Stagecoach (1966)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Gordon Douglas

Writers:

Ernest Haycox (story)
Dudley Nichols (1939 screenplay)

Release Date:

15 June 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

These Were The Ten Who Fought Indians, Outlaws And Each Other As They Rode To Greatness On The Stagecoach To Cheyenne!

Plot:

A group of unlikely traveling companions find themselves on the same stagecoach to Cheyenne. They include a drunken doctor...

Plot Keywords:

Stagecoach | Outlaw | Beautiful Woman | Native American

Cast

Ann-Margret	...	Dallas
Red Buttons	...	Peacock
Mike Connors	...	Hatfield (as Michael Connors)
Alex Cord	...	Ringo Kid
Bing Crosby	...	Doc Josiah Boone
Robert Cummings	...	Henry Gatewood (as Bob Cummings)
Van Heflin	...	Marshal Curly Wilcox
Slim Pickens	...	Buck, Stagecoach Driver
Stefanie Powers	...	Mrs. Lucy Mallory
Keenan Wynn	...	Luke Plummer
Brad Weston	...	Matt Plummer
Joseph Hoover	...	Lt. Blanchard
John Gabriel	...	Capt. Jim Mallory
Oliver McGowan	...	Mr. Haines
David Humphreys Miller	...	Billy Pickett

Runtime:

115 min | USA:110 min (FMC Library Print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | 4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (nf) | Australia:G | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Arapaho Falls, Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

In a great many of his films, Bing Crosby played lighthearted comedy and musical roles as a singer or songwriter, however he demonstrated a talent as a fine dramatic actor and provides the screen with several highly acclaimed dramatic performances including this one.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: After the perilous night-time ride down the muddy mountain during the rainstorm (and for that matter all throughout the movie), everyone's clothes were perfectly clean and pressed as if they'd just stepped out of Wardrobe.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Adam Adamant Lives!: A Vintage Year for Scoundrels (#1.1)" (1966)

Soundtrack:

Stagecoach Theme (I Will Follow)

Definitely coach, not first class...

The original version of this story (made in that year of years, 1939) stands as one of the all time great westerns for many people. Therefore, a remake can only hope to come close to the original's heights and, in this case, it doesn't quite make it. The fairly straightforward story of nine people en route to Cheyenne, Wyoming (in the title mode of transportation) during an Indian uprising isn't exactly monumentally meaningful or complex. It would seem hard to mess it up too badly and this version is OK. It just isn't able to shine as brightly as its predecessor. Boozy doctor Crosby and baby-voiced, skyscraper-haired saloon girl Ann-Margret are driven out of town (after two men, literally, kill themselves trying to dance with her!) They join slick gambler Connors, liquor salesman Buttons, sticky-fingered banker Cummings and pregnant soldier's wife Powers on the coach. Fretful Pickens and determined Marshall Heflin ride on top, eventually picking up Cord along the way. On the plus side, there is some gorgeous scenery, lots of great music, the legendary Norman Rockwell portraits of the cast at the end and good performances from Crosby, Buttons and Pickens. Detriments would have to include the lackluster work of Connors (walking through and never fully realizing his part), Powers (mostly blank and uninteresting) and Cord (alternately wooden and over-dramatic.) Cord (what? was Michael Parks busy?), in particular, is a let down in that he lacks the physical presence to really stand out as the hero of the story. Most of the cast can hardly get a close-up in since so many are devoted to Ann-Margret (who, at 25, was already getting the gauzy, fuzzy treatment in them.) She does an adequate job throughout, though she really only sparkles in her catty scene with Powers when the coach is delayed by a fallen tree. There are certainly worse westerns out there, but this can't begin to approach greatness. Too many of the actors are just marking time and the direction isn't particularly creative. Also, what was revolutionary and trend-setting in 1939 was already becoming cliché by 1966, so the whole thing comes off as a little reheated.