The Trail Beyond *** (1934, John Wayne, Noah Beery Sr, Noah Beery Jr, Verna Hillie, Robert Frazer) – Classic Movie Review 7147

Director Robert N Bradbury’s 1934 The Trail Beyond is an exceptionally good-looking Thirties low-budget, quickly made Western, propelled with a lot of pace and action in a short running time of 55 minutes, as big Rod Drew (John Wayne) fights off the outlaws led by Jules LaRocque (Robert Frazer) who are trying to steal a goldmine.

The Trail Beyond is worth watching for Wayne in his starring debut for Lone Star/ Paul Malvern Productions at Monogram Pictures studios and for a rare appearance in a film together of father and son actors Noah Beery Sr and Jr, who play the villain George Newsome and Rod’s old best friend Wabi. Beery Jr, just 21, has a large role, acting with Wayne in almost every scene, while higher billed Beery Sr has only a few minutes’ screen time.

Cinematographer Archie J Stout makes the most of the stunning location backgrounds, which are filmed around Mammoth Lakes, California. All in all, The Trail Beyond is not at all bad for a Poverty Row Western.

The screenplay by Lindsley Parsons is based on James Oliver Curwood’s novel The Wolf Hunters, filmed as a silent under that title in 1926 and remade by Budd Boetticher as The Wolf Hunters in 1949.

Also in the cast are leading lady Verna Hillie as Felice Newsome, Iris Lancaster as Marie LaFleur, James A Marcus as Felice’s uncle, Eddie Parker as the Mountie Ryan, and Earl Dwire as henchman Benoit.

The Trail Beyond is directed by Robert N Bradbury, runs 55 minutes, is made by Lone Star/ Paul Malvern Productions, released by Monogram Pictures, is written by Lindsley Parsons, based on James Oliver Curwood’s novel The Wolf Hunters, is shot in black and white by Archie J Stout, is produced by Paul Malvern and scored by Lee Zahler.

Wayne made nearly 80 cowboy pictures in the Thirties until Stagecoach (1939) finally turned him into an A-list star. Many of these were shown on American TV in the Eighties in a series called The Worst of John Wayne.

Beery Sr challenged Hillie to a drinking contest on location.

It premiered on American TV on 10 April 1949.

The copyright holder’s failure to renew the copyright resulted in the film falling into public domain. The Trail Beyond is available for free download at the Internet Archive:

https://archive.org/details/TheTrailBeyond

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7147

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