How the West Was 'Cast

Outlaw-turned-savior Quirt Evans rides again in Angel and the Badman, a brand-new remake of the 1947 John Wayne classic. And on this special episode, we’re joined by the film’s director, Julio Quintana, who discusses the challenges of updating a beloved Western for modern audiences. You’ll hear fascinating stories about working with Oscar-winning legend Tommy Lee Jones, how stubborn horses and freezing temperatures impacted the production, why Julio chose to rethink the frontier family’s specific faith, and much more. It’s an insightful, spoiler-free interview that will deepen your appreciation of the film — and might actually be best heard before you see the movie.

On this special bonus episode, writer Christopher McKittrick joins us to discuss the illustrious film career of Vera Miles, who starred in five feature Westerns — two of which are considered all-time classics. The author of the first full-length biography of Vera Miles, Christopher fills us in on her experiences working alongside Western icons like John Ford, John Wayne, James Stewart, Henry Fonda and Sam Elliott.

To purchase a copy of Christopher’s superb biography, Vera Miles: The Hitchcock Blonde Who Got Away, visit the book’s page on the University Press of Kentucky website.

And to learn more about Christopher’s work, check out his own website.

On this deep-dive episode, author and professor Brooks E. Hefner visits the studio to chat with Andrew Patrick Nelson about director Nicholas Ray's fever-dream Western, Johnny Guitar. Together, they discuss the film's unique production history, its intriguing gender politics, its enduring cult legacy and much more. So don't miss this fascinating look at one of the oddest Westerns ever made.

Brooks's latest book is titled Johnny Guitar, published by the University of New Mexico Press as part of the Reel West series, edited by Andrew.

We also want to give special thanks to outlaw songstress Sarah Vista for graciously allowing us to include her haunting cover of the Johnny Guitar theme song in this episode. To purchase a digital copy of Sarah's beautiful collection of classic Western movie themes, "Songs from the Silver Screen," visit her Bandcamp page.

Since the birth of the genre, Hollywood has promoted Western movies with eye-catching posters promising adventure, romance and frontier justice at every turn. In this sprawling episode, we look back at 15 fascinating Western film posters that offer something for every fan. From a 1930s tricolor showcard to a '60s East German surrealist advertisement to a minimalist 2012 teaser image, the posters you'll discover here reveal a vision of the West that goes far beyond stereotypes.

Click here for a gallery of every movie poster mentioned in this episode.

Joining us is renowned artist Tracy Stuckey, whose hyperrealistic paintings and drawings both celebrate and satirize the mythology of the American West. For more info on Tracy and his artwork, visit his website.

To watch videos, see photos and purchase tickets for Western Spirit Museum's exhibition, "Still in the Saddle: A New History of the Hollywood Western," visit their website.

And be sure to listen all the way to the very end of this episode for a special bonus segment featuring two returning guests who share their picks for favorite Western movie posters.

Here’s a question for you: What do the beloved Westerns The Ox-Bow Incident, 3 Godfathers, Ride Lonesome, The Gunfighter, Nevada Smith and How the West Was Won all have in common? The answer is they were all filmed in the breathtaking hills of Lone Pine, California! On this special bonus episode, we speak with Steve Latshaw, Director of the Museum of Western Film History, about the exciting 35th Annual Lone Pine Film Festival. 

Packed with rare screenings, celebrity guests, fascinating presentations and exclusive location tours, this four-day celebration honors Lone Pine’s remarkable on-screen legacy and its deep connection to the Western movie genre. Join us as we explore an incredible area where literally hundreds of your favorite films and TV shows, many of them Westerns, have been shot since the dawn of the silent era. 

To learn more about the Lone Pine Film Festival — or to purchase tickets for this year’s festivities — CLICK HERE.

Are you brave enough to venture into the harrowing world of The Thicket? Join us for an in-depth conversation with visionary director Elliott Lester, the man behind the mayhem! In this gripping episode, Andrew Patrick Nelson sits down with Lester to discuss the making of what many consider the best theatrical Western of 2024. Currently topping the movie rental charts on streaming platforms like Amazon Prime, YouTube, Apple TV+, Tubi, and more, The Thicket is a bold and brutal winter Western that's perfect for fans of cinematic intensity.  

A towering figure in the history of the Western, Clint Eastwood redefined the image of the lone hero with his portrayal of the flint-eyed, morally ambiguous gunslinger in Sergio Leone's influential “Dollars Trilogy.” Later, as a director, he fused the stylized detachment of the Italian subgenre with the classic structure of the Hollywood Western — and created a series of unforgettable films that deconstructed the myths of the Old West and earned critical acclaim, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. On this very special episode, bestselling author Shawn Levy joins us to discuss his brand new biography, Clint: The Man and the Movies.

And stick around for a bonus interview with returning guest Mark Swan, who shares his thoughts about Eastwood’s Westerns and offers a behind-the-scenes look at his new album, All the Gold in the West!

Click HERE to purchase Shawn Levy’s book. 

Click HERE to purchase Mark Swan’s album.

You can find and follow Shawn Levy HERE

You can find and follow Mark Swan (aka Rex Hooper) HERE

You asked for it, so we’ve delivered! Since the launch of this podcast, John Ford’s masterpiece The Searchers has been our most frequently requested film by far. In this highly anticipated episode, we have a fascinating conversation about it that you won’t want to miss. Joining us to discuss Ford’s influential Western is author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Frankel, whose bestselling book The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend belongs on the shelf of every serious Western movie fan. So saddle up and hit the trail with us as we explore one of the greatest films of all time.

The conversation with Frankel took place at the American West Center of the University of Utah on January 17, 2025.

Special thanks to the podcast Music of Bond for permission to use a clip from their show. To hear the entire episode featuring Matthew Chernov’s guest appearance, visit their Apple Podcast page or look for it wherever you download your favorite podcasts.

On this trailblazing episode, reporter and historian Robert Nott drops by to discuss Sam Peckinpah's Ride the High Country. Robert is the author of several acclaimed books on Western film history, including The Films of Randolph Scott, Last of the Cowboy Heroes, The Films of Budd Boetticher, and Goin' Crazy with Sam Peckinpah and All Our Friends. His latest book is titled Ride the High Country, and it's the first book to focus exclusively on Peckinpah's poignant 1962 classic.

Robert Nott's book, Ride the High Country, is published by the University of New Mexico Press, and is part of the Reel West series, edited by Andrew Patrick Nelson.

On this super-size episode, Matt and Andrew discuss the biggest Western movie event in recent memory. Is Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 a bold and breathtaking vision of the Old West or a television miniseries masquerading as a feature film? Our hosts debate the issue, covering everything from key scenes and performances to John Debney’s score to the critical and commercial reaction to the movie. 

And in a special bonus segment at the end of the episode, returning guest Travis Eller drops by to share his thoughts on the film’s impressive Western hats. He also discusses his principal lead role in the exciting new INSP television series Elkhorn! 

Be sure to visit Travis’s custom hat shop, Ugly Outlaw Hats, to order your very own hand-crafted Western hat.