He Was The Bravest Of Them All

In the 1962 Western, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", Ranse Stoddard's (James Stewart) friend, Dutton Peabody (Edmond O'Brien), is brutally beaten by Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Though Stoddard is an inept gunman, he grabs a pistol and pursues the assailant, besting him in a classic Western showdown.

Years before, when Stoddard first moved to the town of Shinbone to start a law firm, he is robbed and beaten by Liberty Valance. He is found by a local rancher Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) who helps him get to safety.

At this same time, the territory is up for statehood, which Liberty Valance and his employers, powerful ranch owners in the area, oppose.

It is when Stoddard and Peabody win out over Valance as delegates to the Territorial Convention that Valance becomes enraged and assaults Peabody.

Though Tom Doniphon's girlfriend has fallen for Ranse, he goes out after him to try to save him from a fight with Valance which he would be bound to lose.

Ranse gains the reputation of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance though it was, in fact, Doniphon who shot Valance from the shadows of the street.

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Gonna Leave Your Head About The Shape Of A Stamp

Released in February, 1968, U.S. Male helped usher in Elvis Presley's return as a performing musician from his movie career.

The song reached #28 on the U.S. charts and encouraged NBC to air a special television event called, "Elvis," which would become commonly known as "The '68 Comeback Special."

U.S. Male is a telling elaboration of one of Elvis' philosophies, "Never back down from a fight... a man has got to be a man."

Early in his career, before he surrounded himself with bodyguards, Elvis showed that he was able to take care of himself. He was once assailed by a gas station manager and an attendant who had asked him to leave because a crowd was gathering. Though both men outsized him, both came out of the fracas as losers.

Almost every Elvis movie featured at least one bout of fisticuffs, whether he was playing a boxer, a lover, a cowboy or a singer.

Elvis studied martial arts intensively and incorporated the movements into his live performances. He was eventually awarded an 8th degree black belt in Kenpo by Ed Parker.

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You Don't Tug On Superman's Cape

If the description of the man is fitting, You Don't Mess Around With Jim is sage advice to anyone looking for the "King Of 42nd Street."

As obvious as it may be, or not be, to not "Tug on Superman's cape" nor "Spit into the wind," it never hurts to be reminded from time to time.

Don't do it.

Whatever happens next will really just be your own fault.

Jim Croce's first album, with the title-track You Don't Mess Around With Jim was on the charts for 93 weeks and held the number 1 slot for five.

Croce was killed in a charter-plane crash near Natchitoches, Louisiana, in 1973, 15 months after the album was released and 4 weeks before it went gold.

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Need Some Get Back

When someone does you wrong, you get mad and want revenge. All thoughts of "Turn the other cheek" vanish as you plot how you will deliver The Big Payback to your adversary.

Depending on how look at it, the "Godfather Of Soul" practices what he preaches on this topic.

James Brown was arrested in 1998 after leading police on a two-state car chase between Georgia and South Carolina. When he was finally apprehended in Georgia, he was charged with simple assault, carrying a pistol without a license, carrying a deadly weapon at a public gathering, two counts of assault with intent to kill and seven misdemeanor charges.

Additional charges filed by the South Carolina police, who had blown out Brown's two front tires during the chase, included assaulting a police officer and several other traffic violations.

What did they expect? You shoot out a man's tires while he's driving, of course he's going to get a little perturbed.

One can only guess the nature of the injurious acts committed against Brown which we might assume led to the charged assaults.

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I Will Stand My Ground

When I Won't Back Down was used at events for George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign, Tom Petty's publisher requested that the song no longer be used as it, intentionally or unintentionally, created the impression that Petty was endorsing Bush, which was not the case.

The campaign's general counsel, Michael Toner, agreed to comply though denying any connotation of endorsement.

Additionally, Sting and John [Cougar] Mellencamp were also troubled by their respective Brand New Day and R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. being used without permission.

In the end, the campaign worked out agreements with BMI and ASCAP to pay for use of songs on the road.

In a semi-ironic twist, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers did perform I Won't Back Down at the "America: Tribute To Heroes" telethon for the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The song's message of perseverence through tribulation is an easy match to the promotion of the "War On Terrorism."

Ronald Reagan praisied Bruce Springsteen's Born In The U.S.A in his 1984 bid for re-election.

Jimmy Carter delivered his 1976 acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention borrowing a line from Bob Dylan's It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding).

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