The 1930s is known as one of the worst decades for the Western genre. Between The Big Trail (1930) and Stagecoach (1939) there was barely any A-western made. Only between 10-15 westerns could be considered a big budget production. The big studios basically didn't want to touch them apart from a minor upswing in 1936, but the small studios without any money made a ton of them. Hardly any of them any good. Around 1000 westerns was created during the decade, and I've seen half of them. This is a list for those wondering what to track down from this semi-obscure wild west era.
Seen most of the important ones, so there won't be many changes at the top. I…
The 1930s is known as one of the worst decades for the Western genre. Between The Big Trail (1930) and Stagecoach (1939) there was barely any A-western made. Only between 10-15 westerns could be considered a big budget production. The big studios basically didn't want to touch them apart from a minor upswing in 1936, but the small studios without any money made a ton of them. Hardly any of them any good. Around 1000 westerns was created during the decade, and I've seen half of them. This is a list for those wondering what to track down from this semi-obscure wild west era.
Seen most of the important ones, so there won't be many changes at the top. I do wish to find more Buck Jones films, which were usually the best early 30s B-westerns. Then there is Powdersmoke Range (1935) which collects nearly all of the B-cowboys in one movie! Been looking for that a long time, but still no luck! There is also a urban legend about Tom Mix's cheapy The Rider of Death Valley (1932) being a hidden gem. Want to find out if it's true!
