Best westerns list: 'Shane'? What a shame.

Best westerns of all time? The Western Writers of America group says "Shane" ranks No. 1. Yeech. I'm still waiting for someone to plug that kid.

Anne Thompson opened up the top westerns debate on her blog "Thompson for Hollywood" (Variety). Needless to say, her post and the comments offer some much better films.

The Western Writers voted like so:

1. Shane
2. High Noon
3. The Searchers
4. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
5. Dances with Wolves
6. The Wild Bunch
7. Red River
8. Tombstone
9. The Magnificent Seven
10. Open Range

(view the top 100 westerns list)

Here is Anne's list:

1. The Wild Bunch
2. My Darling Clementine
3. Red River
4. Once Upon a Time in the West
5. Unforgiven
6. Bend in the River
7. Stagecoach
8. Ride the High Country
9. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
10. The Tall T

and my list of the best westerns:

1. The Searchers
2. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
3. 3:10 to Yuma (1957)
4. The Proposition
5. The Wild Bunch
6. Red River
7. The Furies
8. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
9. The Big Trail
10. Yellow Sky

My second 10 would include "Cat Ballou" and "North to Alaska," the last two a vote for fun in westerns. Many comedies were made, but they're scarce on these lists. I'd also go with "The Long Riders," "Open Range," "Once Upon a Time in the West," "Unforgiven," "True Grit," "The Iron Horse," "The Alamo" and "A Fistful of Dollars."

These lists are silly but fun. Never knew I was such a John Wayne fan!

Comments

[Liz]

I rather like The Magnificent Seven myself. Only the Western Writers had some love for that one, apparently.

[Smellfungus]

Don't like the Western Writers' listed very much - your's (and Anne Thompson) are much better. I would also put in a plug for "The Professionals" (66) and "The Outlaw Josey Wales" but my list would be heavily weighted towards Ford, Wayne, Peckinpah, Leone, Hawks.

[Chris Morris]

Excellent choices, there, Glenn. I must concur with "The Big Trail" -- the acting isn't always great, but no other Western looks quite so spectacular. And I'm delighted to see "The Proposition" on your list -- an amazing picture. (Let's hear from you, Nick Cave fans.) As for Anthony Mann, my personal fave is "The Naked Spur" -- it's hard to beat any picture with Robert Ryan as the villain. One of my fave psycho-Westerns. And I'd substitute "Rio Bravo" for "Red River."

One more thing: Excuse me, but the Western Writers appear to be morons. "Shane?" "High Noon?" Lord help us, "Butch Cassidy?" C'mon now.

[Glenn Abel]

Smelly -- "Outlaw Josie Wales" would be a fine choice, perhaps better than "Unforgiven." Great show.

Chris -- I repped Mann with "The Furies" partly because I just discovered the film via Criterion. Amazing it's so obscure. I like "Rio Bravo" but think it sags too much to be first-tier -- the jam session with Dean-o and Ricky and Walter Brennan is one-of-a-kind, though.

Thanks for the comments gents and Liz.

[Beyondmusic]

I like the list that's here...