Stagecoach is a Western film that was directed by John Ford and released in 1939. The film follows a group of strangers riding on a stagecoach through dangerous Apache territory.
Here are some key details about the film:
The film was a landmark Western and is considered a classic. It features outstanding performances from Hollywood stalwarts Claire Trevor, John Carradine, and Thomas Mitchell, and, of course, John Wayne, in his first starring role for Ford, as the daredevil outlaw the Ringo Kid. The film was also notable for its use of Monument Valley as a filming location, which would become a staple of Western films.
There have been other adaptations of "Stagecoach," including a television movie in 1986. However, the 1939 version directed by John Ford is the most well-known and highly regarded. It has received critical acclaim and has been included in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Plot
Stagecoach is a Western film that follows a group of strangers traveling on a stagecoach from Tonto, Arizona Territory, to Lordsburg, New Mexico, in 1880. The journey is complicated by the threat of Geronimo, an Apache chief, and the passengers learn something about each other in the process.
The stagecoach is driven by Buck and is carrying a motley assortment of passengers, including:
- Lucy Mallory, a pregnant woman traveling to meet her cavalry officer husband in Dry Fork
- Doc Boone, an alcoholic doctor is kicked out of town for his incompetence
- Dallas, a prostitute driven out of town by the "Law and Order League"
- Samuel Peacock, a whiskey salesman
- Mr. Gatewood, a corrupt banker making off with a large sum of cash
- Hatfield, a professional gambler
- Marshall Curley Wilcox, who is transporting an escaped prisoner, the Ringo Kid
On the way to their first destination, the stagecoach encounters the Ringo Kid, an outlaw who has recently escaped from prison in order to avenge the death of his father and brother, who were killed by the evil Plummer brothers.
Ringo is sent to prison falsely, but Curley arrests him and he joins the group on the stagecoach. When they arrive at their next stop, there are no cavalry troops to bring them along their way, but the passengers vote to keep going towards Lordsburg alone.
Along the way, they are set upon by Apache warriors, and Mr. Peacock is wounded. They hastily make their way to Lordsburg, but on the way, they are attacked again. In the end, the passengers arrive safely in Lordsburg, and the Ringo Kid is able to avenge his family's deaths.
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Cast
- John Wayne as the Ringo Kid
- Claire Trevor as Dallas
- Andy Devine as Buck
- John Carradine as Hatfield
- Thomas Mitchell as Dr. Josiah Boone
- Louise Platt as Lucy Mallory
- George Bancroft as Marshal Curly Wilcox
- Donald Meek as Samuel Peacock
- Berton Churchill as Henry Gatewood
- Tim Holt as Lt. Blanchard
Director: John Ford
Writer: Ernest Haycox, Dudley Nichols, Ben Hecht
Box Office Gross: No Information
Distributor: UCLA Film and Television Archive [us], Warner Home Vídeo, United Artists
Genre: Western
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 2, 1939
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 29, 2011