
Acting
Chief John Big Tree
Born — Died
1877-06-02 — 1967-07-06
Place of birth
Buffalo, New York, USA
Known for
Acting
Credits
50 titles
Chief John Big Tree was born on June 2, 1877 in Buffalo, New York, as Isaac Johnny John. He was an actor, known for She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) and Devil's Doorway (1950). He died on July 6, 1967 in Onondaga Indian Reservation, New York. One of three men who posed for artist James Fraser for the profile which became the famous "Indian head nickel" or "buffalo nickel" minted 1913-1938. The other two were Chief Two Moons (of the Cheyenne) and Chief Iron Tail (of the Lakota Sioux). The image was reused for a special commemorative $50 gold piece in 2006--the USA's first 24k (pure gold) coin. Big Tree was a member of the Seneca Nation.
Known for
7.6A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo, and learn something about each other in the process.
Stagecoach
1939
6.9On the eve of retirement, Captain Nathan Brittles takes out a last patrol to stop an impending massive Indian attack. Encumbered by women who must be evacuated, Brittles finds his mission imperiled.
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
1949
6.0When Edward Creighton leads the construction of the Western Union to unite East with West, he hires a Western reformed outlaw and a tenderfoot Eastern surveyor. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in 2000.
Western Union
1941
7.2Tom Destry, son of a legendary frontier peacekeeper, doesn’t believe in gunplay. Thus he becomes the object of widespread ridicule when he rides into the wide-open town of Bottleneck, the personal fiefdom of the crooked Kent.
Destry Rides Again
1939
6.8Young scout Breck Coleman leads a wagon train along the dangerous trail to Oregon as he tries to get the affection of the beautiful pioneer Ruth Cameron and plans his revenge on the harsh scoundrels who murdered a friend of his in the past.
The Big Trail
1930
6.9British diplomat Robert Conway and a small group of civilians crash-land in the Himalayas, where they are rescued by the inhabitants of the hidden, idyllic valley of Shangri-La. Protected by the mountains from the world outside, where the clouds of World War II are gathering, Shangri-La provides a seductive escape for the world-weary Conway.
Lost Horizon
1937
Film credits
1950s · 1 titles
1940s · 8 titles
6.9On the eve of retirement, Captain Nathan Brittles takes out a last patrol to stop an impending massive Indian attack. Encumbered by women who must be evacuated, Brittles finds his mission imperiled.
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
1949
6.0When Edward Creighton leads the construction of the Western Union to unite East with West, he hires a Western reformed outlaw and a tenderfoot Eastern surveyor. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in 2000.
Western Union
1941
6.4Texas Ranger Dusty Rivers ("Isn't that a contradiction in terms?", another character asks him) travels to Canada in the 1880s in search of Jacques Corbeau, who is wanted for murder. He wanders into the midst of the Riel Rebellion, in which Métis (people of French and Native heritage) and Natives want a separate nation. Dusty falls for nurse April Logan, who is also loved by Mountie Jim Brett. April's brother is involved with Courbeau's daughter Louvette, which leads to trouble during the battles between the rebels and the Mounties. Through it all Dusty is determined to bring Corbeau back to Texas (and April, too, if he can manage it.)
North West Mounted Police
1940
4.6Based on the story of the famous Mormon leader, it follows Brigham Young and his challenge to transport his people across the Rocky mountains to settle in Salt Lake City. The plot focuses on two fictitious characters, Jonathan Kent and Zina Webb and the hardships they have to face along the way.
Brigham Young
1940
6.1Highly fictionalized early history of Canada. Trapper/explorer Radisson imagines an empire around Hudson's Bay. He befriends the Indians, fights the French, and convinces King Charles II to sponsor an expedition of conquest.
Hudson's Bay
1940
5.9Mr. Casey's daughter, Connie, wants to go to Pottawatomie College and without her knowledge, he sends four football players as her bodyguards. The college is in financial trouble and her bodyguards use their salary to help the college. The football players join the college team, and the team becomes one of the best. One of the football players, Clint, falls in love with Connie, but when she discovers he is her bodyguard, she decides to go back East. The bodyguards follow her, leaving the team in the lurch.
Too Many Girls
1940
6.4A vaudeville act inherits an old, beat-up building and decides to try to turn it into a hip new nightclub. Frank Sinatra's first screen appearance.
Las Vegas Nights
1941
Under Pete's Smith's narration, this one-reeler tells the story of the training of three new recruits in the Canadian Northwest Mounted. When they tire of the repetitive routine, a superior officer tells them the story of another Northwest Mounted Policeman. The story shows the chase and capture of a killer by the policeman, with the respect he commanded causing an Indian tribe to return his dead body back to the post and also turning over the killer he tracked down, only to lose his life to disease while helping the tribe fight the same malady that killed him.
Maintain the Right
1940
1930s · 23 titles
7.6A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo, and learn something about each other in the process.
Stagecoach
1939
7.2Tom Destry, son of a legendary frontier peacekeeper, doesn’t believe in gunplay. Thus he becomes the object of widespread ridicule when he rides into the wide-open town of Bottleneck, the personal fiefdom of the crooked Kent.
Destry Rides Again
1939
6.8Young scout Breck Coleman leads a wagon train along the dangerous trail to Oregon as he tries to get the affection of the beautiful pioneer Ruth Cameron and plans his revenge on the harsh scoundrels who murdered a friend of his in the past.
The Big Trail
1930
6.9British diplomat Robert Conway and a small group of civilians crash-land in the Himalayas, where they are rescued by the inhabitants of the hidden, idyllic valley of Shangri-La. Protected by the mountains from the world outside, where the clouds of World War II are gathering, Shangri-La provides a seductive escape for the world-weary Conway.
Lost Horizon
1937
6.5Albany, New York, 1776. After marrying, Gil and Lana travel north to settle on a small farm in the Mohawk River Valley, but soon their growing prosperity and happiness are threatened by the sinister sound of drums that announce dark times of revolution and war.
Drums Along the Mohawk
1939
6.5This classic family drama stars Shirley Temple as young orphan Susannah Sheldon, the sole survivor of a brutal Indian attack who's befriended by Canadian Mountie Angus Montague (Randolph Scott) and his girlfriend, Vicky (Margaret Lockwood). The couple takes Susannah under their wing and soon learn that having a precocious child around can come in handy; when the Indians return, the girl uses her charm to broker peace.Shirley is the orphaned survivor of an Indian attack in the Canadian West. A Mountie and his girlfriend take her in...
Susannah of the Mounties
1939
5.3Kit Cardigan seeks the killer of his father...among other plot threads leading up to the famous historical incident.
Custer's Last Stand
1936
6.1A farmer tries to convince a girl to leave her life on a canal boat to live with him on his farm.
The Farmer Takes a Wife
1935
6.0The Commandant is making life rough for the colonials in Spanish California. While trying to help, Zorro is charged with the murder of the new Governor, but in the end he triumphs over the evil Commandant.
The Bold Caballero
1936
6.3Naive Ezekial Cobb, brought up by his missionary father in China returns to America to seek a wife. Corrupt politicians enlist him to run for mayor as a dummy candidate with no chance of winning. Their plan backfires as he wins and embarks upon a reform crusade.
The Cat's-Paw
1934
4.6A greedy businessman-turned-renegade foments an Indian uprising against the coming telegraph to perpetuate his economic stranglehold on the territory.
The Telegraph Trail
1933
5.3A bandit disguises himself as an officer in an attempt to woo a saloon singer.
The Girl of the Golden West
1938
6.8Natty Bumppo, known as Hawk-Eye, is a frontiersman in the American wilderness. Together with his Indian friends Chingachgook and Uncas, he fights battles against nefarious white soldiers as well as the vicious Indian Magua and his cohorts.
The Last of the Mohicans
1932
5.0An evil deputy is using Indian half-breeds to rustle cattle. This causes trouble between the cattlemen and Indians. Hoppy, Windy and Lucky see that justice is served. Songs abound.
Hills of Old Wyoming
1937
5.7A 12-episode serial in which scholastic sports star Frank Merriwell leaves school to search for his missing father. His adventures involve a mysterious inscription on a ring, buried treasure, kidnaping and Indian raids. He saves his father and returns to school just in time to win a decisive baseball game with his remarkable pitching and hitting.
The Adventures of Frank Merriwell
1936
7.5Jeff Scott is sent to investigate problems with wagon trains attempting to make the journey to Oregon. Sam Morgan has sent his henchmen, under lead-henchman Bull Bragg, to stop the wagon trains in order to maintain control of the fur trade in the area.
The Oregon Trail
1939
8.5Mysterious deaths have been occurring in the same towns as Miller's Circus and the Governor has sent Ken Kenton to investigate. Ken joins the show but when he realizes that Bargoff is involved, Bargoff has fled and taken Mary Hiller as a hostage. The trail leads to Baron Petroff who concocted the deadly chemical and Ken quickly finds himself the Baron's prisoner.
King of the Arena
1933
6.2When a young woman named Barbara Clarke has an affair with adventurer Roger Coverman, it causes a scandal in the Puritanical town of Salem, Massachusetts. After a meddling girl arouses their suspicions, the town's elders accuse Barbara of being a witch. She is tried, convicted of sorcery and sentenced to death. As the townspeople prepare to burn Barbara at the stake, Roger tries desperately to save the woman he loves.
Maid of Salem
1937
7.5Tex rides to the rescue when badguys led by LaCrosse and Utah Joe kidnap Lettie.
The Singing Vagabond
1935
5.3Bill, who is about to lead a wagon train to California, has a map to a valuable gold field and Rocky is after the map. When Rocky and his men attack, Ken Manning breaks it up and later identifies Rocky and his men as the attackers. Expelled from the wagon train, they stampede a buffalo herd puting the Indians on the warpath. After the Indians attack the wagon train, Rocky thinks he can get the map.
Wheels of Destiny
1934
4.2To increase profits for his shipping company, Lynch has goaded the Indians to attack both the telegraph line and the new railroad. When Lynch sells rifles to the Indians, Rod Farrell captures Lynch and his gang. But Lynch's Indian friends free him and this time Farrell finds himself the prisoner.
Prairie Thunder
1937
5.5Lovers David Lunch and Betty Summers are caught in the feud between their two families. When David kills the Summers son, he escapes to the West. He marries and when his boy is two he and his wife are killed by Indians who take the boy. Twenty years later the boy is now the Indian chief. Betty's daughter is nearby and the two are destined to meet.
The Golden West
1932
8.0It's time for the stagecoach race to win the mail contract and the only entries are Reden and Farrell. Reden's men kidnap Farrell's daughter and then force him to withdraw. Wally rescues Ruth, buys out Farrel, and enters the race himself. But Reden has his men planted along the course to make sure Wally doesn't win.
Red Fork Range
1931
1920s · 15 titles
6.8Brandon, a surveyor, dreams of building a railway to the west. He sets off with his son, Davy, to survey a route. They discover a new pass which will shave 200 miles off the expected distance, but they are set upon by a party of Cheyenne. One of them, a white renegade with only two fingers on his right hand, kills Brandon and scalps him. Davy is all alone now.
The Iron Horse
1925
6.2A sexy young manicurist living with her older backwoodsman husband in a small Canadian town finds herself attracted to a young, rich and famous divorce lawyer who comes to town on vacation.
Mantrap
1926
7.0Frank Darwin needs to convince Muriel he didn't kill her Father, as claimed by Jasper and Oneta.
The Desert's Toll
1926
7.7During the French and Indian War the Indians under Pontiac kidnap Rene. Colonel O'Hara hopes to rescue and wed her.
Winners of the Wilderness
1927
10.0Dolly Mainard, en route to her father, a major at Fort Blaine, is escorted through dangerous Sioux territory by a cavalry detachment and Army scout Jim Cardigan. When Captain Blackwell offends some braves of Chief Gray Wolf's tribe, Jim is sent ahead to the Indian camp to ask for peace. Imprisoned by the Indians, he sends a message to Blackwell not to advance; Donlin, a renegade scout, tears the note in such a way that the message is distorted, and the entire force is killed. When Jim escapes, he is accused of treason by Blackwell, court-martialed, and sentenced to death; however, he escapes and rescues Dolly, her father, and Blackwell from Donlin's band of renegades. Jim discovers the missing portion of the note in Donlin's hat, proving his innocence. Dolly remains to become his wife.
The Frontier Trail
1926
8.0Bela, reared by Indians, learns that she is a white orphan and runs away from the Indian village to avoid marrying a brave from the tribe. She determines to marry land prospector Sam Gladding, who resists her advances but later falls in love with Bela when an Indian sage gives him some advice.
The Huntress
1923
7.0A soldier falls in love with a beautiful settler who has refused his order to leave American Indian land.
Spoilers of the West
1927
7.0A young woman tries to find out the reason behind why all of her female ancestors have been killed before they reach their 21st birthday.
The Avenging Arrow
1921
6.7A free-spirited girl is caught between her love for her husband and her attraction to a handsome adventurer.
The Primitive Lover
1922
9.0White Elk, a light-skinned Indian chief, incurs the enmity of Chief Black Panther, whom he prevents from looting a westbound wagon train. Although White Elk is betrothed to an Indian princess, he falls in love with Lucille Cavanagh, a white woman from the East. After her father, John Cavanagh, tricks White Elk into signing away the lands of his tribe, the young chief is condemned to be burned alive by Black Panther.
The Red Rider
1925
9.0John Dale and Abner Hawkins are members of Andrew Jackson's Tennessee Militia, assigned to make peace with the Creek Indian tribe in general and the treacherous White Snake in particular.
The Frontiersman
1927
9.0At the beginning of the Civil War, as federal troops start to build the first overland telegraph, Indians, who fear the wires, kill some of the linesmen. In response, Major Hammond, who oversees the troops, requests that President Abraham Lincoln send twenty thousand more soldiers to come to his aid. Lincoln grants Hammond's request, and sends along Capt. Allen, who is knowledgeable about Indians. At his new post, Allen discovers that a Confederate spy has been fomenting trouble with the Indians. Allen eventually uncovers the spy, makes peace with the Indians and wins the love of Dorothy, a young woman who lives at the post.
The Overland Telegraph
1929
8.0A rodeo rider arrives in Toptown to compete in the local rodeo. He meets a pretty young girl who, with her crippled father, runs a merry-go-round for the town's children. The town bully, who has designs on the young girl, tries to drive off the cowboy but is beaten senseless in the resulting fight. Soon afterwards, however, the girl's father is found shot, and the cowboy is arrested for the crime.
Painted Ponies
1927
9.0One of John Waters' two Tim McCoy westerns made with MGM in the last years of the silent era. A print is preserved at the George Eastman House in New York but it hasn't been made available to the public and there don't seem to be any plans for it.
Sioux Blood
1929
A girl leads the way across the great Oregon Trail.
Wyoming
1928
1910s · 3 titles
6.0The Northwest Mounties are after Cheyenne Harry for the murder of an Indian boy, and the only witness to the crime is a priest - who can't tell what he saw because the real killer, Black Michael, has confessed to him.
A Fight For Love
1919
8.0Catherine Montour, a striking half-breed Indian princess, and mistress of King George III aspires to become the first Queen of America when the revolution breaks out.
The Spirit of '76
1917
Prospector Dave Foster and his daughter Beulah live on a worthless claim until Foster befriends an Indian named Chegup. Chegup, in gratitude, helps Foster discover a valuable gold mine, changing their fortunes.
The Cactus Blossom
1915

