Ex-Union Colonel John Henry Thomas (John Wayne) and ex-Confederate Colonel James Langdon (Rock Hudson) lead two disparate groups of people through strife-torn Mexico shortly after the U.S. Civil War. John Henry and company take horses to sell to the unpopular Mexican government while Langdon leads a contingent of displaced southerners looking for a new life in Mexico after losing their property to carpetbaggers. The two men are eventually forced to mend their differences as they fight off both bandits and revolutionaries. This movie is loosely based on Confederate States Army General Joseph Orville Shelby’s attempt to join Maximilian I of Mexico’s Imperial Mexican forces.

Michael F. Blake will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion with the audience.

Michael F. Blake is a film historian and two-time Emmy-winning makeup artist who has worked in the film industry for nearly fifty years. His books include Lon Chaney: The Man Behind the Thousand Faces, Hollywood and the O.K. Corral: Portrayals of the Gunfight and Wyatt Earp, and, most recently, The Cavalry Trilogy: John Ford, John Wayne, and the Making of Three Classic Westerns.

Rating: G

Length: 1h 59m

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This movie, directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne is a classic Western that follows Union Colonel Cord McNally (John Wayne) as he tracks down the traitors responsible for stealing gold that his troops were protecting and causing his best friend’s death during the Civil War. Post-war, McNally travels to a Texas town to confront the culprits, teaming up with former Confederate enemies to restore order from a corrupt sheriff in the town of Rio Lobo. 

M.V. Moorhead will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion with the audience.

M.V. Moorhead is currently the weekly film reviewer for Phoenix Magazine online. He has won five first-place Arizona Press Club awards for film, theatre and opera criticism at Phoenix New Times; he’s also written reviews for the Erie Times-News, Wrangler News and other publications. His other writings have appeared in publications throughout the U.S. and in Australia, ranging from USA Today to Elysian Fields Quarterly to Weird Tales. A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, he’s lived in Arizona for more than 30 years. 

Rating: G

Length: 1h 54m

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This movie is a Wayne family affair with John Wayne starring as a rancher trying to track down his kidnapped grandson (played by his real-life son Ethan Wayne) who is being held for a one-million-dollar ransom. Another Wayne son, Patrick Wayne, costars as one of his father’s on-screen offspring who joins him in the search party. This was the final film for George Sherman in a directing career of more than 30 years and Maureen O’Hara’s last film with John Wayne.

Chief Curator Andrew Patrick Nelson will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion with the audience.

Andrew Patrick Nelson, PhD, is Chief Curator at Western Spirit. He is a leading authority on Western cinema, art, and culture, and the author and editor of numerous books and essays. Dr. Nelson’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and on NPR, and he regularly appears as a commentator on the History Chanel and other networks. He also cohosts the popular Western movie podcast How the West Was ‘Cast and is the author of the book Still in the Saddle: The Hollywood Western, 1969 – 1980.

Rating: PG-13

Length: 1h 50m

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This movie, starring John Wayne, Bruce Dern, and Slim Pickens, tells the story of a grizzled veteran rancher, Wil Andersen (John Wayne) who is almost ready to embark on a big cattle drive when his crew abruptly quits to join in a gold rush. Left with no alternative, Anderson enlists the help of a group of local schoolboys to get his herd to market and avoid financial ruin. Anderson trains the youngsters to be cowboys and do a man’s job, but their long journey is placed in jeopardy when the devious bandit Long Hair (Bruce Dern) sets his sights on stealing the herd.

Richard M. Roberts will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion with the audience.

Richard M. Roberts is a film historian, collector, preservationist, and filmmaker. He is author of numerous essays, books, and DVD and Blu-Ray commentary tracks; has appeared as an expert in programs on PBS and Turner Classic Movies; and served as a consultant to major archives including the British Film Institute, the Library of Congress, and the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

Rating: PG

Length: 2h 14m

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John Wayne, Ann‐Margret, Ricardo Montalban and Rod Taylor star in this rip-roaring Western adventure. Lane (John Wayne) is hired by Mrs. Lowe (Ann-Margret), the widow of a train robber, to recover a fortune in hidden gold in Mexico to clear her family name. Supported by his friends, Lane battles rival outlaws and a mysterious Pinkerton agent to retrieve the loot, culminating in a surprise twist about Mrs. Lowe’s true identity.  The Train Robbers is known for its lighthearted, conversational tone between the characters rather than non-stop action, functioning as a “straightforward” heist film set in the American West.

Richard M. Roberts will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion with the audience.

Richard M. Roberts is a film historian, collector, preservationist, and filmmaker. He is author of numerous essays, books, and DVD and Blu-Ray commentary tracks; has appeared as an expert in programs on PBS and Turner Classic Movies; and served as a consultant to major archives including the British Film Institute, the Library of Congress, and the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

Rating: PG

Length: 1h 32m

Pricing:
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J.B. Books (John Wayne) is an aging gunfighter diagnosed with cancer who comes to Nevada at the turn of the 20th century. Renting a room from widowed Bond Rogers (Lauren Bacall) and her son Gillom (Ron Howard), Books is confronted by several people of questionable motives, including a man seeking to avenge his brother’s death and a few who are looking to profit from Books’ notoriety. Not wanting to die a quiet, painful death, Books devises a plan to go out with his boots on. Themes include the end of the Old West, the loss of dignity in death, and the myth of the gunfighter, serving as a poignant, reflective swan song for John Wayne himself as the last film he ever did.

Michael F. Blake will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion with the audience.

Michael F. Blake is a film historian and two-time Emmy-winning makeup artist who has worked in the film industry for nearly fifty years. His books include Lon Chaney: The Man Behind the Thousand Faces, Hollywood and the O.K. Corral: Portrayals of the Gunfight and Wyatt Earp, and, most recently, The Cavalry Trilogy: John Ford, John Wayne, and the Making of Three Classic Westerns.

Rating: PG

Length: 1h 40m

Pricing:
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FREE with Museum Admission
$10 for program attendance only (does not include further admittance to the museum/galleries)