1930s most under-rated westerns
Posted: October 31st, 2013, 1:04 am
What are the most over-looked, under-rated, neglected westerns of the 1930s?
That's the decade running from 1931 to 1940.
The decade is generally thought to have produced hundreds of mediocre, hour-long programmers -- which it did -- but personally, I think many fine and important westerns were attempted between The Big Trail (1930) and Stagecoach (1939). The problem is most people who love westerns haven't seen them. The films have vanished from collective memory. People who love westerns need to get back in touch with the 1930s, especially during the transition from silent to sound when so many remarkable, new things were being tried for the first time.
Anyhow, here is my preliminary list of forgotten, neglected, over-looked and under-rated westerns of the 1930s. I may come back and refine this list later. These are all excellent films. I should have included another of the Hopalong Cassidy westerns from 1937-8, but I could not make up my mind which.
1939 Frontier Marshal (Fox) directed by Alan Dwan.
1936 VĂ¡monos con Pancho Villa / Let's Go With Pancho Villa (Mexico) directed by Fernando de Fuentes.
1936 Trail Dust (Hopalong Cassidy #8) (Paramount) directed by Nate Watt.
1936 Three Godfathers (MGM) directed by Richard Boleslawski.
1936 The Robin Hood of El Dorado (MGM) directed by William A. Wellman.
1936 Ramona (Fox) directed by Henry King, in Technicolor.
1936 The Phantom of Santa Fe (independent shot in 1931), directed by Jacques Jaccard, in Cinecolor.
1936 The Gay Desperado (United Artists) directed by Rouben Mamoulian, in Technicolor.
1936 The Bold Caballero (Republic) directed by Wells Root, in Magnacolor.
1935 The Arizonian (RKO) directed by Charles Vidor.
1934 El Compadre Mendoza (Mexico) directed by Juan Bustillo Oro and Fernando de Fuentes.
1933 Strawberry Roan (Universal) directed by Alan James.
1933 El prisionero 13 / Prisoner 13 (Mexico) directed by Fernando de Fuentes.
1932 Robbers' Roost (Fox) directed by Louis King.
1932 The Rider of Death Valley (Universal) directed by Albert S. Rogell.
1932 The Rainbow Trail (Fox) directed by David Howard.
1932 Law and Order (Universal) directed by Edward L. Cahn.
1931 Riders of the Purple Sage (Fox) directed by Hamilton MacFadden.
1931 The Cisco Kid (Fox) directed by Irving Cummings.
1931 Battling With Buffalo Bill (Universal serial) directed by Ray Taylor.
REVISION:
Perhaps I should provide some perspective by listing what are generally regarded as the best westerns of the decade. The most under-rated, neglected and over-looked westerns of the decade belong in this list as well:
1940 The Westerner (Goldwyn / United Artists) directed by William Wyler.
1940 The Return of Frank James (Fox) directed by Fritz Lang, in Technicolor.
1940 Northwest Passage (MGM) directed by King Vidor, in Technicolor.
1940 Northwest Mounted Police (Paramount) directed by Cecil B. DeMille, in Technicolor.
1940 The Mark of Zorro (Fox) directed by Rouben Mamoulian.
1940 Arizona (Columbia) directed by Wesley Ruggles.
1939 Union Pacific (Paramount) directed by Cecil B. deMille.
1939 Stagecoach (United Artists) directed by John Ford.
1939 Jesse James (Fox) directed by Henry King, in Technicolor.
1939 Dodge City (Warner Brothers) directed by Michael Curtiz.
1937 The Plainsman (Paramount) directed by Cecil B. DeMille.
1935 Call of the Wild (Fox) directed by William A. Wellman
1935 Annie Oakley (RKO) directed by George Stevens.
1934 Viva Villa! (MGM) directed by Jack Conway, Howard Hawks, William Wellman.
1931 Cimarron (RKO) directed by Wesley Ruggles.
That's the decade running from 1931 to 1940.
The decade is generally thought to have produced hundreds of mediocre, hour-long programmers -- which it did -- but personally, I think many fine and important westerns were attempted between The Big Trail (1930) and Stagecoach (1939). The problem is most people who love westerns haven't seen them. The films have vanished from collective memory. People who love westerns need to get back in touch with the 1930s, especially during the transition from silent to sound when so many remarkable, new things were being tried for the first time.
Anyhow, here is my preliminary list of forgotten, neglected, over-looked and under-rated westerns of the 1930s. I may come back and refine this list later. These are all excellent films. I should have included another of the Hopalong Cassidy westerns from 1937-8, but I could not make up my mind which.
1939 Frontier Marshal (Fox) directed by Alan Dwan.
1936 VĂ¡monos con Pancho Villa / Let's Go With Pancho Villa (Mexico) directed by Fernando de Fuentes.
1936 Trail Dust (Hopalong Cassidy #8) (Paramount) directed by Nate Watt.
1936 Three Godfathers (MGM) directed by Richard Boleslawski.
1936 The Robin Hood of El Dorado (MGM) directed by William A. Wellman.
1936 Ramona (Fox) directed by Henry King, in Technicolor.
1936 The Phantom of Santa Fe (independent shot in 1931), directed by Jacques Jaccard, in Cinecolor.
1936 The Gay Desperado (United Artists) directed by Rouben Mamoulian, in Technicolor.
1936 The Bold Caballero (Republic) directed by Wells Root, in Magnacolor.
1935 The Arizonian (RKO) directed by Charles Vidor.
1934 El Compadre Mendoza (Mexico) directed by Juan Bustillo Oro and Fernando de Fuentes.
1933 Strawberry Roan (Universal) directed by Alan James.
1933 El prisionero 13 / Prisoner 13 (Mexico) directed by Fernando de Fuentes.
1932 Robbers' Roost (Fox) directed by Louis King.
1932 The Rider of Death Valley (Universal) directed by Albert S. Rogell.
1932 The Rainbow Trail (Fox) directed by David Howard.
1932 Law and Order (Universal) directed by Edward L. Cahn.
1931 Riders of the Purple Sage (Fox) directed by Hamilton MacFadden.
1931 The Cisco Kid (Fox) directed by Irving Cummings.
1931 Battling With Buffalo Bill (Universal serial) directed by Ray Taylor.
REVISION:
Perhaps I should provide some perspective by listing what are generally regarded as the best westerns of the decade. The most under-rated, neglected and over-looked westerns of the decade belong in this list as well:
1940 The Westerner (Goldwyn / United Artists) directed by William Wyler.
1940 The Return of Frank James (Fox) directed by Fritz Lang, in Technicolor.
1940 Northwest Passage (MGM) directed by King Vidor, in Technicolor.
1940 Northwest Mounted Police (Paramount) directed by Cecil B. DeMille, in Technicolor.
1940 The Mark of Zorro (Fox) directed by Rouben Mamoulian.
1940 Arizona (Columbia) directed by Wesley Ruggles.
1939 Union Pacific (Paramount) directed by Cecil B. deMille.
1939 Stagecoach (United Artists) directed by John Ford.
1939 Jesse James (Fox) directed by Henry King, in Technicolor.
1939 Dodge City (Warner Brothers) directed by Michael Curtiz.
1937 The Plainsman (Paramount) directed by Cecil B. DeMille.
1935 Call of the Wild (Fox) directed by William A. Wellman
1935 Annie Oakley (RKO) directed by George Stevens.
1934 Viva Villa! (MGM) directed by Jack Conway, Howard Hawks, William Wellman.
1931 Cimarron (RKO) directed by Wesley Ruggles.