TCM Schedule for Thursday, June 23, 2022 -- What's On Tonight: Prime Time Theme: Revisionist Western

[CBHagman]

1. "Westward the Women"

I remember the first time I saw Westward the Women on TCM. I'd first heard of it in the '70s or '80s, but I have no memory of it turning up on late-afternoon or late-night features, or even at the student union when I was a university student. I found it a hugely entertaining movie, grittier than I was expecting, and it's a prime example of the Anyone Can Die trope.

The story itself came from Frank Capra, who was reportedly inspired by an article about a group of women on a similar journey in South America.

As for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, it was inspired by The Sobbin' Women by Stephen Vincent Benét.

https://gutenberg.ca/ebooks/benetsv-thirteen07-sobbinwomen/benetsv-thirteen07-sobbinwomen-00-h-dir/benetsv-thirteen07-sobbinwomen-00-h.html