JPF Home Page Forums Creative Arts Forums Acting, Theater, Film and TV Forum ALL TIME FAVORITE WESTERNS

You wouldn't think it but this New Yorker LOVES Western movies Big Time!
I also LOVE Kung Fu Movies but that's another topic. I go from East to West very quickly lol

Again I know there are great westerns in every decade, And even though it was not
"My Time" I'm clued in enough to know the 1950's was probably the best decade for
westerns. So many great ones then and there was just so many, so that helps too The real hey day...

My most recent favorite in this decade was the surprising Open Range with Robert Duvall,Kevin Costner, Annette Bening.
It had EVERYTHING! and Kevin Costner played it down some so his kind of actiing was far better in this than in some other well known flicks. Robert Duvall stole the show, but they matched up beautifully.
Also following that 3:10 To Yuma (remake) and then Apaloosa

I like great stories, action, great scenery,cinematography,music & an overall feel. I like classics, I Like em Spaghetti, love Randolph Scott to Clint Eastwood
And I'm always looking backwards in time for more & more so
this will help me find them

If you are a Western Movie buff as well then it should be easy to list your top ten favorites of all time. Or a few anyway!

Not in definite order but close

1. Shane - 1950's Boy do I love this flick staring Alan Ladd & a young Jack Palance
2. Silverado - 1980's Massive cast,throw back great fun with action,feel good movie
3. Unforgiven - 1992 Clint's masterpiece & a clinic from Hackman & M Freeman
4. Pale Rider - 1980's Of course! It's like a re-telling of Shane!
5. Magnificent Seven -1960's The soundtrack alone! Great Cast & Eli is wonderful
6. High Noon - Gary Cooper/Grace Kelly Perfect!
7. Last Train To Gun Hill -1950's Kirk Douglas & Tony Quinn, unique!! Great!
8. The Big Country - 1950's Peck, Heston, Jean Simmons This one is a real beaut!
9. Tombstone - 1990's This movie is a blast! Val Kilmer rocked!
10. For A Few Dollars More - My favorite Spaghetti Western! Love this villain!

Open Range -
The Tin Star 1950's Henry Fonda, Anthony Perkins
The Violent Men 1950's Glenn Ford. [
b]Seven Men From Now [/b]1950's Randolph Scott. 3:10 To Yuma (both)
The Searchers - The Duke!
The Wild Bunch 1960's
Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid- Newman/Redford
Thunder Over The Plains -1950's Randolph Scott
Gunfight At OK Corrall 1950's Lancaster/Douglas & on & on & on

ALL of Clint's flicks especially - HAng Em High, Outlaw Josey Whales, High Plains Drifter, Good The Bad,

Great thing about westerns they're never really bad ones


What's yours?
Thanks!

How about "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge"? That was kind of a western, and I liked that one.

Also "Dances with Wolves" was a favorite.
"Last of the Mohicans" was another.
Just saw "The Outlaw Jose Wales" for the first time, and loved it.

my all time favorite western movie has to be winchester 76 which starred jimmy stewart and also had grandpa walton in it as the sheriff, my next favorite has to be hang em high with clint eastwood, my next favorite was glenn ford in a movie made about the true story of the lost dutchman's mine where he played jacob walsch

My all-time western is Shane as well. I can still hum the melody from the music track. Loved The Magnificent Seven too, though the Japanese film that it was based on, The Seven Samurai, was possibly better.

Dances with Wolves was great, as was The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Tom, would you call Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge a western? I'd have thought it fit more into the war genre. Mind you, it did have a western feel. I'll never forget that poignant ending.

Donna

Hey Sub, I actually got to meet the guy that played Wyatt Earp and pet his horse. We were at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo show if I remember right.

Hey Sub:

Most of mine are all on your list. One that isn't is another Sergio Leone movie "Once Upon a Time in the West" with Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale and Charles Bronson. Love that movie...

All time favorite is "Good, Bad and the Ugly" - have the theme song on my iPod.

High Plains Drifter is up there too - love it when he makes them paint the town red. Unforgiven and Pale Rider are close....

Missouri Breaks with Brando and Nicholson was kinda fun too.

Good topic!

Scott

Ah - a woman after my own heart. The Seven Samurai is one of my favorites.

And how could I possibly forget "Blazing Saddles"????

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ! !

I, on the other hand, thought "The Magnificent Seven" was a better movie than "The Seven Samurai." T.A.N.A.F.T., I guess. I also liked "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," which I was forced to watch as part of Latin class in high school (the storyline is an old Roman tale).

Joe

Man, you guys just about named them all. Let's see, I liked Rio Bravo (Wayne,Dino), The Alamo (Wayne), High Noon. Always liked The Lone Ranger TV series when I was a kid. How the West was Won. Lonesome Dove was a TV mini series like a movie. Custer's Last Stand or whatever that movie was called. Is The Patriot an Eastern?

John

Heya Sub,

It wouldn't matter to me which two you had to bump from your top ten, but I'd have to put Butch & Sundance, and The Outlaw Josey Wales up there...Josey Wales, I think, has the most/best quotes:

The Chief Dan George character: "I didn't surrender, but they captured my horse and made him surrender."

Re: High Noon. John Wayne was really upset at the Coop doing this film because the whole town was cowardly and the Duke didn't think that it was very American.

Midnite

Hi Tom- I liked those movies as well, though they don't feel like Westerns to me..

I been wanting to see Winchester 76 it's on my list.

Hi Donna - You and I are alike
And of course I love The Seven Samurai, all borrowed ideas should be as great and original as that!

Which Wyatt Earp?

Hi Scott

I have "Once Upon A time" what I love about it is the camera work & Fonda's coldness. What I didn't like was how Sloooooow it is. lol. I watched it with Tripp
and there was so many funny sound effects and scenes, not meant to be funny really.
But dragging parts like when that guy has that fly around his face for about 10 minutes lol....

I have ALL of Clint's western flicks The ones I like least are Bronco Billy, Two Mules For Sister Sarah, & Joe Kidd.

I love "Good Bad & The Ugly" - but... same snag, it's a bit lengthy and feels that way. KInd of like a song arrangement that's not quite right.
The Fistful series I like a bit better especially the second one. With the watch and that music. Also love when Clint & Lee Van Cleef are shooting it out friendly style.

Unforgiven & Pale Rider have the best stories and are the best acting wise & financial support wise. Those and Josey Whales, although the constant spitting in that one gets on my nerves.

Where as High Plains is a little more light hearted and even when it's trying to be serious, But I do LOVE that one. Casting the guy who plays Orvill Boggs, Geffrey Louis from "Every Which Way But Loose" as the villian will do that as well lol...

I'll check out "MIssouri Breaks" I cant picture either one of those guys in a western
especially Brando

Hi Bob & Herbie

Actually I wouldn't bump any of them for those two movies actually. I own and love them both especially Josey Whales.

Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid - I LOVE Paul Newman but not in any Western I've seen. Accept maybe "The Left Handed Gun" and even that...

Now The Sting is in my TOP favorite movies of ALL TIME! And the dynamic duo are wonderful in it as well as that great cast with Robert Shaw.
They are wonderful in Butch & Sundance but the film just lacks something for me no matter how many times I've seen it. And I hate to feel that way cause I'm such a fan.

Maybe not enough serious action, maybe the light heartednes is the problem for me. I just could never take the two seriously for even a moment.

One big problem for me personally is the song, big hit, and great crafted song that it is..
I do NOT like "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" And that movie reminds me of that song. I didn't like it when I was little. It may be associated with a certain memory from my childhood.

It's kinda like "Deliverance" it's in the action section but I never think of the film as an action movie. I love it! but it often slips my mind when I think of action or even drama's. A unique kind of picture. Today i think it's fits a more "horror/thriller style. So it's just Butch & Sundance in it's own way don't make me think "Western" right away either. I always have to go "Oh yeah"

Still the movie is a classic in movie making cinema history but does not rank in my top ten westerns.
---------------

Outlaw Josey Whales is a terrific picture and does have action. Love It!
Again stupid as it sounds that constant spitting of deep lungy tobbaco on everything and everyone including the dogs head lol... could have been left out fine for me.

Also about that movie, he's like an old farmer who's tripping over his own feet and can't slow down even one person from raping & killing his wife & killing his son and burning down his house!
Yet he kills about 20 people after that with no problem what so ever! Like he's been doing it straight day after day his whole life.

And then Sandre Locke had to be casted in it, she's better off in The Gauntlet & Every Which Way" The old Indian was WONDERFUL! though! As were the villians.

Josey Whales is my 6th favorite Clint Western that's why it's not in my top ten.

High Noon - is not my favorite but is a unique and different Western for it's time.
Great film making!

Great stuff guys! thanks!

Hi John

I've tried & I tried & I tried & tried over again on "How The West Was One" I who NEVER sleep can't stay awake for that movie. And on top of that there's the singing and dancing!

Ah- Rio Bravo!

So.... no comment about "Blazing Saddles?"

My parents took me to see Blazing Saddles when I was a kid. I remember an elderly couple sat in the row in front of us and they were talking about how good it was going to be to see a good western like they used to make, "instead of that stuff they make now." The couple got up and left after the campfire scene.

BTW, I'm gonna have to go with Rio Bravo as my favorite western.

Sub "The Wyatt Earp" lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suhECAZMcKI

Tom, "Blazing Saddles" reminds me of country square dances, where everyone has to allemand left, dosey-do, and grab a fartner.

I found the name of the old Glenn Ford movie where he played the dutchman Jacob Walz it's called Lust For gold it was made in 1949 it's a true story, if you can find this one you will really enjoy his acting.If you like this one then you'll like another old movie of his called Jubal which co-stars Ernest Borgnine(1956)

cool post sub,

Mine have to be "the outlaw Josey Wales", "The Searchers", and High Plains Drifter" several of the ones already mentioned are pretty "up there" on my list as well! I also like some of the spaghetti westerns.. i love the reverb on the boots (it was almost like when the "dukes of hazard" would screach their tires on a dirt road!)and the way they ALWAYS wore long "dusters" in the middle of the HOT DAY in what is supposed to be the "old west" ... and how EVERY shot fired would ricochet!!!!!

OK - go way back to the silent film era - see any Tom Mix westerns? I remember watching one as a teen, but can't remember the name.
Later found out that most of the silent film westerns were filmed not far from Conshohoken, PA - I think the remains of one of the film sets was walking distance from my ex's parents' house.

Hi

I have "Jubal" it also stars Rod Steiger as well.

It's a good movie, the only thing odd about it is that with that story and the way it plays out it didn't have to be a western at all
Which makes it kinda unique and original in a way but still. That is the after thought both my wife & I had after watching it.

The woman cheats on her husband with long time cattle hand then goes after the newcomer, the cattle hand gets jealous and tries to set up the new guy to look like he murdered the wife... Very Hitchcock etc... Not a Western!

I'll look for "Lust For Gold"

Destry Rides Again
James Stewart & Marlene Dietrich.
I know Marlene Dietrich's singing ability is limited. But still her singing turns me on.

Blazing Saddles!

The OK Coral ones, (Two I remember thinking they were great). Kurt Russel in one.

Unforgiven

Love Me Tender, (if tagged a Western)

That great one with Dean Martin and Jimmy Stewart.

Wagon's East, (John Candy in his last film).

Most of John Ford's (Director). They just look great, and make we want to go back to that similar area of the red rock mountains I went to a year and a half ago. John Wayne too of course. Made for him.

Hi Ken

I love and have all three of those. They released "The Searchers" on Blu Ray Disc It's unreal!

There's a spaghetti western from 1966 I like called "Django" It's so raw and gritty. The whole town is covered in mud and he drags a coffin around with a Gatlin Gun in it It stars Franco Nero

Love Me Tender?

Ya know what a real good one - The Violent Men 1955 Glen Ford & Edward G Robinson

Mike I just watched an oldie from 1956 called"The man from Del Rio" starred Anthony Quinn and had a few other co-stars that you will recognize if you get a chance to see it

I'm not a true buff but I really enjoyed "Sons Of Katie Elder" w/John Wayne.

Absolutely!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Me_Tender_(1956_film)

Get it on Blu Ray if they have it and watch it on your big screen! Real good supporting cast, as well as the leads.