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How the West Was Won
Synopsis
Filmed in panoramic Cinerama, this star-studded, epic Western adventure is a true cinematic classic. Three legendary directors (Henry Hathaway, John Ford, and George Marshall) combine their skills to tell the story of three families and their travels from the Erie Canal to California between 1839 and 1889. Spencer Tracy narrates the film, which cost an estimated 15 million dollars to complete. In the first segment, The Rivers, pioneer Zebulon Prescott (Karl Malden) sets out to settle in the West with his wife (Agnes Moorehead) and their four children. Along with other settlers and river pirates, they run into mountain man Linus Rawlings (James Stewart), who sells animal hides. The Prescotts try to raft down the Ohio River in a raft, but only daughters Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) and Eve (Carroll Baker) survive. Eve and Linus get married, while Lilith continues on. In the second segment, The Plains, Lilith ends up singing in a saloon in St. Louis, but she really wants to head west in a wagon train led by Roger Morgan (Robert Preston). Along the way, she's accompanied by the roguish gambler Cleve Van Valen (Gregory Peck), who claims he can protect her. After he saves her life during an Indian attack, they get married and move to San Francisco. In the third segment, The Civil War, Eve and Linus' son, Zeb (George Peppard), fights for the Union. After he's forced to kill his Confederate friend, he returns home and gives the family farm to his brother. In the fourth segment, The Railroads, Zeb fights with his railroad boss (Richard Widmark), who wants to cut straight through Indian territory. Zeb's co-worker Jethro (Henry Fonda) refuses to cut through the land, so he quits and moves to the mountains. After the railway camp is destroyed, Zeb heads for the mountains to visit him. In the fifth segment, The Outlaws, Lilith is an old widow traveling from California to Arizona to stay with her nephew Zeb on his ranch. However, he has to fight a gang of desperadoes first. How the West Was Won garnered three Oscars, for screenplay, film editing, and sound production.~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
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Full Credits
  • Director:
    George Marshall, George Marshall, Henry Hathaway, Richard Thorpe, John Patton Ford,
  • Writer:
    James R. Webb, James R. Webb, John Gay,
  • Producer:
    Bernard Smith, Bernard Smith,
  • Cinematographer:
    William H. Daniels, Joseph LaShelle, Milton Krasner, Charles Lang, Charles Lang,
  • Editor:
    Harold F. Kress,
  • Cast:
    Gregory Peck, Carolyn Jones, Henry Fonda, George Peppard, Lee J. Cobb, Debbie Reynolds, Carroll Baker, Karl Malden,
  • Supervising Sound Editor:
    John Logan,
  • Camera Operator:
    Bill Johnson, James V. King,
  • Script Supervisor:
    Michael Preece,
  • Sound Editor:
    Harold Humbrock, Milo B. Lory, Carl Brandon, Kendrick Kinney, Van Allen James, John Lipow,
  • Recording Supervision:
    Franklin Milton,
  • Stunt Double:
    Chuck Roberson, Loren Janes, Donna Hall,
  • Stunts:
    Ken Terrell, Gil Perkins, Ronnie Rondell Jr., Leroy Johnson, Roy Jenson, Joe Yrigoyen, Charles Horvath, Jack N. Young, John Epper, Chuck Roberson, Harvey Parry, Polly Burson, Richard Farnsworth, Eddie Juaregui, Bob Morgan, Jack Williams, Hal Needham, Ted Mapes, Sol Gorss, Boyd 'Red' Morgan, Bob Terhune, Troy Melton, Donna Hall, Everett Creach, Cliff Lyons, Dean Smith, Loren Janes, May Boss, Fred Graham, Carl Pitti, Rick Arnold, Frank Cordell, Autry Ward, Jerry Vance, Troy Ward, Louise Montana, Rusty Richards, Al Carmichael, Dick Shane, Danny Sands, Chuck Hayward,
  • Art Direction:
    William Ferrari, Addison Hehr, George W. Davis,
  • Hair Designer:
    Jay Sebring,
  • Makeup Artist:
    Lynn F. Reynolds, John Truwe,
  • Music Coordinator:
    Robert Emmett Dolan,
  • Set Decoration:
    Jack Mills, Henry Grace, Don Greenwood Jr.,
  • Visual Effects:
    A. Arnold Gillespie, Robert R. Hoag,
  • Set Costumer:
    Robert Fuca,
  • Assistant Director:
    George Marshall Jr., Wingate Smith, William McGarry, Robert Saunders, Hank Moonjean, William Shanks,
  • Original Music Composer:
    Alfred Newman,
  • Musician:
    Ethmer Roten, Tommy Morgan, Robert Bain, Vince De Rosa, Carl Fortina, Louise Di Tullio, Uan Rasey,
  • Painter:
    Frank Wesselhoff,
  • Negative Cutter:
    Mike Henry,
  • Costume Design:
    Ron Talsky, Walter Plunkett,
  • Camera Technician:
    Owen Marsh,
  • Vocals:
    Sally Stevens, Ken Darby, Paul Salamunovich, Dave Guard,
  • Leadman:
    Matty Azzarone,
  • Special Effects Technician:
    Charles Schulthies, Bob Overbeck,
  • Special Guest Director:
    Richard Thorpe,
  • Makeup Designer:
    William Tuttle,
  • Lyricist:
    Johnny Mercer, Ken Darby, Sammy Cahn,
  • Color Assistant:
    Charles K. Hagedon,
  • Hairstylist:
    Sydney Guilaroff,
  • Conductor:
    Alfred Newman, Robert Emmett Dolan, Robert Armbruster,
  • Other:
    Joan Joseff,
  • Second Unit Director of Photography:
    Harold E. Wellman,
  • Art Department Assistant:
    Tyrus Wong,
  • Grip:
    Pete G. Papanickolas,
  • Special Effects:
    Lester Swartz,
  • Second Unit Director:
    Richard Talmadge,
  • Orchestrator:
    Leo Shuken, Jack Hayes,
  • Production Executive:
    Abe Steinberg,
  • Production Supervisor:
    Abe Steinberg, Thomas Conroy,
  • Stunt Coordinator:
    Richard Talmadge,
  • Editorial Consultant:
    Charles K. Hagedon,

Technical specifications

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