The Searchers: Test your knowledge of John Wayne's masterpiece

"The Searchers" is based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May, and fans of the book say that it sticks close to the novel.

Ethan's niece Lucy was given a locket, but Debbie admits that Lucy doesn't wear it because it turns her neck green.

John Wayne was a towering man. This is evident throughout most of the picture, when the women look tiny next to him.

The movie is set in Northwest Texas, where "cowboys and Indians" notoriously duked it out, and plains life was hard and violent.

John Ford loved using Monument Valley to shoot his movies, thanks to its dramatic landscape and stunning vistas.

Ethan was a confederate fighter in the Civil War. Much of his discontent at the beginning of the film is due to his side losing the war.

When Ethan returns, he sees that the home has been burnt by the Comanches, and his nieces have gone missing.

The Indians in the film are supposed to be Comanche, but they're all played by Navajo, except for the chief Indian, Scar.

The searchers discover an Indian burial in the desert, where a man is buried shallow in the ground but with a large, flat rock over him. Some viewers claim that the actor is moving in that scene.

Ethan encounters a herd of buffalo, and it's a very memorable shot in the film. Where did John Ford get all those buffalo, one has to ask?

The search party, which becomes just Ethan and Martin, are searching for Lucy and Debbie. However, it is discovered early on that Lucy is dead.

This famous quote is repeated a number of times in the film, and each time is more satisfying than the last.

Lucy is found dead in the canyon, but Ethan doesn't tell Marty till later. He recalls how he wrapped the girl in his jacket.

Texas-Americas developed a fun name for themselves after the Civil War, and that was Texicans.

Male Comanches are referred to as "bucks" in the film. Demeaning, to say the least, to call human beings horses.

The ladies were referred to as "squaws." Some people also take this to be a derogatory word.

Martin barters for a blanket with the Indians, and he finds that he gets a wife in the bargain. The lady, Look, follows him everywhere.

Ethan frequently calls Martin a blanket-head. It's uncertain what the heck that means.

John Wayne considers "The Searchers" to be his favorite film, and the one he's the most proud of.

Harry Carey (a Western star, not to be confused with Harry Caray, the baseball announcer) had recently died, and at the end of the film John Wayne holds his arm for a moment; a signature Harry Carey move.

It was one of the last scenes in the movie, and it's now named after John Wayne.

Natalie Wood attended high school during the shoot, and often John Wayne would have to come to school to pick her up.

According to Harry Carey Jr's book, "Company of Heroes", John Wayne stayed in character between takes.

For a brief moment, we see Ethan looking longingly at his brother's wife. John Ford suggested to Wayne that he was in love, and that perhaps Lucy and Debbie were actually his children.

It's considered the greatest Western of all time, and ranked #12 as one of the Greatest Movies of All Time.

That's right. The other side of that hill was shot in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, some 647 miles away.

Before she was captured, Ethan gave Debbie a medal, which he later finds being worn by Scar, just before rediscovering Debbie.

Natalie's sister, Lana Wood, made her film debut in "The Searchers," playing young Debbie.

John Wayne's son, Patrick, played the frightened military officer. In later years, Patrick would admit that he was not acting in the scene, but was merely terrified by John Ford.

"The Searchers" is almost exactly two hours, making is a perfectly-timed drama/action film.

John Wayne was 49 when the film was released, but looks a little older. Maybe it was all those Camel cigarettes.

John Ford was, indeed, stung by a scorpion. But apparently that didn't stop him from proceeding.

Scorsese, Lucas and Spielberg all say that they learned a great deal from the film, and used it as an inspiration in their own.

"The Searchers" was released in 1956, when John Wayne was at the height of his career.

Considered meager by today's standards, the budget for "The Searchers" was just 3.75 million dollars.