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->''"This is the story of the Winchester Rifle Model 1873, 'The gun that won the West.' To cowman, outlaw, peace officer or soldier, the Winchester '73 was a treasured possession. An Indian would sell his soul to own one."''
-->-- '''Opening title card'''

A {{Western}} from 1950 directed by Creator/AnthonyMann and starring Creator/JamesStewart, Creator/ShelleyWinters, Dan Duryea, Stephen [=McNally=], and Millard Mitchell.

Lin [=McAdam=], a former Texas ranger, is riding with his partner High-Spade Frankie Wilson to track down a man. When they reach Dodge City, they run into Dutch Henry Brown, the man they're looking for (though [[IHaveManyNames that's not his real name]]). As [[HistoricalDomainCharacter Wyatt Earp]], the sheriff in town, is keeping a close eye on both of them and has taken everyone's gun, Lin and Dutch Henry confine their bad blood to a shooting contest that's in town; the winner gets [[MacGuffin the rifle of the title]], which is supposed to be the best gun around. Lin ends up winning the contest, but before he can leave town, Dutch Henry and his gang ambush him and steal the gun. At this point, [[TwoLinesNoWaiting the film follows both Lin's attempt to catch up to Dutch Henry, as well as the path of the gun]], as it ends up with a trader, a Sioux Indian chief, Steve Miller, a man trying to settle down with his girlfriend Lola Manners, and Waco Johnny Dean, a cocky gunman, among others.

Notable for being the first film to team up Stewart and Mann (they went on to make seven more films together), the first of Stewart's DarkerAndEdgier roles, and most important, the first film where a star (Stewart) agreed to take a lesser salary up front in exchange for a percentage of the profits, which helped change business practices in the movies. Creator/RockHudson and Creator/TonyCurtis, who would both go on to be big stars, appear briefly as a Sioux chief and a U.S. cavalryman, respectively.

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!!This film provides examples of:

* AffablyEvil: Waco Johnny Dean.
* AndThisIsFor: A nicer version of this trope: when the army rescues Lola and Steve from the Sioux, Lola kisses the squad leader Sgt. Wilkes, for saving their lives; he jokes, "Now you disappoint me; I thought it was 'cause I'm pretty." Later, when Steve and Lola are about to leave, she kisses Wilkes again, and says, "This is 'cause you're pretty."
* {{Brownface}}: A young Rock Hudson pops up as Young Bull the Sioux with the prerequisite brown skin tone.
* ButtMonkey: Lola really doesn't have a fun time in this film.
* CainAndAbel: Dutch Henry is really Matthew, Lin's brother, who shot their father InTheBack.
* DeadMansHand: Dutch notes that he barely avoided one when he gets a third eight and thus a full house.
* DeadpanSnarker: High-Spade Frankie
** Don't forget the hyphen: "That's what I sit on when I get tired."
* {{Determinator}}: Lin, all the way.
* DoesntLikeGuns: Wyatt Earp; or, at least, he doesn't like anyone carrying them in his town.
* ExactWords: As Wyatt Earp is riding with Lin through town, he tells Lin about the shooting contest for the gun of the title, mentions he thinks the main competition for the gun will come from Dutch Henry Brown, and asks Lin if he's ever heard of him. Lin replies, "I don't recall the name". Soon, they come to the bar, and Lin almost gets into a fight with Dutch Henry when he recognizes him as his estranged brother Matthew, whom he's been obsessively tracking:
-->'''Earp''': I thought you said you didn't know him.
-->'''Lin''': I said I didn't recall the name.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: In addition to Wyatt Earp and his fellow Dodge City lawman "Bat" Masterson, there's also reference to Custer getting massacred.
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Lola. She gets run out of Dodge City for it.
* IHaveManyNames: The reason why Lin initially doesn't realize Dutch Henry Brown is [[spoiler: his estranged brother Matthew]].
-->'''Wyatt Earp:''' I thought you said you didn't know him.\\
'''Lin:''' [[ExactWords I said I didn't recall the name.]]
* ImproperlyPlacedFirearms: The competition for the prize rifle takes place on July 4, 1876, but one of the contestants uses a Winchester 1892.
* LastSecondWordSwap: Wyatt Earp would give his ri--his ''left'' hand for one of the Winchesters.
* MacGuffin: The gun of the title, though in an interesting subversion, not only do only a few of the characters really want the gun (or know how valuable it is), it's used more as a way to tie the characters together than as a goal the characters are after.
* TheMagicPokerEquation: Dutch is dealt a full house; he doesn't even have to draw any cards.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Steve goes down fighting against Waco Johnny Dean and his gang, redeeming his previous act of cowardice.
* SatelliteLoveInterest: Lola looks gorgeous but doesn't really affect the story very much, the plot being about the gun and the varous people that come in contact with it. Shelley Winters was later quoted as saying "If I hadn't been in it, would anybody have noticed?" Once Lin settles accounts with Dutch Henry, Lola definitely attracts his attention.
* SmugSnake: Waco Johnny Dean. Lin pretty much cures him of that in a hurry, though.
* StraightForTheCommander: "Let's concentrate on the chief," says Lin when the Sioux are gathering for their second attack. Lin then proceeds to shoot Young Bull off his horse, and the leaderless Sioux then disengage.
* WeaponTitle: The film is named for the Winchester '73 (meaning 1873, making this also a TitleByYear) rifle that passes from one character to another over the course of the story, finally returning to its rightful owner, Lin, at the very end.
* WhatTheHellHero: Lola never really forgives Steve for going for help and abandoning her when the Sioux come riding down on them.
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