My 20 Favorite Westerns from 1930-1970

My top Westerns are from the Hollywood Studio System (1930-1970). Since I am Native/Indigenous. There are no stereotypical "Indians" in my picks.

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#1) THE WILD BUNCH (1969). The Production Code has ended. The Motion Picture Association of America began their film ratings system. 

The wild west disappears by 1900 and a failed bank robbery derails a group of aging outlaws. It is violent from beginning to end and I love it.!

#2 DESTRY RIDES AGAIN (1939). A new deputy begins an investigation into the murder of a missing sheriff. I never laughed so hard during a western. This has great character actors & actresses. 

#3 WILL PENNY (1968). An illiterate cow-poke gets a job watching an isolated piece of mountain land. It changes his life in more ways than one. This is Charlton Heston's best performance in his long career.

#4) THE BIG COUNTRY (1958). Two feuding families battle over water called, "The Big Muddy." The land is tough and unforgiving with no law in sight. The people are just as tough and ruthless.

#5) THE OX-BOW INCIDENT (1943). The Civil War had just ended and a man has been supposedly murdered. A group of vigilantes decide to hang several mysterious men while the law is far away. A drifter becomes the voice of reason who tries to stop this angry mob.

#6) THE PROFESSIONALS (1966). A group of outlaws are hired to find a wife who is presumably kidnapped. They cross into unknown Mexican territory and fight the natural elements plus angry bandits.

#7) THE LAST POSSE (1953). The town sheriff is a drunk who joins a posse to retrieve $100,000. He works hard to redeem himself and to reveal some truth. This western has climbed into my top 10 from being off the list. It's that good.

#8) THE FASTEST GUN ALIVE (1956). Three outlaws are on a killing spree and one thinks he draws the fastest gun in the west. That is until they reach a small town. A shop keeper could be faster with his own gun.

#9) VENGEANCE VALLEY (1951). Two men inherit a sprawling ranch. One good and one evil. The final battle is a typical western shootout, but it is  good old-fashioned fun.

#10) SCUDDA HOO SCUDDA HAY. (1948). A farm boy comes of age when he discovers his gift of working with large Donkey Mules. It's wrapped up in a budding romance.

#11) THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948). The search for gold in the mountains of Mexico was never this much fun. It's about greed among several lost and desperate men.

#12) MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (1946). Wyatt Earp becomes the marshal of Tombstone and battles a cattle baron. They end up in a fantastic gunfight at the O.K. Corral. At its' center is the possible love from a woman named Clementine.

#13) SHANE (1953). Through the eyes of a boy. We see an unknown gunman riding into a small town. He helps the farmers fight a vicious land baron.  Paramount Studios held back on the release for over a year. It became a box office smash and a favorite western for decades to come.

#14) HIGH NOON (1952). A marshal decides to fight several outlaws at noon. The town doesn't believe he can win and he's left all alone. His courage makes him a "hero" whether he lives or dies. 

#15) SEVEN MEN FROM NOW (1956). A man seeks vengeance against seven bad men inside the land of the Apache. As the story unfolds. Each individual is driven by greed, anger, freedom and justice.

#16) BLOOD ON THE MOON (1948). A drifter comes in-between homesteaders and cattle ranchers. He is also used by a friend and has to make a life changing decision.

#17) THREE HOURS TO KILL (1954). A man is almost lynched by a town mob. He is accused of a murder he didn't commit. He returns a few years later to find the real killer. An excellent murder mystery.

#18) THE BOUNTY HUNTER (1954). It's been a year since a violent train robbery. The killers hide in a small town with buried money. A bounty hunter is hired by the Pinkerton agency to find these killers. It's an exciting western all the way up to the very end.

#19) THE MAVERICK QUEEN (1956). A Pinkerton agent rides into town to 

infiltrate a gang of train robbers. He runs up against a ruthless woman who is part of this gang. Barbara Stanwyck did all of own her stunts in this rousing western.

#20) CITY OF BAD MEN (1953). In Carson City. The sheriff watches several outlaw gangs ride into town. There is a plan to steal some money, but no one knows when, where or by whom. That is until a prize fight comes to town too. An excellent western.