Heterosexual Cowboys Ride High

June 28, 2006

Move over gay cowboys, the straight guys can still rule the roost.

Robert Duvall and his movie ''Broken Trail'' proved an historic hit for AMC on Sunday. The old-fashioned Western—even more old-fashioned than last year's Oscar-winning flick Brokeback Mountain, thanks to straight cow-pokes—raked in 9.8 million viewers making it the most-watched program in the network's history.

It was more popular than any other program on broadcast or cable Sunday night. In fact, only five other programs all week on the broadcast networks brought in more people.

Duvall played a cowboy trying to move 500 horses from Oregon to Wyoming with his nephew when they come across five Chinese girls who had been sold into slavery. ''Broken Trail'' was the first original movie that the film-focused AMC has produced in more than two decades.

''Everything doesn't need to be edgy and pushing the envelope,'' said Ed Carroll, AMC president, on Tuesday. ''The AMC audience appreciates strong scripts and good acting shot in a cinematic way.''