Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

Go right ahead. I’m sorry about that. I got caught up in my games.  :lol:

Ok here we go.  The last good one I can think of.

Texas State History: How many sovereign flags have flown over Texas?

Bonus:  What countries were they?

LT

6

Spain
Mexico
France
CSA
Republic of Texas
USA

A44bigdog,

I am not going to confirm or deny the results to give others some time to agree or disagree.

LT

A44BigDog,

You are correct.  There were 6 flags that flew over Texas.  Some time later a park would be named for that called “Six Flags.”

TG you are good to go.

LT

Since TG is MIA, I’d like to throw one out there. Hopefully its not too hard.

Film

Western films owe a lot to a foreign director, and in some cases remade his films that went on to be classics.  The director in question also did his own versions of classic stories that are highly entertaining.  Who was the director and where was he from?

Bonus: What well regarded actor did the director team up with for 16 movies?

for bonus:  Clint Eastwood?

@F6FHellcat:

for bonus:  Clint Eastwood?

Nope.  But interestingly enough, Clint Eastwood starred in two of the Western pseudoremakes by the director I’m looking for.  He played the same part as the actor in the bonus question.

Sam Peckinpaw? and Lee Marvin?

I’m almost positive that Peckinpaw made a bunch of old black and white westerns and I’m also pretty sure that Marvin made most of his money in westerns so those are my guesses.

@U-505:

Sam Peckinpaw? and Lee Marvin?

I’m almost positive that Peckinpaw made a bunch of old black and white westerns and I’m also pretty sure that Marvin made most of his money in westerns so those are my guesses.

While that may be correct, it’s not what I’m looking for.

Another hint: The director had a lasting influence on George Lucas, and one of his films was a major inspiration for Star Wars.

@TG:

Akira Kurosawa.

When you first said “influenced Western film” I immediately jumped to the spaghetti directors.  But I wasn’t sure which one.

The “inspiration for Star Wars” clue gave it away.

Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress served as source material to Luke Skywalkers and Co’s journey into a impregnable fortress (the Death Star).

Several of Kurosawa’s films have been remade into Western films, most noticeably the Seven Samurai – which was remade to the The Magnificent Seven in the States.

I don’t know about the 16 films though…

Ding ding ding! +1 for you.  And you have the stage.

(Bonus was Toshiro Mifune, the drunk in Seven Samurai)

Oh, and the guess about Clint Eastwood as the actor was interesting.

Akira Kurosawa made a film called Yojimbo starring Toshiro Mifune about a ronin taking advantage of two opposing clans that ruled a town.  Sergio Leone made a western called A Fistful of Dollars starring Clint Eastwood as a wanderer taking advantage of two opposing clans ruling a small town.  Both are excellent films.

And Seven Samurai is one of my all time favorite movies.

I glad I not way wrong on Clint Eastwood.  I know he did many spaghetti westerns so my guess from that.

11 states

538 total electors.  270 is majority win

California 55
Texas 34
New York 31
Florida 27
Illinois 21
Pennsylvania 21
Ohio 20
Michigan 17
Georgia 15
New Jersey 15
North Carolina 15
Win with 271

i do not know for sure, i would guess, ice hockey, soccer, football