How the West Was Won (1962)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Directors:

John Ford
Henry Hathaway
(more)

Writer:

James R. Webb (written by) (suggested by the series "How the West Was Won" in LIFE magazine)
(more)

Release Date:

20 February 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Romance | Western

Tagline:

A FABULOUS ROMANTIC ADVENTURE

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.

Plot Keywords:

Railroad | Civil War | Erie Canal | Train | Army

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

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
David Brian	...	Lilith's attorney
Andy Devine	...	Cpl. Peterson
Raymond Massey	...	Abraham Lincoln
Agnes Moorehead	...	Rebecca Prescott
Harry Morgan	...	Gen. Ulysses S. Grant (as Henry 'Harry' Morgan)
Thelma Ritter	...	Agatha Clegg
Mickey Shaughnessy	...	Deputy Stover
Russ Tamblyn	...	Confederate deserter
Spencer Tracy	...	Narrator
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rodolfo Acosta	...	Gant gang member (uncredited)
Mark Allen	...	Colin Harvey (uncredited)
Beulah Archuletta	...	Indian woman (uncredited)
Robert Banas	...	Dance Hall Dancer (uncredited)
Willis Bouchey	...	Surgeon (uncredited)
Charlie Briggs	...	Flying Arrow Barker (uncredited)
Paul Bryar	...	Auctioneer's assistant (uncredited)
Walter Burke	...	Wagon poker player (uncredited)
Polly Burson	...	Stock player (uncredited)
Kim Charney	...	Sam Prescott (uncredited)
Ken Curtis	...	Cpl. Ben (uncredited)
John Damler	...	Lawyer (uncredited)
Christopher Dark	...	Poker player with Cleve (uncredited)
Kem Dibbs	...	Blacksmith (uncredited)
Craig Duncan	...	James Marshall (uncredited)
Ben Black Elk Sr.	...	Arapajo chief (uncredited)
Jay C. Flippen	...	Huggins (uncredited)
Sol Gorss	...	River pirate (uncredited)
Tom Greenway	...	(uncredited)
James Griffith	...	Poker player with Cleve (uncredited)
Barry Harvey	...	Angus Harvey (uncredited)
William Henry	...	Staff officer (uncredited)
Jerry Holmes	...	Railroad clerk (uncredited)
Roy Jenson	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Claude Johnson	...	Jeremiah Rawlings (uncredited)
Jack Lambert	...	Gant henchman (uncredited)
John Larch	...	Grimes (uncredited)
Stanley Livingston	...	Prescott Rawlings (uncredited)
J. Edward McKinley	...	Auctioneer (uncredited)
Harry Monty	...	(uncredited)
Bob Morgan	...	Member of train robbery gang (uncredited)
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	...	(uncredited)
Robert Nash	...	Lawyer (uncredited)
Cliff Osmond	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Tudor Owen	...	Parson Alec Harvey (uncredited)
Harvey Parry	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Jack Pennick	...	Cpl. Murphy (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Red Perkins	...	Union soldier (uncredited)
Buddy Red Bow	...	Native Man (uncredited)
Walter Reed	...	(uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	...	Officer (uncredited)
Victor Romito	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Jamie Ross	...	Bruce Harvey (uncredited)
Gene Roth	...	Riverboat poker player (uncredited)
Bryan Russell	...	Zeke Prescott (uncredited)
Danny Sands	...	Trapeze man (uncredited)
Joe Sawyer	...	Riverboat officer (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Auction spectator (uncredited)
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Gant henchman (uncredited)
Clinton Sundberg	...	Hylan Seabury (uncredited)
Karl Swenson	...	Train conductor (uncredited)
Ken Terrell	...	River pirate (uncredited)
Lee Van Cleef	...	River pirate (uncredited)
William Wellman Jr.	...	Officer #2 (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	Cattleman at barricade (uncredited)
Carleton Young	...	Poker player with Cleve (uncredited)

Directed by
John Ford		(segment "The Civil War")
Henry Hathaway		(segments "The Rivers", "The Plains" and "The Outlaws")
George Marshall		(segment "The Railroad")
Richard Thorpe		(uncredited) (transitional historical sequences)

Writing credits
James R. Webb		(written by) (suggested by the series "How the West Was Won" in LIFE magazine)
John Gay		uncredited

Produced by
Bernard Smith	....	producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman

Cinematography by
William H. Daniels		(director of photography)
Milton R. Krasner		(director of photography) (as Milton Krasner)
Charles Lang		(director of photography) (as Charles Lang Jr.)
Joseph LaShelle		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Harold F. Kress

Art Direction by
George W. Davis
William Ferrari
Addison Hehr

Set Decoration by
Henry Grace
Don Greenwood Jr.
Jack Mills

Costume Design by
Walter Plunkett
Ron Talsky		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist
William Tuttle	....	makeup designer
Jay Sebring	....	hair designer: Henry Fonda/George Peppard (uncredited)

Production Management
Thomas Conroy	....	production supervisor: Cinerama

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Marshall Jr.	....	assistant director
William McGarry	....	assistant director
Robert Saunders	....	assistant director
William Shanks	....	assistant director
Wingate Smith	....	assistant director
Richard Talmadge	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Franklin Milton	....	recording supervisor
Van Allen James	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Bob Overbeck	....	special effects crew (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special visual effects
Robert R. Hoag	....	special visual effects

Stunts
May Boss	....	stunts (uncredited)
Polly Burson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Frank Cordell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Everett Creach	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Richard Farnsworth	....	stunts (uncredited)
Sol Gorss	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Graham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Johnny Hagner	....	stunts (uncredited)
Donna Hall	....	stunt double: Debbie Reynolds (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Charles Horvath	....	stunts (uncredited)
Loren Janes	....	stunt double: Debbie Reynolds (uncredited)
Loren Janes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Roy Jenson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Leroy Johnson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Juaregui	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ted Mapes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Troy Melton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Louise Montana	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Morgan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hal Needham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Harvey Parry	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Carl Pitti	....	stunts (uncredited)
Rusty Richards	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunt double: John Wayne (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Victor Romito	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ronnie Rondell Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Danny Sands	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dean Smith	....	stunts (uncredited)
Richard Talmadge	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Bob Terhune	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ken Terrell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Autry Ward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Troy Ward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)
Henry Wills	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack N. Young	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Yrigoyen	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Harold E. Wellman	....	photographer: second unit
Bill Johnson	....	camera operator (uncredited)
James V. King	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Owen Marsh	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Owen Marsh	....	video technician (uncredited)
Pete G. Papanickolas	....	grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Robert Fuca	....	assistant set costumer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Charles K. Hagedon	....	color consultant
Mike Henry	....	negative cutter (uncredited)

Music Department
Ken Darby	....	associate composer
Ken Darby	....	choir
Robert Emmett Dolan	....	music coordinator
Dave Guard	....	folklore singer
Robert Armbruster	....	associate conductor (uncredited)
Bob Bain	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)
Robert Emmett Dolan	....	associate conductor (uncredited)
Carl Fortina	....	musician: concertina (uncredited)
Tommy Morgan	....	musician: harmonica (uncredited)
Alfred Newman	....	conductor (uncredited)
Paul Salamunovich	....	choral singer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cinerama Productions Corp. (in association with)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Cinerama Releasing Corporation (1962) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Cinerama Filmgesellschaft MBH (1963) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1963) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1963) (USA) (theatrical) (CinemaScope version)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1970) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1971) (USA) (TV) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (Germany) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS) (widescreen)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih (????) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Turner Pictures (I)

Other Companies

• Officials of the State of South Dakota  deep appreciation
• U.S. Forest Service  deep appreciation (as United States Forest Service)
• The United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation  deep appreciation (as Bureau of Reclamation)

Runtime:

162 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Arapaho

Color:

Color (Technicolor) (credited as Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.89 : 1

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) | 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

Company:

Cinerama Productions Corp.

Trivia:

Russ Tamblyn and Bryan Russell also appear on the other 1962 Cinerama film The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962).

Goofs:

Factual errors: When the wagon train on its way to California is attacked by Indians, it is in a mountainous area, yet the Indians are identified as Cheyenne. The Cheyenne tribe was a Great Plains tribe, and would not have been that far west.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Fast Forward: (#3.6)" (1987)

Soundtrack:

Raise a Ruckus

A Grand Epic

I'm not a fan of westerns in particular, but this magnificent epic is an exception for me because it has all the wonderful elements of a sprawling historical epic that only Hollywood could do so wonderfully in the 50s and 60s. And yes, I embrace it for holding to a perspective that today's PC revisionists who see evil in everything associated with the rise of America as a great nation are always so quick to condemn. While this is by no means a flawless look at history, it is only those who dare to liken the American pioneers with "Nazis" as one reviewer did who end up "creating history" more than a film like this does.