Classic Western
Classic Westerns are a reflection of the American frontier during the 19th century, capturing the essence of rugged landscapes, moral conflicts, and the struggle for justice in a lawless land. These shows and films portray the iconic image of the Wild West with vast deserts, rolling plains, and small frontier towns where civilization meets untamed wilderness.
The narratives often revolve around lone heroes, usually cowboys or lawmen, characterized by their strong sense of honor, grit, and adherence to a personal code of ethics. These protagonists face various challenges, including conflicts with outlaws, Native Americans, corrupt officials, or land disputes, embodying the struggle between good and evil. The themes of justice, individualism, and the fight for freedom resonate throughout these stories.
The visual elements are striking, showcasing iconic scenes of horseback chases, saloon brawls, gunfights at high noon, and breathtaking landscapes that evoke a sense of vastness and isolation. Classic Westerns also delve into the complexities of human relationships, exploring themes of redemption, sacrifice, and the pursuit of a better life in the midst of harsh circumstances.
Furthermore, these stories often incorporate traditional Western tropes, such as the frontier justice system, cattle ranching, stagecoach robberies, and the exploration of moral dilemmas in a setting where survival depends on wit, courage, and resilience.
The narratives often revolve around lone heroes, usually cowboys or lawmen, characterized by their strong sense of honor, grit, and adherence to a personal code of ethics. These protagonists face various challenges, including conflicts with outlaws, Native Americans, corrupt officials, or land disputes, embodying the struggle between good and evil. The themes of justice, individualism, and the fight for freedom resonate throughout these stories.
The visual elements are striking, showcasing iconic scenes of horseback chases, saloon brawls, gunfights at high noon, and breathtaking landscapes that evoke a sense of vastness and isolation. Classic Westerns also delve into the complexities of human relationships, exploring themes of redemption, sacrifice, and the pursuit of a better life in the midst of harsh circumstances.
Furthermore, these stories often incorporate traditional Western tropes, such as the frontier justice system, cattle ranching, stagecoach robberies, and the exploration of moral dilemmas in a setting where survival depends on wit, courage, and resilience.
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- StarsDuncan RenaldoLeo CarrilloTroy MeltonThe Cisco Kid rides through the American frontier with his sidekick, Pancho, fighting corruption with a blend of pride and humor that created a legend in the hearts of generations of television viewers.
- StarsGene AutryChampionPat ButtramThe already legendary singing cowboy rode with his comic pal Pat from town to town bringing justice, song and his horse Champion to the old Southwest.
- CreatorGeorge W. TrendleGeorge W. GeorgeStarsJay SilverheelsClayton MooreJohn HartThe adventures of the masked hero and his Native American partner.
- StarsDale EvansRoy RogersTriggerThe Double R Ranch featured "The King of the Cowboys" Roy, his "Smartest Horse in the Movies" Trigger, "Queen of the West" Dale, her horse Buttermilk, their dog Bullet, and even Pat's jeep, Nellybelle.
- StarsGuy MadisonAndy DevineSam FlintHickok rode Buckshot while 300-pound Jingles rode Joker. Jingles described Hickok as "the bravest, strongest, fightingest U.S. Marshal in the whole West." And that's about it: he beat up all the bad guys and somehow kept his good looks.
- CreatorRuth WoodmanStarsStanley AndrewsRobert TaylorRonald ReaganWestern stories and legends based, and filmed, in and around Death Valley, California. One of the longest-running Western series, originating on radio in the 1930s. The continuing sponsor was "20 Mule Team" Borax, a product formerly mined in Death Valley.
- StarsWilliam BoydEdgar BuchananGeorge D. WallaceHopalong and his horse Topper catch bad guys with Red Connors for comic relief.
- StarsLee AakerJames BrownRin Tin Tin IIRusty was orphaned in an Indian raid. He and his dog Rin Tin Tin were adopted by the troops at Fort Apache in Arizona, and helped establish law and order in and around Mesa Grande.
- StarsGail DavisBrad JohnsonJimmy HawkinsA fictionalized account of the life of legendary Wild West sharpshooter Annie Oakley.
- CreatorCharles Marquis WarrenClyde WareStarsJames ArnessMilburn StoneAmanda BlakeMarshal Matt Dillon keeps the peace in rough-and-tumble Dodge City.
- StarsClint WalkerClyde HowdyChuck HicksAfter the Civil War, nomadic adventurer Cheyenne Bodie roamed the West looking for fights, bad guys to beat up, and women. His job changed from episode to episode.
- StarsHugh O'BrianJimmy NoelEthan LaidlawLoosely based on historical fact, the series portrays the gunslinging Wyatt Earp and his successful determination for law and order.
- CreatorGeorge W. TrendleFran StrikerStarsDick SimmonsYukon KingVic PerrinCanadian Mountie Sgt. Preston patrols the wilds of the Yukon with his horse Rex and his faithful dog Yukon King, battling both the elements and criminals.
- CreatorLuke ShortCharles A. WallaceStarsDick PowellWalter SandeDenver PyleAn anthology based (earlier more so than later) on the novels and stories of Zane Grey. Dick Powell was often the star, as well as the host.
- StarsScott ForbesWilliam SchallertJohn LaingThe adventures of frontier hero Jim Bowie are brought to life in this popular children's television series.
- StarsJohn LuptonMichael AnsaraSteven RitchIndian Agent Tom Jeffords makes friends with Chief Cochise, becoming a blood brother of the Apache. Together they fight white schemers and renegade Indians.
- StarsMicky DolenzNoah Beery Jr.Robert Lowery12-year-old Corky has been adopted by a traveling circus owned by Big Tim Champion. He is water boy to baby elephant Bimbo and otherwise participates in the behind-the-scenes life of the circus.
- StarsFrank McGrathTerry WilsonRobert HortonStories of the journeys of a wagon train as it leaves post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts, and Rocky Mountains.
- CreatorRoy HugginsStarsJack KellyJames GarnerRoger MooreBret and Bart Maverick are well-dressed gamblers who migrate from town to town always looking for a good game.
- CreatorHerb MeadowSam RolfeStarsRichard BooneKam TongHal NeedhamThe adventures of a gentlemanly gunfighter-for-hire.
- CreatorFrank GruberJames BrooksGene ReynoldsStarsDale RobertsonArt FelixKit CarsonAgent Jim Hardie splits his life between being an agent helping Wells Fargo cope with bad guys, and owning a ranch near San Francisco, California.
- StarsPat ConwayRichard EasthamQuentin SondergaardTough Sheriff Clay Hollister keeps the law in Tombstone, Arizona with the support of his faithful deputies and the editor of the local newspaper.
- StarsWill HutchinsCharles FredericksGil PerkinsCorrespondence-school law graduate Tom Brewster travels west to seek his fortune. Unfortunately, his "cowboy" abilities leave a lot to be desired and earn him the nickname "Sugarfoot", which is one step lower than a "Tenderfoot".
- StarsRobert CulpNorman LeavittEllen CorbyTexas Ranger Hoby Gilman travels the Old West tracking down assorted killers, bank robbers, horse thieves, and other evil-doers.
- StarsJohn PayneLeonard P. GeerDan BlockerThe adventures of Vint Bonner, a cowboy in the post Civil War era.
- StarsJohn HartLon Chaney Jr.Bill WalshNat Cutler, known as Hawkeye, is a fur trader. With his faithful Indian companion Chingachgook, the last of the Mohican tribe, he fights to protect settlers against the raiding Huron Indians.
- StarsAlan Hale Jr.Bobby ClarkEddy WallerTelevision version of the classic train story of Casey Jones, the engineer of the steam-engine powered "Cannonball Express".
- StarsChuck ConnorsJohnny CrawfordPaul FixThe adventures of a Wild West rancher, wielding a customized rapid-fire Winchester rifle, and his son.
- StarsSteve McQueenWright KingOlan SouleA Civil War veteran with a sawed-off rifle as a holstered weapon makes a living as a bounty hunter in the Wild West of the 1870s.
- StarsGene BarryAllen JaffeAllison HayesBat Masterson roams The West and defends the innocent.
- StarsJohn RussellPeter BrownPeggie CastleThis is the story of Marshal Dan Troop of Laramie, Wyoming, and his Deputy Johnny McKay, an orphan Troop took under his wing.
- CreatorRichard SaleMary LoosStarsJock MahoneyX BrandsKevin HagenAn adventurer, gambler, and widely respected southern gentleman is recruited to work as a secret agent, at no pay, in post-Civil War New Orleans, helped by his companion, a silent Pawnee Native American.
- StarsTy HardinRobert ColbertClyde HowdyA former confederate soldier wanders the old west, and meets such famous characters as Jesse James, William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody, and Theodore Roosevelt.
- CreatorJames GunnKathleen HiteStarsRory CalhounRegis PartonDuncan LamontThe Texan, a Civil War Veteran whose reputation of being the fastest gun in the west precedes him, roams across Texas from town to town, not looking for trouble, but trouble finds him.
- CreatorDavid DortortFred HamiltonStarsLorne GreeneMichael LandonDan BlockerThe Wild West adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their Nevada ranch while helping the surrounding community.
- CreatorCharles Marquis WarrenStarsClint EastwoodPaul BrinegarSteve RainesGil Favor is trail boss of a continuous cattle drive. He is assisted by Rowdy Yates. The crew runs into characters and adventures along the way.
- StarsRobert FullerJohn SmithSpring ByingtonIn the 1870s Wyoming Territory, Slim Sherman and his 14-year-old brother Andy try to hang on to their ranch after their father's death.
- CreatorNick AdamsAndrew J. FenadyStarsNick AdamsChuck HamiltonSid TroyAfter the end of the Civil War, a former Confederate Army private roams the Wild West, and, as a rogue drifter, gets involved in helping out various settlers threatened by various bad guys.
- CreatorRoland KibbeeNorman LearStarsHenry FondaAllen CaseRead MorganClay McCord is who often helped Chief Marshal Simon Fry in 1880's Arizona territory. McCord eventually becomes Fry's Chief Deputy assigned to Silver City. Fry and McCord are assisted by Sergeant Hapgood Tasker Army cavalry Sergeant.
- StarsDarren McGavinDick WesselJack LambertGrey Holden wins a river boat in a poker game, which he then pilots, along with his crew, in various adventures along the Mississippi River. This action series is set in the nineteenth century.
- CreatorSam PeckinpahStarsBrian KeithHank GobbleJimmy Lee CookLaconic cowboy Dave Blasingame wanders the Wild West with his faithful dog Brown and the occasional companionship of pal Burgundy Smith.
- CreatorSamuel A. PeeplesStarsBarry SullivanClu GulagerWalter LawrenceFictionalized stories about Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid set in New Mexico in the 1870s.
- CreatorCharles Marquis WarrenStarsDoug McClureJames DruryLee J. CobbPersonable Western series based in Wyoming from the 1890s onward.
- StarsJack LordWarren OatesRobert DowdellStoney Burke is a rodeo rider who wants to win the Golden Buckle, the award to the world's champion saddle bronco rider. He didn't win it, but he encountered a considerable amount of violence along the way.
- StarsFess ParkerPatricia BlairDarby HintonFrontier hero Daniel Boone conducts surveys and expeditions around Boonesborough, running into both friendly and hostile Indians, before, during, and even after the Revolutionary War.
- CreatorMichael GarrisonStarsRobert ConradRoss MartinDick CangeyTwo Secret Service agents, equipped with a wide array of gizmos, work for the government in the Old West.
- CreatorA.I. BezzeridesLouis F. EdelmanStarsRichard LongPeter BreckLee MajorsThe Wild West adventures of the Barkley family in California's San Joaquin Valley.
- CreatorRichard M. BluelStarsForrest TuckerLarry StorchKen BerryThe misadventures of the staff and neighbors of a remote U.S. Army outpost in the Wild West.
- CreatorLarry CohenStarsChuck ConnorsChuck HamiltonWilliam BryantIn the 1880s Jason McCord travels the country trying to prove he's no coward. He needs to do this because the military career of this West point graduate came to an end when he was thrown out of the army after being accused of cowardice.
- StarsNeville BrandPeter BrownWilliam SmithA group of Texas Rangers keeps getting in and out of trouble, under the command of Captain Parmalee.
- CreatorE. Jack NeumanStarsRobert HortonGregory WalcottJohn CliffA man shot and left for dead on the trail is found and revived. With no recollection of his past, he calls himself Shenandoah as he roams the West searching for his identity.
- CreatorMilt RosenStarsMichael Anderson Jr.Barbara HersheyKeith SchultzClayt is 18 when orphaned heading to a new home out West. He's responsible for sisters Kathy and Amy who are 16 and 6, twin brothers almost 12. New neighbor is Major Mapoy, a sometime antagonist while Jim is their hand.
- CreatorJames GoldstoneStephen KandelStarsDale RobertsonRobert RandomGary CollinsBen Calhoun won the half-completed Buffalo Pass, Scalplock, and Defiance Line railroad in a poker game and must interact with 1880s first nation, bankers, and bad guys to complete the line.
- StarsDavid CarradineJill IrelandTom TullyShane works for the Starett family, a young widow, her son, and her aging father-in-law, protecting them against the anti-sodbuster rancher Ryker and other perils plaguing the Old West.
- CreatorDavid DortortStarsLeif EricksonCameron MitchellHenry DarrowThe Cannon family runs the High Chaparral Ranch in the Arizona Territory in 1870s.
- CreatorChristopher KnopfStarsStuart WhitmanPercy HerbertRandy BooneThe western adventures of tough, but fair, Marshal Jim Crown.
- CreatorRichard CarrAaron SpellingStarsWalter BrennanDack RamboJason EversAn old former Army scout and his grandson search the west for the man's son, a gunfighter on the run.
- StarsRalph TaegerKathie BrowneNoah Beery Jr.Hondo, an embittered former rebel officer, travels to Arizona Territory in the 1870s with his dog Sam. Often clashing with the local cavalry, which he holds responsible for the death of his Indian wife.
- CreatorSamuel A. PeeplesStarsJames StacyWayne MaunderAndrew DugganA tyrannical owner of a vast ranch recruits his two estranged and vastly opposite sons to maintain an uneasy alliance as they fight off forces that would destroy the ranch.
- StarsHellmut LangePierre MassimiAlexandru DavidNathaniel "Natty" or "Nat" Bumppo, a white male, leaves his home valley to seek freedom. On his journey he encounters Mohicans who call him "Leatherstocking" and imprison him. Soon he befriends with the young Chingachgook and sides with the tribe, standing besides them in confrontations against other Indians and white settlers.
- CreatorGlen A. LarsonStarsBen MurphyRoger DavisPete DuelHannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, two of the most wanted outlaws in the history of the West, are popular "with everyone except the railroads and the banks".
- CreatorFrank PiersonStarsJames GarnerMargot KidderNeva PattersonIn 1914, Nichols, a soldier, sick of killing, returns to his Arizona hometown, and is serving as Sheriff by the Ketcham clan, who run the area. Nichols, who doesn't believe in toting a gun, scoots around via a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
- CreatorDouglas HeyesStarsRod TaylorDennis ColeHenry DarrowTwo honorable men-for-hire look for adventure in the pre-World War I American southwest in their fancy Stutz Bearcat.
- CreatorEd SpielmanHerman MillerStarsDavid CarradineRadames PeraKeye LukeThe adventures of Shaolin Monk Kwai Chang Caine as he wanders the American West armed only with his skill in Kung Fu.
- StarsRichard BooneRick LenzHarry MorganThe adventures of Hec Ramsey, a turn-of-the-20th-century detective who prefers to use his brains instead of his guns.
- CreatorElroy SchwartzSherwood SchwartzStarsBob DenverForrest TuckerIvor FrancisA stage and a wagon heading west get separated from the rest of the wagon train thanks to Dusty. Now they must make their way to California.
- CreatorBlanche HanalisStarsMelissa GilbertMichael LandonKaren GrassleThe life and adventures of the Ingalls family in the nineteenth century American Midwest.
- CreatorDouglas HeyesStarsWilliam ShatnerRichard KielDave TurnerThe wild wild west adventures of 19th-century agents Jeff Cable and Cash Conover.
- CreatorJim ByrnesAlbert S. RuddyStarsJames ArnessBruce BoxleitnerKathryn HolcombThe Macahans, a family from Virginia, headed by Zeb Macahan, travel across the country to pioneer a new land and a new home in the American West.
- CreatorTracy Keenan WynnStarsKurt RussellTim MathesonFrank Salsedo2 brothers and a sister separated by Indians when the younger brother and sister were taken by them. The brothers finally reunite and decide to go on a quest to find their sister.
- StarsSam ElliottTom SelleckJeff OsterhageAfter the Civil War, Tennessee brothers Orrin and Tyrel Sackett are herding cattle out West while Tell Sackett is prospecting for gold in the hills.
- StarsDavid CarradineRichard WidmarkKaren BlackThe story of frontiersman Tom Horn, and his career as a cavalry scout, a tracker, a range detective, and the final events in his life that led to his tragic death.
- CreatorDavid DortortEvan HunterStarsRosemary HarrisBen MurphyJames Van PattenThe adventures of the Chisholm family as they travel west in 1844.
- StarsSam ElliottBen JohnsonBruce BoxleitnerA sharpshooting saddle tramp with a price on his head falls for the daughter of a wealthy ranch owner. He vows to win enough money in shooting contests to win her father's approval, but when he returns years later, he finds she has married another man who is jealous of her affections. The husband tries to have a murder warrant served on the drifter, shoots him in the back, and hires a gambler to murder the man. None of these attempts on the drifter's life kills him, and when the wife leaves him, the husband goes gunning for the drifter, now the star of a Wild West show.
- StarsJohn JarrattSteve BisleyElaine KussackAustralia's most famous bushranger, Ned Kelly.
- CreatorGordon T. DawsonStarsJames GarnerEd BruceRamon BieriSet in Sweetwater, Arizona in the 1880s with solid citizen Bret owning a ranch and part of the Red Ox Saloon. Stable cast with varying stories, often centered on conflict between the ambitious sheriff and everyone else.
- CreatorMichael LandonStarsMerlin OlsenKatherine CannonTimothy GibbsJohn Murphy leads a struggle against a mining boss that causes some children to be orphaned. he poses as a priest to circumvent the authorities. He and schoolteacher Mae struggle to provide everyday needs for two dozen children.
- CreatorTom GreeneStarsHoward E. Rollins Jr.William SmithJ. Eddie PeckFive weapons specialists/cowboys fight crime in the town of Wildside, CA.
- StarsRichard ChamberlainBenny GibsonAlice KrigeFollows Fremont as he chosen to lead the journey into the Oregon Territory with the help of Kit Carson.
- StarsRobert DuvallTommy Lee JonesDanny GloverTwo former Texas Rangers renew their spirit of adventure as they and several other residents of a small Texas town join a cattle drive to the Montana Territory.
- CreatorEd SpielmanStarsStephen BaldwinJosh BrolinTy MillerThe adventures of the riders of the Pony Express.
- StarsRichard ComarJohn H. BrennanSophie BarjacThe adventures of the inhabitants of a western town that straddles the Canadian-American border.
- CreatorRené GoscinnyMorrisStarsTerence HillArsenio 'Sonny' TrinidadNeil SummersLucky Luke is the sheriff of a merry and unruly frontier settlement. Jolly Jumper is not only Lucky's trusty horse, but also the brains of Daisy Town.
- CreatorBeth SullivanStarsJane SeymourJoe LandoShawn TooveyThe trials and adventures of a female doctor in a small Wild West town.
- StarsJon VoightBarbara HersheyRicky SchroderHead back to Lonesome Dove in this sequel to one of the most-loved miniseries of all time.
- CreatorBrian SuskindStarsScott BairstowChristianne HirtEric McCormackThe life and times of Newt Call as he set out to make his way in the world. Newt took part in some of the major events of the Western era, while meeting some of the legendary figures of the frontier.
- StarsJames GarnerSissy SpacekSam ShepardCaptain Woodrow Call, now retired from the Rangers, is a bounty hunter. He is hired by an eastern railroad baron to track down Joey Garza, a new breed of killer.
- StarsAnjelica HustonMelanie GriffithGabriel ByrneFollows the life of the heroine of the Wild West: Calamity Jane and her best friend Dora Du Fran who runs a brothel.
- StarsSidney PoitierMichael MoriartyJoanna GoingGypsy Smith, is a gunfighter and a bounty hunter. When he leads the U.S. Army into a Cheyenne camp to capture a suspected Indian renegade, a long train of events begins that finally lead to that "good day to die". White Wolf, only a child, is one of the few survivors of the massacre of his tribe that day, and Gypsy brings him to live with the Maxwell family, where he grows up not fully Indian, and not really white, but a bit too close to Rachel, the Maxwell daughter. Gypsy now reappears, leading a group of Black settlers from the post-Civil War South to start a new life in a town of their own - Freedom in the Oklahoma Territory, its first black settlement. White Wolf (or Corby as a "white" name) is now with his people, but all of these parts come back together in conflict, violence, loss, and Pyrric triumph.
- StarsScott BairstowEric McCormackKelly RowanAfter two years spent bounty hunting, womanizing, and drinking away the painful memories of his late wife, Hannah, Newt Call returns to town to find many things have changed.
- StarsF. Murray AbrahamKeith CarradinePatricia ChildressIn this prequel to "Lonesome Dove", two young men join the Texas Rangers unit that's on a mission to annex Santa Fe.
- CreatorDavid DortortBeth SullivanStarsDrew PowellMatt CarmodyDaniel Hugh KellyIt it 1849 and the Cartwright family has moved onto some scrub land in the territory of Nevada. As a widower Ben Cartwright tries to raise his sons Adam, Hoss and Little Joe in this new land.
- StarsTom BerengerLuke PerryBurt ReynoldsThe three Hammett brothers are caught in a conflict that escalates rapidly and the old farmers facing against new farmers who have settled in the green grasslands.
- StarsSteve ZahnRyan MerrimanKeith D. RobinsonThe adventures and love lives of young Texas Rangers Woodrow Call and Augustus McCrae leading up to their retirement to the city of Lonesome Dove.
- CreatorKevin AbramsAdam MooreStarsMartha MacIsaacJacob BlairDavid Lawrence BrownA father and son team up with America's first female detective to solve crimes in the Wild West.
- CreatorDathaí KeaneStarsOwen McDonnellDara DevaneySeán T. Ó MeallaighThe story of the Connolly Brothers; three Irish emigrants who travel from Montana to the Yukon during the Klondike gold rush of the 1890's in the hope of striking it rich.