On this day, we remember legendary director Raoul Walsh. A Hollywood trailblazer, Walsh was the man who first spotted the star power in a 6'4" USC football player working on the Fox lot—Marion Morrison. Walsh cast him in The Big Trail (1930), a sweeping Western epic that marked his first leading role—and gave him a name destined for stardom: John Wayne. Walsh’s own story was the stuff of legend: born in New York City, he rode with cowboys in Texas, acted alongside screen legends, and directed silent-era classics like The Thief of Bagdad and Sadie Thompson. Even losing an eye in a freak accident didn’t stop his cinematic vision. Without Raoul Walsh’s eye for talent, the world might never have known John Wayne as we do today. #JohnWayne #RaoulWalsh #TheBigTrail #WesternLegends #HollywoodHistory #ClassicHollywood