The Big Trail
The first "epic" western of the talkie era, The Big Trail is motivated by a hero's search for the murderer of his father. Twenty-three-year-old John Wayne, hitherto limited to bit parts, was thrust into the difficult leading role, a young mountaineer put in charge of a huge California-bound wagon train. Over the next several months, Wayne and his fellow pioneers face every imaginable hazard and disaster, from blistering desert heat to blinding snowstorms, negotiating steep cliffs, treacherous rivers, uncharted forests and other such natural obstacles. Meanwhile, Wayne's tentative romance with heroine Ruth Cameron (Marguerite Churchill) is continually thwarted by a charming but duplicitous gambler (Ian Keith), and all-around villain Red Flack (Tyrone Power Sr.) and his henchman Lopez (Charlie Stevens) ceaselessly plot to double-cross the other wagon-trainers for their own financial gain. The Big Trail was a box-office disappointment, a fact which some have attributed its expensive production methods. Each scene was lensed twice, once in 35-millimeter and then in the 65-mm "Fox Grandeur" wide-screen process. And then, each dialogue scene was filmed in French and German, with totally different casts. Even if Big Trail has been a big hit, it would have lost money thanks to the time-consuming shooting and reshooting of virtually every scene. Whatever the case, it was John Wayne who suffered most from the film's failure; instantly demoted to "B"-westerns, it took him nearly a decade to rebuild his stardom. The Big Trail, long believed lost, was made available for exhibition again in the early 1970s -- and in the 1990s, the original widescreen version was at last restored for public view. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Thanks! I liked the movie poster stating "The Most Important Picture Ever Produced"
Thanks, one of my favorites!!
My picture or the movie? LOL -------------------------------- R
Big Belly Laugh Out Loud!!!!
LOL
Very Nice Tom. A Big Thumbs up for this Post. and Thank you! --------------------- R
Sweet thank you Rick. You're very welcome and thank you.
I also figured you might like seeing a picture of me. LOL ------------------------ R
BBLOL! Ohhh Rick you're too much. Thanks, you make my day.