DramaWestern

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.

Release Date : 1930-11-01

Language :EnglishSpanish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Fox Film Corporation

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : Raoul Walsh's The Big TrailThe Oregon Trail

Cast

Character Name : Breck Coleman

Original Name : John Wayne

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ruth Cameron

Original Name : Marguerite Churchill

Gender : Female

Character Name : Gus

Original Name : El Brendel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Zeke

Original Name : Tully Marshall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Red Flack

Original Name : Tyrone Power Sr.

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dave Cameron

Original Name : David Rollins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pa Bascom

Original Name : Frederick Burton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bill Thorpe

Original Name : Ian Keith

Gender : Male

Character Name : López

Original Name : Charles Stevens

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gus' Mother-in-law

Original Name : Louise Carver

Gender : Female

Character Name : Wagon Train Man (uncredited)

Original Name : Victor Adamson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Phyllis Bainbridge

Gender : Male

Character Name : Indian (uncredited)

Original Name : Chief John Big Tree

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sid Bascom (uncredited)

Original Name : Ward Bond

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Nora Bush

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Martin Cichy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wrangler (uncredited)

Original Name : Don Coleman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer Child (uncredited)

Original Name : Nancy Crowley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Curley Dresden

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Adabelle Driver

Gender : Female

Character Name : Sairey (uncredited)

Original Name : Emslie Emerson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Marshal (uncredited)

Original Name : Alphonse Ethier

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Theresa Garon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : William Gillis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer Boy (uncredited)

Original Name : Dannie Mac Grant

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Virginia Griffith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Riggs (uncredited)

Original Name : Marcia Harris

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pioneer Girl (uncredited)

Original Name : Marilyn Harris

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Al Haskell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Boat Captain Hollister (uncredited)

Original Name : DeWitt Jennings

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Kenny

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Bert Keys

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wagon Driver (uncredited)

Original Name : John Lawrence Kneedy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Ann Kunde

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mildred Riggs (uncredited)

Original Name : Marjorie Leet

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pioneer Girl (uncredited)

Original Name : Marion Lessing

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Frances Martinson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Frank McGrath

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wellmore (uncredited)

Original Name : William V. Mong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wrangler (uncredited)

Original Name : Pete Morrison

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Beth Nagel

Gender : Female

Character Name : Abigail Vance (uncredited)

Original Name : Dodo Newton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Artie Ortego

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Padjan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Honey Girl Cameron (uncredited)

Original Name : Helen Parrish

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pioneer Boy (uncredited)

Original Name : Robert Parrish

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Harvey Parry

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bill Gillis (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Peabody

Gender : Male

Character Name : Windy Bill (uncredited)

Original Name : Russ Powell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ohio Man (uncredited)

Original Name : Frank Rainboth

Gender : Male

Character Name : Indian Scout (uncredited)

Original Name : Apache Bill Russell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Lucile Sewall

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ohio Man's Son (uncredited)

Original Name : Andy Shuford

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Tom Smith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pioneer (uncredited)

Original Name : Jean Stoddard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sister from Missouri (uncredited)

Original Name : Gertrude Van Lent

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sister from Missouri (uncredited)

Original Name : Lucille Van Lent

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2022-06-13

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.