 The NBC Theatre presents Screen Directors Guild Assignment Production Stagecoach Director John Ford Stores John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Ward Bond The Screen Directors Guild Production of the United Artists Motion Picture Classic Stagecoach Starring John Wayne, Claire Trevor, and Ward Bond And introducing the director of the film, John Ford Before we begin our story, here are a few words about the entertainment you will hear tonight and in future weeks at this time The NBC Theatre is proud to welcome the president of the Screen Directors Guild and the eminent director of such films as Variety Girl, The Perils of Pauline, and Tap Roots Mr. George Marshall Thank you and good evening This is the first performance of a series of Screen Directors Guild Productions in which the directors will personally bring you their favorite film assignments along with the stars who created the original roles Tonight, your director is John Ford John, if you remember, is the winner of five Academy Awards The guiding hand behind such great pictures as the informer How green was my valley, and of course, Stagecoach You're on the set, John Thank you, George And good luck on our first production Stagecoach is ready to roll The first time I made that crack was about ten years ago I first had the opportunity of putting on film this romance of the West For the cast, the picture offers an array of colorful character types ripe for the actor's talents Now the story and the cast are united again Here is Stagecoach with John Wayne as the Ringo kid Claire Trevor as Dallas and Ward Bond as Doc Boone In 1885, the Stagecoach was the only means of travel on the American frontier and in those days, no names struck more dread into the hearts of travelers and Geronimo, leader of the warlike Apaches This folks is a story of a party of people who travel from Tonto to Lord'sburg by Stagecoach in 1885 It's a story still told by the Indians In the land of Arizona, land of the Apache Indian where the Roman Chiricowa fought the mighty white invader stood the white man's city, Tonto Tonto where the flying wagon that the white man called the Stagecoach stopped to take men to the westward where Geronimo was leader, chief of the Apache Indian The patches on the warpath up ahead, burning every ranch in sight Then the question before the party is assembled in this Stagecoach is shall we continue? I say yes, continue Mrs. Mallory, should you be travelling in your condition? My husband is in Apache Wells with his troops I want to be with him when our baby arrives Madam, I am a gambler and I admire and respect a bold gamble but aren't you gambling with a life besides your own? Oh, I forgot to tell you, Mr. Hatfield we're getting a cavalry escort for Apache Wells That settles it, I'm going on Count me in, of course, Buck All right, now we'll find my shotgun guard You don't have to go no further, Buck What? Curly, well don't go Now how are you, Sheriff? Fine, thanks, and I'll be riding shotgun up next to you this trip, Buck You? What fur? A Ringo kid escaped from prison, I'm looking for him The fellow who shot Jed Michael dead? I hear he's heading for Lord'sburg to shoot it out with the three plumber boys so I'll be right up there next to you, Buck, all the way to Lord'sburg Top of the hill now, there comes the stagecoach Better stand back a bit, Doc Yeah, stand down on the road there, Dallas girl Thanks, Doc Hail the stagebrush chariot Doc, Doc, why do I have to leave town? Because all these women here say I have to I don't want to go to Lord'sburg No more do I, Dallas But you are a lady somewhat too hospitable to gentlemen And I am a doctor, somewhat too hospitable to spirits We girl are the Dregs and Tonto They send us from their midst Come, Dallas, be a glorified drink like me Whoa, whoa, whoa! Engine to rise in, Doc I thank them for that mark of respect Tell them they may be seated now Enter, Dallas Thanks, Tom Take your place beside the other lady Then forward On to Lord'sburg Why don't you drive into this canyon, Buck? Well, I am to be hard to shoot at in case your animals or patches are in these hills I'm with you, Buck, along Well, that don't make me bulletproof There she comes, a patchy! If you're shared on it, stop the coach It ain't a patchy Summon up ahead, blocking the road with a rifle It's a Ringo kid Didn't expect to find the sheriff riding shotgun I was heading for Lord'sburg, same as you, Ringo Well, my horse went lame, so you got another passenger I'll take that rifle first, Ringo That's so, Sheriff You're under arrest for the murder of Jed Michael Sorry, Curly, but this Winchester here says difference Sorry, Ringo If you look back up the road apiece you will see our escort of the United States Cavalry coming up Oh I'll take that rifle now, Ringo Sure, Sheriff You better hold on to it You may need it before we get to Lord'sburg Thanks You can get into the coach now What's your blight, Sheriff? Get going, Buck! Yep! Silly! Ringo kid, huh? My friends call me Ringo Right name's Henry And you? Say, I fixed your arm when you was just a little sprout He's no higher than a quarter of bourbon That was my kid brother, Brokey's arm You did a good job, too, Doc Even if you was drunk Well, thank you, son How's your brother now? He was murdered Oh, no Him and my dad But the three plumber boys Well, good luck when you get to Lord'sburg, son Thanks, Doc Mrs. Mallory, you're tired Would you like to rest your head on my shoulder? No, thank you Mr. Hatfield Would you mind if I sat over on your side of the coach? Not at all, ma'am Excuse me Yes, of course Right here, Mrs. Mallory Thank you, Mr. Hatfield I must have the plague, huh, Dallas? No Oh, no, it's not you Have a drink, Hatfield No, thank you No, thank you, he says Have a drink, Doc Yes, thank you You're not going to move away from me, are you? No, Ringo Well, I guess I can't expect to break out of prison and into society in the same week Shh, she'll hear you Yeah, I guess I'm pretty dumb for sitting down beside a lady like you, Dallas A lady? Thanks for an unmoving Don't, don't, please Why are you looking at me like that? Ain't I seen you someplace before? No No, no, you haven't I wish I had, though I know you, I mean, I know who you are I used to be a good cowhand A few years back Things happened Yes, things happened Well, oh, well, oh Drink up, Doc, drink up Doc's getting his newt bowl Things happen And now they'll take you back to prison Not till I finish a job in Lord'sburg Ringo, I wish you wouldn't Wish I wouldn't what? Nothing Nothing Don't found that driver Why doesn't he drive more carefully? He's playing it smart, Hatfield He took to the mountains Apaches don't like snow I'll be all right, Mr. Hatfield Thank you A patchy whale's got the head A patchy whale's been in his troops Meet us here The wrangler tells me that Captain Mallory Has been sent ahead to Lord'sburg Lord'sburg? Well, we'd better turn around And follow the cavalry escort to Tomfield We can't do that With the patches on the warpath It ain't safe to go through a patchy country Without escort I say we ought to turn back There's only one way to find out Take a vote What do you say, Mrs. Mallory? On to Lord'sburg or back to Tonto I want my husband with me When our baby's born Doc, ain't you forgot this lady? You mean Dallas? Oh, I say go I've nothing to go back to Doc? Merzburg Pass the bottle, pass the bottle Ringo Ringo's my prisoner I'm voting his proxy I say Lord'sburg Hadfield I am at the service of Mrs. Mallory Thank you Look Well, Lord'sburg it is I'll just all step inside And get some grub Looks spry Better take my arm up these steps, Mrs. Mallory No, thank you Really, I'm quite... Mrs. Mallory I've got her Dr. Boone Mrs. Mallory needs your help What? Oh, it's no use, he's drunk Ringo Yeah? I don't know for sure But I think you'd better go inside And start heating some water All you want an handsome An handsome Carrier inside, Mr. Hadfield Allow me Allow me I'll carry her myself, you sot Thank you, sir You drunken swine Thank you Now, if you'll open the door for me, Dallas Yes Drunken swine of a doctor Doc, honest Aren't you ashamed? Did I understand that swine To call me a drunken swine? No I wish I could do something There is something you can do, Buck Yeah, but what can you do In your condition? I can drink all of the hot Black coffee you can make I, sir, am a doctor Now, get busy Get busy NBC Theatre is presenting The Screen Director's Guild Production of Stagecoach Starring Claire Trevor, John Wayne And Ward Bond With Screen Director John Ford Apache Wells, the white man called it Here the white score had her child While the flying wagon waited Waited while my tribesmen gathered On the hills and on the desert Gathered the Apache warriors The white score had her child And the flying wagon waited Oh, it makes me nervous Being held up like this in Apache Country You just want to be mad at us again Quiet, Buck Someone's coming Dallas It's a little girl A girl Let me see it Well, I'll be dogged That's real fine, ain't it, Dallas Real fine Oh, yes, girl, it's... It's fine I'll explain it to you sometime, Buck Listen, boys Doc Boone Three cheers for Doc Boone Never mind the three cheers Just pour me four fingers instead I'm thirsty Ringo Uh-oh You oughtn't be outside here at night alone That she's like to pick off strays Well, you're here now I watched you with that baby today You looked... You looked well nice I just wanted to hold it a minute You're visiting in Lord'sburg? Uh, I have friends there Oh, good Ringo, why don't you escape? I aim to in Lord'sburg Why not now? Why not go over the border now? My father and brother were shot down by the plumber boys I guess you don't know how it feels to lose your folks that way My folks were killed by Indians when I was a kid Oh, that's tough It's a hard country Especially for a girl You have to live no matter what That's it Look, Miss Dallas, you've got no folks, neither have I Maybe I'm crazy to ask you But, well, I still got a ranch down across the border And I... Well, I guess I'm crazy being close to you like this, but... Ringo... You don't know me You don't know who I am I know I want to marry you, Dallas That ain't an answer, Dallas Ringo, you can't go to Lord'sburg Not now The plumber boys will be three to one against you You'll get killed Can't tell You can't win Can't run away from it either How can you talk about our life together when you want to throw your life away? Well, what do you want me to do? Get away I'll follow you You mean that, Dallas? Well, I just can't leave Mrs. Mallory and her baby now But listen There's a horse all saddled and ready for you in the corral What? Yeah, there's a rifle in the saddle boot Now get going I'll come after you I'm counting on that, Dallas, with my life Goodbye, Ringo Watch out for Apaches I got a rifle now and I got you Don't worry, Dallas I'll be waiting Smoke signals on the ridge Apaches I got to warn Dallas and the others I got to go back Yeah Mrs. Smokedachiracawa fires Rise the fires told my nation Strike the white man's flying wagon Rise, my kinsmen Rise, Apaches Chieftains, horsemen, lances, rifles Stagecoach on the Lord's Burg trail What's the signals on the Mesa? What's the writing in the sky? What's my fears, Apaches, horsemen? Follow on the Lord's Burg trail I say we're out of danger now thanks to Ringo here Very decent of you to come back, Ringo I wouldn't be too sure we're out of danger yet, Edfield We'll be in Lord's Burg soon, then Very soon How's the baby? Sleeping Doc told me what you did for me Thank you very much, Dallas You know, danger wets my appetite Indeed it does We see There must be a bottle of something left in this bag A bullet It just missed your head, Doc On the floor, Miss Mallory Dallas, you and Miss Mallory, get down Apaches, hundreds of them Oh, there we go Curly's calling you from the driver's seat, Ringo Is your winch asked to use it, man, you? Got my rifle See that engine on that Mustang coming alongside? Don't talk Shoot Well, now you seem a dog Baby all right? Yes, baby The huge channel will be good enough to shoot Indians instead of me Edfield, let's hit Get that Apache, I'll help Hatfield Got it Easy, Hatfield I can use the warm-up up here Stop, shoot Ammunition Why have Buck and Curly stopped firing outside? Buck's hit, Curly's empty, too This looks like it No That's enough Indians won't get you or Mrs. Mallory or the baby No No, they won't Listen How's Hatfield? How's Hatfield? Good Good night, Ringo Is this where you live in Lord'sburg? I told you I warned you I told you you didn't know me This part of town is no place for a nice girl But it's all right for me Say goodbye, Ringo Say goodbye I asked you to marry me, didn't I? I'll never forget you asked me Go on back and wait for me in the stagecoach Where are you going? Business With the plumber boys I'll just take a slow walk down Main Street And see what happens Dear Lord The stagecoach don't pass much for a church But I'm praying to you here Please, Lord It's three to one against Ringo out there And the plumber boys are dead shots Awful dead shots, Lord Like I was saying, Lord It's two to one, Lord He's all I got And all I ever want So please, dear Lord Please let me have him back Please, please, please Get out of here, then Escape Don't have to anymore Before he cased in, Luke Plummer confessed he killed Jed Michael They didn't even hurt you Dead shots like the plumber boys Deadest dead shots you ever saw Dallas, what are you crying for? Nothing's happened Riders of the flying wagon In the land of Arizona Where Geronimo was chief In the great land in the desert Where the flying wagon galloped That the white man called the stagecoach Bringing brave men to the west Our stars will return in just a moment The NBC theater has presented The Screen Directors Guild production of Stagecoach Starring John Wayne, Clare Trevor, and Ward Bond And introduced by John Ford In the weeks to come The Screen Directors Guild will bring you Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Robert Montgomery Rosalind Russell, James Mason, and Irene Dunn And next week, the NBC theater presents Screen Director Richard Wallace Introducing the current film comedy Let's Live a Little, starring Robert Cummings And now, here again is our special guest The president of the Screen Directors Guild Mr. George Marshall The premiere production of the Screen Directors Entry into radio has now joined the Stagecoach itself In that great fund of memories known as the past And speaking for the Guild I would like to express our gratitude To the national broadcasting company For the opportunity to better acquaint the public With the work and role of the Screen Director Take it away, John Ford Well, how do you hardy frontiersmen Like pioneering in an NBC studio Instead of the badlands of Arizona? Very much. You know, just the memory Of that dust is enough to send me running home To wash my hair. This is wonderful. What do you mean? I'm just playing with a horse. You know, I think it's wonderful That the Screen Director is being honored like this He's the fellow who really makes the movie As for us actors and actresses Where we be without you, Pappy And others like you You tell us our business. That's all I can say They're talking about wonderful things It's a wonder that Pappy here hasn't yet displayed His fine tyrannical hand How do you do? That's so war, John As long as we're speaking about fine tyrannical hands Look, are we going to do this again Because if so, I might take you first Yeah, I thought so. You'd have something to say about it We had that same trouble ten years ago That's right Now look, John, don't you remember? This is radio. There are no retakes Good night, everybody Our thanks to our stars John Wayne, Claire Trevor and Ward Bob And the Screen Director is George Marshall and John Ford Also heard were Barbara Fuller, Peter Leeds Horace Murphy, Norman Field, Dan Riss Ken Carson and Eddie Fields Tonight's story was adapted by Milton Geiger And original music was composed and conducted by Henry Russell Production was under the supervision of Howard Wiley Your announcer, Frank Barton John Wayne can soon be seen in John Ford's Argosy production, Three Godfathers And Claire Trevor appears in the soon-to-be-released Amusement Enterprises picture, The Lucky Stiff Lord Bond is currently appearing in the Victor Fleming production Joan of Arc Listen again next week when the NBC Theatre presents Screen Director's Guild assignment Production, let's live a little Director Richard Wallace, star Robert Cummings Don't miss an hour now of America's Favorite music, old tunes and new hits Over most of these stations This is NBC, the national broadcasting company