One of the most popular western DVDs we offer is “The Cowboy,” a 1954 film that takes a look at the real-life duties of the cowboys who work on the ranges and ranches of The West.
“The Cowboy” is a 69-minute movie directed by Elmo Williams, an Oklahoma native who gained fame for editing the Oscar-winning “High Noon,” starring Gary Cooper. The idea for the film came from a script written by his wife, Lorraine.
The International Movie Database has this summary of the “The Cowboy”:
This colorful and exciting film vividly portrays the life of the real working cowboy, a life that has virtually vanished since this motion picture was made [...] The cowboy’s work is hard, hot and dusty, but it is not without drama and times of humor. Filmed in part in all of the western states of the United States and using real cowboys, ranging in age from teens to their eighties, Williams examines every aspect of the jobs of the working cowboys across the years from the first ranching empires to the present day.
A New York Times review of the film at its 1954 premiere had this to say:
Small boys and dude ranchers should love it; scenery worshipers should find it colorful. [...] There is more than a gratifying abundance of shots of cowpokes rounding up the herds, cutting out calves, breaking mustangs, branding the critters, rolling along on cattle drives and generally doing all the quaint things that cowboys are supposed to do. [...]
The general intention of the picture is to show how the cowboy’s life has changed from one of lonely trail-riding over the great, unlimited range to one of cattle-tending on mile-square, wire-fenced plots, while the cowboy himself has changed little in his behavior and temperament. And this is conveyed with much expression of affection for the cowboys and the cows. As one of the narrators puts it, “Cowboyin’ ain’t an easy way of life but it’s a mighty satisfyin’ one.”
Among the narrators of the film is Tex Ritter, who also sings several of its songs.
Bonus features of the DVD include commentary by four of the cowboys featured in the film, the film’s theatrical trailer, a “Making of The Cowboy” booklet by Elmo Williams, and a bonus featurette, “Ghost Towns of the Old West: The Deserts,” starring Rip Torn.
“The Cowboy” DVD will be an ideal way for you to get a taste of the cowboy life and the West, in your own home.
