Florida Western

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Although not an official phrase, a Florida Western can be used to describe a small number of fictional films set in the mid 19th century, particularly around the time of the Second Seminole War. Not a significant number of these have been made, as most Hollywood and other genre westerns are usually located in more familiar regions of the United States, particularly the former frontier territories of "the West".

It was during the 1950s that most of these films were produced and many included a fictional and stereotypical portrayal of the real life Seminole leader, Osceola, who resisted American expansion into Florida during the late 1830s. The film Distant Drums (1951), which was one of the earliest Florida Westerns made, even changed his name to Oscala and portrayed him as a malevolent savage, filled with a constant blood lust who fed living prisoners to alligators.

One of the advantages of these types of films, however, was that the producers often used the Florida Everglades as a backdrop. Now a contemporary audience has the benefit of glimpsing this wilderness in its mid 20th century form. The producers of Distant Drums even used the historic Castillo de San Marcos fort as a backdrop for the story. It was depicted as a fictitious stronghold for Spanish gunrunners selling armaments to the Seminole on the west coast of Florida, although it is actually located on the east coast.

Films which were made and could be considered Florida Westerns include:

• Distant Drums (1951), directed by Raoul Walsh and staring Gary Cooper
• Shark River (1953)
• Seminole (1953), staring Anthony Quinn as Osceola
• Yellowneck (1955), a B-grade film set during the Civil War
• Naked in the Sun (1957), one of the few films to show Native Americans being used as slaves by white Americans
• Osceola (1971), an obscure East German/ Cuban co-production
• Joe Panther (1976), staring Brian Keith