She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is a 1949 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, with Joanne Dru, John Agar, Ben Johnson, and Harry Carey Jr, in support. It is the second film in Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy", along with Fort Apache (1948) and Rio Grande (1950). With a budget of $1.6 million, the film was one of the most expensive Westerns made up to that time. A major hit for RKO, it received its name from "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon", a song popular with the U.S. military.
In August 1876, aging veteran Captain Nathan Brittles enjoys his quiet routines and pending retirement from the 2nd U.S. Cavalry.
All is placid at Fort Starke, a small frontier Army post, and Brittles
is honored to receive a parting gift from his men of a pocket watch he
must sheepishly don spectacles to inspect. He is touched by its warm
sentiment.
The hottest thing going is the spirited rivalry of troop officers 1st Lt. Flint Cohill and 2nd Lt.
Ross Pennell over the affections of flirty Olivia Dandridge, the comely
niece of the post's commanding officer. Their transgressions of
cavalry protocol and officer decorum over her give Brittles more than
ample opportunity to sternly mentor them, anticipating the great vacuum
losing his experienced leadership will create.
All tranquility vanishes when news of a breakout by the Cheyenne and Arapaho from their reservation following the Sioux massacre of George Armstrong Custer's force at the Battle of the Little Big Horn reaches the post. Brittles is tasked with forcing them back, potentially setting off a new Indian war there.[5]
This effort is complicated by an order to first deliver his commanding
officer's wife, Abby Allshard, and Olivia, to the safety of an eastbound
stage.
Assisting Brittles are the green West Point graduates Cohill and
Pennell; his chief scout, Sgt. Tyree, a one-time Confederate captain of
cavalry; and Union veterans Quincannon, his trusted first sergeant, and
Maj. Allshard, his long-time friend and commanding officer.
Things don't go as planned, the Indians are not contained. The
column is forced to make detours to avoid hostiles and when they finally
arrive at Sudro's Wells, the stagecoach station, they find it torched.
Thus, the women do not make their stage and remain in grave danger.
On the return trip to the post, Brittles witnesses the Indian
agent illegally and unscrupulously trying to sell repeating rifles to
the Indians, being killed, and the rifles taken.
After these setbacks, Brittles returns with the troop to Fort
Starke to retire, and his lieutenants continue the mission in the field.
Unwilling to see more lives needlessly lost, Brittles takes it upon
himself, in the last hours of his active service, to try to make peace
through his old friend, Chief Pony That Walks. When that fails, he
devises a risky stratagem to avoid a bloody war. With just minutes left
on his pocket watch before his retirement officially begins, he orders
his lieutenants to stampede the Indian ponies through the Indian
encampment at night. Deprived of their mounts, the renegades have no
recourse but to return to their reservation on foot, trailed at a
discreet distance by Lt. Cohill's cavalry.
Now officially retired, Brittles sets off westward. However,
before he gets too far away, Brittles is recalled to duty with an
appointment as Chief of Scouts. The rank is that of Lt. Colonel – a U.S. War Department order endorsed, he is pleased to read aloud, by Gens. Phil Sheridan and William Tecumseh Sherman, and President Ulysses S. Grant.
Returning to fort, he is greeted by an appreciative post
community. Olivia and Lt. Cohill inform Brittles that they have become
engaged, to which Brittles replies, in his gruff way, that everyone at
the post knew very well that that would happen. The final scene is an
inspiring speech by the narrator about the anonymous, hard working and
courageous cavalry soldiers of the United States of America.
Director Ford initially was uncertain whom to cast in the lead role.
However, he knew that he did not want John Wayne for the
part—considering, among other factors, that Wayne would be playing a
character over twenty years older than he was at the time. Reportedly,
Wayne's 1948 performance in Red River changed Ford's mind, causing him to exclaim, "I didn't know the big son of a bitch could act!"[6]
Ford realized Wayne had grown considerably as an actor, and was then
capable of playing the character he envisioned for this film. When
shooting was completed, Ford presented Wayne with a cake with the
message, "You're an actor now".[7] The role also became one of Wayne's favorite performances.[7] Wayne himself felt that his Academy Award nomination for Best Actor of 1949 for Sands of Iwo Jima should have been for She Wore a Yellow Ribbon instead.
Director John Ford's older brother Francis
appears in a single brief scene as Connolly, the barman; Ford kept him
on wages "for eight weeks even through Francis could have completed his
scenes in less than a week".[8] Character actor Paul Fix (Harry Carey Jr.'s father-in-law) also appears in a small uncredited role.[9]: 126
The cast and crew lived in relatively primitive conditions in
Monument Valley. Most slept in dirt-floor cabins that only had communal
cold-water drum showers. The film was completed ahead of schedule and
under budget.
Although the film's cinematographer, Winton Hoch, won an Academy
Award for his work, filming was not a smooth creative process because of
conflicts with Ford. Ironically one of the most iconic scenes from the
film was created during a dispute. As a line of cavalry rode through the
desert,[10]
a real thunderstorm grew on the horizon. Hoch began to pack up the
cameras as the weather worsened only for Ford to order him to keep
shooting. Hoch argued that there was not enough natural light for the
scene and, more importantly, the cameras could become potential lightning rods
if the storm swept over them. Ford ignored Hoch's complaints;
completing the scene as the thunderstorm rolled in, soaking the cast and
crew. Hoch later had filed a letter of complaint against Ford with the
American Society of Cinematographers over the filming of this scene.[2]
The story of Hoch's refusal to shoot in this thunderstorm has often been repeated, but actor Harry Carey Jr., who was on the set, contests it.[11][12]
He says Ford had finished shooting for the day, but when the
picturesque storm brewed he asked Hoch if they could shoot in the
declining light. Hoch answered, "It's awfully dark, Jack. I'll shoot it.
I just can't promise anything". Ford then instructed, "Winnie, open her
up [the camera lens] and let's go for it. If it doesn't turn out, I'll
take the rap". Winnie complied, saying, "Fair enough, Jack".[11]
Sam Houston leads the forces of Texas against Mexico and needs time to build an army. The opposing Mexican forces, led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
are numerically stronger as well as better-armed and trained.
Nevertheless, the Texans have spirit and morale remains generally high.
Lieutenant Colonel William Travis is tasked with defending the Alamo, a former mission in San Antonio. Jim Bowie comes with reinforcements and the defenders prepare. Meanwhile, Davy Crockett arrives with a group of Tennesseans.
Santa Anna's armies arrive and surround the fort. The siege
begins. An embassy from the Mexican Army approaches the Alamo, and as
they list the terms of surrender, Travis fires a cannon, signalling his
refusal to surrender. In a nighttime raid, the Texans sabotage a
super-sized cannon used by the Mexicans. They maintain high hopes as
they are told a strong force led by Colonel James Fannin
is on its way to break the siege. Crockett, however, sensing an
imminent attack, sends one of his younger men, Smitty, to ask Houston
for help, knowing this will perhaps spare Smitty's life.
The Mexicans frontally attack the Alamo. The defenders hold out
and inflict heavy losses on the Mexicans, although the Texans' own
losses are not insignificant, and Bowie sustains a leg wound. Morale
drops when a messenger informs Travis that Fannin's reinforcements have been ambushed and slaughtered by the Mexicans.
Travis chooses to stay with his command and defend the Alamo, but he
gives the other defenders the option of leaving. Crockett, Bowie and
their men prepare to leave, but an inspired tribute by Travis convinces
them to stay and fight to the end. The noncombatants, including most of
the women and children, leave the Alamo.
On the thirteenth day of the siege, Santa Anna's artillery
bombards the Alamo, and the entire Mexican army sweeps forward,
attacking on all sides. The defenders kill numerous Mexicans, but the
attack is overwhelming and the fortress' walls are breached. Travis
tries to rally the men, but is shot and killed. Crockett leads the
Texans in the final defense of the fort, but the Mexicans swarm through
and overwhelm the defenders. Crockett is killed in the chaos when he is
run through by a lance and then blown up as he ignites the powder
magazine. Bowie, in bed with his wound, kills several Mexicans but is
bayoneted and dies. As the last Texan is killed, the Mexican soldiers
discover the hiding place of the wife and child of Texan defender Captain Dickinson.
The battle eventually ends with a total victory for the Mexicans.
Santa Anna observes the carnage and provides safe passage for Mrs.
Dickinson and her child. Smitty returns too late, watching from a
distance. He takes off his hat in respect and then escorts Mrs.
Dickinson away from the battlefield.
The subplot follows the conflict existing among the strong-willed
personalities of Travis, Bowie, and Crockett. Travis stubbornly defends
his decisions as commander of the garrison against the suggestions of
the other two - particularly Bowie with whom the most bitter conflict
develops - as well as trying to maintain discipline among a force made
up primarily of independently minded frontiersmen and settlers.
Crockett, well liked by both Bowie and Travis, eventually becomes a
mediator between the other two as Bowie constantly threatens to withdraw
his men rather than deal with Travis. Despite their personal conflicts,
all three learn to subordinate their differences, and in the end, bind
themselves together in an act of bravery to defend the fort against
inevitable defeat.
Cast
John Wayne as Col. Davy Crockett, a larger-than-life legend from Tennessee who arrives at the Alamo bringing a band of fellow adventurers to the fight.
Richard Widmark as Col. Jim Bowie,
a legendary figure like Crockett, who shares command of the Alamo with
William Travis, but bears ultimate authority only over his volunteer
group.
Richard Boone as General Sam Houston, leader of the Texas army, who hopes the stand at the Alamo will gain him time to gather troops to repel Santa Anna's forces.
Frankie Avalon as Smitty, the youngest of the Alamo defenders, and one of Crockett's Tennesseans.
Linda Cristal as Graciela Carmela María 'Flaca' de López y Vejar, a young woman whom Crockett saves from forced marriage.
Joan O'Brien as Mrs. Sue Dickinson, wife of Captain Almaron Dickinson and cousin of Col. William Travis, who refuses to leave the fort with her young daughter.
Chill Wills as Beekeeper, one of Crockett's colorful Tennesseans.
Joseph Calleia as Juan Seguín, a San Antonio political figure who leads Mexican volunteers to help defend the Alamo.
By 1945, John Wayne had decided to make a movie about the 1836 Battle of the Alamo.[3] He hired James Edward Grant as scriptwriter, and the two began researching the battle and preparing a draft script. They hired John Ford's son Patrick (who wrote a screenplay about the battle in 1948)[4] as a research assistant. As the script neared completion, however, Wayne and Herbert Yates, the president of Republic Pictures, clashed over the proposed $3 million budget.[5]
Wayne left Republic over the feud but could not take his script with
him. That script later was rewritten and made into the movie The Last Command with Jim Bowie the character of focus.[6]
Wayne and producer Robert Fellows formed Batjac, their own production company.[6]
As Wayne developed his vision of what a movie about the Alamo should
be, he concluded he did not want to risk seeing that vision changed; he
would produce and direct the movie himself, though not act in it.
However, he could not enlist financial support for the project without
the presumptive box-office guarantee his on-screen appearance would
provide. In 1956, he signed with United Artists;
UA contributed $2.5 million to the movie's development and served as
distributor. In exchange, Batjac was to contribute an additional $1.5 to
$2.5 million, and Wayne would star in the movie. Wayne secured the
remainder of the financing from wealthy Texans who insisted the movie be
shot in Texas.[7]
After the movie was finished, Wayne admitted he invested $1.5 million
of his own money in the film (taking out second mortgages on his houses
and using his vehicles as collateral to obtain loans)[4] and believed it was a good investment.[8]
Set
Replica Alamo mission used for production
The movie set, later known as Alamo Village, was constructed near Brackettville, Texas,
on the ranch of James T. Shahan. Chatto Rodriquez, the general
contractor of the set, built 14 miles (23 km) of tarred roads for access
to the set from Brackettville. His men sank six wells to provide 12,000
gallons (45.4 cubic meters) of water each day, and laid miles of sewage
and water lines. They also built 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) of horse
corrals.[9]
Rodriquez worked with art designer Alfred Ybarra to create the
set. Historians Randy Roberts and James Olson describe it as "the most
authentic set in the history of the movies".[9] Over a million-and-a-quarter adobe bricks were formed by hand to create the walls of the former Alamo Mission.[9] The set was an extensive three-quarter-scale replica of the mission,[citation needed] and has been used in other Western films and television series,[4] including other depictions of the battle. It took almost two years to construct.[4]
Casting
Wayne was to have portrayed Sam Houston,
a bit part that would have let him focus on his first major directing
effort, but investors insisted he play a leading character. He took on
the role of Davy Crockett, handing the part of Houston to Richard Boone.[10] Wayne cast Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie and Laurence Harvey as William Barrett Travis.[9]
Harvey was chosen because Wayne admired British stage actors and he
wanted "British class". When production became tense, Harvey spoke lines
from Shakespeare in a Texan accent.[11] Other roles went to family and close friends of Wayne, including his son Patrick Wayne and daughter Aissa.[12]
John Wayne had made Rio Bravo (1959) with singer Ricky Nelson in a supporting role to attract teen audiences. It had worked, so he hired Frankie Avalon to perform a similar function. According to Avalon, "Wayne had seen some of the rushes from Timberland and thought I would be right".[13]
After making the film, Wayne told the press: "We're not cutting one bit
of any scene in which Frankie appears. I believe he is the finest young
talent I've seen in a long time".[14] "Mr. Wayne said I was natural as far as acting goes", said Avalon.[15] Avalon's character was fictitious and survived the attack.[16]
Several days after filming began, Widmark complained he had been
miscast and tried to leave. Among other things, it seemed ridiculous
that the relatively diminutive (5 ft 9 in (175 cm)] Widmark would be
playing the "larger than life" Bowie, who was a reported 6 ft 6 in
(198 cm). After threats of legal action, he agreed to finish the
picture.[17] During the filming he had Burt Kennedy rewrite his lines.[18]
Avalon says: "There may have been some conflict with Widmark in
portraying the role that he did, but I didn't see any of that. All I
know is he was tough to work for without a doubt because he [Wayne]
wanted it his way and he wanted professionalism. He wanted everybody to
know their lines and be on their mark and do what he wanted them to do".[19]
Sammy Davis Jr.
asked Wayne for the part of a slave, for he wanted to break out of
performing song and dance. Some producers blocked the move, apparently
because Davis was dating white actress May Britt.[11]
Direction
Wayne's mentor John Ford showed up uninvited and attempted to exert
undue influence on the film. Wayne sent him off to shoot unnecessary
second-unit footage to maintain his own authority. Virtually nothing of
Ford's footage was used, but Ford erroneously is described as an
uncredited co-director.[20]
According to many people involved in the film, Wayne was an
intelligent and gifted director despite a weakness for the long-winded
dialogue of James Edward Grant, his favorite screenwriter.[20] Roberts and Olson describe his direction as "competent, but not outstanding".[21]
Widmark complained that Wayne tried to tell him and other actors how to
play their parts which sometimes went against their own interpretation
of characters.[11][17]
Filming
Filming began on September 9, 1959. Some actors, notably Frankie
Avalon, were intimidated by rattlesnakes. Crickets were everywhere,
often ruining shots by jumping on actors' shoulders or chirping loudly.[17]
A bit player, LeJean Ethridge, died in a domestic dispute during filming, and Wayne was called to testify at an inquest.
Harvey forgot that a firing cannon has a recoil; during the scene
in which, as Travis, he fires in response to a surrender demand, the
cannon came down on his foot, breaking it. Because he did not scream in
pain until after Wayne had called "Cut", Wayne praised his
professionalism.[11]
Filming ended on December 15. A total of 560,000 feet (170,000
meters) of film was produced for 566 scenes. Despite the scope of the
filming, it lasted only three weeks longer than scheduled. By the end of
development, the film had been edited to three hours and 13 minutes.[22]
Another well known song from this film is "Ballad of the Alamo" (with Paul Francis Webster), which was performed on the soundtrack album by Marty Robbins.[23]Frankie Avalon released a cover version as did the folk duo Bud & Travis whose rendition (with "The Green Leaves of Summer" on the flip side) reached #64 on the Billboard chart. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[24]
Wayne hired publicist Russell Birdwell to coordinate the media campaign.[25]
Birdwell convinced seven states to declare an Alamo Day and sent
information to elementary schools around the United States to assist in
teaching about the Alamo.[26]
On October 24, 1960, the world premiere was held at the Woodlawn Theatre in San Antonio, Texas.[27]
Themes
Historical accuracy
The film does little to explain the causes of the Texas Revolution or why the battle took place.[28] Alamo historian Timothy Todish claims that "there is not a single scene in The Alamo
which corresponds to a historically verifiable incident". One
particularly egregious scene has a courier character (played by Wayne's
son Patrick) report that Goliad's Col. Fannin would not provide
reinforcements, because his troops had “been massacred,” even though
that event transpired over two weeks after the fall of the Alamo.
Historians James Frank Dobie and Lon Tinkle demanded their names be removed as historical advisors.[29]
Politics
Wayne's daughter Aissa wrote about her father's project: "I think making The Alamo became my father's own form of combat. More than an obsession, it was the most intensely personal project in his career".[25]
Many of Wayne's associates agreed that the film was a political
platform for Wayne. Many of the statements that his character made
reflected Wayne's anti-communist views. To be sure, there is an
overwhelming theme of freedom and the right of individuals to make their
own decisions. One may point to a scene in which Wayne, as Crockett,
remarks: "Republic. I like the sound of the word. Means that people can
live free, talk free, go or come, buy or sell, be drunk or sober,
however they choose. Some words give you a feeling. Republic is one of
those words that makes me tight in the throat".[25]
The film draws elements from the Cold War
environment in which it was produced. According to Roberts and Olson,
"the script evokes parallels between Santa Anna's Mexico and
Khruschchev's Soviet Union as well as Hitler's Germany. All three
demanded lines in the sand and resistance to death".[25]
Many of the minor characters, at some point during the film,
speak about freedom and/or death, and their sentiments may have
reflected Wayne's own viewpoint.
Critical reception
Though the film had a large box-office take, its cost kept it from
being a success, and Wayne lost his personal investment. He sold his
rights to United Artists, which had released it, and it made back its money.[citation needed]
Critical response was mixed, from the New York Herald Tribune's four-star "a magnificent job... Visually and dramatically, The Alamo is top-flight" to Time magazine's "flat as Texas".[30]
At the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes,
the film has a score of 55% from 22 reviews. The consensus summarizes:
"John Wayne proves to be less compelling behind the camera than he is
before it in The Alamo, a blustery dramatization of the fort's last stand that feels more like a first draft."[31]
Wayne provided a clip of the film for use in How the West Was Won.[32] Despite being anachronistic (How the West Was Won begins in 1839 and the Alamo fell in 1836), the clip occurs right before the second segment, The Plains, as Spencer Tracy narrates the events that led to the United States gaining large amounts of territory from the Mexican-American War.
Awards and honors
The Alamo was nominated for seven Academy Awards (winning for Best Sound). Its successful bid for several Oscar nominations over such films as Psycho (which received four nominations) and Spartacus (which received six) was largely due to intense lobbying by producer John Wayne.[33]
The film is thought to have been denied awards because Academy voters were alienated by an overblown publicity campaign. Chill Wills' campaign for the Best Supporting Actor award was considered tasteless by many, including Wayne, who publicly apologized for Wills. Wills took out an advertisement in The Hollywood Reporter
claiming that "We of the Alamo cast are praying harder - than the real
Texans prayed for their lives in the Alamo - for Chill Wills to win the
Oscar". Wayne took out his own advertisement calling the claim "untrue
and reprehensible" and that he was sure that Wills' "intentions were not
as bad as his taste".[34] Wills' publicity agent, W.S. "Bow-Wow" Wojciechowicz, accepted blame for the ill-advised effort, claiming that Wills had known nothing about it.
In response to Wills's ad, claiming that all the voters were his "Alamo Cousins", Groucho Marx took out a small ad which simply said "Dear Mr. Wills, I am delighted to be your cousin, but I voted for Sal Mineo" (Wills's rival nominee for Exodus).[35]
The Alamo premiered at its 70 mm roadshow length of 202
minutes, including overture, intermission, and exit music, but the
negative was severely cut for wide release. UA re-edited it to 167
minutes. The 202-minute version was believed lost until Bob Bryden, a
Canadian fan, realized he had seen the full version in the 1970s. He and
Alamo collector Ashley Ward discovered the last known surviving print
of the 70 mm premiere version in Toronto,[37]
in pristine condition. MGM (UA's sister studio) used this print to make
a digital video transfer of the roadshow version for VHS and LaserDisc release.
The print was taken apart and deteriorated in storage. By 2007,
it was unavailable in any useful form. MGM used the shorter, general
release version for subsequent DVD releases. At present, the only
existing version of the original uncut roadshow release is on standard
definition 480i digital video. It is the source for broadcasts on Turner
Classic Movies. The best available actual film elements are of the
35 mm negatives of the general release version.
A restoration of the deteriorating print found in Toronto, supervised by Robert A. Harris, was envisaged but to date is not underway.[38]
The endangered version is the 70 mm uncut roadshow version (202 min).
The cut 167-minute version still exists in decent condition in 35 mm.
In 2014, an Internet campaign was formed urging MGM to restore The Alamo from the deteriorating 70 mm elements. This garnered some publicity from KENS-TV in San Antonio, and attention from filmmakers such as: J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, Rian Johnson, Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu.[39][40] In his 2014 biography of Wayne, John Wayne: The Life and Legend author Scott Eyman states that the full-length Toronto print has deteriorated to the point where it is now unusable.[41]
The film has long been recognized as an important work transcending the Western genre, and is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. In 1995, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in their National Film Registry.[3] Still, Stagecoach has not avoided controversy. Like most Westerns of the era, its depiction of Native Americans as mere savages has been criticized.[4]
In June 1880, stage driver Buck prepares a stagecoach from Tonto, Arizona Territory, to Lordsburg, New Mexico. Among the passengers are Dallas, a prostitute
driven out of town by the "Law and Order League"; the alcoholic doctor
Josiah Boone; snobbish belle Lucy Mallory, who is travelling to join her
cavalry officer husband; and diminutive whiskey salesman Samuel
Peacock.
Meanwhile, Henry the "Ringo Kid" has broken out of prison to
avenge the murder of his father and brother by Luke Plummer, a dangerous
gunslinger who is in Lordsburg with his two brothers. The Plummers also
accused Ringo of killing their foreman, which led to Ringo's
conviction. Marshal Curley Wilcox decides to ride shotgun on the stage and find Ringo. U.S. Cavalry Lieutenant Blanchard announces that Geronimo and his Apache
warriors are on the warpath, therefore Blanchard's troop will provide a
temporary escort to Dry Fork station. Hatfield, a chivalrous gambler
and former Confederate Army officer, offers Mallory his protection and climbs aboard. Ellsworth H. Gatewood, an arrogant banker, also boards.
En route, the stage encounters Ringo, stranded after his horse
went lame. Though Curley and Ringo are friends, Curley takes Ringo into
custody. When they reach Dry Fork, they learn the expected cavalry
detachment has gone on to Apache Wells station. Most of the party votes
to proceed. The group is taken aback when Ringo, unaware of her
profession, bonds with Dallas as the journey progresses.
At Apache Wells, Mallory learns that her husband was wounded in
battle with the Apaches and rushed to Lordsburg. She faints, and
stunning the group, goes into labor. Doc Boone sobers up and delivers
the baby with Dallas assisting. Later that night, Ringo asks Dallas to
marry him and live on a ranch he owns across the border in Mexico.
Afraid to reveal her past, she is evasive. The next morning, she
accepts with Boone's encouragement, but is unwilling to leave Mallory
and the newborn; instead, she encourages Ringo to escape, promising to
meet him in Mexico later. Before Ringo can leave, he sees smoke signals heralding nearby Apache and returns to custody.
The stage reaches a ferry
crossing, which the Apaches have murderously sacked. Curley uncuffs
Ringo to help lash logs to the stagecoach and float it across the river.
The Apache eventually attack and a long chase ensues, during which Buck
and Peacock are wounded. Down to his last bullet, Hatfield prepares to
humanely dispatch Mallory when he is mortally wounded. The stage is then
rescued by the 6th Cavalry.
At Lordsburg, Gatewood is arrested for attempting to abscond with
his bank's funds. Mallory learns that her wounded husband will fully
recover; she thanks Dallas, who gives Mallory her shawl. Peacock invites
Dallas to visit his home in Kansas City, Kansas.
Ringo escorts Dallas to her destination in a seedy part of town and
finally learns who she is, but he reiterates his desire to marry her.
Luke Plummer, who is playing poker in one of the saloons, hears
of Ringo's arrival and summons his brothers to join him in the showdown.
Ringo guns down the Plummers in a shootout, then surrenders to Curley,
expecting to go back to prison. As Ringo takes his seat on a buckboard,
Curley invites Dallas to ride with them to the edge of town. But when
she gets aboard, Curley and Boone stampede the horses, happily letting
the couple speed off together towards Ringo's ranch.
Left to right: Donald Meek, Berton Churchill and Thomas Mitchell
Left to right: George Bancroft, John Wayne and Louise Platt
Left to right: Joe Rickson, Tom Tyler and Vester Pegg
Production
Development
The screenplay is an adaptation by Dudley Nichols of "The Stage to Lordsburg," a short story by Ernest Haycox. The film rights to the work were bought by John Ford soon after it was published in Collier's magazine on April 10, 1937.[5] According to Thomas Schatz, Ford claimed that his inspiration in expanding Stagecoach beyond the bare-bones plot created by Haycox was his familiarity with another short story, "Boule de Suif" by Guy de Maupassant,[6] although Schatz believes "this scarcely holds up to scrutiny".[7]
Ford's statement also seems to be the basis for the claim that Haycox
himself relied upon Guy de Maupassant's story. However, according to a
Haycox biographer, there is no direct evidence of Haycox being familiar
with Maupassant's tale, especially as he was documented as going out of
his way to avoid reading the work of others that might unconsciously
influence his writing, and he focused his personal reading in the area
of history.[5]
Downing the Nigh Leader
John Ford admitted that he took inspiration from a 1907 painting by Frederic Remington named Downing the Nigh Leader for the chase scene.[8]
Before production, Ford shopped the project around to several
Hollywood studios, all of which turned him down because big budget
Westerns had been out of vogue since the silents, and because Ford
insisted on using then-B-movie actor John Wayne in the key role in the film.[citation needed] Independent producer David O. Selznick
finally agreed to produce it, but was frustrated by Ford's indecision
about when shooting would begin, and had his own doubts over the
casting. Ford withdrew the film from Selznick's company and approached
independent producer Walter Wanger
about the project. Wanger had the same reservations about producing an
"A" Western and even more about one starring John Wayne. Ford had not
directed a Western since the silent days.[9] Wanger said he would not risk his money unless Ford replaced John Wayne with Gary Cooper and brought in Marlene Dietrich to play Dallas.[10]
Ford refused to budge; it would be Wayne or no one. Eventually
the pair compromised, with Wanger putting up $250,000, a little more
than half of what Ford had been seeking, and Ford would give top billing
to Claire Trevor, better known than John Wayne at the time.[11]
Filming
Cinematographer Bert Glennon and director John Ford
The members of the production crew were billeted in Kayenta, in Northeastern Arizona, in an old CCC
camp. Conditions were spartan, production hours long, and weather
conditions at the 5,700 ft (1,700 m) elevation were extreme, with
constant strong winds and low temperatures. Nonetheless, director John Ford was satisfied with the crew's location work, which took place near Goulding's Trading Post on the Utah border, about 25 miles from Kayenta.[12] Additional scenes were filmed in Monument Valley locations, as well as the Iverson Movie Ranch and the RKO Encino Ranch.[13]Stagecoach was the first of many Westerns that Ford shot using Monument Valley as a location, many of which also starred John Wayne. Anatopic
incongruencies of landscape and vegetation are thus evident throughout
the film, up to the closing scene of Ringo and Dallas departing
Lordsburg, in the Chihuahuan Desert of southwestern New Mexico, by way of the unmistakable topography of Monument Valley's Colorado Plateau location.
Reception
The film was released on March 2, 1939, and met with immediate critical and trade paper praise.[14] The picture cemented John Wayne's standing as an A-list leading man, and made a profit of $297,690.[2]
Cast member Louise Platt, in a letter recounting the experience of the
film's production, quoted Ford on saying of Wayne's future in film:
"He'll be the biggest star ever because he is the perfect 'everyman'".[15] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100%,
based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 9.3/10. The site's
consensus reads: "Typifying the best that the Western genre has to
offer, Stagecoach is a rip-roaring adventure given dramatic heft by John
Ford's dynamic direction and John Wayne's mesmerizing star turn."[16]
Stagecoach has been lauded as one of the most influential films ever made.[17][18]Orson Welles
argued that it was a perfect textbook of filmmaking and claimed to have
watched it more than 40 times in preparation for the making of Citizen Kane.[19] In 1995, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in their National Film Registry;[3] it was also included in the Vatican's list of films that year under the category of "Art".[20]
The film has been recognized as transcending the Western genre. Robert B. Pippin
has observed that both the collection of characters and their journey
"are archetypal rather than merely individual" and that the film is a
"mythic representation of the American aspiration toward a form of
politically meaningful equality."[21] Nevertheless, its depiction of Native Americans is not above criticism.[4] Writing in 2011, Roger Ebert
noted, "The film's attitudes toward Native Americans are unenlightened.
The Apaches are seen simply as murderous savages; there is no
suggestion the white men have invaded their land."[22]
In June 1998, the American Film Institute published its "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies"—the
100 best American films, in the judgment of over 1,500 movie industry
artists and leaders, who selected from a list of 400 nominated films.
They ranked Stagecoach as #63 of the 100 best.[29]
In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "Ten Top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American Western film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Stagecoach was acknowledged as the ninth best film in the Western genre.[30][31]
Re-releases and restoration
The film was originally released through United Artists,
but under the terms of its seven-year-rights rule, the company
surrendered distribution rights to producer Walter Wanger in 1946.
Numerous companies have held the rights to the picture in the years
since. The film's copyright (originally by Walter Wanger Productions)
was renewed by 20th Century Fox, which produced a later 1966 remake of Stagecoach. The rights to the original 1939 film were subsequently acquired by Time-Life Films
during the 1970s. The copyright has since been reassigned to Wanger
Productions through the late producer's family under the Caidin
Trust/Caidin Film Company, the ancillary rights holder. However,
distribution rights are now held by Shout! Factory,
which in 2014 acquired Jumer Productions/Westchester Films (which in
turn had bought the Caidin Film holdings after the folding of former
distributor Castle Hill Productions). Warner Bros. Pictures handles sales and additional distribution.
The original negative of Stagecoach was either lost or destroyed. Wayne had one unscreened positive print that director Peter Bogdanovich
noticed in Wayne's garage while visiting. In 1970, Wayne allowed it to
be used to produce a new negative, often seen at film festivals.[32] UCLA fully restored the film in 1996 from surviving elements and premiered it on cable's American Movie Classics network. The previous DVD releases by Warner Home Video
did not contain the restored print but rather a video print held in the
Castle Hill/Caidin Trust library. A digitally restored Blu-ray/DVD
version was released in May 2010 via The Criterion Collection.
Lone Ranger radio play
The theme of the movie has been reproduced as a Lone Ranger radio episode "The Last Coach West", which played August 22, 1945.[citation needed] Most main characters in the movie had a counter-part in the radio play.
Character counter-parts
Movie character
Radio character
The Ringo Kid, protagonist, escaped from prison
The Waco Kid, suspected bank robber
Dallas, prostitute driven out of town
Joessy, dance-hall girl driven out of town
Doc Boone, alcoholic doctor
Doctor Taylor, alcoholic doctor
Lucy Mallory, pregnant
Phyllis Alden, wounded by arrow
Luke Plummer, killed Ringo Kid's father and brother
John Gall, framed Waco Kid
Marshal Curley Wilcox, arrested The Ringo Kid
Sheriff Beaker, arrested The Waco Kid
Henry Gatewood, a banker absconding with embezzled money
John Gall, loan-shark banker, frames Waco Kid
Samuel Peacock, whiskey salesman
Horace Pennypacker, whiskey salesman
Buck, stage driver
Pete Morley, stage driver
The plot of the radio play closely paralleled that of the movie in
spite of the character changes, with exception of the Lone Ranger and
Tonto heroically saving the stagecoach occupants from Geronimo's
warriors.
The radio play run time was only about 22 minutes, less than one quarter of the movie's 96.[citation needed]
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