Tombstone‘s star-studded cast has helped cement it as one of the best Westerns ever made, but another classic of the genre has an even more impressive ensemble. Tombstone‘s story of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday is brought to life by some amazing actors, many of them playing real-life figures of the Old West.
Kurt Russell shines as the heroic lawman Earp, setting the stage for him to become one of the best modern Western actors. Val Kilmer’s performance as Holliday is the highlight of Tombstone and is often considered the best work the late actor delivered. They lead the ensemble that includes Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Booth, Michael Rooker, and Michael Biehn.
Tombstone has only grown in popularity over time, being seen as a Western masterpiece by many. However, there is another Western that has Tombstone beat in terms of the sheer star power of its ensemble, making it hard to believe one movie managed to bring all these stars together.
Tombstone Had A Great Cast, But How The West Was Won Has An Even Better One
Some Of The Biggest Western Stars ᴀssemble In One Movie
How the West Was Won is an epic Western adventure that spans the history of America in the Old West through the experiences of one family. The directing duties for the movie are shared between three directors known for their Western movies: Henry Hathaway (True Grit), John Ford (The Searchers), and George Marshall (Destry Rides Again).
However, the real star power is on the screen with big-name stars of the Western genre appearing, like John Wayne (Red River), Gregory Peck (The Gunfighter), James Stewart (The Man Who SH๏τ Liberty Valance), Henry Fonda (Once Upon a Time in the West), Eli Wallach (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), and many more.
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How The West Was Won Cast |
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Actors |
Characters |
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James Stewart |
Linus Rawlings |
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Gregory Peck |
Cleve Van Valen |
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John Wayne |
William Tecumseh Sherman |
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Henry Fonda |
Jethron Stuart |
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Debbie Reynolds |
Lilith Prescott |
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Carroll Baker |
Eve Prescott |
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George Peppard |
Zeb Rawlings |
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Lee J. Cobb |
Marshal Lou Ramsey |
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Karl Malden |
Zebulon Prescott |
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Eli Wallach |
Charlie Gant |
The Tombstone cast is exceptional, but there is simply no competing with the ensemble that How the West Was Won puts together. Also, aside from Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, the Tombstone cast was largely made up of up-and-coming actors. By contrast, most of the stars of How the West Was Won were already the biggest stars in Hollywood.
How The West Was Won Only Worked Because Of Its Unique Chapter Format
Don’t Expect To See These Stars Sharing The Screen
While it might seem impossible that one movie could feature so many big-name actors, it is the unique structure of How the West Was Won that allowed the cast to come together. The movie is divided into five chapters, each focusing on a different aspect of American history and how the country was shaped.
Others take on smaller roles that require less time for them, with Fonda playing a supporting role and Wayne appearing in little more than a cameo.
“The Rivers” is set in 1939 and features James Stewart as an adventurer crossing paths with the Prescotts, a family of settlers. “The Plains” in 1951 features one of the adult Prescott daughters heading to the gold rush with Gregory Peck’s gambler trying to woo her.
“The Civil War” features George Peppard as the grown son of Stewart’s mountain man, heading out to fight in the war. He continues to lead the story in “The Railroads”, crossing paths with Henry Fonda’s hunter. Peppard leads the final story, “The Outlaws,” taking on Eli Wallach’s train robber in the dying days of the Wild West.
It is an expansive story that also allowed for so many stars to participate. Few of the big-name actors appear on-screen together, with the likes of Stewart and Peck leading their own stories. Others take on smaller roles that require less time for them, with Fonda playing a supporting role and John Wayne appearing in little more than a cameo.
In that sense, Tombstone does have the advantage of actually allowing the audience to see these great actors interacting. However, even with the star power spread throughout the big story, it is a thrill to see so many of these actors in How the West Was Won together.
Like Tombstone, How The West Was Won Is One Of The Best Westerns Ever Made
How The West Was Won Is A Western Of A Bygone Era
Tombstone and How the West Was Won come from two very different eras of Western movies, but both are highlights of the genre. Already fading away by the end of the 1980s, Unforgiven marked the end of traditional Westerns, with Tombstone offering a stylized take on Westerns. How the West Was Won comes right from the era of Western epics.
It is simply a celebration of the perceived heroes who helped shape the country across the American Frontier, told on as big a scale as possible.
It does not feature the moral grayness of the Revisionist Westerns, nor the violence of the Spaghetti Westerns. It is simply a celebration of the perceived heroes who helped shape the country across the American Frontier, told on as big a scale as possible. There is action, music, romance, and comedy, all wrapped up in one giant saga.
Certainly, there are outdated aspects of the movie, and the romanticization of certain aspects of this history glosses over some of the uglier aspects. Yet it is hard not to get swept up in the grand presentation of it all, including the mᴀssive set pieces that are more ambitious than virtually anything you are likely to see in movies today.
There is real emotion to seeing the movie unfold like it does, with one family experiencing the growth of America. It builds to a very effective final montage, narrated by Spencer Tracy, that glides over the untouched West before showing the skyscrapers and cities that came once the story of How the West Was Won comes to an end.
