Stagecoach came out in 1939 to critical acclaim. It marked the first film of many in which director John Ford used Monument Valley as a backdrop for his narrative. It is also the film that made the iconic actor John Wayne a star. The film was shot both at a "movie ranch" in California and on location in Monument Valley.
The screenplay was adapted from a short story by Ernest Haycox and was also informed by Ford's love of another short story, Guy de Maupassant's "Boule de Suif." At the time of production, Westerns were not very popular in Hollywood, so Ford had a hard time finding producers until Walter Wanger agreed, but on the condition that John Wayne be replaced by Gary Cooper and Claire Trevor by Marlene Dietrich. As a compromise, Wanger gave Ford less money and Ford didn't have to replace his stars.
The film was an instant success, and Ford's intuition that John Wayne was a big star paid off. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won two. Critics were adoring, and many filmmakers still cite it as a masterclass in film. It is celebrated not only for its filmic and cinematographic merits, but for its mythic investigation of American history.
