Stagecoach - the first Great Western

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Stagecoach - the first Great Western
In the annals of American silver screen, hardly any motion pictures stand out as being more influential than Stagecoach. The film set the design for an totally original genre, the Western drama. But perhaps just as crucial, the film established the lavish careers of three of Hollywood's most notable names: John Ford, John Wayne and Ned Scott, Director, actor, photographer respectively.

Stagecoach was made in 1939, launching the first great US Western. The motion picture was the vision of director John Ford, it starred Claire Trevor together with John Wayne in his breakthrough role.

Stagecoach became the first of Fordís several Westerns that were made utlizing the eye-catching Monument Valley, in the American south-west on the ArizonañUtah border, as a location. Many of them starring John Wayne.

During the 1930s Ford and Waye were great friends. Regardless of this Ford refrained to use Wayne in any of his productions, wanting Wayne to be tolerant until he was "equipped" as an actor. In 1938, Ford shared with Wayne a copy of satagecoacheís script by Dudley Nichols requesting suggestion for someone to play the part of Ringo Kid. Wayne read it and suggested Lloyd Nolan for the role, however Ford was not sold on the idea. Actually the following day, Ford told Wayne that he wanted him to play Ringo Kid.

In succeeding years since, Stagecoach became a movie classic, everyone related with it including the cast has said they always believed come to be seen as one of the great Hollywood movies. However according to cast member Louise Platt, this far from true in 1939. She reminisced in 2002, at the time of an show commemerating the production of the picture Stagecoach, curated by the Ned Scott Archive, in collaboration with the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum ìIt's success was a surprise to everyone but John Ford.î Of John Wayne Platt has memory of Ford saying "Hell be the biggest star ever because he is the perfect everyman." There are those who would suggest Ford was right.