Westerns Have Tough Time at Oscars Lately

True Grit has one more unique thing going for it: it's a successful western. The remake of the John Wayne classic has received 10 nominations...including Best Picture. Only a few cowboy tales have had much success at the Academy Awards.

The glory days for westerns were the 30's, 40's and 50's. But the truly successful oscar winners were relatively recent...1990's "Dances with Wolves" and "Unforgiven",  starring Clint Eastwood in 1992.

You'd have to go waaaay back to 1932 for another western that won the best picture nod, "Cimarron".

The Coen brothers directed "True Grit," based on the same novel that inspired the 1969 big-screen adaptation that won John Wayne a best-actor Oscar as one-eyed U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn.

With $164 million and climbing at the box office, "True Grit" is the most-successful Western since "Dances With Wolves" and "Unforgiven." Its 10 nominations also rank second among Westerns to "Dances With Wolves," which had 12.

"True Grit" is considered a a long shot for this year's best picture award. And, even though I thought "The King's Speech" was incredible...I'll be pulling for this Jeff Bridges re-make.