The Searchers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Searchers
Theatrical release poster by Bill Gold
Directed by	John Ford
Screenplay by	Frank S. Nugent
Starring	John Wayne Jeffrey Hunter Vera Miles Ward Bond Natalie Wood
Music by	Max Steiner
Cinematography	Winton C. Hoch
Editing by	Jack Murray
Studio	C.V. Whitney Pictures
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	May 16, 1956 (1956-05-16) (Chicago Theatre)
Running time	119 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3.75 million

The Searchers is a famous American Western movie from 1956. It was directed by John Ford and stars John Wayne. The story is based on a novel by Alan Le May.

The film takes place during the Texas-Native American wars. It follows a man named Ethan Edwards (John Wayne). He is a Civil War veteran who spends many years searching for his niece, Debbie (Natalie Wood). She was taken by a Native American group. His adopted nephew, Martin (Jeffrey Hunter), helps him on this long journey.

When it first came out, The Searchers was very popular. Many people today still think it is one of the greatest and most important movies ever made. The American Film Institute called it the best American Western film in 2008. It was also ranked among the top 100 American movies of all time. In 1989, the United States Library of Congress chose The Searchers to be kept safe in the National Film Registry. This means it is considered very important for history and culture.

The Searchers was also one of the first major films to have a "making-of" video. This video showed how the movie was made, from preparing the sets to filming the scenes.

The Story of The Searchers

In 1868, a man named Ethan Edwards returns home to West Texas. He had been away for eight years. Ethan fought in the Civil War for the South. He also fought in another war in Mexico. He has gold coins and a medal, but no one knows where they came from. He gives the medal to his young niece, Debbie. Ethan refuses to promise loyalty to the Texas Rangers.

Soon after Ethan arrives, cattle are stolen from a neighbor. A group of Texas Rangers, led by Rev. Captain Samuel Clayton, goes to find them. They soon realize the cattle theft was a trick by the Comanche people. It was meant to draw the men away from their homes. When the men return, they find Ethan's family home burned down. His brother, sister-in-law, and nephew are dead. Debbie and her older sister Lucy have been taken.

After a quick funeral, the men chase after the Comanche. Ethan wants to attack right away. But Captain Clayton wants to be careful to protect the kidnapped girls. The Comanche camp is empty. Later, the Rangers are ambushed. They fight back, but many men are lost. The remaining Rangers go home. Ethan continues his search with only Lucy's fiancé, Brad, and Debbie's adopted brother, Martin. Ethan finds Lucy's body. Brad, full of anger, rides into the Comanche camp and is killed.

Ethan and Martin lose the trail when winter comes. They return to the Jorgensen ranch. Martin is happy to see Laurie, the Jorgensens' daughter. Ethan gets a letter from a trader named Futterman. He says he knows where Debbie is. Ethan leaves alone, but Martin catches up. At Futterman's trading post, they learn that Debbie was taken by Scar, a Comanche chief.

A year later, Laurie reads a letter from Martin. He describes their search. Ethan kills Futterman for trying to steal his money. Martin accidentally buys a Comanche wife. She runs away when she hears Scar's name. Later, they find her among dead people from Scar's group.

In New Mexico, they finally find Debbie after five years. She is now a teenager and living as one of Scar's wives. She says she wants to stay with the Comanche. Ethan is very angry and tries to shoot her. He would rather see her dead than living with the Comanche. But Martin protects her. A Comanche warrior wounds Ethan as they escape. Martin is mad at Ethan for trying to kill Debbie. Later, they head home.

Meanwhile, a man named Charlie McCorry has been trying to marry Laurie. Ethan and Martin arrive home just as Charlie and Laurie's wedding is about to start. Martin and Charlie get into a fight. A soldier arrives with news that Ethan's friend, Mose Harper, found Scar. Captain Clayton leads his men to attack the Comanche camp directly this time. Martin sneaks in first to find Debbie. She welcomes him. Martin kills Scar to save Debbie. Ethan finds Debbie and chases her on horseback. Martin chases them, afraid Ethan will hurt her. But Ethan picks her up and takes her to the Jorgensen ranch. Martin and Laurie are reunited. Everyone goes into the house, but Ethan leaves alone, just as he arrived.

Main Actors

How The Searchers Was Made

The Searchers was the first movie from a company called C. V. Whitney Pictures. John Ford directed it, and Warner Bros. released it. Even though the story is set in Texas, most of the movie was filmed in Monument Valley, which is in Arizona and Utah. Other scenes were filmed in Utah, Los Angeles, and Canada. The movie was shot using a special wide-screen process called VistaVision.

John Ford originally wanted Fess Parker for the role played by Jeffrey Hunter. Fess Parker was very popular for playing Davy Crockett on TV. But Walt Disney would not let him do the movie.

In 1956, Warner Bros. made a special TV show about how The Searchers was made. This was one of the first "behind-the-scenes" programs ever made for a movie.

Real-Life Inspirations for the Story

The author of the novel, Alan Le May, studied real events for his book. The two characters who search for a missing girl were inspired by a man named Britton Johnson. He was an African-American teamster who rescued his wife and children from the Comanches in 1865. He then spent years searching for another kidnapped girl, Millie Durgan.

Many film experts believe The Searchers was also inspired by the kidnapping of Cynthia Ann Parker in 1836. She was nine years old when Comanche warriors took her from her family's home in Texas. She lived with the Comanches for 24 years, married a chief, and had children. One of her sons became the famous Chief Quanah Parker. Cynthia Ann was later rescued by Texas Rangers, even though she did not want to leave her new life. Cynthia Ann's uncle, James W. Parker, spent much of his life looking for her, much like Ethan Edwards in the movie.

The rescue of Debbie Edwards in the film is similar to how Cynthia Ann Parker was rescued. The author, Alan Le May, studied 64 real stories of children kidnapped in Texas in the 1800s for his novel.

How The Searchers Influenced Other Films

The Searchers has had a big impact on many other movies.

• Director David Lean watched it many times while making Lawrence of Arabia. He wanted to learn how to film big landscapes.
• Sam Peckinpah used ideas from the massacre and funeral scenes in his movie Major Dundee.
• Martin Scorsese listed The Searchers as one of his favorite films. He even had characters discuss it in his 1967 movie Who's That Knocking at My Door.
• Many famous directors like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Wim Wenders have said The Searchers influenced their work.
• George Lucas used ideas from The Searchers in his Star Wars movies. For example, when Luke Skywalker finds his home burned in Star Wars, it's like when Ethan Edwards finds his family's home destroyed. Also, in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker's mother is kidnapped, and he seeks revenge, similar to the story in The Searchers. The beginning of Rogue One also looks like the start of The Searchers.

The famous line "that'll be the day" said by John Wayne in the movie, inspired Buddy Holly to write his hit song "That'll Be the Day". He wrote it after seeing the film in a theater.

Comic Book Version

Dell Comics made a comic book version of The Searchers in 1956. The comic book changed some parts of the story. For example, it made Ethan's dislike of Native Americans less strong. It also left out the very last scene of the movie.

Images for kids

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  Captain Clayton (Ward Bond) and Ethan (John Wayne) realize they are in a trap.

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  Martin shields Ethan's niece to prevent Ethan from harming her.

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  An old ad promoting the Native American actors in The Searchers.

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  Ethan leads an attack on the Native American village.

See also

In Spanish: The Searchers para niños