/r/ClassicWesterns
Celebrating the Golden Age Of Westerns, from dime novels to roughly the cancellation of Gunsmoke in 1975, symbolizing the end of The Golden Age.
Dedicated to the Golden Age Of Westerns, from dime novels to roughly the cancellation of Gunsmoke in 1975, symbolizing the end of The Golden Age.
r/ClassicWesterns welcomes posts about Western:
- Fiction.
- History.
- Stage plays.
- Movies.
- Old time radio.
- TV.
Not welcome:
Posts about Silverado, Tombstone, Deadwood, or Yellowstone.
Stuff about Star Wars or other space operas. They aren't Westerns.
Posting guidelines:
No spam.
No political arguments.
If posting media links, include the release year in the thread title: if not known, an educated guess of the decade will suffice. Acceptable year labels: (1965) or (1960)s. The year must only contain 4 digits inside parentheses ().
In the thread title try to give a brief description of why the submission should be of interest to readers of this subreddit.
Moderators reserve right to remove any post.
Links:
Wide Wide World, "The Western" - Legendary, one-of-a-kind TV episode w/live appearances by John Wayne, Gary Cooper, John Ford, James Arness, James Garner, Broncho Billy Anderson, Gabby Hayes, fast draw expert Rodd Redwing, stuntman Chuck Hayward, & many other notables of the genre (1958)
The Real West - perhaps the first "revisionist" documentary on the Old West, debunking many glamorous cliches of Hollywood. Hosted by movie legend Gary Cooper, in his last appearance - he died about 6 weeks after this aired (1961)
When The West Was Fun: A Western Reunion - A 50 minute special from 1979 hosted by Glenn Ford, w/over 4 dozen Western TV and Movie stars live and even more in various montages. With (since it's the '70s) dancing & music numbers that are mercifully few and brief. A must for nostalgists.
Hollywood, ep9, "Out West" - The story of the silent western, from distinguished film historian Kevin Brownlow. Narrated by James Mason. (1979)
TV Western Heroes - Direct-to-video collection of vintage clips hosted by Will "Sugarfoot" Hutchins (1993)
Western Clippings - Excellent collection of articles & interviews
Jeff Arnold's West - well done & insightful blog
/r/ClassicWesterns
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Happy Birthday William S. Hart
03:15 UTC
Comic Guy Marks performs his classic routine "How the West Was Really Won" on The Dean Martin Show. You'll never see better impressions of Bogart or Gary Cooper (1967)
05:59 UTC
Today I Learned: In 1931 the stunt double for Warner Baxter (left), dashing star of Cecil B. deMille's 'The Squaw Man', was Frank McGrath. 25 years later McGrath would become a TV star as the grizzled cook on 'Wagon Train'.
01:14 UTC
"Hey I know that guy! Looks like Peter Breck. Not a very good likeness though... Still, I can use the $500". H'wood wanted posters usually used photos, presumably cheaper than hiring an artist & having the actor pose. From the TV series Tombstone Territory, episode "The Lady Gambler" (1958)
20:29 UTC
Can you name him?
Can you guess this actor's name, the classic western this still is from, and his character's name? Probably to easy for this group, I know.
13:52 UTC
Ward Bond and Dobe Carey in Wagon Master (1950)
04:31 UTC
The Restless Gun, "Friend In Need". Did the young farmer really kill his stepbrother? For years I thought '77 Sunset Strip' & 'Dick Van Dyke' were the first US shows to do 'Rashomon' episodes w/perspective-changing flashbacks, but this forgotten western has them beat by at least 2 years (1958)
04:00 UTC
Black Saddle, "Client: Steele". Ex-gunslinger becomes a lawyer. This was Four Star's attempt to combine the western & legal formats. With guests James Coburn & Warren Oates. The Professor moonlights as a US marshal; even Jim Bowie stops by. The theme is a lost classic. (1959)
17:36 UTC
For a Few Dollars More (1965) - Epic Western Showdown You Can’t Miss! (Link in description)
Relive the gripping tale of For a Few Dollars More (1965), where two bounty hunters join forces to track down a ruthless outlaw in an epic game of vengeance and justice. Packed with unforgettable showdowns, suspense, and classic Western charm!
15:14 UTC
What's your favorite Western?
02:49 UTC
A favorite of mine which has never acquired the classic status it deserves. I prefer it to Eastwood's later Oscar winner w/o the definite article. Based on a novel by Alan LeMay (The Searchers). Watch full movie on YT (1958)
09:46 UTC
Speaking of Cary Grant & westerns...
Grant was actually the original choice for Red River.
But not as Dunston (who is from Liverpool in the novel).
Cherry Valance.
Grant was willing to play Dunston, but turned down the role of Cherry (much bigger in the original script, but still a supporting character). Hawks offered him $200K (to Wayne's $40K), but Grant absolutely refused to play a supporting role.
I don't care much for Grant in drama, but I can see him in western comedy. Grant was the first choice for The Hallelujah Trail, which went to Lancaster for financial reasons I won't go into.
This may turn some heads, but I can actually see Grant as The Waco Kid in Blazing Saddles. The role was actually offered to Wayne, who laughed and turned it down. The film began production w/Gig Young in the role. But he was an alcoholic, and had terrible tremors on the set -- which he claimed Mel Brooks sadistically joked about. Per Young, at one point he was so ill he had to crawl to his dresing room with no help from the crew, while Brooks and his cronies laughed.
Young left the film and was replaced by Dan Dailey -- who withdrew the next day.
So The Waco Kid ended up being played by a badly miscast Gene Wilder. As the Wayne offer illustrates, the character needed to be played by a believable westerner, someone like Arthur Hunnicutt or Neville Brand -- the flip side of Slim Pickens' villain.
16:56 UTC
A lesser-known favorite of mine, directed by John Sturges & written by William Bowers (Support Your Local Sheriff), who FWIW played the Senate committee chairman in Godfather II (1958)
16:50 UTC
What Westerns could've been better if Cary Grant were in them?
14:01 UTC
John Russell (Marshal Troop) and Peter Brown (Deputy Johnny McKay) in a publicity still for Lawman (1958-62)
04:01 UTC
A Tribute To TREVOR BARDETTE!
18:17 UTC
Tate, "The Bounty Hunter". Short-lived western took not only the premise but even the opening from Wanted Dead Or Alive. Written & created by Harry Julian Fink who wrote many HGWTs, & later Dirty Harry; produced by Perry Como's company. Guest stars Louise Fletcher & two Bobs, Culp & Redford (1960).
19:45 UTC
Great Western Themes: 'Frontier Gentleman' by Jerry Goldsmith
09:08 UTC
Reprisal! (1956). A tale of Indians, lynching, & revenge. A favorite obscurity of mine, starring Guy Madison, directed by veteran George Sherman, co-written by the creator of Bonanza.
23:26 UTC
A Tribute to I. STANFORD JOLLEY!
14:34 UTC
Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Trigger for 'The Roy Rogers Show' (1950)s
21:34 UTC
John Ford directing Ward Bond in “The Colter Craven Story,” a 1960 episode of Wagon Train.
07:03 UTC
Group portrait of sagebrush old-timers taken for the TV special 'When The West Was Fun' (1979, link in sidebar to the right). How many can you name?
13:17 UTC
A Fistful of Dollars: The Man with No Name Redefines the Wild West! (Link in description) Kp
Step back into the dusty streets of the Wild West! Our latest CineRecap dives into the iconic world of A Fistful of Dollars, where Clint Eastwood’s unforgettable character reshapes the Western genre. Discover the intense showdowns, the mystery, and the game-changing moments that made this classic a cinematic legend.
Watch Now:
19:14 UTC
Western Faces - George Keymas
16:26 UTC
Americans will never like spaghetti: US review of 'A Fistful Of Dollars' (c. Jan 1967)
16:04 UTC