Westerns and the Trail of Tradition
A Year-by-Year History, 1929–1962
(0 vote)Average rating:
| 0 | rating |  = We can do without |
| 0 | rating |  = Good book |
| 0 | rating |  = Excellent book |
| 0 | rating |  = Unique / a reference |
Your rating: -
Book Presentation:
Over the past century, the western has fluctuated in popularity. By 2010 it has come to stand, to the dismay of many, at one of its lowest points. Beginning with 1929 and the advent of talkies (In Old Arizona), the author discusses the cultural and industry trends, the directors, producers, studios and especially the stars, and looks at the ways in which their personalities (and financial ups and downs) affected the way westerns were shot. The improvements in technology through the years, the trick horses, the fistfight choreography, the evolution of plotlines—these are fascinating indicators of the way Americans themselves were changing.
About the Author:
The late Barrie Hanfling wrote for Nostalgia Westerns magazine. He also had articles published in Wrangler’s Roost and Serial Report. He lived in Auckland, New Zealand.
Press Reviews:
"one of the best books on Westerns film history…wonderful"—Classic Images; "unique…a good read"—Western Clippings; "well-illustrated"—Wrangler’s Roost.
> On a related topic:
The Quick, the Dead and the Revived (2016)
The Many Lives of the Western Film
The Sagebrush Trail (2015)
Western Movies and Twentieth-Century America
The Invention of the Western Film (2004)
A Cultural History of the Genre's First Half Century
by Scott Simmon
Subject: Genre
French Westerns (2025)
On the Frontier of Film Genre and French Cinema
Hell-Bent for Leather (2025)
Sex and Sexuality in the Weird Western
by Kerry Fine, Michael K. Johnson, Rebecca M. Lush and Sara L. Spurgeon
Back
