
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


🤠This Week in the West
📢 Episode Summary:
Strode transitioned from sports to Hollywood, where he built a career playing warriors, gladiators, and heroes. His breakout role in Spartacus and his lead performance in Sergeant Rutledge marked significant steps forward for Black representation in film, particularly in Westerns. Director John Ford became a mentor, casting Strode in multiple films and forging a personal bond with him that lasted until Ford’s death.
Despite his talent and charisma, Strode often found himself limited by Hollywood’s narrow view of Black actors, leading him to work internationally in European Westerns and action films. Still, his influence endured—he worked steadily into his seventies, and in 2021, he was inducted into our Hall of Great Western Performers. His legacy lives on quietly, even in pop culture, as the inspiration for Toy Story’s Sheriff Woody.
🔍 What You’ll Learn:
👥 Behind the Scenes
🔗 Further research:
📬 Connect With Us:
🗺️ Visit Us: The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK, 73111. See us on the map
🎧 Listen & Subscribe:
⭐ If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to rate & review!
By The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum4.7
1919 ratings
🤠This Week in the West
📢 Episode Summary:
Strode transitioned from sports to Hollywood, where he built a career playing warriors, gladiators, and heroes. His breakout role in Spartacus and his lead performance in Sergeant Rutledge marked significant steps forward for Black representation in film, particularly in Westerns. Director John Ford became a mentor, casting Strode in multiple films and forging a personal bond with him that lasted until Ford’s death.
Despite his talent and charisma, Strode often found himself limited by Hollywood’s narrow view of Black actors, leading him to work internationally in European Westerns and action films. Still, his influence endured—he worked steadily into his seventies, and in 2021, he was inducted into our Hall of Great Western Performers. His legacy lives on quietly, even in pop culture, as the inspiration for Toy Story’s Sheriff Woody.
🔍 What You’ll Learn:
👥 Behind the Scenes
🔗 Further research:
📬 Connect With Us:
🗺️ Visit Us: The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK, 73111. See us on the map
🎧 Listen & Subscribe:
⭐ If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to rate & review!

229,723 Listeners

7,626 Listeners

9,226 Listeners

1,043 Listeners

1,742 Listeners

3,665 Listeners

2,950 Listeners

456 Listeners

47,482 Listeners

1,329 Listeners

62,537 Listeners

7,436 Listeners

276 Listeners

1,371 Listeners

416 Listeners