Above - John Wayne is ’roped’ by a delegation of Wayne University co-eds at the film’s opening in Detroit.

Above- John Wayne and Ward Bond are greeted in Cleveland by regional cinema managers– Joseph Snell and Francis Anderson.

THE SEARCHERS’ World Premiere Tour

USA May, 1956

The Classic John Ford film ‘THE SEARCHERS’ received its Gala World Premiere at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, Illinois on May 16th, 1956. It was attended by the film’s star John Wayne and co-star Ward Bond, and marked the launch of a four city tour for the pair which took in the Chicago Theatre in Chicago on May 16th, the Center Theatre in Buffalo on the 17th,  the Palm State Theatre in Detroit on the 18th and the Allen Theatre in Cleveland on the 22nd May,1956.
In each of the four cities, strong advertising, publicity and exploitation campaigns heralded the stars’ visits, and this special activity was reflected at the box office by crowds eager to see the stars aswell as the picture.
We have been fortunate to acquire these images of the Premiere tour and would like to share them with Society 
Members as they serve as a great reminder of how this Classic film was originally launched. .

Left - John Wayne and Ward Bond are interviewed by Chicago Radio’s Tony Weitzel.

Above - Large Crowds gather outside the Chicago Theatre for the World Gala Premiere. Nat ‘King’ Cole and Harry Belafonte were among the other celebrities who also attended the Premiere, which was broadcast by CBS Television.