Best John Wayne Westerns?

[Yaddo 42]

Chisum always felt like a Billy the Kid film with Wayne shoehorned in, to me anyway.

Those John Wayne 30s B-movie westerns were staple of weekend television on our local CBS station in the late 80s/early 90s. I didn't care for them, but I used them as an indicator that when they were on that cooler movies or M*A*S*H reruns came on when they went off.

My votes:
The Shootist
True Grit
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
The Searchers

I voted more for "best films" from a scholarly or film critic perspective, rather than a "favorite" viewpoint. What I would recommend to others if they wanted to see his "best" westerns as opposed to my personal favorites. Some would be the same, but others would not.

[alandhopewell]

INPO....
THE SHOOTIST
BIG JAKE
McCLINTOCK!
FORT APACHE
SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON

[tracy]

I deleted my first reply because I noticed I'd listed a couple of John Wayne movies that weren't westerns.

True Grit
Big Jake
The Searchers
The War Wagon
McClintock

[Criswell]

My favorite is True Grit. I like a lot about that movie.

[bob]

out of all the choices I've only seen The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance  which I really enjoyed

4.5/5

[Kaseykockroach]

I voted Liberty Valance, Rio Bravo and The Searchers.

[tracy]

My favorite is True Grit. I like a lot about that movie.

Mine,too. In fact,it's my favorite John Wayne western. My favorite non-western is Hatari.

[Neville]

Of his golden era stuff, I'm particularly fond of "The man who shot Liberty Balance" and "The Horse Soldiers". I'm an avid western fan, but I only got to see John Ford's movies very recently, and while I'll admit his talent most of them feel too dated to me.

Of his later roles, I like "The shootist" (almost a blueprint of "Unforgiven", no wonder it was one of Eastwood's mentors, Don Siegel, the man who directed it) and "Cahill US Marshall". This latest one is one of the films he made with Andrew V. McLaglen as a director. They all feel too workmanlike to me, but I like this one because the plot involves Wayne's children, and it sort of reminds me of "Tom Sawyer". And George Kennedy is also a great villain.

[Couchtr26]

True Grit - I haven't seen many John Wayne westerns. 

[Hammock Rider]

I'd definitely add Hatari.

  Here are a few of his older and more over looked movies.

Flame of Barbary Coast ( Duke plays a simple cowman who loses his shirt to master gambler in San Francisco. He learns to play cards from an old timey card sharp played by William Frawley.)

Pittsburgh ( JW plays a hard driving steel tycoon)

The Fighting Kentuckian (JW teams up with Oliver Hardy to help out some French settlers who fled their country after Naploleon's defeat.)

Tall in the Saddle (It's got Ella Raines!)

In Old California ( He plays a fightin' pharmacist!)

Pals of the Saddle ( One of the Three Mesquiteer movies in which Wayne teamed up with two friends to mete out justice and chase women. They were pretty dopey by todays standards but sometimes you'll find an interesting or unusal bit here and there. One of his partners in these movies was Max Terhune, a vaudville ventriliquist who brought his dummy with him on their adventures.)

'Neath the Arizona Skies ( Great stunts)

The Star Packer ( JW plays a sheriff after a villain named The Shadow. It's the usual naive by our standards, white hat kinda stuff he did in the 30's but it does have Gabby Hayes & Yakima Canutt)

[BoyScoutKevin]

"The Shootist" is the western that allowed Wayne to go out on top.

"True Grit" is the western that got Wayne is Oscar.

"Stagecoach" is the western that helped to make Wayne a star.

All good westerns, as are many of the others listed, but if you want to talk about Wayne's best western, the top two choices would have to be "Red River" and "The Searchers," as they allowed him to play against type. The problem I have with "Red River," like I have with "Hud" w/ Paul Newman as Hud, is that Wayne is such a miserable s.o.b. in "Red River," is that I find it a really hard film to watch and enjoy. Thus, while he is also something of a miserable s.o.b. in "The Searchers," I find him not quite the miserable s.o.b. he is in "Red River." Thus, for me, his best western has to be "The Searchers."

And I have seen all the films on the list.

[tracy]

"The Shootist" is the western that allowed Wayne to go out on top.

"True Grit" is the western that got Wayne is Oscar.

"Stagecoach" is the western that helped to make Wayne a star.

All good westerns, as are many of the others listed, but if you want to talk about Wayne's best western, the top two choices would have to be "Red River" and "The Searchers," as they allowed him to play against type. The problem I have with "Red River," like I have with "Hud" w/ Paul Newman as Hud, is that Wayne is such a miserable s.o.b. in "Red River," is that I find it a really hard film to watch and enjoy. Thus, while he is also something of a miserable s.o.b. in "The Searchers," I find him not quite the miserable s.o.b. he is in "Red River." Thus, for me, his best western has to be "The Searchers."

And I have seen all the films on the list.

We got to see "The Searchers" on the big screen a couple of years ago when a small local theater showed it. That was so cool!