Why John Wayne’s First Movie, ‘The Big Trail,’ Was Considered a Flop
John Wayne starred in many smaller movies before becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest names. He has starred in iconic films such as The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and True Grit. His first film, The Big Trail, was an ambitious project that, unfortunately, ended up being a box office flop.
‘The Big Trail’ had a large production budget
John Wayne started as a propman over at Fox Studios. While working there, director Raoul Walsh saw a star quality in him and decided to cast John Wayne in The Big Trail, making it his first leading role in any movie. The Big Trail was a revolutionary film at the time as it was filmed in 70mm. This meant that there were two different versions of the film: One shot in 35mm, and another in the widescreen format of 70mm.
Additionally, the production of The Big Trail was massive, meaning it had a large budget. In the book Raoul Walsh: The True Adventures of Hollywood’s Legendary Director by Marilyn Ann Moss, the author shared there were “20,000” extras and thousands of animals on set.
“The production crew was equally impressive: a staff of 293 principal actors and 22 cameramen,” Moss wrote via Slash Film. “Then there were the 12 Indian guides and the 123 baggage trains that trekked over 4,300 miles in the seven states used for locations. Also brought along were the picture’s 700 barnyard animals, including dogs, pigs, and chickens.”
The first John Wayne movie was a massive flop at the box office
The Big Trail ended up being a flop, but it had almost nothing to do with the quality of the film. The movie was a critical success upon release and currently holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was also inducted into the United States Library of Congress in 2006.
Unfortunately, most theaters were not equipped to handle a movie filmed in 70mm. Many theaters could not show The Big Trail, leading it to become a catastrophic flop for Fox. The exact gross numbers aren’t reported, but the film had a budget of $1.25 million and did not make most of it back. Even today, many people haven’t seen it, making it one of the most underrated westerns ever.
John Wayne had his breakthrough in the film ‘Stagecoach’
After The Big Trail, John Wayne appeared in many other smaller films until Stagecoach gave him his big break. Stagecoach is a 1939 western directed by John Ford. Wayne plays the Ringo kid, an outlaw who is more civilized than he is perceived to be. The western was a major commercial success and is preserved in the US Library of Congress.
After this success, Ford and Wayne became a dynamic duo, working together on over a dozen westerns, including The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Long Voyage Home, Fort Apache, Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, and 3 Godfathers. The collaboration between Ford and Wayne made Ford an iconic western director along with making Wayne a prominent leading man in Hollywood.
