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John Ford
Director 1894 - 1973

John Ford

Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA

John Ford (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973) was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach (1939), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The... Read full bio →

Directed Films

Every film this person directed

55 titles
7 Women

7 Women

John Ford 1966 1h 27m 7.5

In a mission in China in 1935, a group of women are preyed on by Mongolian bandits, led by Warlord chief Tunga Khan.

Cheyenne Autumn

Cheyenne Autumn

John Ford 1964 2h 37m 7.5

A reluctant cavalry Captain must track a defiant tribe of migrating Cheyennes.

Donovan's Reef

Donovan's Reef

John Ford 1963 1h 49m 6.0

'Guns' Donovan prefers carousing with his pals Doc Dedham and 'Boats' Gilhooley, until Dedham's high-society daughter Amelia shows up in their South Seas paradise.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

John Ford 1962 2h 3m 8.3

Coming home for a friend funeral, a senator tells his story.

How the West Was Won

How the West Was Won

John Ford, George Marshall 1962 2h 44m 7.2

Hollywood's most celebrated luminaries - behind the camera as well as in front of it - combine talents to present this epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War to the end of the century, as seen through the eyes of one pioneer family.

Two Rode Together

Two Rode Together

John Ford 1961 1h 49m 6.7
Sergeant Rutledge

Sergeant Rutledge

John Ford 1960 1h 51m 7.0

Respected black cavalry Sergeant Brax Rutledge stands court-martial for raping and killing a white woman and murdering her father, his superior officer.

The Horse Soldiers

The Horse Soldiers

John Ford 1959 1h 55m 6.3

A Union Cavalry outfit is sent behind confederate lines in strength to destroy a rail/supply centre. Along with them is sent a doctor who causes instant antipathy between him and the commander. The secret plan for the mission is overheard by a southern belle who must be taken along to assure her silence.

The Last Hurrah

The Last Hurrah

John Ford 1958 1h 57m 7.0

Frank Skeffington is an old Irish-American political boss, running for re-election as mayor of a U.S. town for the last time.

The Wings of Eagles

The Wings of Eagles

John Ford 1957 1h 50m 5.0

The story of Frank W. "Spig" Wead - a Navy-flyer turned screenwriter.

The Searchers

The Searchers

John Ford 1956 1h 59m 7.8

As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.

The Long Gray Line

The Long Gray Line

John Ford 1955 2h 18m

The life story of a salt-of-the-earth Irish immigrant, who becomes an Army Noncommissioned Officer and spends his 50 year career at the United States Military Academy at West Point. This includes his job-related experiences as well as his family life and the relationships he develops with young cadets with whom he befriends.

Mister Roberts

Mister Roberts

John Ford, Mervyn LeRoy 1955 2h 3m 6.0

Mr. Roberts is as an officer who's yearning for battle but is stuck in the backwaters of World War II on a non-commissioned Navy ship run by the bullying Captain Morton.

The Sun Shines Bright

The Sun Shines Bright

John Ford 1953 1h 42m

William Pittman Priest has to use all his wiles to retain his position as judge in his Kentucky hometown, while continuing to be a voice for the town's underclass and for democratic values.

Mogambo

Mogambo

John Ford 1953 1h 56m 6.0

On a Kenyan safari, white hunter Victor Marswell has a love triangle with seductive American socialite Eloise Kelly and anthropologist Donald Nordley's cheating wife Linda.

What Price Glory

What Price Glory

John Ford 1952 1h 50m

Two soldiers compete for the love if a young Frenchwoman during World War I.

The Quiet Man

The Quiet Man

John Ford 1952 2h 9m 7.8

A disgraced American boxer retires to Ireland, where he finds love.

When Willie Comes Marching Home

When Willie Comes Marching Home

John Ford 1950 1h 22m

When Willie leaves home to join the war effort he is all ready to become a hero, but he is only frustrated when his posting ends up to be in his home town, and he is recruited into training, keeping him from the action. However, when he finds himself accidently behind enemy lines he unexpectedly becomes a hero after all.

Wagon Master

Wagon Master

John Ford 1950 1h 26m 8.5

A group of Mormons attacked by Indians is saved by two young riders,Travis and Sandy. The Mormons hire them as guides to the San Juana Valley, were they intend to settle.

Rio Grande

Rio Grande

John Ford 1950 1h 45m 7.6

Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke is posted on the Texas frontier to defend settlers against depredations of marauding Apaches. Col. Yorke is under considerable stress by a serious shortage of troops of his command. Tension is added when Yorke's son (whom he hasn't seen in fifteen years), Trooper Jeff Yorke, is one of 18 recruits sent to the regiment.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

John Ford 1949 1h 44m 7.5

After Custer's defeat at the Little Big Horn, a US Cavalry Captain takes his troop out on a final patrol to handle a breakout from a nearby Indian reservation. His mission is further complicated by the commanding officer's wife and niece who accompany the patrol.

Fort Apache

Fort Apache

John Ford 1948 2h 8m 6.7

Lieutenant Colonel Thursday takes the command of Fort Apache. Arrogant and ambitious, he elaborates a risky scheme to lure and vanquish the Apache chief Cochise and his warriors.

3 Godfathers

3 Godfathers

John Ford 1948 1h 42m 8.0

Three outlaws on the run discover a dying woman and her baby. They swear to bring the infant to safety across the desert, even at the risk of their own lives.

The Fugitive

The Fugitive

John Ford 1947 1h 40m 2.0

Anti-Catholic and anti-cleric policies in the Mexican state of Tabasco lead the revolutionary government to persecute the state's last remaining priest.

My Darling Clementine

My Darling Clementine

John Ford 1946 1h 37m 7.6

"My Darling Clementine" is John Ford's retelling of the famous shoot out at the OK Corral that arose from the the Earp Clanton feud.

They Were Expendable

They Were Expendable

John Ford 1945 2h 15m 7.9

A dramatized account of the role of the American PT Boats in the defense of the Philippines in World War II.

The Battle of Midway

The Battle of Midway

John Ford 1942 18m

The Japanese attack on Midway in June 1942, filmed as it happened. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive, in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, in 2006.

Tobacco Road

Tobacco Road

John Ford 1941 1h 24m 7.5

Shiftless Jeeter Lester and his family of hillbilly stereotypes live in a rural backwater where their ancestors were once wealthy planters. Their slapstick existence is threatened by a bank's plans to take over the land for more profitable farming.

How Green Was My Valley

How Green Was My Valley

John Ford 1941 1h 58m 6.8

At the turn of the century in a Welsh mining village, the Morgans (he stern, she gentle) raise coal-mining sons and hope their youngest will find a better life. Lots of atmosphere, very sentimental view of pre-union miners' lives.

The Long Voyage Home

The Long Voyage Home

John Ford 1940 1h 45m

The crew of the merchant ship Glencairn hope to survive a transatlantic crossing during World War II. Adapted from four Eugene O'Neill one-act plays.

The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath

John Ford 1940 2h 9m 8.4

The Grapes of Wrath is a social drama filmed in 1939 based on the novel by the same name from acclaimed author John Steinbeck.

Young Mr. Lincoln

Young Mr. Lincoln

John Ford 1939 1h 40m 7.5

In this dramatized account of his early law career in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln is born into a modest log cabin, where he is encouraged by his first love, Ann Rutledge, to pursue law. Following her tragic death, Lincoln establishes a law practice in Springfield, where he meets a young Mary Todd.

Stagecoach

Stagecoach

John Ford 1939 1h 36m 8.0

Stagecoach is a western film from director John Ford. John Wayne stars as The Ringo Kid and would become world famous from the film.

Drums Along the Mohawk

Drums Along the Mohawk

John Ford 1939 1h 40m 8.3

After leaving a life of luxury, newlyweds Gil and Lana Martin settle on a farm on the New York frontier, only to be caught in the crossfire of Loyalists and Native Americans as the Revolutionary War begins.

Four Men and a Prayer

Four Men and a Prayer

John Ford 1938 1h 25m 9.0

The sons of a disgraced British officer try to clear his name.

Wee Willie Winkie

Wee Willie Winkie

John Ford 1937 1h 40m 6.0

In 1897, little Priscilla Williams, along with her widowed mother, goes to live with her army colonel paternal grandfather on the British outpost he commands in northern India.

The Prisoner of Shark Island

The Prisoner of Shark Island

John Ford 1936 1h 33m 7.3

After healing the leg of the murderer John Wilkes Booth — responsible for the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln — Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, considered part of the atrocious conspiracy, is sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to the sinister Shark Island Prison.

Mary of Scotland

Mary of Scotland

John Ford 1936 2h 3m 8.0

The recently widowed Mary Stuart returns to Scotland to reclaim her throne but is opposed by her half-brother and her own Scottish lords.

The Informer

The Informer

John Ford 1935 1h 31m 7.3

In 1922, an Irish rebel informs on his friend, then feels doom closing in.

Steamboat Round the Bend

Steamboat Round the Bend

John Ford 1935 1h 21m 10.0

A Louisiana con man enters his steamboat into a winner-take-all race with a rival while trying to find a witness to free his nephew, about to be hanged for murder.

The Lost Patrol

The Lost Patrol

John Ford 1934 1h 13m 7.0

A dozen British soldiers, lost in a Mesopotamian desert during World War I, are menaced by unseen Arab enemies.

Judge Priest

Judge Priest

John Ford 1934 1h 20m 10.0

Judge Priest, a proud Confederate veteran, restores the justice in a small town in the Post-Bellum Kentucky using his common sense and his great sense of humanity.

Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage

John Ford 1933 1h 36m

A mother from Arkansas is very possessive of her grown son. To prevent him from getting married she has him drafted into WW I.

Doctor Bull

Doctor Bull

John Ford 1933 1h 19m

Doc Bull, a no-nonsense country doctor who has served his community for decades, fights small-town prejudice and provincialism in several crises.

Flesh

Flesh

John Ford 1932 1h 36m

Gifted German wrestler Polokai falls in love with ex-con Laura, who persuades him to emigrate to America and gets him involved with crooked promoters.

Arrowsmith

Arrowsmith

John Ford 1931 1h 48m

Based on Sinclair Lewis's novel "Arrowsmith". A medical researcher is sent to a plague outbreak, where he has to decide priorities for the use of a vaccine.

Up the River

Up the River

John Ford 1930 1h 25m

Daily life at men and women's prison units where baseball and the marching band are serious business. Two prisoners escape in order to help paroled Steve from being blackmailed by his girlfriend's ex-partner-in-crime.

Born Reckless

Born Reckless

John Ford 1930 1h 22m

In order to use the publicity to get re-elected, a judge sentences a notorious gangster to fight in the war.

Riley the Cop

Riley the Cop

John Ford 1928 1h 8m

In this early comedy from John Ford, Riley is a New York Irish cop sent to Germany to track down a young man who stole money from a local bakery.

Hangman's House

Hangman's House

John Ford 1928 1h 11m

Forced by her mean-spirited father, Lord Chief Justice James O'Brien, to marry a man she doesn't love, Connaught O'Brien gives up hope of ever with her true love, Dermot McDermot.

Four Sons

Four Sons

John Ford 1928 1h 36m 10.0

A family saga in which three sons of a Bavarian widow go to war for Germany and the fourth goes to America, Germany's eventual opponent.

3 Bad Men

3 Bad Men

John Ford 1926 1h 32m 8.0

Three outlaws come to the aid of a young girl after her father is killed. A silent film directed by John Ford.

The Iron Horse

The Iron Horse

John Ford 1924 2h 29m 7.0

Brandon, a surveyor, dreams of building a railway to the west. He sets off with his son, Davy, to survey a route. They discover a new pass which will shave 200 miles off the expected distance, but they are set upon by a party of Cheyenne. One of them, a white renegade with only two fingers on his right hand, kills Brandon and scalps him.

Hell Bent

Hell Bent

John Ford 1918 53m

A cowboy must save his girlfriend from captivity and then cross the desert on foot with a single waterhole on the way.

Straight Shooting

Straight Shooting

John Ford 1917 1h 2m

Cattleman Flint cuts off farmer Sims' water supply. When Sims' son Ted goes for water, one of Flint's men kills him. Cheyenne is sent to finish off Sims, but finding the family at the newly dug grave, he changes sides.

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