How the West Was 'Cast – Details, episodes & analysis

On this super-size episode, Matt and Andrew discuss the biggest Western movie event in recent memory. Is Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 a bold and breathtaking vision of the Old West or a television miniseries masquerading as a feature film? Our hosts debate the issue, covering everything from key scenes and performances to John Debney’s score to the critical and commercial reaction to the movie. 

And in a special bonus segment at the end of the episode, returning guest Travis Eller drops by to share his thoughts on the film’s impressive Western hats. He also discusses his principal lead role in the exciting new INSP television series Elkhorn! 

Be sure to visit Travis’s custom hat shop, Ugly Outlaw Hats, to order your very own hand-crafted Western hat. 

Read any good Western movie books lately? On this page-turning episode, we’re highlighting some of our favorite books about the Western genre. From biographies and coffee table books to scholarly studies and acclaimed film guides, you’ll find plenty of reading recommendations here that will deepen your love of Westerns. And joining us to talk about their own recent Western film books are two authors you’ll definitely enjoying meeting. First, Andrew interviews Henry C. Parke about his new book The Greatest Westerns Ever Made and the People Who Made Them. After that, Matthew chats with Cory Everett about his adorable children’s book My First Spaghetti Western. It’s an episode you’ll want to listen to from cover to cover!

 Books discussed on the show:

The Greatest Westerns Ever Made and the People Who Made Them

My First Spaghetti Western

100 Westerns

Once Upon a Time in Italy: The Westerns of Sergio Leone

Horse Opera: The Strange History of the 1930s Singing Cowboy

John Wayne: The Life and Legend

American Titan: Searching for John Wayne

Bloody Sam: The Life and Films of Sam Peckinpah

"If They Move . . . Kill 'Em!": The Life and Times of Sam Peckinpah

Hang 'Em High: 110 Years of Western Movie Posters

Click HERE to watch the trailer for Cory Everett’s My First Spaghetti Western

The gripping story of a down-and-out cowhand who becomes ensnared in a complex scheme to dupe a local rancher out of a fortune, the moody 1948 film Blood on the Moon combines the mythic milieu of the Hollywood Western with the dark psychological themes of a classic noir. On this engaging episode, Andrew Patrick Nelson chats with acclaimed author, biographer and film noir expert Alan K. Rode, whose latest book – titled Blood on the Moon – offers a fascinating analysis of this influential Western. 

Alan K. Rode’s book, Blood on the Moon, is published by the University of New Mexico Press, and is part of the Reel West series, edited by Andrew Patrick Nelson.

And if you're interested in real-life Western history, be sure to check out The Wild West Extravaganza. It's a show we highly recommend. 

Hold on to your hats, folks! On this episode, we're taking an in-depth look at some of the greatest Western movie hats of all time. You'll hear about iconic hats worn by John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Burt Lancaster, Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, Lee Marvin, and many more of your favorite stars. Joining us to talk about Western hats is actor Travis Eller, who owns and operates Ugly Outlaw Hats, a custom hat shop that specializes in creating authentic Western-style hats.

Visit Ugly Outlaw Hats to browse their collection, and contact Travis directly to order your very own Western hat. Tell 'em How the West Was 'Cast sent ya!

Think about your favorite Western and chances are you can practically hear the rousing theme music playing in your head. On this melodious new episode, musician Mark Swan, from the band Natalie Pryce, joins us to discuss six Western film scores that we highly recommend. It’s an entertaining look at classic movie music from the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘90s. We also chat about Mark’s amazing new album, Frontera USA, which is the soundtrack to an imaginary Spaghetti Western! So get ready to hum along with some of the greatest Western film scores ever composed.

To purchase and download a copy of Mark’s album, Frontera USA, visit the Natalie Pryce Bandcamp page.

This episode is brought to you in part by Ugly Outlaw Hats. Visit their online store today to browse their collection of authentic handmade Western-style cowboy hats. 

On this supersized episode, we’re discussing animated Westerns! From the charming 1956 Disney short A Cowboy Needs a Horse to the dazzling 2011 Oscar-winner Rango, you'll hear about many of the most beloved animated Westerns of all time. And joining us to talk about his own amazing contribution to the genre is acclaimed animator and director Phil Nibbelink, whose 1991 classic An American Tail: Fievel Goes West remains one of the most popular movies of its kind. It’s an "animated" conversation you won’t want to miss!

Later this month, the Pioneertown International Film Festival makes its debut in California’s High Desert region, kicking off three days of classic Westerns, world premieres, documentaries, shorts, concerts and live workshops. On this special bonus episode, we chat with Julian Pinder, the co-founder of the festival, and Todd Luoto, the festival’s head programmer, to find out more about the exciting Western-themed events they’re planning!

For tickets to the festival, or for info about the screening schedule, visit their website. 

This special bonus episode is brought to you in part by Outlaw Soaps. Visit their website to purchase their fantastic hand-made soaps, body washes, lotions, colognes and more.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of High Noon. To celebrate that auspicious occasion, we’ve invited award-winning author, professor and cultural historian Austin Fisher on the show to talk about the film’s reputation as the quintessential Cold War-era Western. Is High Noon really an allegory for the Hollywood blacklist and the anti-communist investigations of the 1940s and ‘50s? Or has that popular reading been overstated to a large degree? We discuss that topic, and much more, on this provocative new episode.

Also, stay tuned until the very end of the show for a lively chat with the founders of Outlaw Soap, who’ve sponsored our High Noon episode.

Austin Fisher’s essay Revisiting the Blacklist Western: A Reception Study of High Noon is published by the Journal of Cinema and Media Studies.

And very special thanks to songstress Sarah Vista for allowing us to use her brilliant cover version of the theme to High Noon on the podcast. 

More than 40 years after its initial release, Michael Cimino's ambitious Western epic Heaven's Gate remains one of the most divisive films of all time. Some still see it as a colossal failure in every way, while others (like our very own Matthew Chernov) regard it as an astonishing work of art. On this special episode, we speak with author Charles Elton about his new book Cimino: The Deer Hunter, Heaven's Gate, and the Price of a Vision. Join us for a revealing interview about the controversial Oscar-winning director whose full life story has been shrouded in mystery... until now.

Charles Elton's Cimino: The Deer Hunter, Heaven's Gate, and the Price of a Vision is available in hardcover, audiobook and ebook from Abrams Press. 

If it's true that revenge is a dish best served cold, then this episode of How the West Was Cast is damn near frozen! Join us as we welcome author Tony Healey for a look at some of our favorite revenge-themed Westerns. You'll hear about films like Valdez is Coming, Hannie Caulder, Open Range, and many more. We also discuss Tony's recent novels in the popular Ralph Compton Western series. So put on your headphones and prepare for retribution!

For further study on the subject of this episode, here are links to three books that Andrew Patrick Nelson cites during the show:
Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study by Alexandra Heller-Nichols
The New Avengers: Feminism, Femininity, and the Rape-Revenge Cycle by Jacinta Read
Showdown: Confronting Modern America in the Western Film by John H. Lenihan