Opening card: "In the fall of 1874 there occurred one of those wild rushes for sudden wealth that have characterized the American West. This time it was the lure of buffalo hides, for which a rich commercial market had been developed. The White Man again invaded Indian territory and ruthlessly slaughtered the buffalo herds of the Red Man. Outfitting and shipping depots sprang up at strategic points. Of these, the most remote - deep in the buffalo country - was Sprague's trading post." - Zane Grey

Two bison hunters Clark Sprague (Harry Carey) and Randall Jett (Noah Beery) and their crews are hunting buffalo, and facing dangers with the Native Americans and a group of outlaws known as the Secret Seven.

Platinum has been discovered on a ranch, and the Secret Seven has learned about it too.

Tom Doan (Randolph Scott) is in the employ of Sprague and Jude Pilchuck (Raymond Hatton), partners in a buffalo hunting outfit. Sprague and Pilchuck run an honest group, but there's a rival outfit headed by Randall Jett, which gets hides the easy way, murdering whites and/or Indians for them.

Doan, an experienced bison hunter, is a new hire for Sprague. Clearly, he has had a prior romantic relationship with Milly Fayre (Judith Allen), as she jumps on a stage from her horse, looking for him.

Later, they meet in the bush and plan to be married that night. But Randell catches her trying to ride out of the Jett camp, and she is put under guard. He has an incestuous relationship with her.

Doan and Sprague are looking for Jett's gang where his girlfriend Milly is being held against her will. Doan catches up with the Jetts, on the move, but is wounded and knocked out trying to rescue Milly. The Jetts capture two Sprague wagons filled with hides.

In addition to the thieving Jett who is stealing Sprague's furs, a large 'Indian' war party is gathering to attack all the white buffalo hunters.

In contrast, the Jetts don't suffer from the bison, 'Indians', nor a reprisal from the Spragues, continuing hide thievery in the early winter, as hide wagons get bogged down in deep snow.

Motivated by a lengthy buffalo hunt, the story concerns the efforts by Tom Doane to stem the activities of buffalo-hide thief Jett, and he is soon fighting off the henchman of the Secret Seven.

A 1933 American Black & White pre-Code Western film (formerly "The Thundering Herd") directed by Henry Hathaway, produced by Harold Hurley, screenplay by Jack Cunningham, based on Zane Grey's novel "The Thundering Herd" (1925), cinematography by Ben F. Reynolds, starring Randolph Scott, Buster Crabbe, Noah Beery, Sr., Raymond Hatton, Blanche Friderici, Harry Carey, Monte Blue, and Barton MacLane. Screen debut appearance of Judith Allen.

Harry Carey was a top cowboy draw during the silent era. John Wayne had great respect for Carey's typical portrayal of westerners. Two of Carey's last film parts were in the Wayne-starring "Angel and the Badman" (1947) and "Red River" (1948).

The scenes of the buffalo herds were filmed in the Lamar Valley Buffalo Ranch in Yellowstone National Park. There were only 24 buffalo left in the world on 1901, so Congress appropriated funds in 1902 to prevent their extinction and the few wild buffalo in Yellowstone were gradually mixed with some ranch animals from Texas and Montana.

This is a remake of the 1925 film "The Thundering Herd". Both Noah Beery, Sr. and Raymond Hatton, Wallace Beery's frequent screen comedy partner during the late 1920s, reprised their roles. Randolph Scott played Jack Holt's role, with Scott's hair darkened and a moustache added so as to match original footage featuring Holt that was incorporated into the later version to hold down costs.

Favorite Films used the title "Buffalo Stampede" in their 1950 reissue of the 1933 film. This title was often shown in tandem with the re-release of "Born to the West" (1937), re-titled "Hell Town".

Hathaway directed much of the same cast (Scott, Beery, Carey and Crabbe) in a Zane Grey story, "Man of the Forest" (1933), and another Zane Grey film with Scott, Beery, and Crabbe "To the Last Man" (1933) also starring Esther Ralston and featuring an unbilled Shirley Temple in an extremely memorable sequence. Hathaway also directed Scott, Beery and Carey in the Zane Grey opus "Sunset Pass" (1933).

At the time this film was made, there were still only a relatively small number of American bison. Hence we didn't see any actual killings of bison, only stock footage of them being chased. In addition to the domestic market, there was a large European market for the hides at this time. They were especially valued as making a superior leather used as the belts for transferring steam power to machinery, as well as for personal items, such as hats, coats, boots and handbags.

Buffalo stampedes... Indian attacks... Plundering bandits... It's good action from Paramount's B picture unit. The cast is solid. Zane Grey Westerns were good early vehicles for Henry Hathaway and Randolph Scott.