This work is a behind-the-scenes look at the making and influence of three classic Western movies bound together by the "code of honour" that they explore. "High Noon" (1952, directed by Fred Zinnemann), "Shane" (1953, directed by George Stevens), and "The Searchers" (1956, directed by John Ford), resonate with the rugged simplicity and honesty typifying the genre. The work examines the controversies surrounding the films, the problems experienced in their production, and the drama - or comedy - that occurred among the cast and crew members.

New information about the silent film star and Master of Make-up who once prompted the remark, "Don't step on that spider -- it might be Lon Chaney "

The Cowboy President: The American West and the Making of Theodore Roosevelt reveals how his time spent in the Western Dakota Territory helped him recover from an overwhelming personal loss, but more importantly, how it transformed him into the man etched onto Mount Rushmore, a man who is still rated as one of the top five Presidents in American history. Unlike other Roosevelt biographies, The Cowboy President details how the land, the people and the Western code of honor had an enormous impact on Theodore and how this experience influenced him in his later years.

In 1903, Theodore Roosevelt planned a tour of the mid-West and Western states. It was dubbed the “Great Loop Tour,” being careful not to call it a campaign tour, although he intended to seek re-election the following year. Theodore was adamant that his speeches be devoid of any partisan rhetoric, nor would he meet solely with Republican office holders in the various cities and towns he planned to visit. He would happily shake hands with a Democratic mayor or Senator just as he would a Republican. Theodore’s speeches, which he wrote himself, covered subjects of good citizenship, a square deal for every man, a strong navy, and the positive aspects of the recent irrigation bill he signed into law. Then there were his speeches relating to conservation of the land, forests, rivers, and wildlife. Nowhere did these subjects become more important to him than when he visited Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and Yosemite. While he was still three years away from having the law that would knight him as the “Conservation President,” Theodore was already making his mark on preserving the country’s resources.

Like other filmmakers in post-WWII Hollywood, John Ford (already a three-time Best Directing Oscar winner), longed for the freedom and independence to make his own films, away from the dictates of studio executives. Then, in 1946, Ford and producer Merian C. Cooper (King Kong) decided to form their own production company, Argosy Productions. But their first venture was a financial flop, burdening the new company with heavy debt. Ford turned to the Western genre to help his flagging company, adapting James Warner Bellah’s short story, “Massacre.” Fort Apache, released in 1948, starring John Wayne, Henry Fonda and Shirley Temple, was popular at the box office and with film critics. The following year, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, was released to a positive critical reception a brisk business at the box office. This film was the only one in the cavalry trilogy shot in Technicolor, going on to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Rio Grande (1950), the final film in the triad, was produced by Republic Pictures (the first of a three-picture deal with Argosy Productions) and marked the first pairing of John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Because of the film’s box office success, Republic Pictures greenlit Ford’s dream project, The Quiet Man (1952). John Ford’s cavalry trilogy is considered some of his finest work, although Ford always claimed he never intended to make a trilogy. The reality is the first two films were produced to financially help his company, while the final one served as a means to getting his dream project produced. John Ford’s Cavalry Trilogy illuminates how each film was made, from pre-production to its theatrical release. Along the way, readers learn why Ford loved his favorite location (Monument Valley), how various stunts were achieved, and how Ford used his unique style in various scenes (called a “Fordian touch” by film critics and scholars). In addition, each film includes an analysis of Ford’s scene construction and character development. Illustrated with numerous behind-the-scenes photographs, many which have never been published before, and screen captures from the cutting room floor, this book is the ultimate gift for John Ford fans and readers who love to discover the grit and glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

A lot can happen in 30 seconds. In the case of the shoot-out at the O.K. Corral, 30 seconds found three men dead, left two men wounded and ultimately captured the imagination of generations of Americans. Wyatt Earp, an against-all-odds hero who was literally the last man standing; Doc Holliday, Earp's unlikely crony; the tragic tale of the Earp family - all of these elements make the story of the O.K. Corral irresistible to a great many people. Hollywood filmmakers were quick to recognize the legend's attraction - and its potential. As early as 1939 (with the production of ""Frontier Marshal""), movie makers were recreating the gunfight at the O.K. Corral and its attendant happenings in Tombstone, Arizona, on October 26, 1881. The following decades produced various renderings of the story, some more historically accurate than others but all with the American flare for entertainment. This volume examines eight movie renderings of the legendary gunfight. Produced from 1939 to 1994, these movies each use Wyatt Earp and other real-life characters as their sources. The work focuses on the filmmakers' treatment of the history and the skill with which each balances fact with the necessity of entertainment. The ways in which Wyatt Earp is presented in each film and this portrayal's relationship to the period in which the film was made is also examined in detail. Films discussed are ""Frontier Marshal"" (1939), ""Tombstone, the Town too Tough to Die"" (1942), ""My Darling Clementine"" (1946), ""Gunfight at O.K. Corral"" (1957), ""Hour of the Gun"" (1967), ""Doc"" (1971), ""Tombstone"" (1993), and ""Wyatt Earp"" (1994). Period photographs are also included.