The Hollywood West: Lives of Film Legends Who Shaped It [Paperback]

Richard W. Etulain (Editor), Glenda Riley (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Notable Westerners | Publication Date: May 1, 2001

Throughout the twentieth century, the popular image of the American West has been continually filtered, interpreted, and reinterpreted through Hollywood's vision. In The Hollywood West, the third book in Fulcrum's Notable Westerners Series, 10 well-known historians dramatize a century of the Hollywood Western, revealing the real individuals behind the great Western heros and heroines.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The Hollywood West brings into focus the most influential characters and themes of the Hollywood Western-from the singing Westerns of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and Dale Evans in the 1930s, to the directorial achievements of John Ford and John Wayne's and Gary Cooper's larger-than-life Western heros in the 1940s; from Barbara Stanwyck and Katy Jurado, who "feminized' the Western, to Jay Silverheels, Iron Eyes Cody, and Chief Dan George, who were the first Native American actors in leading roles.

About the Author

Professor Emeritus of History at the University of New Mexico, Richard W. Etulain specializes in the history and literature of the American West. He is the author or editor of more than 40 books. Among his recent volumes are The Hollywood West, New Mexican Lives, Cesar Chavez: A Brief Biography, and Western Lives. Glenda Riley is the Alexander M. Bracken Professor of History at Ball State University in Indiana, where she specializes in women's history, especially women in the American West. President-elect of the Western History Association, Glenda has received many awards, including a Distinguished Fulbright and membership in the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame. She lives in Muncie, Indiana.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555914349
• ISBN-13: 978-1555914349
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #968,700 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard W. Etulain, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of New Mexico, is the author or editor of 50 books. Best known among his books about the history and cultures of the American West are Conversations with Wallace Stegner (1983), Writing Western History (editor, 1991), Re-imagining the Modern American West: A Century of Fiction, History, and Art (1996), Telling Western Stories: From Buffalo Bill to Larry McMurtry (1999), Beyond the Missouri: The Story of the American West (2006), The American West: A Modern History, 1900 to the Present (with Michael P. Malone, 2d ed., 2007), and Lincoln Looks West: From the Mississippi to the Pacific (2010). He has been president of both the Western Literature and Western History associations. He has lectured abroad in several countries, most recently as a Fulbright Lecturer in Ukraine. He is at work on further studies of Abraham Lincoln and on a biography of Calamity Jane.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What's Legend and What's Fact?, January 6, 2004

By 

Shannon Connor (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hollywood West: Lives of Film Legends Who Shaped It (Paperback)

While this book looks at many prominent personalities in Hollywood who helped shape the Western movie, many of the authors have not done their homework. A few chapters like the ones on John Ford and John Wayne are written by authors who understand their subjects, but others are poorly researched. The chapter on "Native American actors" by Gretchen M. Bataille includes the Italian-American actor Iron Eyes Cody (aka Oscar DiCorte). His identity was revealed in 1996 and later in major newspapers and magazines when he died in 1999. His Italian heritage from Louisiana is very well known by now. Bataille should keep up with the scholarship in her field. Chapters like hers give this book very little credibility.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real individuals behind the silver screen, August 9, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hollywood West: Lives of Film Legends Who Shaped It (Paperback)

In The Hollywood West: Lives Of Film Legends Who Shaped It, Richard Etulain and Blenda Riley have collaboratively assembled informative commentaries by eleven historians which dramatize the past century of "Hollywood Westerns" to reveal the real individuals behind the Western's greatest film heroes and heroines. Ranging from the Bronco Billy Anderson, William S. hart, and Tom Mix silent Westerns of heroic men on horseback with six-guns in their hands, to Gene Autry and Roy Rogers (the singing cowboys of the 1930s), to John Wayne and Gary Cooper style larger-than-life Western heroes of the 1940s, to female Western movie role models Barbara Stanwyck and Katy Jurado, and the Native American actors Jay Silverheels, Iron Eyes Cody, and Chief Dan George, The Hollywood West magnificently showcases some of the most influential characters and themes to have a lasting impact on American culture and popular imagination.