Camino sangriento

Slaughter Trail is a B western with some grand pretensions. But it's come down in Hollywood history for a most ignominious reason.

Watching this film with it's musical score which can only be described as overbearing, I have a feeling what Howard Hughes was trying to do is recruit a singing cowboy for RKO films. They already had Tim Holt who was as reliable a B picture cowboy hero there ever was, but he was not a singer. I guess Hughes saw what money Herbert J. Yates was raking in with Roy Rogers over at Republic and decided he'd get one as well.

So Terry Gilkyson who was a very good performer and much better song writer got recruited and sang some of his material which was not his best and worse, looked like they were shoehorned into the picture. But worse than that, there's this annoying chorus which sang a lot of the story and frankly overwhelmed the actors, extras, even the horses. Needless to say Terry never got to be a singing cowboy. But he did write such classics as The Bare Necessities and Dean Martin's great hit, Memories are Made of This.

The plot concerns an inside woman on a stagecoach jewel robbery. That's right, the outlaws who are Gig Young, Myron Healey, and Ken Koutnik plant Virginia Grey in the coach as a passenger which they receive word is carrying some valuable jewels.

It's a great act Grey and Young pull off. Young takes her away from the coach to presumably a fate worse than death and they do properly act out the scene within earshot of the passengers, but what he does is slip her the swag. Last place the authorities might look, if she doesn't run off with it.

But when they flee the robbery it's on tired horses so they stop at a cabin to take some replacement mounts and shoot three Navajos who object. That puts the Navajos back on the warpath, didn't help that one of the casualties was Chief Ric Roman's brother.

That's the situation that Captain Brian Donlevy at the fort has to deal with when the coach and the outlaws arrive there for protection. How it all works out is predictable, but in a gaudy sort of overproduced way.

In fact that's the problem with Slaughter Trail. It's a simple no frills B western that got souped up into something almost grotesque.

But the real reason Slaughter Trail entered into history is that this film apparently marks the official beginning of the blacklist. Originally Howard DaSilva was to play Donlevy's part and may have in fact completed his scenes, when Howard Hughes officially fired him for Communist sympathies. His scenes were completely re-shot with Brian Donlevy in the lead.

Considering what a fiasco this film turned into, I'm not sure whether Donlevy or DaSilva ought to have thanked Hughes or kicked him in his private preserve.

Once in a while Turner Classic Movies will air a movie that most people aren't familiar with. Such was the case with "Slaughter Trail." Good on-location photography, a fast-moving script, characters worth caring about, and a look at life in the wild west all make the grade. Add an interesting color palate-- Cinecolor-- with its subtle tones, light-years from Technicolor, and you've got an sense of open-air realism to it all. The use of the narrative ballad, a la "High Noon", makes it well worth a look. TCM's Robert Osborne said that Brian Donlevy's part was initially filmed with Howard da Silva in the role, but da Silva got caught up in the Hollywood Blacklist and producer Howard Hughes, being the staunch anti-Communist he was, re-shot all of da Silva's scenes with Donlevy prior to its release. Interesting tidbit, not at all visible in the final product.

In the 1920s and 30s, various prestigious films had what they called 'color'. But this wasn't full color, as Cinecolor and Technicolor at this point used two colors--and the results were generally pretty ugly (there are a few exceptions--such as in "Phantom of the Opera"). The colors were really bluish-green and reddish-orange....definitely not true color. This all changed when Technicolor brought out three color Technicolor...but it was expensive, difficult to use and many companies couldn't use it due to studios like Disney playing for exclusive rights to use it in cartoons. So, although vastly inferior, the Cinecolor company somehow continued up through the 1950s....and although their technology improved, the color still was incredibly ugly. I say all this because "Slaughter Trail" is one of the later ugly Cinecolor films...complete with a lot of orangy colors.

In the other reviews on IMDB, I noticed how some folks apparently hated the music in the film. Well, the opening song is rather old fashioned and hokey,but I thought it was also kitschy and fun....and I found myself humming along and tapping my fingers. The same with the rest of the music.

The film begins with a holdup of the stage...a familiar thing in 50s westerns. What isn't familiar is the baddie's shooting at the stage from about 200 feet away and hitting a mostly obstructed target...all with a pistol while seated on a horse! Now THAT is beyond incredible! What also is incredible is that one of the passengers is part of the gang...and she's a lady! Naturally, it's up to the local cavalry outfit to bring the gang to justice. However, this is no easy task as the local natives are somehow bent out of shape about something (perhaps in addition to having their land taken).

While I did enjoy the opening tune, the film featured many more just like it....and I am sure after a while some audience members went mad as a result! I enjoyed them but know I am not normal! And, you'll either like 'em or hate 'em...who knows which?! If you like songs like "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" and those of the Sons of the Pioneers, well, that's kind of like what you'll hear...a lot!!

As for the story, It's filled with many familiar B-western elements--the robbing of the stage, the Indian* attack, a fallen woman, and Andy Devine. Brian Donlevy is actually very good in the film...his acting seems very natural. The ending was a mixed bag...see it and you'll probably understand. And, on balance I see this as an adequate time-passer. Not exactly a glowing endorsement, I know!



*Like so many westerns during this period, the extras appeared to be played by real natives, such as Navajos in this one. But, their leaders are played by white folks spray-tanned for the film....which isn't just politically incorrect but looked dopey.

I have always loved this movie from my childhood watching it on Saturday morning. Have not seen it in years and now must make sure i catch AMC when it airs. To me the coolest thing about this movie was the catchy song. I can still remember it to this day "All that you can hear are the hoof beats on the ground as the Redskins ride along Slaughter Trail." not PC for sure but this was 1951 and the star was booted because he was "tabbed" a commie lover. Wow how non-PC can you get. would love to see it again and again again. I was hoping this was not one of those lost films destroyed by time and am glad to see TNT still willing to show it.

No need to recap the cavalry vs. indians plot. The 70-minutes may be okay for kids, but otherwise the movie's a hash. I'm not sure what the producers were aiming for, but the results are to a conventional Western what goulash is to steak and potatoes. The battle scenes, which should be the high point, appear staged for cartoonish effect. Every shot brings down an "Injun", while the blue coats crack jokes. But never mind since the Navajo chief forgives all by film's merciful end. Then there's the incessant top-of-the-lungs music that blends with events about as well as gravy on nuts. The movie's most interesting part is guessing where the next stock footage will come from as the Indians attack over what appears three southwestern states. I'm just sorry such capable performers as Donlevy, Grey, and Young got caught up in the nonsense. Then too the script does the cavalry few favors, the poker game portraying the rank and file as near idiots. Still, it's good to know that even a 300-pound specimen like Andy Devine has a place as a first-sergeant. Anyhow, kids might enjoy the silly humor and cartoonish violence, but first, parents have to get past that dubious title.