Stampede (1949): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1949, Stampede is an action and western film directed by Lesley Selander, running about 77 minutes. “RAMPAGING SPECTACLE! Fear-lashed herds thundering to doom...as a power-mad range tyrant makes his last desperate stand!” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Brothers Mike and Tim McCall own a large ranch in Arizona, using the surrounding lands for grazing cattle. Stanley Cox and LeRoy Stanton sell this land to settlers who arrive to find it bone dry, as a dam on the McCall ranch controls the water. Among the settlers are John Dawson and his daughter Connie. The latter goes to the nearest town to take action, but Sheriff Ball tells him there is nothing he can do. Tim falls for Connie but Mike is unimpressed with her charms. While returning from a town dance, Tim discovers Stanton trying to dynamite the dam, and is killed in the ensuing gunfight. Stanton later sends his men to stampede the cattle while he and Cox blow up the dam. Despite the efforts of Mike and Sheriff Ball, the cattle are wiped out and Mike races to the dam and kills Stanton in a gunfight.

Who’s in it. Stampede stars Rod Cameron as Mike McCall, Gale Storm as Connie Dawson, Johnny Mack Brown as Sheriff Aaron Ball and Don Castle as Tim McCall, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.5/10, Stampede has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video and Apple TV Store. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Stampede page.

If you liked it. Fans of Stampede tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.