How the West Was Won (1962)
In 1962, two huge epics drew in all the stars in Hollywood: How the West Was Won and The Longest Day. They’re two completely different movies, so it seems like the folks interested in making a WW2 movie flocked to one side while the western lovers congregated on the other. Both epics were directed by more than one person, so if you’d like to see the combined talents of John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and George Marshall, as well as the acting of Gregory Peck, Richard Widmark, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, Caroll Baker, George Peppard, Walter Brennan, Karl Malden, Carolyn Jones, Agnes Moorehead, Russ Tamblyn, Lee J. Cobb, Eli Wallach, Harry Morgan, Raymond Massey, Andy Devine, Robert Preston, Thelma Ritter, and all narrated by Spencer Tracy, rent the western.
This epic is separated into five segments of the history of the Wild West. James Stewart kicks everything off as a wandering explorer who comes across Karl Malden and Agnes Moorehead’s pioneer family. He and Caroll Baker have a steamy, love-at-first-sight romance, but he leaves her behind because he’s not ready to settle down and get married. As she pines away for him, Jimmy runs into a bit of trouble, with Walter Brennan playing a creepy and convincing villain. In the next section, Debbie Reynolds plays a saloon girl who attracts the attentions of Gregory Peck and Robert Preston. The third section shows the Civil War, and the fourth shows the advent of the railroad, pushed by tycoon Richard Widmark. In the fifth section, old family rivalries come to a head, and the descendants of the people in the earlier sections continue through their own journeys.
All in all, this is a really fun, interesting movie to watch, as it was the precursor to the big miniseries in the following decades. As is usually the case in these generational miniseries, the earlier storylines are more interesting than the more modern ones, so it’s no surprise my favorite part of the movie was the James Stewart and Caroll Baker romance. He certainly grew into his sex appeal when he got older, didn’t he? I always enjoy the rare opportunities given to Gregory Peck to play a scoundrel, since he was mostly famous for playing moral characters. I’m not a Debbie Reynolds fan, though, and she had the most screen time of all the women in the cast. It’s really a must-see, if you liked Centennial or other western epics.
DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. This movie was filmed in Cinerama, which was great on the curved big screen, but not so great on our flat television sets. During the opening narration and some of the landscape shots, the curving visuals might make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Lee J. Cobb movies here!
More Gregory Peck movies here!
More James Stewart movies here!
More Spencer Tracy movies here!
More Richard Widmark movies here!
This epic is separated into five segments of the history of the Wild West. James Stewart kicks everything off as a wandering explorer who comes across Karl Malden and Agnes Moorehead’s pioneer family. He and Caroll Baker have a steamy, love-at-first-sight romance, but he leaves her behind because he’s not ready to settle down and get married. As she pines away for him, Jimmy runs into a bit of trouble, with Walter Brennan playing a creepy and convincing villain. In the next section, Debbie Reynolds plays a saloon girl who attracts the attentions of Gregory Peck and Robert Preston. The third section shows the Civil War, and the fourth shows the advent of the railroad, pushed by tycoon Richard Widmark. In the fifth section, old family rivalries come to a head, and the descendants of the people in the earlier sections continue through their own journeys.
All in all, this is a really fun, interesting movie to watch, as it was the precursor to the big miniseries in the following decades. As is usually the case in these generational miniseries, the earlier storylines are more interesting than the more modern ones, so it’s no surprise my favorite part of the movie was the James Stewart and Caroll Baker romance. He certainly grew into his sex appeal when he got older, didn’t he? I always enjoy the rare opportunities given to Gregory Peck to play a scoundrel, since he was mostly famous for playing moral characters. I’m not a Debbie Reynolds fan, though, and she had the most screen time of all the women in the cast. It’s really a must-see, if you liked Centennial or other western epics.
DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. This movie was filmed in Cinerama, which was great on the curved big screen, but not so great on our flat television sets. During the opening narration and some of the landscape shots, the curving visuals might make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Lee J. Cobb movies here!
More Gregory Peck movies here!
More James Stewart movies here!
More Spencer Tracy movies here!
More Richard Widmark movies here!
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Picture of 1963
Best Director: Henry Hathaway John Ford, and George Marshall
Best Musical Score: Alfred Newman