(1930), an early widescreen film epic that was a box-office failure. He played leading roles in numerous [[B movie]]s during the 1930s, most of them Westerns, without becoming a major name. John Ford's Stagecoach (1939) made Wayne a mainstream star, and he starred in 142 motion pictures altogether. According to biographer Ronald Davis, "John Wayne personified for millions the nation's frontier heritage".

Wayne's other roles in Westerns included a cattleman