The Thundering Herd (1933)

INFORMATION FROM IMDb

Plot Summary
Both Sprague and Jett and their crews are hunting buffalo.
Doan is with Sprague 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.
Written by Maurice VanAuken

Cast
Randolph Scott ... Tom Doan
Judith Allen ... Milly Fayre
Buster Crabbe ... Bill Hatch
Noah Beery ... Randall Jett
Raymond Hatton ... Jude Pilchuck
Blanche Fridericik ... Mrs. Jane Jett (as Blanche Frederici)
Harry Carey ... Clark Sprague
Monte Blue ... Smiley
Barton MacLane ... Pruitt
Al Bridge ... Catlee - Pruitt's Henchman
Dick Rush ... Middlewest
Frank Rice ... Blacksmith
Buck Connors ... Buffalo Hunter
Charles McMurphy ... Andrews
Iron Eyes Cody ... Indian (uncredited)
Francis Ford ... Frank (uncredited)
and many more...

Directed
Henry Hathaway

Writing Credits
Zane Grey ... (original story)
Jack Cunningham ... (screenplay) and
Mary Flannery ... (screenplay)

Produced
Harold Hurley ... producer

Music
Karl Hajos ... (uncredited)

Cinematography
Ben F. Reynolds ... (as Ben Reynolds)

Trivia
The film's scenes of the buffalo herds were filmed in Yellowstone National Park.

This is one of 20 Zane Grey stories, filmed by Paramount in the 1930s, which they sold to Favorite Films for re-release, circa 1950-1952. The failure of Paramount, the original copyright holder, to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.

Re-titled 'Buffalo Stampede' by Favorite Films for its 1950 re-release, this title was often shown in tandem with the re-release of Born to the West (1937), re-titled 'Hell Town'.

Re-titled 'Buffalo Stampede,' this film was first telecast in Detroit Sunday 21 February 1954 on WXYZ (Channel 7), Sunday 28 February 1954 on WCBS (Channel 2), and in Los Angeles Sunday 9 May 1954 on KNBH (Channel 4). In San Francisco it hit the airwaves Monday 5 September 1955 on KPIX (Channel 5).

The 20 Zane Grey stories sold by Paramount to Favorite Films for theatrical re-release, and then to Unity Television Corporation for television broadcast are as follows: The Light of Western Stars/Winning the West (1930), Fighting Caravans/Blazing Arrows (1931), Heritage of the Desert/When the West Was Young (1932), The Mysterious Rider/The Fighting Phantom (1933), The Thundering Herd/Buffalo Stampede (1933), Man of the Forest/Challenge of the Frontier (1933), To the Last Man/Law of Vengeance (1933), Wagon Wheels/Caravans West (1934), Rocky Mountain Mystery/The Fighting Westerner (1935), Drift Fence/Texas Desperadoes (1936), Desert Gold/Desert Storm (1936), The Arizona Raiders/Bad Men of Arizona (1936), Arizona Mahoney/Arizona Thunderbolt (1936), Forlorn River/River of Destiny (1937), Thunder Trail/Thunder Pass (1937), Born to the West/Hell Town (1937), The Mysterious Rider/Mark of the Avenger (1938), Heritage of the Desert/Heritage of the Plains (1939), Knights of the Range/Bad Men of Nevada (1940), and The Light of Western Stars/Border Renegade (1940)

Goofs
Boom mic visible
During the first scene between Randolph Scott and Buster Crabbe, the shadow of the boom mike is clearly visible on both actors.

Memorable Quotes

Filming Locations
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA (buffalo herd)
Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Watch the Movie

[extendedmedia]

The Thundering Herd is a 1933 American Pre-Code Western film directed by
Henry Hathaway and starring Randolph Scott, Judith Allen, Buster Crabbe,
Noah Beery, Sr. and Harry Carey.

Based on the novel The Thundering Herd by Zane Grey, the film is about two buffalo hunters
(portrayed by Randolph Scott and Harry Carey) who face dangers with the Indians and a gang of outlaws.
The Thundering Herd is a remake of the 1925 film The Thundering Herd.
Both Noah Beery, Sr. and Raymond Hatton, Wallace Beery's frequent screen comedy partner
during the late 1920s, reprised their roles.
The film is now in the public domain and also known as Buffalo Stampede,
the title Favorite Films used in their 1950 reissue of the film.
Hathaway directed much of the same cast (Scott, Beery, Carey and Crabbe)
that same year in another Zane Grey story, Man of the Forest.

Besides star Randolph Scott, look out for Duke 'Pals' Harry Carey,
Noah Beery,Raymond Hatton, Francis Ford

User Review

Good Cast, Fair Story
9 August 2002 | by Snow Leopard (Ohio)

Quote from SNOW

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.