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The Big Trail
''The Big Trail'' is a 1930 American epic pre-Code Western early widescreen film shot on location across the American West starring 23-year-old John Wayne in his first leading role and directed by Raoul Walsh. It is the final completed film to feature Tyrone Power Sr. before his death in 1931, as well as his only sound role. In 2006, the United States Library of Congress deemed this film "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry, saying "the plot of a trek along the Oregon Trail is aided immensely by the majestic sweep provided by the experimental 70mm Grandeur wide-screen process used in filming". Plot A large caravan of settlers attempt to cross the Western United States on the Oregon Trail. Breck Coleman is a young trapper who just got back to Missouri from his travels near Santa Fe, seeking to avenge the death of an old trapper friend who was killed the winter before along the Santa Fe Trail ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh (born Albert Edward Walsh; March 11, 1887December 31, 1980) was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and the brother of silent cinema actor George Walsh. He was known for portraying John Wilkes Booth in the silent film ''The Birth of a Nation'' (1915) and for directing such films as the widescreen epic ''The Big Trail'' (1930) starring John Wayne in his first leading role, ''The Roaring Twenties'' starring James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart, ''High Sierra (film), High Sierra'' (1941) starring Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart, and ''White Heat'' (1949) starring James Cagney and Edmond O'Brien. He directed his last film in 1964. His work has been noted as influences on directors such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Jack Hill, and Martin Scorsese. Biography Walsh was born in New York as Albert Edward Walsh to Elizabeth T. Bruff, the daughter of Irish Catholic immigrants, and Thomas W. Walsh, an Englishman ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Early Widescreen Feature Filmography
A widescreen aspect ratio was first seen in a movie in Paramount's '' Old Ironsides'' of 1926. A few years later in 1928 and '29, a fad broke out for such special features as widescreen and color. Color was the more common choice, being that it was projected the same as black and white while theaters needed wider screens and special lenses for their projectors to show widescreen movies. With the lack of a standard for widescreen aspect ratios, studios had to go to the expense of filming several versions of a widescreen movie to cover the more common kinds of projector lens. The first movie to combine the two was ''Fox Movietone Follies of 1929'', widescreen and partially in color. The next year, there were two, ''Song of the Flame'' and '' Kismet'', which are today both lost films. By late 1930, however, most of the planned widescreen movies were shelved as studios began to feel the effects of The Great Depression and were forced to economize. In 1953, 20th Century Fox returned to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ward Bond
Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series ''Wagon Train'' from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Bert the cop in Frank Capra's ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) and Captain Clayton in John Ford's ''The Searchers'' (1956). As a character actor, Bond frequently played cowboys, cops, or soldiers. Early life Bond was born in Benkelman, Nebraska, Benkelman in Dundy County, Nebraska. The Bond family, John W., Mabel L., and sister Bernice, lived in Benkelman until 1919, when they moved to Denver, Colorado, where Bond graduated from East High School (Denver), East High School. Bond attended the Colorado School of Mines and then attended the University of Southern California and played American football, football on the same team with future USC coach Jess Hill. At 6'2" and 195 pounds, Bond was a starting lineman on USC's first NCAA Division I-A nat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Stevens (actor)
Charles Stevens (May 26, 1893 – August 22, 1964) was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1915 and 1961. A close friend of actor Douglas Fairbanks, Stevens appeared in nearly all of Fairbanks' films. Early years Stevens was born in Solomonville, Arizona, and his father was a white Arizona sheriff named George Stevens and mother a Mexican woman named Eloisa Michelena. Stevens was not, as many bios claim, the grandson of Geronimo. That erroneous information could be attributed to Stevens himself, who claimed such kinship, and film studios that promoted the supposed lineage. Career Stevens began his career during the silent era, playing mostly Native Americans and Mexicans in Westerns. During the 1930s and 1940s, he had roles in the film serials '' Wild West Days'' and '' Overland Mail''. In the 1950s, Stevens guest-starred on several television series, including ''The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok'', ''The Adventures of Kit Carson'', '' Sky King'', '' T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ian Keith
Ian Keith (born Keith Ross; February 27, 1899 – March 26, 1960) was an American actor. Early years Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Keith grew up in Chicago. He was educated at the Francis Parker School there and played Hamlet in a school production at age 16. Career Keith was a veteran character actor of the stage, and appeared in a variety of colorful roles in silent features of the 1920s. In 1919, as Keith Ross, he acted with the Copley Repertory Theatre in Boston. On Broadway, as Ian Keith, he performed in ''The Andersonville Trial'' (1959), ''Edwin Booth'' (1958), ''Saint Joan'' (1956), ''Touchstone'' (1953), ''The Leading Lady'' (1948), ''A Woman's a Fool - to Be Clever'' (1938), ''Robin Landing'' (1937), ''King Richard II'' (1937), ''Best Sellers'' (1933), ''Hangman's Whip'' (1933), ''Firebird'' (1932), ''Queen Bee'' (1929), ''The Command Performance'' (1928), ''The Master of the Inn'' (1925), ''Laugh, Clown, Laugh!'' (1923), ''As You Like It'' (1923), ''The Czarin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frederick Burton (actor)
Frederick Burton (October 20, 1871 – October 23, 1957) was an American actor. He appeared in 122 films between 1914 and 1947. Burton was born in Gosport, Indiana and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Life and career The following comes from a 1907 issue of '' Life Magazine'': FREDERICK BURTON, the actor, hails from Gosport, Ind. He got his start on the stage after making a hit in a Knights of Pythias benefit in Gosport. After three years' absence from home, his company played in Terre Haute and Burton invited his father to come over and see him act. The old man took in the show, and after the last curtain went back on the stage to see his son. Presently the treasurer appeared at the dressing room door and handed Burton his weekly pay envelope. Burton senior saw the figures on the outside and his eyes sparkled. "You don't mean to tell me you get that much every week, do you?" exclaimed the old gentleman. "That's right," Burton replied, modestly. "Well, what other ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for the Cheyenne homeland is ''Tsistano''. Language The Cheyenne of Montana and Oklahoma speak the Cheyenne language, known as ''Tsėhésenėstsestȯtse'' (common spelling: Tsisinstsistots). Approximately 800 people speak Cheyenne in Oklahoma. There are only a handful of vocabulary differences between the two locations. The Cheyenne alphabet contains 14 letters. The Cheyenne language is one of the larger Algonquian-language group. Formerly, the Só'taeo'o (Só'taétaneo'o) or Suhtai (Sutaio) bands of Southern and Northern Cheyenne spoke ''Só'taéka'ėškóne'' or ''Só'taenėstsestȯtse'', a language so close to ''Tsėhésenėstsestȯtse'' (Cheyenne language), that it is sometimes termed a Cheyenne dialect. History The earliest written reco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conestoga Wagon
The Conestoga wagon, also simply known as the Conestoga, is a horse-drawn freight wagon that was used exclusively in North America, primarily the United States, in the 18th and 19th centuries. Such wagons were probably first used by Pennsylvania Dutch settlers in the early 18th century. Named for the Conestoga River, such wagons were in use as early as 1717. Conestoga wagons are larger, heavier versions of covered wagons, covered by Hemp#Fiber, hemp cloths stretched over hoops, with large wheels for traveling over primitive roads, and curved sides and floor to keep the contents centered. They were pulled by a team of four to six horses. The first examples of this type may have been built at home by farmers but later were produced commercially by wainwright (occupation), wagon makers and wheelwrights. Conestoga wagons were used to carry up to of produce or manufactured goods between farms and towns. They were most often used in the northeast United States, especially Pennsylvani ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Covered Wagon
A covered wagon, also called a prairie wagon, whitetop, or prairie schooner, is a horse-drawn or ox-drawn wagon used for passengers or freight hauling. It has a canvas, tarpaulin, or waterproof sheet which is stretched over removable wooden bows (also called hoops or tilts) and lashed to the body of the wagon. They were a popular style of vehicle for overland migrations. Conestoga wagon The Conestoga wagon was a heavy American wagon of English and German type from the late 18th century and into the 19th century. It was used for freight and drawn by teams of horses or oxen depending on load. The covered canvas top was supported on eight to twelve angled bows, rather than upright. Capacity was around 4 to 5 tons with no springs. Though it was boat-shaped it did not float. It was used in eastern North America for freight hauling, with some used for southward migration through the Appalachian valleys and along the Great Wagon Road. It was too heavy for use west of the Mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, the trail served as a vital commercial highway until 1880, when the railroad arrived in Santa Fe. Santa Fe was near the end of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro which carried trade from Mexico City. The trail was later incorporated into parts of the National Old Trails Road and U.S. Route 66. The route skirted the northern edge and crossed the north-western corner of Comancheria, the territory of the Comanche. Realizing the value, they demanded compensation for granting passage to the trail. American traders envisioned them as another market. Comanche raiding farther south in Mexico isolated New Mexico, making it more dependent on the American trade. They raided to gain a steady supply of horses to sell. By the 1840s, trail traffic through the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
70 Mm Grandeur Film
70 mm Grandeur film, also called Fox Grandeur or Grandeur 70, is a 70 mm widescreen film format developed by William Fox through his Fox Film and Fox-Case corporations and used commercially on a small but successful scale in 1929–30. History In 1925, with the advent of television on the horizon, William Fox of the Fox Film Studio empire envisioned a "grand" cinema experience to keep the public coming to the movie theaters. As such, he soon put full efforts behind enhancing the silent 35 mm film showings by the addition of sound to be coupled to a wider than 35mm end product, with the hoped for result being a grand and lifelike experience for the viewers. This wide screen vision of William Fox soon resulted in his creating a partnership with Theodore Case and his assistant, Earl Sponable, pioneers of Sound on Film, with the partnership to be named the Fox-Case Corporation. The result was, first, the advent of Movietone Sound, then soon combined with the 70 mm "Gra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what is now the states of Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming. The western half crossed the current states of Idaho and Oregon. The Oregon Trail was laid by fur traders and trappers from about 1811 to 1840 and was initially only passable on foot or horseback. By 1836, when the first migrant wagon train was organized in Independence, Missouri, a wagon trail had been cleared to Fort Hall, Idaho. Wagon trails were cleared increasingly farther west and eventually reached the Willamette Valley in Oregon, at which point what came to be called the Oregon Trail was complete, though further improvements in the forms of bridges, cutoffs, ferries, and roads would make the trip faster and safer. From various starting points in Iowa, Missouri, or Nebraska Territo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
