"It's the early days of talkies, and John Wayne needed a voice coach-imagine that!"

The Big Trail - The Big Picture
It's the 1800s, and the West is still wild and untamed. And for those headin' out to those parts, the trail can be treacherous, and even deadly. But with Breck Coleman (John Wayne) leading the way, the wagon train itself becomes the story, its passengers and cargo on a magnificent journey set against the spectacular, wide open spaces of Nebraska and Wyoming.

Plot Thickeners
The story of The Big Trail is the story of a great trek West, with Coleman fighting off Indian attacks, buffalo stampedes, and the storms of Mother Nature as he vies with Zeke (Tully Marshall) for the affections of a pretty young traveler named Ruth Cameron (Marguerite Churchill). In the end, Coleman successfully leads the group from its start in St. Louis, over the plains, and finally up and over the highest mountains on the Oregon Trail.

Behind the Scenes
Director Raoul Walsh superbly captured the thrilling outdoor action in this epic film, which included a devastating scene in which the entire cast was almost drowned when fording a river during a fierce rainstorm (Walsh always kept the cameras rolling). The film was the first to be produced using the Grandeur color process, a 55mm wide- screen color process so impressive that the premiere audience jumped to its feet and cheered at the conclusion. The film cost $2 million to make, a fortune in those early days of the great depression.

Notes and Quotes
John Wayne had bit parts in seven movies and was working as a property man when the great director John Ford noticed him. Ford recommended Wayne to his colleague Raoul Walsh, telling him that he "liked the looks of this new kid with a funny walk, like he owned the world."

Walsh went to Wayne and explained that he was about to make a frontier epic and wanted him in the film. Wayne, thinking he was going to get a minor role, was dumbfounded when he showed up for the first day's shooting and told that he had the lead in this early talkie. "I don't even have any training in speaking lines," complained Wayne. "Speaking lines?" Walsh growled. "Forget that. Hell, all you gotta do is sit good on a horse and point."

For Trivia Experts Only
Director Raoul Walsh's original choice for leading man turned it down; but as the picture was never commercially successful, Gary Cooper didn't suffer for not being in it. At the same time, the picture gave Wayne his first big break. The "Duke," however, would have to wait another nine years before Ford once again came to the rescue, giving him the lead in his classic "Stagecoach."