Ride, Boldly Ride: The Evolution of the American Western grew out of a suggestion by Glenn Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. At the turn of the millennium, he asked the chiefs of the museum's six curatorial departments to contribute a book of studies about their respective collections. I eagerly grasped this opportunity to tell a story of the Western in American cinema, about cowboys and ranchers and new citizens of the West who were creating settlements in magnificent landscapes—never mind the occupation by tribes of Indians who were there first.
I am indebted to Charles Silver, director of the Film Study Center at the Museum of Modern Art, who helped me to discover much of the history of the art of cinema; to Film Department curator Laurence Kardish, an invaluable colleague, for his advice and support; to film curatorial assistant Jenny He, who had assisted in selecting film stills to accompany the text; to Katie Trainor, film collections manager, for her help with additional stills; and to Harriet Bee for her friendship and editorial advice. I give special thanks to Clint Eastwood for contributing the foreword to this book, and most of all to my husband, Gary, for his continual advice, support, and criticism. Finally, I am grateful for the many Hollywood filmmakers who have created one of America's richest forms of cinematic art.
—Mary Lea Bandy
I express my gratitude to Kenneth Loving, Loretta Stoehr, Mark Griffin, and Charles Silver for their support and encouragement. Thanks must be given to the late Bruce Ricker, too, for his help with various aspects of this project. I also give special thanks to Mary Francis, our editor at University of California Press, and Ellen Geiger, vice president and senior agent at the Frances Goldin Literary Agency, who have stood faithfully by this project since its inception.
—Kevin Stoehr