Blazing Barriers

Frank Coghlan Jr. and Edward Arnold Jr. are a couple of budding hoodlums, looking out for the easy breaks. As things work out, they have to blow town and take to the road. Finally, anxious for square meals and a bunk, they join the Civilian Conservation Corps. Easy-going Arnold adjusts pretty quickly, but Coghlan is tougher, until he begins to grow up under the influence of pretty sheriff's daughter Florine McKinney.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was one of the more popular New Deal programs. Roosevelt had done something like it when he was governor of New York State, and the prospect of giving young men work managing the national, state and local government land, three hots and a cot, and $30 a month ($25 of which had to be sent home) kept 300,000 off welfare at a time. It's estimated that by the time it closed down in 1942, over 3,000,000 had worked for it. CCC alumni were well thought of, and those who entered the military got early try-outs for non-com spots.

So this movie, which falls into the standard mode of "bad boys make good" actually has something to say. It's running time is eked out by Irene Franklin and Guy Bates Post as two old vaudevillian who are kind to the boys, and start to kindle their redemption. It's a pleasant and watchable movie.