the films of 1939: Stagecoach

the films of 1939: Stagecoach by ric gustafson


In May of 1937, Erny Haycox was asked by Collier's magazine for a three thousand word story. Using a Remington typewriter, he began to write a story of the early West. Up to 1937, he had published more than a hundred stories and a half dozen novels. He thought about a story involving passengers traveling in a stagecoach.
One of the characters in the stagecoach was a whore named Henriette. For a hero, it was a mysterious blond cowboy named Malpais Bill. The stagecoach would travel through dangerous Apache territory.
Director John Ford read the story and loved it. He had directed more than sixty silent shorts from 1917 to 1928. He was always busy directing up to three pictures a year.
In May of 1937, Ford had picked up a copy of Collier's magazine and read the story written by Haycox. The story was now named ' Stage to Lordsburg' and Ford wanted the film rights. Eventally, the story was shortened to ' Stagecoach'. The role of ' Malpais Bill' became ' The Ringo Kid'. For the role of Dallas, Ford picked Claire Trevor. At 29, Trevor was a veteran screen actress playing mostly bad girl roles and hard bitten characters. For the role of Ringo, Ford asked his friend Marion Morrison who he would recommend. Morrison had changed his name to John Wayne and convinced Ford to let himself try the role. Other roles were filled with actors and actresses in Ford's stock company.
Shooting locations included land west of Flagstaff Arizona and several inside Monument Valley. Principal filming ended two days before Christmas 1938. The final cut of the film ran 96 minutes. It was released in March of 1939 and was nominated for seven Academy awards.


research help: ' 1939 the making of six great films from Hollywood's greatest year' by Charles F Adams


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric