James Stewart and John Wayne both had their genre-defining westerns in the same year

1939 was a massive year for Hollywood, offering a long list of now-iconic movies and career stepping stones for some of the era’s biggest stars. 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 again And StagecoachThat shaped their images in the medium ahead.

There is 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 the greatest Westerns of all time. But Stewart, for his part, has also contributed his fair share of worthy entries into the world of Westerns. After all, James Stewart’s Westerns also account for some of the genre’s best, with Winchester ’73 Being a notable example. Both he and Wayne spent decades building their Western pedigree, and for both of them, 1939 was where it really began.

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 in Destry rides again. The second adaptation of a Tom Mix novel, Destry rides again Seen Stewart take on the title role of Destry, a gunslinger who hangs up his revolver and tries to bring order to a crime-ridden city by banning guns. As a Westerner, and his first experience with the genre, Destry rides again was a different kind of movie for Stewart, who mostly appeared in romantic comedies and dramas.

But while he was hardly an action hero at the time, Destry rides again was not completely uncharted territory for him, as it was from Stewart’sNice guyImage and China for comedy in a way that pays off wonderfully for this film, which is arguably one of James Stewart’s best movies. Destry rides again Lind in the idea of ​​James Stewart as a “Fish out of water“In a western movieAllowing 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 Atypical western protagonist and use of comedy offered a new direction for films of its kind to take. Stewart obviously didn’t lead to more western roles, considering he didn’t make another one until 1950, but it went a long way to demonstrate that not all westerns have 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 Great Trail, but Stagecoach was his first huge hit

Unlike the situation with Stewart, 1939 was not John Wayne’s introduction to Westerns. He is actually already quite experienced in Westerns at this point, having made over a dozen of them in the last 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 got the starring role in StagecoachA movie that not only redefined the genre but its standing in Hollywood. in StagecoachThe actor played the Ringo Kid, a gunslinger who joins a dangerous stagecoach ride, mingling with the strangers aboard and protecting it from the threats they encounter along the way.

John Wayne’s Grand Entrance in Stagecoach is essentially a metaphor for what it did for his career. As it shifted the spotlight to the Ringo kid the moment he entered the story foreshadowed Wayne’s rise in Hollywood after Stagecoach. 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 following years, headlining quality films like High in the saddle And The spoilers With Randolph Scott.

Stagecoach and Destry Rides again are two of the greatest Westerns ever made

Stagecoach and Destry Rides Again are the best Westerns of 1939

Stagecoach is often cited as one of the best westerns ever made, with its accolades making a strong case for it. 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. Stagecoach Succeeded in taking an intriguing premise, a story following a single stagecoach as it traverses the Wild Wild West, and used to deliver an exciting adventure filled with memorable interactions between a diverse, well-developed cast of characters.

As for Destry spoke again, It doesn’t have any Academy Awards to its name, but is fondly remembered nonetheless. Its 96% Rotten Tomatoes score, for example, says a lot about the popularity it maintains. It was groundbreaking in its own way, as it was one of the first truly great Western comedies. But its differences from most Westerns do not fully account for what makes it special; In fact, it actually implemented some Western tropes, but did so in a remarkable way. One example of this is the fight, which offered one of the western 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 of Destry rides again was given a surprisingly faithful remake that replaced James Stewart with noted Western actor Audie Murphy, another actor who did not fit the standard gunslinger archetype. Destry rides again Has also received other adaptations, including a television series, further showing the influence it has had. Stagecoach It also inspired other efforts to tell the story of the Ringo Kid, as the film was remade twice, in 1966 with a star-studded cast and again in 1986 through a made-for-television adaptation.