John Ford

Many of the great movies of early Hollywood were directed by John Ford.  He had a great eye for scenery and was very loyal to his troop of actors.  His stable consisted of many great and sometimes underrated performers like Henry Fonda, John Wayne, Victor McLaglen, Ward Bond, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr, Pedro Armendariz, Linda Darnell, John Carradine just to name a few. 

Judge Priest (1934) Getting a chance to view this one, I was really surprised that it would even be considered a worthy recommendation.  The only thing it seems to have going for it is that it may be one of very few films featuring Will Rogers.  The man who "never met a man he didn't like" contributes a bit of his homespun humor but the film is riddled with stereotypical portrayals of blacks, magnified by Stepin Fetchit who made a fortune playing into the Hollywood system stereotyping.  Not sure he really paved the way for others.

Stagecoach (1939) This one raised John Wayne out of the rut.  His earlier cookie cutter Hollywood westerns that were a dime a dozen.  John Ford taps into characters with depth, exploring good and evil, right and wrong. 

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) One of the great performances for Henry Fonda, as well as John Carradine and Linda Darnell.  The Dust Bowl takes it's toll on the mid west and farmers leave their homes for the beaconing land of plenty, California.  Unfortunately, the welcome mat is pulled out from under them as the number of people making the sojourn bring large shares of problems than prosperity.  Ford actually ended his movie about 3/4 of the way through the book because he wanted a happier ending.

How Green Was My Valley (1941) A family in an English mining town goes through changes.  The family is divided, the sons looking for respect and greater compensation for their labor while the father retains his loyalty to the company in spite of the employer's track record.

My Darling Clementine (1946) Ford portrayal of the Gunfight at the O. K. Corral may not be historically accurate but it is still a great film thanks to performances by Fonda, Walter Brennan and Victor Mature.
Rio Grande (1950) The last feature of John Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy" along with "Fort Apache" and "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" . I found is one to be the least impressive with "Fort Apache" being the best with wonderful performances by John Wayne and especially Henry Fonda.  I bet you are seeing a pattern here. I'm fond of Fonda.  

The Quiet Man (1952) John Wayne plays an ex-boxer returning to Ireland to reclaim his family homestead.Only the Duke Wayne can see a brawl with his girlfriend's father as a necessary part of the courtship ritual. 

The Searchers (1956) Probably Ford's greatest movie.  As with so many of his western's filmed in Monument Valley, Utah.  Ethan (John Wayne) searches for his niece that has been captures and raised by the "injuns".  Ethan is a very complex character who may or may not be planning a "rescue".   

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) James Stewart is a lawyer coming in to town, who recognizes Liberty Valance as one of the bandits that robbed and pistol whipped him as he came into town.  Unfortunately the law in town is pretty relaxed and Liberty has been allowed to run rough-shod.  The only man that Valance will not mess with is John Wayne (of course).  When the law doesn't work Stewart attempts to take the law into his own hands, facing down the bandit.  And the rest is history, actually it's legend.

Notable Exceptions
The Informer: A great story of an IRA member that rats on another member for the £20 reward.  Victor McLaglen's performance is superb.

Tobacco Road: Based on a play based on a book by Erskine Caldwell.  The Lester's are a shiftless, ignorant lot, who would rather save the work for another day and would ruin any good thing that they have then complain about the fact that it didn't last.

Mister Roberts:  The story of a U. S. Naval officer on a freight transfort ship who wants nothing more than to get a reassignment into a combat area.  Great performances by Fonda, William Powell, Jack Lemmon and James Cagney as the Ship's Captain.