Johnny Guitar/Sister Sara- KPower

In the films Two Mules for Sister Sara and Johnny Guitar the role of the alpha male cowboy is not necessarily taken by the male cowboy. In Two Mules for Sister Sara, Hogan (Clint Eastwood) is still the obvious alpha male cowboy; however Sara (Shirley MacLaine) plays a large role. She repeatedly shows that, despite the fact that she is supposed to be a nun, she is strong willed and capable of doing things that a typical female would not be able or willing to do. She shows this when she climbs the trellis, also when she pulls the arrow out of Hogan shoulder. By the end of the movie it is discovered that she is not actually a nun and is, in fact, a prostitute. The movie was made in 1970, which is significant because the women’s suffrage movement was going on during this time. The strong role that Sara plays in the movie shows the strength that women show during that time.

In Johnny Guitar, Vienna (Joan Crawford) is clearly the alpha cowboy. She commands the screen and is able to direct everyone to do her bidding. Also, she owns a saloon, which she built and paid for herself, through questionable methods. However, there is another female alpha cowboy, Emma (Mercedes McCambridge). She is the “villain”, but she is commanding, demanding and influential. She is able to force people to do her bidding, even though they do not necessarily agree with her. This film was made in 1954, which is around the beginning of the civil rights movement, and therefore shows the idea that women are capable of being in control.