Stagecoach (1966) Reviews

• Wonderful Cinemascope / Color Remake.

  jpdoherty2010-09-21

  20th Century Fox's STAGECOACH (1966) is of course a remake of the classic 1939 John Ford production of the same name. But this later version, and because of its over cherished antecedents, has at times been rather unfairly pilloried by both critics and public alike. I have to admit myself to being never too fond of Ford's much vaunted western. While admittedly there are some great things in it I always found it quite dull in parts and a number of the supporting players not wholly conducive to their respective roles. Also the Ringo Kid's shootout with the Plummers towards the end is little more than alluded to and merely consists of John Wayne hitting the dirt and letting go with a Winchester. It is a cop-out really and is the movie's most disappointing aspect. On the other hand the later remake has none of these failings. All ablaze in awesome Cinemascope and DeLux color it is a sturdier more strident version of Ernest Haycox's story with a well chosen cast. And here Ringo's showdown gets the full treatment in a brilliantly staged and exciting confrontation which has about 15 minutes screen time. The picture is also graced with a terrific score by the great Jerry Goldsmith. Streets ahead of the creaky Acadamy Award winning music by Richard Hageman from the earlier film. Written for the screen by Joseph Landon from Dudley Nichol's original screenplay it was stylishly and excitingly photographed by William Clothier. His opening aerial shot panning across the lovely Colorado locations is breathtaking as it swoops down to track the speeding Stagecoach on its way to Dry Fork. A wonderful spine tingling few moments! Produced by Martin Rackin for Fox STAGECOACH'66 was perfectly directed by the estimable Gordan Douglas. Of course we all know the story which concerns a mixed bag of passengers who are thrown together on an arduous Stagecoach journey to Cheyeanne and fearing, among other things, an Indian attack along the way. There is the banished dance hall girl Dallas (Ann Margret giving the performance of her career), Gatewood the wily and mean spirited embezzler (an excellent Robert Cummings), a surprisingly good Bing Crosby as the whiskey sodden MD, a terrific Van Heflin as Curly the Marshal and shotgun guard, the wonderful Slim Pickins as Buck the stage driver (Pickins - an ex wrangler - was the only actor capable of handling a six team of horses) and Alex Cord making an impressive Ringo. The picture does however get a little bogged down in the middle but there is splendid character development in these scenes and once the Indians begin their pursuit of the stagecoach the action never lets up. Unlike the earlier film and the famous chase across the salt flats - here there is much more vegetation as the Stagecoach is pursued over mountains and through wooded areas and streams before a wheel collapses and the hapless travellers must now make a stand against the Indian horde who they eventually manage to beat off. (This whole chase sequence is quite riveting as the brilliant camera shoots from the air one minute and then from under the speeding coach). The stagecoach finally struggles into Cheyeanne and Ringo must now take on Luke Plummer (Keenan Wynn) and his two murderous sons in a blistering action packed shootout in the best tradition of the revenge western. The picture ends, just like the original, with Ringo and Dallas riding off side by side to begin a new life together. One of the great aspects of STAGECOACH'66 is Jerry Goldsmith's stunning score. The instrumentation is extraordinary! The main title is heard over that amazing aerial shot at the opening and distinctly discerned are jew's-harp, banjo, guitar, a lovely jazzy button accordion, solo trumpet, harmonica and pizzicato strings all lending an authentic and inspired western feel to the picture. Then there is an attractive love theme "I Will Follow" heard in the film's softer moments with Ringo and Dallas which gives their scenes together a tender and persuasive charm. STAGECOACH'66 is one of Jerry Goldsmith's finest scores for a western. STAGECOACH'66 is a good and exciting western and should not be judged as simply a remake of a classic. It should be enjoyed for its own intrinsic value plus the added quality that was brought to an old story with some fresh innovations and new techniques. And, who knows, perhaps in that way this STAGECOACH could itself become a classic too?

• OK but what was the point?

  didi-52005-02-27

  Dudley Nichols wrote a great screenplay for a great film - 1939's Stagecoach, that is, directed by John Ford, not the 1960s remake we have here. As the Ringo Kid, Alex Cord lacks the menace, dynamism, and screen presence of the young John Wayne - meaning that the focus of this Stagecoach has to be on other participants. Ann-Margret is very good as Dallas (the part originally played by Claire Trevor); while Stefanie Powers makes her mark as Mrs Mallory. Bing Crosby is the boozy doc with a heart (not a patch on Thomas Mitchell's turn thirty years earlier but Crosby was always worth watching); while Red Buttons is disappointing as the liquor salesman with eight kids (far better was the twittery Donald Meek). Using the 1939 screenplay, this film is pretty much a straight remake, but in standard class. Slim Pickens does a fair imitation of Andy Devine as the hapless coach driver, and Bob Cummings is just plain irritating as the crook who has a mysterious case he won't let out of his sight. So, 'Stagecoach' is OK as a time-filler, but was not needed - why bother when the film has already been made and stands as a classic. Liked the end portraits of the cast though, and always good to see Keenan Wynn, however brief a role he has (and it is pretty brief here), although pivotal.

• Ain't a Patch on the John Ford version

  bkoganbing2004-09-11

  After seeing this version on AMC a few days ago, I took out my copy of the original from 1939. It's the difference between a classic western and a routine action film. Director Gordon Douglas probably because there is an unwritten rule in Hollywood that no one is ever to shoot a film in Monument Valley but John Ford, shot this thing in Colorado. It's not badly photographed, but you really miss the sweeping vistas of the Arizona desert. The Apache become the Sioux here and instead we have Geronimo jumping the reservation it's Crazy Horse instead. One of the great moments of cinema westerns in the original Stagecoach is when the cavalry sweeps by the passing Stagecoach to engage the Apaches in the rescue. John Ford liked it so much he used the same gambit in Fort Apache. In this version you have to believe that the passengers fought them off themselves and then made it into Cheyenne on three wheels with less horses. No way, Jose. Poor Alex Cord, a competent actor, is no John Wayne. Of course who is and Cord tries his best, but you can't forget the Duke. Michael Connors as Hatfield lacks fire in his portrayal. John Carradine created a real air of mystery about the gambler. Nothing like that here. This is one of Bing Crosby's few non-singing roles and he got some deservedly good reviews for reprising Thomas Mitchell's Doc Boone. In fact some of his scenes with Red Buttons as Peacock the whiskey drummer are faintly reminiscent of Crosby's work with Bob Hope. Buttons is not Donald Meek and he plays the part differently. Meek was a man with a Dickensian name and he played mostly parts that fit that name perfectly. After the Indian attack, Buttons is a man with a few drinks under his belt ready to lick the world. It's different, but nicely done. Another musical performer in this was Ann-Margret. For the life of me I can't figure out why with two people like Crosby and Ann-Margret, they didn't give her and him a song or two, a duet maybe. Especially since in the plot line here, Crosby takes a fatherly interest in Ann-Margret as well as in Alex Cord. Her role of Dallas is as a saloon girl so a musical number would not have been out of place. The rest of the cast performs adequately. Bob Cummings's Gatewood is more fully developed a character here and a bigger rat. Van Heflin and Slim Pickens are able substitutes for George Bancroft and Andy Devine. Stefanie Powers as the pregnant cavalry officer's wife is adequate. The part itself is as thin as the original version with Louise Platt doing it. The gunfight between the Plummers and Ringo is more fully developed here. You actually don't see it in the 1939 version. Keenan Wynn as Luke Plummer is also more fully developed than was Tom Tyler. Tyler with a minimum of dialog suggested the menace of Luke Plummer. But Keenan Wynn is one evil man here. In fact whole pages of dialog are taken from the original. Interesting that 20 years later another version was done. But this Stagecoach is a perfect example of why classics should just be left alone.

• Fine Ensemble Western Drama/Mild Spoilers, Beware

  louiepatti2004-10-23

  Westerns come in several types: classic, John Wayne, John Ford, spaghetti, and ensemble. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. If a viewer is a big Clint Eastwood fan or loves John Wayne, then any film starring those men is golden. However, there is nothing wrong with this film as an ensemble western. It is incorrect to consider it a flat-out remake of its predecessor; the original was both a John Ford and John Wayne project and carried the indelible marks of both men. It was a sweeping vista of a western that focused heavily on Wayne's character, the Ringo Kid. This 1966 version doesn't sprawl across the screen. It has instead a warmer, more intimate feeling that draws the viewer into caring about the characters that inhabit it. The characters are archetypical for a western movie. There's the fallen woman who'd love a chance at redemption (Dallas), the alcoholic doctor (Josiah Boone), tough gambler with a heart of gold (Hatfield), nervous reverend (Peacock), pregnant young lady (Mrs. Mallory), slimy guy with a secret (Henry Gatewood), tough-as-nails marshal (Curly Wilcox) and young misunderstood outlaw (the Ringo Kid). Add a shaky stagecoach driver with no nerve named Buck (how'd he get this job?) and trail perils that include washouts and hostile Indians, some very nasty outlaws called the Plummer Brothers that Ringo wants to kill, and the result could come across as a cliché of a classic western. Somehow, it doesn't. Instead, what was a big-screen extravaganza starring a larger-than-life Duke is melted down into a more balanced and less histrionic movie that is easy to enjoy on a Sunday afternoon. The cast is well-chosen and, despite the temptation to compare them unfavorably to the original set of actors (As though this bunch is second-rate), each plays his part very well. Bing Crosby is perfect as the boozing, amiable doctor who nevertheless comes through in time of need. Young Ann-Margret sizzles on screen as the sultry-yet-sweet Dallas, who loses her heart to the outlaw who treats her like a lady when nobody else does. An also young Stephanie Powers is more than a pretty face in her portrayal of the woman who gives birth. Red Buttons is funny as Peacock and Mike Connors plays the southern gentleman gambler as well as Carradine did; he just appears less creepy. Van Heflin is great as the rugged marshal and Slim Pickens pulls off the shaky driver who keeps bawling that he wants to turn back, etc. Keenan Wynn makes a great and vile killer as the oldest Plummer. And finally, no offense to the Duke or his fans, but Alex Cord was a pleasant surprise as the Ringo Kid. His strange facial features, which are both masculine and sensitive, help him pull off the part of the oddly gentle outlaw who can kill efficiently when he has to. John Wayne's Kid was also good, but on a different level; Cord makes the man he plays incredibly sympathetic, so much so that when we watched the movie for the first time, we kept hoping he wouldn't get killed off. Wayne is great for the older version of Stagecoach and its more epic feel, but Cord fits more seamlessly into this ensemble drama. His on screen presence isn't as big but it's more natural and believable. The movie is slightly shorter than the older one, too, coming across as more economically filmed, yet fleshes out the characters nicely into real people. Some have different levels of good and evil within them: the amiable passenger turns out to be a mean-spirited creep; the disreputable gambler is a true gentleman at heart; the outlaw may or may not have committed the crime that has earned him his unsavory reputation; the saloon girl is surprisingly good with the baby. The characters evoke emotion, whether it be pity, dislike, disgust, or affection. In that sense, this movie succeeds. We liked it better than the older one; it seemed fresher and faster-paced. However, if one's preference is for the more Wayne-centric western, then the 1939 version would be more to taste. However, don't be too quick to put this one down. As a John Ford saga, it didn't work, but as an ensemble drama that focused on all of its characters, the 1966 version came out fine. We hesitated to watch it based on negative reviews and enjoyed it well enough to add it to our video collection.

• A good remake

  tondea12000-08-21

  I kind of liked this movie better than the original. First, it was in color; I realize some films are better in black and white, but I'm not a purist and most films benefit with the addition of color. Second, I thought Bing Crosby did a great job as the drunken doctor, better than the original actor. Third, I felt the roles were played with more believability -- for instance Lucy Mallory actually seems to be pregnant. And last, I like the song at the end. Maybe it was only worth a "7" rating, but I gave it an "8" because it was panned so bad by others.