In the 1920's and 30's fantasy and reality collided with the boom of the dude ranch, where rich Easterners would get "duded up" in expensive Western gear and be squired around by dude wranglers, out-of-work riders often none too thrilled to play-act a scripted role. That face-off was brought to cinematic life in "Westworld" (1973), in which robot gunslingers led by Yul Brynner go haywire at a Wild West resort and kill off the tourists. (The idea was so good that Michael Crichton, the script's author, rewrote it into"Jurassic Park."A "Westworld" remake is in development.)

In "Urban Cowboy," John Travolta as Bud Davis laid the question of authenticity to rest, with perfect vagueness. When Debra Winger as Sissy gets up the gumption to introduce herself, asking, "Are you a real cowboy?" he shoots back, "Well, that depends on what you think a real cowboy is."