The Dawn Rider (film): One of Wayne's first

Like most people, I am aware of who John Wayne is but I haven't really watched much of it. Then yesterday I was in a shop with my Dad and there was a 20 movie John Wayne DVD for 50 cents.... why not?

The first one we watched was the first one on the thing. It was called "the Dawn Rider" and it was from 1935.

The film is only 55 minutes long and it was made for 10,000 bucks which is about $185,000 in today's money.

At first glance this movie doesn't look like much, but you need to put yourself in someone's shoes 90 years ago. There was almost no technology used in people's day-to-day lives, and films weren't just something we could watch 20 of in a day if we wanted to. Not many people are still around that can remember when this was released I would imagine.

The story is pretty weak: John Mason (Wayne) wanders into town and immediately gets into a fight that somehow earns him respect with the locals. The locals don't know who he is, even though his father is one of the wealthiest people in town. With lines such as "who is that guy? --- never saw him before" coming from the crowd watching a brawl outside the saloon.

His father is later robbed at gunpoint and then killed, which sets up a long and winding revenge quest on the part of John Mason.

Of course John Mason catches the eye of the local beauties as well, and even though he isn't trying to get involved with her, it still invites trouble his direction because someone else wants to marry that girl. Trouble just seems to find John wherever he goes.

Overall this should be watched primarily because it is a piece of history not because it is particularly entertaining. I nearly fell asleep once. The acting is pretty funny too (John Wayne is NOT known for being a fantastic actor) but I am not going to look down on them for that because it was 90 years ago and I would imagine this was pretty epic for the time.

only 19 more to go

rating intentionally withheld