Plot Synopsis

THE COWBOY is a two-part documentary special that explores how cowboys have been depicted in film and on television, featuring original interviews with the most renowned actors, directors, writers and historians of the Western genre, as well as country artists, real-life cowboys, and modern-day Western icons. Plus, the series integrates early archival film and photographs from on set and on the range. The first episode, "Movies That Shaped America's Myth," celebrates the icons and legends of the American West as immortalized by Hollywood -- from the great stars like Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, and Steve McQueen, to the great directors like John Ford, Sergio Leone, and Sam Peckinpah. The, the second episode, "Hollywood vs. History," chronicles the story of the Old West as it was and as it was portrayed by the giants of cinema. Legendary lawmen like Wyatt Earp and 'Wild Bill' Hickok, infamous outlaws like Jesse James and Billy the Kid, and epic showdowns like the Gunfight at the OK Corral. THE COWBOYS anchors AHC's "Western Week," which began on Monday, January 18.