Movie Theme

[High Cotton]

Just wondering what your favorite movie theme is to a match. 

3:10 to Yuma

Young guns

The outlaw Josey Wales.

And so on.  And why.  What makes the theme part of the match?

Thanks

High Cotton.

https://cowboyactionstages.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/cowboyactionstages

[Cholla]

One shoot at the Pine Ridge Regulators was based on Mary Poppins, with the starting lines being quotes from the movie. One was something like, That’s a pie crust promise, easily made and easily broken. @Doughslinger came up with it. 

[Possum Skinner, SASS#60697]

Outlaw Josey Wales is definitely one of my favorites for match as it has so many good lines.  Would be fun to start a stage in a covered wagon with a Gatling Gun.

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Blazing Saddles is always good, plenty of lines.  You can start a stage holding a pot of beans, obvious starting line.  At a Green Mountain Regulators Revenge, Phantom built a toll gate to start a stage. Somebody go back and get a S***load of dimes!. 

[Irish Pat]

Gunfight at OK corral 

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

A theme is SO MUCH MORE than simply parroting a line from a movie and then shooting a given sweep.

 

A theme means a line from tv, movie, history - THEN an action, prop manipulation and/ movement that further emulates (or is inspired by) the referenced tv, movie, event.

THEN the shooting sequence/ challenges need to tie into the line, props and movements.

 

A theme is a cohesive whole - immersive and memorable; anything less than that is just picking a random line from a random movie - then shooting a random sweep at a random assortment of plates.

This is not themed; it is tapioca stage writing that is consumed and forgotten immediately after.

 

I wrote a State Match a few years back, "Legends and Myths of Nevada"

 

One stage referenced the Hellhounds of Eldorado - referring to the vicious dogs that miners would chain to the entrance of their mines and then abandon if/ when the mine was played out.

 

This stage had snarling rabid dog images with clay pigeons for heads that had to be dispatched before entering the mine - after entering the mine; you had to engage randomly placed "vampire bats" and lastly the claim jumping ghost miners.

 

Other stages had "Demons/ Ghosts" that you had to push out of the way or shoot thru (a cut out hole on a panel).

 

Doors to push down and card tables to flip over - train whistles and swinging lanterns - candles to extinguish and drinks to throw.

Each line, prop and sequence supported by a "Legend" or take of Nevada lore.

 

This is a themed match - much more difficult to put together; but so much more memorable, rewarding and fun for your shooters than simply saying, "I work for Mel Brooks" and shooting a Nevada sweep.

Edited August 23 by Creeker, SASS #43022

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

This year for The Whoopin'  the theme was Open Range.  I particularly liked the Saloon stage.  There was a crude wooden sign in the middle of the shotgun targets that said "No Varmints or Vagrants".  You walked up to the bar, loaded one round and blasted that sign, then emptied the shotgun and said the starting line "Now we'll have our drinks" 

[High Cotton]

10 hours ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

This year for The Whoopin'  the theme was Open Range.  I particularly liked the Saloon stage.  There was a crude wooden sign in the middle of the shotgun targets that said "No Varmints or Vagrants".  You walked up to the bar, loaded one round and blasted that sign, then emptied the shotgun and said the starting line "Now we'll have our drinks" 

That sounds pretty cool.  Did the time start after you said your starting line?  Or when you shot the sign.  Just wondering how to handle the safety aspect of it.  Thanks

[High Cotton]

11 hours ago, Creeker, SASS #43022 said:

A theme is SO MUCH MORE than simply parroting a line from a movie and then shooting a given sweep.

 

A theme means a line from tv, movie, history - THEN an action, prop manipulation and/ movement that further emulates (or is inspired by) the referenced tv, movie, event.

THEN the shooting sequence/ challenges need to tie into the line, props and movements.

 

A theme is a cohesive whole - immersive and memorable; anything less than that is just picking a random line from a random movie - then shooting a random sweep at a random assortment of plates.

This is not themed; it is tapioca stage writing that is consumed and forgotten immediately after.

 

I wrote a State Match a few years back, "Legends and Myths of Nevada"

 

One stage referenced the Hellhounds of Eldorado - referring to the vicious dogs that miners would chain to the entrance of their mines and then abandon if/ when the mine was played out.

 

This stage had snarling rabid dog images with clay pigeons for heads that had to be dispatched before entering the mine - after entering the mine; you had to engage randomly placed "vampire bats" and lastly the claim jumping ghost miners.

 

Other stages had "Demons/ Ghosts" that you had to push out of the way or shoot thru (a cut out hole on a panel).

 

Doors to push down and card tables to flip over - train whistles and swinging lanterns - candles to extinguish and drinks to throw.

Each line, prop and sequence supported by a "Legend" or take of Nevada lore.

 

This is a themed match - much more difficult to put together; but so much more memorable, rewarding and fun for your shooters than simply saying, "I work for Mel Brooks" and shooting a Nevada sweep.

I appreciate your view of a theme vs just saying a random movie line.  I like being immersed in the stage / movie rather than just shooting the targets.  Makes it much more fun.  

[Cypress Sun]

Although not a movie, there used to be a club in Florida that had a "Deadwood Match" every year.

 

Props, lines and overall gist of the match were rather interesting.

[Jackrabbit Joe #414]

Yellow Sky theme song.

McKenna's Gold theme

High Noon theme

 

[Dapper Dave]

I've never shot a theme match, but when Val Kilmer passed on, I started every stage that next match with a Doc Holliday line. 

I think it would be cool, but that means I've got some movies to catch up on...

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

6 hours ago, High Cotton said:

That sounds pretty cool.  Did the time start after you said your starting line?  Or when you shot the sign.  Just wondering how to handle the safety aspect of it.  Thanks

Yes, the first shot is off the clock, then when the shooter is ready he/she says the starting line, then beep.

[Dapper Dave]

I like it!

[Branchwater Jack SASS #88854]

23 hours ago, Creeker, SASS #43022 said:

A theme is SO MUCH MORE than simply parroting a line from a movie and then shooting a given sweep.

 

Can't agree more.

 

And, I will contend that you can find material from more than what you would consider "traditional" ""western"" movies.

 

Of course, I have been known to make a three year span creating Range Wars based on the original Star Wars trilogy.

 

But, I always thought I went out well with Ghost Chickens in the Sky where we had all the posse marshals singing a short verse to set the scene before each stage and a match based on the movie Airplane that we turned into a Western https://branchwaterjack.com/stages/202304_shootout.pdf

 

It take a lot of time not only to plan a match that is truly immersive, but to execute as well. That includes making props that might only be used once, but that to me was part of the job.

 

 

 

Some would argue that I swung the pendulum too far from everyone's preference of starting at port arms to stand and deliver another Nevada sweep and complained that I included too many props and such, but, as Creeker points out, people still talk about those matches years later.

Edited August 24 by Branchwater Jack SASS #88854

[Lucky Lead Pepper]

I'm working on a story line for a match now based on The Princess Bride.  There's a ton of great starting lines with this one.

[Dapper Dave]

"Shooter ready?"
"Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

1 hour ago, Dapper Dave said:

"Shooter ready?"
"Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Great movie - great line.

You have 5% of a stage; what do you do with it?

 

How do you translate the sword fight to a CAS gunfight?

 

What props do you use?

Why?  How?

In what manner does that represent the Princess Bride?

 

What targets (shape, size, distance)?

Justify your choices - what can you do that immerses me in the scene?

 

Is there movement?

Why?  How much, how far?

How does it correspond (or at minimum take inspiration) from the scene?

 

Not picking on you Dave - but writing (good) stages requires more than playing Mad libs.

 

Pick a line _______________________

Pick a gun order _________________

Prop?  Y or N?

If yes;  What prop/ what action?

Choose # of shotgun.   2.  4.  6.

Choose # of R targets ___________

Choose a Rifle sequence ________

Same sequence for pistol?  Y or N

If no - choose # of P targets_________

Choose a Pistol sequence ___________

Movement?   Y or N

If yes - lateral or downrange?

 

Congratulations - you've written a stage.

 

The above is as far as MOST stage writers ever progress in their writing.

 

It takes MUCH MUCH MUCH more to write a good stage that makes sense, flows, is immersive and memorable.

 

And so MUCH more again to do it 12 times to create a unified match experience.

 

And 100x more again to do it with an eye for all the variations in your shooters (short, tall, juniors, buckaroos {can they stage their gun safely, see over the prop, use the rack, etc}, righties, lefties {appropriate staging options for both, choices in direction of movement or engagement}), variations in their equipment (a vertical rack affects double shooters, 87/ 97 shooters differently), variations in their propellent (will a BP shooter be adversely affected by this option {BP shooters are generally not fond of too many shotgun in a row}).

Handgun shooting style (Duelists have differing potential than supported or Gunfighters {i.e. carrying long guns while shooting pistols - are you ham stringing them by circumstance or direction?})

Split pistols affect Gunfighters differently than supported or Duelist (are you providing appropriate staging options or choices?).

 

Are your stages written clearly and non ambiguous?

If you are allowing choices - have you made that obvious?

Because level of experience is a shooter variable as well to consider and write into your matches - you DO NOT want your new shooter getting run over by a seasoned shooter because they "didn't know" or understand a sweep could be dirty or the difference between a sequence and a round count.

 

And after a stage/ match is "perfect" - good stage writers hand their efforts to other good stage writers and ask them to pick them apart.  

 

Then the process starts over fixing, tweaking and correcting every and or then, every comma and period, every starting position and line, every round count and sequence.

 

And then you do it again.  And again.

 

If you do all of these things and you try really hard - you might write a good match.

 

It may start with an idea and a great line - but it requires so much more.

[Dapper Dave]

Um, I was just replying in a joking manner, not writing a stage...I haven't been here long enough to do that. That was Lucky Lead Pepper. 

How would you do one for Princess Bride? Very tongue in cheek with cutouts of ROUSs and such, I would assume. 

I would think most SASS stages would be built around Westerns or historical themes. Perhaps one based off Silverado where one stage you only shoot with two rifles, (Henry's if you can afford them), and starting lines like, "If we don't come back, you can keep my brother." 

But, as I said, it wasn't my idea and I'm so new I wouldn't dream of trying to write a stage yet. 

 

[Dapper Dave]

Disregard.

Edited August 26 by Dapper Dave

[The Rainmaker, SASS #11631]

Tombstone, of course. For August, we ran stages based on the Cowboys from Tombstone and September will be stages for the Earps.

You could get at least three matches from just Doc Holliday alone!

[Frontier Lone Rider]

On 8/22/2025 at 1:36 PM, Possum Skinner, SASS#60697 said:

Outlaw Josey Wales is definitely one of my favorites for match as it has so many good lines.  Would be fun to start a stage in a covered wagon with a Gatling Gun.

The covered wagon is not so much fun for black powder shooters.  I have shot two different state matches that used a covered wagon.  The black powder smoke hangs up inside the wagon when shooting through the wagon making it a challenge to see the targets.

Edited August 25 by Frontier Lone Rider

[High Cotton]

5 hours ago, The Rainmaker, SASS #11631 said:

Tombstone, of course. For August, we ran stages based on the Cowboys from Tombstone and September will be stages for the Earps.

You could get at least three matches from just Doc Holliday alone!

There are tons of lines from the movie.  Do you do anything special with props or targets that enhance the experience?

[The Rainmaker, SASS #11631]

Sometimes. I love to add to the stage, related to the movie scene.

I've found that if you get "too involved" with props or off the clock actions, folks, at least around here, see it as a bother.

I like it; adds to the match for me.

Edited August 26 by The Rainmaker, SASS #11631

[watab kid]

i kinda liked stagecoach , but all that were mentioned were also favorites , including shane 

[Jackson Haller]

I remember reading in the paper Chronicle years ago about a "Wild Wild West" themed match with great targets and props; always thought that must have been a real cool match!

 I once did a local match using "Firefly" as the theme; had fun with that one; lots of great lines! 

[Dapper Dave]

"I aim to misbehave..."

[Tom Bullweed]

Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid

I can't swim.

Did you use enough dynamite?

If he kills me, kill him.