How the West Was Won
1962  NR  WESTERN  2h 44min
CAST— Carroll Baker, Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Carolyn Jones, Eli Wallach, Robert Preston, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, John Wayne, Richard Widmark
MUSIC— Alfred Newman  DIRECTORS— John Ford, Henry Hathaway, George Marshall

     Won with Bible, fist and gun, the West was inhabited by brave and feisty souls whose determination ran deep. Various stories are told in this epic Western: The Civil War, The Rivers, the Plains, the Outlaws and The Railroad. The first tale proves entertaining as James Stewart, playing a rough trapper, goes through heck and high water after romancing a river-rafting girl. Said girl grows into a dance hall girl who inherits a supposedly overflowing gold mine, as seen in the second part of the saga. A conniving Gregory Peck weasels his way into her heart, at first after a stake in the gold mine, then into romance. The third act is a sweeping fable of the early days of the railroad. George Peppard plays a world weary union soldier whose every effort to keep the railway far from Native American territory is shot down by bureaucracy. He later proves an adept marshal when he foils an attempt to rob a locomotive. Though the second story tends to drag overall the film is a winner, featuring a breathtaking buffalo stampede and impressive stunt work during the exciting train robbery. A talented all-star cast adds panache to the vast storyline, as does impressive direction. Narrated by Spencer Tracy. Later developed into a television series. Oscar-winner for Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound. Deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry.
OUR RATING— ***