He frequently worked in minor roles with director John Ford and when Raoul Walsh suggested him for the lead in The Big Trail (1930), an epic Western shot in an early widescreen process called Fox Grandeur, Ford vouched for him.
Han arbejdede ofte sammen med instruktøren John Ford og da Raoul Walsh foreslog ham til hovedrollen i The Big Trail (1930), en episk western, filmet i en tidlig widescreen-proces, der blev kaldt Fox Grandeur, var det Ford, der havde lagt et godt ord ind for ham.