Home :

Silver Screen Heroes

The Big Country (1958) A sea captain retires to what he thinks will be a quiet life on the frontier and a happy marriage, only to find himself in the middle of a range war in this Western classic.

John Wayne (1907-1979), the definitive western hero, was the ultimate hero of American film. Whether he played stalwart cowboys, war heroes, or courageous adventurers, Wayne was the defining symbol of the American character. His Westerns--especially those directed by John Ford--forged his screen persona, and Wayne's onscreen appeal, while at times controversial, has never diminished.

Ford used many of the same actors repeatedly in his films, far more so than many directors. John Wayne, Ben Johnson, Chill Wills, Ward Bond, Grant Withers, Harry Carey, Jr., Ken Curtis, Victor McLaglen, Francis Ford, Hank Worden, John Qualen, Arthur Shields, John Carradine, and Carleton Young were among this group, informally known as "The John Ford Stock Company."

James Stewart (1908-1997), everyman extraordinaire, made many Westerns during his spectacular career, but it was with director Anthony Mann that Stewart reached a higher stage in his development as an actor. In such films as Bend of the River and The Naked Spur, the idealism of Stewart's films with Frank Capra gave way to themes and emotions that were deeper and more complex. For that reason, these and other Stewart Westerns continue to rank among the genre's best.

In Winchester ’73, Stewart plays what seems to be an overly driven man tracking down a murderous criminal who stole his prized rifle. When the villain’s identity and victims are ultimately revealed, the viewer is forced to seriously reconsider the hero’s quest. In Bend of the River, only a few actions separate Stewart’s protagonist from Arthur Kennedy’s charming antagonist. Both men have similar violent pasts as they square off in a plot involving vigilante lynchings and the rescue of beleaguered Oregon settlers.

The Naked Spur features Stewart as an unhinged man determined to bring back his lost home by using the reward he’ll receive from bringing in a wanted killer (Robert Ryan). The hero’s actions are determined by his past and a blinding desire to return to how things once were. His angry, destructive behavior toward the villain only serves to underline how little difference there is between the bounty hunter and his bounty. Unlike the others, The Far Country doesn’t feature the typical Mann-Stewart antagonist who represents Stewart’s alter ego. While Stewart’s character does have a shady history, his opposite is a thoroughly rotten Judge Roy Bean type and cattle thief played wonderfully by John McIntire.

In the The Man From Laramie Stewart seeks revenge on the men responsible for his brother’s death, but he does so without a sense of guilt and with a clear, moral purpose. Mann saves the complex psychological dilemmas for the villains: a corrupt and powerful land baron (Donald Crisp) and his two sons (Alex Nicol and Arthur Kennedy).

A chance encounter with Howard Hughes led Randolph Scott (1898-1987), the rugged cowboy, to a film career in 1929, but real fame didn't arrive until after World War II, at which time Scott was established as one of America's favorite Western heroes. He bid farewell to the genre--and to movies altogether--with his remarkable performance in Sam Peckinpah's 1962 classic, Ride the High Country.

While Gregory Peck (1916-2003) was the pure embodiment of moral integrity in such films as To Kill a Mockingbird, his roles in Westerns were often more complex. From brute force to quiet dignity, Peck's Westerns show the actor's true emotional range and a physicality that his contemporary roles rarely revealed. Peck appeared in Westerns such as Duel in the Sun (1946), Yellow Sky (1948) and The Gunfighter (1950).

What's not to like about Joel McCrae (1905-1990)? Equally charming in thrillers and comedies (particularly for director Preston Sturges), McCrae brought his unique appeal to Westerns as well, playing stalwart heroes and, in Ride the High Country, giving one of the finest performances of his distinguished career.

I've just always been a cowboy, as you can tell. The picture above is with Major Browns son. By the tree, oustside the trailer, the back reads Our Cowboy. I'm 3 years old here in Tucson, AZ where Dad was stationed during Korea.

At a modest height of 5 feet, 5 inches, Alan Ladd (1913-1964) didn't have the stature of more typical Western heroes, but his two-fisted toughness in Shane earned him a place in the genre's hall of fame. His declining career ended with an overdose of sedatives and alcohol, which many Hollywood insiders considered a suicide.

Ben Johnson (1918-1996), the real McCoy, was one of the greatest character actors of Hollywood's golden age, and in his own way he helped define the Western as much as John Wayne and other high-profile stars. Respected throughout his career, he finally won an Oscar for his unforgettable role as Sam the Lion in The Last Picture Show.

Henry Fonda (1905-1982) owed much of his success to portraying heroes in classic Westerns, but it was Fonda who insisted on playing one of the most cold-blooded villains in the history of the genre, in Sergio Leone's masterpiece, Once upon a Time in the West. Playing good guys or bad, Fonda was always unforgettable.

Actor, director, producer, jazz pianist, politician - Clint Eastwood (b. 1930) has worn many hats but none more comfortably than the cowboy hats he sported in the Westerns that brought him superstar status. Now in a late stage of his stellar career, Eastwood shows no signs of slowing down. Will his masterpiece, Unforgiven, remain his farewell to the genre that made him a legend?

Gary Cooper (1901-1961) was more than a Hollywood screen legend. The perfect embodiment of the "strong, silent type," he brought a unique quality of dignity and decency to the screen - particularly in Westerns, where his own code of honor was well matched with those of the characters he played.

Tom Selleck (b. 1945), was born for a career in westerns. Unfortunately, he was also born too late to have one. But he's embraced the opportunities that have come his way, both on the big screen (in Quigley Down Under) and in a series of well-reviewed and highly rated made-for-TV movies that aired on the TNT network.

In Last Stand at Saber River (1997), Selleck plays a Civil War veteran who is harassed by a pair of Union officers played by brothers David and Keith Carradine. Based on a Louis L'Amour novel, Crossfire Trail (2001) was directed by Simon Wincer (Lonesome Dove) and features another memorable supporting cast with Wilford Brimley, Virginia Madsen, and Mark Harmon. Monte Walsh (2003), also directed by Wincer, is a remake of the 1970 classic that stands on its own merits.

Glenn Ford (1916-2006) was a skilled actor equally at home in comedy and drama, this darkly handsome actor (who matured into a rugged, rumpled-looking leading man) brought brooding intensity and, occasionally, an aloofness to his characterizations, making him capable of limning cold-hearted villains as well as engaging heroes. Outwardly a most ordinary, unprepossessing personality, Ford possessed that intangible "something" that connected with audiences. In 1958, Ford was voted the number one male box-office attraction. Through sagacious career choices, Ford was able to extend his popularity long after the studio system that "created" him had collapsed.

Like most male stars from Hollywood's golden age, Burt Lancaster frequently climbed into the saddle and starred in 13 westerns during his long career. You might think the New York born actor with a distinctive eastern accent would be out of place in the wild west. Like fellow easterners James Stewart and Robert Mitchum, Lancaster was comfortable astride a horse and performed some his best work in westerns. Lancaster made his first western in 1951 during the peak of his handsome leading man days and as time passed, Lancaster's westerns improved as he aged. He was never better than at age 66 playing Bill Doolin in Cattle Annie and Little Britches.

Lee Marvin was tall, white-haired and, at times, just plain mean-looking, Lee Marvin was one of the most rugged heroes of the big screen and one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the late 1960s. In the movies he was first typecast as a brutal thug, usually in westerns and crime dramas such as The Wild One (1954, with Marlon Brando), Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962, starring John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart). After a three-year stint as the star of television's M Squad (1957-60), Marvin gradually moved from villain to hero in the movies and by 1965 had won an Oscar for his dual role in the broad western comedy Cat Ballou (1965). As a leading man, Marvin starred in a variety of movies, including Paint Your Wagon (1969, a musical western with Clint Eastwood) and Monte Walsh (1970).

The Professionals, featuring an outstanding cast (Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Claudia Cardinale, Woody Strode, Jack Palance, and Ralph Bellamy) under the direction of Richard Brooks and a memorable score from Maurice Jarre. A thinking-man's western with plenty of high-octane action, The Professionals remains somewhat underrated, especially when compared with the stylistically similar The Magnificent Seven. But the film earned three Academy Award nominations.

top of page

back a page