THANKS TO LINDA EVANS-SMITH, MARILEE WOMACK (WARNER BROS.); SCHAWN BELSTON (TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX); PAUL GINSBURG, BOB O’NEIL, DAVE OAKDEN (UNIVERSAL PICTURES); MICHAEL SCHLESINGER, SUSANNE JACOBSON (SONY PICTURES REPERTORY); TOM MOLEN, HARRY GARRISON, JODI GWYDIR, BARRY ALLEN (PARAMOUNT PICTURES); ANNE GOODMAN (CRITERION PICTURES); TODD WIENER (UCLA Film and Television Archive); PETER LANGS (IPMA); MARY TALLUNGAN (DISNEY); ANNE MORRA (MOMA); AND RUSTY CASSELTON. PROGRAMMED BY BRUCE GOLDSTEIN

MOST OF THIS SERIES IS PRESENTED AS DOUBLE FEATURES (2 FILMS FOR 1 ADMISSION)
Tickets for double features cannot be purchased on-line. They must be purchased at the box office.
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Click here for a listing of all films in the series.

THE SEARCHERS

(1956, JOHN FORD) “That’ll be the day.” John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter’s multi-year quest to rescue kidnapped Natalie Wood from the Comanche begins and ends with Wayne framed in a doorway. Arguably Ford’s greatest work, and subject of imitations and homages in a multiplicity of genres. “Pictorially, Ford’s masterpiece; for panoramic compositions it has no equal.” – Brian Garfield, Western Films.
1:00, 5:10, 9:20

STAGECOACH

(1939, JOHN FORD) A coach full of ill-assorted passengers — including Claire Trevor, John Carradine and Thomas Mitchell’s Oscar-winning drunken sawbones — treks to Lordsburg despite Geronimo’s warriors and surprise guest The Ringo Kid, John Wayne’s star-making role after a decade of B Westerns. John Ford’s first sound Western, his first iconic use of Monument Valley and an affirmation of the genre. Orson Welles claimed to have screened it forty times in preparation for Citizen Kane. Print courtesy UCLA Film and Television Archive & The Caidin Trust.
3:15, 7:25

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THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE

(1948, JOHN HUSTON) “I don’t have to show you no stinkin’ badges!” Three hard-grubbing Americans strike it rich in 1920s Mexico — and then the trouble starts. Humphrey Bogart’s Fred C. Dobbs was a shocking change of pace from his star persona, while Walter Huston’s grizzled old prospector was an Oscar-winning capstone to a great career (son John won for writing and directing), with B Western star Tim Holt adding a second classic to his otherwise routine filmography (the first: Welles’s Magnificent Ambersons). “One of the strongest of all American movies. . .when it’s over, you know you’ve seen something.” – Pauline Kael.
1:10, 5:20, 9:30

COLORADO TERRITORY

(1949, RAOUL WALSH) Western Noir. Walsh’s remake of his earlier gangster movie High Sierra stars Joel McCrea in the Bogart role, an escaped con who’s got to pull one last job. “An underrated Western, its tragic ending dovetailing neatly into the defeatism that marked the late 40s psychological melodramas.” – William K. Everson. “The ending is one of the finest moments in Walsh’s work.” – Paul Willeman.
3:30, 7:40

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TUMBLEWEEDS

(1925, KING BAGGOT) The legendary William S. Hart’s farewell to the genre he practically created, with climactic highlight an epic re-creation of the 1889 Cherokee Strip land rush. His poignant sound prologue was added for the film’s 1939 reissue. Synchronized musical score.
1:00, 3:50, 6:40, 9:30

THE GREAT K&A TRAIN ROBBERY

(1926, LEWIS SEILER) The apotheosis of Tom Mix — Hart’s successor and opposite (fun-loving and kid-oriented to Hart’s austere authenticity) — as the hair-raising stunts (often done in close-up) keep on coming against spectacular Colorado locations. Synchronized musical score at the 2:40 and 5:30 shows.
2:40, 5:30, 8:20

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3:10 TO YUMA

(1959, DELMER DAVES) Rancher Van Heflin’s assignment: get engagingly Mephistophelean outlaw Glenn Ford on the title train before his gang comes back, his only back-up the town drunk. One of the unsung masterworks of the genre, a variation on High Noon based on a story by Elmore Leonard.
1:00, 4:25, 7:50

THE TALL T

(1957, BUDD BOETTICHER) Randolph Scott thinks things can’t get worse after losing his horse in a bet, then finds himself on the wrong end of a stagecoach robbery, ultimately exchanging mutual respect and hot lead with powerhouse bad guy Richard Boone. “Unrelentingly taut, characteristic of the tense economy of Leonard’s writing.” – Brian Garfield, Western Films.
2:50, 6:15, 9:40

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THE NAKED SPUR

(1953, ANTHONY MANN) Relentless bounty hunter James Stewart slugs it out with man, Nature, Janet Leigh and himself to bring in chuckling psycho Robert Ryan, amidst spectacular locations in the Rockies. The most celebrated of Mann’s classic Cold War Westerns of the 50s. “One of the best Westerns ever made. . . a tough, hard little film.” – Leonard Maltin.
1:00, 4:40, 8:20

WINCHESTER ‘73

(1950, ANTHONYMANN) James Stewart’s Lin McAdam relentlessly pursues both parricide brother Stephen McNally and the rifle of the title through shooting contests, Indian attacks, and the spectacular late entrance of guest villain Dan Duryea, to a climactic shootout.
2:50, 6:30, 10:10

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GARDEN OF EVIL

(1954, HENRY HATHAWAY) “If all the world were gold, men would die for a handful of it” — and it looks like they might, as Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark, and Cameron Mitchell, en route to rescue Susan Hayward’s injured husband at their gold mine deep in the Mexican interior, must contend with greed and lust, as well as the practically unseen Apaches. Genuinely eerie atmosphere amid lush locations in Scope, keyed by terrific Bernard Herrmann score.
3:25, 7:15

THE VIOLENT MEN

(1955, RUDOLPH MATÉ) Moneybags rancher Edward G. Robinson — out west for once — and wife Barbara Stanwyck stop at nothing to get control of that whole darn valley, but as the small-time ranchers led by Glenn Ford fight back, it’s time for the lead to fly.
1:30, 5:20, 9:10

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SHANE

(1953, GEORGE STEVENS) Sodbusters vs. cowpunchers through the eyes of a child: Brandon De Wilde watches wide-eyed as father Van Heflin, aided by Alan Ladd’s Mysterious Stranger, squares off against ranchers’ hired gun Jack Palance. Stevens’ painstaking and elaborate production stressed both realism and the archetypal iconography of the traditional Western. With Oscar-winning Technicolor cinematography and Jean Arthur, in her final role, as the Shane-smitten frontier wife.
FRI/SAT/SUN 3:20, 7:15
MON 3:20

HIGH NOON

(1952, FRED ZINNEMANN) “Do not forsake me, oh, my darlin’, on this, our weddin’ day” — but there’s more than nuptials ahead for retiring sheriff Gary Cooper (in Oscar-winning role): the noon train’s bringing revenge-minded Ian MacDonald with three gun-packing henchmen. But Coop’s Quaker bride Grace Kelly knows he’s got to fight it out, and the townspeople will stand with him at the showdown — won’t they? A scintillatingly suspenseful screen experiment in “real time” and one of the movies’ starkest portraits of fear and loneliness.
FRI/SAT/SUN 1:40, 5:35, 9:30
MON 1:40

• J. Hoberman’s article about HIGH NOON in The New York Times
• Pauline Kael’s New Yorker HIGH NOON Review
• Michael Atkinson’s HIGH NOON review in the Village Voice
• Logan Hill and Bilge Ebiri in New York Magazine

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THE IRON HORSE

(1924, JOHN FORD) This story of the building of the transcontinental railroad — made by Ford when only 28 — is the largest-scale of all silent Westerns, working in a Texas cattle drive, the Pony Express, Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill, even a prologue with Abe Lincoln. Print courtesy of The Museum of Modern Art.
7:30

LAW AND ORDER

(1932, EDWARD L. CAHN) As bodies line dusty streets, a disillusioned marshall leaves town to the tolling of the bell. First treatment of the Wyatt Earp (recently deceased, 1928) legend, with Walter Huston and Harry Carey teaming to clean up an unglamorous Tombstone, culminating in “one of the most savage and exciting gunfights ever put on film” (William K. Everson). Based on a novel by W.R. (Little Caesar) Burnett.
6:00, 10:00

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FORT APACHE

(1948, JOHN FORD) “All I can see is the flags.” Subordinate John Wayne and Shirley Temple, plus Ford regulars Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen along for comedy relief, are forced to watch as spit and polish martinet Henry Fonda just won’t listen to reason en route to a cavalry vs. Apache showdown. First of Ford’s cavalry trilogy, followed by She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (below) and Rio Grande (see March 22).
3:00, 7:25

SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON

(1949, JOHN FORD) The last mission of John Wayne’s Capt. Nathan Brittles before retirement. Ford’s own favorite among his cavalry trilogy: “I tried to copy the Frederic Remington style.” The thunder storm sequence was filmed over the protest of cameraman Winton Hoch — who won the Oscar.
1:00, 5:25, 9:50

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RIO BRAVO

(1959, HOWARD HAWKS) Sheriff John Wayne, with a no-good stashed in the town jail, undergoes a siege from the culprit’s clan, even as “Deguello” blares, with aid only from drunk Dean Martin, toothless Walter Brennan and warbling gun-slinger Ricky Nelson, with leggy Angie Dickinson there to pick up the pieces.
1:00, 3:30, 6:30, 9:15

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RIDE LONESOME

(1959, BUDD BOETTICHER) Although Lee Van Cleef “most forgot” he lynched Randolph Scott’s wife, Scott’s got a longer memory — and a rope around Lee’s brother, unless bounty hunters Pernell Roberts and debuting James Coburn decide to just cash him in. “A taut little suspenser with no spare flesh.” – Brian Garfield.
1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00

COMANCHE STATION

(1960, BUDD BOETTICHER) Randolph Scott interrupts his ten-year search for his wife to ransom someone else’s lost spouse, bombshell Nancy Gates, but genial bad guy Claude Akins and his witless minions covet the reward themselves.
2:30, 5:30, 8:30

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JOHNNY GUITAR

(1954, NICHOLAS RAY) Joan Crawford’s pants-wearing saloon owner Vienna stands to rake in the dough when the railroad comes through. But when the stage is robbed and a rancher murdered, the townspeople ready a noose for her more-thanfriend “Dancin’ Kid” Scott Brady, with insanely jealous cattle baroness Mercedes McCambridge hell-bent on havin’ Joan join him. Enter Joan’s old flame Sterling Hayden — the eponymous Johnny. “Weird, hysterical, and quite unlike anything else in the history of the cowboy film.” – Geoff Andrew, Time Out (London).
RETURNING MONDAY & TUESDAY, JULY 26 & 27, 2009.
Click here for more information.
Sun 1:10, 3:20, 5:30, 7:40, 9:50
Mon 1:10, 3:20, 10:00
Click here to read Elvis Mitchell’s New York Times review

FORTY GUNS

(1957, SAMUEL FULLER) Barry Sullivan leads an Earp-like brother act to clean up Dodge — only trouble is, he’s fallen for outlaw leader Barbara Stanwyck. Endless tracking shots in b&w Scope highlight “probably the most rancidly vicious Western of the 1950s” (Brian Garfield). “So rich in invention and bursting with daring conceptions that it reminds one of the extravagances of Abel Gance and Stroheim.” – Jean-Luc Godard.
2:00, 5:45, 9:30

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INFERNO

In DUAL-SYSTEM 3-D!

(1953, ROY WARD BAKER) 3-D’s ultimate unknown classic: nasty millionaire Robert Ryan, dumped to die in the desert with a broken leg by his cheating wife and her lover, slowly wins back audience sympathy by sheer will to survive. “Tight and involving essay in suspense. . . one of the best movies made in 3-D; its use of space emphasizes the dramatic possibilities.” – Time Out (London).
1:50, 5:45, 9:30

THE CHARGE AT FEATHER RIVER

In DUAL-SYSTEM 3-D!

(1953, GORDON DOUGLAS) Fresh from tv’s Wild Bill Hickok, Guy Madison leads the cavalry to the rescue of two sisters captured by the Cheyenne, in top-grossing Western of its year, with vivid 3-D and WarnerColor cinematography. Be prepared to dodge arrows, spears and an actor’s expectoration!
3:40, 7:35

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RIO GRANDE

(1950, JOHN FORD) Aging cavalry commander John Wayne awaits the go-ahead to chase those Apaches from General Phil Sheridan, while contending with estranged wife Maureen O’Hara and son Claude Jarman Jr., in the last of Ford’s cavalry trilogy. This new print is from the original nitrate camera negative, with restored soundtrack.
3:20, 7:05

WAGON MASTER

(1950, JOHN FORD) Ben Johnson and Harr y Carey Jr. lead a Mormon wagon train, despite Indians and outlaws, to Utah in the 1870s. Perhaps the last of Ford’s optimistic views of the opening of the West. “Came closest to being what I wanted to achieve.” – John Ford.
1:35, 5:20, 9:05

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BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK

(1955, JOHN STURGES) Frontier justice in the Modern West, as war vet Spencer Tracy’s quest for a lost comrade’s next of kin is stone-walled by the menacing trio of Robert Ryan, Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine. The classic stranger-againstthe- town theme is updated here with Hollywood’s first treatment of wartime outrages against Japanese-Americans. “Sturges at his best — each movement and line is exact and economical.” – Pauline Kael.
1:20, 5:20, 9:20

GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL

(1957, JOHN STURGES) “No guns, no knives, no killing.” Burt Lancaster cautions Kirk Douglas’s Doc Holliday, but of course they end up at that final showdown, to the accompaniment of Dimitri Tiomkin’s throbbing score and Frankie Laine’s wailing of the title ballad. “One of the two best Westerns of the 50s.” – Gordon Gow.
3:00, 7:00

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DUEL IN THE SUN

(1946, KING VIDOR) ...or Lust in the Dust. Producer David O. Selznick’s mammoth attempt at a Western Gone With the Wind, with sultry half-breed Jennifer Jones caught between brothers Joseph Cotten (good) and Gregory Peck (bad), concludes in a desert Liebstod awash in Dimitri Tiomkin’s pounding “orgasm” theme. Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, and Walter Huston add class to the sterling cast. “A lavish, sensual spectacle . . .Vidor gives much of it a galloping bravura excitement.” – Pauline Kael. Restored “road show” version, complete with overture.
2:40, 7:10

THE GUNFIGHTER

(1950, Henry King) “He don’t look so tough to me.” It’s lonely at the top for legendary gunslinger Gregory Peck, sitting it out in a saloon in the town where his family lives incognito: kids play hooky to gape, the bartender lines ‘em up and fast draw wanabees have to see if he’s still the best. “Superb . . . has the true dimensions of tragedy.” – Tom Milne.
1:00, 5:30, 10:00

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MY DARLING CLEMENTINE

(1946, JOHN FORD) Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp and Victor Mature as Doc Holliday square off with Walter Brennan’s nasty Ol’ Man Clanton en route to the O.K. Corral. One of Ford’s most atmospheric works, its poetic images photographed in warm b&w tones by Joseph MacDonald. 1:00, 4:25, 7:50

THE OX-BOW INCIDENT

(1943, WILLIAM WELLMAN) In 1885 Nevada, cowpokes Henry Fonda and Harry (M*A*S*H) Morgan find a trail break in town turning into a lynch mob frenzy, with Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn and Francis Ford (John’s older brother) ticketed for the rope — but are they really guilty? Wellman’s labor of love shattered sagebrush stereotypes.
2:55, 6:20, 9:45

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PURSUED

(1947, RAOUL WALSH) Orphaned at four, Robert Mitchum is taken in by Judith Anderson, and raised along with her daughter Teresa Wright; but he can never shake off memories of mayhem that night — as well as being bedeviled by Anderson’s brotherin- law Dean Jagger, in the first “psychological” Western, photographed by the great James Wong Howe.
3:25, 7:30

THE FURIES

(1950, ANTHONY MANN) Duel of the Titans, as last of the original pioneers Walter Huston slugs it out with his strongminded daughter Barbara Stanwyck for control of his giant cattle ranch. One of Huston’s greatest performances, and his last.
1:20, 5:25, 9:30

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RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY

(1962, SAM PECKINPAH) The end of one tradition and the beginning of another: icons of the Western Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott in Peckinpah’s second film, an autumnal elegy for the end of the West, told against stunning widescreen vistas.
1:10, 5:20, 9:30

THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE

(1962, John Ford) “Print the legend.” Senator James Stewart returns to the Western town where, as a rookie lawyer, he argued Law versus rancher John Wayne’s more personalized Justice, finding books no deterrent to nutjob Lee Marvin, the eponymous Liberty. Perhaps Ford’s darkest, most melancholy Western.
3:00, 7:10