Lucky Texan/Desert Trail

Rating:
Summary: The Duke does comedy in this entertaining early western
Review: 1935's The Desert Trail offers something of a change of pace for John Wayne in his early acting career. This time around, in the role of John Scott alias John Jones, he's not exactly a good guy, but he's not exactly a bad guy either. What's more, he and his pal Kansas Charlie alias Rev. Harry Smith (Eddy Chandler) are a comic team of sorts. Their antics certainly made me laugh on several occasions. The two like to needle each other pretty good, and they are constantly trying to spark the same girl wherever they go. In times of trouble, they are known to get in minor catfights which invariably feature Charlie missing Scott by a mile, then having his foot stomped by his friend. This time, their attempts to outdo one another land them in hot water, accused of a murder and robbery they didn't commit. They trail the real criminal to Poker Flats and assume new identities, but they face the daunting task of clearing their names before the wrong hand of the law manages to nab them. There is one short scene of rodeo action taken from stock footage seen in many other early westerns from Lone Star Productions, but other than that this is an entertaining western featuring a comedic side of John Wayne that was fairly unusual at the time of the film's release in 1935.

Rating:
Summary: Young John Wayne
Review: What a start for a Young actor.