Fox Film Corporation
Not part of a collection.
The Big Trail
A mighty drama of the early pioneers
Young scout Breck Coleman leads a wagon train along the dangerous trail to Oregon as he tries to get the affection of the beautiful pioneer Ruth Cameron and plans his revenge on the harsh scoundrels who murdered a friend of his in the past.
- Original title
- The Big Trail
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- $2,000,000
- Revenue
- —
CinemaSerf
Jun 13, 2022 · via TMDB
There is a scene very near the start of this film where John Wayne ("Breck") walks through a doorway, bedecked in his finely crafted suede leathers and you almost want to applaud - like it was the entrance of great actor onto a stage. There can been no doubt that Raoul Walsh and his bosses at Fox were determined to make a big star of their man - and have thrown pretty much everything at it. The story concerns pioneers on a long and dangerous wagon trail leaving the Mississippi heading west into the unknown, It's the epitome of an American adventure film - the travellers face perils both human and natural as they head for their promised land, and the scale of the production is of a high quality with beautiful and grand cinematography contributing really well to our sense of just how tough their task was. Wayne oozes charm, his smile explains a great deal about why Hollywood and the public at large fell in love with this decent, honourable young man. A competent Marguerite Campbell ("Ruth") provides his suitably feisty love interest and the rest of this slightly over-long tale is held together by a relatively small cast who keep the story interesting and focused. Sure, it isn't without it's idealism - the all American boy blazes a trail against the odds, gets the gal, makes friends wherever he goes (largely), but there are some more sincere touches - "Breck" isn't quite so good with his alcohol! At times this borders a little too much on the documentary, but that doesn't really impact detrimentally on the overall narrative - it further reinforces the scale of this unyoked land and to a considerable extent helps us to understand what drove these folks to suffer all the hardships this hostile environment could throw at them. As cinema goes, this is proper stuff - and seeing it on a big screen even now (90 years later) is still quite an experience.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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John Wayne
Breck Coleman
Marguerite Churchill
Ruth Cameron
El Brendel
Gus
Tully Marshall
Zeke
Tyrone Power Sr.
Red Flack
David Rollins
Dave Cameron
Ian Keith
Bill Thorpe
Charles Stevens
López
Louise Carver
Gus' Mother-in-law
Victor Adamson
Wagon Train Man (uncredited)
Chief John Big Tree
Indian (uncredited)
Ward Bond
Sid Bascom (uncredited)
Nora Bush
Pioneer (uncredited)
Martin Cichy
Pioneer (uncredited)
Alphonse Ethier
Marshal (uncredited)
Dannie Mac Grant
Pioneer Boy (uncredited)
Marcia Harris
Mrs. Riggs (uncredited)
Marilyn Harris
Pioneer Girl (uncredited)
DeWitt Jennings
Boat Captain Hollister (uncredited)
Jack Kenny
Pioneer (uncredited)
Marion Lessing
Pioneer Girl (uncredited)
Frank McGrath
Pioneer (uncredited)
William V. Mong
Wellmore (uncredited)
Pete Morrison
Wrangler (uncredited)
Artie Ortego
Pioneer (uncredited)
Helen Parrish
Honey Girl Cameron (uncredited)
Harvey Parry
Pioneer (uncredited)
Russ Powell
Windy Bill (uncredited)
Andy Shuford
Ohio Man's Son (uncredited)
Sherwood Bailey
Pioneer Boy (uncredited)
George Ernest
Pioneer Boy (uncredited)
Buster Phelps
Pioneer Boy (uncredited)
Buster Slaven
Pioneer Boy (uncredited)
Lumsden Hare
Dialogue Coach
Pete Morrison
Stunts
Steve Clemente
Stunts
George Walsh
Assistant Director
Raoul Walsh
Director
Winfield R. Sheehan
Producer
Raoul Walsh
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TCM Classic Film Festival
