Born to the West (1937) - John Wayne is a gambling goof

If you want to see John Wayne before he became the guy on the posters, Born to the West is a weirdly good place to start. It is basically for anyone who likes short movies and doesn't mind a hero who is kind of a mess. If you want a deep story, you'll probably hate this.

It’s only about 50 minutes long. That is the perfect length for a story about a guy who just can't stop playing cards.

John Wayne plays Dare Rudd. He is a drifter who shows up to see his cousin Tom. Tom is the responsible one, which in these movies means he wears a nicer vest and looks stressed out all the time.

Wayne is so young here he looks like he hasn't even started shaving yet. He has this big, goofy grin that he uses every time he’s about to do something stupid. It's actually pretty charming.

The plot is about a cattle drive, but honestly, it feels more like a movie about a gambling addiction. Dare gets put in charge of the money for the cattle, and immediately goes to a saloon to play poker. You want to yell at the screen because it's such a bad idea.

There is a scene in the saloon where the air feels thick even for a black and white movie. You can almost smell the cheap cigars. The way the cards sound when they hit the table is really satisfying.

The bad guy, Dineen, is your standard crooked saloon owner. He has a mustache that looks like it was drawn on with a Sharpie. He is very easy to dislike.

Marsha Hunt plays Judy, the girl Dare is trying to impress. She’s fine, but she feels like she belongs in a much fancier movie. Her hair is perfectly done even when she’s standing in the middle of a dusty trail.

I noticed that the "huge" cattle herd looks like maybe thirty cows. They use a lot of stock footage to make it look bigger, but the film quality changes so much it’s really obvious. It's kinda funny to see the mountains jump around between shots.

If you are in the mood for something more serious, you should prolly check out The General Line or maybe The Private Life of Don Juan. This movie isn't trying to be art.

There is a weird moment where a guy gets punched and the sound effect happens about half a second too late. It made me laugh out loud. The fighting is very 1930s—lots of swinging arms and nobody actually getting hit.

The movie gets way more interesting when they stop worrying about the cows and focus on the poker game. The tension is actually decent there. It’s the only time Dare seems to be taking anything seriously.

One thing that’s cool is seeing how Wayne moves. He doesn't have the famous walk yet. He’s just a lanky kid trying to figure out how to be a movie star.

The ending feels rushed, but most of these old westerns do. Everything gets fixed with a final game of cards and a quick fistfight. It’s very tidy.

Things I Noticed:

• The horses are better actors than some of the extras.
• Wayne's hat is impossibly clean for someone living in the dirt.
• There is a dog in one scene that looks like it really wants to leave the set.

It’s a breezy watch. Not a masterpiece, but it’s honest. It knows it’s just a B-movie meant to fill time between two better things. I’d watch it again on a rainy afternoon.