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Why did W.S. Van Dyke become known for directing westerns early in his career?

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W.S. Van Dyke W.S. Van Dyke (standing, right) directing Myrna Loy and William Powell during the filming of *The Thin Man* (1934); cinematographer James Wong Howe is on the left.

W.S. Van Dyke became known for directing westerns early in his career because he intentionally carved out a professional niche for himself as a director of "two-fisted tales".1

While he began his film career as an assistant director on D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation and later directed various serials, his focus on westerns established his reputation for this specific genre before he joined MGM in 1926.12