The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962

Mostly from Wiki- Sometime in the early 20th century, U.S. Senator Ransom "Ranse" Stoddard and his wife, Hallie, arrive in Shinbone, a frontier town in an unnamed western state, to attend the funeral of Tom Doniphon. When asked by the local newspaper editor why a senator would attend the funeral of a poor rancher, Stoddard answers with a story that flashes back 25 years.  The whole story then shows how big ol' bully Liberty Valance gets his just rewards and how the legend of the man who shot said bully begins.

"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

This is one great movie.  It's no surprise, considering the cast and the director, John Ford.  It is over two hours long (123 minutes, barely) and doesn't seem like it at all.  Vera Miles was 21 years old when this was made, and no amount of makeup can hide that.  The movie looks great in black and white.  I'm interested in why Ford didn't shoot in color, though.  There are many thoughts about why, but it appears Paramount was cutting costs.

It looks great though, and works really well.