AFI described western films as "a genre of films set in the American West that embodies the spirit, the struggle and the demise of the new frontier. Brimming with subtext and mythology, westerns offer iconic images of a time gone by and perhaps a time that never was. A man of action with an unspoken code of honor, the western hero faces gun-toting opponents, hostile natives, lawless towns, the harsh forces of nature, and the encroachment of civilization. But the westerner keeps going, drawn to the freedom of the open plains and the promise of a new life."

1. BEND OF THE RIVER, Universal, 1952
2. THE BIG COUNTRY, United Artists, 1958
3. BLAZING SADDLES, Warner Bros., 1974
4. BROKEN ARROW, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1950
5. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1969 (# 7)
6. CAT BALLOU, Columbia, 1965 (# 10)
7. CHEYENNE AUTUMN, Warner Bros., 1964
8. DANCES WITH WOLVES, Orion, 1990
9. DESTRY RIDES AGAIN, Universal, 1939
10. DUEL IN THE SUN, Selznick, 1946
11. FORT APACHE, RKO, 1948
12. GIANT, Warner Bros., 1956
13. THE GUNFIGHTER, Twentieth Century-Fox , 1950
14. HIGH NOON, United Artists, 1952 (# 2)
15. HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, Universal, 1973
16. HOW THE WEST WAS WON, MGM, 1962
17. THE IRON HORSE, Fox, 1924
18. JEREMIAH JOHNSON, Warner Bros., 1972
19. JOHNNY GUITAR, Republic, 1954
20. THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, Columbia, 1971
21. LITTLE BIG MAN, National General, 1970
22. LONE STAR, Columbia, 1996
23. LONELY ARE THE BRAVE, Universal, 1962
24. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, United Artists, 1960
25. MAJOR DUNDEE, Columbia, 1965
26. THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, Paramount, 1962
27. McCABE & MRS. MILLER, Warner Bros., 1971 (# 8)
28. MY DARLING CLEMENTINE, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1946
29. THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, Warner Bros., 1976
30. THE OX-BOW INCIDENT, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1943
31. PALE RIDER, Warner Bros., 1985
32. THE PLAINSMAN, Paramount, 1936
33. RED RIVER, United Artists, 1948 (# 5)
34. RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY, MGM, 1962
35. RIO BRAVO, Warner Bros., 1959
36. RIO GRANDE, Republic, 1950
37. THE SEARCHERS, Warner Bros., 1956 (# 1)
38. SHANE, Paramount, 1953 (# 3)
39. SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON, RKO, 1949
40. THE SHOOTIST, Paramount, 1976
41. SILVERADO, Columbia, 1985
42. STAGECOACH, United Artists, 1939 (# 9)
43. THE TALL T, Columbia, 1957
44. TRUE GRIT, Paramount, 1969
45. TUMBLEWEEDS, United Artists, 1925
46. UNFORGIVEN, Warner Bros., 1992 (# 4)
47. UNION PACIFIC, Paramount, 1939
48. THE WESTERNER, United Artists, 1940
49. THE WILD BUNCH, Warner Bros., 1969 (# 6)
50. WILL PENNY, Paramount, 1968

Nominees: 11 of the 50 movies featured John Wayne; 10 of the 50 movies were directed by John Ford. Seven of these 21 movies featured both John Ford and John Wayne.

Winners:

1. The Searchers (1956)
2. High Noon (1952)
3. Shane (1953)
4. Unforgiven (1992)
5. Red River (1948)
6. The Wild Bunch (1969)
7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
8. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
9. Stagecoach (1939)
10. Cat Ballou (1965)

Comments: Cat Ballou (1965) doesn't belong in the top 10 at all - it's basically a comedy. And Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) is a mixed genre film - not a strict western. I'm assuming that any of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns, such as The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966) were not eligible, as well as Leone's excellent Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) - since their exclusion is unbelievable. My Darling Clementine (1946), Ride the High Country (1962) or The Gunfighter (1950) are all better choices.