The Texas Rangers in Movies and TV
Sorry Marvel, but the Texas Rangers are the largest and oldest film, radio and television franchise. Songs and novels date back to the 1840s, films to 1910, radio programs to 1933, and television to 1949.
More than 200 movies have been made featuring Texas Rangers. The first known movie with a Texas Rangers character was the 1910 silent film The Ranger's Bride starring Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson. During the 20th and 21st centuries there have been few years without at least one film portraying a Texas Ranger.
Detailed information about each film or television series is available from the Internet Movie Database. Please e-mail us if you know of a film we have missed.
TEXAS RANGER MOVIE TRIVIA
- It is impossible to present a complete list of Texas Ranger films. The Film Foundation estimates that 50% of all American films made before 1950 are lost, and over 90% of films made before 1929, are lost forever.
- 1943 was the high point of Texas Ranger themed movies with 17 films incorporating Texas Ranger characters.
- When Texas celebrated its Centennial in 1936, Hollywood responded with a movie featuring — the Texas Rangers.
- Zane Grey’s Lone Star Ranger was made in 1919 and re-made in 1923, 1930 and 1942.
- Grey’s Riders of the Purple Sage premiered in 1918 and was re-made in 1925, 1931, 1941 and 1996.
- Grey’s Last of the Duanes premiered in 1919 and was re-made in 1924, 1930 and 1941.
- Movies with the title of The Fighting Ranger were made in 1925, 1926, 1934 and 1948.
- Well-known actors who have played Texas Rangers over the last century include:
John Wayne
Clint Eastwood
Robert Duvall
Glen Campbell
Tommy Lee Jones
Tom Mix
Dylan McDermott
Willie Nelson
Tex Ritter
Chuck Norris
Gene Autry
The Our Gang Kids
Tim Conway
Bill Elliott
George O’Brien
Roy Rogers
Clayton Moore
Audie Murphy
Nick Nolte
Tim McCoy
Kelly McGillis
Richard Widmark
Sam Jones
William Holden
William Hurt
Tricia Helfer
...and many more
FILMS by YEAR
1910
The Ranger's Bride
1911
The Border Ranger
1912
The Ranger and His Horse
1914
The Ranger's Romance
1916
The Ranger of Lonesome Gulch
Liberty
1918
The Ranger, aka The Texas Ranger
Heart of the Southwest
1919
The Lone Star Ranger
Last of the Duanes
Rider of the Law, a.k.a. Jim of the Rangers
1920
The Unknown Ranger
1921
The Ranger and the Law
The Sky Ranger
1922
The Ranger's Reward
The Big Ranger
The Fighting Ranger
1923
The Lone Star Ranger
The Footlight Ranger
King's Creek Law
1924
The Whirlwind Ranger
Last of the Duanes
1925
The Fighting Ranger
Border Justice
Border Rangers
Ranger of the Big Pines
Ranger Bill
Rider of the Painted Horse
Riders of the Purple Sage
One Shot Ranger
1926
Daredevil's Reward
Ahead of the Law
The Fighting Ranger
1927
Outlaws of Red River
The Rambling Ranger
A Ranger's Romance
1928
The Ranger's Oath
Law of the Ranger
The Four-Footed Ranger
1929
Rio Rita
1930
Last of the Duanes
The Lone Star Ranger
Trigger Tricks
1931
Border Law
The Cisco Kid
Lasca of the Rio Grande
The Texas Ranger
Riders of the Purple Sage
Alias: The Bad Man
1932
Come On, Danger
Riders of the Desert
Hello Trouble
The Texas Bad Man
The Devil Horse Mystery Ranch
The Western Code
1933
King of the Arena
The Ranger's Code
1934
The Fighting Ranger
The Dude Ranger
Miracle Rider
Gun Justice
1935
Cyclone Ranger
Rough Riding Ranger
Miracle Rider
Sagebrush Troubadour
1936
Ride, Ranger, Ride
The Unknown Ranger
Drift Fence, a.k.a. Texas Desperadoes
Whistling Bullets
The Kid Ranger
I'm Much Obliged
The Texas Rangers
The Traitor
Fast Bullets
Desert Patrol
The Phantom Rider
The Gun Ranger
The Big Show
Without Honor
1937
Law of the Ranger
Reckless Ranger
Rio Grande Ranger
Galloping Dynamite
Ranger Courage
Guns of the Pecos
The Rangers Step In
Heart of the Rockies
Lawless Land
Borderland
Border Cafe
1938
The Renegade Ranger
Phantom Ranger
The Little Ranger
Desert Patrol
The Ranger's Round-Up
Come On, Rangers!
Man's Country
Code of the Rangers
The Lone Ranger
Billy the Kid Returns
Starlight Over Texas
Code of the Fearless
1940
Buzzy Rides the Range
The Man from Tumbleweeds
Northwest Mounted Police
Two-fisted Rangers
Rangers of Fortune
Rocky Mountain Rangers
Texas Rangers Ride Again
The Ranger and the Lady
Three Men from Texas
Hi Yo Silver
1941
Dead or Alive
Desert Bandit
Dynamite Canyon
Desert Patrol
Dynamite Canyon
Last of the Duanes
Rawhide Rangers
Riders of the Purple Sage
Rollin' Home to Texas
Riders of the Badlands
Ridin' the Cherokee Trail
Saddlemates
1942
The Lone Star Ranger
Come On, Danger
Riders of the Northland
Bandit Ranger
Down Texas Way
Down Rio Grande Way
Rio Rita
The Rangers Take Over [serial]
1943
Thundering Trails
Border Buckaroos
West of Texas
Hail to the Rangers
Return of the Rangers
The Rangers Take Over
Beyond the Last Frontier
Fighting Valley
Bad Men of Thunder Gap
Death Valley
West of Texas
Rangers
Trail of Terror
Boss of Rawhide
Border Patrol
Idaho
Riders of the Deadline
1944
Gangster of the Frontier
Dead or Alive
Guns of the Law
Outlaw Roundup
Trail of Terror
Along the Navajo Trail
The Whispering Skull
Spook Town
Gunsmoke Mesa
Cyclone Prairie Rangers
Brand of the Devil
The Pinto Bandit
Spook Town
1945
Enemy of the Law
Frontier Fugitives
Flaming Bullets
Three in the Saddle
Marked for Murder
Lone Texas Ranger
Bandits of the Badlands
Both Barrels Blazing
1946
Roaring Rangers
Alias Billy the Kid
West of the Alamo
1947
Ridin' Down the Trail
Red Hot Rangers
Bandits of Dark Canyon
The Fabulous Texan
1948
The Gallant Legion
The Rangers Ride
The Fighting Ranger
The Fighting Mustang
The Tioga Kid
Whirlwind Raiders
The Arkansas Swing
1949
Riders of the Whistling Pines
Streets of Laredo
South of Rio
Ranger of Cherokee Strip
Masked Raiders
Crashing Thru
Bandits of El Dorado
1950
Guns of Justice
Law of the Badlands
Colorado Junction
Border Rangers
Prairie Roundup
Holiday Rhythm
1951
Ridin' the Outlaw Trail
My Outlaw Brother
The Texas Rangers:
The Lone Wolf
Watchdogs of the Lone Star State
Texans Never Cry
1952
Night Stage to Galveston
The Legend of the Lone Ranger
Dead Man's Trail
1953
Winning of the West
Star of Texas
On Top of Old Smoky
The Lawless Breed
1955
Texas Rangers Ride Again
1956
The Lone Ranger
The Searchers
Judge Roy Bean
1957
Gun Duel in Durango
1958
The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold
1959
Frontier Rangers
The Wonderful Country
1960
Seven Ways from Sundown
1961
The Last Rebel
Return of the Lone Ranger
The Comancheros
1964
Texas Ranger (Italian/Spanish production Dois Homens Violentos)
1965
Laredo
1966
Lonesome Ranger
1967
Bonnie & Clyde
1968
Three Guns for Texas
Texas Rangers and Us
The Other Side of Bonnie and Clyde
1969
The Great Bank Robbery
Backtrack
The Over-the-Hill Gang
True Grit
The Over-the-Hill-Gang
Rides Again
1971
To Kill a Jackal
1972
Code of the Rangers
1973
The Three Musketeers of the West (Italian)
1974
The Sugarland Express
1976
The Town that Dreaded Sundown
The Outlaw Josey Wales
1981
The Legend of the Lone Ranger
1982
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
1983
Lone Wolf McQuade
1986
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
Singapore Sling (R-rated)
The Aurora Encounter
1987
Extreme Prejudice
Phantom Soldiers
1992
Another Pair of Aces
1993
A Perfect World
1994
One Riot, One Ranger
Walker Texas Ranger 3: Deadly Reunion
Texas Payback
1995
Ranger!
1996
From Dusk 'til Dawn
Last Man Standing
Lone Star
1997
Buffalo Soldiers
1998
Border Wars
The Newton Boys
1999
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money
2001
Texas Rangers
2003
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
2004
The Alamo
2005
Man of the House
2006
Renegade Gun
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
2007
No Country for Old Men
Comanche Moon
Grindhouse
Death Proof
Planet Terror
The Great Debaters
Ghost Rider
2008
Comanche Moon: Road to Lonesome Dove
Palo Pinto Gold
2009
Luke and Lucy: the Texas Rangers (Belgium)
Suske en Wiske: de Texas rakkers (Dutch)
Drifter: Henry Lee Lucas
The Green Conspiracy
2010
True Grit
Unusual Suspects
2013
The Lone Ranger
Strong Arm of the Law
2016
Hell or High Water
2017
Leatherface
TELEVISION SERIES and TV MOVIES
1949-1957
The Lone Ranger - TV Series - 221 Episodes
1955 - 1959
Tales of the Texas Rangers - TV Series - 52 Episodes
1957 - 1959
Trackdown - TV Series - 71 Episodes
1966
The Lone Ranger - TV Animated Series - Episodes ?
1967
Rango - TV Series - 17 Episodes
1969
The Over-the-Hill Gang - TV Movie
1973
The Rangers - TV Movie
1980-82
The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour - TV Animated Series - Episodes ?
1981
The Texas Rangers - TV Movie
1988
Once Upon a Texas Train - TV Movie
1989
Lonesome Dove - TV Mini-Series
1990
A Pair of Aces - TV Movie
1991
Another Pair of Aces - TV Movie
1993 - 2001
Walker, Texas Ranger - TV Series - 196 Episodes
1993
Ranger: Muerte in Texas - TV Movie
1995
Streets of Laredo - TV Mini-Series
Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire - TV Movie
1996
Dead Man's Walk - TV Mini-Series - 3 Episodes
2003
The Lone Ranger - TV Movie
2004
True Tales of the Texas Rangers - TV Special
2005
Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire - TV Movie
2006
Texas Ranch House - TV Mini Series - 8 Episodes
2013
Bonnie & Clyde - TV Mini Series - 4 Hours
2014
Killer Women - TV Series - 8 Episodes
2015
Texas Rising - TV Mini Series - 5 Episodes
2019
The Highwaymen - NETFLIX