This is an important topic with far reaching political implications. The African American and Native American erasure from the Western was purposeful and designed to please a conservative American audience. In his study on John Wayne, the historian Garry Wills wrote about how almost alone among American actors, John Wayne embodied a political philosophy - one that Ronald Reagan (who often played a knock off version of Wayne) would take to the White House.
However, I am great admirer of many of John Wayne's movies and his performances for John Ford resulted in some of the greatest movies ever made. My top 5 Westerns:
Good point on how deliberate that "erasure" was -- I have read some Wills, Chai, but had not come across his analysis of the politics of John Wayne, interesting.
Also -- eagle eyed BEAT VIEWERS may notice this comment is indeed by Chai Komanduri, our frequent political guest.
Is it Chai day in the newsletter as well!😊 Love to hear your commentary on political things and now here you are in Ari’s cultural piece! Simply amazing! Thanks for sharing your perspective!🙏🏽❤️
I'm not a fan, but he also made what is widely regarded as one of the WORST movies of all time, "The Conqueror" where he was cast as Genghis Khan. Gonna burn down your city and slaughter the inhabitants, Pilgrim . . .
What a wonderful memory of watching television westerns with my dad . We loved. Wagon Train, Bonanza, The Rifleman, Gunsmoke., Roy Rogers, The Virginian and The Big Valley. We saw a few movies, but I honestly don't remember them. He definitely was "Old School,"and admired the simplicity of life in the "Old Days" as he would always say.
Those were such classics that I sometimes come across today. The wonderful thing is that I enjoyed watching Doris Day movies and musicals with my mom too.😊
I think the best Westerns do explore the limits of the genre’s assumptions. A movie like “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” for instance, shows an archetype American loner who cannot succeed without the cooperation of his opposite. That is true far more often, and more in keeping with American history, than the lone cowboy doing it all by himself.
I think Western movies are popular because we Americans are obsessed with mythology of our foundations. My old favorite westerns were the crazy Italian ones that made no sense and their unlimited irony of Americans was hilarious
Happy Fri-YAY!!! I love the topic of today’s newsletter…we need a little digression in midst of the atrocities that are happening in Ukraine.
I need to re-watch The Harder They Fall…I dozed off in the middle of watching this movie 😃 I must be very tired or something😃. I still have this in my Netflix queue.
What’s your favorite old school Western? The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (featuring Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef). I recently watched this movie on HBO Max as most of Clint Eastwood’s movies are available).
Another Western that I like is True Grit featuring John Wayne (with eye patch)😃
I remember the Western series called Bonanza featuring Lorne Greene
Why do you think the genre remains so popular?
For me, it is the suspense as in the case of The Good The Bad and The Ugly where they are searching for the gold in an undisclosed location. The storyline is always about good people chasing the outlaws, revenge, humor etc. 😂🤣😂🤣😂 Plus they are so fascinating.
No one has really mentioned TV westerns. I watched them all the time as a kid…back in the ‘60’s. My favorites were Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Wagon Train and of course The Lone Ranger.
I love westerns, but I believe the best western is Shane. It is a classic American hero story in which the hero, Shane, ends up riding off into the sunset to take care of another unjust situation. It is a movie that I can watch again and again and again.
Ari, the western has been a movie staple since the pioneering 1903 film, The Great Train Robbery. It became the dominant genre, especially after the second world war, creating an image of John Wayne-of rugged American self-reliance and manliness. After awhile they stop making westerns. Mainly because they used to build a town from scratch but ran out of money before they finished, which they later used the phrase story as" town out of money," ( ha ha ha). The genre drastically slowed down in the 1970s, 1980s, and the 1990s, but films like Tombstone, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Unforgiven still impacted the box office and today and holding their on. From John Wayne to Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges films are still very popular and I believe they will remain popular for a long time to come .The Robert Kirkman's show returns in October and we will get a closer look at The Good (Rick Grimes), The Bad (Jadis), and The Ugly (Negan). Between the "Harder They Fall" and the Power of the Dog, the genre is evolving and better than ever. For John Wayne and John Ford the audience still waits for them. To me westerns will never fade even as audiences and studios change their tastes. Western will always win. I have too many favorite western movies that it would be very hard for me name a favorite. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Actually my favorite old time Western is High Noon. I did not know about the high percentage of Black cowboys so I learned something new and important. I love Idris Elba so I don’t have to think twice about watching. Interesting point that some would think the “real” story and facts of the past are a radical invention in real time - that it’s hard to entertain the prominence and success of Blacks in our history. I’m looking forward to the movie. And another really interesting newsletter- I love when you do pop culture.
"...And then the harder they come/The harder they fall, one and all" ~Jimmy Cliff
To me, 'The Harder They Fall' was an instant classic. Was great to hear the distinctive sounds of Barrington Levy (songs like 'Here I Come,' 'Under Mi Sensi' and 'Too Experienced' etc. regularly blasted from radios when I was growing up).
The book Shane was one of my favs as a child, and so was the Western (tho I def preferred the text). I also like 'Blazing Saddles'' satirical take.on Westerns and have watched it many times.😆
Finally, tho not a Western, gonna rewatch 'The Harder They Come' starring Jimmy Cliff. "...But I'd rather be a free man in my grave/Than living as a puppet or a slave." Thanks for this break from the news, Ari! 👍🏽😊💙
Loved this article, appreciate you highlighting the fact that adding back erased individuals to the story enriches our true understanding of our history. Growing up I loved westerns but lamented that I did not see myself reflected so had to do my own research.
Some Favorites -
I adored Paul Newman so Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was a favorite. On the inclusion side I enjoyed Buck & The Preacher, Blazing Sadlers and Posse (Mario Van Peeples)
What a thought provoking topic. And it’s pushing me to think about my dad and his reasons for being so fascinated with Westerns. I am first generation American, and pretty much nothing about my upbringing was traditional American. Yet my dad, a Czechoslovakian, anti violence, holocaust survivor couldn’t get enough of those Westerns. Did they serve some therapeutic purpose where he got to displace any discriminatory experiences on to the screen? Did they just make him feel better because he got to escape into good vs. evil fantasy world?
Thank you for pushing me. At first I was not interested in reading today’s newsletter, and then look what happened!
I am a movie fanatic no matter the genre. Although I love the classic cowboy movies I got the most comedic joy out of movies such as Gene Wilder’s “Blazing Saddles.” Or a sci-fi cowboy perspective in the movie “Cowboys and Aliens.” These two movies also show how you take a classic dusty western and polish it up into a shiny new twist.
There are too many movies to name that do hit on the cultural disparities of the west with trying to show diversity among the cowboys. Some tried to show that the hero, much like John Wayne, could be the guy in black(and I am not just talking about the clothing), such as “The Magnificent Seven” with Denzel Washington.
Reimagining the western is not a new phenomenon it has just in the past tried to ease the shock of seeing a person(s) of ethnic diversity play the cowboy not the slave, butler,cook, railroad worker, or the entertainment. In reality, we all know there were people of color that were cowboys that existed in the west (just as there still are ). Over time society has come to stomach the beloved western being a cast of all black actors and sure it helps that Jay Z lends his street cred to the making of such.
Ari as you said in one of your other pieces, people may be known for one thing but “now we know” musicians can shoot movies and produce records! Actually when you think about it, isn’t a music video just a mini version of a movie?🤷🏽♀️🤔😂😂
I love when we get to posit about such things in your newsletter!😊 So much fun to use the brain for thinking and not just a hat rack!🧐🥸🤣 Thanks Ari!🙏🏽❤️
I don't know fellas. You may be too young to remember Gunsmoke. In multiple episodes, Marshall Dillon dealt with the African American and Native American issues. Dillon, objected to anti-Indian racism, was fluent in a Plains Indian language, and sought peaceful relations with those on the reservations. The show featured actor Eddie Little Sky of the Oglala Lakota tribe in numerous episodes, one of the first Native American actors to play Indian roles. Cicely Tyson was on Gunsmoke. Throughout her career, she refused to play roles that did not depict Black women as positive characters. So yes in general there was erasure but there was a glimmer of hope...
Good article Ari. I read lots of history and knew there were black cowboys but not that percentage- thanks for that data. About the only western I like is Blazing Saddles. Not a fan of John Wayne or westerns in general, other than a few non-westerns he made. I am not surprised the hard right is uncomfortable with another example of whites rewriting history. Thanks for highlighting another example of askewed history.
That would be great- I look for a movie theatre that shows older classic movies in Pittsburgh to show it on the big screen, YouTube has a number of clips of outtakes which with that cast are hilarious.
Hi Peter, my daughter and I love to watch old classics on the big screen too. Sometimes we are the only.ones ther,. and we enjoy.it as a private screening.
LOL - at first I though you meant JW Ewing from the Night-time Soap Opera "Dallas", but then I came to my senses and realized you were referring to John Wayne!
J.R. Ewing; but that would return us to “Who shot J.R,” and Friday night watch parties, to see what the heck he was going to do next. A whole different type of western, but of the upper class. Fun days! Younger days!😊.
V, I believe we had more shows of quality, back in the day. Yes, we can debate or criticize the lack of certain social components, but the essence of the shows were potent.
Stopped watching and supporting ALL Clint Eastwood projects after his Empty Chair routine at the RNC. I've been criticized about my reaction but what other way does an individual American have to protest veiled racism coming out of Hollywood. It was the only arrow I had in my quiver. TAKE THAT CLINT!!! (Obama was my first time voting in a presidential election...and I'm still proud to say that. I took Clint's shtick very personally.)
I did too, except I did sort of like one he made called "Gran Torino", where he plays one of those typical, mean-spirited "Get Off My Lawn" characters, who is a retired Auto Worker, living in a neighborhood in the Detroit suburbs that is transitioning into becoming a racially mixed community, but then he comes around when some gangs start to harass his Asian (Hmong) neighbors who tried to befriend him (but at first he resisted) and then he grows to like and respect them. It is a quiet film unlike the Dirty Harry films of the '70's, but had tense yet humorous scenes in it too, similar to the "Make My Day" Scenes.
This is an important topic with far reaching political implications. The African American and Native American erasure from the Western was purposeful and designed to please a conservative American audience. In his study on John Wayne, the historian Garry Wills wrote about how almost alone among American actors, John Wayne embodied a political philosophy - one that Ronald Reagan (who often played a knock off version of Wayne) would take to the White House.
However, I am great admirer of many of John Wayne's movies and his performances for John Ford resulted in some of the greatest movies ever made. My top 5 Westerns:
1) The Searchers
2) Once Upon a Time in the West
3) Unforgiven
4) The Dollars Trilogy
5) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Good point on how deliberate that "erasure" was -- I have read some Wills, Chai, but had not come across his analysis of the politics of John Wayne, interesting.
Also -- eagle eyed BEAT VIEWERS may notice this comment is indeed by Chai Komanduri, our frequent political guest.
cheers, Ari
Is it Chai day in the newsletter as well!😊 Love to hear your commentary on political things and now here you are in Ari’s cultural piece! Simply amazing! Thanks for sharing your perspective!🙏🏽❤️
I'm not a fan, but he also made what is widely regarded as one of the WORST movies of all time, "The Conqueror" where he was cast as Genghis Khan. Gonna burn down your city and slaughter the inhabitants, Pilgrim . . .
What a wonderful memory of watching television westerns with my dad . We loved. Wagon Train, Bonanza, The Rifleman, Gunsmoke., Roy Rogers, The Virginian and The Big Valley. We saw a few movies, but I honestly don't remember them. He definitely was "Old School,"and admired the simplicity of life in the "Old Days" as he would always say.
Thanks Ari for a great piece!!!
All those were favorites of mine, too.
Those were such classics that I sometimes come across today. The wonderful thing is that I enjoyed watching Doris Day movies and musicals with my mom too.😊
Calamity Jane, was a step up in showing that there were female cowboy heros.
whoops "cow persons".
Doris Day just made me feel happy. She was always so sweet, in her productions.
I guess we can count her movie Calamity Jane as a western movie as well.😉
Basically, it was.
I think the best Westerns do explore the limits of the genre’s assumptions. A movie like “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” for instance, shows an archetype American loner who cannot succeed without the cooperation of his opposite. That is true far more often, and more in keeping with American history, than the lone cowboy doing it all by himself.
Interesting to view it as an allegory - thanks David
I think Western movies are popular because we Americans are obsessed with mythology of our foundations. My old favorite westerns were the crazy Italian ones that made no sense and their unlimited irony of Americans was hilarious
fair!
I am a fan of Magnificent Seven!
Happy Fri-YAY!!! I love the topic of today’s newsletter…we need a little digression in midst of the atrocities that are happening in Ukraine.
I need to re-watch The Harder They Fall…I dozed off in the middle of watching this movie 😃 I must be very tired or something😃. I still have this in my Netflix queue.
What’s your favorite old school Western? The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (featuring Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef). I recently watched this movie on HBO Max as most of Clint Eastwood’s movies are available).
Another Western that I like is True Grit featuring John Wayne (with eye patch)😃
I remember the Western series called Bonanza featuring Lorne Greene
Why do you think the genre remains so popular?
For me, it is the suspense as in the case of The Good The Bad and The Ugly where they are searching for the gold in an undisclosed location. The storyline is always about good people chasing the outlaws, revenge, humor etc. 😂🤣😂🤣😂 Plus they are so fascinating.
Enjoy your weekend, Ari😃 Cheers🥂
Bonanza!! Earliest memories as a toddler of sitting on my dad's lap "watching" it
No one has really mentioned TV westerns. I watched them all the time as a kid…back in the ‘60’s. My favorites were Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Wagon Train and of course The Lone Ranger.
Oh yes, the Lone Ranger, almost forgot that one!!!Thanks Paula.😊
I love westerns, but I believe the best western is Shane. It is a classic American hero story in which the hero, Shane, ends up riding off into the sunset to take care of another unjust situation. It is a movie that I can watch again and again and again.
Ari, the western has been a movie staple since the pioneering 1903 film, The Great Train Robbery. It became the dominant genre, especially after the second world war, creating an image of John Wayne-of rugged American self-reliance and manliness. After awhile they stop making westerns. Mainly because they used to build a town from scratch but ran out of money before they finished, which they later used the phrase story as" town out of money," ( ha ha ha). The genre drastically slowed down in the 1970s, 1980s, and the 1990s, but films like Tombstone, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Unforgiven still impacted the box office and today and holding their on. From John Wayne to Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges films are still very popular and I believe they will remain popular for a long time to come .The Robert Kirkman's show returns in October and we will get a closer look at The Good (Rick Grimes), The Bad (Jadis), and The Ugly (Negan). Between the "Harder They Fall" and the Power of the Dog, the genre is evolving and better than ever. For John Wayne and John Ford the audience still waits for them. To me westerns will never fade even as audiences and studios change their tastes. Western will always win. I have too many favorite western movies that it would be very hard for me name a favorite. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Does Blazing Saddles count ?!:)
Actually my favorite old time Western is High Noon. I did not know about the high percentage of Black cowboys so I learned something new and important. I love Idris Elba so I don’t have to think twice about watching. Interesting point that some would think the “real” story and facts of the past are a radical invention in real time - that it’s hard to entertain the prominence and success of Blacks in our history. I’m looking forward to the movie. And another really interesting newsletter- I love when you do pop culture.
yes. lol
Blazing Saddles counts in my book! And City Slickers!
"...And then the harder they come/The harder they fall, one and all" ~Jimmy Cliff
To me, 'The Harder They Fall' was an instant classic. Was great to hear the distinctive sounds of Barrington Levy (songs like 'Here I Come,' 'Under Mi Sensi' and 'Too Experienced' etc. regularly blasted from radios when I was growing up).
The book Shane was one of my favs as a child, and so was the Western (tho I def preferred the text). I also like 'Blazing Saddles'' satirical take.on Westerns and have watched it many times.😆
Finally, tho not a Western, gonna rewatch 'The Harder They Come' starring Jimmy Cliff. "...But I'd rather be a free man in my grave/Than living as a puppet or a slave." Thanks for this break from the news, Ari! 👍🏽😊💙
Also love Barrington Levy - saw him perform in brooklyn this past summer, as energetic as ever!
That is so cool!!! 🥰
Loved this article, appreciate you highlighting the fact that adding back erased individuals to the story enriches our true understanding of our history. Growing up I loved westerns but lamented that I did not see myself reflected so had to do my own research.
Some Favorites -
I adored Paul Newman so Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was a favorite. On the inclusion side I enjoyed Buck & The Preacher, Blazing Sadlers and Posse (Mario Van Peeples)
What a thought provoking topic. And it’s pushing me to think about my dad and his reasons for being so fascinated with Westerns. I am first generation American, and pretty much nothing about my upbringing was traditional American. Yet my dad, a Czechoslovakian, anti violence, holocaust survivor couldn’t get enough of those Westerns. Did they serve some therapeutic purpose where he got to displace any discriminatory experiences on to the screen? Did they just make him feel better because he got to escape into good vs. evil fantasy world?
Thank you for pushing me. At first I was not interested in reading today’s newsletter, and then look what happened!
I am a movie fanatic no matter the genre. Although I love the classic cowboy movies I got the most comedic joy out of movies such as Gene Wilder’s “Blazing Saddles.” Or a sci-fi cowboy perspective in the movie “Cowboys and Aliens.” These two movies also show how you take a classic dusty western and polish it up into a shiny new twist.
There are too many movies to name that do hit on the cultural disparities of the west with trying to show diversity among the cowboys. Some tried to show that the hero, much like John Wayne, could be the guy in black(and I am not just talking about the clothing), such as “The Magnificent Seven” with Denzel Washington.
Reimagining the western is not a new phenomenon it has just in the past tried to ease the shock of seeing a person(s) of ethnic diversity play the cowboy not the slave, butler,cook, railroad worker, or the entertainment. In reality, we all know there were people of color that were cowboys that existed in the west (just as there still are ). Over time society has come to stomach the beloved western being a cast of all black actors and sure it helps that Jay Z lends his street cred to the making of such.
Ari as you said in one of your other pieces, people may be known for one thing but “now we know” musicians can shoot movies and produce records! Actually when you think about it, isn’t a music video just a mini version of a movie?🤷🏽♀️🤔😂😂
I love when we get to posit about such things in your newsletter!😊 So much fun to use the brain for thinking and not just a hat rack!🧐🥸🤣 Thanks Ari!🙏🏽❤️
Yes Kim, Ari really makes us think about all his very insightful topics.😉
I don't know fellas. You may be too young to remember Gunsmoke. In multiple episodes, Marshall Dillon dealt with the African American and Native American issues. Dillon, objected to anti-Indian racism, was fluent in a Plains Indian language, and sought peaceful relations with those on the reservations. The show featured actor Eddie Little Sky of the Oglala Lakota tribe in numerous episodes, one of the first Native American actors to play Indian roles. Cicely Tyson was on Gunsmoke. Throughout her career, she refused to play roles that did not depict Black women as positive characters. So yes in general there was erasure but there was a glimmer of hope...
Good article Ari. I read lots of history and knew there were black cowboys but not that percentage- thanks for that data. About the only western I like is Blazing Saddles. Not a fan of John Wayne or westerns in general, other than a few non-westerns he made. I am not surprised the hard right is uncomfortable with another example of whites rewriting history. Thanks for highlighting another example of askewed history.
I just read about Black cowboys-didn’t know…Wasn’t a fan of JW, either…”Blazing Saddles” was the funniest western I’d ever seen.
Mel Brooks is a genius director . The first time I saw Young Frankenstein on DVD, I literally slid off my chair laughing so hard.
I saw it in the movie theater in 3-D!
That would be great- I look for a movie theatre that shows older classic movies in Pittsburgh to show it on the big screen, YouTube has a number of clips of outtakes which with that cast are hilarious.
Hi Peter, my daughter and I love to watch old classics on the big screen too. Sometimes we are the only.ones ther,. and we enjoy.it as a private screening.
I also love to watch any Marilyn Monroe movie on the big screen.
LOL - at first I though you meant JW Ewing from the Night-time Soap Opera "Dallas", but then I came to my senses and realized you were referring to John Wayne!
J.R. Ewing; but that would return us to “Who shot J.R,” and Friday night watch parties, to see what the heck he was going to do next. A whole different type of western, but of the upper class. Fun days! Younger days!😊.
Oh Diva, we seem to like the same shows!!! Dallas was one of my favorites too.
V, I believe we had more shows of quality, back in the day. Yes, we can debate or criticize the lack of certain social components, but the essence of the shows were potent.
Stopped watching and supporting ALL Clint Eastwood projects after his Empty Chair routine at the RNC. I've been criticized about my reaction but what other way does an individual American have to protest veiled racism coming out of Hollywood. It was the only arrow I had in my quiver. TAKE THAT CLINT!!! (Obama was my first time voting in a presidential election...and I'm still proud to say that. I took Clint's shtick very personally.)
I did too, except I did sort of like one he made called "Gran Torino", where he plays one of those typical, mean-spirited "Get Off My Lawn" characters, who is a retired Auto Worker, living in a neighborhood in the Detroit suburbs that is transitioning into becoming a racially mixed community, but then he comes around when some gangs start to harass his Asian (Hmong) neighbors who tried to befriend him (but at first he resisted) and then he grows to like and respect them. It is a quiet film unlike the Dirty Harry films of the '70's, but had tense yet humorous scenes in it too, similar to the "Make My Day" Scenes.