Collecting Great Westerns

by James Wallace Harris, Tuesday, July 26, 2016

My primary goal here is to identify and remember all my favorite westerns. Because I focus on collecting, this page will be updated periodically. I also want it to be of use to others, so I’m adding links. Clicking on the year will take you to a description of the film (to Wikipedia until I can write my own reviews). Titles will link to Amazon. The letter grades represents my reaction to the film, and not a critical judgment. Many films won’t have a grade until I see them again. I’m going to also list the format of the discs I own, but that’s only useful to me. Most of these films I’ve seen once, for many, twice, and some, many times. I will eventually add television westerns.

Finally, I want to analyze why I love westerns and what makes a good western. That will happen in the future. Today, I’m just starting with a list. I’ll eventually add content after the listing. I’ll also write reviews to films and link to them when I get time.

Westerns represent a philosophy, reflected in the genre. I’m a liberal, so explaining why I love a genre that’s so conservative will take some effort. Westerns portray details about history, while revealing changing attitudes towards history. Eventually I want to rate both historical value and how well each film fits the genre. For now, I’m going to use a very simply list format to make it easy to expand and edit. In the future, I’ll convert the list to a table, add film cover images, and other annotations.

I should point out I only collect films I enjoy rewatching. There will be many omissions. That means I either don’t like the film, don’t think its fits the genre, or is set outside of the 19th century.

My Favorite Westerns:

1. The Big Trail (1930), John Wayne, A+, [Blu-ray]
2. Cimarron (1931), Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, B+, [DVD]
3. The Plainsman (1936), Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, A
4. The Texas Rangers (1936), Fred MacMurray, Jack Oakie, B+, [DVD]
5. Destry Rides Again (1939), James Stewart, A+, [DVD]
6. Dodge City (1939), Errol Flynn, A+
7. Jesse James (1939), Tyrone Power
8. Stagecoach (1939), John Wayne, A+
9. Union Pacific (1939), Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck, A+, [DVD]
10. Santa Fe Trail (1940), Ronald Reagan, Errol Flynn
11. The Westerner (1940), Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, A+, [DVD]
12. They Died with Their Boots On (1941), Errol Flynn, B+, [DVD]
13. Western Union (1941), Robert Young, Randolph Scott, Dean Jagger, A-, [DVD]
14. The Outlaw (1943), Thomas Mitchell, Jane Russell, B-
15. The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Harry Morgan, A+
16. Tall in the Saddle (1944), John Wayne
17. Along Came Jones (1945), B, Gary Cooper, Loretta Young [DVD]
18. Duel in the Sun (1946), Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotton, Jennifer Jones
19. My Darling Clementine (1946), Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Walter Brennan, A+, [DVD]
20. Angel and the Badman (1947), John Wayne, Gail Russell, A+
21. Ramrod (1947), Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake
22. 3 Godfathers (1948), John Wayne, B+, [DVD]
23. Blood on the Moon (1948), Robert Mitchum
24. Fort Apache (1948), John Wayne, Henry Fonda, B+, [DVD]
25. Four Faces West (1948), Joel McCrea
26. Red River (1948), John Wayne, Montgomery Cliff, Walter Brennan, A+
27. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), Humphrey Bogart, A
28. Whispering Smith (1948), Alan Ladd, Robert Preston, A-, [DVD]
29. Yellow Sky (1948), Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter, Richard Widmark, A+, [DVD]
30. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), John Wayne, B+, [DVD]
31. Broken Arrow (1950), James Stewart, B+, [DVD]
32. The Gunfighter (1950), Gregory Peck, A, [DVD]
33. Rio Grande (1950), John Wayne
34. Winchester ‘73 (1950), James Stewart, Shelley Winters, A+, [DVD]
35. Rawhide (1951), B+, Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward [DVD]
36. Westward the Women (1951), B+, Robert Taylor
37. Bend of the River (1952), James Stewart, B, [DVD]
38. The Big Sky (1952), Kirk Douglas, B+
39. High Noon (1952), Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Thomas Mitchell, A-
40. Rancho Notorious (1952), Marlene Dietrich, B
41. Man in the Saddle (1952), Randolph Scott, B
42. Hondo (1953), John Wayne, [Blu-ray]
43. The Naked Spur (1953), James Stewart, A-, [DVD]
44. Shane (1953), Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, A+, [DVD]
45. The Far Country (1954), James Stewart, Walter Brennan, B+, [DVD]
46. Garden of Evil (1954), A-, Gary Cooper, Susan Hayward, Richard Widmark, [DVD]
47. Johnny Guitar (1954), Joan Crawford, B
48. River of No Return (1954), Robert Mitchum, Marilyn Monroe, B+, [Bluray]
49. Vera Cruz (1954), Gary Cooper, Burt Lancaster, B+
50. A Lawless Street (1955), Randolph Scott
51. The Far Horizons (1955), Fred MacMurray, Carlton Heston, Donna Reed, B
52. The Man from Laramie (1955), James Stewart, B
53. Ten Wanted Men (1955), Randolph Scott, Richard Boone
54. The Searchers (1956), John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, A+, [DVD]
55. Seven Men from Now (1956), Randolph Scott, Gail Russell, Lee Marvin, A-, [DVD]
56. 3:10 to Yuma (1957), Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, A
57. Decision at Sundown (1957), Randolph Scott, [DVD]
58. Forty Guns (1957), Barbara Stanwyck, C+
59. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas,  B+
60. Night Passage (1957), James Stewart, Audie Murphy, A, [DVD]
61. The Tall T (1957), Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, Maureen O’Sullivan, B+, [DVD]
62. The Tin Star (1957), Henry Fonda, Anthony Perkins, B+
63. The Big Country (1958),  Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, Charlton Heston
64. Buchanan Rides Alone (1958), Randolph Scott, [DVD]
65. Cowboy (1958), Glenn Ford, Jack Lemmon, B+
66. The Law and Jake Wade (1958), Robert Taylor, Richard Widmark, A, [DVD]
67. Man of the West (1958), Gary Cooper, [DVD]
68. Saddle the Wind (1958), Robert Taylor, Julie London, B+
69. Day of the Outlaw (1959), Robert Ryan
70. The Horse Soldiers (1959), John Wayne
71. No Name on the Bullet (1959), Audie Murphy, [DVD]
72. Ride Lonesome (1959), Randolph Scott, [DVD]
73. Rio Bravo (1959), John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, B+, [Blu-Ray]
74. Comanche Station (1960), Randolph Scott
75. The Magnificent Seven (1960), Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach, A
76. The Unforgiven (1960), Burt Lancaster, Audrey Hepburn, Audie Murphy, A
77. The Comancheros (1961), John Wayne
78. One-Eyed Jacks (1961), Marlon Brando, Karl Malden
79. Two Rode Together (1961), James Stewart, Richard Widmark, Shirley Jones, B+
80. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), John Wayne, James Stewart, Lee Marvin, B+
81. Ride the High Country (1962), Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, A-, [DVD]
82. A Fistful of Dollars (1964), Clint Eastwood
83. For a Few Dollars More (1965), Clint Eastwood
84. The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), John Wayne, Dean Martin
85. El Dorado (1966), John Wayne, Dean Martin
86. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), Clint Eastwood
87. Nevada Smith (1966), Steve McQueen, A
88. The Professionals (1966), Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin
89. The Rare Breed (1966), James Stewart, Maureen O’Hara, Brian Keith, B
90. Hombre (1967), Paul Newman, Fredric March, Richard Boone
91. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), Henry Ford, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards
92. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Paul Newman, Robert Redford
93. The Wild Bunch (1969), William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, [Blu-ray]
94. Chisum (1970), John Wayne
95. A Man Called Horse (1970), Richard Harris
96. Little Big Man (1970), Dustin Hoffman, A+, [Bluray]
97. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, A-
98. Jeremiah Johnson (1972), Robert Redford, Will Geer, A+, [DVD]
99. Ulzana’s Raid (1972), Burt Lancaster
100. High Plains Drifter (1973), Clint Eastwood
101. Pat Garret and Billy the Kid (1973), James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, B+
102. The Missouri Breaks (1976), Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson
103. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Clint Eastwood
104. The Shootist (1976), John Wayne, Ron Howard, Lauren Bacall, A-
105. Heaven’s Gate (1980), Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Jeff Bridges
106. The Long Riders (1980), David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Dennis Quaid
107. Pale Rider (1985), Clint Eastwood
108. Silverado (1985), Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner
109. Lonesome Dove (1989), Robert Duval, Danny Glover, Tommy Lee Jones, A+, [Blu-ray]
110. Dances With Wolves (1990), Kevin Costner, A, [Bluray]
111. Unforgiven (1992), Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman,  A+
112. Tombstone (1993), Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Dana Delany, A
113. Wyatt Earp (1994), Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid,  A, [Blu-ray]
114. Riders of the Purple Sage (1996), Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, A-
115. Open Range (2003), Robert Duval, Kevin Costner, A
116. 3:10 to Yuma (2007), Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, A
117. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), Brad Pitt, [Blu-ray]
118. Appaloosa (2008), Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, A+
119. True Grit (2010), Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, A
120. The Revenant (2015), Leonardo DiCaprio A+

Westerns I want to see:

1. The Covered Wagon (1923)
2. The Iron Horse (1924)
3. Tumbleweeds (1925)
4. Pursued (1947)
5. Wagon Master (1950)
6. The Shooting (1966)
7. The Great Silence (1968)
8. The Hired Hand (1971)
9. The Claim (2000)
10. Meek’s Cutoff (2010)

JWH