The classic era of the Western movie genre ran from 1920 to 1960, but the very first Western was a 10-minute one-reel film made in 1903. The real birth of Westerns as we think of them today started in 1939 with the debut of “Stagecoach,” which put John Wayne in his breakthrough role. The next 10 years of Westerns would define the genre and inspire countless future Western films and television series. The Western shaped the industry and came to define the quintessential Hollywood movie, with The New York Times arguing that no genre has been more important to Hollywood than the Western.
Stacker compiled IMDb data on all feature-length Westerns released between 1940 and 1949 and ranked them according to user rating. To qualify, the film had to be listed as “Western” on IMDb and have at least 1,000 votes. Ties were broken by votes.
Any Western aficionado is well-versed in the films from the 1940s, but there were many that were a cut above the rest. Read on to discover the best 10 Western films of the ’40s. Did your favorites make the cut?
#10. They Died with Their Boots On (1941)
– Director: Raoul Walsh
– IMDb user rating: 7.2
– Runtime: 140 minutes
This film (loosely) follows the life of George Armstrong Custer from his arrival at West Point to his death at the battle of the Little Bighorn. Facts have definitely been blurred in the movie on all levels. For example, to fill the background with Native Americans, the director employed hundreds of Filipino extras. Only 16 real-life Sioux were used for the close-ups.
#9. The Westerner (1940)
– Director: William Wyler
– IMDb user rating: 7.3
– Runtime: 100 minutes
The Westerner tells the tale of Vinegaroon, Texas, a town run by Judge Roy Bean. The corrupt judge befriends Cole Harden, a drifter who is convicted of horse theft. Harden is a con man himself, and ends up talking his way out of a hanging. Gary Cooper never wanted to make the film, thinking that starring alongside Walter Brennan would eclipse his role. But it actually became the first of five pair-ups for the two, the last being “Task Force” in 1949.
#8. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
– Director: John Ford
– IMDb user rating: 7.3
– Runtime: 104 minutes
Captain Nathan Brittles is on the brink of retirement, but he does one last patrol to help fend off a Native American attack. John Wayne was not John Ford’s first choice to play Captain Brittles, a character who was supposed to be twenty years older than Wayne actually was. But Ford changed his mind after seeing Wayne’s performance in “Red River.”
#7. Yellow Sky (1948)
– Director: William A. Wellman
– IMDb user rating: 7.4
– Runtime: 98 minutes
A team of robbers are on the run and hiding out in a ghost town. Here they discover a gun-slinging tomboy and her grandfather, who are intended to be their next target, until one of the gang members falls in love with the granddaughter. The exteriors of the film were shot at Death Valley National Monument. A construction crew built a ghost town in the desert near Lone Pine, California.
#6. The Mark of Zorro (1940)
– Director: Rouben Mamoulian
– IMDb user rating: 7.5
– Runtime: 94 minutes
The son of a California aristocrat returns to the territory only to discover it is in the hands of a dictator. He dons a secret, masked identity to avenge his family’s homeland. “The Mark of Zorro” was a remake of a silent film movie of the same name, and would go on to be remade again in the ’70s, meaning the story has been told without sound, in black-and-white with sound, and in color.
#5. Fort Apache (1948)
– Director: John Ford
– IMDb user rating: 7.5
– Runtime: 128 minutes
A war veteran and his regime find themselves under the command of a younger lieutenant colonel at Fort Apache. Conflicts arise when the more established veterans realize their new commander has no respect for the local tribe. The film was received with critical acclaim, making its way into the American Film Institute’s Top 10 list. Variety praised the film as masterful, using words like “superb” and “tremendous.”
#4. My Darling Clementine (1946)
– Director: John Ford
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Runtime: 97 minutes
The Earp brothers are on a vengeance-seeking mission against the Clanton family after their brother is murdered and their cattle are stolen. According to True West Magazine, Wyatt Earp was a regular in Hollywood back when the Western genre was taking shape. John Ford worked as a prop assistant and would often listen to Earp tell stories about the fight at the O.K. Corral.
#3. Red River (1948)
– Directors: Howard Hawks, Arthur Rosson
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Runtime: 133 minutes
“Red River’ is the story of Tom Dunston, a rancher who is driving his 10,000 cattle to market more than 1,000 miles away. But his dictatorial leadership skills cause a mutiny in his party, led by his adopted son. John Wayne’s performance in “Red River” led to John Ford casting him in complicated roles in his films. Prior to this performance in “Red River,” Ford never fully believed the breadth and scope of Wayne’s skills.
#2. The Ox-Bow Incident (1942)
– Director: William A. Wellman
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Runtime: 75 minutes
Three men are accused of killing a local farmer. They are captured by a local posse, who quickly become divided over whether or not the men deserve a hanging. The movie received very positive reviews, especially over the raw, unfiltered portrayals of hangings. Variety says “hardly a gruesome detail is omitted,” but means this as a compliment.
#1. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
– Director: John Huston
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Runtime: 126 minutes
Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston star in this iconic Western that tells the story of two Americans in Mexico looking for work. They smooth-talk an old prospector into helping them pan for gold in the rugged Sierra Madre Mountains. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest Westerns of all time. It won four Academy Awards and in 1990 it was chosen for preservation in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
