The Real Cowboy: Portrait of an American Icon

While millions of movie-going Americans grew up convinced that John Wayne was the epitome of the American cowboy, this entry in A&E's Time Machine series demonstrates that the truth was far more complex than Wayne's right vs. wrong epics. Tracing the history of the cowboy from the initial Spanish vaqueros to the present day, this engaging documentary, narrated by Bill Curtis, also makes clear that the life of a cowboy was hard, dangerous and short due to drought, storms, and the ever difficult herds the men had to drive north to trailheads. By the time he was 30, a man's career as a cowboy was generally over. Viewers will embark on an historical journey through Mexico, California, Texas, and all the way out to Hawaii where cowboys round up cattle on volcanic ground, as well as hear commentary from actors Richard Farnsworth (The Straight Story) and Harry Carey, Jr. (Rio Grande, Tombstone) on the differences between movie cowboys and the real thing. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Fisher)