Hollywood Westerns

Westerns generally refer to movies that star cowboys or gunfighters during the period between the Civil War to the 1890s. In many Westerns, the main character follows his code of honor, rather than the law, and is caught between the freedom and wildness of the frontier, and the order and restriction of the encroaching ''civilization.'' Western movies reached the peak of their popularity in the 1950s.

The heroes [of Westerns]. . .personify traits which Americans have always admired. Courage, self-reliance, and physical prowess have usually been rated high on the scale. These traits may seem anachronistic in a settled and industrialized society. Indeed, much of the heroes' appeal seems to be connected with a sentimental nostalgia for the freedom of a vanished frontier. The West generally evokes romantic and sentimental moods. . . .The gigantic figure of the legendary hero, standing in bold relief against this picturesque backdrop, represents the perennial drama of man facing the unknown.

^{Source: Steckmesser, Kent Ladd. The Western Hero in History and Legend. University of Oklahoma Press, 1965. 248-255.}