The Man in the Black Cowboy Hat Quiz

Answer: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Lee Marvin played the villain in the classic western "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". His part was overshadowed by the fact that the movie also starred John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and Vera Miles. In 1965, he won an Academy Award for his role as gunfighter Kid Shelleen in the comedy western "Cat Ballou".

This was a role that showcased his versatility as an actor. As well as wearing the black cowboy hat he was also well known for his roles where he wore a soldier's helmet.

Answer: Yul Brynner

"Westworld" was a very unusual movie that mixed the sci-fi and western genres.
Yul Brynner played an android cowboy in a futuristic amusement park. His hard-faced good looks helped this stoic, unfeeling villain to be frightening. Comparisons have been made to his character in the western "The Magnificent Seven" (1960). The movie made use of many new advances in special effects technology. In the end, it was the superb acting of Yul Brynner that made this movie a cult favorite.

Answer: Jack Palance

Jack Palance's striking looks fit the role of the villain to perfection. In the movie "Shane" he played opposite of Alan Ladd. His prominent cheekbones and deep-set eyes added to his allure as a villain. He had a long and extensive career on film, as well as television.

It took him four decades to do it, but he finally won his first Academy Award in 1991 for his role as a cowboy named Curly Washburn in "City Slickers". A comparison of the two roles is a fine example of his acting skills.

Answer: The Cowboys

Bruce Dern played the antagonist Long Hair in "The Cowboys". Many actors were reluctant to take the role because it required them to shoot John Wayne's character in the back. Many actors looked at this part as a career ender. This was probably Dern's best role as a villain, and he was known for his ability to play a huge variety of characters.

He was gifted in his ability to wear the white hat as well as the black hat.

Answer: False

Eli Wallach did play in many westerns and wore the black hat in a style all his own, but he did not star in "The Town That Dreaded Sundown"(1976). The movie was a 1976 horror film, based on a set of 1946 murders that occurred in Texarkana. Some of Wallach's best roles as a villain were in "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) and "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"(1966).

Answer: Unforgiven

There are many who feel that "Unforgiven" was Clint Eastwood's best movie as a director. His choice of Gene Hackman as a narcissistic, cackling, evil sheriff proved to be a wonderful choice. Hackman managed to come across as intelligent, insane, vain, and sociopathic all at once.

His skill as an actor is unquestioned, with a list of awards too long to list. He is one of those gifted actors who is able to play almost any character that he sets his mind to. He certainly wears the black hat with skill and excellence.

Answer: Richard Boone

Richard Boone was a skilled actor who was able to wear the black hat as easily as he wore the white hat. He always played a tough masculine character, and it was often hard to tell just which hat he was wearing. While he was the villain in these two movies, he wore the white hat when he portrayed Sam Houston in "The Alamo" (1960).

He also portrayed a character named Paladin on the television western "Have Gun Will Travel" (1957-1963), where he exchanged hats from episode to episode.

Answer: Gian Maria Volonte

Gian Maria Volonte played the deranged villain in both of these spaghetti westerns. His maniacal eyes were enough to get most English speaking watchers to overlook the fact that the movies had been dubbed. Although better known in his home country for acting in dramas, he will forever remembered by many as the frightening villain who played opposite Clint Eastwood in some of the most popular foreign movies to be made in the 20th century.

Answer: Once Upon a Time in the West

"Once Upon a Time in the West" (1968) had some unusual casting choices. Among them was choosing the much beloved Henry Fonda to play the antagonist and the choice to use Charles Bronson as the good guy. Most Americans were used to seeing them wearing the opposite hat. Sergio Leoni originally offered Bronson's role to Clint Eastwood who turned it down.

When first released, the movie was a financial flop with the public and critics having trouble seeing Henry Fonda as a brother-killing, child-murdering, heartless killer. Later the movie was considered one of the finest westerns ever made, and one of Henry Fonda's most convincing roles.

Answer: Angel Eyes

In this movie, Van Cleef played a paid mercenary who displayed no compassion for those he was about to kill. Although the character was called Angel Eyes, a more appropriate name may have been Demon Eyes. Van Cleef used his raw masculinity and striking looks to play the villain in many other notable westerns including "High Noon" (1952), "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962) and "Death Rides a Horse" (1967), just to name a few.