Western Film Series

The Harry Ransom Center presents its Western Film Series in conjunction with the current exhibition Frank Reaugh: Landscapes of Texas and the American West, on view through November 29.

The American film industry of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s produced an array of memorable Western films. In onjunction with the Ransom Center’s exhibition, Frank Reaugh: Landscapes of Texas and the American West, the Ransom Center will screen four Western films to complement the exhibition: Red River, Duel in the Sun, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Screenings are free and open to the public. The Ransom Center’s Charles Nelson Prothro Theater has limited seating. Line forms upon arrival if the first person, and doors open 30 minutes in advance.

 

 

Red River

Saturday, November 7,  3 p.m.

John Wayne and Montgomery Clift clash as father and son on a cattle drive from Texas to Kansas in Red River (1948). This movie was Clift’s first feature film role. Film run time is 133 minutes.

 

Duel in the Sun

Saturday, November 14, 3 p.m.

Joseph Cotton, Jennifer Jones, and Gregory Peck star in the epic Western Duel in the Sun (1946), directed by King Vidor and produced by David O. Selznick. The Ransom Center houses Selznick’s archive. Film run time is 129 minutes.

 

The Searchers

Saturday, November 21, 3 p.m.

John Ford’s classic Western The Searchers (1956) follows John Wayne as Ethan Edwards as he attempts to rescue his niece, played by Natalie Wood. This film, shot in brilliant Technicolor, is widely considered Ford’s masterpiece. Film run time is 119 minutes.

 

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Saturday, November 28, 3 p.m.

Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne star in John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). The film’s central story, shown as a flashback, looks at the Old West with a slightly cynical eye, heralding many Western films of the 1960s. Film run time is 123 minutes.