A history of the western movie, from The Great Train Robbery in 1902 to Hollywood hits of the early-21st century. It takes an A-to-Z look at the thousands of westerns that have packed movie houses and captured audiences over the years. There are more than 3500 entries, and each one includes the film's statistics - title, year released, director, writers and screenwriters, cast, and running time - along with a summary of the film and a critical analysis of the more significant stars and films. This reference also includes information on popular western serials and film series. Additional features include: information on the genre that made Clint Eastwood an international star - spaghetti westerns, so-called because most of these films were produced in Europe and financed by Italian companies; approximately 75 black-and-white photographs that capture moments in western film history; a historical overview of western movies at the Oscars - the winners, the losers, and the overlooked; and an appendix citing literary sources for western films.