Stagecoach

Some movies just shouldn't be remade. Gone With the Wind, Casablanca . . . and Stagecoach. For some reason, though, Hollywood can't keep its hands off it. It was remade (badly) in 1966, and this one is even worse. It looks like a bunch of wannabe cowboys with some money decided they could make a western better than John Ford could (Willie Nelson was the executive producer of this), and they couldn't possibly have been more wrong. Everything, absolutely EVERYTHING, about this movie is pathetic. Ted Post is normally a first-rate director, especially of westerns (he did most of the "Rawhide" series with Clint Eastwood), but he either had a really bad day, or (what seems to be more likely) everyone in the cast simply ignored what he told them; there doesn't appear to be any discipline at all in this film. Everybody keeps trying to out-ham everyone else, or they're either so laid-back they're practically comatose. The photography isn't particularly good, the editing is horrendous, the scenery around Old Tucson (where this was shot) is completely wasted . . . and on and on. A really sad waste of time and money. Skip it.

The iconic characters of Ernest Haycox's Stage To Lordsburg is given yet another remake with four country/western legends in the cast. Kris Kristofferson is the Ringo Kid, with Johnny Cash as the US Marshal, Willie Nelson is Doc Holiday, and Waylon Jennings as the gambler Hatfield. It's not the desert poetical version that John Ford made, but this can hold its own.

As you can see the doctor on the trip is the famous true life Doc Holiday instead of the inebriated former Union Army surgeon that Thomas Mitchell won an Oscar playing in the first version. There are other plot changes as well.

However without the showdown of Ringo Kid with Luke Plummer and the Apache attack on the moving coach this would not be Stagecoach and rest assured it is most definitely included. They are staged well if different from the 1939 and 1966 versions.

Others in the cast are John Schneider as the driver and he's not the comic figure that Andy Devine was. Anthony Newley is the whiskey salesman and Anthony Franciosa is the banker Gatewood who makes a very sudden decision to travel just as in the original.

The women are Elizabeth Ashley as Dallas the saloon girl and Mary Crosby plays the pregnant army captain's wife Mrs. Mallory. Her father Bing Crosby was Doc Boone in the 1966 remake.

The quartet of legends makes this one really work.

The acting is fine. The scenery is great. The plot is famous. The directing is good. The country music is fantastic. And if you can't watch Willy, Waylon, Kris, Johnny, and a great cast you should stick with the Hollywood crowd cause you don't understand fine movies by legendary entertainers of several skills. Personally, I love all these guys and they made a thousand movies I'd watch them all.

This film begins with several passengers boarding a stagecoach in Tonto, Arizona which is heading east to Lordsburg, New Mexico. As they begin their journey they are told that Geronimo and his Apaches are on the warpath and that the stagecoach is possibly headed right into that general vicinity. Although this news causes some concern to the passengers they all agree to proceed as they each have important matters to attend to at their final destination. However, to make matters even more complicated, one of the female passengers by the name of "Mrs. Lucy Mallory" (Mary Crosby) is pregnant and due to have the baby at any time. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this remake of the 1939 classic is notable for having several Country-Western singers to include , Waylon Jennings (as the gambler named "Hatfield"), Willie Nelson ("Doc Holliday"), Johnny Cash ("Marshal Curly Wilcox"), Kris Kristofferson ("the Ringo Kid"), June Carter ("Mrs. Pickett) , and Jessi Coulter ("Martha"). Somewhat surprisingly, they all performed rather well with Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash probably standing out the most. In any case, while this film might not be quite as good as the original, it was still enjoyable enough and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

this is(a far as i can tell)the third version of the classic movie first directed in 1939 by John Ford and starring John Wayne.i haven't seen the second film(1966)so i can't comment on that one.this 1986 version though,i can comment on.in my mind,it doesn't come near to the original,which is a classic,and one of the best movies i have seen.this version has in many of the starring roles,Country and western singers of the era,including Willie Nelson,Waylon Jennings,Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson.also in the cast are John Schneider(TV's Dukes of Hazard),June Carter Cash,Jessi Colter(wife of Waylon Jennings),and Mary Crosby(TV's Dallas)the movie was an entertaining diversion,but the acting was underwhelming.The only decent performance of the bunch came from Kristofferson.most of the dialogue wasn't that great,either,including a lot of one or two word conversations.and what was up with Mary Crosby and those lips,which looked like she'd had an allergic reaction to peanuts or shellfish,or something.either way,it looked stupid.the movie was also slow,with not much happening of any consequence,and almost zero character development.when it was over,i was indifferent to it.it's nothing memorable and will probably have faded from my mind in a day or so.still,if you have nothing better to do,it passes about 90 minutes or so.for me Stagecoach(1986)is a 6/10