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How the West Was Won

  • 19621962
  • GG
  • 2h 44m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
21K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
How the West Was Won (1962)
Watch {VideoTitle}
Play trailer3:03
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Western
A family saga covering several decades of Westward expansion in the 19th century, including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads.A family saga covering several decades of Westward expansion in the 19th century, including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads.A family saga covering several decades of Westward expansion in the 19th century, including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
21K
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • John Ford(segment The Civil War)
    • Henry Hathaway(segments The Rivers, The Plains, The Outlaws)
    • George Marshall(segment The Railroad)
  • Writers
    • James R. Webb(suggested by the series "How the West Was Won" which appeared in LIFE magazine)
    • John Gay(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • James Stewart
    • John Wayne
    • Gregory Peck
Top credits
  • Directors
    • John Ford(segment The Civil War)
    • Henry Hathaway(segments The Rivers, The Plains, The Outlaws)
    • George Marshall(segment The Railroad)
  • Writers
    • James R. Webb(suggested by the series "How the West Was Won" which appeared in LIFE magazine)
    • John Gay(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • James Stewart
    • John Wayne
    • Gregory Peck
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 191User reviews
    • 46Critic reviews
    • 56Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 3 Oscars
      • 10 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 3:03
    Official Trailer

    Photos189

    Gregory Peck, Debbie Reynolds, Robert Preston, and Thelma Ritter in How the West Was Won (1962)
    Debbie Reynolds in How the West Was Won (1962)
    How the West Was Won (1962)
    Debbie Reynolds and Robert Preston in How the West Was Won (1962)
    John Wayne and Harry Morgan in How the West Was Won (1962)
    James Stewart, Karl Malden, Kim Charney, Tudor Owen, and Bryan Russell in How the West Was Won (1962)
    Harry Dean Stanton and Eli Wallach in How the West Was Won (1962)
    Gregory Peck and Debbie Reynolds in How the West Was Won (1962)
    Henry Fonda and George Peppard in How the West Was Won (1962)
    Lee J. Cobb and Mickey Shaughnessy in How the West Was Won (1962)
    George Peppard and Russ Tamblyn in How the West Was Won (1962)
    Debbie Reynolds in How the West Was Won (1962)

    Top cast

    Edit
    James Stewart
    James Stewart
    • Linus Rawlingsas Linus Rawlings
    John Wayne
    John Wayne
    • Gen. William Tecumseh Shermanas Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman
    Gregory Peck
    Gregory Peck
    • Cleve Van Valenas Cleve Van Valen
    Henry Fonda
    Henry Fonda
    • Jethro Stuartas Jethro Stuart
    Carroll Baker
    Carroll Baker
    • Eve Prescottas Eve Prescott
    Lee J. Cobb
    Lee J. Cobb
    • Marshal Lou Ramseyas Marshal Lou Ramsey
    Carolyn Jones
    Carolyn Jones
    • Julie Rawlingsas Julie Rawlings
    Karl Malden
    Karl Malden
    • Zebulon Prescottas Zebulon Prescott
    George Peppard
    George Peppard
    • Zeb Rawlingsas Zeb Rawlings
    Robert Preston
    Robert Preston
    • Roger Morganas Roger Morgan
    Debbie Reynolds
    Debbie Reynolds
    • Lilith Prescottas Lilith Prescott
    Eli Wallach
    Eli Wallach
    • Charlie Gantas Charlie Gant
    Richard Widmark
    Richard Widmark
    • Mike Kingas Mike King
    Brigid Bazlen
    Brigid Bazlen
    • Dora Hawkinsas Dora Hawkins
    Walter Brennan
    Walter Brennan
    • Col. Jeb Hawkinsas Col. Jeb Hawkins
    David Brian
    David Brian
    • Lilith's Attorneyas Lilith's Attorney
    Andy Devine
    Andy Devine
    • Cpl. Petersonas Cpl. Peterson
    Raymond Massey
    Raymond Massey
    • Abraham Lincolnas Abraham Lincoln
    • Directors
      • John Ford(segment The Civil War)
      • Henry Hathaway(segments The Rivers, The Plains, The Outlaws)
      • George Marshall(segment The Railroad)
    • Writers
      • James R. Webb(suggested by the series "How the West Was Won" which appeared in LIFE magazine)
      • John Gay(uncredited)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Stuntman Bob Morgan was seriously injured, and almost died, while performing a stunt in this picture. Toward the end of the film, there is a gunfight on a moving train between the sheriff and a gang of train robbers. Morgan was one of the stuntmen playing a robber and was crouched next to a pile of logs on a flatcar. The chains holding the logs together snapped, and Morgan was crushed by the falling logs. He was so badly hurt it took him five years to recover to the point where he was able to move by himself and walk unaided.
    • Goofs
      There is no explanation of why Sheriff Ramsey is fine in one scene and wearing a bandage on his forehead in the next, immediately following. (There was a deleted or unfilmed scene where Zeb knocked Ramsey out when the Sheriff tried to stop him from going after the train robbers.)
    • Quotes

      Narrator: The west was won by its pioneers, settlers, adventurers is long gone now. Yet it is theirs forever, for they left tracks in history that will never be eroded by wind or rain - never plowed under by tractors, never buried in compost of events. Out of the hard simplicity of their lives, out of their vitality, of their hopes and sorrows grew legends of courage and pride to inspire their children and their children's children. From soil enriched by their blood, out of their fever to explore and be, came lakes where once there were burning deserts - came the goods of the earth; mine and wheat fields, orchards and great lumber mills. All the sinews of a growing country. Out of their rude settlements, their trading posts came cities to rank among the great ones of the world. All the heritage of a people free to dream, free to act, free to mold their own destiny.

      [final narrative from the film "How The West Was Won"1962 - narrated by Spencer Tracy]

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits: Except for historical events and characters, the events and characters depicted in this photoplay are fictitious and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.
    • Alternate versions
      Some prints (like the Swedish pan&scan video release) leave out the final modern travelogue scenes.
    • Connections
      Edited from This Is Cinerama (1952)
    • Soundtracks
      How the West Was Won
      (1962)

      Music by Alfred Newman

      Lyrics by Ken Darby

      Performed by Ken Darby (uncredited)

    User reviews191

    Review
    Top review
    More quantity than quality, but a truly all-star cast
    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.
    helpful•47
    18
    • bwaynef
    • Apr 10, 1999

    FAQ2

    • How can I see How The West Was Won in CINERAMA?
    • George Peppard---How Many Dye Jobs Did He Have?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 20, 1963 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Arapaho
    • Also known as
      • Kako je osvojen divlji Zapad
    • Filming locations
      • Cave-In-Rock State Park - 1 New State Park Road, Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, USA
    • Production companies
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
      • Cinerama Productions Corp.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $15,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $76,729
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $28,568
      • Sep 14, 2003
    • Gross worldwide
      • $76,729
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 44 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.89 : 1

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