Frank Carlson Library

About ten minutes into The Shootist, Doctor Hostetler (James Stewart) tells aging western gunfighter John Bernard Books (John Wayne) "You have a cancer." Knowing that his death will be painful and lingering, Books is determined to be shot in the line of "duty". In his remaining two months, Books settles scores with old enemies, including gambler Pulford (Hugh O'Brian) and Marshall Thibido (Harry Morgan) and reaches out to new friends (including feisty...

He treats folks in his tiny Texas settlement with fairness, spends his time tending crops, and does all he can do to keep the peace when a hothead taunts him. But the man called Blue (Terence Stamp) wasn't always that way. He once lived the reckless, on-the-lam life of a bandit - stealing destroying, wenching and killing with the outlaw gang ruled by his adoptive father Ortega (Richard Montalban). Karl Malden joins Stamp and Montalban in this brooding,...

A rugged bounty hunter. A tenderfoot sheriff. Unlikely partners in the Old West. Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins headline The Tin Star, a tough-minded character-driven western nominated for an Oscar. for its story and screenplay. Perkins plays Ben Owens, a greenhorn sheriff who hasn't worn his badge long... and who won't live to wear it much longer unless he gets some savvy help. Fonda, bringing to his role the presence and plain speaking that made...

Big Jake McCandles, is a husband who hasn't seen his wife in over 18 years. But he returns home after his grandson is kidnapped by a vicious outlaw gang. While the law gives chase in rickety automobiles, Jake saddles up with an Indian scout and a box of money--even though paying a ransom isn't how Jake plans to exact good old frontier justice.

Sentenced to hang in a backwater western town, horse thief Henry Moon (Jack Nicholson) is saved when frontierswoman Julia Tate (Mary Steenburgen) agrees to marry him. Taking advantage of the town law that prohibits the execution of married men, Moon follows Tate back to her ranch, planning all the while to escape at the first possible opportunity. But Tate insists that he honor his end of the bargain at work on the ranch. She has no intention of consummating...

Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas star as larger-than-life heroes in this classic Western epic directed by John Sturges. Frontier lawman Wyatt Earp (Lancaster) joins his three brothers in their feud against the villainous Clanton gang, a local clan of cattle thieves in Tombstone, Arizona. When Earp defends the sickly gambler John "Doc" Holliday (Douglas) and puts a stop to the Clanton's lawlessness, the ruthless outlaws seek revenge and murder one...

Execution: A western outlaw is spared from his execution by a scientist and his time machine, only to face fate in the future; The hunt: A hunter and his dog are killed, leading them to what may be the gate to Heaven; The self-improvement of Salvadore Ross: A man with the ability to trade traits with others tries to turn himself into the person he believes will appeal to the woman he loves; Number twelve looks just like you: A young woman rejects...

Silverado: Four comrades find that the town where their families and friends live has been taken over by a corrupt sheriff. The quick and the dead: Top gunfighters gather for a shootout.

Acclaimed director George Stevens' legendary rendition of the quintessential Western myth earned six Academy Award. nominations, and made Shane one of the classics of the American cinema. The story brings Alan Ladd, a drifter and retired gunfighter, to the assistance of a homestead family terrorized by a wealthy cattleman and his hired gun (Jack Palance). In fighting the last decisive battle, Shane sees the end of his own way of life. Mysterious,...

Wild Bill attempts to escape his past by settling in the small town of Abilene, Kansas. The mayor, captivated by Wild Bill's unparalleled gun skills, offers him a job as the town marshal. Wild Bill is soon challenged when a band of outlaws threaten him. Among the outlaws are powerful saloon owner Phil Poe, whose relationship with Bill's ex-lover stirs tension. Poe puts a bounty on Wild Bill's head but with the help of lawman Little Arkansas, Wild...