Cowboy historian rates 13 Wild West scenes in movies and television

Cowboy and Old West historian Michael Grauer rates 13 Wild West scenes in movies and television for realism.

Michael Grauer debunks common tropes in Western films, such as the realism of quick-draw duels, gunslingers, and the effects of the Gold Rush era in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," starring Clint Eastwood; the commonality of saloon fights and bank robberies in "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," with Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, and Liam Neeson; and the frontier town shootout in "The Magnificent Seven" (2016), with Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, and Chris Pratt.

He discusses the common misconception of the American Frontier as lawless, such as the role of bounty hunters and sheriffs in "Django Unchained," with Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Christoph Waltz; federal lawmen stopping an outlaw gang in "True Grit" (2010), with Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Hailee Steinfeld; and the connection between outlaws and former Confederate soldiers after the Civil War in "Westworld" S1E5 (2016).

Grauer also comments on the portrayal of Native Americans and cowboys in film, such as the depiction of the Comanche people in "The Searchers," starring John Wayne; the bison-hunting scene with the Lakota people in "Dances with Wolves," starring Kevin Costner; and the cattle-grazing scene in "Open Range."

He also breaks down scenes based on real-life events and people during the Wild West period, such as infamous outlaws like Cherokee Bill and Rufus Buck in "The Harder They Fall," with Lakeith Stanfield, Regina King, and Idris Elba; Charles Goodnight in "1883," starring Tim McGraw; and the depiction of the Gunfight at the OK Corral — a shootout involving the "Cowboys" gang and the federal posse including Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday — in "Tombstone," with Val Kilmer and Sam Elliott. 

Grauer is a public historian focusing on cowboy history and Western American culture. He is the McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture and Curator of Cowboy Collections and Western Art for the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. With 40 years of experience as a museum curator, he has curated over 150 exhibitions on Western art, culture, and history and authored around 65 publications. He also does a living history cowboy presentation called "Cowboy Mike."

You can learn more about the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum here.