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Fictional Cattlemen

Boss Spearman and Charley Waite: The Free-Grazers of Open Range

Two landless cowboys graze their herd on the last free land and run into a wealthy rancher who wants them gone.

Who are Boss Spearman and Charley Waite?

Boss Spearman and Charley Waite are the lead cowboys of Open Range, the 2003 Western directed and produced by Kevin Costner, who also plays Charley. Robert Duvall plays Boss. The Internet Movie Firearms Database page on Open Range describes them as two landless cowboys who graze their herd on the last free land, with foreman Mose and 16-year-old Button.

Charley's full name in the film is listed as Charles Travis Postelwaite. The film is based on the 1990s novel The Open Range Men by Lauran Paine, per the same source.

The free-grazers and the rancher

Set in the 1880s, the story pits the free-grazing crew against wealthy rancher Denton Baxter, played by Michael Gambon. Baxter is irritated by the crew, and he uses corrupt police and economic pressure to try to force them out. Marshal Poole, played by James Russo, is the lawman in his pocket. Annette Bening plays Sue Barlow and Diego Luna plays Button.

The conflict is a version of the old fight between established ranchers and itinerant herders. The Reelviews review of Open Range gives a critic's view of how the film handles it.

What free grazing meant

Free grazing, or open range, meant moving cattle across unfenced public land, feeding on grass nobody owned. As settlers, fences and large ranches closed that land, herders who lacked their own acreage were squeezed out, and disputes over who could graze where became common across the West.

Boss and Charley are throwbacks to that older system. They own their cattle, but they do not own the grass, and the film shows how fragile that arrangement is when a powerful neighbor sets the rules.

Production and reception

Costner directed, produced and starred through TIG Productions, with Touchstone distributing, and the film opened in the United States on August 11, 2003. Many assumed the Western genre had run its course, but the film was a surprise success, earning about $58 million at the US box office.

The Wikipedia article on Open Range lists the full cast and production notes.

Why It Mattered

Open Range gave modern audiences a look at the cowboy as a working hand with a code, set against a rancher who treats law as a tool. It is a late-period Western that revived interest in range disputes.

As with the other fictional profiles on this site, it is a dramatization of the conflict, not a historical record of a particular outfit.

  • Boss runs a small, mobile crew built on trust among a few men.
  • They graze on open land, which exposes them to anyone who controls the law.
  • A powerful rancher uses police and money as weapons, not just cattle numbers.
  • The crew's youngest member, Button, shows how cattle skills were passed along.
  • Limit: the film compresses a long historical transition into a single confrontation.

More on open range and free grazing

For real range history, see the farm.FM ranching section. A related read is a farm.FM story about open range and free grazing. Boss Spearman and Charley Waite belong to a long line of cowboy characters, including the ones profiled elsewhere on this site, and they make a good starting point for readers curious how open range ended.

Timeline

  1. 1880sThe film's story takes place, set on open range
  2. 1990sLauran Paine's novel The Open Range Men is published, per the film database
  3. August 11, 2003Open Range opens in the United States
  4. 2003The film earns about $58 million at the US box office
  5. LaterIt is remembered as a successful modern Western

Frequently asked questions

Who are Boss Spearman and Charley Waite?

They are two free-grazing cowboys in Kevin Costner's 2003 film Open Range. Robert Duvall plays Boss Spearman, and Kevin Costner plays Charley Waite.

What is Open Range about?

Set in the 1880s, it follows landless cowboys who graze their herd on the last free land and clash with wealthy rancher Denton Baxter, who uses corrupt police and economic pressure.

Is Open Range based on a book?

Yes. It is based on the novel The Open Range Men by Lauran Paine, according to the film database listing.

How did Open Range do at the box office?

It was a surprise success, earning about $58 million at the US box office after its August 11, 2003 release.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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