69 years ago, on May 26, 1956, John Ford‘s The Searchers hit movie theaters, and Western films were never the same. John Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, a Civil War veteran determined to save his niece, Debbie (Natalie Wood), who has been kidnapped by the Comanche — a role that Roger Ebert called “one of the most compelling characters Ford and Wayne ever created.” One of the first films to be added to the National Film Registry, The Searchers isn’t just one of the best Westerns ever made — it is one of the most important films in the history of American cinema.
In the decades since its release, most of the cast has passed away — some, like Wood, far too soon. But some of the stars are still with us.