Stagecoach (1939)

MOVIE: Stagecoach
RELEASE DATE: 1939
DIRECTOR: John Ford
SCREENPLAY: Dudley Nichols, Ben Hecht
CAST: Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, John Carradine, Andy Devine, George Bancroft

OSCARS:
Winner: Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Thomas Mitchell
Winner: Best Music, Scoring
Nominated: Best Picture
Nominated: Best Director – John Ford
Nominated: Best Cinematography, Black & White
Nominated: Best Film Editing
Nominated: Best Art Direction

John Wayne stars as The Ringo Kid, protecting a group of travelers on a stagecoach from the threat of Geronimo. When you mention John Wayne’s name, many films come to mind:  The Searchers or Rio Bravo or even the original True Grit. All wonderful films, but true cinephiles know that the film that made Wayne a huge star was Stagecoach. Wayne had been toiling as a Hollywood actor for years before John Ford cast him as the immortal Ringo Kid in this star-making movie. But it’s not just Wayne (who delivers the macho character we’re so used to) that makes this movie come to life. The supporting cast made up of Claire Trevor, John Carradine and Thomas Mitchell, among others, also contribute a great deal. And lest we not forget the great John Ford, one of Hollywood’s greatest directors, at the helm of this western masterpiece. The scenes of the stage coach racing through the desert are worth the price alone, rivaling any modern day action sequences.

Stagecoach is available on DVD and is available as a disc rental through Netflix. A digitally restored version was released on DVD and Blu-Ray via The Criterion Collection. It’s currently streaming on Hulu Plus and is available on demand on Xfinity. You can digitally rent or purchase Stagecoach on Amazon or iTunes.

OR, you can watch the full movie HERE (Hurry before YouTube yanks it!)