As a moviegoer for more than 70 years, I’ve seen some great movies, some not so great, some really bad ones, some trying but failing to be deep and meaningful, some reveling in their shallowness. I was born the year The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind were released. My mother started taking me to the movies shortly after that. I saw some movies that were definitely not PG rated. I can still remember being afraid of The Thing and delighting in An American in Paris.

Many times I disagree with the critics. I don’t call them and tell him what I think of their reviews, so now that there is an internet for anyone to babble on, I add my voice. I’m sure there are many of you who will disagree with my assessments. I hope to hear from all of you.

This month, I begin a two-part series on Westerns. Generally, critics don’t like Westerns. Only 13 Westerns have received Best Picture nominations, and only three have won: Cimarron in 1930/31, Dances with Wolves in 1990, and Unforgiven in 1992. Although No Country for Old Men has horses in it, I don’t consider it a true Western.

I remember going to the movies three times a week and at least two of those times there was a Western playing. I grew up loving Westerns and I still do. They don’t make as many unfortunately, but thanks to DVDs I can still enjoy my old favorites. What is it about Westerns that I find so appealing? It’s the gorgeous scenery (especially Monument Valley), horses galloping across the Plains, the moral plot lines (the good guys win), and the fact that they are just plain entertaining. Westerns are the comfort food of movie genres. You can sit back and enjoy the view, knowing that in the end justice will prevail.

Early Westerns (‘40s-‘50s) featured series with such actors as Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Randolph Scott and Audie Murphy. The stories were somewhat different, but the hero was the same: clean cut, fancy clothes and beautiful horses.

Beginning with the ‘60s, Westerns started becoming more complicated. They were still about justice in the lawless West, but the story lines had more elements. Some of the biggest names in Hollywood starred in Westerns.

Westerns: Big Stars, Big Guns, Big Sky

James Stewart
The Man from Laramie (1955). The final Anthony Mann and Stewart collaboration with Stewart seeking revenge for the death of his brother. Somebody has been selling rifles to the Apaches, and Stewart will find him.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence (1962). This film marks a turning point from an emphasis on the lawless West to a West in tune with the rest of the United States. A powerhouse cast includes John Wayne, Lee Marvin, and Vera Miles .

Henry Fonda
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). Fonda plays a cold-eyed killer in Sergio Leone’s film. Charles Bronson, Jason Robards and Claudia Cardinale co-star.
Cheyenne Social Club (1970). A kinder Fonda in this romp with James Stewart.

Kirk Douglas
The Way West (1967) A wagon train movie—and more.
Posse (1975). Douglas is the producer, director and star in this Western with political overtones.

Burt Lancaster
The Professionals (1966). A sweaty crew of big names rescues Claudia Cardinale; but does she want to be rescued?
Vera Cruz (1954). Lancaster teams with Gary Cooper in this fast-paced film with beautiful women, outlaws and gold.

Robert Mitchum
The Way West (1967). Mitchum and Douglas. What more do you need?
El Dorado (1966). Mitchum has to overcome a drinking problem to team with John Wayne to fight greedy land owners.

Robert Redford
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). One of my all-time favorites.
Tell Them Willie Boy is Here (1969). Sheriff Redford chases Indian accused of murder.

Paul Newman
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). A buddy movie based on real men.
Hombre (1967). Newman as a half-breed Indian who proves his worth. Richard Boone, Frederic March and Barbara Rush round out the cast.

Gary Cooper
High Noon (1952). Classic tale of good and evil. Grace Kelly and Katy Jurado vie for Cooper’s love.
The Westerner (1940). Drifter Cooper must stay clear of Judge Roy Bean.

Clint Eastwood
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). Best shoot-out ever.
Unforgiven (1992). Who are the good guys and who are the bad?

Gregory Peck
The Big Country (1958). Former sea captain finds himself in a western fight for water rights. This is a big, sprawling film with good cast and stunning vistas. The fight between Peck and Charlton Heston is one of the genre’s best.
The Gunfighter (1950). Here is a taut, little film with Peck as aging gunfighter wanting some peace in his life.


Glenn Ford
The Sheepman (1958). Range war between Ford’s sheepman and unscrupulous cattlemen.
3:10 to Yuma (1957). Classic tale beautifully acted. Better than the remake.

William Holden
The Wild Bunch (1969). Peckinpah’s violent tale of a group of aging outlaws. Superb cast of Robert Ryan, Edmund O’Brien, Ernest Borgnine and Ben Johnson.
Horse Soldiers (1992). A Civil War tale. John Wayne costars in this John Ford film.

John Wayne
The Searchers (1956). One of Wayne’s best proves that family ties are stronger than hatred of Indians. This may just be the best Western ever.
Red River (1948). This is Wayne’s best role. He almost transcends his Wayneness to be a real actor.

Although the list is almost endless, here are some other great movies to enjoy: Ride the High Country with Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott, Shane with Alan Ladd, McCabe and Mrs. Miller with Warren Beatty and Julie Christie, Will Penny with Charlton Heston, Major Dundee, also with Charlton Heston, Bandolero with James Stewart and Dean Martin, Rio Bravo with John Wayne, Dead Man with Robert Mitchum, and The Unforgiven with Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn.