Highest-Rated Movies about 'Traditional Western'

Three Godfathers (1936), Wagon Master (1950), Thunder Pass (1954), The Comancheros (1961), Fort Dobbs (1958), The Cowboy and the Senorita (1944), Cowboy Serenade (1942), Sioux City Sue (1946) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Traditional Western movies.

#1. Three Godfathers (1936)

Storyline: Four outlaws come to New Jerusalem, a town full of courteous and religious people, to rob the bank. After shooting the president of the bank, only three make it out of town followed by the posse. By the time they get to the second desert water hole, they find it dry and also find a wagon with a dying mother and baby. When the horses are dead the next morning, the three outlaws have no choice but to try to walk back to New Jerusalem and only two want to take the baby.—Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>

Plot Keywords: western, classic, black and white, drama, adventure, crime, redemption ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#2. Wagon Master (1950)

Storyline: As Mormon settlers head to the promised land at the San Juan river in Utah, they hire horse traders Travis Blue and Sandy as wagon masters. They have to forge a trail across unknown territory and face many hardships along the way. They quickly come across some stranded travelers, a medicine show run by Dr. A. Locksley Hall which includes the attractive Denver. Along the way however, they are also joined by Shiloh Clegg and his murderous clan of robbers and thieves. An encounter with the Navajo leads to an invitation to their camp but after one of the Clegg boys gets a whipping for attacking one of the Navajo women, Uncle Shiloh plans his revenge. It's left to Sandy and Travis to protect the travelers and get them to their destination.—garykmcd

Plot Keywords: western, classic film, black and white, american west, adventure, journey, 1950s ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#3. Thunder Pass (1954)

Storyline: In 1876, tired of empty promises of a Land Treaty with the Whites, the Comanche and Kiowa tribes join forces to go on the warpath and forcibly evict all the settlers from their lands. Normally, the Comanche and Kiowa tribes are enemies but decide to put their differences aside for this aim. In the Buffalo Valley region, a U.S. Cavalry troop under the command of Capt. Dave Storm is tasked with the evacuation of white settlers from the area. In order to avert a war with the Indians, Capt. Storm seeks a last-minute pow-wow with the Comanche Chief Growling Bear and the Kiowa Chief Black Eagle but he can only obtain a two-day delay before the Indian attack. Comanche Chief Growling Bear is a man of his word but Kiowa Chief Black Eagle intends to break it. Black Eagle is determined to follow the withdrawing white settlers and attack them while crossing the only withdrawal route through Thunder Pass.The Thunder Pass route seems to be a safe bet since most Indians avoid it due to an old Indian superstition that says the pass is evil. Capt. Storm gathers most settlers from the area. Among them are Tulsa and Ancient, two gold prospectors, the Hemp family, Miss Murdock, an embittered young widow, Bergstrom, a mysterious St. Louis skin trader and travelling salesman Daniel P. Slaughter. Capt. Storm's military escort is comprised of Army Scout Injun and three troopers, Barnett, Reeger and Rogers. The departure point for the whole group is Chicataw Mesa stagecoach stop. As they prepare to leave, the stagecoach arrives but the driver has been killed by an Indian arrow and the sole passenger is gravely wounded and unconscious. Capt. Storm decides to bring the wounded man along, on a litter, despite the group's protests. Capt. Storm suspects the wounded man to be Dalstead, a U.S. Government envoy, en route to the Comanche and Kiowa tribes with a new Peace Treaty. He keeps this fact a secret from the others who think the man is just an illegal gun-runner, selling rifles to the Indians. On the way to the pass, the group experiences acts of sabotage by an unknown party, and an attempt by Bergstrom to kill the wounded man on the litter. Also, open acts of rebellion against Capt. Storm's authority and decisions are initiated by Bergstrom, who secretly signals a group of pursuing Indians. The chances of the group to reach Thunder Pass and safely make it across to Fort Terahawk seem very slim.—nufs68

Plot Keywords: western, black and white, american film, 1950s, gunfight, adventure, action ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#5. Fort Dobbs (1958)

Storyline: Having eluded a posse, a wanted man rescues a woman and her young son from a Comanche attack. He then escorts them to the presumed safety of a U.S. Cavalry fort. Trouble develops along the way when the woman comes to believe that her rescuer was responsible for the recent death of her husband.—dinky-4 of Minneapolis

Plot Keywords: western, gunfight, revenge, lone hero, desert, manhunt, suspense ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#6. The Cowboy and the Senorita (1944)

Storyline: A wealthy family is preparing for Christmas in their usual stylish fashion. They hit on a bright idea that will make them outstanding during this holiday season among their friends. They will adopt a "lost man" and bring him to their house for the holidays. They find a news story of a washed-up actor who has attempted to commit suicide and bring him to their home. The actor proves far more than they bargained for and he shows them some real truths about giving and living.—Anonymous

Plot Keywords: western, musical, romance, comedy, song and dance, black and white, 1940s ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#7. Cowboy Serenade (1942)

Storyline: Rancher Gene Autry (Gene Autry) heads a Cattleman's Association that appoints young, naive Jimmy Agnew (Rand Brooks) to take the collective shipment to the meat-packing plant and handle the sale of the beef. En route by train, Jimmy is fleeced by professional card-sharps and is forced to pay off with cattle-shipment money. Ashamed, he goes into hiding. It's up to Gene to make good, and accompanied by Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnette), they get a job on the ranch owned by Asa Lock (Addison Richards) who operates the trunk-line on the railroad on which the crooked gamblers ply their trade. Lock's daughter, Stephanie (Fay McKenzie), ignorant of her father's involvement, assists Gene trying to prove her father innocent. Lock pretends to play along with Gene in seeking the crooks. Gene locates Jimmy and persuades him to give himself up and make a clean breast of the affair so Gene will have a basis for prosecution. Learning this, and knowing he will be exposed as the gang leader, gives orders for Jimmy's elimination in a staged car-wreck but, discovering that Stephanie is also in the car, races to stop his henchmen.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>

Plot Keywords: western, musical, romance, comedy, singing, country music, love ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#8. Sioux City Sue (1946)

Storyline: Utilizing a script from 1939's "She Married a Cop" with a 1946 Hit Parade song for the title, Gene Autry's screen return following his WW II Army Air Corps service, "Sioux City Sue" has Hollywood talent scout Sue Warner (Lynne Roberts) in search of a singing cowboy and finding and offering cattle rancher Gene Autry (Gene Autry) a contract. He agrees to go to Hollywood if there is a part for his horse Champion. Gene isn't aware they only want to use his voice in an animated cartoon. After the preview, he and Champ depart in a huff (Well, actually, Champ was in a trailer). The annoyed Sue also follows and gets work on Gene's ranch as a cook. Later, the studio heads, while looking at Gene's screen test, decide he is a natural and want to sign him to a contract. After a few misunderstandings, Gene realizes that Sue is sincere, and he signs a contract to star in a musical western, but first he has to stop a cattle stampede and rout a gang of rustlers trying to blow up his ranch dam.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>

Plot Keywords: western, comedy, musical, country music, black and white, 1940s, american film ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#9. Mule Train (1950)

Storyline: A prospector discovers natural cement and suggests it should be used for a new dam. But this is the last thing the badmen of Trail End want, as they have a monopoly of the wagons needed to haul rocks to the site. A pretty sheriff notwithstanding, it's a job for a singing marshal.—Jeremy Perkins {J-26}

Plot Keywords: western, american west, black and white, 1950s, classic film, gunfight, desert ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#10. Streets of Laredo (1949)

Storyline: Texas, 1878: cheerful outlaw-buddies Jim, Lorn and Wahoo rescue spunky orphan Rannie Carter from rustling racketeers, then are forced to separate. Lorn goes on to bigger and better robberies, while Jim and Wahoo are (at first reluctantly) maneuvered into joining the Texas Rangers. For friendship's sake, the three try to keep out of direct conflict, but a showdown begins to look inevitable. And Rannie, now grown into lovely young womanhood, must choose between Lorn and Jim.—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

Plot Keywords: western, texas, gunfight, revenge, bounty hunter, showdown, outlaw ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#11. Frontier Outlaws (1944)

Storyline: Wolf Valley is in the throes of a land-grab engineered by Barlow and Taylor. The fight against them is led by Billy Carson, who is framed on a murder charge which the outlaws believe will drive him out of the territory. But instead of running, Billy surrenders and stands trial before Judge Ryan, a square shooter. After weighing the evidence, Ryan finds Bill not guilty but sentences Billy to jail for 30 days for disturbing the peace because the Judge thinks that is the only way to save Billy from the vengeance of Barlow and Taylor. But, without Billy's leadership, the settlers are helpless and ranches are burned, cattle rustled, the town is shot up, the bank robbed and the mining claim owned by Billy and Fuzzy Jones is confiscated. Ryan releases Billy who puts on a fake mustache, gets a sombrero and poses as a Mexican cattle-buyer in order to work his way into the gang.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>

Plot Keywords: western, black and white, 1940s, american film, b movie, gunfight, outlaw ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#12. Prairie Moon (1938)

Storyline: The dying outlaw Barton gets Gene to be the guardian of his three boys. The three troublemakers arrive on the Barton ranch from Chicago where they soon uncover Welsh's smuggling operation located there. So Welsh adopts the boys and boots Autry out. Gene counters by bringing three other boys and getting the Judge to declare them to be the real Bartons.—Maurice VanAuken <mvanauken@a1access.net>

Plot Keywords: western, musical, romance, comedy, country music, song and dance, black and white ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#13. Night Stage to Galveston (1952)

Storyline: In Texas, the citizens are suffering from the brutality of the State Police who have replaced the disbanded Rangers. When a policeman kills a rancher, Gene then kills him in self defence. Now wanted for murder by the Police, Gene sets out to get evidence that will put an end to the Police and bring back the Texas Rangers.—Maurice VanAuken <mvanauken@a1access.net>

Plot Keywords: western, black and white, classic film, american film, 1950s, texas, gunfight ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#14. My Pal Trigger (1946)

Storyline: Gabby refuses to breed his horse the Golden Sovereign with Roy's. When the Sovereign and Roy's horse escape, Skoville shoots the Sovereign by mistake but Roy is blamed and jailed. A year later Roy returns with Trigger, the son of the Sovereign. When Skoville slips and reveals he was present when the horse was shot, Roy sees a chance to clear his name.—Maurice VanAuken <mvanauken@a1access.net>

Plot Keywords: western, horse, musical, black and white, 1940s, classic film, loyalty ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#15. Mexicali Rose (1939)

Storyline: Carruthers has sold shares in a phony oil well and when Gene investigates he finds the well is a fake. Gene has a plan to recoup everyone's money. Pouring some oil in a recommended location gets Corruthers to drill a real well. Gene plans to let him know it's a fake and redeem the shares before the oil comes in.—Maurice VanAuken <mvanauken@a1access.net>

Plot Keywords: western, romance, musical, comedy, drama, adventure, classic ...

Movie Details Click Here !