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David E. Petzal's Five Best Western-Movie Theme Songs
#1: The Theme from "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"
And so we segue gracefully from real gunfights to movies about fictional gunfights, and more important, the music for same. As anyone old enough to take Viagra knows, all Western films and TV shows had to have a theme. Most of these were corny lyrics belted out by an all-male chorus, and they all sounded the same. However, a very few rose above the rest, either because they were memorable tunes, or told a story, or simply caught the public imagination to a monster degree.
Here are my top five, starting with the theme from “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly," which took Clint Eastwood from “Rawhide” on TV to three Oscars, or maybe more. I’ve lost count.
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Video Series Comments (23)
Hard to argue with 'High Noon' or 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.' But I would say your list has to include the theme from 'The Magnificent Seven,' and the theme from the TV show 'Rawhide.' The score from 'Invitation to a Gunfighter' is first rate, although the movie itself is merely good. Maybe this isn't the way to play the game, but since you mentioned Davy Crockett (who never spent five minutes in Dodge or Tombstone), I'll put the music from 'Last of the Mohicans' up as one of the great scores of all time. Hey, in 1755 Kentucky and Ohio were the west, and that movie definitely has no shortage of Indians in it.
I think you might have missed a great movie theme from a Gary Cooper movie that he made late in his career. The movie was called "The Hanging Tree" and costarred George C. Scott and Karl Malden, amoung others. The theme song was song by Marty Robbins and it was also called "The Hanging Tree".
No "Magnificent Seven?" Good Lord, what's this world coming too?
I had one of those fake coonskin caps. Unless I wore it out I bet my mother still has it in a box somewhere with my baseball cards, my WWI doughboy helmet, and my WWII helmet liner. In the fifties a kid could fully supply himself for war in the woods for not much money at the local Army-Navy store.
Froo-oo-ooo-oo-ooooooooo
wahhh wahhh wahhhhh
I remember seeing Ken Curtis on the old "Glen Campbell Show." I couldn't believe a voice that beautiful came out of Festus' mouth. It seems he said then that his dad was one of the "Sons of the Pioneers," too.
Don't forget ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST with Charles Bronson & Henry Fonda. It should have been on the list too.
Actually, any Western with an Ennio Morricone sound track is a good one.
I wish Clint could have been in more westerns
Dave:
I would drop the two television theme songs and add those from "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and the haunting melody from "Unforgiven".
"Blazing Saddles" gets my comic song vote.
The Long Riders. Great music, if not a little erie. I agree some of the others (The Magnificent Seven) has to be #1. James Coburn-Nobody throws me my own guns and say's run? Nobody. Ahh memories.
The Good, The Bad and Ugly. All that music was great. I even had that theme for a ring tone on my cell phone. It was always a winner when I got a call.
One other thing. The movie was fantastic. If they had just gotten their finger off the ricochet machine a few times.
The good the bad and the ugly is the best!
BostonPete.com/ojsikes plays nothing but old Western Movie songs and rodeo songs.
All good, but don't forget "The Big Country", 1958, starring Charleton Heston and Burl Ives. I've read that the music score is rated in the top 10 of all.
The theme from Shane as well as the ending is the best of any western ever made. The Searchers and Wild Bunch are numbers 2 and 3
Dennis
What is wrong with you idiots?? I was watching the swamp fox video and it was using the f word among others!! Do you know that my 2 little girls were going to watch it after davy crockett?? Do you not know what you are putting on screen?? If you were in front of me i punch you out!! You Stupid jack asses!!
Make your point but leave off the threats and insults.
Never heard of the others but i liked the davy crockett one.
The Big Country was not only a great movie with a memorable theme, but the complete soundtrack is excellent, a classic. Unforgiven, Last of the Mohicans and Dances with Wolves were not slouches either. The theme from High Noon even made it to the pop charts in it's day. All the above suggestions have merit. Lots of fine music, evoking another America. Even Morricone got it right.
One of my favorites waa Gene Autry's versiobn of Ghost Riders in the Sky" for a short but catching song in one of his made for TV Saturday morning Westerns. Last of the Mohicans is a great sound track, one that has the ability to run through your head for a few days after you hear the music. As a theme song, Rawhide is about untouchable, and any Marty Robbins cowboy song, like El Paso, are songs you can really remember and dsing alongwith the recording. Good stuff, not too many bad ones and surely no Ugly songs from my western show memories.
The Hanging Tree is not a good western song. It starts out like a sanctimonious dirge, but then dissolves into rockabilly goofiness. It's a knock-off, not the genuine article. BTW, the Estasia del Oro from TGTB&TU represents the irony that base greed can elevate a common criminal like Tuco to heroic stature, while the main theme merely winks to let us know the film is a parody of the John Ford style westerns.
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Hard to argue with 'High Noon' or 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.' But I would say your list has to include the theme from 'The Magnificent Seven,' and the theme from the TV show 'Rawhide.' The score from 'Invitation to a Gunfighter' is first rate, although the movie itself is merely good. Maybe this isn't the way to play the game, but since you mentioned Davy Crockett (who never spent five minutes in Dodge or Tombstone), I'll put the music from 'Last of the Mohicans' up as one of the great scores of all time. Hey, in 1755 Kentucky and Ohio were the west, and that movie definitely has no shortage of Indians in it.
I had one of those fake coonskin caps. Unless I wore it out I bet my mother still has it in a box somewhere with my baseball cards, my WWI doughboy helmet, and my WWII helmet liner. In the fifties a kid could fully supply himself for war in the woods for not much money at the local Army-Navy store.
Dave:
I would drop the two television theme songs and add those from "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and the haunting melody from "Unforgiven".
"Blazing Saddles" gets my comic song vote.
I remember seeing Ken Curtis on the old "Glen Campbell Show." I couldn't believe a voice that beautiful came out of Festus' mouth. It seems he said then that his dad was one of the "Sons of the Pioneers," too.
Don't forget ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST with Charles Bronson & Henry Fonda. It should have been on the list too.
I wish Clint could have been in more westerns
The Long Riders. Great music, if not a little erie. I agree some of the others (The Magnificent Seven) has to be #1. James Coburn-Nobody throws me my own guns and say's run? Nobody. Ahh memories.
All good, but don't forget "The Big Country", 1958, starring Charleton Heston and Burl Ives. I've read that the music score is rated in the top 10 of all.
Make your point but leave off the threats and insults.
No "Magnificent Seven?" Good Lord, what's this world coming too?
One other thing. The movie was fantastic. If they had just gotten their finger off the ricochet machine a few times.
BostonPete.com/ojsikes plays nothing but old Western Movie songs and rodeo songs.
The theme from Shane as well as the ending is the best of any western ever made. The Searchers and Wild Bunch are numbers 2 and 3
Dennis
The Hanging Tree is not a good western song. It starts out like a sanctimonious dirge, but then dissolves into rockabilly goofiness. It's a knock-off, not the genuine article. BTW, the Estasia del Oro from TGTB&TU represents the irony that base greed can elevate a common criminal like Tuco to heroic stature, while the main theme merely winks to let us know the film is a parody of the John Ford style westerns.
I think you might have missed a great movie theme from a Gary Cooper movie that he made late in his career. The movie was called "The Hanging Tree" and costarred George C. Scott and Karl Malden, amoung others. The theme song was song by Marty Robbins and it was also called "The Hanging Tree".
The Good, The Bad and Ugly. All that music was great. I even had that theme for a ring tone on my cell phone. It was always a winner when I got a call.
Never heard of the others but i liked the davy crockett one.
The Big Country was not only a great movie with a memorable theme, but the complete soundtrack is excellent, a classic. Unforgiven, Last of the Mohicans and Dances with Wolves were not slouches either. The theme from High Noon even made it to the pop charts in it's day. All the above suggestions have merit. Lots of fine music, evoking another America. Even Morricone got it right.
One of my favorites waa Gene Autry's versiobn of Ghost Riders in the Sky" for a short but catching song in one of his made for TV Saturday morning Westerns. Last of the Mohicans is a great sound track, one that has the ability to run through your head for a few days after you hear the music. As a theme song, Rawhide is about untouchable, and any Marty Robbins cowboy song, like El Paso, are songs you can really remember and dsing alongwith the recording. Good stuff, not too many bad ones and surely no Ugly songs from my western show memories.
Actually, any Western with an Ennio Morricone sound track is a good one.
The good the bad and the ugly is the best!
Froo-oo-ooo-oo-ooooooooo
wahhh wahhh wahhhhh
What is wrong with you idiots?? I was watching the swamp fox video and it was using the f word among others!! Do you know that my 2 little girls were going to watch it after davy crockett?? Do you not know what you are putting on screen?? If you were in front of me i punch you out!! You Stupid jack asses!!
Post a Comment