TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Sabah Hensley This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Michael Morrison It's Buck Jones' last film, which is sad, but he is supported by some of the greatest western players in a Monogram film, with a bigger budget than many of the other B westerns of the era.Besides the superb cast, the editing is by the great Carl Pierson, who was himself a director of skill, no doubt because of his editing experience.Mack Wright, a director of note himself, was assistant director on "Dawn," with Howard Bretherton the director.There is even a really pleasant music score, better than so many low-budget westerns, which sometimes even had no, or almost no, music. Edward Kay, of whom I know nothing else, was the music director.Whatever flaws "Dawn" might have, any film -- ANY film -- with such actors as Chief Yowlatchie, Art Mix, Bud Osborne, Reed Howes, and so many more really talented performers, all appearing with no credit, has to be recognized as an excellent western.That it was the last time for Buck Jones, well, that is just too much to pass up. I highly recommend this movie, for that and other reasons.

Michael O'Keefe This 63 minute Monogram Pictures western is based on a story by James Curwood, Wheels Of Fate. Buck Jones made six movies in 1942 and DAWN on the GREAT DIVIDE is the last before his death. Buck Roberts(Jones)finds himself leading a slow moving wagon train that not only is full of folks looking for a new start; but there is also railroad supplies that are not a well kept secret. Jim Corkle(Harry Woods)and his band of "no gooders", dressed as Indians, are poised to rob the wagon train of the supplies needed by the railroad, but are out of luck when Buck separates the wagons in two directions before the raid.Tragedy, heartbreak and gunfights...all the things you go to the Saturday matinée to see. Not one of Jones' better efforts, but staid and solid as a rock as always. Major filming location was the Walker Ranch in Newhall, California and as most wagon train movies...some awesome scenery. The apt supporting cast features: Mona Barrie, Robert Frazer, Raymond Hatton, Rex Bell, Warren Jackson and Maude Eburne.

bkoganbing Seeing how well Republic had done with The Three Mesquiteer cowboy trio concept and that it had also worked for Paramount with Hopalong Cassidy, Monogram decided to form its own trio for low budget westerns, the Rough Riders. Not that there were any high budget films done at that studio.The Rough Riders were originally Buck Jones, Raymond Hatton and Tim McCoy, all of whom started out on the silent screen. McCoy bowed out and Rex Bell took his place as a Rough Rider. Sadly this B western for Monogram would prove to be the end of the trail for Buck Jones as he was tragically killed in the famous Cocoanut Grove Nightclub fire in Boston. Not much of an epitaph from the film industry for a great western star. Town boss Harry Woods and chief henchman Roy Barcroft don't want the railroad coming in because too many settlers might just mean the end of having things their way. Barcroft has a nice little sideline as a white man who runs an outlaw band that attacks and massacres wagon trains to keep the settlement population down.Of course with Jones and Hatton on the outside and Bell working on the inside things are soon put to rights. Jones even has time for a fling with Mona Barrie, a poker Alice type gambling lady.Dawn of the Great Divide got butchered badly in the editing department, there's a lot more footage out there I'm sure. But we'll never see it, I doubt they'll be demand for a director's cut of a Monogram feature.

classicsoncall Buck Roberts (Buck Jones) and Sandy Hopkins (Ray Hatton) guide a wagon train loaded with railroad supplies through Indian territory on the way to Oregon. Jack Carson (Rex Bell) rounds out the good guy trio in a role that keeps one guessing who's side he's on as he trades in his buckskins for a new set of gambling duds. Carson is out to get the goods on the boss of Beaver Lake, Jim Corkle (Harry Woods); it's his gang that masquerades as Indians and takes out part of the wagon train that split up to protect the railroad goods.The film hosts a pair of good looking young ladies. Mona Barrie portrays Sadie Rand, who in a clever bit of blackmail gains the gambling concession at Boss Korkle's saloon. On the sweeter side, Christine McIntyre is a settler heading West with her mother (Maude Eburn). Her contribution to the story consists of two song standards - "Rock of Ages" and "Beautiful Dreamer". I don't know how the convention started, but why is it that when a wagon train or stagecoach is attacked and chased by outlaws or Indians, and the driver or his partner is shot from behind, he always goes down clutching his chest? It happens twice in this story. The film was intended to be a Rough Riders movie; prior ones teamed Buck and Ray with cowboy star Tim McCoy. However the opening credits of the version I saw made no mention of the Rough Riders connection.Speaking anecdotally, every Western ever made had one of three actors in it - Stanley Andrews, Glenn Strange or Roy Barcroft. Barcroft appears in this one, as a Korkle henchman named Loder. In the movie's one on one gunfight, Buck gets the drop on Loder, in what would be his final showdown. Sadly, Buck Jones died in an infamous fire that destroyed the Cocoanut Grove Night Club in Boston on November 28th, 1942. Nearly five hundred people lost their lives in that tragedy. For an excellent account of that incident, I would direct readers to the following site: http://www.surfnetinc.com/chuck/terms15.htm