All too often, the western as a genre is presumed to be a male-dominated space. In my recent book on The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), I explain that director John Ford felt the film’s main character was Hallie (Vera Miles) and not Tom (John Wayne) or Ranse (Jimmy Stewart). The source material was written by Dorothy Johnson. John Wayne, often reviled for his racist comments made in a 1970s Playboy interview, was regardless hailed by some prominent second-wave feminists who should, by definition, despise him. The Western, with its characters and personalities, is far more dynamic than people realize. The latest remake of The Magnificent Seven is about to remind us once again that the frontier isn’t just a boys’ town.

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