Cattle have been a part of the development of Texas since… well, Texas! And the cattle drive is a huge component of that history. Surprisingly, not much in the way of modern-day television or cinema has been focused on the act of driving a herd, but of those that have been filmed, these shows and movies make for some great western entertainment!
Lifestyle
The Top Cattle Drives in Western Movie Entertainment
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1. Lonesome Dove
Photo: Facebook/Lonesome Dove Fans
Based on the 1985 Larry McMurtry novel of the same name, this TV mini-series is good, old-fashioned, Western-style entertainment at its finest. The Hat Creek Cattle Company, led by former Texas Rangers Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call, lead a cattle drive from the Lone Star State to Montana in the “Lonesome Dove” saga. McMurtry’s story of the comradery and values of the day comes shining through on the screen, starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones, making the series an award-winning project of the Western genre.
2. Open Range
Photo: Facebook/Kevin Costner & Modern West
Kevin Costner directed and starred in the Western film “Open Range,” co-starring Robert Duvall. It’s an old-fashioned western movie focused on a pair of cowboys – Charley Waite (played by Costner) and Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall’s character) – leading a cattle drive across open country. In the process, they come up against a bullying rancher and his henchmen. Trouble ensues, in which the team rights the wrongs, in true gun-slinging style. You truly have to watch the film to appreciate the effort put into it, and the story is one that could quite easily have been played out before, in real life.
3. City Slickers
Photo: Facebook/City Slickers
Obviously, in more of the comedy vein than Western, the movie “City Slickers,” starring Billy Crystal, Jack Palance, Daniel Stern, and Bruno Kirby, features a cattle drive in more modern-day terms. Wanting to revive his life and find some vim and verve he’s been lacking, Mitch Robbins (played by Billy Crystal) gets presented with the gift of a two-week trip to drive cattle with his friends Ed Furillo (played by Bruno Kirby) and Phil Berquist (Stern’s character). Palance is the trail boss whose role takes a turn for the worst in the process. Again – watch the film if you want the full grasp of what takes place and how to find the humor in something we previously only saw as serious business.
