I recently canceled my 1000 channels of nothing tv subscription and only have antenna TV and internet. There's a couple obscure channels from the antenna that have opened my eyes to old westerns. I use a jailbroken FireStick to seek out different movies that come up in my Google searches for the best cowboy movies, but most of the lists contain the same movies. Do you guys have any favorites? So far The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is my favorite with Rio Bravo in a close second.
Movie Theater Old cowboy movies
- Thread starter tennturk
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Big Jake! I will start with that one and give other people a chance to reply, but "good old cowboy movies", there are millions.
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I second Big Jake! My dads favorite movie and how I got my name... I also like Cowboys and any other John Wayne movie for that matter- Butch Cassady and the Sundance Kid too.
Just watched The Outlaw Josey Wales... "Are you gonna pull those pistols or whistle Dixie?" Great line lol. Big Jake is next!
Not a movie, but I have been a huge fan of the Gunsmoke TV series since I was a little kid.
I'll have to check that out, thanks! My favorite tv western right now is Wanted Dead or Alive with Steve McQueen, it's hilarious. Daniel Boone is an awesome show too even though it's not a western. Have Gun Will Travel is so terrible that it's good. I watched Big Jake last night... it was alright. The kid on the motorcycle was ridiculous and you knew the cars were doomed as soon as they set off lol. I saw El Dorado today and it was great. I need to make time for the original Magnificent 7 and True Grit since I've seen the recent updated versions.
Lonesome Dove is the best in my opinion....
All classics! Fistful of dollars is another. Here's a funny
Scene
https://youtu.be/8a5OcWIqgAI
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Scene
https://youtu.be/8a5OcWIqgAI
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Any of the Sergio Leone.... Once Upon a Time in the West is remarkable! Amazing cast.
Among John Wayne greats... The Searchers, The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, Rooster Cogburn (Gatling Gun scene is awesome), the War Wagon, The Shootist.... all amazing and fun.
For a 'light' movie, check out some of the Terence Hill movies. Especially "They Call me Nobody." Also has Henry Fonda. Amazing movie!
Shane is a total classic. Alan Ladd.
On a 'not quite a Western' category, the old Spencer Tracy "Northwest Passage" about Rogers Rangers. Call it a 'frontier' movie. Not a Western, per se. Also in this category is Jeremiah Johnson.
All the Clint Eastwood Westerns are great, though my favorites were mentioned above, Joe Kidd is awesome! Great sniper scenes. Pale Rider is a classic 'modern.' Western.
Last two are a bit on the odd side... but Little Bigman (Dustin Hoffman) is really fun. And for Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando at their absolute psychotic best... The Missouri Breaks is an utter winner. Also a good long-range shooting scene or three.
This will keep you busy for a while!
Cheers,
Sirhr
Among John Wayne greats... The Searchers, The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, Rooster Cogburn (Gatling Gun scene is awesome), the War Wagon, The Shootist.... all amazing and fun.
For a 'light' movie, check out some of the Terence Hill movies. Especially "They Call me Nobody." Also has Henry Fonda. Amazing movie!
Shane is a total classic. Alan Ladd.
On a 'not quite a Western' category, the old Spencer Tracy "Northwest Passage" about Rogers Rangers. Call it a 'frontier' movie. Not a Western, per se. Also in this category is Jeremiah Johnson.
All the Clint Eastwood Westerns are great, though my favorites were mentioned above, Joe Kidd is awesome! Great sniper scenes. Pale Rider is a classic 'modern.' Western.
Last two are a bit on the odd side... but Little Bigman (Dustin Hoffman) is really fun. And for Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando at their absolute psychotic best... The Missouri Breaks is an utter winner. Also a good long-range shooting scene or three.
This will keep you busy for a while!
Cheers,
Sirhr
"Apologize to my mule." hahaha... Why are the Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns so ridiculous?! Were these considered masterpieces when they first came out? Thanks for the suggestion, this is getting bumped up to the top of lithe must watch list.
Fistful of Dollars was a remake of the classic movie Yojimbo, which came out in the early 1960's. That was an absolute classic as a Samurai-themed movie. The Seven Samurai, also by Kurosawa inspired The Magnificent Seven... another Samurai movie turned into a Western. The movies were instantly popular.... as they broke the mold on Westerns. Which were always campi and John Wayne. Eastwood was an anti-hero at a time when anti-heros were popular. So, in short, yes they were classics pretty much from the beginning.
And Leone, who helped originate the genre, was an absolute master as a director. His ultimate movie before he died was the Gangster movie Once Upon a Time in America. An absolutely amazing epic. Leone is famous for the use of silence, few lines and 'odd sounds' like the windmill at the beginning of Once Upon a Time in the West or the ringing phone in Once Upon a Time in America. Also strange soundtracks. Also for including one huge, sweeping panaroma scene that was massively expensive at the time, but was just an amazing bit of film art. Generally, it set the scene of a town or a street or city. Always a camera pulling away to show more and more and more... Until the panorama was just breathtaking. At a time when there was no CGI, these street scenes were incredible examples of directing and set-building.
Leone is one of the great directors.... again, to answer your question... yes, classics!
Cheers,
Sirhr
And Leone, who helped originate the genre, was an absolute master as a director. His ultimate movie before he died was the Gangster movie Once Upon a Time in America. An absolutely amazing epic. Leone is famous for the use of silence, few lines and 'odd sounds' like the windmill at the beginning of Once Upon a Time in the West or the ringing phone in Once Upon a Time in America. Also strange soundtracks. Also for including one huge, sweeping panaroma scene that was massively expensive at the time, but was just an amazing bit of film art. Generally, it set the scene of a town or a street or city. Always a camera pulling away to show more and more and more... Until the panorama was just breathtaking. At a time when there was no CGI, these street scenes were incredible examples of directing and set-building.
Leone is one of the great directors.... again, to answer your question... yes, classics!
Cheers,
Sirhr
Wow. Thanks for the education! I'm going to nerd out for a couple weeks on this stuff lol
+1 thanks for the info sirhrmechanic added a few more to my list as well
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Conagher
Story by Louis L'Amour with Mr. Mustache (Sam Elliott ) It's one of my favorites.
Ya take a Man's money, you ride for the brand...
The Missouri Breaks is an utter winner.....If your wondering what woke you up...
Story by Louis L'Amour with Mr. Mustache (Sam Elliott ) It's one of my favorites.
Ya take a Man's money, you ride for the brand...
The Missouri Breaks is an utter winner.....If your wondering what woke you up...
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Cowboys movie you must see (not necessarily old)
Big Jake with John Wayne
Monte Walsh with Tom Selleck
Crossfire Trail with Tom Selleck
Tombstone with Kurt Russell
The Missing with Tommy Lee Jones
Lonesome Dove
Rough Riders with Tom Berenger
Geronimo, an American Legend
Son of the Morning Star (very accurate Custer movie)
Big Jake with John Wayne
Monte Walsh with Tom Selleck
Crossfire Trail with Tom Selleck
Tombstone with Kurt Russell
The Missing with Tommy Lee Jones
Lonesome Dove
Rough Riders with Tom Berenger
Geronimo, an American Legend
Son of the Morning Star (very accurate Custer movie)
Buffalo's list is outstanding.
I should add the John Wayne classic "The Shootist."
One of the arcane facts that makes it such a poignant movie is that The Duke knew he had cancer... as he was filming. And to see Ritchie Cunningham as a gunfighter... well, just classic!
Cheers,
Sirhr
I should add the John Wayne classic "The Shootist."
One of the arcane facts that makes it such a poignant movie is that The Duke knew he had cancer... as he was filming. And to see Ritchie Cunningham as a gunfighter... well, just classic!
Cheers,
Sirhr
A good western series, HELL ON WHEELS.
3:10 to Yuma
UNFORGIVEN, Clint Eastwood movie
the recent TRUE GRIT remake is well done.
and I will second the GUNSMOKE tv series as a classic
3:10 to Yuma
UNFORGIVEN, Clint Eastwood movie
the recent TRUE GRIT remake is well done.
and I will second the GUNSMOKE tv series as a classic
Kevin Costner is one of my all time favorite actors so any westerns he's in are badass. The best one in my opinion is Open Range with him and Robert Duvall. Dances with wolves and Wyatt Earp are also awesome. Bidet had it right with another classic which is Quigley Down Under w/ Tom Selleck. Guy is a badass in that movie.
Any of the Eastwood spaghetti westerns:
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Pale Rider
High Plains Drifter
Joe Kidd
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Pale Rider
High Plains Drifter
Joe Kidd
For me its the Wild Bunch. Not a classic western because it's set a little later.
Best line "It's not that you gave your word. It's who you give it to."
One of my favorite scenes
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CYP38A-nwLY
Best line "It's not that you gave your word. It's who you give it to."
One of my favorite scenes
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CYP38A-nwLY
Sam Peckinpah was a great director, too. Wild bunch is a great flick!
Don't forget "The Long Riders." Stacy Keach.
For some reason, it NEVER comes on TV? I don't get that. It was a great western at a time when there were... no westerns.
Oh and I can't get beyond cowboy movie theme without including "Blazing Saddles." Possibly the funniest movie of all time. Certainly in top 10.
Far better than "Under the Rainbow" the all-midget Western. Forgettable. And kind of short.
Cheers,
Sirhr
Not sure if I have a Sig Line, so I'll just say "Our Sheriff is a Ni...."
Don't forget "The Long Riders." Stacy Keach.
For some reason, it NEVER comes on TV? I don't get that. It was a great western at a time when there were... no westerns.
Oh and I can't get beyond cowboy movie theme without including "Blazing Saddles." Possibly the funniest movie of all time. Certainly in top 10.
Far better than "Under the Rainbow" the all-midget Western. Forgettable. And kind of short.
Cheers,
Sirhr
Not sure if I have a Sig Line, so I'll just say "Our Sheriff is a Ni...."
Valdez is coming
whats the movie where Charles Bronson plays the harmonica?
^^^ Once upon a time in the West. Henry Fonda (the perpetual whitehat) plays the best Bad Guy ever in that movie. Leone's finest Western, IMHO.
Cheers,
Siirhr
Cheers,
Siirhr
I
It's funny, in an interview with Jane Fonda, she said her dad HATED playing that role in a movie. It just goes to show what a great actor he was. Because the public also reacted much the same way he felt about the movie. When you do a great portrayal, the public takes you to heart about it. The best example of that was Larry Hagman. Mr. nice as you could be in "I dream of Jeanie" and as much of an asshole as primetime tv would allow in Dallas. Yet, the guy was as nice to everyone as he could be.
Anyhow, there are so many Westerns it's hard to just pick one. The main theme being the "one man against all who stands up and wins." The reality was much more who had the might had the right. A couple of episodes in real history to research are the Lincoln County Cattle war and the Johnson County Cattle wars. Try to find books and stories on both sides of the issue.
One thing about the spaghetti westerns is that it was a break from the classic "clean" western. Here, the good guys are really bad guys, but to what degree. The movie shows the gritty dirtiness of the time. Instead of everyone dressed in checked flannel or a suit right out of the washing machine and any leather showing almost zero wear. One actor to really take note of in this series is Lee Von Cleef. He plays a great bad guy in one movie then a great good guy in another.
You can't mention the American Western and not have a Jimmy Stewart movie in there. Google them. All good for westerns. Win 73 probably the best to watch.
I'll go with all the John Wayne movies noted above, but one in particular I like: "The Cowboys". It not only highlighted some current talent in Hollywood, but some new people got their break in that movie. Rio Bravo is another favorite, The Ricky, Walt, Dean and John song scene is fun.
If you like westerns, there's a world of them out there. Good storys written by Louis Lamour, Zane Grey and a number of others. They highlight the adventure of the Old West, even if they don't tell it like like it was, which was hard on people.
It's funny, in an interview with Jane Fonda, she said her dad HATED playing that role in a movie. It just goes to show what a great actor he was. Because the public also reacted much the same way he felt about the movie. When you do a great portrayal, the public takes you to heart about it. The best example of that was Larry Hagman. Mr. nice as you could be in "I dream of Jeanie" and as much of an asshole as primetime tv would allow in Dallas. Yet, the guy was as nice to everyone as he could be.
Anyhow, there are so many Westerns it's hard to just pick one. The main theme being the "one man against all who stands up and wins." The reality was much more who had the might had the right. A couple of episodes in real history to research are the Lincoln County Cattle war and the Johnson County Cattle wars. Try to find books and stories on both sides of the issue.
One thing about the spaghetti westerns is that it was a break from the classic "clean" western. Here, the good guys are really bad guys, but to what degree. The movie shows the gritty dirtiness of the time. Instead of everyone dressed in checked flannel or a suit right out of the washing machine and any leather showing almost zero wear. One actor to really take note of in this series is Lee Von Cleef. He plays a great bad guy in one movie then a great good guy in another.
You can't mention the American Western and not have a Jimmy Stewart movie in there. Google them. All good for westerns. Win 73 probably the best to watch.
I'll go with all the John Wayne movies noted above, but one in particular I like: "The Cowboys". It not only highlighted some current talent in Hollywood, but some new people got their break in that movie. Rio Bravo is another favorite, The Ricky, Walt, Dean and John song scene is fun.
If you like westerns, there's a world of them out there. Good storys written by Louis Lamour, Zane Grey and a number of others. They highlight the adventure of the Old West, even if they don't tell it like like it was, which was hard on people.
I've been side tracked with work lately and I wasted some free time binge watching Iron Fist on Netflix. What a mistake that was. I got back into the cowboy genre today with The Sons of Katie Elder. I really liked it.... the bar scene with Dean Martin raffling off his glass eye was great lol
"Sharps... or some kind of buffalo gun. Or a cannon. He know when to shoot, an' he know when to move... and we have lost 5 more."
On a sniper forum how can this movie not have been listed first!??
Most of the mainstream gritty westerns have already been listed; I'm a hair late. But here are some others for consideration just to round things out--if you'll watch John Twang, you'll watch anything. In no particular order:
Hombre
Forsaken
Tombstone
Ulzana's Raid
Gunfighter's Moon
A Gunfight
Two Mules for Sister Sara
Joe Kidd
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Pale Rider
Unforgiven
High Noon
Open Range
Missouri Breaks
The Gunfighter
The Professionals
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All of the above with the exception that some of the older (I mean really older) oaters, like the ones where John Wayne portrays Singin' Sandy are just too weird to watch on a full stomach...
Greg
Greg
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Don't forget "Broken Trail".
One Eyed Jacks
High Noon
The Shootist
Ballad of Cable Hogue
Major Dundee
Fort Apache
Two Rode Together
Came in here to say Wild Bunch.
High Noon
The Shootist
Ballad of Cable Hogue
Major Dundee
Fort Apache
Two Rode Together
Came in here to say Wild Bunch.
You guys have great taste that aligns with mine.
However, I think you left out The Searchers.
However, I think you left out The Searchers.
Once Upon a Time in the West I just saw this recently but danged if I could remember the name of it so I cheated.
Nope... first page.... first couple of posts!
Not only a great movie, but an important one. Arguably John Ford's finest. So many classic elements in that. Not just in terms of Western's... among any films, The Searchers is truly high art! Ford's camera work and shots in that film were groundbreaking.
Cheers,
Sirhr
I have the attention span of a dried pea. Or it was really late (or early), I skimmed pretty fast, and/or I forgot by the time I reached the end of the thread. Just reconfirms my opinion about you guys. Well done. And I appreciated this thread because I had been thinking not two days ago that the sad change in our culture over the past 30 years has been due, only in part of course, to the death of the Western as a staple of childrens viewing. Then again, with so few kids growing up with their own father in the home, why should I expect single mothers to like Westerns? My wife likes them -- but she's not a single mother!
The Searchers is a great classic western.I love the movies the John Ford and Howard Hawks did with John Wayne they were magic together.
I cut the cord also and I've enjoyed watching The Rifleman series with Chuck Conners. Good stuff!
I remember an old western I don't think has been mentioned A Man Called Horse. I was a little kid sitting in the back seat of my parents car at the drivin theater when it came out I still remember the seen where the hung him with hooks threw his chest. Haha that's nothing compared to today's movies but back in 1970 it was.
Sir pretty much covered it.
John Wayne: Rio Bravo, Eldorado and Rio Lobo are basically the same storyline retreaded. They're all worth watching, Angie Dickinson, Charlene Holt and Jennifer O'Neil...
Silverado, Unforgiven and Open Range are some of the better modern westerns.
When I find them, very old John Wayne movies. These really are works of art. John Wayne was really young, His characters often show his deep respect for the Native Americans, and he works so many times with Gabby Hayes, who stole so many scenes. Amazing stuff. "Star Packer", "In Old Oklahma", several others.
