Popcorn Western Friday: Buck And the Preacher (1972)

What’s it about?

Following the end of the Civil War, soldier-turned-trail-guide Buck (Sidney Poitier) makes a living by helping former slaves find settlements in the West. Along the way, a con artist, the Preacher (Harry Belafonte), joins the group, and constantly clashes with Buck. But when a gang of bounty hunters, led by the fiendish Deshay (Cameron Mitchell), attempts to round up the freed slaves to bring them back to Louisiana, the two put aside their differences to fight a common enemy.

Who’s in it?

Harry Belefonte, Sidney Portier, Ruby Dee

I mean, Sidney Poitier is one of the greatest actors of all time, and the man who opening the door through which every African-American actor has walked through ever since. Harry Belafonte was a trailblazer in his own right, but at the time before this film he was dissatisfied with the roles he was getting and concentrated on his singing. Ruby Dee was a great actress on both stage and screen, and left her mark in movies, TV and Broadway.

Where can I watch it?

You can watch it free on Tubi. Other than that, you can pay to rent it from Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, Youtube, and Apple TV.