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.Â
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!
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.
Lee Marvin played the titular character in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." It had a stellar cast, including John Wayne and James Stewart.
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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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."
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.
"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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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.
Spencer Tracy plays the main character, who's missing an arm. Tracy won an Oscar for the role.
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 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.
Morricone's score (and the main theme of the film) is considered one of the most iconic Western scores ever written.
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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Bronson's character is actually named "Harmonica" in this Spaghetti Western. It also starred Henry Fonda.
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.
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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Crawford was a tough saloon owner. In the early aughts, the film was adapted into an off-Broadway musical.
The New Mexico territory is where Gary Cooper vows to take his revenge. The film won four Academy Awards.
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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Historians believe they died in Bolivia in 1908 during a shootout. They were part of "The Wild Bunch" gang that robbed banks and trains.
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.
It's set in 1980. The film is considered a neo-Western rooted in the aesthetics of more classic Westerns.
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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.
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.
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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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."
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 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 1965 Western-comedy-musical starred Jane Fonda. Lee Marvin won an Academy Award for Best Actor in the film.
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.
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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