The Thundering Herd

Roku has this as buffalo stampede, but imdb has it as thundering herd.

Stars western regular randolph scott and judith allen, in her very first role. In the 1870s, with good prices being paid for buffalo hides, honest cowboys hunted them. And dis-honest thieves tried to hijack them. Co-stars noah beery, buster crabbe. Add a battle with the native american indians. Throw in a love story between the lead characters, and you've got a western. Many of the scenes were cut and pasted from the 1925 silent version, but they are much darker. It's pretty easy to see which are the newer scenes and which are the old. Some great shots of buffalo stampeding, with various snowy mountains in the background. Directed by henry hathaway. Very outspoken and gruff. Some funny quotes in his bio here on imdb. Looks like he worked on seven films with john wayne. Book by the famous and popular zane grey, who had written a zillion and one westerns. According to imdb, this was filmed at the alabama hills and in yellowstone. When you are in lone pine, see if the museum of western film history is open... they might be showing a film that evening, probably written by zane grey. Fun stuff!

Buffalo stampedes... Indian attacks... Plundering bandits... Doan braved them all when he rode into the badlands... and rode out with a beautiful girl!

Both Sprague, Jett and their crews are hunting buffalo. Doan (Randolph Scott) is with Sprague crew and is looking for the Jett outfit where his girlfriend Milly is being held against her will. In addition to the thieving Jett who is stealing Sprague's furs, the Indians are gathering to attack all the white buffalo hunters.

Thundering Herd is quite a raw and primitive western which has some drama and conflict, rugged scenery and the characters -the Jetts- are rather primitive and uncouth degenerates. They do come across real as does the landscape and experiences. There's some good camera angles - but it can be a bit ponderous and dull.

As I look over the several reviews that are available about "The Thundering Herd," what hits me first is that there is such a wide range of opinion about it, from bad all the way to great. Some say the acting is great, some say bad. So, if my review were the only one present for someone who wants to get an idea about whether he or she should take a look at the film, the following is what I would say. I think it is a good film, and worth the while of fans of westerns to take a look at it for two reasons. For starters, fans of filmed westerns should take a look at it to get a flavor of Zane Grey's work, for he is the father of the old West as portrayed in literature and the media. The detail that is portrayed in this movie of western life in the buffalo days is more detailed than one will see in 99% of B-Westerns, and that is because the story originates with Zane Grey. Rarely do you see wagon trains' and buffalo hunting parties' procedures and equipment portrayed with such care as in this movie. Zane Grey's western books are very detailed and exciting, and fans of westerns should certainly read at least one of them, if not more. Second, fans of westerns can use "The Thundering Herd" to begin to make comparisons of how simple B-Westerns of the early and mid- 1930's stack up to higher-end westerns from the larger studios during the same era. This is not an A-level Western, but it is a cut above the typical "B" and does draw together a more substantial and authoritative cast than the typical "B" and it also tries to present a story with greater breadth and import than the B's. Some of the action even takes place in the snow, which is a rarity in filmed westerns of the 1930's. But because it isn't an A-level film the producers also tried to cut corners and inserted a lot of stock footage, especially of buffalo and Indians, from earlier films. This is a dramatic film, and some of the moments in the culminating scene, and elsewhere in the film, too, are surprisingly brutal. If this film had been attempted a few years later, it probably would have been less grim and the various relationships within it a little more fully explored. Randolph Scott was a young chap, just coming along in the business, but this is not a Randolph Scott "hero" film like studios produced with the likes of Bob Steele or Buck Jones during the same era. Scott in this film is integral to the movie, and is the star, yes, but other people are doing and contributing important things in this film, too. I really enjoyed the opening scene, which in setting the stage seems to be chillingly realistic, with an overview of some ramshackle buildings nestled in a smoky glen all a-bustle with wagons and horses getting outfitted for the start of the hunting trips, with trading post owner Sprague (Harry Carey) making his way among and talking with the busy folks down there. Then the scene quickly changes to one of the most exciting "you-are-there" kind of stagecoach rides one will ever see! Thank you director Henry Hathaway for getting us underway. You will also see Noah Beery in one of his most vile and disturbing roles. So go ahead and watch the film, and see if you think the middle and ending of the film keep apace with the beginning! Maybe you will, maybe you won't, but I do indeed think it is a worthwhile western to see.

It's not too bad, but the good cast builds up expectations for this Western that are not really fulfilled. The story is just fair, and only the occasional good action scenes keep it going. It stars Randolph Scott, and has a good supporting cast that includes the likes of Harry Carey, Buster Crabbe, and more. The story has quite a bit going on, most of it focusing on rival groups of buffalo hunters. A lot happens, but much of the time it doesn't seem to fit together that well, and there are some slow stretches that could easily have been shortened or omitted. It's worth a look for the cast if you like older Westerns, but don't expect too much.

Action galore within a well-crafted and beautifully presented story make this one of the very best B westerns ever made.

Randolph Scott's mustache is rather jarring, to those of us who have never seen him with one, but he gives an excellent and athletic performance, joined by one of the finest casts ever assembled in a B western.

Bad guys are really bad, with Noah Beery giving one of his best performances as the worst of the bad guys ... although Mrs. Bad Guy is about as rough and evil as any woman I've ever seen in a B western.

This is not only brilliant story-telling, but it is brilliant acting.

And brilliant directing.

Henry Hathaway surpasses other possibly better-known and more highly regarded directors with his moving camera and his shots of moving horses and wagons and buffalo. (His last years, though, saw him faltering badly as he almost ruined, with the aid of a miserable script from Marguerite Roberts, "True Grit." But admire his work here and don't think about how badly he stumbled toward the end.)

One wonderful aspect of "The Thundering Herd" is an active female lead, played by Judith Allen. OK, maybe there was a stunt man, but so what? The character is one to admire, and one to wish there had been and were now more of: a strong and active female who did more than cower in her man's arms.

Excellent writing, and an excellent and exciting bunch of characters, and an excellent action-packed finale.

"The Thundering Herd" is available at YouTube in a pretty good print. I highly recommend this movie.