The Cowboys

Directed by Mark Rydell
PG
1972    2h 14mWestern, Adventure,
7.475%88%
When his cattle drovers abandon him for the gold fields, rancher Wil Andersen is forced to take on a collection of young boys as his drovers in order to get his herd to market in time to avoid financial disaster. The boys learn to do a man's job under Andersen's tutelage; however, neither Andersen nor the boys know that a gang of cattle rustlers is stalking them.

Where to Watch The Cowboys

Cast of The Cowboys

  • John WayneWil Andersen
  • Roscoe Lee BrowneJebediah Nightlinger
  • Bruce DernLong Hair
  • Colleen DewhurstKate
  • Alfred Barker Jr.Cowboy Fats
  • Nicolas BeauvyCowboy Dan
  • Steve BenedictCowboy Steve
  • Robert CarradineCowboy Slim Honeycutt
  • Norman HowellCowboy Weedy
  • Stephen R. HudisCowboy Charlie Schwartz
  • Sean KellyCowboy Stuttering Bob
  • A MartinezCowboy Cimarron
  • Clay O'BrienCowboy Hardy Fimps
  • Sam O'BrienCowboy Jimmy Phillips
  • Mike PyeattCowboy Homer Weems
  • Slim PickensAnse
  • Lonny ChapmanHomer's Father
  • Charles TynerStonemason
  • Sarah CunninghamAnnie Andersen
  • Allyn Ann McLerieEllen Price
  • Maggie CostainPhoebe
  • Matt ClarkSmiley
  • Jerry GatlinHowdy
  • Walter ScottOkay
  • Richard FarnsworthHenry Williams
  • Wallace BrooksRed Tucker
  • Charise CullinElizabeth
  • Collette PoeppelRosemary
  • Rita HudisCharlie's Mother
  • Margaret KellyBob's Mother
  • Larry RandlesBen
  • Larry FinleyJake
  • Jim BurkPete
  • Norman Howell Sr.Jim's Father
  • Fred BrookfieldRustler
  • Tap CanuttRustler
  • Chuck CourtneyRustler
  • Gary EpperRustler
  • Tony EpperRustler
  • Kent HaysRustler
  • J.R. RandallRustler
  • Henry WillsRustler
  • Joe YrigoyenRustler
  • Ralph VolkieRalphie (uncredited)
  • Ivan BrutscheTowns Person (uncredited)
  • Mark RydellDirector / Producer
  • Irving RavetchWriter
  • Dale JenningsWriter
  • Harriet Frank Jr.Writer

The Cowboys Ratings & Reviews

  • Mister ArnJune 8, 2025
    “The Cowboys” features one of John Wayne’s most powerful performances. He’s tough and unyielding, just as we expect, but this time, he’s not invincible. It’s a coming-of-age Western with grit, where he hires a group of boys not out of sentiment, but necessity. Yet through hardship and challenge, a raw, honest bond develops, built on respect, discipline, and the will to endure.

Watch The Cowboys Videos

  • The Cowboys
    The CowboysTrailer

 

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