American historians such as Frederick Jackson Turner have argued that the West has been the region that most clearly defines American democracy and the national ethos. Throughout the twentieth century, the "frontier thesis" influenced film and television producers who used the West as a backdrop for an array of dramatic explorations of America's history and the evolution of its culture and values. The common themes found in Westerns distinguish the genre as a quintessentially American form of dramatic art. In Hollywood's West, Peter C. Rollins, John E. O'Connor, and the nation's leading film scholars analyze popular conceptions of the frontier as a fundamental element of American history and culture. This volume examines classic Western films and programs that span nearly a century, from Cimarron (1931) to Turner Network Television's recent made-for-TV movies. Many of the films discussed here are considered among the greatest cinematic landmarks of all time. The essays highlight the ways in which Westerns have both shaped and reflected the dominant social and political concerns of their respective eras. While Cimarron challenged audiences with an innovative, complex narrative, other Westerns of the early sound era such as The Great Meadow (1931) frequently presented nostalgic visions of a simpler frontier era as a temporary diversion from the hardships of the Great Depression. Westerns of the 1950s reveal the profound uncertainty cast by the cold war, whereas later Westerns display heightened violence and cynicism, products of a society marred by wars, assassinations, riots, and political scandals. The volume concludes with a comprehensive filmography and an informative bibliography of scholarly writings on the Western genre. This collection will prove useful to film scholars, historians, and both devoted and casual fans of the Western genre. Hollywood's West makes a significant contribution to the understanding of both the historic American frontier and its innumerable popular representations.
Born in Brookline, MA and educated at Dartmouth (2yrs), Harvard (2yrs); after a 3-year tour as an infantry officer in the US Marines, back to Harvard for a Ph.D. in the History of American Civilization.
Taught at Oklahoma State University for 37 yrs, attaining the rank of Regents Professor. Toward end of teaching career, courses focused on motion pictures and their impact on society.
Publications can be summarized as "film and history studies," most of which were published by the UP of Kentucky, although the epic was The Columbia Companion to American History in Film.
Hollywood as Historian, Hollywood's West, Hollywood's White House, etc. Full details on publications are at petercrollins.com where there are click points for full details and purchase.
Editor of Film & History for 12 years. Most indebted to John E. O'Connor, my mentor in this effort and co-editor in so many of the book projects.
Filmmaking was an option and I made documentaries about Will Rogers, the Vietnam war, World War II. (See America Reflected for details on these projects.) I was a strong advocate of "the historian as filmmaker" movement in this country, an effort which was overtaken by journalistic efforts on the History Channel and PBS.
America Reflected is my most recent effort and contains materials on Will Rogers, Benjamin Whorf, war on film, and canonical figures such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, John James Audubon, Frederick Henry Hedge, Amy Lowell, and others. America Reflected is my capstone book, an attempt to put the best of my writings on the library shelves.
My life has been a wonderful gift.
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