Cowboy: How Hollywood Invented the Wild West

Artist: Holly George-Warren
Hardcover
In Cowboy, George-Warren (How the West Was Worn) offers a loving, well-illustrated tribute to the Western & its lore, from dime novels to Stetson hats. As the author points out, the connection between the Hollywood Western & reality was often a bit tenuous. Cowgirls, singing cowboys, & matinee idols (including unlikely figures like Cagney & Bogart) may have ruled the box office, but directors like John Ford, Howard Hawks, & Anthony Mann brought mythmaking, spectacle, & hard-edged realism to the genre. Westerns peaked in popularity in the 1950s & 1960s & have rarely appeared since on television or at the multiplex. Cowboy certainly doesn't break any new ground, but George-Warren provides a glimpse of what we have lost, & public library patrons are likely to enjoy the nostalgic text & pictures. Music historian Green, also a member of Western swing group Riders in the Sky, resurrects a nearly forgotten era in his thorough history of the singing cowboy. Singing cowboys were numerous, but only a few, notably Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, & Tex Ritter, achieved lasting success. However, as the author notes, even after Hollywood lost interest, singing cowboys influenced country music & regional television. Singing cowboys have enjoyed a modest revival on stage & records in recent years, though it seems the tradition in Hollywood has ridden into the sunset permanently. Cowboy is recommended for all public libraries, while Singing should find a place in large country music & film collections.