How the West Was 'Cast

Join us for a frank and funny conversation with filmmaker Courtney Hoffman, who discusses the dazzling costumes she designed for Jared Moshe's DEAD MAN'S BURDEN and Quentin Tarantino's THE HATEFUL EIGHT. We also talk about THE GOOD TIME GIRLS, an acclaimed short Western starring Laura Dern and Garret Dillahunt that Courtney both wrote and directed. It's a lively interview with...

Join us for a conversation with esteemed film critic Joe Leydon about the new "100 Greatest Western Movies" list he compiled for Cowboys & Indians Magazine. During the episode, Joe reveals why certain films ranked high, while others - like "McCabe and Mrs. Miller," for example - don't appear at all. It's a lively discussion with one of the foremost authorities on...

On this side-splitting episode, co-hosts Andrew Patrick Nelson and Matthew Chernov look at six comedy Westerns made between 1925 and 1998. From a silent classic about the friendship between a man and a cow to the final film of a Saturday Night Live legend, this rollicking roundup of titles is guaranteed to tickle your funny bone. It's the only podcast you'll ever hear that spends as much...

Join us for an interview with award-winning writer-director Maggie Greenwald, whose superb movie "The Ballad of Little Jo" is one of the best Westerns of the '90s. We discuss Maggie's love of the genre, her early work as an indie filmmaker, and we get the inside story about the making of her acclaimed Western. It's a conversation you won't want to miss!

Film historian Andrew Patrick Nelson provides an illuminating look at the cinematic representation of Jesse James by examining six of the most successful and best-known Westerns about the legendary outlaw. From Henry King's 1939 classic "Jesse James" to Andrew Dominik's Oscar-nominated drama "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" from 2007, Nelso...

On this episode, we're heading south of the border to discuss the influential 1954 classic "Vera Cruz." Joining us on the show is award-winning recording artist Sarah Vista, whose brand new album - Songs From the Silver Screen - is already a Western fan favorite. In addition to sharing her thoughts on the film, the incomparable Ms. Vista gives us an inside look at her latest release...

John Wayne's beloved 1953 classic HONDO is arguably the greatest Western the actor made that *wasn't* directed by either John Ford or Howard Hawks. Join co-hosts Andrew Patrick Nelson and Matthew Chernov as they discuss a film that's part frontier adventure, part romantic love story, and part 3D extravaganza. If you're a fan of the Duke, you won't want to miss this super-s...

Thirsty for a new episode? Then pour yourself a shot of whiskey and join Andrew Patrick Nelson and Matthew Chernov as they discuss their favorite saloon girls, bartenders, and bar fights. From the outrageously brutal barroom slugfest in John Wayne’s 1942 classic “The Spoilers” to Marilyn Monroe’s sultry performance as a saloon singer in the 1954 adventure “River of No Return,” we explore some of t...

In celebration of the Halloween season, join Andrew Patrick Nelson and Matthew Chernov as they take a terrifying look at some of the weirdest, wildest, and just plain scariest Horror Westerns of the past six decades. From a zero-budget quickie released in 1958 to an obscure TV movie broadcast in 1971 to a fiendish anthology film made in 1990, these six Westerns are guaranteed to give you a nightma...

Hi-Yo, Silver! Join us as we discuss the 1981 box office flop "The Legend of the Lone Ranger." Is it the cinematic atrocity that critics claimed it was when it first premiered, or could there be more to this soft-focus homage to Hollywood's B-Westerns than was originally thought? Co-hosts Andrew Patrick Nelson and Matthew Chernov analyze everything from the film's magnificent s...

An interview with acclaimed writer/director Jared Moshe about his two dynamic Westerns, "Dead Man's Burden" and "The Ballad of Lefty Brown." Among the many topics covered, Jared discusses his introduction to the Western genre, why he decided to shoot in Montana on 35mm, and what it was like to work with Bill Pullman, Peter Fonda, and Kathy Baker on his latest movie. He als...

On this bonus episode, Andrew Patrick Nelson delivers a lecture on the ways in which the makers of recent Westerns like MEEK'S CUTOFF (2010) and HOSTILES (2017) discuss their work in relation to classics like WAGON MASTER (1950) and THE SEARCHERS (1956). How their understanding of the genre influences the movies they make, and what it means for our understanding of the Western's rich his...

Join Andrew Patrick Nelson and Matthew Chernov as they discuss the six greatest Western films of Hollywood legend Rock Hudson. From the 1952 classic "Bend of the River" to the unjustly forgotten "Showdown" from 1973, this episode chronicles Hudson's surprising success in a genre that he's not typically associated with. 

An interview with director Steve Carver about making the modern-day Western "Lone Wolf McQuade," and about his spectacular new book "Western Portraits: the Unsung Heroes & Villains of the Silver Screen." Steve fills us in on what it was like to shoot that Chuck Norris action classic, and he discusses working with more than 80 legendary Western character actors that he photo...

A provocative discussion about Henry King's Oscar-nominated classic "The Gunfighter," starring Gregory Peck as a retired gunslinger whose notorious reputation follows him everywhere. Why isn't this masterful psychological Western at the top of every fan's list of favorite oaters? Co-hosts Matthew Chernov and Andrew Patrick Nelson tackle the question.

An insightful interview with film historian Andrew Patrick Nelson about his book, "Still in the Saddle: The Hollywood Western, 1969 - 1980." Demonstrating that there was far more to the 1970s Westerns than mere revisionism, Nelson provides a challenging new history of the genre's most controversial period.

Co-hosts Matthew Chernov and Andrew Patrick Nelson offer a spirited debate on the merits of Lawrence Kasdan's 1994 biopic about the legendary lawman of Tombstone, Arizona. Matt loves the film, but Andrew considers it "lumbering." Will they see eye to eye by the end of the episode, or can their argument only be settled with a duel at dawn?

Film historian Andrew Patrick Nelson provides a new interpretation of the celebrated Westerns of John Ford, including fresh insights into masterpieces like "Stagecoach," "The Searchers," and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance."  

On February 5, 2020, Hollywood lost Kirk Douglas, one of the last remaining movie stars from its golden era. On this special episode, Matthew Chernov and Andrew Patrick Nelson each choose their three favorite Kirk Douglas Westerns, and discuss why this cinematic legend was such a natural fit for the genre.