Wagon Trail

Some of the plot elements of Wagon Trail are to be found almost 40 years later in a John Wayne western called Cahill, US Marshal. Like Harry Carey who was the Duke's original model for a screen persona, Wayne had to deal with some juvenile delinquent offspring of his who have strayed on the outlaw path.

Carey is the town marshal whose kid Edward Norris has accumulated some gambling debts over at Roger Williams's saloon. Williams is holding his IOUs and with that hanging over Norris persuades him to join his outlaw gang, a side interest Williams has. When a robbery is committed and a law officer killed, Norris is left holding the bag and he won't squeal. Partly he's afraid, but also he's got a thing for Williams's stepdaughter Gertrude Messinger.

How it all gets resolved is the plot of Wagon Trail. Of course the parameters of B westerns for the Saturday matinée crowd are observed in this film. Shortly Carey would be leaving B western starring roles behind and transition nicely in his career to some great character roles, some of those parts without a hint of sagebrush.

Wagon Trail is not too bad for a B western and holds up well even though the production values for this independent oater are none too good.