The Searchers The Searchers The Searchers is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision Western film directed by John Ford, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May, set during the Texas–Indian wars, and starring John Wayne as a middle-aged Civil War veteran who spends years looking for his abducted niece (Natalie Wood), accompanied by his adoptive nephew (Jeffrey Hunter). Critic Roger Ebert found Wayne's character, Ethan Edwards, "one of the most compelling characters Ford and Wayne ever created". The film was a commercial success. Since its release it has come to be considered a masterpiece and one of the greatest and most
The Peacemaker (1956 film) The Peacemaker (1956 film) The Peacemaker (1956) is a western film directed by Ted Post and starring James Mitchell, Rosemarie Bowe, and Jan Merlin. Hal Richards based the script on the novel of the same name by Richard Poole. Producer Hal R. Makelim intended "The Peacemaker" to be the first of a series of low-budget productions. According to Merlin, who played the villain, shooting took only "seven or ten days." Although the film featured some successful character actors like Hugh Sanders in supporting roles, none of the performers qualified as marquee names; in fact, at this point in his career,