Once More With a .44

1. Once More With a .44 Peter Brandvold

2. Ben Stillman • Six foot 2” • Solid man • Veteran of the badge • Excellent shot with both rifle and Six Shooters • Ex-U.S. Marshal. Forced into a desk job due to bullet lodged in his spine. • Returns to Clantick to become sheriff and cool the trouble that’s brewing. • Ben gives up desk job when he is invited by his friend Jody Harmon to come to Clantick to replace the murdered sheriff and stop the trouble that’s brewing. The whole book is based around bring Norman Billingsley to justice.

3. Fay Stillman • Lovely black hair • Pretty • Curious • Married to Ben Stillman. • Comes from a wealthy family. • Married an evil British heir, who Ben Stillman kills during a shootout after breaking up his cattle rustling operation. • Finally becomes married to Ben.

4. Jody Harmon • Six foot 1” • ½ Cree Indian • Handsome, dark • Blue-Green eyes • Solid jaw • Caused to grow up fast due to fathers murder. • Believes guns cause more trouble than they prevent. • Married to his young wife, Crystal Harmon.

5. Fay Stillman Jody Harmon Ben Stillman Crystal Harmon Leon McMannigle Ralph Merchant Norman Billingsley Rafe Paul Daryl Bruner Bernard McFadden Dillon Andrews Iris McFadden Scratch Lawson Bob Andrews

6. Ben Stillman is married to Fay Stillman. • Jody Harmon invites Ben to come back to Clantick after Daryl Bruner and sheriff Ralph Merchant are killed. • Daryl Bruner is murdered by Rafe Paul, who is employed by Norman Billingsley. • Ben Brings Rafe Paul, Norman Billingsley, and Bernard McFadden to justice. With the help of his deputy, Leon McMannigle. • Ben kills Dillon Andrews son and gang and Dillon sends his other son and friend to kill Ben. Ben goes to the Andrews farm after the shooting and ends up killing Dillon. • Bernard McFadden and Iris McFadden are criminals. They pretend to be married, but they are really brother and sister. Iris murders prostitutes for pleasure and attempts to murder Stillman. While Riding with Fay, Fay discovers the truth and after a fight Iris is shot and killed by Fay.

7. CASTING CALL To play the part of Ben Stillman I chose Clint Eastwood. Clint has a solid past in westerns and could easily play the part of the no-nonsense straight shooting lawman Ben Stillman To play the part of Ben Stillmans younger, dark haired, and beautiful wife Fay Stillman. I chose her because she plays action movie parts, and looks the part.

8. To play Leon McMannigle I chose Will Smith. He played a western part before, and more than once has played a lawman. I think He fits the part very well. To play the town idiot Daryl Bruner I chose Zack Galifinakis because he has played the part of a man child before and does it very well. He also has the same approximate build. To play the evil land owner Norman Billingsley I chose Jeff bridges because to me he looks the part and plays an evil man very well and is a good actor.

9. Stillman suddenly transformed from Mr. Easygoing, Aw-Shucks sheriff of Clantick to Mr. No-Nonsense Ass-Kicker, his voice taut as Glidden wire. The lawman raised his right forearm, deflecting the blow, and smashed a powerful left hook into the side of Smith's face, making a cracking sound, causing blood to spurt from the nose that was suddenly lying flat against the drover's cheek. The relatively featureless terrain was interrupted here and there by wooded watercourses, small ranch operations, and farms with patches of oats and hay flanking a sod shack and pole corral, two or three hard-eyed youngsters staring as Stillman cantered past, ignoring his wave. It stank of beer and whiskey fermenting in cedar barrels in the long, dry grass out back, where a privy sat sunbaked and leaning toward the hillock that flanked it. There was the thump and smack of knuckles against flesh, and the grunts of air expunged from weakening lungs.

11. Plot The climax of the book is when Fay Stillman, Bens wife, discovers that Iris McFadden is the criminal responsible for recent murders, his attempted assassination, and she also discovers that her and Bernard are not married, but are criminals and brother and sister. After learning this, Iris tries to kill Fay, but in the fight is killed herself. If Fay had been killed, the murders in town would have continued, they would not have learned how corrupt Bernard McFadden was, and Iris may have been successful in a future attempt to murder Ben. The book therefore would have been completely different, having ended in Bens’ death and the town of Clantick would still be corrupt and in turmoil.

12. Conflict A conflict occurring in the book is the trip Ben Stillman takes to the Billingsley ranch. He goes there to arrest him and his ranch hand Rafe Paul. However Norman has given orders to kill the lawman, and a massive shootout occurs with Ben single handedly fighting then fleeing about 10 men, before circling back to the ranch. He killed 3, and wounded 2. After returning to the ranch he kills Billingsleys’ body guards and tries to take him in. However the 6 riders return and Ben finds himself trapped. He is taken to a corral and they all fight him fist to fist for Billingsleys amusement until Fay, Leon , and the towns doctor come to his rescue and arrest them. It could have been handled differently by him taking his deputy, or a handful of U.S. Marshals to aid in the arrest. However this is a book and that wouldn’t have been as interesting a conclusion to the reader.

13. Theme I think the author picked ‘Once More With a .44’ as the title to this book because Ben Stillman once again takes a position as an acting lawman. The gun he carries is a .44 and it is his main tool for cooling the madness occurring the town of Clantick. To back up my opinion there is a line from the book that occurs when Ben is returning to Clantick to become the sheriff and is talking to the conductor on the train the conductor asks him “So it’s once more with a forty-four, eh, Ben?” (23) Referring to Stillman’s return to Clantick as Sheriff.