Ten Favorite OLD WEST Movies and Miniseries
Below is a list of my favorite movies and television miniseries set during the Old West:
TEN FAVORITE OLD WEST MOVIES AND MINISERIES
1. "The Chisholms" (1979) - This four-part miniseries about a family from western Virginia emigrating to California in the 1840s is a big favorite of mine. Based upon Evan Hunter's novel, it starred Robert Preston, Rosemary Harris and Ben Murphy.
2. "Stagecoach" (1939) - John Wayne became a star in this John Ford classic about a stagecoach journey through 1880s Arizona and New Mexico. The movie co-starred Claire Trevor, Academy Award winner Thomas Mitchell and John Carradine.
3. "Lonesome Dove" (1989) - Suzanne DePasse produced this superb four-part miniseries adaptation of Larry McMurty's 1985 Pulitzer Prize winning novel about a cattle drive from Texas to Montana. It starred Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Rick Schroeder and Diane Lane.
4. "Support Your Local Sheriff" (1969) - James Garner starred in this laugh fest about a sharpshooter and gunman who because sheriff of a lawless mining town. Garner is ably supported by Joan Hackett, Walter Brennan, Jack Elam, Harry Morgan and a very funny Bruce Dern. Top notch direction by Burt Kennedy.
5. "Centennial" (1978-79) - This twelve-part miniseries aired between the fall of 1978 to the spring of 1979. Although I found the last episode set in the 1970s a little boring, the rest of the miniseries is a sprawling history of a small town in northern Colorado. It featured Robert Conrad, Richard Chamberlain, Gregory Harrison, Lynn Redgrave, William Atherton, Christina Raines, Alex Karras and David Janssen.
6. "Tombstone" (1993) - In my opinion, this is the best version about the Earp brothers, Doc Holliday and the O.K. Corral. Kurt Russell, Sam Elliot and Bill Paxton portrayed the Earp brothers. And Val Kilmer was memorable as Doc Hollday.
7. "Westward the Women" (1951) - William Wellman directed this superb, yet little known movie about a trail guide who escorts a group of mail-order brides from Chicago to California across the Oregon and California trails in 1851. Robert Taylor and Denise Darcel starred.
8. "Into the West" (2005) - This excellent six-part miniseries chronicled the history of two families - one from Virginia and the other from the Lakota Nation - between 1825 and 1891. Steven Spielberg served as executive producer.
9. "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966) - This last entry in the "Dollars Trilogy" told the story about three men searching for Confederate gold in the Civil War New Mexico Territory. Sergio Leone's classic is the longest and in my opinion, the best in the trilogy. It starred Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and a very memorable Eli Wallach.
10. "The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. (1993-1994) - Bruce Campbell starred in this original, yet superb television series about a Harvard-educated lawyer who becomes a bounty hunter in 1890s California, following the death of his father. Created by Jeffrey Boam and Carlton Cuse, the series co-starred Christian Clemenson and Julius Carry.