Dawn on the Great Divide

Customer Reviews:

the great buck jones ' last movie.......2006-05-09

had he lived,from the few films of his i have seen,mr. jones would have been a household name by the 50's! sadly he would die brfore the release of this,his best film western to date. the rough riders were the group he lead as the rode the west righting wrongs and chaseing the bad guys.this transfer looks good and the sound is very crisp.
as a foot note mr.jones was more than a movie hero,he died in the coconut grove club fire in 1942,having gotten to the door mr.jones went back and began to pull people out,on his third trip back in he never came back out.sometimes movies can't do justice to what a real hero does. buck jones -a hero in everyway a man can be.

"The King of B-Westerns & Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Dawn of the Great Divide (1942)".......2006-02-09

VCI Entertainment and Monogram Pictures present "Dawn of the Great Divide" (1942) (digitally remastered), although The Rough Riders had a short run, they turned out some of the best B-Westerns ever to grace the Saturday Matinee screen...our story is the final of eight in the Rough Riders series is a better than average oater...Buck Jones (Buck Roberts) and Raymond Hatton (Sandy Hopkins) continue with the same characterization...Tim McCoy was placed on active duty in WWII, replaced by Rex Bell (Jack Carson) as the third member of the trio...Buck and Sandy are leading a wagon train loaded with railroad supplies to expand the West...our favorite villain Harry Woods with Roy Barcroft, Robert Frazer, I. Stanford Jolley, Reed Howes and Bud Osborne are up to no good...disguised as Indians during the attacks they plan to stop Buck at all costs...the three Buck, Sandy and Rex Bell are working undercover and have the situation well in hand, if you don't believe it check with the Monogram executives who are already counting the receipts for this over the top oater...just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye with excitement...don't miss any of the Rough Riders features loaded with action that will leave you wanting more of his B-Western adventures.....this would be the last of the Rough Rider series as Buck Jones died tragically in a fire in the infamous Coconut Grove, Boston in November, 1942 before this film was released.

Under director Howard P. Bretherton, producer Scott R. Dunlap, original short story "Wheels of Fate" by James Oliver Curwood, screenplay by Jess Bowers ...the cast include Buck Jones (Marshal Buck Roberts), Raymond Hatton (Sandy Hopkins), Rex Bell (Jack Carson ), Mona Barrie (Sadie Rand), Terry Wallace ( Terry Wallace), Maude Eburne (Sarah Harkins), Chrstine McIntyre (Mary Harkins, Sarah's Daughter), Harry Woods (Jim Corkle/the Judge's Brother), Robert Frazer (Judge Corkle), Betty Blythe (Mrs. Elmira Corkle), Tristram Coffin (Jack Rand), Roy Barcroft (Chuck Loder), I. Stanford Jolley (Ed/henchman), Reed Howes (Stevens/henchman), Bud Osborne (Stoney), Dennis Moore (Tony Corkle), Silver (Buck Jones, wonder horse). . . . . . . . .special footnote, actor /producer Buck Jones made over 164 feature films beginning with "Western Blood" (1918/Silent) with a bit part...Jones final film was "Dawn on the Great Divide" (1942)...with his famed horse "Silver:, Jones was one of the most successful and popular B-Western actors of the '20s, '30s and '40s, at one time receiving more fan mail than any actor in the world...was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1973. . . . . . . . . .second special footnote actor Tim McCoy in real life was a sharpshooter and famed for his fast draw...was an expert on the Old West also an authority on Indian folklore could converse in Indian sign language...McCoy was inducted into the "Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum" in 1973, also inducted into "The Cowboy Hall of Fame" in 1974.. . . . . . . . final special footnote, one of my favorite character actors was Johnny Mack's sidekick Raymond Hatton (1887-1971) as Marshall Sandy Hopkins who appeared from 1943 and made 45 films for Monogram Pictures...Hatton who first appeared on film in "Tragic Love" (1909-Silent/unconfirmed), "Oliver Twist" (1917), "The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), "The Squaw Man" (1931), "Law and Order" (1932)...during the '30s & '40s he played the comical sidekick for Johnny Mack Brown and Bob Livingston...went on to join Buck Jones and Tim McCoy in the "Rough Riders" series...Hatton worked right up to his last film "In Cold Blood" (1967). . . . . .meanwhile this is an exciting Rough Riders western provided by Monogram Pictures during their heyday of the early '40s.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. Buck Jones (aka: Charles Frederick Gebhart)
Birth Date: 12/04/1889 - Vincennes, Indiana
Died: 11/30/1942 - Boston, MA (fire)
2. Tim McCoy (aka: Timothy John Fitzgerald McCoy)
Birth Date: 4/10/1891 - Saginaw, Michigan
Died: 1/29/1978 - Nogales, Arizona
3. Raymond Hatton (aka: Raymond William Hatton)
Birth Date: 7/07/1887 - Red Oak, Iowa
Died: 10/21/1971 - Palmdale, California
4. Rex Bell (aka: George Francis Beldam)
Birth Date: 10/16/1903 - Chicago, Il
Died: 7/04/1962 - Las Vegas, Nevada

Check out other Buck Jones titles available on VHS from VCI:
1. Black Aces (1937)
2. Dawn on the Great Divide (1942)
3. Down Texas Way (1942)
4. Gunman from Bodie (1941)
5. Renfrew of the Royal Mounted (1937)
6. Riders of Death Valley (1941)
7. Silver Spurs (1936)
8. Six Gun Man (1946)
9. South of the Rio Grande (1932)

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure check out other western double features with Buck Jones:

ROUGH RIDERS WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURES:
1. Vol. 1 - Arizona Bound/Gunman from Bodie (VCI #7241) (DVD)
2. Vol. 2 - Ghost Town Law/Below the Border (VCI #7264) (DVD)
3. Vol. 3 - Forbidden Trails/Down Texas Way (VCI #7274) (DVD)
4. Dawn on the Great Divide (VCI #7219) (DVD)

Ask Amazon.Com to carry the above titles if they are not available as of yet...you can order and pick up your copy now from VCI Entertainment...if you enjoyed "Dawn of the Great Divide" (1942), why not pick up other copies of Buck Jones features.

In 1941 the "Rough Riders" series began with Buck as Marshal Buck Roberts, Tim McCoy was Marshal Tim McCall and Raymond Hatton was Marshal Sandy Hopkins for Monogram Pictures:

1. ARIZONA BOUND (Monogram, 1941)
2. THE GUNMAN FROM BODIE (Monogram, 1941)
3. FORBIDDEN TRAILS (Monogram, 1941)
4. BELOW THE BORDER (Monogram, 1942)
5. GHOST TOWN LAW (Monogram, 1942)
6. DOWN TEXAS WAY (Monogram, 1942)
7. RIDERS OF THE WEST (Monogram, 1942)
8. WEST OF THE LAW (Monogram, 1942)

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "Dawn of the Great Divide" (1942),
the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward
to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s
& '40s...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there
are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch
action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just
the way we like 'em

Total Time: 63 min on DVD/VHS ~ VCI Entertainment #7219 ~ (6/25/2002)

Best wagon train scene ever!.......2005-10-03

I haven't seen this copy, so I don't know if they will publish this review, but I already have the movie. The almost-ten-minute wagon train scene near the beginning is priceless. It's constantly, slowly moving and done so well you really get the feel for what such a trip must have been like. A variety of people from that era are characterized rather well for a B western. There is tragedy at the beginning which leads to Mona Barry doing a rendition of "Rock of Ages" acapella which, along with her short commentary about herself after, will break your heart. I've never heard anything like it. Tears flow every time I watch it. Great stuff Mona, wherever you are.

Again Buck gets to hold a baby and call him "little shaver". I love that. Buck does a solid job as always. This was his last movie before dying in the Cocoanut Grove fire in '42. The story line is good and there is the occasional nifty quote - "I've got to hand it to you Easterners, you sure are slick with the brain-power" is my favorite.

This version probably follows Alpha's usual quality standards. Hey, at least they are putting them out there, so I give them full credit for that. Many of these movies would never be seen by a large number of us if it wasn't for them. Hey, Alpha, why don't you start a Digitally Remastered division and make this your first one. The audio and video of this 70 minute B Western epic simply cry out for digital enhancement.

Whatever the quality, for Buck and especially for the wagon train scene and Mona Barry's "Rock of Ages", I'm giving it 5 stars.

Gospel

Dawn of the Great Divide (1942) DVD [Remastered Edition]

Average customer rating:

Stirring, heart rending entertainment
Wagon Trains
Dawn of the Great Divide' is pure and soul-stirring entertainment.

Dawn of the Great Divide (1942) DVD [Remastered Edition]
Director: A2ZCDS.com
Manufacturer: A2ZCDS.com
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0008D7D9U
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Product Description

"While thrilling you, as most Westerns do, the Dawn of the Great Divide (now on DVD from A2ZCDS) also provides an enchanting insight into the hardships of pioneers and trailblazers who headed out west in their covered wagons. Centered on the greed and ruthless schemes of a few bad men who wished to own everything they set their eyes on, the narrative moots the victory of good over evil theme typical of most vintage Westerns. Buck Jones, Sandy Hatton and Rex Bell come together in this entertaining feature film and ensure that there is never a dull moment in the entire narrative. A few romantic scenes and a couple of emotional ones hold the story together - along with a lively score, which includes a couple of melodious vocals. The scene of an attack on the wagon train by Indians is particularly engrossing, and the shots of wagons bumping along the trail at breakneck speed are thrilling. The icing on the cake, however, is provided by the closing scene, which shows how their strong love for adventure kept so many frontier men from settling down. The scene depicting Buck Robert torn between his love for Sadie Rand and the trail as the wagons roll on westward says it all. Witness this classic romantic, action-packed feature film that typifies the adventurous spirit of the pioneers who let nothing get in the way of their dreams not even a gang of clever outlaws!"

Customer Reviews:

Stirring, heart rending entertainment.......2007-08-08

First off, the title of this wonderful movie is Dawn ON the Great Divide. Check the titles. It's weird that so many get this wrong - even on the DVD cover. Of all movies to not care about, this is not the one.

The opening scene is the best wagon train scene ever. It's not rip-snortin', but you get a feel for what a trip by wagon train must have been like. Mona Barry's rendition of Rock of Ages, the reason for it, and her self comment after will break your heart. I've watched it at least 5 times in the past few years and I still cry, but then, I'm getting to be an old sucky baby anyway. Great stuff Mona, wherever you are. Favorite line: "You Easterners sure are slick with the brain power". Favorite character: Lil' Shaver. There's lots of action for any western fan. This is probably Buck Jones' best job. It's a real tragedy he had to die from the Coconut Grove fire after making this movie.

I already have 2 copies of this one, both in collections. I love it so much, I had to get this cleaned up version. I felt I owed it to whatever western gods there be. Or something.

Gospel Moody

Wagon Trains.......2006-07-28

This is an exciting western about a smart sherrif finding a way to outsmart a bunch of wagon train rustlers. It's one of the classics and I've caught it several times on TBS and always liked it so I decided to buy my own copy. Surprisingly the DVD I got is of much higher film quality than the versions that I've seen on television, so this was my best experience of the film ever. I always laugh when the bad guy finally falls into the trap that has been set for him. The robbery scenes are very exciting.

Dawn of the Great Divide' is pure and soul-stirring entertainment........2006-05-02

"I bought this DVD as a gag - but it turned out to be one of the best Westerns I've ever seen. The hard-bitten frontier spirit comes across as totally genuine. Buck Jones is brilliant and brings his character to convincing life. `Dawn of the Great Divide' is pure and soul-stirring entertainment. "

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