Classic Western Films Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Classic Western Films Quiz
Image: John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Getty Images

About This Quiz

There's nothing like the big open sky, towering red rock desert formations and the sound of a galloping horse. If you fancy yourself an aficionado of gun-slingers, ponies and the occasional whiskey, all set against the gorgeous scenery of the American West, then you'll love this quiz about classic (and not-so-classic) Western films!  Whether you're a die-hard Sergio Leone fan or have no idea where the phrase "Spaghetti Western" comes from, challenge yourself and learn something new. 

Did you know that former United States president Harry S. Truman's favorite film was a Western? Do you know which one? Do you know how many Westerns have won the Academy Award for Best Film? Perhaps you're more interested in the famous four-legged friends of our cowboy heroes. Sure, you may know the name of the Roy Rogers horse in his films, but do you know what name his horse was given at birth?

From the turn of the 20th century to modern times, the genre has captured our attention and imagination. Find out how much you know about classic Western films by taking this quiz!

What filmmaker spawned the Spaghetti Western genre?
Sergio Leone
Clint Eastwood
John Huston
Steven Spielberg
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sergio Leone spawned the largely Italian enterprise. These Westerns are called "spaghetti" Westerns because of their Italian roots. Leone was the most successful of these directors and worked with actors like Clint Eastwood.

James Stewart and John Wayne starred in "The Man Who Shot" what title character?
The Angry Farmer
Liberty Valance
Jesse James
Buffalo Bill
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Lee Marvin played the titular character in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." It had a stellar cast, including John Wayne and James Stewart.

What film takes its name from a classic Western folk song?
"Home on the Range"
"My Darling Clementine"
"Back in the Saddle Again"
"Crawdad Song"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Henry Fonda starred in the 1946 film, "My Darling Clementine." While not only considered one of the best films in its genre ever made, it was also the favorite film of former US president, Harry Truman.

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What classic Western did John Wayne not star in?
"She Wore a Yellow Ribbon"
"Rio Grande"
"Broken Arrow"
"True Grit"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He wasn't in "Broken Arrow," a James Stewart Western. Unlike most films of the era, it portrayed the indigenous people in the story sympathetically, rather than as one-dimensional and "bad."

Who co-stars with Roy Rogers in "Don't Fence Me In?"
Kirk Douglas
Trigger, the palomino
James Stewart
Clint Eastwood
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Roger's horse, Trigger, is the real star. Trigger, who was born in San Diego, CA, was originally named Golden Cloud. He lived to the ripe old horsey age of 30.

In "Little Big Man," Dustin Hoffman's character is raised by what tribe of Native Americans?
Apache
Sioux
Cheyenne
Chumash
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Little Big Man" is a revisionist Western in which Jack Crabb (Hoffman) says the Cheyenne tribe raised him. While there was a historical Little Big Man, he was nothing like the character in the movie.

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How many times has the classic Western novel "Riders of the Purple Sage" been adapted for screen?
Three
Five
Four
One
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first two were silent films, followed by two film adaptations and one television movie. The story itself was a precursor (and highly influential) to the structure of the Western genre.

In "Bad Day at Black Rock," what is the protagonist missing?
An arm
A leg
A cowboy hat
An eye
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Spencer Tracy plays the main character, who's missing an arm. Tracy won an Oscar for the role.

What movie made John Wayne a star?
"The Quiet Man"
"True Grit"
"Stagecoach"
"Randy Rides Alone"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Although the Duke had been in film for nearly 10 years, it was 1939's "Stagecoach" that launched his career as a leading man. It was also the first film that director, John Ford, shot using Oljato-Monument Valley as a backdrop.

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"The Wild Bunch" is considered a Western classic but was also condemned for what reason?
Portrayal of Native Americans
Sexist language
Violent imagery
Terrible musical score
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1969 movie is graphically violent but considered a masterpiece by many. There were two separate versions released in 1969. One was ten minutes shorter than the other, to allow more screenings.

Who wrote the famous score for "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?"
Elmer Bernstein
Henry Mancini
Ennio Morricone
John Williams
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Morricone's score (and the main theme of the film) is considered one of the most iconic Western scores ever written.

"The Magnificent Seven" is a remake of what film?
"The 400 Blows"
"Cinema Paradiso"
"Seven Samurai"
"The Seventh Seal"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1954 Kurosawa film, "Seven Samurai," inspired the 1960 Western (and its 2016 remake). The 1960 film had a star-studded cast that included actors such as Steve McQueen, Yule Brenner and Charles Bronson.

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Charles Bronson's character plays what instrument in "Once Upon a Time in the West?"
Guitar
Accordion
Harmonica
Triangle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bronson's character is actually named "Harmonica" in this Spaghetti Western. It also starred Henry Fonda.

In "The Searchers," John Wayne's character is a veteran of what war?
The Civil War
The Spanish-American War
The Mexican-American War
The French and Indian War
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The classic Western tells the tale of a man obsessed with finding his abducted niece in the West. The American Film Institute considers it the greatest American Western ever made.

What Academy Award did "Unforgiven" win in 1993?
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Supporting Actor
All of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The film won all three, as well as the Oscar for Best Film Editing. It was also only the third Western ever to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.

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What unexpected actor starred in the 1954 Western "Johnny Guitar?"
Tony Curtis
Joan Crawford
Desi Arnaz
Lucille Ball
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Crawford was a tough saloon owner. In the early aughts, the film was adapted into an off-Broadway musical.

Where is "High Noon" set?
Texas
New Mexico
South Dakota
Arizona
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The New Mexico territory is where Gary Cooper vows to take his revenge. The film won four Academy Awards.

What does a rival throw on the protagonist in "Shane," taunting him to, "smell like a man"?
Cologne
Horse manure
Whiskey
Chewing tobacco
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Shane's rival throws whiskey on him. The film, which came out in 1953, cost over three million dollars to film, which at the time, was very expensive.

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Where were the real Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid believed to have died?
Wyoming
Mexico
Bolivia
New Mexico
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Historians believe they died in Bolivia in 1908 during a shootout. They were part of "The Wild Bunch" gang that robbed banks and trains.

What is the protagonist's ranch called in "Red River?"
The Not-Red River
The Red River
The Red River D
The Blue River
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

John Wayne's character uses a "D" brand for the cattle on his ranch. The film was chosen to be preserved by the US Library of Congress.

In what year is "No Country for Old Men" set?
1898
1980
1972
1965
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's set in 1980. The film is considered a neo-Western rooted in the aesthetics of more classic Westerns.

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"They Died With Their Boots On" was a dramatized biography of what famous Westerner?
General Custer
Billy the Kid
Buffalo Bill
Jesse James
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This movie was based exceptionally loosely on the life of Gen. Custer. Errol Flynn played Custer and Olivia de Havilland (of "Gone with the Wind" fame) played his wife.

Humphrey Bogart stars in what famous Western?
"The Man From Laramie"
"Broken Arrow"
"The Treasure of the Sierra Madre"
"True Grit"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

John Huston won Oscars for his screenplay and directing of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre." The film, which takes place in Mexico, was one of the first Hollywood films to actually shoot some of the film on location in another country.

What does the title of "Winchester '73" refer to?
An Army regiment
A rifle
A location and date
A type of train
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The German Expressionist director, Fritz Lang, was originally supposed to direct the film, but because of problems with wanting to use his own production company, Universal chose Anthony Mann to direct, instead.

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"Dodge City," released in 1939, is set in what real-life town?
Dodge City, Colorado
Dodge City, Alabama
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City, Nevada
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The film takes place in the Kansas town. However, the phrase, "Get the hell out of Dodge," comes from the radio-turned-TV Western, "Gunsmoke."

What Western snagged Jack Palance an Academy Award?
"The Lonely Man"
"City Slickers"
"Shane"
"Arrowhead"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A staple of Westerns, Palance finally earned his Academy Award in 1991's Western(ish) comedy "City Slickers." This was the only Oscar nomination that the film received.

"The Plainsman" is a 1936 film directed by what screen legend?
Victor Fleming
George Cukor
Cecil B. DeMille
John Ford
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Western is a fictionalized tale of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Gen. Custer and Buffalo Bill, directed by DeMille. It was remade by David Lowell Rich in 1966.

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The film,"Cat Ballou," is what genre?
Comedy
Musical
Western
All of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1965 Western-comedy-musical starred Jane Fonda. Lee Marvin won an Academy Award for Best Actor in the film.

What Rat Packer starred in "Rio Bravo?"
Frank Sinatra
Dean Martin
Joey Bishop
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dean Martin made the song, "My Rifle, My Pony and Me," a Western classic (along with Ricky Nelson.) The film also starred perennial Western favorite, John Wayne.

Robert Altman directed what classic non-Western?
"True Grit"
"McCabe & Mrs. Miller"
"Steel Magnolias"
"MASH"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Although all the elements of a Western are there, the 1971 film, "McCabe & Mrs. Miller," is a subversion of the classics. Leonard Cohen wrote and performed all the music for the film.

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