The Big Stampede

Big Stampede with John Wayne, in one of his earlier credited roles... as John, deputy, in the cattle driving days. he's out to catch Sam (Noah Beery) and Joe (Luis Alberni) rustling cattle. Co-stars Mae Madison, as the love interest. It's a shortie, at only 55 minutes, but they pack a lot in. early talkie western. early credited role for J. Wayne. and it seems to be about the time New Mexico was looking for state-hood. they keep talking about how they will never get statehood with all the violence and rustling still going on. horses. bad guys. hero. all the great western ingredients. Directed by Tenny Wright, in one of the seven films Wright directed! He and Wayne made this one and Telegraph Trail together. apparently filmed in the hills between Merced and Monterey. Original story by Marion Jackson, who had written a whole bunch of western stories, which were made into films from the 1920s into the 1930s. it's pretty good. Sound and picture are surprisingly good for a film from 1932... either a very good quality print, or maybe its been restored. check it out!

This film essentially begins in New Mexico with a deputy sheriff by the name of "John Steele" (John Wayne) being ordered by "Governor Lew Wallace" (Berton Churchill) to investigate crimes being perpetrated on settlers as they head to a certain part of that territory. Sure enough, when he gets there, he gets involved in a gunfight with a cattle rustler by the name of "Frank Bailey" (Paul Hurst) who the locals call "Arizona." Unfortunately, although he manages to stop Arizona from stealing any cattle, the gunslinger manages to escape into the night--but only after shooting and killing one of the settlers beforehand. Not long afterward, recognizing that he is vastly outnumbered by the cattle rustlers in that area, Sheriff Steele cleverly convinces the leader of a rival band of cattle rustlers named "Sonora Joe" (Luis Alberni), to help him out. Not at all keen to this idea at first, eventually Sonora Joe comes around and joins forces with Sheriff Steele and the settlers to even the odds. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an okay Western which benefited, to a certain degree, from the performance of John Wayne and the presence of one of the smartest horses to ever make its appearance on screen. Other than "Mr. Ed" of course. Be that as it may, although this grade-B film is rather short (no more than 54 minutes), it served to pass the time well enough, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

There existed a treasure-trove of action footage filmed during the silent movie era. When talkies arrived studios inserted portions of them into their new sound productions. Warner Brothers' October 1932's "The Big Stampede" with John Wayne, used the footage of a previous film of theirs, 1927's "Land Beyond the Law," showing giant herds of cattle and an ensuing stampede. The clips were perfect to splice in for the studio's 1932 movie about New Mexico Territory cattle barons attempting to steal a large herd entering their personal space. Wayne, the hero of the story, wore the same style of clothing the star of the 1927 version, Ken Maynard, had on so the two, filmed in the action wide shots, were indistinguishable.

After his starring role in the 1930 epic Western box office flop, "The Big Trail," Wayne was relegated mostly to low-budgeted Westerns. In one of his rare major studio appearances, Wayne plays Deputy Sheriff John Steele, who's hired by New Mexico's Governor Wallace (Berton Churchill) to protect the owners of a large herd of cattle grazing in unclaimed territory older cattle ranchers feel is theirs. Wayne, a former USC football player turned prop boy for Fox Films, possessed a portfolio consisting of mostly of Grade-B films after "The Big Trail." The actor signed on to play in six of producer Leon Schlesinger's lower budgeted movies with Warner Brothers. To minimize production costs, Schlesinger recycled several of Ken Maynard's silent Westerns. Wrote film reviewer Ryan McDonald of Wayne's acting skills. "Wayne's still raw. His scenes with Mae Madison, who plays Ginger, are stiff and awkward. But he's learning."

Opposite of Wayne is cattle baron Sam Crew, played by long-time actor Noah Beery. The older brother of Wallace, Noah first acted in film in 1915, ofttimes playing villains. One of his more visible roles was as Sergeant Gonzales in 1920's "The Mark of Zorro" with Douglas Fairbanks. He was the father of Noah Beery Jr., noted for his role as James Garner's dad in the 1970s television series 'The Rockford Files.'

The Big Stampede (1932)

*** (out of 4)

Entertaining "B" Western has John Steele (John Wayne) taking over as the sheriff in a small town that has had an issue with local lawmen being murdered. He gets the help of Mexican bandit Sonora Joe (Luis Alberni) and the two try to track down the killer.

THE BIG STAMPEDE is the second of six Westerns that Wayne made while at Warner Bros.. The majority of these films have been forgotten because of what classics he would make throughout the next several decades but those interested in seeing where the legend started should enjoy this for what it is.

Obviously this isn't an Oscar-winner or any sort of ground-breaking film but it works as a small film. The film manages to keep you entertained through the short 54-minute running time thanks in large part to the cast. Wayne actually turns in a pretty decent performance here and especially early on when his character has some sympathy for wanting to take the job being offered. I thought Alberni stole the show in his supporting performance and Noah Beery is also good here. Yeah, Duke, the horse, is here too.

The film contains some nice shoot outs as well as some nice chases, which help keep the thing moving at a nice pace. Fans of Wayne or these early "B" Westerns should be entertained by this.

The person of the 25 year old John Wayne is beginning to merge with the western genre film. He is developing a following by this with convincing fist fights. He is a household name churning out 10 films per year.