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How the West Was Won

How the West Was Won

7,0 /10 (505 Votes)
1962 EN 164 min

Overview

The epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War to the end of the century, as seen through the eyes of one pioneer family.

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Release date

02/11/1962

Votes

505

Popularity

5.7

It's here! The mightiest adventure ever filmed!

Genres

Status

Released

Language

EN

Runtime

164 min

Budget

$15,000,000

Revenue

$76,729

Carroll Baker

Carroll Baker

Eve Prescott Rawlings

Lee J. Cobb

Lee J. Cobb

Marshal Lou Ramsey

Henry Fonda

Henry Fonda

Jethro Stuart

Carolyn Jones

Carolyn Jones

Julie Rawlings

Karl Malden

Karl Malden

Zebulon Prescott

Gregory Peck

Gregory Peck

Cleve Van Valen

George Peppard

George Peppard

Zeb Rawlings

Robert Preston

Robert Preston

Roger Morgan

Debbie Reynolds

Debbie Reynolds

Lilith Prescott

James Stewart

James Stewart

Linus Rawlings

Eli Wallach

Eli Wallach

Charlie Gant

John Wayne

John Wayne

William Sherman

Richard Widmark

Richard Widmark

Mike King

Spencer Tracy

Spencer Tracy

Narrator (voice)

Brigid Bazlen

Brigid Bazlen

Dora Hawkins

Walter Brennan

Walter Brennan

Jeb Hawkins

David Brian

David Brian

Lilith's Attorney

Andy Devine

Andy Devine

Corporal Peterson

Raymond Massey

Raymond Massey

Abraham Lincoln

Agnes Moorehead

Agnes Moorehead

Rebecca Prescott

Harry Morgan

Harry Morgan

Ulysses S. Grant

Thelma Ritter

Thelma Ritter

Agatha Clegg

Mickey Shaughnessy

Mickey Shaughnessy

Deputy Stover

Russ Tamblyn

Russ Tamblyn

Confederate Deserter

Harry Dean Stanton

Harry Dean Stanton

Gant Henchman

Lee Van Cleef

Lee Van Cleef

River Pirate

Rodolfo Acosta

Rodolfo Acosta

Gant Gang Member (uncredited)

Clinton Sundberg

Clinton Sundberg

Hylan Seabury (uncredited)

Willis Bouchey

Willis Bouchey

Civil War Surgeon (uncredited)

Claude Johnson

Claude Johnson

Jeremiah Rawlings (uncredited)

Kim Charney

Kim Charney

Sam Prescott (uncredited)

Bryan Russell

Bryan Russell

Zeke Prescott (uncredited)

Stanley Livingston

Stanley Livingston

Prescott Rawlings (uncredited)

Jay C. Flippen

Jay C. Flippen

Huggins (uncredited)

Tudor Owen

Tudor Owen

Parson Alec Harvey (uncredited)

Karl Swenson

Karl Swenson

Train Conductor (uncredited)

James Griffith

James Griffith

Poker Player with Cleve (uncredited)

Jack Pennick

Jack Pennick

Corporal Murphy (uncredited)

No photo

Jim Michael

Barfly (uncredited)

Chuck Roberson

Chuck Roberson

Officer (uncredited)

Claude Akins

Claude Akins

Man (uncredited)

Mark Allen

Mark Allen

Colin Harvey (uncredited)

Don Anderson

Don Anderson

Auction Guest (uncredited)

No photo

Beulah Archuletta

Arapaho Woman (uncredited)

Robert Banas

Robert Banas

Dance Hall Dancer (uncredited)

No photo

Willie Bloom

Barfly (uncredited)

Bill Borzage

Bill Borzage

Barfly (uncredited)

No photo

John Breen

Waiter (uncredited)

Charlie Briggs

Charlie Briggs

Flying Arrow Barker (uncredited)

Buddy Bryan

Buddy Bryan

Music Hall Dancer / Wagon Train Traveler (uncredited)

Paul Bryar

Paul Bryar

Auctioneer's Assistant (uncredited)

Walter Burke

Walter Burke

Wagon Poker Player (uncredited)

Polly Burson

Polly Burson

Stock Player (uncredited)

Ken Curtis

Ken Curtis

Corporal Ben (uncredited)

John Damler

John Damler

Lawyer (uncredited)

Christopher Dark

Christopher Dark

Poker Player with Cleve (uncredited)

No photo

Kem Dibbs

Blacksmith (uncredited)

No photo

Forrest Draper

(uncredited)

No photo

Craig Duncan

James Marshall (uncredited)

No photo

Ben Black Elk Sr.

Arapaho Chief (uncredited)

No photo

Raoul Freeman

Auction Guest (uncredited)

Sol Gorss

Sol Gorss

River Pirate (uncredited)

No photo

Tom Greenway

(uncredited)

No photo

Barry Harvey

Angus Harvey (uncredited)

William Henry

William Henry

Staff Officer (uncredited)

No photo

Jerry Holmes

Railroad Clerk (uncredited)

Roy Jenson

Roy Jenson

Henchman (uncredited)

No photo

Walter Kightly

Cavalryman (uncredited)

Jack Lambert

Jack Lambert

Gant Henchman (uncredited)

John Larch

John Larch

Grimes (uncredited)

No photo

Robert P. Lieb

Bartender (uncredited)

No photo

Herbert Maneval

Schoolboy (uncredited)

No photo

J. Edward McKinley

Auctioneer (uncredited)

No photo

Gary Menteer

Music Hall Dancer / Wagon Train Traveler (uncredited)

Harold Miller

Harold Miller

Auction Guest (uncredited)

No photo

Harry Monty

River Pirate (uncredited)

Bob Morgan

Bob Morgan

Member of Train Robbery Gang (uncredited)

Boyd 'Red' Morgan

Boyd 'Red' Morgan

River Pirate (uncredited)

Forbes Murray

Forbes Murray

Auction Guest (uncredited)

No photo

Robert Nash

Lawyer (uncredited)

Cliff Osmond

Cliff Osmond

Bartender (uncredited)

Harvey Parry

Harvey Parry

Henchman (uncredited)

Gil Perkins

Gil Perkins

Henchman (uncredited)

No photo

Red Perkins

Union Soldier (uncredited)

No photo

Murray Pollack

Auction Guest (uncredited)

No photo

Paul Power

Auction Guest (uncredited)

No photo

Frank Radcliffe

Music Hall Dancer / Wagon Train Traveler (uncredited)

No photo

Buddy Red Bow

Arapaho Man (uncredited)

Walter Reed

Walter Reed

River Pirate (uncredited)

No photo

Victor Romito

Henchman (uncredited)

No photo

Jamie Ross

Bruce Harvey (uncredited)

Gene Roth

Gene Roth

Riverboat Poker Player (uncredited)

Bing Russell

Bing Russell

Man (uncredited)

No photo

Danny Sands

Trapeze Man (uncredited)

Joe Sawyer

Joe Sawyer

Riverboat Officer (uncredited)

Jeffrey Sayre

Jeffrey Sayre

Auction Guest (uncredited)

No photo

Phil Schumacher

Bartender (uncredited)

No photo

June Smaney

Saloon Girl (uncredited)

No photo

Kelly Smith

Little Girl (uncredited)

Dub Taylor

Dub Taylor

Man (uncredited)

Ken Terrell

Ken Terrell

River Pirate (uncredited)

Jack Tornek

Jack Tornek

Barfly (uncredited)

William Wellman Jr.

William Wellman Jr.

Officer #2 (uncredited)

Harry Wilson

Harry Wilson

Cattleman at Barricade (uncredited)

Carleton Young

Carleton Young

Poker Player with Cleve (uncredited)

Original Soundtrack

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John Chard

John Chard

2017-05-04

⭐ 9

Bound for the promised land, indeed. One of the last great epic movies to come out of MGM that was a roaring success, How the West Was Won still has enough quality about it to warrant high praise. The story that drives the film on was suggested by the series of the same name that featured in "Life" magazine 1959. Narrative is formed around one family, the Prescott's, who set out on a journey West in 1839. They and their offspring fill out five segments of film that are directed by three different men, "The Rivers", "The Plains" & "The Outlaws" is under the guidance of Henry Hathaway, and "T…

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Wuchak

Wuchak

2021-04-14

⭐ 7

_**Unique, entertaining all-star Western epic comprised of vignettes is a mixed bag**_ Released in 1962-63 and written by James Webb, "How the West was Won" is an epic Hollywood Western covering fifty years between 1839-1889 focusing on the Prescott family's move West and narrated by Spencer Tracy. This is a history lesson amped up with melodrama, romance, adventure, violence and song & dance. The film was done in Cinerama, which was a short-lived cinematic experiment involving three synchronized projectors and a huge curved screen. Only one other film with a traditional story line utili…

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CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

2023-01-23

⭐ 7

It's almost impossible to imagine how anyone could have amassed such a complete complement of Hollywood A-listers (both in front of, and behind, the camera) to make this epic tale of the pioneering American spirit in the 19th century. From the opening bars of Alfred Newman's score, you can rest assured that we are in for something grand - and, cinematographically speaking, we certainly are. The story is essentially episodic in nature, depicting three stages in the lives of families who emigrate west, encountering just about every obstacle and danger imaginable as the gold rush, railroads (and …

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