Stagecoach (1939) and Bend of the River (1952)

This past summer I watched two great westerns, both of them involving journeys through dangerous terrain.

First, Stagecoach from 1939. Numerous characters with various personalities and backgrounds are forced to travel together, including a prostitute (Claire Trevor) and John Wayne who loves her despite her background. Thomas Mitchell won the Oscar for Outstanding Supporting Actor as the drunken doctor. He's hilarious especially all his banter with Donald Meek who plays a whiskey salesman. Then there's Andy Devine as the stage driver; he has some of the funniest lines. And then there's a funny scene when the stagecoach makes a stop at the way station and Meek is startled by an Apache and screams "is that a savage?" The Mexican innkeeper says, "Yes, that's my wife. She's a little savage". LOL There have been a few other versions made after this one as well. Directed by John Ford.

Another blog review from Wide Screen World (June 2020):

Then I caught up with Bend of the River at a local revival screening. I always enjoy seeing a Jimmy Stewart film on screen. Set in the 1840s/Gold-Rush era, Jimmy plays a cowboy with a checkered past who's hired to lead a group of settlers (including Julie Adams) westbound. During the journey, the wagon train survives a harsh indian attack and we meet a friend of Jimmy's played by Arthur Kennedy, who romances Julie and steals her away from Jimmy (but not for too long!).  The movie starts to get a bit more complicated when the group stops in Portland and we meet a gambler played by Rock Hudson; the biggest laugh from the crowed in the theater came when Rock eschews the flirtations from a female admirer. In the second act of the film, the wagon train has to deliver loads of food to a new settlement for the winter, and few of the hired hands (including Harry Morgan) conspire to make off with the goods. It's an exciting movie, but not as much comedic relief as Stagecoach. The character providing the most comic relief comes from Stepin Fetchit who plays a riverboat assistant. In the end, Jimmy redeems himself in the eyes of anyone who found him untrustworthy, including Julie's dad, who disapproved of him until the very end. Shot on location in Oregon. Also starring Francis Bavier ("Aunt Bea"). Directed by Anthony Mann.

A blog post from Just Hit Play here

While the City Sleeps (1953)

A good film noir directed by Fritz Lang about three newspaper reporters (Dana Andrews, Ida Lupino, and James Craig) who all work for a news media corporation lead by Vincent Price. The all star cast also features George Sanders, Thomas Michell and Howard Duff. Rhonda Fleming is also in this (wow) but she is not in the film enough - it's a very small role where she plays Vincent Price's wife who is having an affair with Craig.

On the loose in the city is a violent serial killer, dubbed the "lipstick killer"; all of his victims are female.

The killer, a deranged mamma's boy, is played by John Drew Barrymore (Drew Barrymore's father and son of the famed theater and silent film star).

Dana Andrews' reporter character hosts a nightly news TV program.

During one broadcast, in the most memorable scene in the film, he looks directly into the camera and speaks to the suspect on live TV, assuring his capture based on the all the evidence gathered. We then see a shot of the killer in his bedroom sweating nervously. He's then coddled by his overbearing momma.

The killer's next target: Andrews' ladyfriend (Sally Forrest - this was her last film)

John Drew Barrymore is quite convincing in this role, and very creepy; in real life I understand he was quite a disturbed man, and was a recluse for many years. I read a report where at one point he was homeless and broke, but his daughter helped him financially to pay medical bills before he died. On the bright side of things, he does have a bright shiny star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

PS This film is hard to find (it's not on DVD) but it can be seen on Turner Classic Movies from time to time.