The Cynical Historian

When the Western Genre Perished, 1968-75 (2019x30)

Air date: Aug 13, 2019

The Western died in the 1970s. It went from the primary genre of Hollywood production, making almost a third of yearly movies at its peak, to a relic of a bygone era requiring revival for new productions. The Western was felled from its high-horse. What murdered it? The direct murderer does not matter, for as one Western about a mistaken murder said, “This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” The genre was fueled by the American frontier myth, which also propelled American exceptionalism. As the historical theory behind the frontier myth crumbled in the wake of great social upheaval, especially when related to the American Indian Movement, the driver of Westerns died, resulting in the Western’s demise. From 1968-75, a steady transformation in the genre happened as it struggled to maintain a grip on cultural relevance. Taking five films from the period, the content of those films shows this transformation as Westerns tried and failed to cope with the loss of the frontier myth. ------------------------------------------------------------ related episodes: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: https://youtu.be/iYu1E8idqO0 Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee: https://youtu.be/4CwNgWCSA90 The Greatest Showman: https://youtu.be/7PczCJxeXdw Hostiles: https://youtu.be/-hNPovai-2k Walker (1987): https://youtu.be/DqOC2f4zee4 The Witch (2015): https://youtu.be/BGMH-lk0SmU The Son (2017): https://youtu.be/OwmDfn95Sq8 The History of Las Vegas, Nevada: https://youtu.be/AyQtQogodYw The History of California: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjnwpaclU4wUD7y8912ViyAtGfraKi9ru Rise of the New Left (1968): https://youtu.be/fLxPUcZKFuY The Robin Hood complex - Social banditry theory and myth making: https://youtu.be/VW_fEdrvmOI The Revenant: https://youtu.be/rxIk4_ZE0x4 Historical Orthodoxy, Revisionism, and Post-Revisionism: https://youtu.be/xQGs3eYxGRw The Frontier Thesis - Frederick Jackson Turner and American excepti