She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949)

BACKGROUND
 

Ford did not originally Ford’s plan to cast Wayne in She Wore A Yellow Ribbon but after seeing Duke’s performance in Hawk’s Red River he changed his mind. It is possible that Ford was already beginning to tire of Wayne as a leading man which might be indicated by the from the role of noble protagonist with integrity and compassion in Fort Apache to the mildly racist self-centered outlaw in 3 Godfathers that seemed to come closer to Wayne the man. But when critics started praising Wayne’s characterization of a self-loathing trail boss in Red River, Ford was probably unhappy with the prospect Hawks getting credit for nurturing Wayne's more “serious” work.
 

If Ford had cast him in a similar role critics might have seen it as derivative of Red River, so he cast Wayne in what is possibly the most likable role of his career. Duke always felt the role of Nathan Brittles in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon was the best performance of his career but this may stem simply from the fact that it is the most flattering. 
 

PLOT SUMMARY

 

A retiring cavalry Captain is tasked with escorting two women in a thankless final mission but manages to prevent a major attack before stepping down.