For the first time, this book tells the 'lost' story of the 1930s
Western. Written from a concern to understand Western films primarily as
products of Hollywood's studio system, it recovers the context in which
Westerns were produced, exhibited and viewed in the 1930s. Peter
Stanfield highlights the hitherto marginalised 'B' or 'series' Western,
the significance of female audiences, the role of independent exhibitors
and of censorship in shaping film production. The book includes
illustrations from the following films: Arizona, The Big Trail,
Billy the Kid, Cimarron, Destry Rides Again, Dodge City, In Old
Arizona, In Old Santa Fe, Jesse James, The Lash, Let Freedom
Ring, Oh, Susanna!, Oklahoma Kid, The Plainsman, Ramona, Santa
Fe Trail, Stand Up and Fight, Three Godfathers, Trail of the
Lonesome Pine, Tumbling Tumbleweeds, Union Pacific, Virginia
City, The Virginian, and The Westerner.