Editing Stagecoach (1939 film)

{{Short description|American film by John Ford}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Stagecoach
| image          = Stagecoach (1939 poster).jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[John Ford]]
| producer       = [[Walter Wanger]]
| writer         = 
| screenplay     = [[Dudley Nichols]]
| story          = 
| based_on       = {{Based on|"The Stage to Lordsburg"<br />1937 story in ''[[Collier's]]''|[[Ernest Haycox]]}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Claire Trevor]]
* [[John Wayne]]
* [[Andy Devine]]
* [[John Carradine]]
* [[Thomas Mitchell (actor)|Thomas Mitchell]]
* [[Louise Platt]]
* [[George Bancroft (actor)|George Bancroft]]
* [[Donald Meek]]
* [[Berton Churchill]]
* [[Tim Holt]]
}}
| narrator       = 
| music          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Richard Hageman]]
* [[W. Franke Harling|Franke Harling]]
* [[Louis Gruenberg]]
* [[John Leipold]]
* [[Leo Shuken]]
* [[Gerard Carbonara]] (uncredited)
* [[Stephen Pasternacki]] (uncredited)
}}
| cinematography = [[Bert Glennon]]
| editing        = {{Plainlist|
* [[Otho Lovering]]
* [[Dorothy Spencer]]
}}
| studio         = [[Walter Wanger Productions]]
| distributor    = [[United Artists]]
| released       = {{Film date|1939|02|02|Los Angeles|1939|03|03|U.S.|ref1=<ref name=AFI>{{cite web | url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=4173| title=Stagecoach: Detail View | publisher=American Film Institute | access-date=February 9, 2017}}</ref>|ref2=<ref name=AFI/>}}
| runtime        = 96 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $531,374<ref name="wagner">Matthew Bernstein, ''Walter Wagner: Hollywood Independent'', Minnesota Press, 2000 p439</ref>
| gross          = $1,103,757<ref name="wagner"/>
}}

'''''Stagecoach''''' is a 1939 American [[Western film]] directed by [[John Ford]] and starring [[Claire Trevor]] and [[John Wayne]]. The screenplay by [[Dudley Nichols]] is an adaptation of "The Stage to Lordsburg", a 1937 short story by [[Ernest Haycox]]. The film follows an eclectic group of travelers riding on a [[stagecoach]] through dangerous [[Apache]] territory.

The film has long been recognized as an important work transcending the Western genre, and is widely considered one of the [[List of films considered the best|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]].<ref name="loc.gov">{{Cite web|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|website=Library of Congress|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> Still, ''Stagecoach'' has not avoided controversy. Like most Westerns of the era, its [[Native Americans in film|depiction of Native Americans]] as mere savages has been criticized.<ref name="Aleiss 2005 https://archive.org/details/makingwhitemansi00alei/page/60 60">{{Cite book|title=Making the White Man's Indian: Native Americans and Hollywood Movies|last=Aleiss|first=Angela|publisher=Praeger|year=2005|isbn=9780275983963|location=Westport, CT|pages=[https://archive.org/details/makingwhitemansi00alei/page/60 60]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/makingwhitemansi00alei/page/60}}</ref>

''Stagecoach'' was the first of many Westerns that Ford shot in [[Monument Valley]], on the [[Arizona]]–[[Utah]] border in the American Southwest. Some scenes blended shots of Monument Valley with those filmed on the [[Iverson Movie Ranch]] in [[Chatsworth, Los Angeles|Chatsworth, California]], [[Movie ranch#RKO Encino Ranch|RKO Encino Ranch]], and elsewhere, and as a result geographic incongruities appear.

==Plot==
<!-- Please review [[WP:FILMPLOT]] before adding material. Plot summaries should not exceed 700 words. -->
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. [[Cavalry (United States)|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 signal]]s 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 Regiment (United States)|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.

==Cast==
<!--- cast, order and roles per the single screen of Main Cast closing credits --->
{{Cast listing|
* [[Claire Trevor]] as Dallas
* [[John Wayne]] as Henry, the Ringo Kid
* [[Andy Devine]] as Buck
* [[John Carradine]] as Hatfield
* [[Thomas Mitchell (actor)|Thomas Mitchell]] as Doc Boone
* [[Louise Platt]] as Lucy Mallory
* [[George Bancroft (actor)|George Bancroft]] as Curley
* [[Donald Meek]] as Peacock
* [[Berton Churchill]] as Gatewood
* [[Tim Holt]] as the Lieutenant
* [[Tom Tyler]] as Luke Plummer
}}

'''Uncredited''':
{{Cast listing|
* [[Chief John Big Tree]] as Apache scout
* [[Yakima Canutt]] as Cavalry scout
* [[Nora Cecil]] as Boone's landlady
* [[Francis Ford (actor)|Francis Ford]] as Sergeant Billy Pickett
* [[Brenda Fowler]] as Mrs Gatewood
* [[William Hopper]] as Sergeant
* [[Duke R. Lee]] as Lordsburg sheriff
* [[Chris-Pin Martin]] as Chris, innkeeper
* [[Vester Pegg]] as Hank Plummer
* [[Jack Pennick]] as Jerry, barkeeper in Tonto
* [[Joe Rickson]] as Ike Plummer
* [[Elvira Ríos]] as Yakima, Chris's Apache wife
* White Horse as Apache chief
}}

{{Gallery
| title        = 
| align        =
| footer       =
| style        =
| state        =
| height       =
| width        =
| captionstyle =
| File:Stagecoach-05 - Claire Trevor.jpg
 | alt1=
 | Claire Trevor
| File:Stagecoach-09.jpg
 | alt2=
 | John Wayne
| File:Stagecoach-02 - Andy Devine et George Bancroft.jpg
 | alt3=
 | Andy Devine (left) and George Bancroft
| File:Stagecoach-06 - John Carradine.jpg
 | alt4=
 | John Carradine and Louise Platt
| File:Thomas Mitchell in Stagecoach cropped.jpg
 | alt5=
 | Thomas Mitchell
| File:Stagecoach-03 - Louise Platt.jpg
 | alt6= 
 | Louise Platt
| File:Stagecoach-04 - George Bancroft.jpg
 | alt7=
 | George Bancroft
| File:Stagecoach-07 - Donald Meek, Berton Churchill et Thomas Mitchell.jpg
 | alt8=
 | Left to right: Donald Meek, Berton Churchill and Thomas Mitchell
| File:Stagecoach-1939.jpg
 | alt9=
 | Left to right: George Bancroft, John Wayne and Louise Platt
| File:Stagecoach-08 - Joe Rickson, Tom Tyler et Vester Pegg.jpg
 | alt10=
 | 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 Weekly|Collier's]]'' magazine on April 10, 1937.<ref name="Haycox, Jr.">{{cite web| url=http://www.ochcom.org/haycox| title=Ernest Haycox (1899–1950)| publisher=Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission| year=2001| author=Ernest Haycox Jr. | access-date=February 6, 2012}}</ref> 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]],<ref name="SchatzBoule">{{cite book |first=Thomas |last=Schatz |chapter=1 ''Stagecoach'' and Hollywood's A-Western Renaissance |url=http://assets.cambridge.org/97805217/93315/sample/9780521793315ws.pdf |title=John Ford's ''Stagecoach'' |editor=Barry Keigh Grant |publisher=Cambridge University Press |place=Cambridge |year=2003 |pages=21–47 |isbn=0-521-79331-9}}</ref> although Schatz believes "this scarcely holds up to scrutiny".<ref>Schatz, p. 27.</ref> 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.<ref Name="Haycox, Jr."/>

[[File:Downing-the-nigh-leader.jpg|thumb|280px|''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.<ref>{{cite book |date=2000 |first1=John |language=en |last1=Murray |page=59 |publisher=Northland |title=Cinema Southwest |quote=John Ford, in an interview with fellow film director Peter Bogdanovich [...] would admit that he had carefully studied Frederic Remington's 1907 painting ''Downing the Nigh Leader'', which depicts a stagecoach being pursued by Indians on horseback, in designing the chase scene in ''Stagecoach''.}}</ref>

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|date=November 2024}} 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.<ref name=Clooney194>{{cite book| author=Nick Clooney| title=The Movies That Changed Us: Reflections on the Screen| date=November 2002| publisher=Atria Books| location=New York| isbn=0-7434-1043-2| page=[https://archive.org/details/moviesthatchange00cloo/page/194 194]| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/moviesthatchange00cloo/page/194| author-link=Nick Clooney}}</ref> Wanger said he would not risk his money unless Ford replaced John Wayne with [[Gary Cooper]] and brought in [[Marlene Dietrich]] to play Dallas.<ref>Clooney, pp. 196–197.</ref>

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.<ref>Clooney, p. 197.</ref>

===Filming===
[[File:Bert Glennon-John Ford in Stagecoach.jpg|thumb|right|Cinematographer Bert Glennon and director John Ford]]
The members of the production crew were billeted in [[Kayenta, Arizona|Kayenta]], in Northeastern [[Arizona]], in an old [[Civilian Conservation Corps|CCC]] camp.   Conditions were spartan, production hours long, and weather conditions at the {{convert|5700|ft|m|abbr=on}} 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.<ref>Crew Letter from Kayenta, Arizona, December 1938, [http://www.thenedscottarchive.com/hollywood/films/movie-stagecoach.html#kayentaletter Thenedscottarchive.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116234229/http://www.thenedscottarchive.com/hollywood/films/movie-stagecoach.html#kayentaletter |date=January 16, 2013 }}</ref> Additional scenes were filmed in [[Monument Valley]] locations, as well as the [[Movie ranch#Iverson Movie Ranch|Iverson Movie Ranch]] and the [[Movie ranch#RKO Encino Ranch|RKO Encino Ranch]].<ref name="MoWFH">{{cite web |title=John Wayne – Stagecoach |url=https://www.museumofwesternfilmhistory.org/142-resources/further-information-about-current-exhibits/6-john-wayne-stagecoach |website=museumofwesternfilmhistory.org |publisher=Museum of [[Western (genre)|Western]] film History |access-date=November 1, 2020 |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107202531/https://www.museumofwesternfilmhistory.org/142-resources/further-information-about-current-exhibits/6-john-wayne-stagecoach |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''Stagecoach'' was the first of many Westerns that Ford shot using Monument Valley as a location, many of which also starred John Wayne. [[Anatopism|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.<ref name="BFI Stagecoach">Buscombe, Edward. ''Stagecoach''. [[British Film Institute]], 1992. pp. 76–82</ref> The picture cemented John Wayne's standing as an [[A-list]] leading man, and made a profit of $297,690.<ref name="wagner"/>  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'".<ref name="Louise Platt letter">Letter, Louise Platt to Ned Scott Archive, July 7, 2002, [http://www.thenedscottarchive.com/hollywood/films/movie-stagecoach.html#platt2 Thenedscottarchive.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116234229/http://www.thenedscottarchive.com/hollywood/films/movie-stagecoach.html#platt2 |date=January 16, 2013 }} pp. 39, 40</ref> On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of [[List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes|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."<ref>{{cite web |title=Stagecoach |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1019774-stagecoach |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=November 22, 2023}}</ref>

''Stagecoach'' has been lauded as one of the most influential films ever made.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hannan |first=Brian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vPuzDwAAQBAJ |title=The Gunslingers of '69: Western Movies' Greatest Year |date=October 11, 2019 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-7935-8 |pages=3 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hine |first1=Robert V. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VPv0qpR4HC0C |title=Frontiers: A Short History of the American West |last2=Faragher |first2=John Mack |date=January 1, 2007 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-11710-3 |pages=203 |language=en}}</ref> [[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]]''.<ref>Welles, Orson, and Bogdanovich, Peter. ''This is Orson Welles''. Da Capo Press, 1998. pp. 28–29. "After dinner every night for about a month, I'd run ''Stagecoach''... It was like going to school."</ref> 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]];<ref name="loc.gov"/> it was also included in the [[Vatican's list of films]] that year under the category of "Art".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://old.usccb.org/movies/vaticanfilms.shtml |title=Vatican Best Films List |work=Official website of the [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops|U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops]] |access-date=April 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422064928/http://old.usccb.org/movies/vaticanfilms.shtml |archive-date=April 22, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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."<ref name="Pippins 2010 3, 5">{{cite book |last=Pippins|first=Robert |date=2010 |title=Hollywood Westerns and American Myth |location=New Haven, CT |publisher=Yale University Press |pages=3, 5|isbn=9780300172065}}</ref>  Nevertheless, its [[Native Americans in film|depiction of Native Americans]] is not above criticism.<ref name="Aleiss 2005 https://archive.org/details/makingwhitemansi00alei/page/60 60"/> 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."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-stagecoach-1939 |title=John Ford. John Wayne. History. |last1=Ebert|first1=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert |publisher=[[RogerEbert.com]]|date=August 1, 2011}}</ref>

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| rowspan="7"| [[12th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Outstanding Production]]
| [[Walter Wanger]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="7"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1940 |title=The 12th Academy Awards (1940) Nominees and Winners |access-date=July 11, 2011 |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706093728/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/13th-winners.html |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| [[John Ford]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
| [[Thomas Mitchell (actor)|Thomas Mitchell]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]]
| [[Alexander Toluboff]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography – Black-and-White]]
| [[Bert Glennon]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]
| [[Otho Lovering]] and [[Dorothy Spencer]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Scoring]]
| [[Richard Hageman]], [[W. Franke Harling]], [[John Leipold]], and [[Leo Shuken]]
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[National Board of Review Awards 1939|National Board of Review Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]]
| {{draw|3rd Place}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1939/ |title=1939 Award Winners |publisher=[[National Board of Review]] |access-date=March 1, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| Best Acting
| Thomas Mitchell
| {{won}}
|-
| [[National Film Preservation Board]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Film Registry]]
| {{won|Inducted}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/ |title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date=March 1, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[1939 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|New York Film Critics Circle Awards]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| John Ford
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nyfcc.com/awards/?awardyear=1939 |title=1939 New York Film Critics Circle Awards |publisher=[[New York Film Critics Circle]] |access-date=March 1, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| Online Film & Television Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Hall of Fame – Motion Picture
| {{won|Inducted}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oftaawards.com/film-hall-of-fame/film-hall-of-fame-productions/ |title=Film Hall of Fame: Productions |publisher=Online Film & Television Association |access-date=March 1, 2024}}</ref>
|}

===American Film Institute===
* 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.<ref name="afi_100_movies_1998_filmsite_org">[https://www.filmsite.org/afi100filmsA.html "The Winners,"] in "America's 100 Greatest Movies: 100 YEARS...100 MOVIES," June 1998, [[American Film Institute]], retrieved February 16, 2022</ref>
* In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "[[AFI's 10 Top 10|Ten Top Ten]]"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American [[Western (genre)|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.<ref>{{cite news | author = American Film Institute | title = AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres | work = ComingSoon.net | date = June 17, 2008 | url = http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=46072 | access-date = June 18, 2008 | author-link = American Film Institute | archive-date = August 18, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080818100312/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=46072 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Top 10 Western|url=http://www.afi.com/10top10/category.aspx?cat=3|publisher=American Film Institute|access-date=May 10, 2014}}</ref>

==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 [[Stagecoach (1966 film)|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.<ref>Clooney, p. 191.</ref> 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.<ref name="detmich.com">{{cite web|url=http://detmich.com/rhp/radio/The%20Lone%20Ranger%2045-08-22%20(1963)%20The%20Last%20Coach%20West.mp3 |format=MP3|title=Sound file|website=Detmich.com|access-date=July 17, 2022}}</ref> Most main characters in the movie had a counter-part in the radio play.

{| class=wikitable
|+ 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. Consequently, character and plot development had to be accelerated, which resulted in weakening the character's motivation for certain actions (such as the Lone Ranger somehow managing to single out a solitary stagecoach amid a wide Indian uprising).<ref name="detmich.com"/>

==Remakes==
===Radio===
* The May 4, 1946, radio episode of [[Academy Award Theater]] had Claire Trevor reprise her role alongside [[Randolph Scott]].
* The December 7, 1946, radio episode of ''[[Hollywood Star Time (dramatic anthology)|Hollywood Star Time]]'' presented ''Stagecoach'', adapted by Milton Geiger.<ref>{{cite news|title='Stagecoach' Is Star Time Play On WHP Tonight|newspaper=Harrisburg Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3212487/harrisburg_telegraph/|agency=Harrisburg Telegraph|date=November 30, 1946|page=17|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = September 12, 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref>
* The January 9, 1949, radio episode of [[Screen Directors Playhouse]] had John Wayne and Claire Trevor both reprise their parts.

===Film===
* The [[Stagecoach (1966 film)|1966 remake]] of ''Stagecoach'' stars (in alphabetical order) [[Ann-Margret]] as Dallas, [[Red Buttons]] as the whiskey drummer, [[Mike Connors]] as the gambler, [[Alex Cord]] as the Ringo Kid, [[Bing Crosby]] as Doc Boone, [[Robert Cummings]] as the embezzler, [[Van Heflin]] as the Marshal, [[Slim Pickens]] as Buck, [[Stefanie Powers]] as Lucy, and [[Keenan Wynn]] as Luke Plummer.

===Television===
* A [[Stagecoach (1986 film)|1986 television version]] features [[Willie Nelson]] as [[Doc Holliday]], [[Kris Kristofferson]] as the Ringo Kid, [[Johnny Cash]] as the Marshal, [[Waylon Jennings]] as Hatfield, [[Anthony Franciosa|Tony Franciosa]] as the embezzler, [[John Schneider (screen actor)|John Schneider]] as Buck, [[Anthony Newley]] as the whiskey drummer, [[Elizabeth Ashley]] as Dallas, [[Mary Crosby]] as Lucy, [[June Carter Cash]] as Mrs. Pickett, and [[Jessi Colter]] as Martha.

==See also==
* [[John Wayne filmography]]
* [[List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes]], a film review aggregator website

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons category}}
{{Spoken Wikipedia|Stagecoach_(1939_film).ogg|date=June 28, 2019}}
* [https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/stagecoach.pdf ''Stagecoach''] essay by [[Scott Allen Nollen]] at [[National Film Registry]]
* [https://books.google.com/books/about/America_s_Film_Legacy.html?id=deq3xI8OmCkC ''Stagecoach''] essay by Danel Eagan in ''America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry'', A&C Black, 2010 {{ISBN|0826429777}}, pp.&nbsp;282–284
* [http://thenedscottarchive.com/hollywood/films/movie-stagecoach.html#moviebooklet ''Stagecoach'' Movie Booklet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115014653/http://thenedscottarchive.com/hollywood/films/movie-stagecoach.html#moviebooklet |date=November 15, 2017 }}
* {{IMDb title|0031971}}
* [https://www.allmovie.com/movie/stagecoach-am6873 ''Stagecoach'' at AllMovie]
* {{TCMDb title|91227}}
* {{AFI film|4173}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|1019774-stagecoach}}
* [https://www.tvguide.com/movies/stagecoach/review/2000124865 Review of ''Stagecoach''] at TVGuide.com
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070105152515/http://thenostalgialeague.com/olmag/haycox.html ''Stage to Lordsburg''] by Ernest Haycox
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/film.php?filmid=877 Literature on ''Stagecoach'']
* [http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1472-stagecoach-taking-the-stage ''Stagecoach: Taking the Stage''] an essay by David Cairns at the [[Criterion Collection]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140308071059/http://mitteleuropa.x10.mx/filmlocations_stagecoach.html Movie Locations] used in ''Stagecoach'' (1939)
* [https://www.thenedscottarchive.com/hollywood/films/movie-stagecoach.html ''Stagecoach'' Stills and Cast Letters] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115014653/http://thenedscottarchive.com/hollywood/films/movie-stagecoach.html |date=November 15, 2017 }}

'''Streaming'''
* {{YouTube|9pj1Vso3L2g|"Stagecoach"}}
* [https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Academy_Award_Theater_Singles Academy Award – Single Episodes] on [[Academy Award (radio)|Academy Award Theater]]: May 4, 1946
* [https://archive.org/download/ScreenDirectorsPlayhouse/SDP_49-01-09_ep001-Stagecoach.mp3 ''Stagecoach''] on [[Screen Directors Playhouse]]: January 9, 1949

{{John Ford}}
{{Walter Wanger}}
{{Dudley Nichols}}
{{Authority control}}

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