THE BEST 1950s WESTERNS

The Eisenhower 50s was the decade of great adult westerns. What New York Times critic Vincent Canby derisively dismissed as "horse operas" captured the American imagination. During an era of declining theater attendance, westerns pried former moviegoers away from their TV sets and filled empty seats. Conformist 50s' audiences identified with the lonely hero and were reassured that they descended from honorable, courageous ancestors--rugged individuals who knew the difference between right and wrong and would never barter their principles for a buck.

Grandfather and great-grandfather had been unbowed by a hostile world.

The following is a list of the decade's best westerns.