You asked for it, so we’ve delivered! Since the launch of this podcast, John Ford’s masterpiece The Searchers has been our most frequently requested film by far. In this highly anticipated episode, we have a fascinating conversation about it that you won’t want to miss. Joining us to discuss Ford’s influential Western is author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Frankel, whose bestselling book The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend belongs on the shelf of every serious Western movie fan. So saddle up and hit the trail with us as we explore one of the greatest films of all time.

The conversation with Frankel took place at the American West Center of the University of Utah on January 17, 2025.

Special thanks to the podcast Music of Bond for permission to use a clip from their show. To hear the entire episode featuring Matthew Chernov’s guest appearance, visit their Apple Podcast page or look for it wherever you download your favorite podcasts.

On this trailblazing episode, reporter and historian Robert Nott drops by to discuss Sam Peckinpah's Ride the High Country. Robert is the author of several acclaimed books on Western film history, including The Films of Randolph Scott, Last of the Cowboy Heroes, The Films of Budd Boetticher, and Goin' Crazy with Sam Peckinpah and All Our Friends. His latest book is titled Ride the High Country, and it's the first book to focus exclusively on Peckinpah's poignant 1962 classic.

Robert Nott's book, Ride the High Country, is published by the University of New Mexico Press, and is part of the Reel West series, edited by Andrew Patrick Nelson.

On this super-size episode, Matt and Andrew discuss the biggest Western movie event in recent memory. Is Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 a bold and breathtaking vision of the Old West or a television miniseries masquerading as a feature film? Our hosts debate the issue, covering everything from key scenes and performances to John Debney’s score to the critical and commercial reaction to the movie.

And in a special bonus segment at the end of the episode, returning guest Travis Eller drops by to share his thoughts on the film’s impressive Western hats. He also discusses his principal lead role in the exciting new INSP television series Elkhorn!

Be sure to visit Travis’s custom hat shop, Ugly Outlaw Hats, to order your very own hand-crafted Western hat.