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| 6 | [[quoteright:348:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/guns_from_westerns005_5884.jpg]] |
| 7 | |
| 8 | ->''"[[UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC Washington [=[DC]=]]] is not a place to live in. The rents are high, the food is bad, the dust is disgusting and the morals are deplorable. Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country!"'' |
| 9 | -->-- '''Horace Greeley''' |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Any story set in [[TheWildWest the American West]] during the frontier era: A period of history generally marked from about 1865 (the end of UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar) to 1890 (the year the US Census Bureau declared the frontier closed). |
| 12 | |
| 13 | Perhaps surprisingly, the Western genre is OlderThanTheyThink; in fact, it ''predates'' the classic Western era. It has its roots in the early 19th-century novels of Creator/JamesFenimoreCooper (set in the then-frontier, which was well east of the Mississippi at the time) and his imitators, as well as 19th-century "dime novels" -- meaning that, like the gangster films of TheThirties, the genre was originally pretty much contemporary with its source material. In fact, no less a figure than [[TheGunslinger Wild Bill Hickok]] was already a star in dozens of embellished stories by the time he died in 1876. By the turn of the century, a lot of the stock Western tropes had already been established in popular imagination: see WesternCharacters. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Westerns made a very early leap to film with ''Film/TheGreatTrainRobbery1903''. William S. Hart (''Film/HellsHinges'' and many other films) became the first big star of movie Westerns. Westerns remained popular throughout the next few decades, though their golden age truly arrived in the 1930s. What also comes to a surprise to many is that Westerns are almost as old as a literary genre in Europe as in America, due to the success of the aforementioned James F. Cooper spawning imitators starting with works like ''Tokeah'' (1829 in English, 1833 in German) by Austrian Charles Sealsfield (real name: Carl Anton Postl). Other pioneering European works were ''Die Regulatoren von Arkansas'' (1846) by German Friedrich Gerstäcker, ''Le Coureur de Bois'' (1850) by Frenchman Gabriel Ferry, and ''The Rifle Rangers'' (1850) by Thomas Mayne Read from Ulster. European film Westerns also date back to before World War I, one being made by Sergio Leone's father Vincenzo, who went by the name Roberto Roberti. This led to the beginnings of the "[[Film/{{Winnetou}} Kraut]]" and "{{Spaghetti Western}}s" in the 1960s. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Enormously popular on TV and in the {{movies}} in the 1950s and 1960s. In fact, there were about ''fifty'' American western TV series running at about the same time over when there were at most 3–4 TV networks, not including FirstRunSyndication. The major series included: ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}'', ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'', ''Series/WagonTrain'', ''Series/{{Rawhide}}'', ''Series/{{Branded|1965}}'', ''Series/TheWildWildWest'', ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'', ''Series/TheRifleman'', ''Series/TheBigValley''... |
| 18 | |
| 19 | In recent decades, the genre has become increasingly rare on TV, though it has never entirely vanished from public view: TheSeventies had ''Series/KungFu1972'', ''Series/TheLifeAndTimesOfGrizzlyAdams'' and ''Series/LittleHouseOnThePrairie''; TheNineties brought ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman''; ''Series/{{Deadwood}}'' was a critical success in the TurnOfTheMillennium; and TheNewTens have seen such efforts as ''Series/{{Godless}}'', ''Series/HellOnWheels'', and HBO's ''Series/{{Westworld}}''. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | Common plotlines include a CattleDrive, a TrainJob, and a BankRobbery. There's a WantedPoster on every wall and it's [[TheSavageSouth more savage the further south you go]]. The settings are the vast plains, cattle ranches, small, dusty frontier towns (either just-formed and lawless, or established), saloons, railways (often newly built), isolated wilderness, and [[BleakBorderBase remote military forts]]. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | Much has been made of the distinction between the "classic" Western and the "[[{{Deconstruction}} revisionist]]" Western, the former being shiny and heroic, the latter DarkerAndEdgier and often embodying a paradox: "Civilization can only be defended from barbarians by men with guns, but [[HeWhoFightsMonsters once you pick up a gun, you become a barbarian yourself]]." However, this distinction -- which essentially arose in the 1970s, when a more serious and more political critique of mass entertainment arose -- is only defined in the fuzziest of terms, and many of the conventions analyzed and criticized were not imposed by the genre itself but by the general self-censorship of the media, and thus the "classic Western" never remained static, while "revisionist" points of view and deconstructions of tropes would become mainstream soon enough. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | For instance, you can't get much more "classic" in a Western movie than ''Film/{{Stagecoach}}'' (1939), but that already was an attempt by Creator/JohnFord to [[UnbuiltTrope turn as many of the then-existing conventions on their ear as possible]] and to go as far as he would be allowed to under the constraints of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode. It did not help to make the distinction any clearer that every decade some new Western will be promoted as "finally a realistic portrayal" of life in the Old West or among Native Americans, usually by implicitly or explicitly badmouthing all previous movies as "unrealistic" and "romanticized". For instance, one of the most famous modern examples of the {{Deconstruction}} of the genre is ''Film/LittleBigMan'' about a man adopted by a Native American tribe who are apparently the only "civilized" people depicted in the West, with the European colonizer population a bunch of violent idiots, with General George Custer being the worst of the murderous bunch. In fact, one of the major blows to the genre being taken seriously was the blockbuster success of Creator/MelBrooks's celebrated comedy ''Film/BlazingSaddles'': not only did it mercilessly poke fun at the genre's conventions, but also spotlighted the historical elements of the period that most westerns chose to ignore like minority groups, systemic racial oppression and its brutalities. After that kind of hilarious ribbing allowing the exposure of historical truths to make its point easily, any attempt to produce a western without any mention of the latter risked coming off as ridiculous and blinkered. |
| 26 | |
| 27 | The Western is usually set on the American frontier, but sometimes go farther afield to places like Alaska (''Film/NorthToAlaska'', ''The Far Country''), Mexico (''Film/TheWildBunch'', ''Film/VeraCruz'', ''Film/TheProfessionals''), [[CanadianWestern Canada]] (''Film/NorthWestMountedPolice''), South America (''Film/{{Blackthorn}}'', ''Film/{{TheSettlers|2023}}''), and Australia (''Film/TheProposition'', ''Film/QuigleyDownUnder''). |
| 28 | |
| 29 | In terms of time, there is a bit of debate over the start and end dates. The genre's heyday (as stated above) is [[BrieferThanTheyThink a 25-year span in the 19th century]], but there are [[DawnOfTheWildWest examples set earlier]] (''Film/DrumsAlongTheMohawk'' takes place during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution when upstate New York was frontier country) and [[TwilightOfTheOldWest later into the early 20th century]] (Creator/SamPeckinpah's ''Film/TheBalladOfCableHogue'' ends with the title character ''getting hit by a car'', and his ''Film/TheWildBunch'' ends with a gunfight dominated by a UsefulNotes/WorldWarI-era machine gun. Likewise, ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' features early automobiles, machine guns, oil rigs, and a World War I-era US Army). An increasingly common period for the genre is the 1850s or thereabouts, because it allows for stories dealing with the evils of slavery (''Film/DjangoUnchained''). Of course, any work dealing with the [[UsefulNotes/{{Texas}} Texas Revolution]] will be set in the 1830s. Regardless, it is generally accepted that the cut-off date for a "true" Western is 1920. For series that use Western tropes but are set in modern times, see NewOldWest. |
| 30 | |
| 31 | A subtrope of PeriodPiece. Often overlaps with SettlingTheFrontier. See also WesternCharacters, TheSevenWesternPlots, and SpaghettiWestern. Also a reason why [[SmallReferencePools most people believe]] AllDesertsHaveCacti -- the majority of Westerns were filmed at KirksRock. |
| 32 | |
| 33 | When a series that isn't a Western visits TheWildWest or borrows heavily from its imagery for a story, it is a CowboyEpisode. |
| 34 | |
| 35 | UsefulNotes/TheWest refers to the civilizational area of that name, the storytelling genres of which include the Western (mostly as an Americana). |
| 36 | ---- |
| 37 | !!{{Hybrid Genre}}s based around Westerns |
| 38 | [[index]] |
| 39 | * CanadianWestern = The Western set in Canada, typically during the Klondike Gold Rush |
| 40 | * CattlePunk = The Western plus ScienceFiction, SteamPunk, or PunkPunk |
| 41 | * SpaceWestern or WagonTrainToTheStars = The Western plus RecycledInSpace |
| 42 | * WeirdWest = The Western plus SupernaturalFiction |
| 43 | * NewOldWest = The Western plus ThePresentDay or TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture |
| 44 | * SamuraiCowboy = The Western plus FeudalJapan |
| 45 | * SpaghettiWestern = The DarkerAndEdgier, BloodierAndGorier westerns made by (mostly) Italian filmmakers |
| 46 | * DawnOfTheWildWest = The Western plus DawnOfAnEra |
| 47 | * TwilightOfTheOldWest = The Western plus EndOfAnAge |
| 48 | |
| 49 | !!Western works indexes |
| 50 | * IndexOfFilmWesterns |
| 51 | * WesternLiterature |
| 52 | * WesternSeries |
| 53 | [[/index]] |
| 54 | |
| 55 | For a list of tropes associated with Westerns, see WildWestTropes. |
| 56 | |
| 57 | Osterns (Easterns) are Westerns made in the Eastern Bloc, whether they are strictly set in the Old West or closer to home. Examples include the Soviet ''Film/WhiteSunOfTheDesert'' (set in Central Asia during the Russian Civil War), East Germany's Film/DEFAWesterns, and Polish ''Wilcze Echa'' (set immediately after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII with looters and guerillas instead of bandits). |
| 58 | |
| 59 | ---- |
| 60 | !!Examples |
| 61 | |
| 62 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 63 | |
| 64 | [[folder:Advertising]] |
| 65 | * ''Advertising/TheGreatCrunchieTrainRobbery'' |
| 66 | [[/folder]] |
| 67 | |
| 68 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 69 | * ''Manga/AngelGunfighter'' by Creator/OsamuTezuka, possibly the earliest Western in manga. |
| 70 | * ''Manga/CaptainKen'' by Creator/OsamuTezuka, a SpaceWestern, possibly the first manga about that subgenre. |
| 71 | * ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' is a Space Western |
| 72 | * ''Manga/GoldenKamuy'' by Satoru Noda, though it's set in Meji-era Hokkaido. |
| 73 | * ''Manga/GunBlazeWest'' is a Shonen Western. |
| 74 | * ''Manga/GreenBlood'' |
| 75 | * ''Manga/{{Miriam}}'' is a romance Western. |
| 76 | * ''Manga/MisterCactus'' |
| 77 | * ''Anime/OutlawStar'' |
| 78 | * ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' |
| 79 | [[/folder]] |
| 80 | |
| 81 | [[folder:Comedy]] |
| 82 | * German comedian Otto Waalkes alludes to the genre in four words: "Westwärts, westwärts...bis Scharbeutz!" [[note]]The explaining note has to be a tad longer. A faithful translation might be "Westward Ho...until Gouldsboro!", since [[ArtisticLicenseGeography Scharbeutz is a one-horse town about as eastward you could get in pre-unification Germany]]. Also, this is only the prelude to a raunchy sketch about two horny prairie bulls, accompanied by a version of [[Film/PaintYourWagon "I Was Born Under A Wandering Star".]][[/note]] |
| 83 | [[/folder]] |
| 84 | |
| 85 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 86 | %% * ''ComicBook/BatLash'' |
| 87 | * The [[FrancoBelgianComics Belgian]] series ''Bessy'', created by Willy Vandersteen and his studio, features the adventures of a [[{{Expy}} Lassie-like Collie]] [[ABoyAndHisX and her owner]], after a while shifted to serving the [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff West German]] market. It ran from 1952 to 1980. |
| 88 | %% * ''ComicBook/{{Blueberry}}'' |
| 89 | * The French series ''Coeur brûlé'' ("Burned Heart", 1991-2000, seven albums) and ''Plume aux Vents'' ("Feather in the Winds", 1995-2002, four albums) by writer Patrick Cothias and artists Jean-Paul Dethorey and André Juillard are largely set in Québec in the 17th century, in the early days of the French colony there. They are parts of the larger cycle of series ''Les 7 Vies de l'Épervier''. |
| 90 | %% * ''ComicBook/{{Gunsmoke}}'' |
| 91 | * ''ComicBook/TheGhostRider'' (1967) is a Western with a few fantastic elements. The titular Ghost Rider doesn't have supernatural powers, but he's a masked TerrorHero who uses trickery and illusion to convince his foes that they're fighting something more than human. |
| 92 | * Another long-running [[FrancoBelgianComics Franco-Belgian series]] was the more serious and realistic ''Jerry Spring'' (1954-1978), originally created by Jijé. |
| 93 | %% * ''ComicBook/JonahHex'' |
| 94 | %% ** ''ComicBook/JonahHex2005'' (Vol. 2). |
| 95 | %% ** ''ComicBook/AllStarWestern'' (Vol. 3). |
| 96 | %% * ''ComicBook/JudgeColt'' |
| 97 | %% * ''ComicBook/KBarKate'' |
| 98 | * ''ComicBook/TheKents'', series about Franchise/{{Superman}}'s human ancestors in the old west. |
| 99 | %% * ''ComicBook/KidColt'' |
| 100 | * ''ComicBook/KidColt2009'' is a straightforward Western tale, despite its connections to the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, and has none of the fantastic elements or brightly costumed villains that appear in some of Kid Colt's earlier tales. |
| 101 | * Some of the chapters of ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'' show young Scrooge's adventures as a cowboy. |
| 102 | * ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'' by Creator/{{Morris}} and (largely) Creator/ReneGoscinny, an AffectionateParody of the western genre from the [[FrancoBelgianComics francophone part of Europe]]. |
| 103 | * ''ComicBook/MarshalBass'', a heavily romanticized telling of Bass Reeves' life, particularly his family life. |
| 104 | * ''ComicBook/TheMaskedMarvel'' |
| 105 | * After the rights to Creator/KarlMay's novels fell into the public domain in 1962, his Western stories were adapted into several comic series. The most famous and most well-researched one (1962-1964), which also is in many ways truer to the novels than the films, was written and drawn by Helmut Nickel (whose main job was as a curator in the Metropolitan Museum in New York) for the West German Lehning Verlag. |
| 106 | * Before ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}},'' René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo collaborated on ''Oumpah-Pah'', a humorous series set in New France (Canada) in the 18th century. The series has been collected into three and five albums. |
| 107 | %% * ''ComicBook/RawhideKid'' |
| 108 | * Another comic series produced in Belgium for the West German market was ''Silberpfeil -- Der junge Häuptling'' ("Silver Arrow -- The Young Chief"), which ran from 1970 to 1988. |
| 109 | * The longest running and currently best selling Italian comic book, ''ComicBook/TexWiller'', is a Western. Published since 1948, and thus actually predating the SpaghettiWestern movies, it preceded them in using some of their famous tropes, such as a good attitude towards (some) Indians: the titular character is a Texas Ranger and "the White chief of the Navajos", had a Navajo wife, and [[WalkingTheEarth walks the Earth]] righting wrongs with his trusty Indian friend Tiger Jack, his son Kit Willer, and most commonly, his also ranger friend Kit Carson. |
| 110 | * Creator/{{Herge}} had a lifelong fascination with the North American Plains Tribes, so it was no surprise that in ''Recap/TintinTintinInAmerica'', a story that pits Tintin against UsefulNotes/AlCapone, the hero somehow [[CowboyEpisode ends up on an Indian Reservation]]. In the 1930s Hergé also did the ephemeral series called ''Popol et Virginie au Far-West'', a funny-animal Western. |
| 111 | %% * ''ComicBook/{{Varmints}}'' |
| 112 | * ''ComicBook/SargentoKirk'', from Argentina (but still set in the US) predates the "revisionist" western by a pair of decades. |
| 113 | [[/folder]] |
| 114 | |
| 115 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 116 | * Gordon Bess's ''ComicStrip/{{Redeye}}'' (1967-2008) was another newspaper strip. |
| 117 | * The old [[NewspaperComics newspaper strip]] ''Rick O'Shay'' had the distinction of being illustrated for a time by [[Creator/ChuckJones Chuck Jones's]] wife, Marian. |
| 118 | * ''ComicStrip/{{Tumbleweeds}}'', a long-running (1965-2007) NewspaperComic strip by Tom Ryan. |
| 119 | [[/folder]] |
| 120 | |
| 121 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 122 | * ''Fanfic/OldWest'', a {{continuation}} of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'' (see the Film section below). |
| 123 | [[/folder]] |
| 124 | |
| 125 | [[folder:Film]] |
| 126 | * See IndexOfFilmWesterns for an index of movie westerns. |
| 127 | * Creator/SergioLeone's iconic {{Spaghetti Western}}s: |
| 128 | ** ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'', known as much for its score as its story. |
| 129 | ** Film/AFistfulOfDollars |
| 130 | ** Film/ForAFewDollarsMore |
| 131 | ** Film/OnceUponATimeInTheWest |
| 132 | ** Film/AFistfulOfDynamite |
| 133 | * The film adaptations of Creator/LouisLAmour: |
| 134 | ** ''Film/CrossfireTrail'' |
| 135 | * The film adaptation of ''Film/{{Shane}}''. |
| 136 | * ''Film/{{Sartana}}'' |
| 137 | * Creator/JohnFord is perhaps the most important director in the genre, responsible for must-watch films like: |
| 138 | ** ''Film/TheIronHorse'' |
| 139 | ** ''Film/{{Stagecoach}}'' |
| 140 | ** ''Film/DrumsAlongTheMohawk'' |
| 141 | ** ''Film/MyDarlingClementine'' |
| 142 | ** ''Film/FortApache'' |
| 143 | ** ''Film/SheWoreAYellowRibbon'' |
| 144 | ** ''Film/RioGrande'' |
| 145 | ** ''Film/TheSearchers'' |
| 146 | ** ''Film/TheManWhoShotLibertyValance'' |
| 147 | ** ''Film/HowTheWestWasWon'' |
| 148 | ** ''Film/CheyenneAutumn'' |
| 149 | * Creator/HowardHawks also did a number of classic westerns, mostly starring Creator/JohnWayne: |
| 150 | ** ''Film/RedRiver'' |
| 151 | ** ''Film/RioBravo'' |
| 152 | ** ''Film/ElDorado'' |
| 153 | ** ''Film/RioLobo'' |
| 154 | * ''Film/HighNoon'' |
| 155 | * ''Film/{{The Magnificent Seven|1960}}'' |
| 156 | * ''Film/TheProposition'', a western set in Australia |
| 157 | * ''Film/QuigleyDownUnder'', another western [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin set in Australia]]. |
| 158 | * ''Film/{{TheSettlers|2023}}'' is a revisionist western film set in Chile and Argentina. |
| 159 | * ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'', sort of. |
| 160 | * ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest'' |
| 161 | * ''Film/YoungGuns'' and ''Film/YoungGunsII'' |
| 162 | * ''Film/{{Silverado}}'' |
| 163 | * ''Film/TheQuickAndTheDead'' |
| 164 | * ''Film/TheWildBunch'', a violent western set in the TwilightOfTheOldWest, directed by Creator/SamPeckinpah. |
| 165 | * ''Film/WhiteSunOfTheDesert'' -- the most famous Soviet Ostern |
| 166 | * ''Film/TrueGrit'' |
| 167 | * Anthony Mann directed a series of excellent '50s films, starring Creator/JimmyStewart, that employed elements of FilmNoir in an Old West setting. |
| 168 | ** ''Winchester '73'' |
| 169 | ** ''Film/BendInTheRiver'' |
| 170 | ** ''Film/TheNakedSpur'' |
| 171 | ** ''TheFarCountry'' |
| 172 | ** ''Film/TheManFromLaramie'' |
| 173 | * Deconstructions such as ''Film/McCabeAndMrsMiller'' and ''Film/DeadMan'', and parodies like ''Film/BlazingSaddles'' and ''Film/SupportYourLocalSheriff''. |
| 174 | * ''Film/{{Tombstone}}'' |
| 175 | * Known for epitomizing the hero of the modern {{Western}}, Creator/ClintEastwood directed quite a few of them as well: |
| 176 | ** ''Film/{{Unforgiven}}'' is a SpiritualSuccessor to Creator/ClintEastwood's many western characters. |
| 177 | ** ''Film/TheOutlawJoseyWales'' |
| 178 | ** ''Film/PaleRider'' |
| 179 | ** ''Film/HighPlainsDrifter'' |
| 180 | * ''Film/TheTreasureOfTheSierraMadre''. Unfortunately, most modern audiences only know it for the line "We don't need no [[BeamMeUpScotty stinking]] badges!" as relayed through ''Film/BlazingSaddles''. |
| 181 | * UsefulNotes/{{West German|y}} movies based upon the work of author Creator/KarlMay, like ''Film/DerSchatzImSilbersee''. |
| 182 | ** The German comedy ''Film/DerSchuhDesManitu'' is a grand spoof of these movies. |
| 183 | ** The Film/DEFAWesterns, their [[UsefulNotes/EastGermany East German]] counterparts. |
| 184 | * ''Film/UndeadOrAlive'' |
| 185 | * ''Film/TheUnforgiven'' |
| 186 | * ''Film/TheBurrowers'' |
| 187 | * ''Film/TheWarriorsWay'' |
| 188 | * ''Film/{{Maverick}}'', a rare example of a western comedy. |
| 189 | * ''Film/ThreeTenToYuma1957'' was a 1957 western film which was [[Film/ThreeTenToYuma2007 remade in 2007]]. |
| 190 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'' is an animated film by [[Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic ILM]] that is an AffectionateParody of western films in general. |
| 191 | ** ''WesternAnimation/Cinderella3D'', the MockBuster of the above film. They try to make it interesting by placing Cinderella in the west, but it just falls flat. |
| 192 | * ''Film/OnceUponATexasTrain'' |
| 193 | * ''Film/{{Posse}}'', a 1993 western directed by Mario Van Peebles. |
| 194 | * ''Film/{{Django}}'' |
| 195 | * Creator/QuentinTarantino has directed two spaghetti-style westerns. |
| 196 | ** ''Film/DjangoUnchained'' (2012), a revenge story about an ex-slave out to rescue his wife. |
| 197 | ** ''Film/TheHatefulEight'' (2016), an Creator/AgathaChristie-esque thriller |
| 198 | * ''Film/{{Utu}}'' (1983), a UsefulNotes/{{New Zealand}} Western where the Maori fill the role of the Indians. |
| 199 | * ''Film/BoneTomahawk'' is a horror/western. |
| 200 | * ''Film/HeavensGate'' infamous for it BoxOfficeBomb status that turned into somewhat of a GenreKiller. |
| 201 | * ''Film/TheAppleDumplingGang'' is a children's entry from Disney. |
| 202 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpiritStallionOfTheCimarron'' is an animated Western presented from the point of view of a wild ''horse.'' |
| 203 | * ''Film/DancesWithWolves'' is a film about the Native American experience, [[DeconstructorFleet deconstructing]] much of the genre's mythology. |
| 204 | * ''Film/TheGoodTheBadTheWeird'' is a South Korean film heavily inspired by ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly''. Part loving homage to Spaghetti westerns, part AffectionateParody of them, and an original western in its own right. Set in Manchuria during the early years of the second Sino-Japanese War, the film depicts a stoical bounty hunter, an unhinged hitman and a hapless thief who are pitted against each through their own goals surrounding a mysterious treasure map. |
| 205 | * ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'' may be set in Scandinavian Europe, but it has heavy Western vibes, like people riding, Elsa breaking a bronco, canoes, vast nature, Scandinavian versions of Native Americans, and a wandering troop of soldiers at the frontier. Justified when you consider that Northern Scandinavia was a frontier of its own until about UsefulNotesWorldWarI, with gold rushes, natives, bandits, even gunfighters |
| 206 | [[/folder]] |
| 207 | |
| 208 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 209 | * See also WesternLiterature. |
| 210 | * ''Series/TheVirginian'', the [[TropeMaker father]] of 20th-century Western literature. |
| 211 | * Almost every novel written by Creator/LouisLAmour. |
| 212 | ** Including ''Literature/TheCalifornios'' |
| 213 | * ''Literature/LonesomeDove''. And most of the other novels by Creator/LarryMcMurtry, to varying degrees. |
| 214 | * ''Literature/BloodMeridian'', albeit BloodierAndGorier and DarkerAndEdgier than most westerns to the point of near-unrecognisability |
| 215 | * Franchise/TheDarkTower novels by Creator/StephenKing, most notably ''Literature/TheGunslinger, Literature/WolvesOfTheCalla'' and Roland's backstory in ''Literature/WizardAndGlass'', borrow extensively from this genre. The latter story even lampshades this when the other members of his ''[[TrueCompanions ka-tet]]'' ask if the tale he's going to tell is a Western. A puzzled Roland replies that it does, indeed, take place in the Western Baronies... |
| 216 | * ''Literature/DecomposingAngel'' set in the 21. century and not a horse in sight. |
| 217 | * ''Literature/{{Flashman}} and the Redskins'' by Creator/GeorgeMacDonaldFraser |
| 218 | * Zane Grey novels. |
| 219 | * ''Literature/{{Winnetou}}'' and other novels by German author Creator/KarlMay. |
| 220 | * The Tecumseh novels by German author Fritz Steuben (Egon Wittke). |
| 221 | * ''Die Söhne der großen Bärin'' ("The Sons of the Great She-Bear") and its sequels by German author Lieselotte Welskopf-Henrich. The film adaptation of the first was the first of the Film/DEFAWesterns. |
| 222 | * Many of Bret Harte's Gold Rush stories qualify, and are one of the earlier examples, since he wrote in the mid-to-late 1800s. Harte invented several Western character types including the FortyNiner (naturally), ChineseLaborer and ChineseLaunderer, the {{Schoolmarm}}, and the ProfessionalGambler. Harte's stories prefigure the kind of Western like ''Series/{{Maverick}}'' or ''Film/SupportYourLocalGunfighter'', which have a somewhat humorous tone but are set in a WretchedHive. |
| 223 | * Stephen Crane's story ''The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky'' is a humorous western, telling of a seedy town's marshal returning with a MailOrderBride, who while neither young nor that pretty is seen by him as cultured and sophisticated. He habitually has conflicts with a drunken RetiredOutlaw, and the latter's plans to duel him to the death in the street falls apart because he's [[HeManWomanHater so discomfited learning that his rival has gotten married]]. |
| 224 | * Johnston [=McCully's=] ''Franchise/{{Zorro}}'' stories probably qualify, although they're set back when California still belonged to UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}. |
| 225 | * ''Radio/TheLoneRanger'' stories by Fran Stryker. |
| 226 | * ''Literature/TheWesternMysteries'' |
| 227 | * The novels of Creator/JTEdson. |
| 228 | * The novels of Jack Schaefer, most notably ''Literature/{{Shane}}'', the source material for the famous film. |
| 229 | * The Literature/BenSnow mysteries by Edward D. Hoch. |
| 230 | * Almost everything by Creator/WaltCoburn. |
| 231 | * ''Literature/TheWorstShotsInTheWest'' is obviously one, and a TallTale too. |
| 232 | * R.D Blackmore's ''Literature/LornaDoone'', originally published in 1869 when the "dime novel" westerns were beginning to become popular, plays with the trope. It's the story of a strong-but-silent type in an isolated farming community in the lawless western wilds of a country recently torn apart by civil war and which could easily go that way again. He must stand against a ruthless outlaw gang who terrorise the farmers with near-impunity, thanks to their distance from the established government back east and the weakness and corruption of local authorities, in order to rescue the woman he loves, right a historic wrong done to his family and bring justice to the region. The catch? It's set in 17th century England, not 19th century America. |
| 233 | [[/folder]] |
| 234 | |
| 235 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 236 | * See also WesternSeries. |
| 237 | * ''Series/EighteenEightyThree'' |
| 238 | * ''Series/TheBigValley'' - a 60s-style Western, with reasonable diversity and plenty of moralizing. |
| 239 | * ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'' |
| 240 | * ''Series/BraveEagle'' |
| 241 | * ''Series/{{Deadwood}}'' |
| 242 | * ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}'' |
| 243 | * ''Series/TheRifleman'' |
| 244 | * ''Series/{{Justified}}'' - A modern day Western of sorts set in Kentucky. |
| 245 | * ''Series/{{Laramie}}'': Running for four seasons from 1959 to 1963, this series revolved around the mishaps, scraps and troubles of brothers Slim and Andy Sherman and their hired man Jess Harper as they ran the Sherman Ranch, which also doubles as a stagecoach stop for the Great Central Overland Mail Company. |
| 246 | * ''Series/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'', a classic Western FamilyDrama |
| 247 | * ''Series/TheAdventuresOfBriscoCountyJr'' : The Western meets zany comedy and some snazzy SteamPunk... |
| 248 | * ''Series/BestOfTheWest'' was an earlier (1981-1982) comedic take on the western. |
| 249 | * ''Series/TheDakotas'' |
| 250 | * ''Series/TheGospelBillShow'' - A [[TheMoralSubstitute Christian-produced]], kid-oriented Western series. |
| 251 | * ''Series/TheWildWildWest'': The western meets Franchise/JamesBond. |
| 252 | * ''Series/{{Branded|1965}}'': The Western meets ''Series/TheFugitive''. |
| 253 | * ''Radio/TheLoneRanger'': The TV show is the Ranger's best-known incarnation, but he had previously appeared in novels and on radio, and has since appeared in comics, film, and animation. |
| 254 | * ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'' |
| 255 | * ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman'', another rare example of a Western FamilyDrama [[JustForFun/XMeetsY slash]] NinetiesAdventureShow |
| 256 | * ''Series/LonesomeDove'', an adaptation of the book. |
| 257 | * ''Series/HellOnWheels'': Gritty drama following the expansion of the Railroad. |
| 258 | * ''Series/FTroop'': SitCom set at a western Army outpost. |
| 259 | * ''Series/TheYoungRiders'': The Pony Express |
| 260 | * ''Series/StrangeEmpire'', a unique example of a Western centered around women. |
| 261 | * ''My Friend Literature/{{Winnetou}}'' (originally titled "Mein Freund Winnetou" and "Winnetou le Mescaléro"), a 1980 German-French-Swiss co-production loosely based on Creator/KarlMay. It ran for 14 episodes and (of course) starred Pierre Brice in the title role. |
| 262 | * ''Series/KungFu1972'' is a crossover with the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin martial arts genre,]] featuring a half-white, half-Chinese hero WalkingTheEarth. |
| 263 | * Again, Disney's ''Seroes/{{Zorro|1957}}'' probably counts, despite being set in old ''Spanish'' California, before the Mexican War. |
| 264 | * ''[[Series/{{Maverick}} Maverick]]'' is a show about a lovable wandering gambler (and his brothers), starring James Garner. The inspiration for the above-mentioned film of the same name. |
| 265 | * ''Series/TheCiscoKid'' is exceptional for featuring a couple of Mexican guys as the heroes. Was also one of the very first color TV series. |
| 266 | * ''Series/HereComeTheBrides'': Set in UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}}, and loosely based on the story of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercer_Girls Mercer Girls]]. |
| 267 | * ''Series/WalkerIndepence'' is a prequel of ''Series/{{Walker|2021}}'' and follows Cordell Walker's ancestor, Abby Walker, in the 1800s. |
| 268 | [[/folder]] |
| 269 | |
| 270 | [[folder:Pinball]] |
| 271 | * Played for laughs in ''Pinball/CactusCanyon''. |
| 272 | * ''Pinball/ElDorado'' (and its variations ''Gold Strike'' and ''Lucky Strike'') take place in the Southwest desert. |
| 273 | * One of the tables in ''VideoGame/PsychoPinball'' is called "The Wild West". |
| 274 | [[/folder]] |
| 275 | |
| 276 | [[folder:Radio Drama]] |
| 277 | * ''The Challenge of the Yukon,'' a CanadianWestern starring a mountie and his sled dog |
| 278 | * ''Series/TheCiscoKid'' |
| 279 | * ''Fort Laramie'' |
| 280 | * ''Frontier Gentleman'' |
| 281 | * ''Frontier Town'' |
| 282 | * ''Radio/{{Gunsmoke}}'' |
| 283 | * ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'' |
| 284 | * ''Hopalong Cassidy'' |
| 285 | * ''Radio/TheLoneRanger'' |
| 286 | * ''Radio/RidersRadioTheater'' |
| 287 | * ''Radio/TheSixShooter'' |
| 288 | * ''Tales of the Texas Rangers'' |
| 289 | * ''Literature/{{Winnetou}}'', a ten-part West German radio drama series was first broadcast in 1956. In 2000 an ensemble of German comedians led by Jürgen von der Lippe recorded it again for fun, using the original scripts. The latter version was also produced on CD. |
| 290 | [[/folder]] |
| 291 | |
| 292 | [[folder:Tabletop RPG]] |
| 293 | * ''[[TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse Werewolf: The Wild West]]'' |
| 294 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}'' |
| 295 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' supplement ''Western Hero'' |
| 296 | * ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} Old West'' |
| 297 | * ''TabletopGame/AcesAndEightsShatteredFrontiers'' by Kenzer and Company |
| 298 | * ''TabletopGame/BootHill'' by Creator/{{TSR}} |
| 299 | * ''Sidewinder: Wild West Adventures'' (d20) by Citizen Games |
| 300 | [[/folder]] |
| 301 | |
| 302 | [[folder:Theme Parks]] |
| 303 | * ''{{Ride/Tweetsie Railroad}}'' |
| 304 | [[/folder]] |
| 305 | |
| 306 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 307 | * ''VideoGame/CallOfJuarez'' |
| 308 | ** ''VideoGame/CallOfJuarezBoundInBlood'' |
| 309 | ** ''VideoGame/CallOfJuarezGunslinger'' |
| 310 | * ''VideoGame/DeadMansHand'' |
| 311 | * ''VideoGame/{{GUN}}'' |
| 312 | * ''VideoGame/GunfighterTheLegendOfJesseJames'' |
| 313 | * ''VideoGame/HardWest'', TurnBasedTactics in the WeirdWest |
| 314 | * ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcersIIGunFighters'' |
| 315 | * The ''Red Dead'' franchise: |
| 316 | ** ''VideoGame/RedDeadRevolver'' |
| 317 | ** ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' |
| 318 | ** ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'' |
| 319 | * ''VideoGame/{{Outlaws}}'' |
| 320 | * ''VideoGame/RisingZanTheSamuraiGunman'' |
| 321 | * ''VideoGame/SunsetRiders'' |
| 322 | * ''VideoGame/SecretPonchos'' |
| 323 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Desperados}}'' series of ''Commandos''-like stealth strategy games |
| 324 | ** The ''VideoGame/DesperadosIII'' |
| 325 | * The ''[[Videogame/EighteenSixtySixAMountAndBladeWestern 1866]]'' and ''[[http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/board,235.0.html 1860's Old America]]'' {{Game Mod}}s for ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade'' |
| 326 | * The earliest example is probably the 1975 Creator/{{Midway|Games}} arcade game ''Gun Fight'' |
| 327 | * ''Wild Western'' |
| 328 | * ''VideoGame/WildArms'' |
| 329 | * ''High Noon'' |
| 330 | * ''Guns' n' Glory'' |
| 331 | * ''Bank Panic'' |
| 332 | * ''Blood Bros.'' |
| 333 | * ''VideoGame/DeadMansHand'' |
| 334 | * ''The Westerner'' |
| 335 | * ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' is basically traditional ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' set in The West. |
| 336 | ** Then you have the ''VideoGame/NewVegasBounties'' mods, which are basically a series of Western-themed themed quests, involving bounty hunting, wanted posters, outlaws, and revolvers. |
| 337 | * 1979's ''VideoGame/{{Sheriff}}'' is this. It's also Shigeru Miyamoto's first game, and one of Nintendo's earliest. |
| 338 | * ''VideoGame/WildGunman'' |
| 339 | * ''VideoGame/DillonsRollingWestern'' is this but with an armadillo and tower defense. |
| 340 | * ''{{VideoGame/Westerado}}''. |
| 341 | * The ''Westward'' series by Sandlot Interactive, excluding ''Westward Kingdoms''(set in medieval times) |
| 342 | * ''VideoGame/GunSmoke'' (Capcom game unrelated to the TV series) |
| 343 | * ''VideoGame/{{Boktai}}'' isn't exactly a Western itself, but draws heavily on the genre. |
| 344 | * ''VideoGame/DustATaleOfTheWiredWest'' |
| 345 | * ''VideoGame/FistfulOfFrags'' |
| 346 | * ''VideoGame/RailroadRampage'' - a BeatEmUp set in the West. |
| 347 | * ''VideoGame/SamuraiWestern'' |
| 348 | * ''VideoGame/TheTownWithNoName'' is an AffectionateParody of the genre. |
| 349 | * ''VideoGame/WestOfLoathing,'' The Western plus [[FantasticComedy Comedic Fantasy]] (the classes are a Cowpuncher who really punches cows, a gun-slinging SnakeOilSalesman, or a wizard whose powers come from beans). |
| 350 | * ''VideoGame/WestCowboy'' |
| 351 | * ''VideoGame/WildWestCowboysOfMooMesa'' |
| 352 | * ''VideoGame/PrincessPeachShowtime'': features Peach taking on a [[{{Cowboy}} Cowgirl]] and exploring a series of plays based on TheWildWest. |
| 353 | [[/folder]] |
| 354 | |
| 355 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 356 | * The Unwaking setting in ''Website/TheWanderersLibrary'' is this with a fantasy twist. |
| 357 | [[/folder]] |
| 358 | |
| 359 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 360 | * ''WebAnimation/CliffSide'' is a web animation pilot blending horror comedy themes set in a western setting. It features the adventures of the deadpan Jo, "Two-Bit Jerry" Waylon and Cordie the [[CuteMonsterGirl Spider Girl]]. |
| 361 | [[/folder]] |
| 362 | |
| 363 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 364 | * ''Webcomic/NextTownOver'', a steampunk western published on the web and in print. |
| 365 | * ''Webcomic/PoisonIvyGulch'' |
| 366 | * ''Webcomic/TinaOfTheSouth'', which is set in a version of the Wild West populated by [[WorldOfFunnyAnimals anthropomorphic animals]]. |
| 367 | [[/folder]] |
| 368 | |
| 369 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 370 | * In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', they follow the adventures of [[ShowWithinAShow Bloaty the Tick and Squirmy the Ringworm]] (two parasites living on Spunky) as they go off to the "new frontier" (all the extra weight Spunky has gained). The (mis)adventure follows the setup of a Western; the new setting is a [[TheWildWest Wild West]] setting, and Bloaty and Squirmy become sheriffs who have to get rid of a gang of outlaw mosquitoes that have been terrorizing the town. |
| 371 | * ''WesternAnimation/QuickDrawMcGraw'' |
| 372 | * The ''WesternAnimation/RicochetRabbitAndDroopALongCoyote'' segments on ''The WesternAnimation/MagillaGorilla Show.'' |
| 373 | * ''Posse Impossible,'' a segment of ''WesternAnimation/CBBears'' which piloted three years earlier on the ''WesternAnimation/HongKongPhooey'' finale. |
| 374 | * The Italian cartoon ''WesternAnimation/WestAndSoda'' is an AffectionateParody of the genre. |
| 375 | * ''WesternAnimation/SheriffCalliesWildWest'' bills itself as "the first Western for pre-schoolers". |
| 376 | * ''[=WinneToons=]'' (2007), a 26-episode German series very, very loosely based on ''[[Literature/{{Winnetou}} Winnetou I]]''. It also spawned a 2009 animated film based on ''Film/DerSchatzImSilbersee''. |
| 377 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfCalamityJane'' is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. |
| 378 | * Both the Format Films and the [[Creator/{{Filmation}} Filmation]] versions of ''Radio/TheLoneRanger.'' |
| 379 | * [[Creator/{{Filmation}} Filmation's]] ''[[Franchise/{{Zorro}} The New Adventures of Zorro]]'' is set in old Spanish California. |
| 380 | * Almost any ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short starring Yosemite Sam will have him either as a cowboy or a pirate. |
| 381 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheWhiteCowboy'' |
| 382 | * ''WesternAnimation/WildWestCowboysOfMooMesa'' stars anthropomorphic bulls in a Western setting. |
| 383 | [[/folder]] |
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