Stories

How the West Was Won’s Bruce Boxleitner talks about his mentor Gunsmoke’s Matt Dillon—James Arness. Go behind the scenes with Boxleitner’s personal stories.

Veteran Actor. Accomplished Athlete. INSP Mourns the Passing of James Caan. He played everything from mobsters to cowboys, writers to football players, soldiers, spies, fathers, and grandpas. Stage. Screen. Comedy. Drama. James Caan’s versatile acting…

Kenny Rogers in Westerns—from The Gambler to Rio Diablo—he played light-hearted and gritty roles. How a hit song made him a movie star. Read it on INSP.com.

James Stewart’s Destry vs. Audie Murphy’s Destry! Western writer Henry C. Parke compares the movies Destry Rides again, and Destry for INSP.

Hollywood Looks From the History Books One of the most powerful aspects of films is the characters. Whether you love them, hate them, or love to hate them, moviegoers build a strong connection with the…

Discover fascinating facts about Audie Murphy, the war hero and Western star, including his military achievements and Hollywood career.

Top 10 John Wayne quotes. The Duke tells it like it is—in his characters like McLintock and Big Jake, and in real life. This cowboy doesn’t sugarcoat a thing!

Go Behind-the-Scenes With The Duke At the height of the Vietnam War, John Wayne made a bold move to show his support of the United States’ involvement in the war: he made a movie about…

Written by Dorothy Kosich Wagon Train’s Terry Wilson Loved Doubling Duke Wayne Actor-stuntman Terry Wilson, best known for his role as Assistant Wagonmaster Bill Hawks on the classic TV Western series Wagon Train, enjoyed telling stories…

Hollywood icon John Wayne starred in such classics as The Searchers, In Old California, Flying Leathernecks, Dark Command, McQ, and more. Here’s his story…

John Wayne and James Arness: lifelong friends and co-stars in films, Hondo, Big Jim McLain. The Duke recommended Arness to play Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke.

Old Hollywood made them legends. But it’s their children and grandchildren who make sure their family lineage lives on in front of the cameras for generations to come. 1. CLINT EASTWOOD The man with no…

Stuntman Terry Wilson Proudly Played Wagon Train’s Hawks By Dorothy Kosich Playing Assistant Wagonmaster Bill Hawks on the hit Western drama, Wagon Train, made veteran Hollywood stuntman Terry Wilson into a star and a Western TV hero. Ruggedly handsome,…

By Henry C. Parke Partisans endlessly debate whether Tombstone or Wyatt Earp was a better film, and if Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid, or Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer were the ultimate Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday team. But…

Willie of the West At first glance, sagebrush troubadour Willie Nelson may have seemed an unlikely choice for a western leading man. After all, he more closely resembles the ultimate sidekick, Gabby Hayes. But then…

Jimmy’s Legacy is Alive and Well in Indiana, Pennsylvania You may know him as James Stewart or Jimmy Stewart. You may recognize him as one of the leading men during the Golden Age of Hollywood.…

James Stewart bio, star of Philadelphia Story, It's a Wonderful Life, Harvey, Shenandoah, among 80 classic movies and western films.

By Henry C. Parke More than sixty years after his death, Humphrey Bogart remains an icon of the movies. Like John Wayne and Clark Gable, Bogart epitomizes what women want, and men want to be.…

By Henry C. Parke The Western world of Louis L’Amour, comprising nearly 100 novels and 400 short stories, has a reach far beyond traditional western fans. I was introduced to his work by two fellow…

Read about Native American women warriors who rode with Geronimo, fought at Little Big Horn—Buffalo Calf Road Woman, Lozen, Gouyen—the bravest braves were women.

Humphrey Bogart: Classic Leading Man The Early Years Humphrey Deforest Bogart was born on December 25, 1899, in New York City to Belmont and Maud Bogart. Humphrey had two younger sisters: Frances (Pat) and Catherine…

By Henry C. Parke When I recently ran into the ever-beautiful Dee Wallace, best known as the mother in E.T., I reminded her of a film we had worked on together, briefly. It was in the 1980s,…

Best romantic couples in westerns on INSP. John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara to Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross. Tom Selleck in Last Stand at Saber River, and more.

The Return of the Western: The Current Resurgence By Henry C. Parke Every genre of film and television entertainment rises and falls in popularity – musicals, mysteries, super-heroes, Westerns. Box office numbers tell us at…

Western Stars That’ll Melt Your Heart We can’t stop gushing over these Hollywood hotshots! Not only are they easy on the eyes, but their stories live forever in our hearts.

Cowboy Hats 101: Let’s Take it From the Top! From practical protection on the ranch to an ornate and over-the-top fashion statement, the cowboy hat is a mainstay in Western wear. It isn’t going anywhere—and…

Well, the fact is, nobody ever outdrew Matt Dillon. For years, at the start of every episode of Gunsmoke, Dillon, in the person of James Arness, faced a gunslinger on Dodge’s Main Street – and shot…