1939 was a massive year for Hollywood, in that it offered a long list of now-iconic movies and career stepping stones for some of the biggest stars of this era. This was especially true for the Western genre and two of its biggest icons in cinematic history. In that year alone, both James Stewart and John Wayne had their breakthrough Westerns,Destry Rides AgainandStagecoach, that shaped their images in the medium going forward.
There’s no disputing Wayne and Stewart’s significance to the genre. Of the two, Wayne obviously has the better resume, with leading roles in an impressive number of movies now considered to be among thegreatest Westerns of all time. But Stewart, for his part, has also contributed his fair share of worthwhile entries into the world of Westerns. After all,James Stewart’s Westernsalso account for a few of the genre’s best, withWinchester ‘73being a notable example. Both he and Wayne spent decades building their Western pedigrees, and for both of them, 1939 was where it really started.
Destry Rides Again Was An Influential And Unique Western For 1939
Destry Rides Again Was A Great First Western For James Stewart
Years before James Stewart became a go-to Western in the 1950s and 1960s, he was cast as the male lead opposite Marlene Dietrich inDestry Rides Again. The second adaptation of a Tom Mix novel,Destry Rides Againsaw Stewart take on the title role of Destry, a gunslinger who hangs up his revolver and tries to bring order to a crime-ridden town by banning guns. As a Western, and his first experience with the genre,Destry Rides Againwas a different kind of movie for Stewart, who had mostly appeared in romantic comedies and dramas.
But while he was hardly an action hero at the time,Destry Rides Againwasn’t completely unchartered territory for him, as it drew from Stewart’s “nice guy” image and knack for comedy in a way that paid off wonderfully for the film…
But while he was hardly an action hero at the time,Destry Rides Againwasn’t completely unchartered territory for him, as it drew from Stewart’s “nice guy” image and knack for comedy in a way that paid off wonderfully for the film, which is arguably one ofJames Stewart’s best movies.Destry Rides Againleaned into this idea of James Stewart as a “fish out of water” in a Western movie, allowing Destry to come across as a unique, fresh take on the Western hero, with even the characters themselves being noticeably surprised by him.
Destry Rides Again’satypical Western protagonist and use of comedy offered a new direction for films of its kind to take. It admittedly didn’t lead to more Western roles for Stewart considering that he didn’t make another until 1950, but it did go a long way toward demonstrating that not all Westerns had to be serious action flicks centered on tough-as-nails gunslingers.
Stagecoach Made John Wayne A Star After A Decade Of Forgettable Westerns
John Wayne’s First Western Was The Big Trail, But Stagecoach Was His First Huge Hit
Unlike the situation with Stewart,1939 was not John Wayne’s introduction to Westerns. He was actually already quite experienced in Westerns by this point, having made over a dozen of them over the past decade. However, they were all low-budget productions and each failed to leave a lasting impression or meaningfully advance his career. That changed when he landed the starring role inStagecoach, a movie that not only redefined the genre but his standing in Hollywood. InStagecoach, the actor played the Ringo Kid, a gunslinger who joins a dangerous stagecoach ride, mingling with the strangers aboard and defending it from the threats they encounter along the way.
John Wayne’s grand entrance inStagecoachis essentially a metaphor for what it did for his career. How it shifted the spotlight to the Ringo Kid the moment he entered the story foreshadowed Wayne’s rise in Hollywood afterStagecoach. He went from a B-movie Western actor to the genre’s top star, appearing in much bigger movies and starring alongside major Hollywood talent in the years that followed, headlining quality films likeTall in the SaddleandThe Spoilerswith Randolph Scott.
Stagecoach & Destry Rides Again Are Two Of The Greatest Westerns Ever Made
Stagecoach & Destry Rides Again Are Easily 1939’s Best Westerns
Stagecoachis frequently cited as one of the best Westerns ever made, with its accolades making a strong case for that. It was nominated for a handful of Academy Awards, with John Ford taking home the Oscar for Best Actor. It still holds up today, as evidenced by its 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating.Stagecoachsucceeded in taking an intriguing premise, a story following a single stagecoach as it traverses the Wild Wild West, and used to deliver a thrilling adventure filled with memorable interactions between a diverse, well-developed cast of characters.
John Wayne’s 10 Most Frequent Co-Stars
John Wayne has collaborated with many incredible actors through multiple films in his extensive and iconic career spanning 50 years.
As forDestry Rides Again,it doesn’t have any Academy Awards to its name, but is remembered fondly nonetheless. Its 96% Rotten Tomatoes score, for instance, says a lot about the popularity it’s maintained. It was groundbreaking in its own way, as it was one of the first trulygreat Western comedies. But its differences from most Westerns don’t fully account for what makes it special; in fact, it actually implemented several Western tropes, but did so in a remarkable way. One example of this is the action, which offered one of theWestern genre’s best fist fights of all time.
Their respective legacies also speak to the value these Westerns brought to the genre. In the 1950s, the 1939 version ofDestry Rides Againwas given a surprisingly faithful remake that replaced James Stewart withprominent Western actor Audie Murphy, another actor who didn’t fit the standard gunslinger archetype.Destry Rides Againhas received other adaptations as well, including a TV series, further showcasing the influence it had.Stagecoachtoo has inspired other efforts to tell the story of the Ringo Kid, as the film has been remade twice, in 1966 with a star-studded cast and again in 1986 via a made-for-TV adaptation.
Stagecoach
Cast
Stagecoach, directed by John Ford, follows a diverse group of travelers on a stagecoach journey through dangerous Apache territory. As they face the threat of Geronimo, the passengers confront personal challenges and gain insight into each other’s lives amidst the perilous landscape.
