Westerns Written or Directed by Women
1-23: Directed by...
After that written by...
Lois Weber directed Captain Courtesy and When A Girl Loves, both sadly lost.
Dorothy Arzner wrote a couple of westerns, that are now considered lost: Breed of the Border and The No-Gun Man.
Frances Marion wrote 18 westerns, most of which are lost: All Man, The Mask of Lopez, Galloping Gallagher, Sundown, Ridin' the Wind, The Tough Guy, Hands Across the Border, The Two-Gun Man, Lone Hand Saunders, Pioneer Scout, The Sunset Legion, Kit Carson.
Anita Loos wrote a few westerns, The Saving Grace is lost.
Grace Cunard wrote (some for John Ford and many for his brother Francis), directed, produced and acted in many westerns, these are now considered lost: A Soldier's Honor (wrote), Texas Kelly at Bay (wrote), The Half Breed parson (wrote and acted in), Taps (wrote), The Darling of The Regiment (wrote and acted in), Captain Billie's Mate (wrote and acted in), From Dawn Till Dark (wrote and acted in), The White Vaquero (wrote and acted in), The Mysterious Hand (wrote and acted in), Old Peg Leg's Will (wrote and acted in), Three Bad Men and A Girl (wrote and acted in), And They Called Him A Hero (wrote and acted in), The Phantom Island (wrote and acted in), His Majesty Dick Turpin (wrote and acted in), The Princely Bandit (wrote and acted in), The Bandit's Wager (wrote, produced and acted in), The Powder Trail (wrote and acted in), The Tornado (wrote), The Rebel's Net (wrote and acted in), Hell's Crater (produced and acted in), The Man Hater (wrote, directed and acted in), A Daughter of the Law (directed and acted in), The Gun Runners (wrote), Her Western Adventure (wrote, directed and acted in).
Jeanie Macpherson wrote a few westerns for DeMille, thankfully some survive, these are considered lost: The Desert's Sting (wrote and acted in), The Love Mask (wrote)
After that written by...
Lois Weber directed Captain Courtesy and When A Girl Loves, both sadly lost.
Dorothy Arzner wrote a couple of westerns, that are now considered lost: Breed of the Border and The No-Gun Man.
Frances Marion wrote 18 westerns, most of which are lost: All Man, The Mask of Lopez, Galloping Gallagher, Sundown, Ridin' the Wind, The Tough Guy, Hands Across the Border, The Two-Gun Man, Lone Hand Saunders, Pioneer Scout, The Sunset Legion, Kit Carson.
Anita Loos wrote a few westerns, The Saving Grace is lost.
Grace Cunard wrote (some for John Ford and many for his brother Francis), directed, produced and acted in many westerns, these are now considered lost: A Soldier's Honor (wrote), Texas Kelly at Bay (wrote), The Half Breed parson (wrote and acted in), Taps (wrote), The Darling of The Regiment (wrote and acted in), Captain Billie's Mate (wrote and acted in), From Dawn Till Dark (wrote and acted in), The White Vaquero (wrote and acted in), The Mysterious Hand (wrote and acted in), Old Peg Leg's Will (wrote and acted in), Three Bad Men and A Girl (wrote and acted in), And They Called Him A Hero (wrote and acted in), The Phantom Island (wrote and acted in), His Majesty Dick Turpin (wrote and acted in), The Princely Bandit (wrote and acted in), The Bandit's Wager (wrote, produced and acted in), The Powder Trail (wrote and acted in), The Tornado (wrote), The Rebel's Net (wrote and acted in), Hell's Crater (produced and acted in), The Man Hater (wrote, directed and acted in), A Daughter of the Law (directed and acted in), The Gun Runners (wrote), Her Western Adventure (wrote, directed and acted in).
Jeanie Macpherson wrote a few westerns for DeMille, thankfully some survive, these are considered lost: The Desert's Sting (wrote and acted in), The Love Mask (wrote)
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- DirectorAlice GuyHarry SchenckEdward WarrenStarsBilly QuirkMary FoyAlgie Allmore has one year to prove he's a man in order to wed Harry Lyons' daughter.Actually Directed by Alice Guy Blaché
- DirectorJulia Crawford IversWilliam Desmond TaylorStarsLenore UlricVelma LeflerJack LivingstonStephen Pachmann, a young mining engineer, is sent to Mexico to examine a mine. His young wife is very apprehensive and her fears are shared by her brother, Bruce McLean. Just as Pachmann is about to enter Mexico McLean overtakes him persuades him to give up the trip for the sake of his wife. McLean takes Pachmann's passports and enters Mexico. He soon meets Paula, and the girl falls madly in love with the American. This arouses the intense jealousy of Pacheco, Mexican bandit, who finds that Paula loathes him. Pacheco manages to capture McLean and holds him in a mountain wilderness for ransom. News that "Stephen" is being held by the bandit is flashed to the United States and Claire starts to rescue her brother. The bandit tells Paula that Pachmann (McLean) has a wife and that she is on her way to buy her husband's release. The Spanish girl waits and sees the supposed wife greet McLean with kisses. She is furious until she learns that McLean is a brother to the woman. Pacheco threatens to kill McLean after he had attempted to escape, but Paula saves him by offering herself to the guerrilla leader. That night she plans revenge, but Fate changes her decree.
- DirectorRuth Ann BaldwinStarsJoseph W. GirardLeo PiersonWilliam DyerA retired judge comes West to restore a ghost town.
- DirectorNell ShipmanBert Van TuyleStarsNell ShipmanBert Van TuyleL.M. WellsA young woman visiting Mexico is kidnapped by a gang of bandits who drag her through the rugged wilderness to their hideout. She manages to leave word for her friend Bill, who knows the country well. But when Bill cannot find a horse, his only available form of transportation is his roadster. Nevertheless, he is determined to come to her rescue, even if it means trying to drive the car across miles of rocky, broken terrain.
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsEarl HollimanJudi MeredithJeanette NolanTired of gun law, the citizens of Georgetown hire a former sheriff to clean up the town, but the crime wave only escalates after the man is sworn in.Directed by Ida Lupino
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsRichard BooneMort MillsJack ElamPalidin is hired by Joe Gage to bring in Ben Coey for the murder of Mrs. Bryson's husband -- $500 Dead or $1000 Alive. Everyone tells him to just collect the $500. But Ben says he didn't do it and the only witness is Mrs. Bryson who he says he never met.Directed by Ida Lupino
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsRichard BoonePamela LincolnJohn AndersonTwo of the three men responsible for hanging Jacob Mordain's son have been gunned down by Fred Horn. The third, heading to Wyoming to face him, is Paladin.Directed by Ida Lupino
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsRichard BooneScott MarloweRaymond BaileySummoned to a beleaguered Western village to drive off a desperado, Paladin meets a young Native American, who's taken a correspondence course in being a Marshal, and plans to install himself as lawman for the tiny town. Paladin is charmed by the sincerity and honesty of the seemingly naive Charley Red Dog, whose grandfather was shot for sport in the hamlet. Paladin figures they can work together, though Charley doesn't want any help, plus the town puts on an all-out blitz at high noon, to avoid a Red Dog for Marshal...Directed by Ida Lupino
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsRichard BooneLillian BronsonHoward PetriePaladin is accused by Bonanza's citizenry of swiping the treasured painting behind the bar of the hamlet's last remaining saloon. The portrait of a vibrant and gorgeous former woman resident, sustains the spirits of elderly townsmen, remembering her and the area's halcyon Gold Rush days.Directed by Ida Lupino
- 1957–196326mApproved7.6 (98)TV EpisodeDirectorIda LupinoStarsRichard BooneWilliam JoyceSue RandallC. Palmer sends for Paladin to clean up Cedar Wells - a place where folks lose at faro, lose their lives and the cattle she tries to sell there. With the help of Laredo Perkins, Paladin hatches an idea of how exactly he can earn his fee.Directed by Ida Lupino
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsRichard BoonePaula RaymondJack WestonA man is shot at by a woman because he killed her little brother during the Civil War. He has been running from her since then. Paladin offers to contact the police but when that is refused, he offers his card and services.Directed by Ida Lupino
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsRichard BooneRobert F. SimonRaymond HattonMorgan Gibbs hires Paladin to bring his son in alive for the murder of his fiancee. He tries to but a bounty hunter is there first and shoots him in the back. Now Morgan wants Paladin to have a kangaroo style trial for his son's murder.Directed by Ida Lupino
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsDavid McLeanBill TennantVaughn TaylorTate rides into town with the body of a wanted outlaw he's just killed, and presents it to the sheriff to collect the bounty. The sheriff sends Tate to the saloon to wait while he fills out the paperwork--and, since he doesn't like bounty hunters, decides to take his time about it. Meanwhile, at the saloon Tate runs into a young hothead who's itching to put a notch on his gun and decides that Tate's going to be it.Directed by Ida Lupino
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsDavid McLeanMort MillsJames BellWhen Tetlow (Mort Mills) tries to take her property Mary Hardin (Julie Adams) asks Tate for help.Directed by Ida Lupino
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsEarl HollimanEd KemmerStrother MartinDirected by Ida Lupino
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsRichard BooneJohn FiedlerJean EngstromPaladin is hired to retrieve a stolen gold bar taken from a bank before the state examiner comes Monday. When he catches up to the clerk who took it, complications ensue and Paladin instead helps him put the bar back.Directed by Ida Lupino
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsChuck ConnorsJohnny CrawfordPaul FixCade Conway and Vashti Croxton are arguing about where to get married. This leads to a fight and Vashti being knocked unconscious, and a traveling salesman being falsely blamed for it.Directed by Ida Lupino
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsCharles BickfordDoug McClureDon QuineA woman visits her sister in Medicine Bow bringing her teenage daughter who is enamored with a Dead Eye Dick western novel. She develops a crush on The Virginian after he settles her horse aggravating a teenage boy she meets who likes her.Directed by Ida Lupino
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsFess ParkerPatricia BlairBarbara HersheyWhen a villager's son is sentenced to hang by the British, the father kidnaps an injured British soldier to trade for his son, leaving the soldier in the care of the villager's daughter. Daniel Boone then sets out to free both young men.Directed by Ida Lupino
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsJohn MillsSean GarrisonWilliam WindomDirected by Ida Lupino
- DirectorPiero CristofaniLina WertmüllerStarsElsa MartinelliRobert WoodsGeorge EastmanAbused and dominated by men in her youth, Belle Starr now out-rides, out-smokes, out-shoots, and out-gambles them as she makes her way around the Old West, usually wearing male garb. One man who's her equal is Larry Blackie with whom she has an on-again/off-again relationship which is often argumentative and sometimes violent. Together they become involved in a robbery that goes awry. Belle must rescue Larry, and though he's grateful, he now wants to go his own way. However, he expresses the hope that someday they'll once more cross paths and then--who knows?Directed by Lina Wertmüller
- DirectorAlla SurikovaStarsAndrey MironovAlexandra YakovlevaMikhail BoyarskiyMr Jonny First arrives to the Wild West to present the art of the Cinematograph.
- DirectorMaggie GreenwaldStarsSuzy AmisBo HopkinsIan McKellenAfter being thrown out of her home, a young woman decides to disguise herself as a man to survive the ruthless Wild West.
- DirectorKelly ReichardtStarsMichelle WilliamsBruce GreenwoodPaul DanoSettlers traveling through the Oregon desert in 1845 find themselves stranded in harsh conditions.
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsVictor MooreCamille AstorRaymond HattonChimmie is sent to Death Valley, California as part of a railroad scheme. He's to pretend to have discovered gold there, then set a new transcontinental record heading East. It doesn't quite work out that way.Written by Jeanie Macpherson. A Copy of the film survives at the Eastman House.
- DirectorAllan DwanStarsDouglas FairbanksAlma RubensSam De GrasseAn outcast named Lo Dorman encounters a young woman lost in the woods. He defends her from danger in the forest and from Sheriff Dunn.Written by Anita Loos
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsMary PickfordElliott DexterTully MarshallA young girl travels west to live with her uncle during the California Gold Rush only to find that he has been killed by Indians and his identity assumed by an outlaw.written by Jeanie Macpherson
- DirectorJohn EmersonStarsDouglas FairbanksEileen PercyCalvert CarterThe civilized inhabitants of a formerly "wild" western town scramble to recreate the town's rough and rowdy heyday in order to indulge the fantasies of a rich newcomer.Written by Anita Loos
- DirectorHenry KingStarsRonald ColmanVilma BánkyGary CooperWhile building an irrigation system for a Southwestern desert community, an engineer vies with a local cowboy for the affections of a rancher's daughter.Written by Frances Marion
- DirectorLloyd IngrahamStarsFred ThomsonSilver King the HorseEdna MurphyWritten by Frances Marion
- DirectorLloyd IngrahamStarsFred ThomsonNora LaneMontagu LoveJesse James, a member of Quantrill's Partisan Rangers during the Civil War, meets Zerelda Mimms, a northern girl marooned on her uncle's southern plantation, and is saved from capture as a spy. After the war, Jesse is warned by his friend Parson Bill that his mother has been maimed by fanatic Union sympathizers and is threatened by Frederick Mimms with expulsion from the town. Jesse is about to wreak vengeance on Mimms when his daughter's screams bring help; he flees in a spectacular manner and becomes notorious as an outlaw bandit. Citzens attempt to trap him into surrender with the aid of Bob Ford, who betrays him for love of Zerelda, but Jesse escapes with Zerelda on his horse, Silver King, and forces Parson Bill to marry them in a stagecoach.Written by Frances Marion
- DirectorMarshall NeilanStarsMary PickfordKenneth MacKennaDon AlvaradoWritten by Frances Marion
- DirectorFrank BorzageStarsMary PickfordLeslie HowardC. Aubrey SmithA New England society girl braves the West to help her husband build his fortune.Written by Frances Marion
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsGary CooperJean ArthurJames EllisonWild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody attempt to stop an Indian uprising that was started by white gun-runners.Material compiler: Jeannie Macpherson
- DirectorH.C. PotterStuart HeislerWilliam WylerStarsGary CooperMerle OberonPatsy KellyA lonely socialite masquerades as a maid and meets an unpretentious, plain-spoken cowboy who is unaware of her true identity.Contributing Writer: Anita Loos, Lillian Hellman & Dorothy Parker
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsBarbara StanwyckJoel McCreaAkim TamiroffIn 1862, Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads compete westward across the wilderness toward California.Contributor to screenplay construction: Jeanie Macpherson
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsGary CooperWalter BrennanDoris DavenportJudge Roy Bean, a self-appointed hanging judge in Vinegarroon, Texas, befriends saddle tramp Cole Harden, who opposes Bean's policy against homesteaders.Uncredited writing by Lillian Hellman
- DirectorKing VidorJack ConwayW.S. Van DykeStarsSpencer TracyRobert YoungWalter BrennanLangdon Towne and Hunk Marriner join Major Rogers' Rangers as they wipe out an Indian village. They set out for Fort Wentworth, but when they arrive they find no soldiers and none of the supplies they expected.Contributing writer: Frances Marion
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsGary CooperPaulette GoddardHoward Da SilvaIntrepid frontiersman Chris Holden foils the political and personal ambitions of renegade Martin Garth in the Ohio Valley following the French and Indian War.Jeanie Macpherson (uncredited)
- DirectorRichard C. SarafianStarsBurt ReynoldsSarah MilesLee J. CobbWestern story about a defiant wife who leaves her husband to take up riding with outlaws.Written and Produced by Eleanor Perry