How the West Was Won (1962)

How the West Was Won (1962)

[8] Debbie Reynolds and George Peppard get the lion's share of screen time in the all-star epic western How the West Was Won. The film chronicles the Prescott family as they charge west in the 1830s, encountering river pirates, deadly…
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

[7] James Stewart and John Wayne star in this intimate John Ford western about a lawyer and a gunslinger who hold differing ideas about how best to deal with the town's most notorious criminal, Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Stewart plays…
The Searchers (1956)

The Searchers (1956)

[7] John Ford reteams with frequent leading man John Wayne in what is often considered one of the best Hollywood westerns ever made. Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, a loner returning home from the Civil War. After his brother's family is…
Mister Roberts (1955)

Mister Roberts (1955)

[6] Henry Fonda is caught between a beleaguered WWII cargo crew and their vindictive captain in this oddly cheerful, lightweight drama directed by John Ford and Mervyn Leroy. James Cagney hams it up as the nutcase captain while William Powell…
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

[10] John Ford directs John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning tale of a destitute Oklahoma family who pile everything they own into a jalopy and head for California in hope of finding work and a new home. The Grapes of Wrath puts…
Stagecoach (1939)

Stagecoach (1939)

[9]

John Ford’s masterpiece is still a thoroughly entertaining ride. A handful of disparate personalities, including John Wayne as the notorious Ringo Kid, take their chances traveling through Apache territory. Along the way, friends and enemies are made, a baby is born, a seemingly doomed romance blooms, and not everyone makes it to their destination alive.