Desert Trail

The Duke does comedy in this entertaining early western
1935's The Desert Trail offers something of a change of pace for John Wayne in his early acting career. This time around, in the role of John Scott alias John Jones, he's not exactly a good guy, but he's not exactly a bad guy either. What's more, he and his pal Kansas Charlie alias Rev. Harry Smith (Eddy Chandler) are a comic team of sorts. Their antics certainly made me laugh on several occasions. The two like to needle each other pretty good, and they are constantly trying to spark the same girl wherever they go. In times of trouble, they are known to get in minor catfights which invariably feature Charlie missing Scott by a mile, then having his foot stomped by his friend. This time, their attempts to outdo one another land them in hot water, accused of a murder and robbery they didn't commit. They trail the real criminal to Poker Flats and assume new identities, but they face the daunting task of clearing their names before the wrong hand of the law manages to nab them...

John Wayne and Eddy Chandler team up for some Western fun
I had to double check to make sure that "The Desert Trail" was still part of the series of sixteen B Westerns that John Wayne made for Lone Star/Monogram between 1933 and 1935. These films were made for $10,000 each in five days, with Wayne making $2,500 and the plots were pretty repetitive. Wayne plays an undercover lawman who the bad guys think is one of them, there are sequences involving exciting stunt work by the legendary Yakima Canutt, and the good guys win. But "The Desert Trail," made in 1935 is a bit different because it has much more intentional comedy than we have seen in the series. Maybe it was because Canutt was not involved, but there is also the fact that for the first time in the series George "Gabby" Hayes is not involved and the director was Lewis D. Collins instead of Robert N. Bradbury. The result is one of the more atypical of the young Duke's Lone Star efforts.

Wayne plays John Scott, a rodeo star and his best buddy is the...

Greed and Its Consequences
The Desert Trail, 1935 film

A stagecoach rolls down a road. Two passengers were run out of town. A woman enters the coach. The men boast in front of the young lady, who is interested in money. She gets off at her stop. There is a rodeo at Rattlesnake Gulch. The acts feature examples of ranch work. John rides a bucking bronco. Poor attendance means a lower payout. But John Scott insists on a full payout. Two robbers enter the office and blame the earlier visitors! The Sheriff and his crew go to find John Scott and the gambler, the wrong men. John rides away to find Juanita. There is a conflict by Juanita's house. John and Kansas flee the pursuing posse and go to Poker City. "Jones" buys some nerve tonic for his horse.

Two men call about a gold shipment. Scott and Kansan follow the two robbers and see the coach robbery. Kansas finds one robber. Scott and Kansas are arrested because of a false accusation. The prisoners receive a gift through the window. They escape...

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