Stagecoach

by Ernest Haycox

Originally written as "Stage to Lordsburg", "Stagecoach" became one of the great American western films in 1939 starring John Wayne. It is the story of several travelers who risk death, and worse, to reach Lordsburg, Arizona. This audiobook also includes "The Claim Jumpers", the story of a disillusioned doctor and a brave woman who join forces in a dangerous deception.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Short Stories, The United States Of America, Film, Historical Fiction

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1937

Reviews

[George Ilsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one short story, originally published in Collier's magazine, and later served as the basis for John Ford's classic western "Stagecoach". The movie of course is more dramatic, and less realistic.

The short story is a relic from a time when people sought their entertainment largely from reading. The outline of the story is more or less the same as the movie — a group of people lumped together to take the stage coach to Lordsburg.

[Saturn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ciò che ho apprezzato in questo brevissimo racconto è la capacità dell'autore di pennellare un mondo, quello del lontano West, usando dei personaggi praticamente inconsistenti. La maggior parte di questi non ha nome. Sono delle mere figure sullo sfondo di un paesaggio aspro, duro, fatto di violenza e assassinii. Il Far West è un luogo di usurpazioni: la sottrazione della terra, gli assalti alle diligenze, i furti al gioco.
La storia è senza capo né coda. L'elemento centrale è il racconto di un territorio conteso, dove c'è un forte contrasto fra l'assenza delle leggi e la rigidità della moralità sessuale.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of tales from one of the best short story authors in the western genre. This includes Stage to Lordsburg, the short that was turned into the great 1939 film Stagecoach. The others are fine tales as well, mostly stories of the military on campaign or settlers dealing with all the hardships of their life in a hostile land.

Highly recommended, Haycox is a great writer. He is probably the best pure writer in the genre I've read though sometimes his stories are little more then whispers of an ideal. Maybe not the best storyteller but no one can doubt his way with phrasing and descriptions.

[Izzie Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Miles Nilsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good as far as it goes, this wild West short story from 1937 can be a fun read. Ernest Haycox, an Oregon native, wrote many Western stories and clearly loved the genre. The prose is a little purple. (I would guess the author was drunk when he wrote much of it.) The point of view shifts from character to character too much. The Western characters are a bit clichéd: A hooker with a heart of gold is matched by a gunslinger with a heart of gold, and a colorful coachman, a gambler, an army officer's fiancée and a "drummer"--which means a liquor salesman--round out the cast, most without being particularly memorable.

The point of the story is that this kind of travel was extremely uncomfortable and dangerous. The author makes that point vividly. One of the otherwise colorless characters is most vivid and human in the way he dies (though, from what, exactly, we don't know!).

The story is historically difficult to place in a particular year or even decade. The principal, long-distance stage lines pretty much went out of business by 1869, soon replaced by railroads, but I am not sure about local stagecoach lines. The stagecoach in this story goes from a village called Tonto, Arizona (maybe in central Arizona? Gila County?) to the town of Lordsburg, on the southwestern edge of New Mexico. (A possible reason for such a route might have been that New Mexico had railroads before Arizona, and Lordsburg, relatively speaking, had one of the earliest train stations.)

A reference to Geronimo being on the warpath probably places this story no earlier than the 1870s and definitely no later than 1886 when Geronimo was captured for about the fifth and last time. There is also a reference in this story to "Al Schrieber's ranch," and there was a historical person named Al Sieber (but notice the difference in the names) who, from about 1868 to 1871, managed (but did not own) a ranch near Prescott, Arizona (which is nowhere near Lordsburg, New Mexico, as is the ranch in this story); but the difference in the names suggests that Haycox is being evocative here rather than informative.

Still, the lack of very many identifying historical references in this short story makes historical placement less problematic than is the case with the 1939 movie, "Stagecoach," which is based on this story. While the short story is sparing in its use of specific historical details, the movie gives so many historical details that, eventually, they become contradictory.

A few examples of Haycox's hypervivid prose are evinced in my notes on the text. I don't say his style is without charm, as when the author describes the dust falling off the rolling wheels of the coach as being like water--exactly the opposite substances standing in for each other: dust and water. It works there.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting and enjoyable short story which was the basis of the John Wayne film "Stagecoach", but it's quite herky jerky, and any suspense or build up is quickly completed and moved on to the next scene.

[Devero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Che dire? Ero curioso, avendo visto il film di John Ford con John Wayne una dozzina di volte, di leggere il racconto da cui fu sviluppata la sceneggiatura. Una buona lettura.

[Kellyt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great short story that is well worth the read. Haycox is one of the most gifted writers of westerns. He paints pictures of landscapes, characters, and moods with his words. Though there are obvious similarities with Ford’s movie and a later remake (which I loved), there are some key differences. I suggest you sit alone in a quiet place and let his words take you back to a time and place.

[Rosemary Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original Title: By Rope and Lead
Book of 9 short stories.
1 Stage to Lordsburg
2 A Question of Blood
3 Tactical Maneuver
4 Violent Interlude
5 Scout Detail
6 Weight of Command
7 Land Rush
8 Oh, Lovely Land
9 Change of Station
The first story Stage to Lordsburg became the famed 1939 Academy Award winning film, Stagecoach, with John Wayne, directed by John Ford, produced by Walter Wanger, and was remade by 20th Century Fox in 1966.

[John Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK but a little on the light side.

The film Stage coach is one of my all time favourites . I can see where the story works and where it needed to be expanded for the movies. Interesting for anyone who likes old cowboy films.

[J. T. K. Tobin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantasy and Horror are both the wrong categories to place this book into. This one is a pretty good western story that doesn't bring any unusually new ideas, but is told in a way that makes it adventurous. Just the right length for a short story.

[Sharon Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stagecoach

This is the short story upon which the movie with Clare Trevor and John Wayne was based. I like the .live better, but the story is pretty good.

[Emma Lorraine Harris]

The vibes are so good

[Joseba Bonaut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Precioso relato

[Montana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm shocked by how much I liked this. Read for a class.

[Jeffrey Powanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Western story that Dudley Nichols adapted for the screenplay of Stagecoach, the 1939 movie that made John Wayne a star. In just a few pages, the story provides plenty of atmosphere and an action-packed scenario. Given the brief length, characterization is necessarily superficial. There's an army girl, a gambler, a whisky drummer, an Englishman, a cattleman, the stagecoach driver, his shotgun guard, a blond man, and a prostitute. As the story proceeds, Haycox supplies subtle shadings of character for Henriette (the prostitute) and Malpais Bill (the blond man), who quickly strike up a romance. The story is short and easy to finish in fifteen minutes. It's a good warm-up to the movie, which earned seven Oscar nominations (including Best Picture).

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging short story published in Collier's April 10th, 1937 edition. I found it noteworthy in that having never traveled by Stagecoach. The prejudices amongst the passengers adhered to the culture of the time (and often the same today). The misadventure of traveling at the time bore problems we don’t face today. ---The movie "STAGECOACH" was much more dramatic and entertaining then the story but is good Western!

[Karine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this considering how short the yet actually is, I read this for a class on literature adaptations so now I have to watch the movie to see if it matches up to this delightful read.

[Richard Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Substandard western story with too many characters (a couple of them are just around to die) for its own good. I dig the movie, Stagecoach, which is based off of this short story, and i actually think the film is better than story. Meh. It's just okay.