The Western is Dead! Long Live the Western!

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

In the beginning was "The Great Train Robbery", and The Great Train Robbery was good. And the Great Robbery begat the Western Film. And there came forth from the bushes and plains, large numbers of cowpokes in response to great demand. And then too, came the Indians. Harry Carey, Tom Mix, William S Hart, Hoot Gibson, Ken Maynard, Tim McCoy, Fred Thompson, and Buck Jones came before the sound, and presented action to thrill the senses.

And Raoul Walsh declared, there shall be sound! The man called Cisco spoke, and the people listened to his words, and flocked to the silver screens of the nation. Gower Gulch was born and from the backlot proceedeth Mamoth, Monogram, RKO, Republic, Star Productions, World-Wide, and Fox. There came forth multitudes of films, for the multitudes of fans. And then Herbert Yates decreed that it was not good that the hero and heroine be alone without music. Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Rex Allen, Tex Ritter, The Cisco Kid, Hopalong Cassidy, John Wayne, The Roughriders, and The Three Mesquiteers were not to be without the Sons of the Pioneers, the Riders of the Purple Sage, or the Roy Rogers Riders. Together, these people touched the children of the nation, and taught them wrong from right.

But lo, the time came for other prophets to arise. Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, Jimmy Stewart, Audie Murphy, and the TV stars-Clayton Moore, Clint Eastwood, James Garner among others stepped on the shoulders of the giants before them and reached high. But at what cost success? No longer did the hero wear white, and ride off, but oft the was seen garbed in similar attire and was separated from his counterfoil by only by behaviour, but now had a shady past. The heroes of old took a step back and made way for the new, somehow different role models.

But, the children who once graced the theatres, now watched TV, and had moved on. The once mighty western, whose production peaked in the 50's of our century, had found more barren ground amongst the populace. And the purists rejoiced. Largely gone were the musical cowboys, missing in action were the juvenile (simplistic) heroes, and in their place stood 'giants', with real life flaws and struggles.

But, as the decades moved on, Hollywood changed. Gower Gulch was now a memory, and it's passing was silent. Cynicism had replaced Virtue, and once pure, was now not so pure. Few were the movies, and even fewer were the successes.

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