Stagecoach (1966)

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I don't know what to say about the taste of those who like the 1939 version of this movie. The original version just flat SUCKS. The acting of Wayne sucks, and everyone but Andy Devine as Buck stunk it up (even John Carradine as McCoy, Mike Connors showed him how it's done in the 1966 version). There is nothing, I mean nothing, even remotely worth watching in the original, once was all I could stomach of it. The ending was gawd-awful; the Luke Plummer character was a sniveling coward. Keenan Wynn's Luke Plummer was sensational, and the ending in the 1966 version was light-years ahead of the 1939 version. All the actors and acting is infinitely better in this version. With the possible exceptions of McClintock, The Conqueror and The Green Berets, Stagecoach is hands-down the worst movie John Wayne ever made. Even the 1986 version is better than the 1939 one, and it sucks too.

Stagecoach (1966)** (out of 4) Ann-Margret, Red Buttons, Alex Cord, Mike Connors, Bing Crosby, Stefanie Powers, Van Heflin and Slim Pickens star in this (first) remake of John Ford's 1939 classic. The storyline is the same as a group of people are traveling across Apache territory trying to put up with one another and fighting off the Indians. Having now seen all three versions of this, I think this one here is the weakest but neither remake can come close to Ford's original. There are some good moments in this film but there's just not enough to really make it worth viewing. There are some noticeable changes here including the fact that this one is in color and comes in a full 2.35:1 ratio, which makes for some interesting cinematography. The color also allows for some great visuals to jump off the screen. Another major change is that we get quite a bit more violence including a terrific opening where some men are attacked by the Indians in a full-on force that includes some surprisingly violent moments including one guy taking a fatal axe to the face. With that said, there's not too much else that works here. The performances are all a mixed bag and that includes Ann-Margaret who is great to look at but she does very little in the role. Buttons and Crosby fit into their roles well but the screenplay really doesn't give them much to work with. Pickens and Heflin add some minor charm but, again, the screenplay offers them very little. The biggest problem with the film is Cord playing the role originally done by John Wayne. I certainly didn't expect him to equal Wayne but his performance is just so wrong for this role and the lack of any real energy or chemistry with Ann-Margret pretty much kills everything. The final couple action scenes aren't too bad but in the end you do have to question why they bothered remaking the film and not trying to do a bit more with it.

Many people question why this and other films that we think are great are remade. I don't know about many others, but I did hear about why this one may have been remade.Before there was Cable TV and Movie Classic Channels people like me were at the mercy of TV programmers. We could look through TV Guides or newspapers and hope to find a certain movie would be on and then maybe it was showing at a time we would actually be around to watch it. Didn't have VCR's back then either.Then there were movies that weren't available for TV. Sometimes the powers that be wouldn't allow the movie to be shown on TV because they didn't approve commercials interrupting the director's vision. Sometimes there was other reasons that they weren't available for TV.I heard that the 1939 version of Stagecoach was one these movies. I can't find anything about this online, but I seem to remember hearing it. I do know that I didn't see the 1939 version till sometime in the 1990's. I see it was re-released in 1996.So, if people were deprived of seeing the original, then I can see why a remake was done and they didn't do a bad job either. I had put off seeing the 1966 version simply because the original is readily available and played frequently on TV here. I got to see it today and it in no way comes close to the original, but it isn't anything that anyone connected to it need be embarrassed about.As for other classics being remade in this day and age when the originals are easily available, well, Don't even get me started on that tangent, makes me want to pick up my Winchester and ride the Stagecoach into Indian Territory!

Agree with a comment about another Edition of Stagecoach.....that with Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings etc. DON'T COMPARE this with the John Wayne movie....Just enjoy it on its own. Alex Cord is cool, Ann Margaret beautiful, Red Buttons and Bing Crosby fun..... I still use Red's lines "la la la la la la etc............." Keenan Wynn is great as usual....Even at that...let's compare a little..... This movie is IN COLOR....and it has great credit art by Norman Rockwell.... I bought the book....don't remember reading it..... maybe it is good..... BUT the book had the portraits of the main characters by Rockwell and the Stagecoach, as does the movie. Very cool. Jerry Goldsmith's music is quite nice and the song Stagecoach to Cheyenne (Pockriss and Vance) and the twangy jews harp..... memorable!Also...Remember, this is just on the verge of the Revolution....when the movies went akilter....the antihero came on etc. This is in the last tier of basic Nice Pleasant movies, when you knew who the good guys were and who the baddies were.... 1966. Italian spaghetti westerns were just being made this year, too. The good writing from the first movie ....the basic plot is still here and it holds together.... This group of people have to or need to go to Cheyenne, even though it could mean attack from Indians. Danger.Slim Pickens is Great as Buck, the Coach Driver and Van Heflin, the co-star of Shane, is fun to see in a western once more,too..... Enjoy!