Stagecoach (1939) | |
| Director(s) | John Ford |
| Producer(s) | John Ford (uncredited) |
| Top Genres | Western |
| Top Topics | Book-Based, Romance (Action), Wild West |
Featured Cast:
Stagecoach Overview:
Stagecoach (1939) was a Western - Black-and-white Film directed by John Ford and produced by John Ford.
The film was based on the short story The Stage to Lordsburg written by Ernest Haycox published in Collier's in Apr 1937.
SYNOPSIS
This film is the greatest Western entry in Hollywood's annus mirabilis of 1939, and Ford's prototype for the Western genre he dignified. This also marked Wayne's commercial breakthrough and a new level of maturity in his performances. A motley crowd - a loose woman, a gambler, a banker with a mysterious satchel, an expectant young bride, a whiskey salesman, and a drunk doctor - set out from a dusty New Mexico town with Devine at the reins and Bancroft riding shotgun and with eye out for the escaped outlaw, the Ringo Kid (Wayne). They pick up Wayne soon enough, and alliances and suspicions are forged in the tension of anticipating an Indian attack. The first of many Westerns filmed in the forbidden majesty of Monument Valley.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.Stagecoach was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1995.
Academy Awards 1939 --- Ceremony Number 12 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Supporting Actor | Thomas Mitchell | Won |
| Best Art Direction | Alexander Toluboff | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography | Bert Glennon | Nominated |
| Best Director | John Ford | Nominated |
| Best Film Editing | Otho Lovering, Dorothy Spencer | Nominated |
| Best Music - Scoring | Richard Hageman, Frank Harling, John Leipold, Leo Shuken | Won |
| Best Picture | Walter Wanger (production company) | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
Claire Trevor and John Wayne head the cast of “Stagecoach”
By Stephen Reginald on Jun 30, 2021 From Classic Movie ManClaire Trevor and John Wayne head the cast of “Stagecoach” Stagecoach (1939) is an American Western classic directed by John Ford and starring Claire Trevor and John Wayne. The film was produced by Walter Wanger Productions and the cinematography was by Bert Glennon (Young Mr. Linco... Read full article
Silver Screen Standards: Stagecoach (1939)
By Jennifer Garlen on Apr 5, 2021 From Classic Movie Hub BlogSilver Screen Standards: Stagecoach (1939) I took a short ride in a stagecoach once, at the Old Tucson Western theme park in Arizona, and it permanently altered my impression of films like Stagecoach (1939), where travelers make long journeys in those noisy, dusty, bumpy conveyances. Anybody who ... Read full article
Review: Stagecoach (1939)
By 4 Star Film Fan on Apr 21, 2019 From 4 Star FilmsWhile the western hardly began with Stagecoach, one could go out on a very slight limb and say it became a more fully realized version of itself in the hands of John Ford; it all but grew in stature as a genre. This progression cropped out of the prevailing assumption of the day and age that the wes... Read full article
Stagecoach: An Appreciation
By Amanda Garrett on May 15, 2018 From Old Hollywood FilmsClaire Trevor and John Wayne in the classic Western Stagecoach (1939). This article is part of The Classic Comfort Movie Blogathon hosted by Classic Film & TV Cafe. "What I remember is the time John Wayne killed three people with a carbine while falling to the dusty street in Stagecoach," ... Read full article
DOUBLE BILL #7: Stagecoach (1939) and The Searchers (1956)
By Carol Martinheira on Oct 10, 2017 From The Old Hollywood GardenDOUBLE BILL #7: Stagecoach (1939) and The Searchers (1956) On October 10, 2017October 10, 2017 By CarolIn Uncategorized John Ford and John Wayne. One of cinema?s greatest and most celebrated director-actor partnerships. They made dozens of films together and they were ... Read full article
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Quotes from
[first lines]
Cavalry scout: These hills here are full of Apaches. They've burnt every ranch building in sight.
[referring to Indian scout]
Cavalry scout: He had a brush with them last night. Says they're being stirred up by Geronimo.
Capt. Sickel: Geronimo? How do we know he isn't lying?
Cavalry scout: No, he's a Cheyenne. They hate Apaches worse than we do.
[Lt. Blanchard has just informed the stagecoach occupants that the cavalry will not escort them to Lordsburg]
Marshal Curly Wilcox: This stage is going to Lordsburg. If you think it ain't safe to ride along with us, I figure we can get there without you soldier boys.
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Facts about
John Ford gave John Wayne the script, asking him for any suggestions as to who could play the Ringo Kid. Wayne suggested Lloyd Nolan, not realizing that Ford was baiting him with the part. Once filming began, however, Ford was merciless to Wayne, constantly undermining him. This psychological tactic was designed to make Wayne start feeling some real emotions, and not to be intimidated by acting alongside the likes of such seasoned professionals as Thomas Mitchell.
Asked why, in the climactic chase scene, the Indians didn't simply shoot the horses to stop the stagecoach, director John Ford replied, "Because that would have been the end of the movie."
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