IMDb > How the West Was Won (1962)
How the West Was Won
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

How the West Was Won (1962) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 35 | slideshow) Videos (see all 2)
How the West Was Won (1962) -- A family saga covering several decades of Westward expansion in the nineteenth century--including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads.
How the West Was Won (1962) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   5,628 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writer:
James R. Webb (written by) (suggested by the series "How the West Was Won" in LIFE magazine)
more
Contact:
View company contact information for How the West Was Won on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 February 1963 (USA) more
Genre:
Adventure | Drama | Romance | Western more
Tagline:
A FABULOUS ROMANTIC ADVENTURE more
Plot:
A family saga covering several decades of Westward expansion in the nineteenth century--including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 5 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
The Sunday Movie Quiz – The Answers
 (From HeyUGuys. 16 November 2009, 12:33 PM, PST)
The Sunday Movie Quiz
 (From HeyUGuys. 14 November 2009, 4:01 PM, PST)
User Comments:
More quantity than quality, but a truly all-star cast more (93 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Carroll Baker ... Eve Prescott

Lee J. Cobb ... Marshal Lou Ramsey

Henry Fonda ... Jethro Stuart

Carolyn Jones ... Julie Rawlings

Karl Malden ... Zebulon Prescott

Gregory Peck ... Cleve Van Valen

George Peppard ... Zeb Rawlings
Robert Preston ... Roger Morgan

Debbie Reynolds ... Lilith Prescott

James Stewart ... Linus Rawlings

Eli Wallach ... Charlie Gant

John Wayne ... Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman

Richard Widmark ... Mike King
Brigid Bazlen ... Dora Hawkins

Walter Brennan ... Col. Jeb Hawkins
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
162 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Arapaho
Color:
Color (Technicolor) (credited as Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.89 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (35 mm prints) | Cinerama 7-Track (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Canada:G | Portugal:M/12 | USA:Approved (certificate #20143) | USA:G (re-rating) (1970) | West Germany:12 (f) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-16 | Norway:12 | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) (cut) | UK:PG (video re-rating) (1995) (uncut) | UK:U (original rating)
Filming Locations:
Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA more
Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The train station in the film at "Gold City" was shot at Perkinsville, Arizona, and is still standing, although in a state of disrepair. It is now the mid stopping point of the Verde Canyon Scenic Railroad. The train station, the town sign and several other smaller buildings still exist. more
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Zebulon Prescott sees the rapids on the river, he says they must have taken the wrong fork. But they are are headed downstream. If you are headed downstream and come to a fork, you have no choice which fork to take; you take the one headed downstream. You can only make a choice of which fork to take if you head upstream at some point. In those rafts on that river, they could not have taken the wrong fork. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Narrator: [as the camera pans over the Rocky Mountains] This land has a name today, and is marked on maps. But, the names and the marks and the maps all had to be won, won from nature and from primitive man.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Fast Forward: (#3.6)" (1987) more
Soundtrack:
Wait For the Hoedown more

FAQ

How can I see How The West Was Won in CINERAMA?
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
25 out of 33 people found the following comment useful.
More quantity than quality, but a truly all-star cast, 10 April 1999
Author: Brian W. Fairbanks (brianwfairbanks@yahoo.com) from Cleveland, Ohio

Watching a letterboxed version of "How the West Was Won," I noticed the dividing lines on the screen, and it was clear that much of the picture was still missing even in this format. But neither hindered my enjoyment of this sprawling epic, even if James R. Webb's Oscar winning screenplay left something to be desired. Alfred Newman's music score is terrific, and so is that all-star cast. Unlike those disaster flicks of the 70s like "The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Towering Inferno" that claimed to be stuffed with stars but actually boasted "names" (usually familiar performers, primarily from TV, who rarely headlined a first class feature), "How the West Was Won" has the genuine article. John Wayne, James Stewart, Gregory Peck, Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, George Peppard, Robert Preston, Carroll Baker, and Debbie Reynolds may mean little at the ticket windows of the 90s (and many of them are dead, anyway), but all were above the title stars who carried their own films at the box-office in the early 60s.

Three directors helmed this project but I'd be hard pressed to distinguish whether John Ford, George Marshall or Henry Hathaway were behind the camera during any particular episode if the opening credits didn't identify each segment and its director. I suppose "How the West Was Won" is more quantity than quality, but it's entertaining overall.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (93 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for How the West Was Won (1962)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
The Theme Music TuskenRaiderBob
Logistical question: Carycomic
Marni Nixon/Hope Lange Welch57
Is the new DVD edition worth it? osurover
Jimmy Stewart was 53 years old when he made this film mitchflorida
Indians paul-mcginley
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The Phantom Rider Gone with the Wind Major Dundee Ride the High Country The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Adventure section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.