If you’re looking for a classic Western movie to watch right now, we’ve got you covered, pardner. The following list highlights six standout titles – from John Wayne films, like True Grit (1969) and The Shootist, to John Travolta’s Urban Cowboy – all available to stream now on Paramount+. Yee haw!
6 classic Westerns to stream right now
1. Hondo
What it’s about: John Wayne plays Hondo Lane, a cavalry rider who becomes the protector of Angie Lowe (played by Geraldine Page) as well as a father figure to her boy, Johnny. Angie, determinedly awaiting the return of her husband, refuses to leave their homestead despite the growing danger from a broken treaty between the U.S. Army and the Apache.
Why you should watch it: Based on the classic short story “The Gift of Cochise” by acclaimed Western author Louis L’Amour, this 1953 film (originally presented in 3D) showcases The Duke at the literal peak of his Western persona – squinty-eyed, laconic, quick on the draw…and with a heart of gold.
WATCH NOW: Hondo
2. The Shootist
What it’s about: In his final film role, John Wayne plays a seasoned outlaw with only a few months to live who sets out to settle old scores. Along the way, he meets a feisty widow (Lauren Bacall) and her son (Ron Howard), who idolizes the dying gunslinger.
Why you should watch it: Did we mention James Stewart is in the cast, too? And that action auteur Don Siegel (Dirty Harry) directs? The Shootist may not be considered the ultimate John Wayne movie, but it’s a worthy cinematic swan song for John Wayne.
WATCH NOW: The Shootist
3. Urban Cowboy
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What it’s about: John Travolta plays a West Texas farm boy who goes to the big city where he rides a mechanical bull, meets his future wife (Debra Winger), and encounters the antagonism of an ex-con (Scott Glenn).
Why you should watch it: Travolta may not be the first name you associate with classic Westerns, but in this 1980 blockbuster, the smooth superstar, then fresh off the success of Saturday Night Fever and Grease, does for mechanical bulls what he did for the dance floor: He makes them – along with plaid Western shirts and Gilley’s – iconic.
Etc.: In her breakthrough film role, Winger is perfectly cast opposite Travolta. And look for appearances by country-music stars Mickey Gilley, Johnny Lee, Bonnie Raitt, and Charlie Daniels as themselves.
WATCH NOW: Urban Cowboy
4. True Grit (1969)
What it’s about: John Wayne’s cantankerous U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn and a young Texas Ranger (Glen Campbell) are hired by headstrong young Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) to find the man who murdered her father and fled with the family savings.
Why you should watch it: Hollywood’s original adaption of the Charles Portis Western novel masterpiece of the same name is the film that won Wayne his long-overdue Oscar®. And that alone is reason enough to watch. But the movie’s also really entertaining. As an added bonus, it boasts early-career performances by Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper (in his last Hollywood film before Easy Rider, released the same year, made him a counterculture icon).
Fun fact: The Oscar®– nominated 2010 version of True Grit, starring Jeff Bridges, and written and directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, is also a must-see – and, yup, it’s also now streaming on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: True Grit (1969)
5. The Tin Star
What it’s about: In this 1957 black-and-white film, a veteran bounty hunter (Henry Fonda) comes to the aid of a greenhorn sheriff (Anthony Perkins).
Why you should watch it: Before he portrayed arguably the greatest of all Western bad guys in Once Upon a Time in the West, Fonda got in touch with his less virtuous side alongside Perkins, three years away from his star turn in Psycho. Betsy Palmer (Friday the 13th) costars in this Anthony Mann-directed classic. The film earned an Oscar® nomination for its original screenplay.
WATCH NOW: The Tin Star
6. Big Jake
What it’s about: In this Western from 1971, an aging Texas cattleman (John Wayne) who has lived past his prime swings into action when outlaws kidnap his grandson and wound his son.
Why you should watch it: Wayne co-stars with his favorite leading lady, Maureen O’Hara (The Quiet Man), in their final film together, and their chemistry remains palpable. They’re joined by Wayne’s real-life sons Patrick Wayne and Ethan Wayne, and quintessential Western villain Richard Boone.
WATCH NOW: Big Jake
Availability of titles is subject to change.
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