Stagecoach

A group of people traveling through Indian country on a stagecoach are pressured by the threat posed by Geronimo and discover which among them can stay cool in a crisis., Remake of the classic 1939 Western about a stagecoach that sets off from a small town with some larger-than-life characters on board, including a dance hall ‘hostess’, a drunken doctor, a southern cardsharp, a meek bank clerk absconding with a payroll, and the heavily pregnant wife of an army man., A great epic western portraying pioneer life in the untamed Southwest. The Ringo Kid, a fugitive from justice, joins a stagecoach travelling through Indian territory during an Apache uprising. The larger-than-life group of passengers includes a drunken doctor, a Southern cardsharp, and a meek bank clerk absconding with a payroll., Although there were Westerns before it, Stagecoach quickly became a template for all movie Westerns to come. Director John Ford combined action, drama, humor, and a set of well-drawn characters in the story of a stagecoach set to leave Tonto, New Mexico for a distant settlement in Lordsburg, with a diverse set of passengers on board. Dallas (Claire Trevor) is a woman with a scandalous past who has been driven out of town by the high-minded ladies of the community. Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt) is the wife of a cavalry officer stationed in Lordsburg, and she’s determined to be with him. Hatfield (John Carradine) is a smooth-talking cardsharp who claims to be along to “protect” Lucy, although he seems to have romantic intentions. Dr. Boone (Thomas Mitchell) is a self-styled philosopher, a drunkard, and a physician who’s been stripped of his license. Mr. Peacock (Donald Meek) is a slightly nervous whiskey salesman (and, not surprisingly, Dr. Boone’s new best friend). Gatewood (Berton Churchill) is a crooked banker who needs to get out of town. Buck (Andy Devine) is the hayseed stage driver, and Sheriff Wilcox (George Bancroft) is along to offer protection and keep an eye peeled for the Ringo Kid (John Wayne), a well-known outlaw who has just broken out of jail. While Wilcox does find Ringo, a principled man who gives himself up without a fight, the real danger lies farther down the trail, where a band of Apaches, led by Geronimo, could attack at any time. Stagecoach offers plenty of cowboys, Indians, shootouts, and chases, aided by Yakima Canutt’s remarkable stunt work and Bert Glennon’s majestic photography of Ford’s beloved Monument Valley. It also offers a strong screenplay by Dudley Nichols with plenty of room for the cast to show its stuff. John Wayne’s performance made him a star after years as a B-Western leading man, and Thomas Mitchell won an Oscar for what could have been just another comic relief role. Thousands of films have followed Stagecoach’s path, but no has ever improved on its formula., The nine passengers of a stagecoach, including a whisky salesman, a disgraced doc, a prostitute and a gambler, fall victim to the Ringo Kid when he sticks up the coach. Considered one of the best westerns and the first to graduate from B-movie status to ten-gallon classic., A diverse group of passengers board a stagecoach for Tonto to Lordsburg, despite a group of Apaches breaking out of a local reservation and threatening to disrupt their journey. Riding alongside Buck the driver is Curly, a sheriff in pursuit of Ringo Kid, who has been framed for murder. Initially the group is divided, but the hazards of the journey temporarily blur social barriers and they find unity after an Indian attack.