Western Film Book Library – Part 8
It’s
been just about a year since my last column on books on the Western movie
genre, so it’s time for a look at some more interesting books in my collection!
The books featured in this post range from one of the
earliest books in my collection to recently published titles.
I’ll start with an “oldie but goodie,” Shoot-Em-Ups by Les Adams and Buck Rainey.
Shoot-Em-Ups was published by
Arlington House in 1978. It’s a large, heavy hardcover which clocks in at 633
pages.
For those of us who became classic film fans in the
pre-IMDb era, this kind of book is how we looked up movie casts! In between the
credits listings are interesting, educational chapters on the history of
Westerns. Books like this one helped spur my interest in Westerns; as I read
and enjoyed the photographs, I’d make lists of movies I hoped to see one day.
Singing Cowboy Stars is a delightful little volume by Robert W. Phillips. It was published by Gibbs Smith in 1994.
The book reviews 25 Westerns stars in 95 glossy pages. The
book covers some of the expected stars, such as Tex Ritter, Ray Whitley, Gene
Autry, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Dick Foran, and Eddie Dean; it also makes room
for John Wayne and his “Singin’ Sandy” days at Monogram.
Best of all, there’s even a 10-song CD in the back of the
book!
Women in the Films of John Ford was written by David Meuel for McFarland Books, published in 2014. Meuel is also the author of The Noir Western which I recommended in a book column a few years back.
The book covers female characters in a variety of Ford
films in its 196 pages; naturally, many of them appear in Westerns,
including Stagecoach (1939), Rio Grande (1950),
and The Searchers (1956), to name a few. Meuel offers detailed
analyses of both characters and performances. It’s an enjoyable read for those
who love Ford films and also serves as an interesting introduction for those
who are newer to his movies.
Another McFarland book on this list is The Films of Budd Boetticher by Robert Nott, who also wrote a book on Randolph Scott featured here last year. The Boetticher book is 192 pages and was published in 2018. Like the Ford book, not every film covered is a Western, but there are many to be found within its pages.
Nott discusses each film’s production history and
reception, as well as offering his own critical analysis. The book also has a
nice selection of black and white photos. This well-written book is engaging
and informative.
The next pair of books, Cowboy Movie Posters and More Cowboy Movie Posters, were found by a good friend at a Canadian antique mart and sent to me as a gift. Needless to say, I was delighted!
The books were published by Bruce Hershenson in 1994 and
1998, respectively; they’re part of a larger series of books from the founder
of a poster sales website. The images are beautifully reproduced on glossy
pages, with brief accompanying text written by Brian Cook. A visual treat for
Western fans!
The final book featured this month is The John Wayne B-Westerns 1932-1939, written by James L. Neibaur and published by Bear Manor Media.
This 268-page book is a must for Wayne fans, as it traces
the evolution of Wayne’s career throughout the 1930s. The author provides
detailed information on each of Wayne’s “B” films while also
conveying their significance to his overall career.
Wayne had charisma from the outset, but it’s fascinating
tracking his growing ability to command the camera; as I noted in a full-length
review at my personal blog last year, “It’s almost paradoxical, but as
Wayne learned to be more subtle and reactive, he simultaneously became more
interesting to watch.” And beyond Wayne himself, many of the films
described by Neibaur are simply fun viewing.
For many more ideas on Western film reading, please visit
my lists from July 2019, November
2019, May 2020, January
2021, July 2021, August 2022,
and May 2023.
Thanks to James L. Neibaur and Bear Manor Media for providing a review copy of The John Wayne B-Westerns.
…
– Laura Grieve for Classic Movie Hub
Laura can be found at her blog, Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, where she’s been writing about movies since 2005, and on Twitter at @LaurasMiscMovie. A lifelong film fan, Laura loves the classics including Disney, Film Noir, Musicals, and Westerns. She regularly covers Southern California classic film festivals. Laura will scribe on all things western at the ‘Western RoundUp’ for CMH.
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