Stagecoach (1939 film)
Stagecoach is a 1939 Western which tells the tale of a motley group of strangers thrown together on a stagecoach which is attacked by Indians. It stars Claire Trevor, John Wayne (in the role which made him a star), Andy Devine, John Carradine and Thomas Mitchell.
The film was adapted by Dudley Nichols and Ben Hecht from the Ernest Haycox story Stage to Lordsburg. It was directed by John Ford.
The movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Thomas Mitchell won for Best Supporting Actor. Mitchell was also featured in Gone with the Wind, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Only Angels Have Wings in the same year, but it was his performance in this movie which gave him the Oscar.
This was the first of many films that John Ford made in Monument Valley, Utah, many starring John Wayne. Others included:
- My Darling Clementine
- Fort Apache
- She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
- Wagonmaster
- Rio Grande
- The Searchers
- Sergeant Rutledge
- Cheyenne Autumn
The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.