Trigger Trail (1944) User Reviews (2)

It's the Old Land Grab Plot!

[bsmith5552 · 6/10 · 13 April 2018]

"Trigger Trail" is a title that has nothing to do with the story, as was the case with many "B" western tiles. The plot is that old "B" western staple of unscrupulous land grabbers driving settlers off of their properties for their own gain.

In this instance, Rance Hudson (George Eldridge) is filing on lands that local ranchers had not registered with the Land Office. After gaining title to the lands, he has the sheriff Bob Reynolds (Eddie Dew) reluctantly evict them. Those who resist are sent to a road gang. Clint Farrel (Rod Cameron) , the son of rancher Silas Farrel (Davison Clark), returns from law school and looks for ways of legally declaring squatter's rights on behalf of the ranchers.

After convening a meeting of the ranchers, Hudson's men attack the Kinkaid ranch and youngster Chip Kincaid ("Buzz" Henry) is killed. The sheriff discovers that his deputy Slade (Lane Chandler) led the raid and was responsible for the boy's murder. Clint arrests Slade is and puts him in jail. Hudson's burly henchman (Dick Alexander) goes to the jail and murders him with a crow bar which he leaves behind. Clint is charged with Slade's murder and is sent to the road gang where brutal guard Hogan (Jack Ingram) is in charge.

Echo (Fuzzy Knight) rallies the ranchers and convinces the Sheriff to release Clint and the imprisoned ranchers. They ride tov meet with Hudson's gang and.....................................................................................

Rod Cameron's career was on the rise at this time. He had just completed back to back serials for Republic Pictures. Since Universal had not had a successful "B" western series since Johnny Mack Brown left, Cameron signed on and was put into a series of one hour oaters. He made about a half a dozen of them before graduating to the studio's more prestigious films, particularly the color ones with Yvonne DeCarlo. He would go on to be one of the most popular western actors of the 40s and 50s.

Fuzzy Knight provided the comedy relief with his talking skunk routine. Vivian Austin was the token female lead who had little to do. Bud Osbourne, who played the stagecoach driver was actually one of the few actors who could really handle a team of horses. Ray Whitley and the Bar Six Cowboys warble a couple of song along with one each from Eddie Dew and Fuzzy.

Universal knew how to make good B-westerns...

[horn-5 · 28 November 2005]

...and Universal-International seldom did.

We're not talking "Stagecoach" or "My Darling Clementine" A-genre westerns here (so those who can't judge films relative to their budget and intended audience need to look the other way and leave this for us B-western fans), but Universal's B-westerns, until they closed that unit in 1946, took a back seat only to Republic in the 1940's field of B-westerns in terms of booking and grosses and, in terms of realism (another relative word) and plots, often beat the leader. After 1939 Universal didn't mix the 19th and 20th centuries and they didn't have any hosses that could outrun V-8 Fords or "Woodie" station wagons that had a head start of several miles.

This one is another version of Oliver Drake's favorite plot ploy, whether as the producer or as a director or a writer, which always found the good guy guys (Cameron and Eddie Dew here) in conflict with each other until the last ten minutes when they would band together and rout the bad guy, who was responsible for the conflict in the first place.

Clint Farrell (Rod Cameron) returns from law school and finds many of his friends illegally jailed, and his boyhood friend, Sheriff Bob Rynolds (Eddie Dew)unable to cope with the situation since he has to abide by the letter of the law. All this happens because Rance Hudson (George Eldredge), a crooked Eastern financier (a redundant description if there ever was one), has come to the Oklahoma territory and devised a legal scheme to beat the ranchers out of their ranches. Cameron hangs around a while in his sissy law-school frock coat, but soon shucks that and puts on a brace of matching pistols (only after reading his law books, of course)and hits the trigger trail.