The Big Stampede/Ride Him, Cowboy/Haunted Gold

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

At the outset of his career, following the box-office failure of The Big Trail, John Wayne found himself relegated to the ranks of B-western stars, in between small roles in bigger-budgeted, more mainstream movies. It was at Warner Bros., in a handful of low-budget oaters (that were mostly sound remakes of films that Ken Maynard had done as silents) that he first got his chance in the genre. He's pretty good in Ride Him, Cowboy, Wayne showing that he already knows a little bit about dramatic entrances when he rescues Duke the horse (who was his co-star in all six of the Warner Bros. movies) from a court-imposed destruction order. And that movie, uniquely among these ultra-low-budget productions, has him cast with a very pretty leading lady in Ruth Hall -- also aboard are Otis Harlan, providing comic relief, and Henry B. Walthall providing some dramatic heft. The source print looks and sounds great, and The Big Stampede also looks good and sounds better; but Haunted Gold apparently hasn't been preserved quite as well, to judge from what was used here. It's more than passable, and better quality than one its used to from low-budget westerns of this period, but there are also flaws in evidence at various points, and some of the reel-change points look rough; and the sound isn't as strong as on the other two titles. As with the films themselves, there are no frills on the DVD -- no bonus features and barely any chapters. But for John Wayne completists, this will be a satisfying budget-priced disc. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Black and White
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       John Wayne - John Drury
       John Wayne - John Steele
       Sheila Terry - Janet Carter
       Noah Beery, Sr. - Sam Crew
       Ruth Hall - Ruth Gaunt
       Mae Madison - Ginger Malloy
       Henry B. Walthall - John Gaunt
       Harry Woods - Joe Ryan
       Otto Hoffman - Simon
       Harry Gribbon - Clout
       Otis Harlan - Judge Jones
       Martha Mattox - Mrs. Herman
       Blue Washington - Clarence
       Charles Sellon - Judge Bartlett
       Frank S. Hagney - Henry Suggs
       John Wayne - John Mason
       Bud Osborne
       Charles "Slim" Whitaker
       Ben Corbett
       Horse: Duke
       Paul Hurst - "Arizona" Frank Bailey
       Sherwood Bailey - Pat Malloy
       Charles "Slim" Whitaker - Vaquero
       Erville Alderson - Benedict
       Berton Churchill - Gov. Lew Wallace
       Joseph W. Girard - Major Parker
       Luis Alberni - Sonora Joe
       Lafe [Lafayette] McKee - Cal Brett
       John Wahall
       Hank Bell - Vaquero
       Jim Corey
       Frank Ellis - Henchman

• Director:

  Tenny Wright, Fred Allen, Mack Wright

• Producer:

  Leon Schlesinger

• Screenwriter:

  Kkurt Kempler

• Screen Story:

  Marion Jackson

• Screenwriter:

  Scott Mason, Adele Buffington

• Cinematographer:

  Ted D. McCord, Nick Musuraca

• Composer (Music Score):

  Leo F. Forbstein

• Editor:

  Frank Ware, William B. Clemens

• Associate Producer:

  Sid Rogell

• Short Story Author:

  Kenneth Perkins