Even modern sequels are dangerous decades after the original movie ignited fireworks nationwide.
Most recent proof of this is the Turner's new millennium version of "High Noon," perhaps the greatest horse opera ever made, circa 1952.
The original movie starred Gary Cooper as sheriff Will Kane. His wife, Amy, was played by Grace Kelly.
How in the name of hell can any of today's most prominent stars match that towering duo?
The new "High Noon" co-stars a couple of TV actors: Tom Skerritt and Susanna Thompson.
Not to knock Skerritt or Thompson, both of whom are excellent performers.
But they're not in a league with superstars Cooper and Kelly. Skerritt is a polished veteran who has starred in several films, but he's not a legend. He lacks Cooper's towering presence and heroic magnetism.
Kelly's astonishing beauty and aristocratic bearing surpass Thompson's charms.
Cooper and Kelly, both Oscar winners, rate among the most charismatic actors in the history of the screen. Look what happened to "Gone With The Wind II" and that bomb of bombs, "The Wiz," starring Michael Jackson as a later day visitor to the Land of Oz.
Too many remakes are done by half-baked hustlers trying to cash in on monumental successes of the past with pale imitations.
HIGH NOON 1952
Cooper won an Oscar for his performance as the reluctant hero. Composers Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington won Oscars for the superlative score and the song "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin'." "High Noon" won a couple of other Academy Awards as well.
It was a tremendous box-office success and still rates among the best Westerns ever made.
The story is compelling and simple: Sheriff Kane on his wedding day stands his ground when he hears a deadly enemy is heading for his little western town to shoot him down in the street.
Kane looks for help among townsfolk terrified of the returning the bad guy. They eschew Kane's pleas for assistance to bring justice to the criminal killer.
But no, with little time remaining, the dauntless lawman checks his six-shooters and stands courageously alone in the middle of the rutted street awaiting the arrival of his deadly foe.
It is Cooper at his best, the lanky, dutiful man facing almost certain death with a display of courage protecting his town and defending his honour.
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