10 Westerns We Remember Watching With Our Parents

Did anyone else grow up watching Westerns with their parents? The genre was absolutely everywhere in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, but then seemed to fizzle out over the next few decades as people lost interest, kept alive thanks to being shown on TV and introduced to us by the older generation.

While some probably think of Westerns as cheesy and unintentionally hilarious, these 10 movies show just why the genre was so huge for so many years.

Tombstone (1993)

You've got Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp, and Val Kilmer as his Huckleberry, Doc Holliday. What else could you possibly want?

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (1966)

The movie that plenty of people think of when they think of a "western," this 3+ hour epic is still awesome today thanks to beautiful shots, Ennio Morricone's iconic soundtrack, and all time great performances by Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach.

3:10 To Yuma (2007)

Made during a time when Westerns had more or less completely died off, this remake that came 50 years after the original is just plain awesome. Christian Bale and Russell Crowe play off each other perfectly, and Ben Foster is enjoyably sadistic through the whole movie.

The Searchers (1956)

The undisputed classic that cemented John Wayne as Hollywood's favorite cowboy, this is pretty much what set the standard for the Western for decades.

These next few movies are just as great now as they were back then...

Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)

Sergio Leone's biggest achievement (yes, even moreso than The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly), watching a young Charles Bronson taking on an unusually menacing Henry Fonda is the stuff legends are made of.

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

In one of his grittiest roles, Clint Eastwood chases after a band of outlaws that massacred his family. It's lean, mean, and a lot of fun to watch.

True Grit (1969, 2010)

Based on a book so great they adapted it twice, True Grit sees either John Wayne or Jeff Bridges playing Rooster Cogburn, a bounty hunter hired to help a young girl track down the man who killed her father. You really can't go wrong with either version.

The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Featuring an absolute who's who of Western actors, this remake of Seven Samurai is every bit as fun to watch now as it was before.

Unforgiven (1992)

Clint Eastwood came back to the Western with an absolute bang in 1992, directing and starring in this intense, bleak movie that works to kill the magic of the genre. It would go on to earn several Oscars.

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Okay, so this is a parody of Westerns and not a true Western, but come on, you can't talk about the genre without bringing up this hilarious Mel Brooks classic.