horse opera
Sagebrush screen drama
Horse opera is an informal, mildly dismissive term for a Western—a movie, television show, or radio drama set in the American frontier, typically featuring cowboys, outlaws, and gunfights.
The term dates from the early twentieth century when such productions were churned out in great quantity, often with formulaic plots and stock characters.
He spent Saturday afternoons watching horse operas at the local theater.
Mounted cattle herder
- sheriffCounty's chief officer
- outlawFugitive from justice
- saloonDrinking establishment, often frontier
- six-shooterRevolver holding six rounds
stagecoach · gunslinger · cattle rustler · bandit · posse · duel · showdown · shootout
Daytime theatrical performance
- serialOccurring in ordered succession
- B-movieLow-budget, low-quality film
- Saturday morningSixth day's early hours
- double featureTwo movies, one admission
drive-in · golden age · classic · vintage · black-and-white · silver screen · Roy Rogers · John Wayne
Edge of settlement
- Old WestAmerican cowboy era
- pioneersFirst to explore territory
- settlersThose who establish homes
- homesteadFamily farm and dwelling
covered wagon · Oregon Trail · gold rush · prairie · buffalo · railroad · cattle drive · wagon train
cowboy
Mounted cattle herder
- sheriffCounty's chief officer
- outlawFugitive from justice
- saloonDrinking establishment, often frontier
six-shooter · stagecoach · gunslinger · cattle rustler · bandit · posse · duel · showdown · shootout · deputy
matinee
Daytime theatrical performance
- serialOccurring in ordered succession
- B-movieLow-budget, low-quality film
- Saturday morningSixth day's early hours
double feature · drive-in · golden age · classic · vintage · black-and-white · silver screen · Roy Rogers · John Wayne · Lone Ranger
frontier
Edge of settlement
homestead · covered wagon · Oregon Trail · gold rush · prairie · buffalo · railroad · cattle drive · wagon train · territory
hero
One admired for courage
showdown · revenge · betrayal · honor · justice · climax · standoff · confrontation · chase · ambush
horse operadrawing room drama
Refined domestic stage piece
space opera · urban drama · film noir · period drama · domestic drama
horse operaart film
Cinema prioritizing aesthetics
arthouse film · avant-garde cinema · art house cinema · arthouse drama · literary adaptation
horse operasocial realism
Unidealized portrayal of workers' lives
cinéma vérité · neorealism · documentary · slice of life · character study
horse, opera, horses, horsed, horsing, horsey, horsy, horseman, horsewoman