The Marshall of Trail City

Wild Bill Elliott plays a rancher who reluctantly takes the job of marshal of a tough cowtown. This was a pilot for a proposed series for Eliott that was aimed squarely at kids, and it shows. The script by veteran writer Harold Shumate is sloppy and juvenile; he has done much, much better work. The reliable Dub Taylor plays Elliott's sidekick "Cannonball" and he manages to bring some life to the goings-on, but otherwise the supporting performances are uniformly poor and the photography is dark and muddy. Production values are rock-bottom, even for an early '50s TV show, and its cheapness shows in every frame. The few "action" scenes are poorly done and there's a particularly inept fight scene between Elliott and a former pal who is now a wanted criminal.

There's a reason this wasn't picked up as a series. It's poor all around and an embarrassment to those who fondly remember Elliott's great westerns for Republic. After this misfire, he went back to making westerns for Monogram and Allied Artists, all of which are far better than this. Maybe worth a look just for historical purposes, since--as far as I can tell--ttis was Elliott's only appearance on TV. Otherwise, don't bother.