A historian explains why The Cowboys is the most accurate Wild West film. Directed by Mark Rydell, the 1972 Western film follows a grizzled veteran rancher who recruits a group of inexperienced schoolboys as cowhands to get his cattle herd to market on time, though the drive is fraught with dangers, including a gang of rustlers trying to steal the herd. John Wayne leads the cast alongside Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern, Colleen Dewhurst, Robert Carradine, and Slim Pickens.
In a video from Insider, the cowboy and Old West historian Michael Grauer explained why The Cowboys is an accurate Wild West movie, and also his favorite.
After rating 13 Wild West scenes in movies and television for realism, Grauer revealed that his “favorite Wild West movie that’s accurate” is The Cowboys since Wayne’s character, Wil Andersen, has to hire young boys to be his trailhands and much of what they encounter along the way is accurate. Read his full comment below:
So my favorite Wild West movie that’s accurate is The Cowboys because, literally, the John Wayne character has to hire young men and boys to be his trailhands, and the things they encounter along the way are pretty accurate to the real story.
How Accurate Is The Cowboys, Really?
The Historian Raises An Interesting Debate
The Cowboys contains a unique premise, as Wayne’s character must enlist the help of local schoolboys after his crew abruptly quits before a big cattle drive. Andersen trains the youngsters to be cowboys and when he manages to get their journey underway, their drive is threatened by the devious bandit Asa Watts, aka Long Hair (played by Bruce Dern). According to the historian, Anderson hiring and training young boys to be his trailhands, and the dangers they encounter along the way, are accurate.
Despite what the historian says, the accuracy of The Cowboys is certainly up for debate.
Despite what the historian says, the accuracy of The Cowboys is certainly up for debate. In reality, cattle drives were grueling, dangerous, and required experienced cowhands skilled in herding, roping, and surviving harsh conditions. While the film does depict their training, the notion of young boys taking on such a monumental task, while dramatic, seems to stretch the historical truth. Additionally, the antagonist Asa Watts is not entirely accurate. While lawlessness and banditry were certainly real concerns in the Wild West, the portrayal of villains in Western movies often amplifies these elements for dramatic effect.
Overall, The Cowboys received somewhat mixed reviews from critics, though it does have a strong 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 reviews. Some critics, such as Roger Ebert, took aim at its inaccuracy, calling the last 30 minutes “unlikely” and “totally contrived,” while other critics, such as Pauline Kael, criticized the film’s suggestion that boys transition into adulthood or affirm that masculinity through acts of violence and revenge. Though the historian says The Cowboys is accurate, there is certainly a debate to be had about how accurate it actually is.
How Accurate Is The Searchers?
The Historian Also Rated The 1956 John Wayne Western
In the video, Grauer also commented on the portrayal of Native Americans and cowboys in film, including the depiction of the Comanche people in The Searchers, which also stars Wayne. Directed by the legendary John Ford, the 1954 Western film follows a Civil War veteran who, after members of his brother’s family are massacred and abducted by Comanches, embarks on a years-long journey to find his niece by venturing deep into Indian territory. Other than Wayne in the lead role, the cast includes Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, and Natalie Wood.
The very concept of cowboys versus Indians is a misconception since fights between actual cowboys and Native people almost never happened.
In the video, Grauer rated a scene from The Searchers in which the Comanches attempt a full-frontal assault through a river at a fortified position, which he says is “ridiculous” and “utter nonsense.” The historian explains that Native American warfare was always based on advantage, whether it be in numbers or surprise. Furthermore, Grauer says the very concept of cowboys versus Indians is a misconception since fights between actual cowboys and Native people almost never happened.
Grauer goes on to explain the true story that inspired The Searchers in which a young white girl named Cynthia Ann Parker was kidnapped by Comanches during the 1830s. However, when she was finally rescued, she had already fully assimilated into Comanche culture and was unwilling to return to European-American society, an important part of the story that the movie leaves out. Overall, Grauer rated the scene from The Searchers a 2/10 in terms of its total realism.
Though the one scene that he rated isn’t very accurate, Grauer admits that The Searchers is