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, Rovi
- Genre: Western
- Category Epic Western
- Theme: Survival in the Wilderness, Sheriffs and Outlaws, Culture Clash, White People Among Indians
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Run Time: 02 hr 44 min
- Edition: Restored / Remastered
- Language: Spanish, English, French
- Subtitle Language: French, Spanish, English
- Picture Format: widescreen
- Format: Blu-ray
- Release Date: January 4, 2011
- Lead Actor: James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck, Debbie Reynolds, Richard Widmark
- Supporting Actor: Carolyn Jones, John Wayne, Karl Malden, George Peppard, William Henry, Kim Charney, Lee Van Cleef, Rodopho (Rudy) Acosta, Tudor Owen, Victor Romito, John Damler, Jamie Ross, James Griffith, Jack Lambert, Gene Roth, Claude Johnson, Chuck Roberson, Spencer Tracy, Sol (Saul) Gorss, Paul Bryar, Beulah Archuletta, Charlie Briggs, Christopher Dark, Harry Monty, Harvey Parry, Mark Allen, Jack Pennick, Robert Nash, Gil Perkins, Harry Dean Stanton, Henry "Harry" Morgan, Boyd "Red" Morgan, Bryan Russell, J. Edward McKinley, Joe Sawyer, John Larch, Karl Swenson, Ken Curtis, Ken Dibbs, Walter Burke, Willis B. Bouchey, Roy Jenson, Clinton Sundberg, Carleton Young, Jay C. Flippen, Russ Tamblyn, Mickey Shaughnessy, Thelma Ritter, Agnes Moorehead, Raymond Massey, Andy Devine, David Brian, Walter Brennan, Brigid Bazlen, Lee J. Cobb, Carroll Baker, Eli Wallach, Robert Preston
- Director: John Ford, Henry Hathaway, George Marshall
awards
- Awards: Academy Awards (3)
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Original Screenplay, 1963, James R. Webb
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Editing, 1963, Harold Kress
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Sound, 1963, Franklin E. Milton
- Nominations: Academy Awards (5)
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Color Costume Design, 1963, Walter Plunkett
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Color Cinematography, 1963, William H. Daniels, Milton Krasner, Joseph La Shelle, Charles B. Lang
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Color Art Direction, 1963, George W. Davis, William Ferrari, Henry W. Grace, Addison Hehr, Jack Mills, Don Greenwood, Jr.
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Original Score, 1963, Ken Darby, Alfred Newman
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Picture, 1963, Bernard Smith
