The Duke: John Wayne

I figured I might as well post this now considering the way the John Ford discussion is progressing on the Western Movie thread.

John Wayne's biography

Born Marion Morrison, John Wayne was the son of of pharmacist Clyde Morrison and his wife Mary. Clyde developed a lung condition that required him to move his family from Iowa to the warmer climate of southern California, where they tried ranching in the Mojave Desert. Until the ranch failed, Marion and his younger brother Robert E. Morrison swam in an irrigation ditch and rode a horse to school. When the ranch failed, the family moved to Glendale, California, where Marion delivered medicines for his father, sold newspapers and had an Airedale dog named "Duke" (the source of his own nickname). He did well at school both academically and in football. When he narrowly failed admission to Annapolis he went to USC on a football scholarship 1925-7. Tom Mix got him a summer job as a prop man in exchange for football tickets. On the set he became close friends with director John Ford for whom, among others, he began doing bit parts, some billed as John Wayne. His first featured film was Men Without Women (1930). After more than 70 low-budget westerns and adventures, mostly routine, Wayne's career was stuck in a rut until Ford cast him in Stagecoach (1939), the movie that made him a star. He appeared in nearly 250 movies, many of epic proportions. From 1942-43 he was in a radio series, "The Three Sheets to the Wind", and in 1944 he helped found the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, a right-wing political organization, later becoming its President. His conservative political stance was also reflected in The Alamo (1960), which he produced, directed and starred in. His patriotic stand was enshrined in The Green Berets (1968) which he co-directed and starred in. Over the years Wayne was beset with health problems. In September 1964 he had a cancerous left lung removed; in March 1978 there was heart valve replacement surgery; and in January 1979 his stomach was removed. He received the Best Actor nomination for Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) and finally got the Oscar for his role as one-eyed Rooster Cogburn in True Grit (1969). A Congressional Gold Medal was struck in his honor in 1979. He is perhaps best remembered for his parts in Ford's cavalry trilogy - Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) and Rio Grande (1950).

John Wayne's movie list

John Wayne acted in 174 films, all but 11 as the lead character. He was also a producer for 20 films, and even directed 5 films. 3 of those films his directing was uncredited, but the two that were are: The Alamo (1960) and The Green Berets (1968)

Discuss The 'Duke'.

 

One of my favorite actors of all time. Some of my favorite movies of his:

Big Jake
The Cowboys
True Grit
Sands of Iwo Jima
The Alamo

 

Wayne planned to be a lawyer, but ran out of money. He got extra work in movies--his first film was in 1926--to pay for his college education. He also dressed sets.

This is his early filmography:

Cheer Up and Smile (1930) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
Rough Romance (1930) (uncredited) .... Lumberjack
Born Reckless (1930) (uncredited) .... Extra
Men Without Women (1930) (uncredited) .... Radioman on surface
The Forward Pass (1929) (uncredited) .... Extra
Salute (1929) (uncredited) .... Bill (midshipman)
Words and Music (1929) (as Duke Morrison) .... Pete Donahue
The Black Watch (1929) (uncredited) .... Extra
... aka King of the Khyber Rifles (UK)
Speakeasy (1929) (uncredited) .... Extra
Noah's Ark (1928) (uncredited) .... Extra
Hangman's House (1928) (uncredited) .... Horse Race Spectator/Condemned Man in Flashback
Four Sons (1928) (uncredited) .... Extra
Mother Machree (1928) (uncredited) .... Extra
The Drop Kick (1927) .... USC Football Player
... aka Glitter (UK)
Annie Laurie (1927) (uncredited) .... Extra
The Great K & A Train Robbery (1926) (uncredited) .... Extra
Bardelys the Magnificent (1926) .... Guard
Brown of Harvard (1926) (uncredited) .... Yale Football Player

 

There is strong speculation on the potential cause of John Wayne developing cancer and foregoring ailing health in the twilight of his film career. During the filming of the Howard Hughes co-produced flop, The Conqueror (1956), it has been noted that Duke and the cast were exposed to radiation from a government nuclear testing site while making the picture. Although it can't be proven that this was the cause, half the crew and cast later died of cancer, a much higher percentage of deaths from cancer than the national average.

 

True. The female lead, Susan Hayward, died of cancer, as did the director, Dick Powell, and several members of the cast. However, Wayne smoked heavily, as did just about everybody in those days.

Wayne's first lead was in Raoul Walsh's "The Big Trail" (1930). This is a beautiful, slow, rather static picture released at the very nadir of the Depression. Wayne is obviously inexperienced, but he's very winning as the lead. But he took the fall for the picture's failure. It meant a nine-year exile to Gower Gulch (the place where B-Westerns were made), partially because the picture failed, and partially because Wayne's acceptance of the part angered his previous mentor, John Ford.

 

Today I will talk about the John Wayne-John Ford Film Collection (The Searchers Ultimate Edition / Stagecoach Two-Disc Special Edition / Fort Apache / The Long Voyage Home / The Wings of Eagles / She Wore a Yellow Ribbon / They Were Expendable / 3 Godfathers) (2006) that was released today, June 6, 2006.

John Wayne-John Ford Film Collection (The Searchers Ultimate Edition / Stagecoach Two-Disc Special Edition / Fort Apache / The Long Voyage Home / The Wings of Eagles / She Wore a Yellow Ribbon / They Were Expendable / 3 Godfathers) (2006)

Following is the plot summaries, product details, and editorial reviews from Amazon.com


Plot Summaries

The Searchers
The Searchers
Stars John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood
Directors: John Ford
Theatrical Release Date: March 13, 1956
Genres: Western, Drama
Synopsis When Ethan decide to go find the Indians who killed his family, he is joined by his nephew, Martin Pawley. The problem is that Pawley is half-Indian, and there's nothing in the world tha Edwards hate more than Indians. The journey to find the Indians and Edwards niece (and Pawley half-sister) last for years.

They Were Expendable
They Were Expendable
Stars Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed, Jack Holt, Ward Bond
Directors: John Ford
Theatrical Release Date: December 20, 1945
Rating
Genres: Drama, War
Synopsis Shortly after Pearl Harbor, a squadron of PT-boat crews in the Philipines must battle the Navy brass between skirmishes with the Japanese. The title says it all about the Navy's attitude towards the PT-boats and their crews.

Stagecoach
Stagecoach
Stars Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell
Directors: John Ford
Theatrical Release Date: March 2, 1939
Rating
Genres: Action, Western, Drama, Romance
Synopsis A simple stagecoach trip is complicated by the fact that Geronimo is on the warpath in the area. The passengers on the coach include a a drunken doctor, a pregnant woman, a bank manager who has taken off with his client's money, and the famous Ringo Kid, among others.

Fort Apache
Fort Apache
Stars John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, Pedro Armendáriz, Ward Bond
Directors: John Ford
Theatrical Release Date: March 9, 1948
Genres: Western
Synopsis In John Ford's sombre exploration mythologising of American heroes, he slowly reveals the character of Owen Thursday, who sees his new posting to the desolate Fort Apache as a chance to claim the military honour which he believes is rightfully his. Arrogant, obsessed with military form and ultimately self-destructive, Thursday attempts to destroy the Apache chief Cochise after luring him across the border from Mexico, against the advice of his subordinates.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Stars John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr.
Directors: John Ford
Theatrical Release Date: October 22, 1949
Rating
Genres: Western, Romance
Synopsis Captain Nathan Brittles, on the eve of retirement, takes out a last patrol to stop an impending massive Indian attack. Encumbered by women who must be evacuated, Brittles finds his mission imperiled.

3 Godfathers
3 Godfathers
Stars John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, Harry Carey Jr., Ward Bond, Mae Marsh
Directors: John Ford
Theatrical Release Date: December 1, 1948
Genres: Drama, Western
Synopsis Three outlaws on the run discover a dying woman and her baby. They swear to bring the infant to safety across the desert, even at the risk of their own lives.

The Wings of Eagles
The Wings of Eagles
Stars John Wayne, Dan Dailey, Maureen O'Hara, Ward Bond, Ken Curtis
Directors: John Ford
Theatrical Release Date: February 22, 1957
Rating
Genres: Drama
Plot Outline A biography of Navy flier-turned-screenwriter Frank W. "Spig" Wead.

The Long Voyage Home
The Long Voyage Home
Stars John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter, Barry Fitzgerald, Wilf

 

The only two of those I've seen is The Searchers and Stagecoach. The Searchers is the better of the two I think, and is also one of my favorite John Wayne movies.

 

"They Were Expendable" and "Three Godfathers" are minor Ford.

Don't know "On the Wings of Eagles"

The rest are all good.

 

This time I will discuss a few more John Wayne movies.

Red River (1948)

The above link goes to a review of "Red River" by Roger Ebert.

Red River (1948)

Cast & Credits
Tom Dunson: John Wayne
Matt Garth: Montgomery Clift
Tess Millay: Joanne Dru Groot
Nadine: Walter Brennan
Fen: Coleen Gray
Cherry Valance: John Ireland
Buster McGee: Noah Beery Jr.

Directed by Howard Hawks. Screenplay by Borden Chase and Charles Schnee, based on the novel The Chisholm Trail by Chase. No MPAA rating (no objectionable material). Running time: 125 minutes.

When Peter Bogdanovich needed a movie to play as the final feature in the doomed small-town theater in ``The Last Picture Show,'' he chose Howard Hawks' ``Red River'' (1948). He selected the scene where John Wayne tells Montgomery Clift, ``Take 'em to Missouri, Matt!'' And then there is Hawks' famous montage of weathered cowboy faces in closeup and exaltation, as they cry ``Hee-yaw!'' and wave their hats in the air.

The moment is as quintessentially Western as any ever filmed, capturing the exhilaration of being on a horse under the big sky with a job to do and a paycheck at the other end. And ``Red River'' is one of the greatest of all Westerns when it stays with its central story about an older man and a younger one, and the first cattle drive down the Chisholm Trail. It is only in its few scenes involving women that it goes wrong.

The film's hero and villain is Tom Dunson (Wayne), who heads West with a wagon train in 1851 and then peels off for Texas to start a cattle ranch. He takes along only his wagon driver, Groot Nadine (Walter Brennan). Dunson's sweetheart, Fen (Coleen Gray), wants to join them, but he rejects her almost absentmindedly, promising to send for her later. Later, from miles away, Tom and Groot see smoke rising: Indians have destroyed the wagon train. Groot, a grizzled codger, fulminates about how Indians ``always want to be burning up good wagons,'' and Tom observes that it would take them too long to go back and try to help. Their manner is surprisingly distant, considering that Dunson has just lost the woman he loved.

Soon after, the men encounter a boy who survived the Indian attack. This is Matt Garth, who is adopted by Dunson and brought up as the eventual heir to his ranch. Played as an adult by Montgomery Clift (his first screen role), Matt goes away to school, but returns in 1866 just as Dunson is preparing an epic drive to take 9,000 head of cattle north to Missouri.

I mentioned that Dunson is both hero and villain. It's a sign of the movie's complexity that John Wayne, often typecast, is given a tortured, conflicted character to play. He starts with ``a boy with a cow and a man with a bull,'' and builds up a great herd. But then he faces ruin; he must drive the cattle north or go bankrupt.

He's a stubborn man; all through the movie people tell him he's wrong, and usually they're right. They're especially right in wanting to take the cattle to Abilene, which is closer and reportedly has a railroad line, instead of on the longer trek to Missouri. As the cattle drive grows grueling, Dunson grows irascible, and finally whiskey and lack of sleep drive him a little mad; there are attempted mutinies before Matt finally rebels and takes the cattle to Abilene.

The critic Tim Dirks has pointed out the parallels between their conflict and the standoff between Capt. Bligh and Fletcher Christian in ``Mutiny on the Bounty.'' And indeed, the Borden Chase screenplay makes much of the older man's pride and the younger one's need to prove himself.

Also established, but never really developed, is a rivalry between young Matt and a tough cowboy named Cherry Valance (John Ireland), who signs up for the cattle drive and becomes Matt's rival. There's gonna be trouble between those two, old Groot predicts, but the film never delivers, leaving them stranded in the middle of a peculiar ambivalence that drew the attention of ``The Cellu

 

These are both iconic roles for Wayne. "Red River" paves the way for "The Searchers", and Wayne's striking in the part.

"Rio Lobo" is good nasty fun; though Martin has the showcase part and shows a good deal of talent in it.

 

That's Rio Bravo

But Hawks made two Wayne vehicles afterwards drawing alot parallels though they do not qualify as true remakes... El Dorado and Rio Lobo.

(Such as Ricky Nelson's Colorado in said film compared to James Caan's Mississipi in El Dorado.)

Rio Bravo is the best of the bunch as the other two are inferior takes on the same themes.

 

Yes, of course; you're right. But you have to admit, it gets confusing.

 

Absolutely does, Hawks loved Rio Bravo so much he had to give another two goes.

 

This week I will discuss the movies that John Wayne directed.

The Alamo (1960)

The above is the link to the wikipedia entry for "The Alamo".

The Alamo was released in 1960 by United Artists. It stars John Wayne as Davy Crockett, Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie, Laurence Harvey as William B. Travis, Frankie Avalon, Chill Wills, Patrick Wayne, Linda Cristal, Joseph Calleia as Juan Seguin, Ruben Padilla as Santa Anna Richard Boone as Sam Houston, and Chief Tahachee as Yankey Sawyer. The subject of the movie is the 1836 Battle of the Alamo.

The movie was written by James Edward Grant and directed by John Wayne (and, uncredited, John Ford). It was shot largely on an extensive full-scale replica of the mission near Brackettville, Texas constructed for specifically for the movie. The set, now called Alamo Village, has since been used in over 100 other westerns, including depictions of the 1836 battle. Wayne had lobbied the Republic studio, previously known mostly for B-grade westerns, to make a full-budget epic about the Battle of the Alamo. During production, Wayne's office was inside the reconstructed mission.

The film tells a highly romanticized, hagiographic version of events, in which the defenders are all portrayed as larger-than-life martyrs, and none of the Mexican characters is developed in depth. Critic Leonard Maltin has described the script as being "full of historical name-dropping and speechifying," but notes that the climactic battle scene is spectacular.

The film was considered a success and a vindication of Wayne's gamble with Republic Pictures. The Alamo won the Academy Award for Sound and was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Chill Wills), Best Cinematography, Color, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Music, Song (Dimitri Tiomkin and Paul Francis Webster for The Green Leaves of Summer) and Best Picture.

The film is thought to have been denied winning more awards than the one it got due to an overblown campaign that alienated Academy voters, including one Variety ad that stated, in effect, that the film's producers were praying as hard for Chill Wills to win his award as the defenders of the Alamo themselves prayed the night before the battle. Another ad from Wills himself read: ?Win, lose or draw, you're all my cousins and I love you.? This prompted Groucho Marx to post his own advert which read: ?Dear Chill Wills. Am happy to be your cousin, but I voted for Sal Mineo?.

For several years, the Alamo Theater in San Antonio, Texas played The Alamo repeatedly.

Next up is one of the few movies that supported the Vietnam War.

The Green Berets (1968)

The link above is the wikipedia entry for "The Green Berets".

The Green Berets is the title of a 1968 film starring John Wayne and featuring George Takei, David Janssen, Jim Hutton, and Aldo Ray. It was originally based on the 1965 book of the same name by Robin Moore, but the screenplay departs significantly from the book.

The Green Berets has a strong anti-communist and pro-Saigon theme, which resonates throughout the movie. The movie was produced at the height of the Vietnam War, during the same year as the infamous Tet offensive against the largest cities in the south. It was perceived as an embarrassing defeat for the Americans and South Vietnamese, despite being a military success in some aspects. It was the atmosphere of growing discontent with the war that prompted John Wayne to make a film countering the anti-war message.

John Wayne had been a long time supporter of the Vietnam war though he himself avoided any service during the Second World War. He had visited the troops in Vietnam, and he wanted The Green Berets to be a tribute to the soldiers in Vietnam. He directed the film and turned down the role of Major Reisman in The Dirty Dozen to do so. The movie justifies America's involvement in what it describes as "a global crusade against c

 

The Alamo is decent film but I despise The Green Berets.

 

I've only seen The Green Berets. It's probably most noteworthy for being the first Vietnam movie and the movie that popularized the song of the same name.

 

As a director, Wayne was a good actor.

 

This time I will discuss the John Wayne film that was played mainly for laughs and is believed to be the only John Wayne western where no one is shot or killed.

McLintock! (1963)

Cattle baron George Washington McLintock (Wayne) is living the single life on his ranch. He is estranged from his wife (O'Hara) who left him two years before, suspecting him of adultery. McLintock hires a beautiful widow as his cook and welcomes both her and her two children into his home. Sparks begin to fly as an unexpected turn of events results in brawls, gunfire, an Indian attack...and the return of Mrs. McLintock who wants custody over her daughter Becky (who returns with her) and a divorce!

Cast
Actor Role
John Wayne George Washington McLintock
Maureen O'Hara Katherine McLintock
Yvonne de Carlo Louise Warren
Patrick Wayne Devlin Warren
Stefanie Powers Becky McLintock
Jake Kruschen Jake Birnbaum
Chill Wills Drago
Jerry Van Dyke Matt Douglas, Jr.
Edgar Buchanan Bunny Dull
Bruce Cabot Ben Sage
Perry Lopez Davey Elk
Michael Pate Puma
Strother Martin Agard
Gordon Jones Matt Douglas
Robert Lowery Gov. Cuthbert H. Humphrey

Discuss.

 

A crude version of the great "The Quiet Man", this movie is none the less enjoyable, despite its retrograde notions; mainly due to the chemistry between Wayne and O'Hara, which is formidable.

 

A great movie...One of his best..mainly because it does showcase his humor.

"Mr. Mclintock?? what..does...un-pre-possesing mean??"
"I got called that once by a woman...had to look it up..can't say I very much liked it..best you don't know.."
"thank you Mr. Mclintock"

 

I have to say I despise this movie. It's just awfully stupid.

I've set through it in its entirity twice, trying to get something from it. I just can't seem too.

I'll try it again someday, I guess.

 

IMO this is a gem of a JW movie. The mud fight scene is one of the funniest action scenes I've ever seen on TV.

 

This time I will start to discuss some lesser known John Wayne movies.

"The Sea Chase" (1955)

?The Sea Chase? is an odd sort of film. It stars John Wayne and Lana Turner, and while part of the plot does involve a romantic encounter between them, the plot and settings are most unusual for a John Wayne film. That said, as an action hero, a rough shot, a tender heart or a romantic lead, there?s hardly a genre of film type that Wayne couldn?t master, and his fans just plan old loved to watch him.

Academy Award-nominee John Farrow (?Wake Island?) directs this oddball adventure. Wayne plays sea captain Kal Erhlich, an anti-Nazi German freighter captain of the Ergenstrasse. He just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when World War II begins. He and his international crew set sail from Australia and head to the North Sea to escape capture.

The captain endeavors to get the men back home, but he runs into all kinds of roadblocks including allied and German ships, storms, rats, no fuel and the biggest quandary of all, a sexy pretty lady on board.

Elsa (Turner), an escapee from being a Nazi spy, was about to be engaged to Jeff Napier (David Farrar), a former friend, now turned enemy ship captain of Kal?s when he intervenes and sends Jeff on his way. Elsa ends up being Kal?s cabin mate, strictly platonic, but not if she has anything to do with it.

James Arness, Tab Hunter, Alan Hale Jr., Claude Akins and a host of other fine talent fill other roles of the sea-faring men.

There?s one ocean and one problem after another. The men start to resent the Captain when he can?t get them home and fuel, food and water run low. Wayne commands as usual, that steady monotone voice that issues orders with out so much as a chance of a thought to disobey them.

And just like Wayne, when he?s up against the odds, he?s willing to take the licks, whether it?s the right or wrong thing to do. What a hero!

?The Sea Chase? delivers action, adventure, romance, intrigue, danger and best of all ? more John Wayne.

"The Train Robbers" (1972)

John Wayne is his usual bigger than life persona in this action/adventure/comedy classic, while Ann-Margret?s sizzle consumes the screen. ?The Train Robbers? (1972) is a variation of a tale told many times before, but this telling is a delight to watch. The production is not deep or thought provoking, but it is fun.

Mrs. Lowe, a beautiful widow (Ann-Margret), hires Lane (Wayne) to guide her to the gold that her husband and his accomplices stole from a train. Before he was murdered in a brothel, the husband hid the treasure a four days? ride south of Liberty, Texas. But the untrusting Mrs. Lowe won?t tell Lane exactly where.

Lane recruits his old Civil War buddies Jesse and Grady (Ben Johnson and Rod Taylor) and three others to go along for the ride.

They expect trouble from the accomplices, and they get it.
Of course, there?s the requisite attraction between the widow and the hero, but even though he?s John Wayne, it?s a difficult pairing to accept since he?s getting a bit long in the tooth, which we know he realizes when he tells her his saddle is older than she is.

Lots of action holds our interest, and the background music by Dominic Frontiere adds a great deal of fun to the mix. Each group of treasure seekers has its own theme, and the minute Lane?s crew crosses into Mexico, the music takes on a Mexican flare. After the big shoot-em-up near the end, watch for a surprise twist.

"McQ" (1974)

John Wayne is, well, John Wayne. In "McQ" (1974) he's a cop. Yet he's still the same loose cannon but honest, anything-goes-to-get-the-job-done character. This is definitely a shoot-em-up, and McQ has no trouble replacing one gun after another when one is taken away from him. John Wayne and Western fans will both enjoy this DVD.

During the opening credits we see McQ's partner kill two cops and then get shot himself (he soon dies). McQ trusts his partner, and the rest of the film follows the policeman as he sets out to find the murdere

 

Haven't seen either "The Sea Chase" or "McQ", but they seem to be modern dress, and Wayne is the rare actor more comfortable in period roles.

 

This time I'll discuss John Wayne's first movie in 1926 and then another one from 1930.

"Brown of Harvard" (1926)

The 1926 production is the best known of the two, having been film legend John Wayne's screen debut. Uncredited, Wayne played a "Yale Football Player". Grady Sutton and Robert Livingston, both of whom went on to long and successful careers, also appear uncredited. The first film included future Boston Redskins coach William "Lone Star" Dietz and the only Washington State University football team to win a Rose Bowl.

Cast, 1926
William Haines as Tom Brownfaget
Jack Pickford as Jim Doolittlefaget
Mary Brian as Mary Abbottfaget
Ralph Bushman as Bob McAndrew (as Francis X. Bushman Jr.)faget
Mary Alden as Mrs. Brownfaget
David Torrence as Mr. Brownfaget
Edward Connelly as Professor Abbottfaget
Guinn Williams as Hal Waltersfaget
Donald Reed as Reggie Smythefaget

"The Big Trail" (1930)

The Big Trail is a 1930 film starring John Wayne in his first leading role and was also the first widescreen movie, appearing decades before The Robe (1953). Although the 23-year-old Wayne delivered an intriguing performance as wagon train scout Breck Coleman, the expensive shot-on-location movie was a huge flop as a result of being the first widescreen release during a time when theatres wouldn't change over due to the encroachments of the Great Depression. After The Big Trail, Wayne was demoted to cheap serials and low-budget westerns, and it would take another nine years and Stagecoach to make Wayne a major mainstream star. Legend has it that the director Raoul Walsh had co-star Tyrone Power, Sr. almost beaten to death for forcing himself on the leading lady, Marguerite Churchill. Power would die just a year later from a heart attack.

The Big Trail was shot in an early widescreen process using 70mm film called Grandeur (which was first used in Fox Movietone Follies of 1929). Widescreen, along with Technicolor, were picked up by movie studios as the next big technological advancement for films in 1929. In 1930, a large number of films were produced which featured either widescreen or color. Color fared alot better than widescreen because no special equipment was needed to view color films whereas theatres needed to buy special projectors and screens in order to project widescreen films. Late in 1930, however, when the effects of the Depression were finally beginning to be felt by the public, studios abandoned the use of widescreen and color in an attempt to decrease costs. Because only a small number of theatres could play widescreen films, two versions of the widescreen films were always simultaneously filmed, with the cameras side by side and the widescreen camera getting the better angle. By doing this, the film would be able to played throughout the country in 35mm at the same time it was being played in deluxe theatres capable of screening widescreen films.

The original 70mm nitrate elements deteriorated in the 1960s, but a fine-grain CinemaScope-converted print of the 70mm version was found in 1972 and kept in the Library of Congress, and thus the film was restored to its full widescreen glory in the 1980s and re-screened at the Museum of Modern Art, and modern viewers wondered what audiences in 1930 had been thinking, since The Big Trail holds up astonishingly well given its age. The wagon train drive across the country was pioneering in its use of camerawork and the stunning scenery from the epic landscape. An extraordinary effort was made to lend authenticity to the movie, with the wagons drawn by oxen and lowered by ropes down canyons when necessary. Tyrone Power's character's clothing looks grimy in a more realistic way than has been seen in movies since, and even the food supplies the immigrants carried with them were researched. Locations in five states were used in the film caravan's 2000 mile trek. The movie was shot in both English and German (German-speaking leading