First, thanks to everyone who sent in their picks — we had a larger turnout this year. Your responses were very thorough, and they made it clear to me what a good year this was for 50s Westerns on DVD and Blu-ray — you brought up tons of em. Here are the Top 10, ordered by the number of votes they received.
Abilene Town (1946, Blu-ray, Panamint Cinema)
This one topped the list in a big way. I was so stoked to see this fairly obscure Randolph Scott picture rescued from the PD purgatory where it’s been rotting for years — a lot of you seemed to feel the same. Mastered from 35mm fine-grain material, it’s stunning.
Shane (1953, Blu-ray, Eureka)
The Blu-ray release from Paramount made last year’s list, and this UK release was a strong contender this time around. Eureka gives us the opportunity to see what Paramount’s controversial 1.66 cropping looked like.
The Wild Bill Elliott Western Collection (1951-54, DVD set, Warner Archive)
I’m pretty biased when it comes to this one, and I was happy to learn that others were as pleased with it as I was. One of the greatest Western stars goes out on a high note, even if it is a low-budget one.
The Quiet Gun (1956, Blu-ray, Olive Films)
It’s hard to believe this was a 2015 release, since it was on Olive Films’ coming-soon list for such a long time. These Regalscope movies look great in their original aspect ratio, and for my money, this is the best of the bunch.
Woman They Almost Lynched (1953, Blu-ray, Olive Films)
It makes me feel good to see Allan Dwan get some attention, and stellar presentations of his work, like this one, should continue to fuel his (re-)discovery.
Man With The Gun (1955, Blu-ray, Kino Lorber)
A solid Robert Mitchum Western, with the added punch of a terrific 1.85 hi-def transfer. This is a lot better movie than you probably remember it being.
Run Of The Arrow (1957, DVD, Warner Archive)
This really knocked me out — I’d somehow missed out on what a great movie this is. It took me a while to get used to Rod Steiger and his affected accent, but this is prime Sam Fuller.
The Hired Gun (1957, DVD, Warner Archive)
Black and white CinemaScope is a big attraction for me, so I’d been waiting for this one for years. It was worth the wait.
Stranger At My Door (1954, Blu-ray, Olive Films)
A really cool little movie from Republic and William Witney. It was Witney’s favorite of his own pictures, and it’s pretty easy to see why he’d be partial to it. His work here is masterful.
Star In The Dust (1956, Blu-ray, Koch)
Koch out of Germany is treating us (or those of us with a Region B player) to some great Universal 50s Westerns on Blu-ray. This one was released in Universal’s 2.0 ratio of the period. Some found it a bit tight, but it’s a gorgeous presentation of a movie not enough people have seen.
50 Westerns From The 50s. 
Very good list of western movies
I’d like to add Day of the outlaw (André the Toth) on Blu-ray from Eureka Masters of cinema.
And for some nitpicking:
“Star In The Dust (1956, Blu-ray, Koch)
Koch out of Germany is treating us (or those of us with a Region 2 player)”
That should be: Region B player
If the list had included 12 titles instead of just 10, Day Of The Outlaw would’ve been there.
Thanks for the Region correction. It’s been fixed.
Day of the outlaw should have been in the Top 10!….. 😉
Great list, Toby. With one exception, all westerns for which I have considerable fondness.
My only gripe is that ‘ABILENE TOWN’ is only available from Panamint in BluRay. If they had made it available as a DVD also they would have had another sale. It is a Scott film I have always liked.
This is a wonderful list, Toby! Of the films on the list I really enjoyed THE QUIET GUN (in fact it’s on my upcoming “Favorite Discoveries of 2015” list for the Rupert Pupkin Speaks site), WOMAN THEY ALMOST LYNCHED, THE HIRED GUN, and my initial looks at films in the Wild Bill Elliott set. I have STRANGER AT MY DOOR in my “to watch” stack; nice to hear it’s so well regarded.
Happy New Year!
Best wishes,
Laura
I like lists……………!
In 2015 I purchased 26 Westerns;9 on DVD and 17 on Blu ray.
Some of my Blu Ray purchases were released earlier than 2015,
up-grades like QUANTEZ.
Good to see STAR IN THE DUST make the list,a major oversight
on my part. The transfer from Koch is just about the nicest that
I have seen for a Fifties Universal Western.
Sadly the very fine Explosive Blu Ray of GUNMAN’S WALK did
not make the final countdown.
Phil Karlson’s very fine film seems to improve with each viewing
it’s as close to “near classic” status as a film can get.
The film is more “Greek Tragedy” than a Western covering such
heady subject matter as sibling rivalry,complex father/son
relationships and goes deeper into moral issues like racism and how
much value do you place on a mans life.
Ray Teal’s scumbag horse trader is a masterclass in great character
acting,the audience can see the cogs tick over in Teal’s mind.
Van Heflin…well what can you say,if his final scene does not
reduce you to tears,nothing will.
Looking ahead………..
As good as 2015 was for Western releases 2016 looks as if
its going to be even better…by a long shot.
For starters Sony now seem to be willing to source titles to
European imprints.
They have already given Sidonis a whole chunk of their unreleased
back catalog,but I won’t be getting them because of those horrible
“forced” subtitles.
Nevertheless Germany’s excellent Explosive Media have started
dipping into the Sony library with more exciting news to follow.
I’m very excited about Blu Ray editions of STRANGER WORE A
GUN,THE LAST FRONTIER and COMANCHE STATION these will be
on my 2016 hit list for sure.
I have heard from a very reliable source that Koch will release
RIDE LONESOME on Blu Ray. As far as I know Koch have never
released a Columbia Western in the past and I cannot believe
RIDE LONESOME will be a “one off” Add to the fact that Koch have
just announced a “Classic Westerns In High Def” series with
WHITE FEATHER and THE LAST WAGON getting the series off to
a flying start.
France’s Elephant Films with their on-going deal with Universal have
NIGHT PASSAGE and ULZANA’S RAID slotted for Blu Ray releases.
How long may I ask are we to wait for the Universal Anthony Mann
Westerns on Blu Ray.
Apart from the Republic library which is stuck in Paramount’s
vaults and may never see the light of day as far as “official” releases
go the other studio with the greatest share of unreleased Westerns
is Columbia/Sony.
There is a whole stack of stuff which needs to be out there,
Sidonis are releasing tons of it but hopefully Explosive and Koch
will treat us to many of these much sought after titles.
There are key works from such talents as George Sherman,Andre
De Toth and Phil Karlson. There are many titles from people like Ray
Nazarro,William Castle,Sidney Salkow and Toby’s fave Fred F Sears.
There are a whole raft of titles from George Montgomery,as well as
Guy Madison,Rory Calhoun,Van Heflin and Fred MacMurray.
I may be wrong,and believe me,I hope that I am,I predict that Toby’s
2016 list will be dominated by European releases.
We can always rely on Warner Archive,they will dominate the
2016 releases from the USA.
Kino Lorber should contribute a few gems Selander’s WAR PAINT
and FORT YUMA (sorry Laura 🙂 ) would be great on Blu Ray
as would De Toth’s very interesting THE INDIAN FIGHTER.
Olive Films have managed no less than three entries on the list
and I would be very surprised if they have a single entry in 2016.
Again,I hope that I am wrong. With their “bare bones” releases (not
even a trailer) and often dreadful artwork (THE QUIET GUN and
STRANGER AT MY DOOR could not be worse) they are far from
my favorite imprint.Furthermore their interest in Westerns seems to have
run its course.
Predictions are funny things……….
On these pages the very astute Richard W predicted that THE
REVENANT would bomb at the box office…I agreed with him.
However it’s initial weekend take of $39 Million suggest that
it’s going to make pretty decent money coupled with lots of awards buzz.
However with it’s massive $135 Million budget it’s going to have to go
some.
THE HATEFUL EIGHT is faring less well having dipped a huge 60%
in its second week. Word of mouth on this film must be pretty dire.
Still its $45 Million budget (pretty low by today’s standards) mean the
film should show some sort of profit especially as the film is expected to
perform very well overseas.
Finally………
An ultra-cool set of pics that you have sourced for this piece Toby.
Finally……….
An ultra cool set of pics that you have sourced for this piece,Toby.
Your post cost me 33 Bucks- I ordered the Blu of Abilene Town 🙂
As for The Hateful Eight it’s an incredible movie and urge everyone who enjoys fine movie presentation to see the 70MM roadshow version while it is still playing. A hypnotic entertaining movie.
One movie I bought in 2015 was THE SPOILERS with Jeff Chandler. I just watched it the other day and noticed that there was no forced subs ,something that I didn’t notice when I first watched it .Sidonis must have forgot to put them on.
Everything is politics with liberals esp. in movies. I will not watch Tarantino’s anti-American trash now nor when it comes out on DVD. And that is a total reversal for me, as I have liked and enjoyed most of Tarantino’s movies up until the last slap to decent Americans with Django. That was his first all out assault on the decency in America. Now he continues his liberal assault on America with this latest tripe. No thanks, I’ve had enough. When Tarantino gets back to good exciting stories and stops insulting America I may give him another chance. But not now.
…rein up, Johnny Guitar. Liberal anti-American assaults on decency? What of your namesake? Jennifer Peterson’s article in Cinema Journal 35 (1996) THE COMPETING TUNES OF JOHNNY GUITAR: LIBERALISM, SEXUALITY, MASQUERADE examines the film’s “liberal” critique of McCarthyism and it’s gender bending gunslingers. THE LAVENDER SCREEN (ON GAY AND LESBIAN FILMS) by Boze Hadleigh dwells on the character of Emma Small, her lesbianism, and how the film JOHNNY GUITAR itself was condemned by John Wayne. Director Nicholas Ray was a member of the Communist Party in the 1930s and his film noir, IN A LONELY PLACE, is featured in the book, UN-AMERICAN HOLLYWOOD. Also, the book, FILM CRITICISM, THE COLD WAR, AND THE BLACKLIST: READING THE HOLLYWOOD REDS features a nice color still from JOHNNY GUITAR as it’s cover photo. And who can deny the obvious influence that JOHNNY GUITAR has had on the style and costuming of Spaghetti Westerns a decade later? Even the title character himself, Johnny Guitar, is a sort of step dad to such musical Spaghetti characters as Harmonica (ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST) and Banjo (SABATA)….And by the way, I’m not some sort of knee-jerk liberal or right wing nut job. John Wayne is my favorite actor, THE ALAMO is in my personal top 10 American Westerns; I don’t trash America but I love trashy films; and I dislike Tarantino’s output because I find him to be no more than a copycat director. I do like both of Ray’s liberal films, IN A LONELY PLACE and JOHNNY GUITAR, as well as also liking the Ronald Reagan feature CAVALRY COMMAND which I just saw the other day. I welcome political Westerns, liberal Westerns, blockbuster Westerns and little B-Westerns, black and white Westerns and color Westerns, just so long as there’s lots of shooting and action to keep me occupied. I just don’t care too much for kissy romantic Westerns, liberal or not, so thankfully there aren’t many of them.
As John said, I like lists and this is a good one – all with a nice selection of DVDs and Blu-rays from far and wide.
I don’t view Johnny Guitar the movie as a liberal account, I can see how it can be twisted to seem so, but I take movies mostly literally, they are what they are, I don’t try to insert secret and especially subversive messages into them. You named some of my favorite movies, IN A LONELY PLACE just might be my favorite Bogart movie, and any movie with Ronald Reagan is always #1 in my book. Duke, of course, my favorite western star and all round action type star. So your choices of good movies and mine don’t differ much. But I just don’t read liberal messages into these movies, GUITAR is what it is, not a message movie for lesbos and calling commies what they are and clearly identifying them (which I’m all for, if you’re a commie you should be honest about it and not sneak your messages around). Laurel & Hardy comedies have always been my all time favorites, however I don’t twist their comedies into being portraits of homosexuals and liberals will try to twist their movies into. I think it’s sick what libs do to great movies. And nobody should allow them to be successful in re-interpreting a good movie into a twisted lib message. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar…and sometimes it’s really a smoking cigar. I do believe that the film JOHNNY GUITAR is widely accepted as a “liberal” film (even by conservatives), a statement against McCarthyism, against the “lynch mob” mentality. It is what it is. The lesbianism is really pretty obvious. Now, you may not like it, but again, it is what it is, and it’s certainly not being twisted by liberals to appear so, especially when conservatives admit to JOHNNY GUITAR’s liberal slant. Actually, JOHNNY GUITAR is probably the most liberal Western of the 50s, even more so than HIGH NOON or BROKEN ARROW… I think you picked the wrong movie for your sign-in name. Get rid of JOHNNY GUITAR (Sterling Hayden was a well known liberal as well) and go with something more appropriate, G.W. McLintock or John Chisum for example…..and as for the Laurel and Hardy, and even the 3 Stooges shorts, them sleeping together had never in my mind degenerated into homosexuality. And I truly believe that most people out there (liberals included) DO NOT believe that Stan, Ollie, Moe, Larry or Curly are gay in any respect. Childish perhaps, but that’s as far as any true fan is willing to go, and rightfully so.
All I can say is I do take movies and the stories they present to be exactly what they are. Look, I haven’t seen J.Guitar in quite a few years, but I remember it as a great and unusual little western in beautiful bright color and very ’50’s esque. All qualities I love about ’50’s westerns. It also had one of my favorite actors Sterling Hayden, he was great in this movie – & yes I don’t care if the actor was one who had a lib bent, (I can still remember watching being absolutely enwrapped, Sterling Hayden’s enthralling interviews on Tom Snyder’s Tomorrow show back when I was a kid in High School watching a b/w 10 inch TV in my bedroom late at night in the dark, when I was supposed to be studying, no less).
I see J. Guitar as a neat little western filled with great actors from Ward Bond to Sterling, E. Borgnine, Royal Dano (another favorite of mine) P. Fix (the marshal on Rifleman, a favorite too) and even J. Carradine thrown in who’s always been a perfect undertaker or vampire. So, as far as I’m concerned what’s not to like?
Do I agree with the liberal critics who have twisted this odd little western into a lesbian drama that’s pro-commie? The thought never occurred to me. Only libs can twist a decent movie to mean something entirely different. Did I see Laurel & Hardy as gay? Never ever entered my mind till once again that thought was introduced to me by liberal know-it-all critics. As I said before these critiques and re-massaging of these movies to be something entirely different from what they were supposed to be is just an example of very sick minds at work. Frankly, I won’t allow any critic to destroy my enjoyment of any movie or Laurel & Hardy with their perverted thoughts.
As I said, I take movies and TV shows to be exactly what they appear to be, I don’t read oddball messages into them and I don’t try to justify a liberal viewpoint by ruining good movies with a new twisted re-defining. But please feel free to believe what you want, watch what you want, I am not a censor, anything but, I hate censorship. Just don’t try to make me believe what you believe about movies, I see them to be just what they are, nothing more.
Typo, meant that to read “AS liberals will try to twist…” not “AND libs will try to twist…”
Liberal, conservative , socialist, communist whatever the heck you may be all I’m saying is that the 70MM Roadshow version of Hateful Eight is not to be missed-even if you end up not liking the movie the presentation is just not seen anymore in this age of multi plexus.. And if you let politics influence what you watch or read it’s your loss.
BTW I am a flaming liberal and I like John Wayne movies. It’s just entertainment.
This will be the first Tarantino movie I’m skipping. His recent anti police tirades and his continuation of his slap in the face to America and it’s wonderful people are more than I need to stand. An evil message disguised as art is no reason to watch. That’s the way I feel, you, of course can do as you please. I still believe in an individual’s freedom, something sad to say Tarantino doesn’t, a massive controlling government is his idea of utopia.
Saw THE HATEFUL EIGHT yesterday,have mixed views.
The violence in Tarantino’s films has never bothered me,
in his last two films it’s getting more cartoon like.
This time round the film is more mean spirited than usual.
90% of the film comes across as a filmed stage play;hardly
the sort of fare for low attention span younger audiences.
Thought the film was OK but far from QT’s best.
Would I have rather seen the same story as a 74 minute
black & white RegalScope picture directed by Charles Marqiuis
Warren,starring Forrest Tucker,Scott Brady,Beverley Garland
and Keith Larsen……you bet!
An oddball choice of music to round the film off a Roy Orbison
song lifted straight from THE FASTEST GUITAR ALIVE.
For me the tone of the whole thing would have been better served
by Tom Russell and Barrence Whitfield’s blistering “Jack Johnson”
Shan’t bother. Thanks for the tip, John.
As for Tarantino, one of my favorite action, funny, thrilling totally fun movies is “Death Proof”. I still love it, Tanantino has had to work a long time to build up the animosity from others he now deserves. Too bad, he’s gone off the deep end starting with Django. Maybe he’s always been an extremist but like most libs kept it under cover and to himself for fear of losing business. He probably got to the point where he can now afford to offend 90% of his audience, he just doesn’t need the money any more. So he throws caution to the wind. Bye Bye Quentin, I enjoyed you when you were just concerned in making a good movie and not advancing your bent political viewpoint.
Tarantino’s detractors always accuse him of blatant plagiarism
though he sees it as homage.
There’s quiet a bit of it in THE HATEFUL EIGHT.
Several folks on-line have accused the film of being a re-working
of a certain THE REBEL episode….very interesting.
There’s quiet a bit of THE TALL T there, especially the bodies down
the well not to mention the initial stages of the film.
Needless to say THE HATEFUL EIGHT is a piece of depraved crap
when compared to Boetticher’s wonderful film.
Tim Roth’s upper class British “twit” accent becomes very down-market
when he shows his true colors-this trick was used by Richard Harris
far more successfully in UNFORGIVEN with his wonderful English Bob
character-there again Harris was a far more gifted actor than Roth.
“Got me pistols”
Thanks for including an original British Front-of-House still from DRAGOON WELLS MASSACRE, Toby. One of my favourite childhood Westerns from the 1950s and one long overdue for a DVD release in full CinemaScope. I’ve only ever been able to find two stills from this set and so yours is the third one I’ve seen since I went to see the film as an eleven year old in April, 1958. The film was very popular at the time and was widely shown.