This documentary traces the history of the B-Western from it's silent movie origins to its demise in the early 1950s. The film contains a large number of scenes from early silents and seldom seen films, as well as old photographs of the stars and one-sheet advertisements for lost films.

Two cowboys try to protect railroad workers from rampaging Indians.

Two investigators for a stagecoach company are assigned to find out why the company's stages keep being ambushed. They discover that the culprits are white men disguised as Indians, and they set out to discover who is behind the plot.

Two peanut vendors at a rodeo show get in trouble with their boss and hide out on a railroad train heading west. They get jobs as cowboys on a dude ranch, despite the fact that neither of them knows anything about cowboys, horses, or anything else.

The Rough Riders are called in to help save Master's stage line. Taggart has his gang robbing the stages and shooting the drivers. When Buck drives the next stage, Taggart's men rob it and then make it look like Roberts is part of the gang. Written by Maurice Van Auken

A trio of cowboys infiltrate a cattle rustler's gang to seek vengeance for one of their fathers' murder.

A cowboy arrives in a town, and is immediately mistaken for his twin brother who is wanted for murder.

Kirby and Evans are pulling off an irrigation project swindle and newspaper editor Scott realizes it and sends for Lee. Lee agrees with Scott and forms a vigilante group to fight the Sheriff and his deputies brought in by Kirby. But a dying Uncle Dan sets the Sheriff straight and this brings the two sides together for the big shootout.

West of Carson City remains one of the best of Johnny Mack Brown's Universal westerns. The story takes place in a gold-rush community where the locals are taken to the cleaners by duplicitious Eastern gamblers. When it becomes obvious that the local constabulary has been "bought off" by the crooks, two-fisted cattleman Jim Bannister (Brown) swings into action. The film's highlight is an outsized fistic brawl between the hero and secondary villain Breed, played by loose-limbed comic stuntman Frank Mitchell.

Chip of the Flying U was Johnny Mack Brown's first western entry for 1940. Brown essays the title role of Chip Bennett, foreman of the Flying U ranch. Before the second reel has tumbled over the spools, Chip finds himself falsely accused of robbery and murder. The actual miscreants are in the employ of a band of foreign gunrunners, who speak in heavily Teutonic accents. Rest assured that Chip makes short work of these bush-league Storm Troopers before the sun sets in the West. Musical interludes are provided by a group calling themselves the Texas Rangers, even though they actually hailed from Kansas City.

It's the opening of the Cherokee strip and the Rankins are after a particular section. Frazier is also after the same section and has hired outlaws to make sure he gets it. When Jeff gives Rankin a map, the outlaws kill Rankin, steal the map, and frame Jeff for the murder. Scheduled to be hung the day of the land rush, Jeff's pal Frosty has a plan to free him.

A young man helps a marshal in his battle against outlaws.

Bob Carson and sidekick Grizzly take a job driving a stage for a line that is being repeatedly robbed. The culprits place a large box on the stage in which Runt can hide and steal the gold without the driver or guard knowing it. When Bob realizes what is happening, he replaces Runt in the box in hope of catching the outlaws.

Sheriff Bob Bartlett is called away from the rodeo to apprehend cattle rustlers.

Molly Taylor owns the town of Stillwell but is unaware the taxes are due as Gomer has stolen her notice. Bob Martin arrives at the same time as Molly and eventually realizes Gomer is up to something. When Gomer's henchman slips and reveals there is a letter, Bob finds it and heads for the tax collector with Gomer's men in pursuit.

Twin brothers Bob and Don Ramsay are on opposite sides of the law. Bob is the Sheriff and Don is the famous outlaw the Black Bandit. When the Black Bandit strikes, he is seen and his look-alike brother Bob arrested. Refusing to implicate his brother, Bob escapes and heads after Don.

Bradley and sidekick Sharpe are sent west to investigate the murders of pony express riders who are being killed to prevent the Spanish Land Grant papers going to Washington for registration.

A rodeo rider finds himself accused of the murder of a U.S. marshal.

In a remake of Dawn Trail, Bob Mason is wounded chasing the killers of his father. During his recovery, his nurse is Alice whom his friend Ben plans to marry. He eventually learns the killer was Alice's brother Rudd. But Rudd convinces Ben that Bob is taking Alice away from him. So Ben removes the bullets from Bob's gun just before Bob goes off to face Rudd.

Tip Douglas is sent after cattle rustlers, the same rustlers that murdered his father. Posing as a notorious outlaw, he is able to join the gang. Learning that the gang's boss Thorn Evans killed his father, he and sidekick Pepper set a trap when he learns of their next raid.

Just after Carson's gang murder members of a wagon train, Rusty and Clem come along and are arrested. Knowing they are innocent Judge Coleman breaks them out and sends them after Carson. They join Carson's gang to learn of their next raid but the Marshal arrests them for the wagon train murders.

Rangers go after bandits holding up Wells Fargo offices.