Top 10 Westerns You've NEVER Seen
Vložit
- čas přidán 17. 06. 2024
- A discussion and analysis of ten often overlooked Westerns. If you are a fan of the genre you will love this dive into obscure Western classics!
#film #western #westernfilm #filmanalysis #filmreview #movie #movies #moviereview #comedy #funny - Krátké a kreslené filmy
The music score for "The Big Country" is undoubtedly one of the best of all times, elevating an already great movie. That Jerome Moross, didn't win the 1959 Oscar for his score for "The Big Country" is one of the great injustices of the Academy Awards. (Dimitri Tiomkin's score for "The Old Man and the Sea" won instead.)
I have the original album and the CD. Great Score!
Totally agree. Dmitri Tiomkin’s score for OK Corral was superb too.
It's one of the first things a movie fan learns: The Oscars aren't about the art of cinema. They seem to be more about industry politics and popularity than anything. They're not a very good guide for what to watch. If a movie won an Oscar, it's probably worth watching, but there are lots of great movies that the academy completely overlooks. So thanks, this is a much better guide. Video is much appreciated.
Always amazes me how often ‘The Big Country’ is left out of list of the all time best westerns. If it was not for ‘Shane’ it would probably be my favorite #1.
You nailed it with The Big Country! Not only is it my favorite western, it is one of my favorite films of ANY genre of all time!
One of my favorites as well.
One of my personal favorites is Hombre. It wasn't just Paul Newman's very subdued portrayal of a white man raised by Apaches, it was an absolutely fantastic supporting cast, including Fredric March, Barbara Rush, Martin Balsam, Diane Cilento, Cameron Mitchell, and the great Richard Boone.
"We all die, it's just a question of when". That's one of my favorite lines from this movie & there are many more. It's a great western.
I would like... to know.. his name.
His name was John Russell.
Great ending!
@@kwmoore3464 on that theme, my dad's favorite line (and he's the only reason I ever watched this movie), "I have a question. What makes you think you're going to make it back down that hill?"
Sorry, I just stepped on you!
It isa great film!
I grew up watching westerns with my grandfather and “THE OXBOW INCIDENT” was arguably life changing.
My grandfather was a WWII Ranger and a judge and the conversation that followed the film was pivotal.
🙏🏽
100%. Indelibly imprinted on first viewing. What an incredible commentary on the nature of mankind. High Noon is another great example.
I only read the book but it was pretty amazing. not your ordinary western.
Only one I never heard of is the Walking Hills. As for The Big Gundown, I make a point of avoiding ALL spaghetti westerns; I'm a purist, I find them insulting and a rip off of the western genre. The rest were A-movies and hits in their day. The kids today may not know these moves but true fans of westerns sure do.
The Oxbow Incident has been one that I have loved for years (I am 77) II even hunted it down on the Net so I could watch it again.
Not sure how "The Professionals" was left off this list. Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Woody Strode, Jack Palance. Damn good movie.
Glad to see some love for "The Gunfighter." That's a movie that definitely needs to be better known. And "Destry Rides Again" is one of my favorite movies ever.
I enjoy the Audie Murphy remake, 'Destroy, as well.
The Gunfighter is one of my top 5 favorite westerns
20th Century Fox head Spyros Skouras went off on a vacation just as production was about to start, no doubt thinking "What can go wrong with a western?" When he returned and saw the daily footage he was unhappy that Gregory Peck had a moustache, a turnoff for some female moviegoers. Normally he would have shaved it off and re-filmed the existing footage, but so much had already been filmed that this would have been too expensive. He later told Peck, "That moustache of yours cost us $500,000 at the box office!"
"My Name Is Nobody" (1973) is a favorite of mine. Starring Henry Fonda and Terrence Hill. Quirky and amusing, with winning characters and a clever story. Very unique western, and not to be missed IMO.
The Trinity movies with Terrence Hill are great.
I would like to add "Will Penny" to the mix. Charlton Heston does a great in this film. The supporting cast does a great job too. by the way, I've seen them ALL!
I was going to suggest that nugget, as well as Ride the High Country. Scott and McCrea directed by Peckinpah. Wow.
100% good movie ! Joan Hackett is gorgeous !
Chato’s
Land , starring Charles Bronson
@@baileyboy5253
😅 6:10
All time favorite. The theme music is haunting and terrific. "That There'n Elk is Ourn!".
Maybe not a top ten Western movie of all time, but one no one has seen is the "River of No Return". Beautiful cinematography, directed by Otto Preminger, of all people. Any Western that has Robert Mitchem and Marilyn Monroe has got chemistry that burns the screen. The movie is definitely underrated.
I also like that movie. Preminger had a lot of problems, not with Marilyn Monroe, but with her dialogue coach who was on set the whole time and insisted on giving her "direction."
That is a personal favorite of mine. Interesting seeing Rory Calhoun as the bad guy
Yeah, finally saw that a few years ago, definitely better than expected.
Absolutely luv that movie!
I've seen it. I taped it off TV for my mother thirty years ago.
The original "Monte Walsh" with Lee Marvin & Jack Palance is sadly underrated & well worth seeking out if you haven't seen it... (there was a remake with Tom Selleck in 2003)
Yes, good movie!
Totally agree! Lee Marvin really hit the mark well on playing the lead character!
I think you should consider doing a piece about all 5 of the James Stewart & Anthony Mann westerns: The Naked Spur, Winchester ‘73, The Far Country, Bend of the River, and The Man from Laramie. Mann was at the forefront of filmmakers who wanted to use the western as a vehicle to explore the depth of the psychology, morality, and motivations behind the actions of formerly 2-dimensional genre archetypes. He needed an actor who had a down to earth “everyman” appeal but could also realistically portray a character struggling with darker impulses when being pushed to extremes. He knew that Stewart was a bomber pilot during WWII and rightfully considered that even though he was best known for his folksy, comedic charm, by possessing the wherewithal to repeatedly brave that type of terror Stewart would be able to effectively be cast against type in more brooding and tense dramas. Alfred Hitchcock opened the door to this facet of Stewart’s range in 1948’s “Rope” but Mann more fully realized it in 1950’s “Winchester ‘73.”
Then the Radolph Scott Budd Boetticher films, The Tall T, Ride Lonesome, Comanche Station, 7 Men from Now, and Decision at Sundown
They just put Mann's whole collection with Stewart on the Criterion Channel, I've been making my way through it! Just watched Bend of the River!
@@arnoldpainal5885 Nice call. I think Ride Lonesome is like an archtype of a western. Easily in my Top-3.
@@peterburgh1818Ride Lonesome and The Naked Spur are quite similar. Though my top Randolph Scott film is The Tall T, utter simplicity in story and number of characters plus it has that great ending line from Scott "Come on now. It's gonna be a nice day."
@@madnickmedia think it misses winchester 73 but a good start and they had the last scott boetticher ones earlier.
Need to add Ride the High Country to this list. Peckinpaugh's 1st film where he had script control. Starring the fabulous Joel McRrea and Randolph Scott. A much underappreciated film that is now in the National Film Registry recognizing films of great cultural significance.
i've seen that one. its a fabulous movie. i believe that it is also Scott's final movie before he retired.
First rate film, no question.
Ride the High Country, yep, a great movie indeed.
that film was pretty disappointing to me, I loved Scott & McCrea but the immense focus on the annoying teen couple bored and annoyed me, 6/10 flick
@@AbrasiousProductions Yes, if you allowed it, they were distracting. I focused on Scott and McCrae instead. This movie is better than most on this list, much better than Naked Spur.
"McCabe and Mrs. Miller" is one of my favorite westerns. It reflects upon the corporate development of the west. "Will Penny" is also an overlooked film in my opinion.
Thanks for the reminder, you're right both are great fi
lms! 10:55
Two excellent choices. Both are very good often missed westerns
McCabe is boring, which moreless means “sh*t”
With Will Penny took a couple minutes to cope with Donald Pleasance in a Western. Especially since he played Blofeld at roughly the same time.😁
MCCABE & MRS. MILLER was filmed in British Columbia, and its snowscapes give it a rather Canadian look.
I would have tossed in The Westerner. A 1940 film with Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan as Judge Roy Bean. It is rarely aired and few people today have seen it. The opera house scene is one of the best shoot-outs ever put on film.
What about "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean", 1972, w Paul Newman, Jackie Bisset, and a young Victoria Principal?
One of my favorites.
@@aspenrebel Both are excellent.
@@lekmirn.hintern8132 ok I just finished watching "The Westerner" (1940) w Gary Cooper et als. That was a pretty good movie. I had never heard of it before.
Great movie, Walter Brennan is excellent playing against typecast.
One minor correction: A few of the spaghetti westerns were filmed in central and southern Italy, but the great majority were filmed in southern Spain. Almost all of them were co-productions between Italian and Spanish companies, typically with an Italian director and an Italo-Spanish technical staff. Occasionally, a French, German, Portuguese, Greek, Israeli, or American company might also lend minor production support.
What gets me about those fims is the audio dubbing. In italy, they film without sound then add it all in the studio.
5 man army also had a japanese actor. there is a japanese pic called kill starring the great tatsuya nakadai that was a sort of samurai spagetti western in style.
@@arnoldpainal5885 all films have a lot of looping but as you say the Spaghetti's were filmed deliberately that way, it's one of the reasons why i struggle with them as the non English speaking actors seems to be dubbed so badly, tbh the only 4 i can stomach are the Fistful trilogy & once upon a time in the West because they are so good & made by a master.
@@charliemaguire2210 I tend to agree that, outside of Leone's stuff, it's hard to get past the terrible dubbing. I like Van Cleef, so I'll give that one a try.
One thing I like about spaghetti westerns is that the Italian actors in the supporting cast look TWICE as Italian in a frontier setting!
Why would anyone tell you a movie doesn’t belong on the list. It’s your list! Thank you for presenting it!
My favorite seldom seen western is 'Yellow Sky', directed by William Wellman and starring Gregory Peck, Richard Widmark and Ann Baxter. Everything about this movie is first rate but I rarely see it available on cable or streaming.
Right at the top of my list. William A Wellman directed
I suggested this as well, before I scrolled down and saw your comment.
Awesome film.
Yeah, I catch that every now and then
Just saw this for the first time about a month ago. It is great.
Thanks for your post. William Wellman’s “Across the Wide Missouri” is a forgotten masterpiece and “Hombre” features probably the greatest, and most realistic, gunfight on film. In real life, those showdowns lasted seconds instead of minutes.
Plus, Richard Boone may be the best villains ever!
“Well, now, what do you think Hell is gonna look like?”
Yellow Sky to me is another Wellman's masterpiece.
The Culpepper Cattle Company. A wonderful coming of age film with one of the toughest trail bosses you've ever seen.
bad company.
Fun fact. Charlton Heston didn't want to be in "The Big Country." He thought he was too big a star to play second fiddle in the film; but his agent knew Wyler, and threatened to quit Heston if Heston didn't take the job. Heston did, and it led Wyler to cast him as "Ben Hur."
I would add that the performance of Chuck Connors was probably his best... YP
@@yankeepapa304 Good call. He usually played heroes so he really must have wanted to work with Wyler and that cast to play such a loathsome character.
@@yankeepapa304 Absolutely, a fine performance by Connors indeed and I mentioned it in my post about this video as well.
Heston was one arrogant fellow
WHAT !!!? Moses wasn’t good enough for him !?😂😂😂
While I thoroughly enjoyed The Skin Game, in my opinion a better take on the Salt-n-Pepper Western was the 1968 The Scalphunters with Ossie Davis and Burt Lancaster. Talk about chemistry! Great supporting cast too!
An excellent western from Burt Lancaster.
Great suggestion!!
In that vein, Bruce Campbell and Julius Carry were terrific frenemies in the lamentably short-lived Adventures of Brisco County Jr. series.
I've actually seen all of these westerns (but then again, I'm 70 years old as of this date.) I agree they they are must see classics. I saw many of them on AMC, back when they actually showed American Movie Classics. I humbly ask if you would add 'The Outlaw Josie Wales' to the list. As this is my all time favorite western.
It’s Josie Wales! One of my favorites too.
I agree about "outlaw Josey Wales" as it is my favorite western of all time, but it's not an unknown.
I've also seen these movies, but I am only 63.😊
Western that I think doesn't get enough attention is "One eyed Jacks" however it has been fully restored with the help of Martin Scorsese.
Hope more people catch on to it
I have seen 8 of 10 (7 and 9 on the list being the exceptions.) Age: 47.😁
Very happy to see The Big Country on the list. I have never understood why it is never listed among the best westerns ever made. Great dialogue, acting, story, etc. Burl Ives won an Oscar but Heston was equally good. His performance landed him the Ben Hur role.
"Gunfight At OK Corral" - you forgot to mention the MUSIC. Classic Dmitri Tiompin composition with Frankie Lane's vocals throughout the show! Yes, it's as historically wrong as any movie can be, but it is a guilty pleasure to watch. "The Big Country" is one of the best westerns IMHO, and works on so many levels in the story. Plus, as mentioned, an absolutely classic musical score (one of my favorite CDs). Another Peck classic not mentioned was "Yellow Sky", a real treat among old westerns.
One of the greatest is Ulzanas Raid starring Burt Lancaster as a grizzled old cavalry scout called in to hunt down Ulzana and his braves who have broken out of the reservation and bring mayhem and murder, fantastic!!
Robert Aldrich !
Excellent movie with a great understated performance by Lancaster.
@@samuraidave2730 why understated !? It had been and still is célébrités as one of his best ever...
@@marco-dn7kd Many of Burt's more famous roles were flamboyant larger than life characters, think Elmer Gantry or The RainMaker, in Ulzana's raid, the character McIntosh had a world weariness about him that was perfectly captured by Burt in his understated performance (not flamboyant but rather quiet, subdued and unembellished). It is indeed one of his better performances.
@@samuraidave2730 Okay ! To me understated can also mean underestimated reason why I did not understand your point until now... Lancaster could be both flamboyant and understated such as in The Leopard or The Train...
One of the most underrated Westerns is 'McKenna's Gold' from 1969. It starred Gregory Peck and Omar Sharif. Critics panned it at the time because they felt the ending was too "Deus Ex Machina", but when it was shown on television a few years later, my 12-year-old self was glued to the TV that Friday night.
Interesting choice, but Omar was terribly miscast here.
I was going to write the same thing. i never was a big fan of the genre but "Mckenna's gold" was the one that really got my attention. I also really enjoy "Once Upon a time in the west"
I love this movie as well. All that gold! And the silly ending with the Indians riding down into the canyon and then just as quickly high- tailing it out of there when the walls start tumbling down. I was 14 and my friend's mom worked at a movie theater, so I saw it first on the big screen and the nude swimming scene was an eye opener for me at the time. I think it was edited down for TV, LoL. I still watch it every now and then.
oh god that sucked
I agree - and so many stars in this film (!) What a cast. Where else can you see Julie Newmar (sigh) and Edward G. Robinson in a Western ?
I have lost count of how many times I have seen “The Big Country”. Peck and Heston are magnificent, and play gif each other so well. The early morning fight scene is epic. Burl Ives is also great, and SO Oscar worthy. I would spoil it, but his sense of honor, although different, is just as strong as Peck’s character. Peck’s fiancée is the epitome of spoiled, entitled little princess but also has a wild side that epitomizes the rough nature of her native environment. My God, there is so much to like here. I even have the theme score on my Spotify playlist.
Strangely enough, I also love “Giant” for many of the same reasons. Stark scenery, flawed characters, great acting. Whether you consider it a western (okay, modern western) is up to you.
Love The Big Country and especially Burl Ives as Rufus Hannassey, with great acting and great lines from him:
"Treat her right. Take a bath sometime."
"Teach your grandmother to suck eggs! I've been handling guns like this, flintlock and caplock, since before you were born."
"If you ain't the mother and father of all liars."
I'm smiling just thinking of him.
Jerome Moross wrote the classic soundtrack after being inspired looking west from atop Sandia peak in Albuquerque!
Having been there, I can totally understand why.
@@Dave-hb7lx Burl Ives got the Oscar for Best Supporting Eyebrows . . .
The theme music is outstanding!💯
So happy to know Burl Ives won an oscar for "The Big Country!" I have had a lifelong appreciation for his turn in "Our Man in Havana."
My favourite part of the film is a short scene between Ives and Chuck Connors
Connors "You want me Pa?"
Ives "Before you was born I did."
I'd certainly agree with including "The Ox-Bow Incident" and "The Big Country" - two fantastic films that don't get the love they deserve. My nomination for inclusion on the list would be 1958's "The Bravados" with Gregory Peck and Joan Collins, with Peck as a man tracking down 4 men he believes killed his wife, but with a big twist at the end that elevates this film a step above your average revenge movie. .
Ooh, i remember the Bravados
Luv that movie! And the twist at the end!
I also had been wondering if The Bravados would make the list.
All in with these three titles, as would love to have 'Yellow Sky', also.
Holy cow! Rancho Notorious (1952, Marlene Dietrich, Mel Ferrer, Arthur Kennedy) had essentially the same plot.
'Night Passage", with Jimmy Stewart and Audie Murphy (as The Utica Kid, Stewart's younger brother), "The Tall Men", "Tribute To A Bad Man", "Jubal" , "A Thunder Of Drums" , "Warlock", and "Blood On The Moon". A lifelong fan of Westerns, my personal all time favorite, among many favorites, is 1966's "The Professionals". Lee Marvin has one of the best lines ever in that flick, posters who have seen the film will know what I mean.
The Gunfighter with Gregory Peck is one of my all time favorite westerns. Saw it for the first time one summer when I was in High School and absolutely fell in love with it.
I saw "The Naked Spur" as a boy in the theater. Loved it so much that later, as an adult, I bought the DVD. Probably my all time favorite Western. Great seeing Jimmy Stewart play a gritty type of character. Also enjoy Randolph Scott westerns. Have many on DVD as well.
As a French woman, l’m a little proud of having watched half of these westerns :
The Naked Spur
Destry Rides Again
The Big Country
The Gun Fighter
The Oxbow Incident
This last one is my favourite, I love the actors you mentioned, specially Dana Andrews who always makes me cry… but I am also fond of Linda Darwell and Harry Davenport.
I wish you had mentioned WESTWARD THE WOMEN witch has all the ingredients of a Western, but is far more than you can except from a classical Western, maybe because of the scenario suggested by Frank Capra ? Anyway the shot of Robert Taylor riding after Danon in the canyon is gorgeous, and every character, above all Hope Emerson, in this movie is amazing ! Wellman was a good director, too.
Since you are French. Watch The Jayhawkers with Nicole Maurey, Jeff Chandler and Fess Parker. Maurey’s Jeannie Dubois being a French woman is absolutely pivotal to this movie ( although Chandler dominates).
I am a woman too! Bravo for us gals who like westerns!
@@davidbrown386 I never heard of this movie, I know the director by « Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House », some films never cross the ocean that means, il we can get them, that they have no subtitles which is sometimes a real difficulty for me. I remember I had to see at least thirty times Ernst Lubitch’s « To Be Or Not To Be » because I couldn’t understand the dispute between Felix Bressart and Lionel Atwill ! By the way, have you seen this movie, one of the most hilarious I’ve ever seen ?
Clearly not a western, but close, is Last of the Mohicans with Daniel Day Lewis. Many great scenes with the French Army and natives in Canada. I'd love to know of a better one but I'm unaware of anything that approaches it. It's a shame really.
Really liked Westward the Women. Only saw it once on TV, but would love to see it again.
As a life long western fan I appreciate your list, certainly need to look out for The Big Gundown with Van Cleef. One movie that doesn’t get a lot of love but I think is really excellent is The Unforgiven with Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn, also has the excellent John Saxon in a small role. But really the standout in the movie is Audie Murphy, he plays a character very out of context from a lot of his other movies. He really holds his own and really brings his character to life. And for those who have never heard of it give it a chance.
Yes!!
Yeah, i thought i had watched every Van Cleef until this, not sure how i never even heard of this one.
Yes, The Unforgiven is a classic.
It has a very good small role for the excellent character actor, Albert Salmi.
Great cast, and I especially loved Joseph Wiseman as Abe Kelsey, the mystery man haunting Burt's family.
Kelsey: "How do, Miss Zachary? I'd have come sooner, but I had a long way to ride. Seven years."
And when the Kiowas make their war music, what the Zacharys do to make their own music. Greatness all around that movie.
The Furies. 1950
Barbara Stanwyck, Walter Huston, Wendell Corey, Gilbert Roland, Judith Anderson, Beulah Bondi...incredible.
that's it the furies. there'll never be another like me. how true. walter also played wyatt earp
Couldn't agree more! Westerns brought out the steel in Barbara Stanwyck. Check her out in Forty Guns (Sam Fuller). The unforgettable opening shot could not be more Freudian.
I discovered a movie with Tyrone Power, Susan Heywood called "Rawhide" not to be confused with the TV show of the same name. Directed by Henry Hathaway it's an amazing movie. Power who has played heroes can't seem to be a hero no matter how hard he tries. With Hugh Marlowe, Jack Elam, Edgar Buchanan, Dean Jagger. It' one of those westerns that nobody has seen. There's even a toddler in it. Big Country is definitely my all time favorite western, Jerome Moross makes the movie greater.
Recently discovered 'Rawhide' as well. Great movie. Also discovered one of a similar plot 'Day of the Outlaw' with Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, and Tina Louise. Burl Ives makes a great villain........Big Country is high on my list.
Yeah , I seen all of these movies 20+ years ago , Jack Elam is one great villain ,
The Hanging Tree
and
The Westerner
with Cary Cooper
Angel and the Bad Man with John Wayne
@@jimthomas1989 Just watched 'The Hangin Tree' last night for the first time, BEFORE seeing your message. What are the odds!
I saw Rawhide just the other night.
Awesome selection of movies. Have seen three, and knew of a couple more. Only addition I'd make is John Ford's My Darling Clementine. It's a classic but I think it's overlooked by modern offcinados, Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Linda Darnell and Walter Brennan lead a sterling cast.
The Grey Fox with Richard Farnsworth from 1982, great lead performance from one of the greatest western character actors to have ever lived.
A very good list ...... one of my Favorite's is Glen Ford in Fastest Gun Alive in 1956 who was considered to be one of the Fastest along with Sammy Davis Jr , Jerry Lewis , Audie Murphy and Clint Eastwood from 50's and 60's
Yes , that is a good one !! You forgot Don Knotts in your Quick-Draw Line Up tho. !!
😉👍
I had heard that Sammy Davis Jr and Jerry Lewis were the fastest ,Audie Murphy was very fast .It is not drawing the gun that is difficult ,it is cocking it and shooting it -without shooting yourself in the foot that is hard .
I have seen almost all of these, and the short clips makes me want to see them again. When I was a kid, the movie theater showed westerns on Saturday afternoons, usually a double. We saw so many great actors, and movies. Yes Lee Van Clef was among them. One Saturday evening, for some unknown reason, the theater had on High Noon, to which a took a beautiful young woman, and we had the theater to ourselves. It was my first time to see that movie, and it has remained among my favorites. Others include the usual, Red River, The Searchers, Angel and the Bad Man, She wore a Yellow Ribbon, Fort Apache, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, North to Alaska--I could go on. thanks for putting this together. It was very enjoyable.
Yeah, the local TV station during my youth in the 80s, would show 2 Westerns after Saturday morning cartoons (between that, the cartoons, and a rerun of the old Addams Family before the morning cartoons, many a bad weather Saturday got used up.😁
"The Skin Game", "Support Your Local Sheriff" and "Ox-Bow Incident" and "The Gunfighter" are brilliant. "The Walking Hills" with Randolph Scott. You can't go wrong with Scott!
Randolph Scott! *Choir sings his name*
Thanks for this list. Some of these I've never seen and will check out. As someone below mentioned, "One-Eyed Jacks," starring Brando and Karl Malden, would be a good addition to the list.
I would mention, Yellow Sky, a 1948 American Western film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Gregory Peck, Richard Widmark, and Anne Baxter, and one from Audie Murphy like The Texican or No Name on the Bullet. Can’t forget Randolph Scott either.
I watched that film a month ago with my pal and I loved it! I'm gonna briefly review it in an upcoming video "30 Films I Watched In 2023" be sure to catch it when it's released December 31st 2023
Plus, it has that gun barrel shot
no name on the bullet a good choice his best i think.ride clear of diablo too and it has dan duryea as the good bad outlaw
Seen them all, being a real aficionado of the Western genre. The Oxbow Incident is one of the best films, goes far beyond its genre. And The Big Country is one of my favorite movies but you didn't mention Chuck Connors' outstanding acting in his role as the bad guy. Finally, I'll just say I agree wholeheartedly about The Naked Spur as well. But let me mention The Man from Laramie, another James Stewart Western, also much overlooked.
Of course, my being a southerner...I get to see yet another (post-war, no less) out of control southerner who can't wait to lynch someone. C'mon. And in Hollywood, off the rack, brand new dove grey uniform.
Ox bow incident was a great book. The vistas and the score of the Big Country plus the great cast make it one of my favorites. Love the gorgeous Jean Simmons. Fun trivia fact, Jimmy Stewart wore the same hat and rode the same horse in most of his westerns.
Even better than Conners ... Burl Ives
Connors was so good in his role I had a hard time ever accepting him again as a good guy in The Rifleman.
One thing I like about the title THE NAKED SPUR is its triple meaning: Jimmy Stewart's motivation spur, the spur where the climax takes place, and the spur he uses as a weapon!
I always felt that Paint Your Wagon a rare western musical, featuring Lee Marvin & Clint Eastwood both singing songs, showing their rare talent. Lee Marvin's song I Was Born Under A Wondering Star was a classic (1969).
Great selection ! but I would add 2 more…"Yellow Sky" 1948, with Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter and Richard Widmark,
an incredible film, and also "The Westerner" 1940, with Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan, just outstanding,
thanks
I had just watched "The Westerner", had never heard of it. Very good movie. I like most how it took its time on many scenes. You never see that in movies, always quick and edited to save time. I'm not sure if I have ever seen "Yellow Sky", maybe, I'll have to find it.
I saw Duel at Diablo for the first time last week. It starred Sidney Potier and James Garner. I had never seen or heard of this film even though it came out in 1966…This film was excellent. Great dialogue and action from beginning to end!
I think that the 0pening Credits sequence montage of the galloping horses of the stage coach along with the Jerome Moross score has to be one of the best of all time! The entire score is available on CD. Great film! Jean Simmons is one of my favs, also!
The Big Country is one of my favorite (and one of the best) westerns ever!
Recently saw "The Gunfighter. Fantastic film. Thanks for this. Always looking for more Westerns to add my watchlist. "Gunfight At The O.K. Corral" is one of my favourite Westerns. Carries a great philosophical component. "The Big Country", another I absolutely love. As you allude to, the score is top notch.
In 'The Big Gundown' you make reference to the gorgeous Italian Countryside but the movie, like most Spaghetti Westerns, was filmed in Spain. This is one of Lee Van Cleef's better performances. I have seen all of these movies and most of them are highly rated. What makes 'The Ox-bow Incident' so compelling is that the novel it is based on is itself based on a actual event.
Thank you for the info, I can't believe I didn't know that!
Yes - The Big Gundown, like all the spaghetti westerns, was filmed in SPAIN, not in Italy !!! A few of these westerns had their interior scenes filmed at Cinecitta Studio in Rome. Some, like Once Upon a Time in the West and My Name is Nobody, had scenes filmed in USA.
The cemetery set in Spain at the climax of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is still somewhat in tact
This was rebuilt/restored several years ago. The documentary is titled "Sad Hill Unearthed"
Seen every one of these as a kid , My father spent many a Sunday afternoon watching westerns to the annoyance of my mother as we only had one TV ,his collection of paperback westerns was in the thousands. Just looked at some of the comments wow they brought back some memories and a few titles I didn't recognise that's going to sort my Sunday afternoons out.😊😊😊😊😊
elmore leonard got his start writting them such as the tall t valdez is coming. lived in detroit read arizona highwys mag as reference
I've been lucky enough to have seen more than half of these great movies, mostly watched with my dear dad.
It wasn't till years later than I realised he was using them as a teaching tool for life lessons.
Thanks dad ❤
To me, one of the best western ever was Tall in the Saddle, 1944, with John Wayne, Ella Raines. Everything on it is terrific and extremely well done
Boy oh boy has somebody come to town!
@@gnordt7519 Love that Gabby Hayes.
Will have to see this. Absolutely crazy about Ella Raines.
0:56 Skin Game
1:49 The Big Gundown
2:38 The Ox Bo Incident
3:29 The Walking Hills
4:30 The Naked Spur
5:37 The Gunfighter
6:51 Gunfight At OK Corral
7:36 Man of The West
8:20 The Big Country
9:26 Destry Rides Again
I’ve seen The Ox Bow Incident, the Naked Spur, The Gunfighter, Gunfight at the OK Corral, The Big Country, and Destry Rides Again. I’ve seen The Big Country, in particular, many times. Sadly, I’ve never seen any of them on a big movie screen. But I love classic westerns, including the lesser known ones.
If you are a fan of the genre, I recommend Rustler’s Rhapsody, a parody that makes gentle fun of all the westerns tropes, from the singing cowboys to the spaghetti westerns. It’s very clever and not well known, but it’s especially appreciated by fans of the genre who recognize the tropes.
Good list. I've watched all but two of them. The Big Country is one of my all time favorite movies. An amazing cast, story, and soundtrack.
That fight scene in Man of the West between Gary Cooper and Jack Lord was really something.. Cooper kept knocking out Jack Lord and taking an article of clothing off of him each time he landed in the dirt. Lord did a great job showing surprise, shock, embarrassment and shame as Cooper stripped him down to his long johns drawers. Cooper did all this because Lord had tried to get Julie London to strip for him in the scene before.
I love the Western, but I'll bet you could make five more videos like this, filled with classics and forgotten gems I've totally missed.
A few little gems to add to your list ..
.Meeks Cutoff, The Great Silence, The Ballad Of Cable Hogue, McCabe & Mrs. Miller.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller. I tried a few times to watch it. I don't understand what they are saying though most of the time they don't say anything. Also its pace is very slow. I know that many critics rate it and people think they have to say it's great but I consider it unwatchable.
@@user-tg3tj2nq6v Frankly, at age 60, I finally got around to McCabe. I thought it was not a good movie. Another one people rave about is "Silverado" and, other than the late Brian Dennehy being in the cast, I liked nothing about it.
@@teller1290 Silverado is OK. I think the good thing about it is that it was made during a time that westerns were box office poison and yet it did all right and it was descent. I didn't know people rave about it, that sounds strange!
I enjoyed this video I honestly didn't think I was as much of a western fan as I am!! but watching this I redlised I've seen at least 7 of these movies more than once over the years. My wife has told me more than once that I love westerns probably since I was a little kid watching westerns with my dear old grandfather. Now I am going to watch them again Yippee kai yeah!!
Nice list. I have six of the ten in my DVD library. That says enough about your taste that I will check out the other four when I get a chance. Colorado Territory (1949) with Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo and Dorothy Malone is my lesser known pick for your list. It is a western treatment of the Bogart film, High Sierra. Excellent stuff. The story works better as a western in my opinion.
Seconded, i was going to mention that one myself.
I grew up in the 50s - 60s. Westerns were in every direction, TV & movies, tried to see them all. Your analysis is perfectly on target, start to finish.
Try Yellow Sky & The Hanging Tree. Although the ending to Sky went "Hollywood" , the film is excellent with stunning black & white contrasts. The Hanging Tree is one of the greats.
Thanks for revealing the existence of "The Big Gundown" to me. I already own a copy of all of the other westerns you mentioned though I don't personally classify "The Walking Hills" as a western. I'm also glad you included "The Naked Spur". You could probably do an entire segment on Jimmy Stewart westerns like "Winchester 73", "Bend In The River", "The Man From Laramie" and "Broken Arrow". Thanks again.
VERY INTERESTING!! I was, at first, intrigued by the title of this presentation: "TOP 10 WESTERNS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN", but then as I watched, I thought "WOW"! A person can't be much of a western fan if they haven't seen these. With the exception of THE BIG GUNDOWN, I have all of these in my Movie Library. The Oxbow Incident was a very powerful and horrifying look at the Vigilante Mob mentality that should be seen by everyone including those who do not care for the western genre. Henry Fonda's reading of Donald Martin's letter at the end is worth the price of admission! I was surprised and pleased to see SKIN GAME in your lineup as this was the movie my wife and I went to see on our first date; November 19, 1971. Your inclusion of THE BIG COUNTRY is right on the money and that you mentioned the JEROME MOROSS outstanding score is worthy of note. I wonder how many western fans have seen CATTLE ANNIE AND LITTLE BRITCHES. That's one you might consider for a future You Tube presentation. Great work, keep it up!!
I've seen most of them. If cable TV would run a few of them instead of reruns , everyone could enjoy them. Red River was probably the best cattle drive movie ever made. Great stars. Good plot. And a great fist fight between father and son at the end. What more could you ask for ?
I must recommend Four Faces West. Great cast, characters who are not always what they seem, and a few surprises.
Note: "The Big Gundown" was actually filmed in Spain, not Italy. (Sergio Leone also filmed most of his westerns in Spain, as it had the best "western" looking terrain close to Italy).
I’m 73 and I grew up on these Westerns. Destry Rides Again is a wonderful classic.
A couple you should add:
A Big Hand for the Little Lady - 1966 Starring Henry Fonda and Joanne Woodward
My Name Is Nobody - 1973 Starring Henry Fonda and Terence Hill
My vote for a 'Top 10 You've Never Seen', 'Yellow Sky'. 1948 by William Wellman. A group of outlaws on the run including Gregory Peck, Richard Widmark and Harry Morgan, hide out in an abandoned mining town inhabited by Miranda and Prospero, er, Constance and Grandpa. Greed, lust, betrayal, and redemption follow. Beautifully shot in Death Valley. Definitely an 'A' list production, but one that is overlooked now.
Another non-western western that probably should be included is 'Bad Day at Black Rock'.
Too many of your picks are too common.
I have to say that The Gunfighter is one of my favorite westerns of all time. But James Stewart, Kirk Douglas & Henry Fonda are always great too. Sad to think that so many people have never seen or heard of some of these films. In my opinion the movies, directors and actors of the early days of Hollywood put todays sorry jokers to shame.
You make a good point. However, you remind me of the Studio system and the, "casting couch," that produced those great works but exacted a high price from those allowed to perform in it.
Well, while I agree about most of todays amateurs, I don't think you can call Spielberg or Coppola a "Sorry joker".
@@joelstein4657 It is true that both Spielberg and Coppola have made some great films in the past. But, great as they are, they really haven't produced anything worthwhile in years. In my opinion. The 70's through the 90's were their greatest time. But it's gone. Same with people like Tom Hanks. Once he was a joy to watch, now, not so much. Sadly it seems the once great giants of the screen have lost their luster and are turning to dust.
I wouldn't call Clint Eastwood a "sorry joker!" His films are phenomenal - and at 92, he's still going strong.
@@marjorieblessing9006 Yes, Clint Eastwood is a great actor, but he's not one of these new so called actors of today's Hollywood. Obviously I can't list off every great actor from the past, some of whom are still around today. All I'm saying is, make the comparison. Movies from years past and the actors in those films are far better than any of this crap we see today.
Great list! One or two of these are classics, of course, and would feature in most compilations of top westerns in my view. Well done on the excellent, informative and articulate commentary. A challenge - see if you can make a third ten without dropping the standard!
The Big Sky with Kirk Douglas is one I dont see playing much through the years also Night Passage with Jimmy Stewart and a fast Audie Murphy but it is playing last week and this week on Grit TV...they are getting some more good ones on now.
I would include "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" on this list an often overlooked classic.
hardly overlooked often on greatest lists mann been much written about and his dad's last with barbara stanwyck and walter huston interesting.senior moment sorry no title.
It is the greatest American film of all-time but not a western. It is set in the mountains of Mexico in the 1920s not in the American west of the 19th century. Just because they are not driving cars does not make it a western. Westerns are an American film genre.
If for nothing else, to see Bogart's masterly portrayal of coming-apart-at-the-seams Fred C. Dobbs.
It's a pitty... I have already seen 8 out of 9 ("The walking hills", for me, is not a proper "western"). All very good movies and good recomendations for the genre lovers. By the way: as most spaghetti westerns, "La resa dei conti" (The Big Gundown) was filmed entirely in Spain, not in Italy (you talked about some "gorgeous italian countryside" but it is in fact Almeria)...
You've included older classic westerns that any western fan has not only heard of but has probably seen more than once! 'The Oxbow Incident!' 'The Big Country!' Jimmy Stewart's 'The Naked Spur', one of his classic westerns with director Anthony Mann! 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.' THESE ARE NOT FILMS WE'VE NEVER SEEN OR HEARD OF! Your summaries of the films are excellent. I think you are just too young to appreciate that these classic films have been around for decades!
Amen!!
Geeez, Don’t let the critical comments get to you. Sure, there are always going to be movies on any list that other people have seen. And always people who have criticism for any list. I too am in my mid-70s and have seen a zillion westerns since the 50’s. And yes, even a couple of these. However, I thank you for introducing me to a bunch that I did not know of…and for your excellent reviews.
The Big Country is my all time favorite Western, followed closely by The Oxbow Incident. I have seen about half the Westerns in your list…can’t wait to find the rest! Thank you for this wonderful compilation!
You definitely covered several of my favorite movies with this video, Thanks.
My favourite Randolph Scott western is The Tall T, which features the superb triple-villainy of Richard Boone (the master mind), Henry Silva (the sadist) and Skip Homeier (the thug) ... Alfred Hitchcock also used this villain formula to great effect in North By Northwest.
What a great list! There are definitely a couple here that I have not seen and will definitely watch now, like The Skin Game.
I stumbled across Gregory Peck’s The Gunfighter one night and found it fantastic.
I saw the Oxbow Incident when I was very young and that movie was so depressing, to me, that I could never watch it again.
A great cast including Harry Morgan.
The Gunfight at OK Corral was one of my favorites growing up. I still randomly hear the intro song in my head now and then lol.
Wonderful list which I spent a week exploring. What CZcams doesn't have, you can find everything on this list elsewhere on the internet without paying a cent. Each film was excellent with many, many surprises & twists & turns. Thanks so much for putting this together...
How do you say gary cooper shines more in comedies,he is great in everything!!!
One of my favorites is" the day of the outlaw" ,with Robert Ryan and Burl Ives. Also Audie Murphys "Duel at Diablo".
yes that is the title i was trying to remember. filmed in bend oregon in real snow.
Duel at Diablo is James Garner and Sidney Poitier and is a great western.
Thanks for this wonderful compilation of great, but often overlooked, Westerns. I was really impressed by The Big Country and am glad you included it.
Superb list! I remember where I was when I first saw The Gunfighter, it instantly became one of my favourite films. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. Then I realised that Bob Dylan had written about it in a song I knew, Brownsville Girl.
‘Well, there was this movie I seen one time
About a man riding 'cross the desert and it starred Gregory Peck
He was shot down by a hungry kid trying to make a name for himself
The townspeople wanted to crush that kid down and string him up by the neck’
‘Well, the marshal, now he beat that kid to a bloody pulp
As the dying gunfighter lay in the sun and gasped for his last breath
Turn him loose, let him go, let him say he outdrew me fair and square
I want him to feel what it's like to every moment face his death’
…..
‘Well, I'm standin' in line in the rain to see a movie starring Gregory Peck
Yeah, but you know it's not the one that I had in mind
He's got a new one out now, I don't even know what it's about
But I'll see him in anything so I'll stand in line’
Me too
Yellow Sky, A long Came Jones, Cat Ballou, and 3 Godfathers are some I would suggest.
Nice presentation! I've seen some of these and they are good recommendations. THE WALKING HILLS is really something. Some of your others are pretty well-known to westerns fans, but it's good to bring them to the attention of others. I'd like to add a couple THE CULPEPPER CATTLE CO. (1972), a great coming-of-age western, and THE GREY FOX (1982), a "north-western" set in Oregon, Washington and Canada, about an older train robber released from prison after many years, who must adjust to the 'modern world' of the early 20th century, and BAD COMPANY (1971) with very young Jeff Bridges---a really enjoyable film, with great atmosphere.
‘Valdez is coming’ is my favourite unknown Western.
Man, you nailed it! And of course there are more great one's as well. What one movie is my favorite of all time. Is the modern day western circa after the Korean war with Kirk Douglas (LONELY ARE THE BRAVE) In Douglas's biography and in person intervies, He said it was his favorite of all the movies he made. His son Michael said of his father's movies that he rated number one as Lonely are the Brave. A super Great movie. Thanks for this, hope you do more of this genre.
Totally agree. A shame It's not shown more often enough on TCM.
...and the soundtrack (add The Shootist music as well)
I've always thought "Blazing Saddles" was a loving remake of "Destry Rides Again", with an homage to "High Noon". The fight scene in the fake town of Rock Ridge is a mirror image of the street fight in "Destry Rides Again", right down to the two by fours carried by the women. Lily Von Shtupp and Frenchy are the same character, as are Destry and Sheriff Bart. And let us not forget Harvey Korman's takeoff on Brian Donlevy, also. "Destry Rides Again" is in my top ten westerns of all time, as is "Blazing Saddles".
Half of them I hadn't seen. A couple I hadn't even heard of. Thanks for the list. Rewatched Ride in the Whirlwind recently (directed by Monte Hellman, written by and starring Jack Nicholson) and it belongs on one of these "NEVER Seen" lists. As would the westerns of Budd Boetticher (7 Men From Now, Comanche Station, Ride Lonesome, The Tall T...). And of course my personal favorite (and transition of sorts between the classics and the more off-beat New Hollywood wetsrens): Sam Peckinpah's Ride the High Country. Among the later 70s westerns I'd single out Robert Altman's McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Arthur Penn's Missouri Breaks. Not sure how often talked about they are, though. Thanks again.
Two more worthy of consideration. First is "Hannie Caulder" with Raquel Welch starring as a woman going for revenge on the three men who done her wrong. Robert Culp plays a gunfighter who teaches her the trade. I mentioned Raquel Welch, didn't I?
The second one is "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" Most western are set in the desert southwest or rolling prairies. This one is set in the Pacific Northwest. Stars Warren Beatty as a roaming gambler and Julie Christie as an opium-smoking madame in a rainy dreary dirty logging town. Music by Leonard Cohen, not known for being upbeat about anything, fits the mood perfectly.
Nice video -- but I would add 1958's "Cowboy" with Glenn Ford and Jack Lemmon, certainly an unlikely combination that works beautifully. Also, a great and poignant late-career performance by Brain Donlevy. Add a Dalton Trumbo script and you've got a great western that many folks are unaware of.
You have omitted the best western in the world:-" The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" .
Also:-"Rio Bravo", "Last Train From Gun Hill", " The Man Who Came To Kill"*, "Django*", "Navajo Joe"* "In A Colt's Shadow'*(Spaghetti Westerns), "They Came To Cordura", "Vera Cruz","The Professionals",
" The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing", "Bad Day At Black Rock", "Lonely Are The Brave", (both) The Magnificent Seven"s, "Tall Man Riding" The Outlaw Josey Wales", "Jeremiah Johnson", "Seven Men From Now", "Ride The High Country","Terror In A Texas Town", "Buchanan Rides Alone", " No Name On The Bullet" and " Johnny Guitar"...( to name but a few).
Thank you most kindly
Happy viewing.
I first became familiar with the OXBOW INCIDENT when I read it in a comic book. I was blown away by the movie. Good pick for the list.
All great movies. But I'm always amazed how " My Darling Clementine" never makes a list! Outstanding movie.
"The Big Country" isn't just a great western, it's a great movie in any genre. Another Gregory Peck movie I enjoyed was "The Bravados".
How about Duel in the Sun - a great extremely young Peck western. Yellow Sky is another pre The Gunfighter film. One from his much older days is Shoot Out. My favorite Peck western is Mackenna's Gold (ties in my mid with The Big Counrty).
@@arnoldpainal5885
He was such a great actor, and anything he did was worth watching. A few more of my favorite non-westerns were "Moby Dick", "Captain Horatio Hornblower", "Captain Newman, M.D.", "Pork Chop Hill", "To Kill A Mockingbird"; jeez, the list is kind of endless, lol.
@@chrislj2890 Add to that list Cape Fear and the great Roman Holiday!
@@arnoldpainal5885
Oh yeah!
Yellow Sky (another great Gregory Peck film - and I could add Bravados as well); I am also a big fan of How the West was Won
'Yellow Sky' and 'The Bravados'? -- ab-so-lu--tely so!