Stagecoach (1939)

Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

Director John Ford is the focus of our pairing for the next two episodes! And we begin with the film that brought the Western into the realm of feature films (as opposed to shorts or B-pictures) with the epic tale of class conflict and clashing character that is 1939's "Stagecoach!" Directed by Ford and starring Clair Trevor, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell (who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Doc Josiah Boone in this film), Louise Platt, George Bancroft, Donald Meek, Berton Churchill, and the first feature appearance of one Mr. John Wayne, this film follows a stagecoach as it travels from Tonto in the Arizona Territory to Lordsburg, New Mexico. With a driver and a Marshall riding shotgun, the passengers of varying social classes cope with threats and setbacks from several sources as they attempt to survive passing through Apache country while Geronimo is reportedly on the warpath! This is the film that created many of the tropes that would become staples for the Western film genre!