THE BIG STAMPEDE
US, 1932, 54 minutes, Black and white.
John Wayne, Noah Beery, Paul Hurst, Mae Madison, Luis Alberni, Berton Churchill.
Directed by Tenny Wright.
The Big Stampede is one of the earliest of John Wayne’s westerns. For the most part of the 1930s he made brief westerns like this, developing his screen persona, gaining experience which would stand him in good stead when he appeared in 1939 in John Ford’s Stage Coach and collaborated with Ford and many other top directors like Howard Hawks during a long career, culminating with his Oscar win for True Grit and his last film, The Shootist.
Noah Beery is the villain, a land baron. Luis Alberni appears as a Mexican outlaw. Berton Churchill appears as Governor Lew Wallace of New Mexico – who, in real life, wrote Ben Hur.
The plot is standard, the cattle barons in Arizona and New Mexico deceiving the settlers and robbing them, the army looking for beef and the settlers being able to provide it, the greedy land barons and the Mexican rustlers, the deputy sheriff who is an upright man and solves everything. While the film is conventional, there are some very good scenes of the cattle, stampedes, and the cattle on the open range.
1. John Wayne’s career? His work in B-budget films like this? Developing his screen persona? In the westerns?
2. 1932 black and white photography, editing? The location sequences, especially with the cattle runs?
3. The situation in Arizona and New Mexico, Governor Lew Wallace and his reputation, sending John Steele to solve the problems in the west? His praise of Steele? The contrast with the governor’s mansion and the west and the pioneer towns?
4. John Wayne as John Steele, taking the job, his signature and sign, his pretending to be drunk, assessing Sam Crew and the people in the bar, meeting the pioneers, attracted to Ginger? His support of Cal – and Cal’s murder by Arizona? His deputising Sonora Joe? The relationship with the Mexican rustlers, using them? The attempts to steal the cattle, his saving the day? The romance with Ginger? Sam Crew, his power, his status with the governor, his preying on the pioneers, Arizona and his henchmen? Arizona, the murder of Cal Brett? Steele, deputising Sonora Joe, going into the bar, his tactics coming from the roof, arresting Arizona and imprisoning him?
5. The confrontations, the shootouts? The stealing of the cattle, the rounding up of the cattle?
6. The supporting characters, Cal Brett, Ginger and her brother and his mischievous nature? The horse being called Duke – and its becoming John Wayne’s nickname in his later career?
