YMMV / How the West Was Won

• Awesome Music: The Overture and Intermission by Alfred Newman combines traditional American songs onto two glorious medlies.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Charlie Gant, who has only three scenes in the movie, and steals them all with cheerful abandon.
• Love to Hate: Charlie Gant. Helped by the fact that Eli Wallach was so immensely likable in almost every role he played.
• One-Scene Wonder: John Ford regulars John Wayne and Andy Devine.
• Questionable Casting: Obviously with so many stars, not all the casting would be ideal, but a 54-year-old Jimmy Stewart as a 28-year-old morally dubious mountain man stands out. Even Stewart agreed he was miscast, and only took the role as a favor after the original choice for the role, Gary Cooper, died.
• Retroactive Recognition: Lee Van Cleef as one of the river pirates, and Harry Dean Stanton as one of Gant's Mooks.

---