song, "Texas Red had not cleared leather 'fore the bullet fairly ripped, and the ranger's aim was deadly with the big iron on his hip."
Otherwise this was fantastic.
This was amazing! Always been a fan of Westerns and this song, I was blown away by this! The nice touch of the kid being Marty witnessing this to inspire the song…just brilliant!
Yes, it was perfect that he was in there
Thank you! Ben Matthews was the brilliant writer responsible for the script
The young guy who tells the ranger who Red is, was great.
I agree! Alex Matthews is great in this.
@@arikhess8320 and very nice cinematography too.
@@richardadesmondThank you! Caleb Stevens, our director of photography, and I worked really hard in production to try to find that western feel
This was excellent! One issue, in the story, "Texas Reds had not cleared leather," in the movie he did. Most excellent add that Marty was the boy, just excellence.
Thank you! Alex really brought everything to this role and made it his own.
I was waiting for the showdown. Other than it, I liked the short. But, I was definitely disappointed. Having Robbins being the teenager was a very nice touch.
So many memories here. As a high school aged teenager driving friends up to the Alberta Rockies for a day of skiing in my Dad's car (a '72 Buick land yacht) . Only had two 8-track tapes: One we wouldn't listen to and the other was Marty Robbins' Gunfighter Ballads. We all learned every word of every song. Big Iron was one of the faves since it was the lead-off song on the first side of the album and 8-track. I think El Paso and Utah Carol were the other two amongst the top three with us.
Love seeing comments like this! Thank you for sharing.
Texas Red (Eric Riggs), reminds me of one of my favorite character actors of the 50s and 60s. That being Jan Merlin. Very well done and acted short film. I enjoyed it very much.
I first heard this song in the Fallout: New Vegas video game, and this is awesome. A perfect story.
Thank you! Such a great song
The ranger here seemed more like the real deal than the song. In the song he is called a "handsome stranger". Excellent video, of a classic western song.
I listened to Marty Robbins with my dad as a kid, and I still do now, he would have loved this.
Thank you for bringing one of my favourite songs to life.
I'd love to see you do the same to El Paso.
El Paso would be great! That whole album is such great storytelling
Indeed; to bring a young Monty into this production was wonderful... brought even more ownership to the famed singer.
I have been a Marty Robbins fan for to many years to count and Big Iron was one of my favorites of oh so many of his. Outstand production, thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much!
One of the greatest cowboy songs ever conceived 😅this song is an
Institution 😢😊
Definitely!
Use the Pause feature on the video progress bar to stop the video at 10:55 (you may have to move the progress bar back and forth a little to find the exact frame described next) - I know it's a movie skit (and a good one) but you will see Red's holster rising upward into the air as he drew because he had made a mistake no true western gunfighter would have made. His holster was not tied down at his thigh resulting in it being carried upward along with his six shooter's barrel as he drew it ( "had not cleared leather" in the song) and struggled to bring it into firing position - which was all the delay the Ranger needed to fire first delivering the fatal shot with his black powder 1847 Colt Walker revolver!!
*1860 Colt Army.
@@ytucharliesierra With respect - no
"The Colt Walker is the definition of big iron, and a clear frontrunner whenever the identity of the gun in Marty Robbins’ song is debated. As the most powerful black powder revolver in history, ___THE WALKER DWARFS THE SINGLE ACTION ARMY ___ in size, weight, barrel length (LOOK AT the barrel length of the ranger's weapon as he draws and fires [10:56] !), and raw power. In short, the kind of gun that would have made an impression on a small frontier town unfamiliar with the massive six-shooter" (caps plus comment in parenthesis added)
"Often called the magnums of their day, the Walker fired a .44 caliber ball with a 60 grain maximum powder load, a significantly higher charge than other black powder revolvers. This impressive power was one of the features requested by Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker when he commissioned Colt to design a weapon that would aid the Texas Rangers on the battlefield, and Samuel Colt delivered a true powerhouse of a gun" (www.rockislandauction.com/riac-blog/what-is-the-gun-in-big-iron)
ADDENDUM: Have been trying to respond to the next response regarding the loading rod comparison between the 1860 Colt Army and 1847 Colt Walker but it's not been posting for some reason. The following picture shows that not _all_ 1847 Walkers had a "pointed" loading rod - one of the two pictured does - but the other DOES NOT - so using the incorrect presumption that a non-"pointed" loading rod to discredit the "Big Iron" in the skit as _NOT_ being the 1847 Walker isn't valid (with all due respect ytucharliesierra)
external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.2j7dxXNoCfIr6bfbyB3DZgHaFo%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=108fe4e4f4a8a2f05f673fb0e02ac13815cecdddc20a625215e17207d1caf154&ipo=images
Thank you for the detailed reply @@jdagg1998 Nonetheless I have to maintain that the ranger fires an 1860 Colt Army (cap and ball, a precursor of the Single Action Army). I used the slomo feature in addition to the pause function to nail a good freeze frame against the sky. The tip of the loading rod is not pointed in the film like it would be on the Walker. The part that holds the connecting hinge of the ramrod is also very different. I own an 1860 Colt Army replica by Pietta so I can tell...
If this movie is based on Marty Robbins song requiring a Walker they still used an Army in production.
@ytucharliesierra Thank you in turn for your response. I would point out, with respect, that not all Colt Walkers came a "pointed" loading rod, the feature you used to validate your opinion that the ranger fired an 1860 Colt Army not an 1847 Colt Walker. Here is a URL showing three of that model - the bottom two of which have different ends on the loading rod - one pointed - one NOT pointed: www.warhistoryonline.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/64/2016/10/colt-walker.jpg
While you may still be right - please note the quotation stating "(the Colt Walker)...a clear frontrunner whenever the identity of the gun in Marty Robbins' song is debated") - was not my statement but the opinion requoted from Rock Island Auction - one of the top auction houses for antique and collector firearms.
One final point - if you look at the firearm in the holster shot at 13:28 (a) it's a huge weapon as the Walker was in comparison to the 1860 Colt Army and (b) it APPEARS that the loading rod _IS_ pointed on the end (blew up the pic as far as I could to determine) which seems to indicate it's the 1847 Colt Walker. In any case, I'm sure we can agree that which ever weapon it is, it's a great skit and fun to watch :)
Big Iron being one of my forever favorite songs,, you really brought the story to life. Will be looking for your name.
Thank you! ! Our cast/crew that created this cross pollinated quite a bit so there will definitely be more to come.
The lighting, camera angles and framing are excellent, in fact the cinematography of Caleb Stevens and editing of Aaron Bandy are sublime.
Wonderful homage to Marty Robbins and his ballad "Big Iron". Well done!
Thank you so much!!
I'd love to see a whole series about the Ranger
That would be such a blast to make. I think it actually could work in a feature or limited series.
Oh lord no! Can you imagine how badly Hollywood would screw it up???
@@dougearnest7590 Fallout turned out greater than expected, so there might still be hope yet.
honestly, the only thing that bugs me is the Ranger's badge; it's not the badge of an Arizona Ranger, which would've been a silver five-pointed star with rounded points. Other than that, I can tell that the ranger did fire slightly before Texas Red had cleared leather, the momentum would've carried the gun out of the holster, though the Ranger did fire his shot before Red could unholster and fire his. The pistols in question are even period-correct. Other than those two details, I'd say it's a solid 9.5/10.
Thank you! ✊🏻
Marty, in universe, probably wrote the line "had not cleared leather" when he made the song even though Texas Red did cleared it. He was so enraptured at the Arizona Ranger's awesomeness that he couldn't help himself to make him more awesome by putting that line in. Sometimes even the greatest stories has a lie thrown in there to make it better
Love this! 🤔👏🏻
A, Really? How enlightening. Writers take liberties huh? Just like Politicians I guess
The song came out long before this, excellent, movie
@@anthonyjulianelle6695 Yes, we know.
I also like to see it as a final "screw you" to Texas Red, the outlaw who's been terrorizing their town for over a year. Marty made sure he's remembered as someone who never stood a chance against the handsome ranger with the Big Iron on his hip.
I wasn't sure what I was expecting but I definitely didn't think it'd be THIS GOOD. Perfect Bite Size Spaghetti Western. Thank you guys for bringing the song to the silver screen!
Thank you so much!!!
Having a young Marty the aspiring writer as a character was an excellent touch.
All right guys. Lot's more good country songs to do this with. We'll be looking for the next one.
Would love to continue this!!! Thank you!
@arikhess8320
Thanks
@@arikhess8320 In the next film I'm the old guy with the long hair and beard playing the Indian flute. I"ll come prepared. LOL
Hoping for decades someone would make a movie out of this. Thanks. 😊
Absolutely!!! ✊🏻
1:39 "Truth is... the game was rigged from the start."
Victor: “You won’t believe what I found in the graveyard, Doc. Another barely alive corpse with a bullet in his head. I figure them same bad apples who shot that Courier did it again.”
If you look at the sections in the video they’re all places in new Vegas
@@lolgetn00bed hawley
I kinda love seeing cap and ball revolvers and in film, I feel like they never get enough attention.
This is how you turn a song into a short movie, keeps up with the lyrics while building on its words, great job
They should make a full movie out of this.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Best Western I've seen
Loved this song since I was a kid back in the 70s. Aqua Frea translates to Cold Water in case anyone was wondering.
"Agua Fria".
I confess I had to stop the video for a moment so I could stop laughing when I heard Gabby Johnson announcing the pending arrival of the new sheriff.
Am I the only one what hears Marty in a western movie and think Back to the Future III?
Everyone did a good job but that kid has something special
The music is amazing. Texas Red, you'll get 'em next time!!
Just wanted to say. Whoever directed this film did amazing! Brought a song I’ve listened to for years to life! Probs to you and your great direction! Great film!
Brother. 😂✊🏻
big iron was my grandads favourite song I’ve listened to it over and over again and I picture this it’s amazing
Wow. That's a pretty big compliment. Thank you!!
A great story to one of the best songs of all time!
Thank you everyone involved in making this, you are all big irons!
😂 thank you!
The intro was seriously giving me "The game was rigged from the start" vibes
You can tell the Actor who played the Ranger does combat irl. The ears don't lie.
Absolutely. Dead giveaway 💯
Wow. The acting, the cinematography, everything about this is perfection!
Thank you!! We were blessed with a lot of great and passionate personnel
Production, location and acting were terrific. Awesome job making “Big Iron”
Thank you! We shot Big Iron on a ghost town by Manor, TX. Great place.
Nice! "Write about that.. the death of Texas Red" Nice reinvention of the Hollywood gunfight tropes! This genre will truly live on forever. A nice little piece of retro filmmaking!
I grew up listening to Marty Robbins music. Big Iron is instantly familiar to me. Still love his music. Classic.
Absolutely!
Spectacular. Congratulations to everyone involved. And, yes, that the "not cleared leather" bit was likely an embellishment on Marty's part adds a touch of realism, I believe.
Saluti dall'Italia.
Edit: piece of trivia: "mancino" means left-handed in Italian.
The influence of Sergio Leone can never be underrated in the small westerns produced since the 1960's spaghetti western era. Good film.
Grew up listening to Marty Robbins. Good memories 👍
I've listened to "Big Iron" numerous times. This effort did it justice.
That was something! The outfits, the acting, the music, the picture.Y'all did a fine job. Contragulation!
Thank you!! It was a huge team effort for everyone involved so I'm sure the team would appreciate that!
One of the best songs of all time. Marty Robbins was a great story teller
Absolutely!
I like the reference to Marty Robins writing a song
😆👍
What a great short film! Gave me the chills..
The only thing I would've changed is speeding up the scene by times three where the ranger drew his gun
I have two words for you. Brilliantly. Executed. Loved the bits about making Marty Robbins a witness to the duel and the Ranger being a victim of Texas Red. Absolute icing.
Thank you!!!
Marty was present for something historic. Wiki said he there was there when 'the gun' was on display? And it lead to this song?
The swiftness of the ranger is still talked about today. We could have 2 or 3 seasons of 1/2 hour westerns based solely on marty robbins songs. And an El Paso movie trilogy.
That would be incredible
How in the fuck does this not have millions of views? This is premium content here and there's not even 400 likes!
Let's not go crazy now.😂
I like crazy! .. ✊🏻😏
@DonaldTheScottishTwin57646I forgot to check and now the comment is a year old, the vid is at a million, and I don’t know which happened first
I would pay for the soundtrack to this. The orchestral work is awesome.
You can find a link to the whole soundtrack I'm the videos description above! Kennoniah does incredible work!
Do El Paso next! El Paso is another one of my favorites. I love the storytelling in his songs.
I would LOVE to do El Paso
What an 'Epic' music and the climax. Wow.
Thank you! The film wouldn't be the same without the score from Kennoniah. It really brought the western to life!
@@arikhess8320 I agree. Music is the soul of a Movie.
Wow! To think it has less than 50K, hope this blows up even more
Thanks!!! ✊🏻
Brakes the lore a bit but adds some new lore to make its own story. I think this is incredibly underrated!
Thank you!! We wanted to do it justice and pay homage to the amazing song and Marty while putting our own twist on it
Thank you for making this film, I have waited for someone to do this for decades! Fantastic! Only Texas Red didn't clear leather, but other than that it's dead on!! Make more!!
Thank you!!! We've definitely looked at it
Looks like Texas Red cleared leather after all…
If you stop-action at the moment Red draws - his holster wasn't tied down at the leg and the barrel of his gun drug it upward preventing it from clearing and being able to be fired quickly. The resulting delay for Texas Red being able to cock, aim, and fire was only a split second or two - but all the time needed for the ranger's fatal shot to find its mark!
I note comments re Texas Red clearing leather. I'm fairly certain in the song the words are "Texas Red had JUST cleared leather when a bullet fairly ripped".
Nuh uh @andrew
@@andrewstackpool4911incorrect
Forever will this be the visualization of the big iron song in my mind.
I listened to that sang with my Dad so many times.This is a great tribute and nice touch to play Marty into the scene too... only thing missing was the song itself as the Arizona ranger rides out of town
My parents got lps of old songs my oldest sister has them now growing up when batteries were handy I listened to Marty !
Fantastic story of what could have possibly happened as many songs no doubt are.
Thanks you!! I appreciate it.
Goddamn, the hairs on my arms are static whenever the scenes have small excerpts of the song. Pure badassery.
This was an awesome and dignified tribute to the song and the story within the song. Post scriptum, the aftermath of the duel is a nice nod to Once Upon a Time in The West and High Plains Drifter.
This is so rad! I'd literally kill to see a film made from the entirely of "Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs" and "return of the gunfighter"
Wow. That would be an incredible project
@@arikhess8320 it could be so cool. Or at least El Paso 😂 I love that song so much.
@@dawg6169 oooo, El Paso would be fantastic! I bet Master's Call would be crazy too. Of course, I could go on. I really love "hangin' me toni.." as well!
@@arikhess8320 literally any Marty song could be an amazing film lol
maybe could work as different, non-conected stories set in the same universe
kinda like the ballad of buster scrugs.
Outstanding! More, More!
Such a fantastic western!! 👏🏻🎉🐎🤠
And a fantastic group ✊🏻
This is an awesome film its got that Cheezy original western fell for o it but is also really good
fun fact: the ranger was the only one who had a big iron, T.R. either had a comically small iron, or a regular pistol/revolver
There are indeed a lot of Badass Images in this film. Great work!
✊🏻✊🏻
Wow! I absolutely loved this what a great story paying homage to one of my favorite singers of all time Marty Robbins. my parents got to see him perform down under here in Australia in 1976 or 1977 I was too young to go see him aged 9 or 10 y.o.
personally i think it would have been better when Texas Red asked who are you that he just answered with "I'm lucky number thirteen", but it is still great as is
Thank you so much for making this, but you made me cry as well AAAGH!! --- My dad's 83 and has been getting agent orange cancers cut out, but he's ok at the moment. Big Marty Robbins fan he is. He's been a working muso most of his life too. He will be seeing this film 😁
I'm sorry to hear that! I hope he likes it and gets well. ❤
Tell your Dad, a brother has him in his prayers........first time I heard this song was in 1968, on the other side of The World!
Okay, I liked it. Classic Western vibes. And you named the boy after Marty Robbins himself. All around, good job.
Thank you!
Loved this! Would love to see the whole album come to life!!
We've discussed it because we're huge fans of the album as well! If we had the backing, we'd definitely do it!
bro i just came across this golden call back to Big Iron 😎
Trying to revive spaghetti westerns? Let's call it noodle western...
Was that an insult?
I usually don't like Westerns at all, but I absolutely loved this one. It actually left me wanting to see more, to watch a two-hour film about how Red became an outlaw in the first place and how the ranger eventually found him, but the fact that it's short and to the point while leaving room for questions is extremely fitting: This is probably how the townspeople would have felt when a stranger swept in, shot the local outlaw, and took his leave without saying too much to anyone. And I love the little twist that Marty Robbins is a child inspired to write a song about what he saw. The ranger has no idea that this young boy is going to make sure his victory over Red is remembered for all time, and I think the real Marty Robbins would definitely have enjoyed seeing the video. It makes me want to watch other short films based on his songs where he's a little boy watching the action unfold, writing about it in his journal to turn it into a song someday.
I can almost see that being a full movie: Marty (the character in this video) has a brother named Joe ("Little Joe the Wrangler"), but despite the fact that he admires heroes, when Marty gets to be a grown man, he turns outlaw (thinking along the lines of "El Paso" and "San Angelo") and is eventually caught and sentenced to hang (something along the lines of "They're Hanging Me Tonight" and "Cottonwood Tree"), but is granted pardon before his execution and becomes a good person, but he sings about the heroes he once met (like in "Big Iron") and how being an outlaw got him in a lot of trouble. He becomes an old man in the 20th Century, but he still sings about his life in the Old West and how he almost didn't survive this long. Don't come asking me how you'd manage to combine the plots of so many different songs. Feel free to think up your own creative liberties here.
Sorry for such a long comment. I just can't get over how good this video is. No wonder it won an award. I hope it won a few dozen of them at the very least!