Kansas, in the geographic center of the United States, has a rich history connected with the American Old West and with the American Civil War ("Bleeding Kansas"), including the history of the notorious guerrilla commander William Quantrill. The following is a partial chronological list of major motion pictures set in Kansas.[1] [2]
Three of the listed films have won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
| Film title | Release year | Notes/subject matter | National Film Registry | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas Saloon Smashers | align=center | silent film | |||
| The Wonderful Wizard of Oz | align=center | ||||
| A Modern Musketeer | align=center | Silent film | |||
| Naughty, Naughty! | align=center | Silent film | |||
| Wild Bill Hickok | align=center | Silent film | |||
| Tumbleweeds | align=center | Silent film | |||
| Wizard of Oz | align=center | Silent film: features Oliver Hardy as Tin Man | |||
| Free and Easy | align=center | ||||
| The Big Trail | align=center | align=center | |||
| Cimarron | align=center | ||||
| Movie Crazy | align=center | ||||
| Silver Dollar | align=center | ||||
| The Plainsman | align=center | ||||
| Pick a Star | align=center | ||||
| The Texans | align=center | ||||
| Jesse James | align=center | ||||
| Dodge City | align=center | ||||
| Union Pacific | align=center | ||||
| The Wizard of Oz | align=center | align=center | |||
| Dark Command | align=center | ||||
| The Return of Frank James | align=center | ||||
| Santa Fe Trail | align=center | ||||
| Sheriff of Tombstone | align=center | ||||
| Heaven Can Wait | align=center | ||||
| The Kansan | align=center | ||||
| The Woman of the Town | align=center | ||||
| Abilene Town | align=center | ||||
| The Harvey Girls | align=center | ||||
| Trail Street | align=center | ||||
| The Walls of Jericho | align=center | ||||
| Red River | align=center | align=center | |||
| Kansas Raiders | align=center | ||||
| Winchester '73 | align=center | align=center | |||
| The Cimarron Kid | align=center | ||||
| Kansas Pacific | align=center | ||||
| The Stranger Wore a Gun | align=center | ||||
| Masterson of Kansas | align=center | ||||
| Picnic | align=center | ||||
| Seven Angry Men | align=center | ||||
| Wichita | align=center | ||||
| The Rainmaker | align=center | ||||
| Gunfight at the O.K. Corral | align=center | ||||
| The Jayhawkers! | align=center | ||||
| Splendor in the Grass | align=center | ||||
| Cheyenne Autumn | align=center | ||||
| The Ghost and Mr. Chicken | align=center | Don Knotts comedy | |||
| Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter | align=center | ||||
| The Plainsman | align=center | ||||
| Gunfight in Abilene | align=center | Bobby Darin stars in non-singing role | |||
| In Cold Blood | align=center | align=center | |||
| Angel in My Pocket | align=center | ||||
| The Gypsy Moths | align=center | ||||
| The Learning Tree | align=center | align=center | |||
| Prime Cut | align=center | ||||
| Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies | align=center | ||||
| Paper Moon | align=center | ||||
| Journey Back to Oz | align=center | ||||
| A Boy and His Dog | align=center | ||||
| The Great Waldo Pepper | align=center | ||||
| King Kung Fu | align=center | ||||
| Superman | align=center | align=center | |||
| Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff | align=center | ||||
| The Attic | align=center | ||||
| Americana | align=center | ||||
| The Day After | align=center | originally aired on television | |||
| Superman III | align=center | ||||
| Return to Oz | align=center | ||||
| Critters | align=center | ||||
| Planes, Trains and Automobiles | align=center | ||||
| Kansas | align=center | ||||
| Dances with Wolves | align=center | align=center | |||
| Sarah, Plain and Tall | align=center | originally aired on television | |||
| Unforgiven | align=center | align=center | |||
| Leap of Faith | align=center | ||||
| Dennis the Menace | align=center | ||||
| Wyatt Earp | align=center | ||||
| Truman | align=center | ||||
| Mars Attacks! | align=center | Partially set in fictional Perkinsville | |||
| The Big Kahuna | align=center | ||||
| Ninth Street | align=center | ||||
| Ride with the Devil | align=center | ||||
| Hedwig and the Angry Inch | align=center | ||||
| Nurse Betty | align=center | ||||
| Rolling Kansas | align=center | ||||
| Mysterious Skin | align=center | ||||
| Capote | align=center | story of writing In Cold Blood | |||
| Firecracker | align=center | ||||
| The Muppets' Wizard of Oz | align=center | ||||
| The Ice Harvest | align=center | ||||
| Infamous | align=center | ||||
| The Lookout | align=center | ||||
| New York City Serenade | align=center | ||||
| Amelia | align=center | ||||
| Hannah's Law | align=center | television film | |||
| Looper | align=center | ||||
| Oz the Great and Powerful | align=center | ||||
| Man of Steel | align=center | partially set in fictional Smallville | |||
| align=center | partially set in fictional Smallville | ||||
| American Honey | align=center | ||||
| Justice League | align=center | partially set in fictional Smallville | |||
| All Creatures Here Below | align=center | ||||
| Brightburn | align=center | Set in fictional Brightburn |