The 1962 American epic Western film "How the West Was Won" was directed by Henry Hathaway, John Ford and George Marshall. It was produced by Bernard Smith, written by James R. Webb, and narrated by Spencer Tracy. The film features an ensemble cast of many cinema icons, well known actors, and newcomers, including (in alphabetical order) Carroll Baker, Lee J. Cobb, Henry Fonda, Carolyn Jones, Karl Malden, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Robert Preston, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, Eli Wallach, John Wayne and Richard Widmark. The supporting cast features Brigid Bazlen, Walter Brennan, David Brian, Ken Curtis, Andy Devine, Jack Lambert, Raymond Massey as Abraham Lincoln, Agnes Moorehead, Harry Morgan as Ulysses S. Grant, Thelma Ritter, Mickey Shaughnessy, Harry Dean Stanton, Russ Tamblyn and Lee Van Cleef.

It is a family saga covering several decades of Westward expansion in the 19th century, including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads.

The film has been widely considered one of Hollywood's greatest epics. It received widespread critical acclaim and was a box office success, grossing $50 million on a budget of $15 million. At the Oscar Awards, it earned eight nominations, including Best Picture, and won three — Best Story and Screenplay, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing.

In 1997 it was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

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