Stagecoach to Fury (1956) User Reviews

Routine good guys vs. bad guys in the old west.

[bux · 5/10 · 23 October 1998]

This seems to be a loose re-make of "Rawhide"1951). The original being the better of the two. Tucker, Blanchard, and Fix tend to their acting chores adequately, however, considering producer Lyon brought to the screen such low-budget classics as 'Silver Star" and "Silent Raiders" this routine effort is decidedly disappointing. Nominated for 'best B&W photography, this is one of the last movies to be considered in that category, the Academy dropping it shortly thereafter.

Western hostage drama

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 20 December 2014]

An interesting group of passengers on the Stagecoach To Fury get waylaid at a stagecoach station and taken as hostage. The bandits led by Rodolfo Hoyos are expecting a shipment of gold on the stage, but it isn't there. To save the others lives especially after Hoyos shoots and wounds driver Paul Fix, guard Forrest Tucker gives up the fact they're to meet the shipment at the station. So the bandits sit there and wait. And also kill a few useless passengers who try to make their own plans separate from Tucker and Fix.

Compared to most on the Stagecoach that was the title of the John Ford classic film these are a pretty scurvy lot as some flashbacks show. The bandits are almost dishing out some cosmic justice to these people.

This independent western released by 20th Century Fox even got some Academy recognition with a nomination for black and white cinematography. The cinematography of the final shootout in the desert and the holdup is well done.

In the cast my favorite is Mari Blanchard who plays one coldhearted woman who thinks that men just grovel at a wink from her. Does she ever find out different. And she has a nasty secret kept from the rest of the hostages.

A solid B western, you can't go wrong with this.

An Okay Grade-B Western

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 3 February 2021]

This film begins in the American Southwest with a stagecoach headed to a small town named Fury and stopping at a way station along the way. The passengers themselves are a disparate lot which includes a gunslinger trying to make a reputation for himself, a conniving wife who is cheating on her husband, and a cowardly judge. Also included among the passengers is a young woman named "Ann Stewart" (Leslie Banning) who is engaged to the man riding shotgun by the name of "Frank Townsend" (Forrest Tucker). As it so happens, Frank is also a cavalry officer and the reason he is on this particular stagecoach is because he is doing some reconnaissance for another wagon trailing about a day behind which is carrying a strongbox full of gold. What nobody realizes, however, is that a Mexican bandit by the name of Lorenzo Gracia" is waiting at a nearby waystation with a dozen men with the intention of taking the strongbox for himself-and he has no qualms about killing everyone to get his hands on it. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an okay B-movie which suffers somewhat by the obvious stereotypes and mediocre acting. It does feature a couple of interesting characters, however, with the malicious wife "Barbara Duval" (Mari Blanchard) and the dastardly gunslinger "Ralph Slader" (Wright King) standing out the most in my opinion. Again though, while there is really nothing special about this movie, I found it good enough for the time spent and have rated it accordingly. Average.

A very interesting little western

[searchanddestroy-1 · 9 April 2008]

I discovered it only yesterday, and I was very pleased. I did not expect so much. An excellent grade B movie as I love. It would be a great pleasure to see those like it more often.

OK, we have seen many times the scheme of bad guys vs good guys; see "Rawhide", Henry Hathaway's film...

But the characterization of the individuals is, for me, very interesting. It is unusual in a B movie. And I don't especially appreciate flashbacks...

It is a pleasant western, shot by Bill Claxton in the mid fifties, before some other B features such as Quiet Gun, Young and Dangerous and Stage to Thunder Rock...

Don't hesitate to see it, if you can.