July, 1952 – After a bit of a film slump, Gary Cooper has returned in a big way with his portrayal of Sheriff Will Kane in Fred Zinnemann’s classic western High Noon. 

Aging lawman Will Kane finds himself in the toughest spot of his law enforcement life. Revenge is the motive as an outlaw Kane has sent to jail is returning on the noon train to meet with his gang on the sheriff’s wedding day and kill him.

Cooper is strongly supported by a great cast including Grace Kelly as his Quaker wife, Thomas Mitchell as the town Mayor, Katie Jurado is a woman from Kane’s past, and Lloyd Bridges plays his cowardly deputy.

An adult western with moral challenges for all involved. Torn between his heart and his duty, Kane will not run. His new wife Amy’s strong religious beliefs prevent her from condoning his desire to stay and fight, and the town he has served so well for so long may just be too scared to back him up.

The train whistle can be heard in the distance as it’s almost High Noon.

Hollywood Western Classics have always been favorites of mine. While the western is not as popular today as it once was (although, there has been a bit of renewed interest), any younger film fan who omits the western genre from their area of movie interest will have truly missed out on some great motion pictures. The western is far more than the “horse opera” as some would describe it. So, to all of you western deprived young movie-fans, here are some classic Hollywood westerns from the 1920s-1950s that you owe it to yourself to view. 

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