When the Western Genre Perished, 1968-75

The Western died in the 1970s. It went from the primary genre of Hollywood production, making almost a third of yearly movies at its peak, to a relic of a bygone era requiring revival for new productions. The Western was felled from its high-horse. What murdered it? The direct murderer does not matter, for as one Western about a mistaken murder said, “This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” The genre was fueled by the American frontier myth, which also propelled American exceptionalism. As the historical theory behind the frontier myth crumbled in the wake of great social upheaval, especially when related to the American Indian Movement, the driver of Westerns died, resulting in the Western’s demise. From 1968-75, a steady transformation in the genre happened as it struggled to maintain a grip on cultural relevance. Taking five films from the period, the content of those films shows this transformation as Westerns tried and failed to cope with the loss of the frontier myth.