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Westerns on Film and TV

Jump to: Motion Pictures | TV Series / Mini-Series / TV-Movies

The “Western” has been a staple of the American film industry since the start of the 20th century, with the earliest commercial film release of a western being 1903’s The Great Train Robbery, directed by Edwin S. Porter. As the online encyclopeda Wikipedia says, “The American Film Institute defines Western films as those “set in the American West that [embody] the spirit, the struggle and the demise of the new frontier.” The term Western, used to describe a narrative film genre, appears to have originated with a July 1912 article in Motion Picture World magazine. Most of the characteristics of Western films were part of 19th-century popular Western fiction and were firmly in place before film became a popular art form. Western films commonly feature protagonists such as cowboys, gunslingers, and bounty hunters, who are often depicted as semi-nomadic wanderers who wear Stetson hats, bandannas, spurs, and buckskins, use revolvers or rifles as everyday tools of survival–and as a means to settle disputes using “frontier justice”. Protagonists ride between dusty towns and cattle ranches on their trusty steeds.”

“Westerns” were hugely popular during the silent film era, prior to 1927, but also continued to be mass-produced even after sound was added to motion pictures in the late 1920s — in fact, so many low-budget westerns were produced during the next few decades that they were often considered “pulp” films — mass-produced for quick and temporary short-lived enjoyment. Westerns were a standard part of the motion picture experience throughout the 1930s and even up to the 1960s, which is when their popularity began to taper off. Westerns were among the most successful of early recorded (i.e. “not live”) television dramatic fare, with a few early shows having extremely long runs — Bonanza lasted 14 seasons and Gunsmoke lasted 20.

Though the 1970s to the present have seen fewer “Westerns” produced for either film or TV, it remains a genre with a wide following, and significant works have been produced in every decade from the 1970s onwards. Only five films described as “westerns” have won the Oscar for Best Motion Picture — Cimarron (1941), Stagecoach (1939), Dances With Wolves (1990), Unforgiven (1992) and No Country For Old Men (2007). On the television front, only two western series have won for Best Dramatic Series — Gunsmoke (1958) and Maverick (1959).

hooplaThis “booklist” is a snapshot of the Western films and TV series boxed sets available in the DVD format in the Lincoln City Libraries collection as of mid-January 2020. As many as 100 or more additional films are available only via our digital Hoopla collection — those are not listed in this “booklist.” We will attempt to update this page occasionally in the future, so titles are likely to both disappear and/or be added to what you see here.

For this “booklist”, we list the DVDs for the Motion Pictures first, followed by the DVDs for productions made for Television — TV-Movies, Mini-Series and/or full-fledged TV Series. All items hotlinked in this list go straight to a listing in our online catalog, where you can check on availability and/or place holds as needed. Hotlinks for TV series with multiple seasons should take you to a list of all seasons the libraries have in our collection (sometimes we may be missing a season or more of a longer-running series). If a title is listed but is not hotlinked, it may be a movie/series which we owned at one point and which had to be withdrawn. You can try filling out our Suggest-a-Title form to encourage us to replace it, or you can request it through our InterLibrary Loan service, and we will attempt to borrow it from another U.S. library for you at a minimal charge.

See more in the Wikipedia Article on the Western as a film genre.


Motion Pictures

3:10 to Yuma (1957)

Starring: Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Felicia Farr, Richard Jaeckel, and more…

Based on the short story “Three-Ten to Yuma” by Elmore Leonard.


3:10 to Yuma (2007)

Starring: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Logan Lerman, Dallas Roberts, and more…

Based on the short story “Three-Ten to Yuma” by Elmore Leonard.


Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (2013)

Starring: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Keith Carradine, and more…


The Alamo (1960)

Starring: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Frankie Avalon, and more…

(Oscar wins: Best Sound)


All the Pretty Horses (2000)

Starring: Matt Damon, Henry Thomas, Penelope Cruz, Lucas Black, and more…

Based on the novel All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy.


Angel and the Bad Man (1947)

Starring: John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey, Bruce Cabot, and more…


Appaloosa (2008)

Starring: Jeremy Irons, Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, and more..


Arrowhead (1953)

Starring: Charlton Heston, Jack Palance, Katie Jurado, Brian Keith, and more…


The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (????)

Starring: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard, Jeremy Renner, and more…

Based on the novel The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford by Ron Hansen.


The Beguiled (1971)

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Geraldine Page, Elizabeth Hartman, Jo Ann Harris, and many more…


The Big Country (1958)

Starring: Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carol Baker, Charlton Heston, Burl Ives, and many more…

(Oscar wins: Best Supporting Actor [Burl Ives])

Based on the serialized magazine novel Ambush at Blanco Canyon by Donald Hamilton.


Big Jake (1971)

Starring: John Wayne, Richard Boone, Maureen O’Hara, and more…


 width=Blazing Saddles (1974)

Starring: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Harvey Korman, and many more…

Note: Western comedy — poking fun at many of the traidtional Western tropes and stereotypes.


Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Starring: Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, and more…


Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Starring: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Randy Quaid, and more…

(Oscar wins: Best Director [Ang Lee], Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Music Score)

Based on the short story “Brokeback Mountain” by Annie Proulx.


Broken Arrow (1950)

Starring: James Stewart, Jeff Chandler, Debra Paget, Basil Ruysdael, and more…


Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Starring: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katherine Ross, and many more…

(Oscar wins: Best Script, Best Cinematography, Best Music, Best Song “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”)


Calamity Jane (1953)

Starring: Doris Day, Howard Keel, Allyn Ann McLerie, Philip Carey, and more…


Cat Ballou (1965)

Starring: Lee Marvin, Jane Fonda, Michael Callan, Dwayne Hickman, and more…

(Oscar wins: Best Actor [Lee Marvin])


Cheyenne Autumn (1964)

Starring: Richard Widmark, Caroll Baker, Karl Malden, and many more…


Chisum (1970)

Starring: John Wayne, Forrest Tucker, Christopher George, Ben Johnson, and many more…


Cimarron (1931)

Starring: Wesley Ruggles, Howard Estabrook, Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, and more…

(Oscar wins: Best Picture, Best Script, Best Art Direction)

Based on the novel Cimarron by Edna Ferber.


Cold Vengeance (1935) a.k.a. The Dawn Rider

Starring: John Wayne, Marion Burns, Dennis Moore, Reed Howes, and more…


The Comancheros (1961)

Starring: John Wayne, Stuart Whitman, Lee Marvin, Nehemiah Persoff, Ina Balin, and many more…

Based on the novel The Comancheros by Paul Wellman.


Cowboy (1958)

Starring: Glenn Ford, Jack Lemmon, Anna Kashfi, and many more…

Based on the novel My Reminiscences as a Cowboy by Frank Harris.


The Cowboys (1972)

Starring: John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern, Colleen Dewhurst, A Martinez, and many more…

Based on the novel Cowboy by William Dale Jennings.


Damsel (2018)

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, David Zellner, and more…


Dances With Wolves (1990)

Starring: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant, Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Tantoo Cardinal, and many more…

(Oscar Wins: Best Picture, Best Director [Kevin Costner], Best Script, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Music)

Based on the novel Dances With Wolves by William Blake.


The Day of the Outlaw (1959)

Starring: Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, Tina Louise, Alan Marshal, and many more…


Dead Again in Tombstone (2017)

Starring: Danny Trejo, Joe-Norman Shaw, Jake Busey, and many more…


Dead in Tombstone (2013)

Starring: Danny Trejo, Anthony Michael Hall, Dina Meyer, and many more…


Django Unchained (2012)

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Walz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and many more…


The Dude Ranger (1934)

Starring: George O’Brien, Irene Hervey, LeRoy Mason, and more…


Duel at Diablo (1966)

Starring: James Garner, Sidney Poitier, Bibi Andersson, Dennis Weaver, and more…

Based on the novel Apache Rising by Marvin H. Alpert.


El Dorado (1967)

Starring: John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, James Caan, and more…

Loosely based on the novel The Stars in Their Courses by Harry Brown.


A Fistful of Dollars (1954)

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volonte, Marianne Koch, and many more…


For a Few Dollars More (1965)

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volonte, and many more…


Forsaken (2015)

Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Esther Purves-Smith, and more…


Giant (1956)

Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Carroll Baker, and many more…

(Oscar wins: Best Director [George Stevens])


Good Day For a Hanging (1959)

Starring: Fred MacMurray, Margaret Hayes, Robert Vaughn, and many more…


The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, and many more…


Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, John Ireland, and many more…


Guns Along the Trail (1935) a.k.a. Paradise Canyon

Starring: John Wayne, Marion Burns, Reed Howes, Earl Hodgins, and more…


The Hateful Eight (2015)

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, and more…


Heaven’s Gate (1980)

Starring: Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, Sam Waterston, Brad Dourif, and many more…


High Noon (1952)

Starring: Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Katy Jurado, and many more…

Based on the short story “The Tin Star” by John W. Cunningham.


The Homesman (2014)

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank, Grace Gummer, and more…


Hondo (1953)

Starring: John Wayne, Geraldine Page, Ward Bond, and more…


The Horse Soldiers (1959)

Starring: John Wayne, William Holden, Constance Towers, Hoot Gibson, Ken Curtis, and more…


Hostiles (2017)

Starring: Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Scott Shepherd, and many more…


How the West Was Won (1962)

Starring: James Stewart, John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda, Karl Malden, and many, many more…

(Oscar wins: Best Script, Best Editing, Best Sound)


Hud (1963)

Starring: Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal, and more…


In a Valley of Violence (2016)

Starring: John Travolta, Ethan Hawke, Karen Gillan, Taissa Famiga, James Ransome, and more…


In Old Cheyenne (1941)

Starring: Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes, Joan Woodbury, and more…


An Innocent Man (1933)

Starring: John Wayne, Nancy Shubert, Lane Chandler, and more…


Jane Got a Gun (2015)

Starring: Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, Ewan McGregor, Noah Emmerich, and more…


Jauja (2014)

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Ghita Norby, Viilbjork Malling Aller, Esteban Bigliardi, and more…


Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

Starring: Robert Redford, Will Geer, Joaquin Martinez, and more…

Based (uncredited) on both Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson by Raymond Thorp and Robert Bunker, and Mountain Man by Vardis Fisher.

See library staff member Jeremiah J.’s review of Jeremiah Johnson in the Staff Recommendations of the libraries’ BookGuide reader resource pages


Jesse James (1939)

Starring: Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, Nancy Kelly, Randolph Scott, and more…


Jubal (1956)

Starring: Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, Rod Steiger, Charles Brosnan, and more…


The Keeping Room (2014)

Starring: Brit Marling, Hailee Steinfeld, Sam Worthington, Muna Utaru, and more…


The Kid (2019)

Starring: Jake Schur, Leila George, Chris Pratt, Dane DeHaan, Ethan Hawke, and more…


Little Big Man (1970)

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Chief Dan George, Martin Balsam, Richard Mulligan, and more…


The Lone Ranger (2013)

Starring: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson, Ruth Wilson, Helena Bonham Carter, and more…


MacKenna’s Gold (1969)

Starring: Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Camilla Sparv, and more…

Based on the novel MacKenna’s Gold by Heck Allen.


The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Starring: Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Horst Buchholz, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, James Coburn, and more…

Note: Spun off into a two-season TV series (1998-1999) (see below), and remade in 2016.


The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Starring: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, and more…


The Man From Laramie (1955)

Starring: James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp, Cathy O’Donnell, and more…

Based on the earlier serialized film, and later the novel The Man From Laramie by Thomas T. Flynn.


The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Starring: James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, John Carradine, and many more…


McClintock (1963)

Starring: John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Patrick Wayne, Stefanie Powers, and more…


A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)

Starring: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, and more…

Note: Something of a western parody — poking fun and many of the traidtional Western tropes and stereotypes.


The Misfits (1961)

Starring: Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter, Eli Wallach, and more…


The Missing (2003)

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Kate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood, Aaron Eckhart, and more…


Nevada (1944)

Starring: Robert Mitchum, Anne Jeffreys, Nancy Gates, Richard Martin, and more…


Nevada Smith (1966)

Starring: Steve McQueen, Karl Malden, Brian Keith, Arthur Kennedy, Suzanne Pleschette, and more…


Never Grow Old (2019)

Starring: Emile Hirsch, John Cusack, Deborah Francois, Molly McCann, and more…


A Night in Old Mexico (2013)

Starring: Robert Duvall, Jeremy Irvine, Angie Cepeda, and more…


The Night of the Grizzly (1966)

Starring: Clint Walker, Martha Hyer, Keenan Wynn, Nancy Kulp, and more…


No Country for Old Men (2007)

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly MacDonald, and more…

(Oscar wins: Best Picture)


Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Starring: Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, and more…


Open Range (2003)

Starring: Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, Michael Gambone, and more…

Based on the novel The Open Range Men by Lauran Paine.


The Outlaw Josey Wales (1966)

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Chief Dan George, and more…

Based on the novel Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales by Forrest Carter.


Outlaws and Angels (2013)

Starring: Chad Michael Murray, Francesca Eastwood, Frances Fisher, Teri Polo, and more…


The Ox-Bow Incident (1942)

Starring: Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes, Anthony Quinn, and more…

Based on the novel The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tillburg Clark.


Pale Rider (1985)

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgrass, Chris Penn, Richard Dysart, and more…


The Quick and the Dead (1987)

Starring: Sam Elliott, Tom Conti, Kate Capshaw, Kenny Morrison, and more…

Based on the novel The Quick and the Dead by Louis L’Amour.


Quigley Down Under (1990)

Starring: Tom Selleck, Laura Sangiacomo, Alan Rickman, Chris Haywood and more…


Red River (1948)

Starring: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru, Walter Brennan, John Ireland, and more…

Based on the short story “Chisholm Trail” by Borden Chase.


Redemption (2008)

Starring: Dustin James, Robert Conway, Tom Noga, and more…


The Revenant (2016)

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio. Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Domhnall Gleason, and more…

(Oscar wins: Best Director – Alejandro J. Innaritu. Best Lead Actor – Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Achievement in Cinematography)


The Rider (2017)

Starring: Brady Jandreau, Mooney, Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau, and more…


Riders of the Purple Sage (1996)

Starring: Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Henry Thomas, Robin Tunney, G.D. Spradlin, and more…

Based on the novel Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey.


Rio Bravo (1959)

Starring: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, and more…


Rio Lobo (1970)

Starring: John Wayne, Jorge Rivero, Jennifer O’Neill, Jack Elam, Christopher Mitchum, and more…


Rooster Cogburn (1975)

Starring: John Wayne, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Zerbe, Richard Jordan, John McIntire, and more…

Note: Sequel/Follow-up to True Grit (1969)


The Salvation (2014)

Starring: Mads Mikkleson, Eva Green, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and more…


Santa Fe Trail (1940)

Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Raymond Massey, Ronald Reagan, Alan Hale, and more…


The Searchers (1956)

Starring: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood, and more…

Based on the novel The Searchers by Alan LeMay.


Seraphim Falls (2006)

Starring: Liam Neeson, Pierce Brosnan, Anjelica Huston, Michael Wincott, Wes Studi, and more…


Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

Starring: Jane Powell, Howard Keel, Jeff Richards, Russ Tamblyn, and many more…

(Oscar wins: Best Music Score)

Both the stage musical and this film are based on the short story “The Sobbin’ Women” by Stephen Vincent Benet.

Note: While this has a western setting, in the remote Pacific northwest, it is primarly a musical.


Shane (1953)

Starring: Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Jack Palance, and more…

(Oscar wins: Best Cinematography)

Based on the novel Shane by Jack Schaefer.


Shoot Out (1971)

Starring: Gregory Peck, Patricia Quinn, Robert F. Lyons, James Gregory, and more…

Based on the autobiography Lone Cowboy: My Life Story by Will James.


The Shootist (1976)

Starring: John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, James Stewart, Richard Boone, and more…

Based on the novel The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout.


Silverado (1985)

Starring: Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, Brian Dennehy, and more…


The Sisters Brothers (2018)

Starring: John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, and more…


Slow West (2015)

Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Caren Pistorious, Michael Fassbender, and more…


The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)

Starring: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Martha Hyer, Michael Anderson Jr., Earl Holliman, James Gregory, and more…


Stagecoach (1939)

Starring: John Wayne,  Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, and more…

(Oscar wins: Best Picture, Best Music, Best Supporting Actor [Thomas Mitchell])

Based on the short story “The Stage to Lordsburg” by Ernest Haycox.


Stagecoach Run (1936)

Starring: John Wayne, Phyllis Fraser, Lew Kelly, and more…


Sunset in El Dorado (1945)

Starring: Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Gabby Hayes, Hardie Albright, and more…


Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)

Starring: James Garner, Joan Hackett, Walter Brennan, Jack Elam, Harry Morgan, Bruce Dern, and more…

Note: Western comedy — poking fun of many of the traditional Western tropes and stereotypes.

See library staff member Scott C.’s review of Support Your Local Sheriff in the Staff Recommendations of the libraries’ BookGuide reader resource pages


Tall in the Saddle (1944)

Starring: John Wayne, Ella Raines, Ward Bond, Gabby Hayes, and more…


The Three Amigos (1986)

Starring: Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short, and more…

Note: Western comedy — poking fun at many of the traidtional Western tropes and stereotypes.


The Three Burials of Melquiadas Estrada (2005)

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Julio Cedillo, Dwight Yoakum, and more…


Tombstone (1983)

Starring: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Charlton Heston, and many more…


Traded (2016)

Starring: Kris Kristofferson, Trace Adkins, Michael Pare, Tom Sizemore, and more…


Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, and more…

(Oscar wins: Best Supporting Actor – Walter Huston, Best Director – John Huston, Best Screenplay – John Huston)

Based on the German novel Der Schatz der Sierra Madre by B. Traven.


True Grit (1969)

Starring: John Wayne, Glen Campbell, Kim Darby, Robert Duvall, Jeremy Slate, and more…

(Oscar wins: Best Actor in a Leading Role – John Wayne)

Based on the novel True Grit by Charles Portis.

Note: This film was followed by a sequel, Rooster Cogburn, in 1975, also starring John Wayne, and was remade with a new cast in 2010.


True Grit (2010)

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and more…

Based on the novel True Grit by Charles Portis.

See library staff member Carrie R.’s review of of the 2010 remake of True Grit, in the Staff Recommendations of the libraries’ BookGuide reader resource pages


Under California Stars (1948)

Starring: Roy Rogers, Jane Frazee, Andy Devine, Wade Crosby, and more…


Unforgiven (1992)

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, and more…

(Oscar wins: Best Picture, Best Director [Clint Eastwood], Best Supporting Actor [Gene Hackman], Best Editing)


Urban Cowboy (1980)

Starring: John Travolta, Debra Winger, Scott Glenn, and more…


Wagons East (1994)

Starring: John Candy, Richard Lewis, Joe Bays, Abraham Benrubi, and more…

Note: Western comedy — poking fun at many of the traidtional Western tropes and stereotypes.


Wanderer of the Wasteland (1945)

Starring: James Warren, Richard Martin, Audrey Long, and more…

Based on the novel Wanderer of the Wasteland by Zane Grey.


The Wild Bunch (1969)

Starring: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Warren Oates, and more…


Winchester ’73 (1950)

Starring: James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally, and more…


Woman Walks Ahead (2017)

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Louisa Krause, Boots Sutherland, and more…


Young Bill Hickok (1940)

Starring: Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes, Julie Bishop, and more…


Young Buffalo Bill (1940)

Starring: Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes, Pauline Moore, and more…


Young Guns (1988)

Starring: Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, and more…


Yuma (1971)

Starring: Clint Walker, Barry Sullivan, Kathryn Haye, Edward Buchanan, Morgan Woodward, and more…



TV Series / Mini-Series / TV-Movies

The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. – single season – (1993-1994) (1 season)

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Julius J. Carry III, Christian Clemenson, John Astin and more…


Bonanza – seasons 1 – 9 – (1959-1973) (14 seasons)

Starring: Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, Pernell Roberts, and more.

(Emmy Wins: Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment – Color Consultant [65], Individual Achievements in Film Editing [66] and Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition [71])


Broken Trail – mini-series (184 min.) – (2006)

Starring: Robert Duvall, Thomas Haden-Church, Greta Scacchi, and more…


Centennial: The Complete Series – mini-series (12 episodes) – (1978-1979)

Starring: Robert Conrad, Richard Chamberlain, Barbara Carrera, and many more…

Based on the novel Centennial by James Michener.

See library staff member Scott C.’s review of the tv-miniseries Centennial in the Staff Recommendations of the libraries’ BookGuide reader resource pages


Crossfire Trail – TVM – (2001)

Starring: Tom Selleck, Virginia Madsen, Wilford Brimley, Barry Corbin, and more…

Based on the novel Crossfire Trail by Louis L’Amour.

See library staff member Charlotte M.’s review of Crossfire Trail in the Staff Recommendations of the libraries’ BookGuide reader resource pages


Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman – Season 1-6 – (1993-1998) (6 seasons + 2 TVM)

Starring: Jane Seymour, Joe Lando, Chad Allen, Shawn Toovey,  and more…

(Emmy wins: Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series [1994, 1995 and 1996], Outstanding Cinematography for a Series [1994])


Gunsmoke – seasons 1-15 – 1955-1975 (20 seasons + 5 TVM)

Starring: James Arness, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake, Dennis Weaver, Ken Curtis, and more…

(Emmy wins: Best Dramatic Series [1958], Best Editing of a Film for Television [1958], Best Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Series – Dennis Weaver [1959], Best Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Series – Milburn Stone [1968], Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing [1970])


Hell on Wheels – Seasons 1 – 5 – (2011-2016) (5 seasons)

Starring: Anson Mount, Colm Meaney, Common, Dominique McElligot, and more…


Into the West – mini-series (6 episodes) – (2005)

Starring: Matthew Settle, Skeet Ulrich, Keri Russell, Matthew Modine, Josh Brolin, Beau Bridges, Joseph M. Marshall, and more…

(Emmy wins: Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special, Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie)


Johnson County War – TVM (2002)

Starring: Tom Berenger, Luke Perry, Burt Reynolds, Rachel Ward, and more…


Last Stand at Saber River – TVM –(1997)

Starring: Tom Selleck, Suzy Amis, Rachel Duncan, Keith Carradine, David Carradine, and more…

Based on the novel Last Stand at Saber River by Elmore Leonard.


Little House on the Prairie – Seasons 1-9 – (1974-1983) (9 seasons)

Starring: Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Melissa Gilbert, Melissa Sue Anderson, and many more…

(Emmy wins: Outstanding Cinematography for a Series [1977, 1978], Outstanding Music Composition for a Series [1979, 1982])

Based on the series of novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder.


Lone Rider – TVM – (2008)

Starring: Lou Diamond Phillips, Stacy Keach, Vincent Spano, Marta DuBois, and more…


Lonesome Dove – mini-series – (1989)

Starring: Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Glover, Diane Lane, Robert Urich, and many more…

(Emmy wins: 19 nominations, won for Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Miniseries or a Special, Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Miniseries or a Special, Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Special, Outstanding Costume Design for a Miniseries or a Special, Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries or a Special – Simon Wincer, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries or a Special, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Special)

Based on the novel Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.

Note: This mini-series led to four additional mini-series (Return to Lonesome Dove [which had no involvement from writer Larry McMurtry], Streets of Laredo, Dead Man’s Walk, and Comanche Moon), and two seasons of a TV series. All of these titles are available in either DVD or digital streaming formats through the libraries.


Lonesome Dove: The Series – Season 1 – (1994-1995)

Starring: Scott Bairstow, Christianne Hirt, Eric McCormack, Paul Le Mat, Paul Johansson, and more…


Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years – Season 2 – (1995-1996)

Starring: Scott Bairstow, Eric McCormack, Kelly Rowan, Paul Johansson, Tracy Scoggins, and more…


Lonesome Dove: Church – TVM – (2014)

Starring: Tom Berenger, Greyston Holt, and more…


Longmire – Seasons 1-6 – (2012-2017) (6 seasons)

Starring: Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips, Cassidy Freeman, and more…

Based on the series of Longmire novels by Craig Johnson.


The Magnificent Seven – Seasons 1-2 – (1998-1999) (2 partial seasons)

Starring: Michael Biehn, Eric Close, Dale Midkiff, Ron Perlman, Anthony Starke, Rick Worthy, Laurie Holden, Robert Vaughn, and Andrew Kavovit

(Emmy wins: Outstanding Costume Designs for a Series [both 1998 and 1999])

See library staff member Scott C.’s review of the tv-series The Magnificent 7 in the Staff Recommendations of the libraries’ BookGuide reader resource pages


Maverick – Seasons 1-3 – (1957-1962) (5 seasons)

Starring: James Garner, with Jack Kelly and Roger Moore in recurring roles

(Emmy wins: Best Western Series [1959])

See library staff member Scott C.’s review of the tv-series Maverick in the Staff Recommendations of the libraries’ BookGuide reader resource pages


Montana Sky – TVM – (2007)

Starring: Ashley Williams, Charlotte Ross, Diane Ladd, John Corbett, and more…

Based on the western-set romance novel Montana Sky by Nora Roberts.


Return to Lonesome Dove – mini-series (4 episodes) – (1993)

Starring: Jon Voight, Barbara Hershey, Rick Shroder, Louis Gossett Jr., William Petersen, and many more


The Shadow Riders – TVM – (1982)

Starring: Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott, Dominique Dunne, Ben Johnson, and more…

Based on the novel The Shadow Riders by Louis L’Amour.


The Son – Season 1 – (2017-2019) (2 seasons)

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Henry Garrett, Paola Nunez, Sydney Lucas, and more…


Texas Rising – mini-series (5 episodes) – (2015)

Starring: Bill Paxton, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Christopher McDonald, Brendan Fraser, Oliver Martinez, Thomas Jane, and many more…


Texas Rising – Season 1 – (2022-present)

Starring: Dominic Cooper, Douglas Booth, and many more…


Wagon Train – Seasons 1, 3, and 4 – (1957-1965) (8 seasons)

Starring: Ward Bond, Robert Horton, John McIntire, and more…


Walker – Seasons 1, and 2 – (2021-present) (3 seasons to date)

Starring: Jared Padelecki, Lindsey Morgan, and more…


Walker, Texas Ranger – Seasons 1, 4, and 7 – (1993-2001) (9 seasons plus 1 TV-movie reunion)

Starring: Chuck Norris, Clarence Gilyard Jr., Sheree J. Wilson, and more…


Westworld – Seasons 1-2 – (2016-present) (4 seasons to-date)

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, and more…

(Emmy wins: Outstanding Sound Mixing, Outstanding Makeup, Outstanding Hairstyling, Outstanding Special Visual Effects – all for 2017, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – Thandie Newton, Outstanding Makeup, Outstanding Hairstyling – all for 2018)

Note: Reimagined from the 1973 film Westworld, which was novelized by its writer/director Michael Crichton. This is more a science fiction series, but with strong elements of a traditional “western”.


Yellowstone – Season 1 – (2018-present) (5 seasons to-date)

Starring: Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Riley, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, and more…

Spin-offs: 1883: A Yellowstone Origin Story, 1923, and 6666 (a.k.a. Four Sixes)


You Know My Name – TVM – (1999)

Starring: Sam Elliott, Arliss Howard, Carolyn McCormack, James Gammon, and more…


Zane Grey Theater – Season 1 – (1956-1961) (5 seasons)

Starring: Dick Powell (host) – an anthology series with different cast every week


First posted to BookGuide: January 2020 sdc | Last updated: January 2020 sdc