Some reviewer earlier made disparaging comments about the fighting.
Obviously this 1933 movie came along before Yakima Canutt and John Wayne created the style of cinema fighting that is now standard.
Yak was the ultimate stunt man. His "gags" (as they called them) are still the measure. He is the stunt double in much of "Sagebrush Trail," a fact unfortunately obvious if you watch as I did, on a computer monitor.
He is also the head of the gang of bad guys.
John Wayne started as a prop man, according to legend, and did some stunt work to please John Ford. "Duke, show 'em up," is the line credited to Ford during a naval film in which cast members feared the choppy seas they were supposed to be immersed in.
John Wayne did "show 'em up" and jumped in.
He gets to swim in this one too, in a scene that was praised by Jon Tuska in his PBS series, "They Went Thataway." "Sagebrush Trail" has all the elements expected and more, such as the scene mentioned above.
Hank Bell has another uncredited role, and his presence always adds authenticity to any Western.
Lane Chandler has a good role, and he co-stars with John Wayne in another stagecoach-related film, "Winds of the Wasteland."
I have only two complaints: The sound is not very good; much of the gunfire sounds as if it came from a mine shaft. The final scene was completely inappropriate, considering what came before.
Otherwise, this is great. My copy is another in the Great American Western Series by Echo Bridge Entertainment. It comes in a two-disk set.
Added 11 September 2019: "Sagebrush Trail" has been colorized and a new set of opening music added with the result being a new title, "An Innocent Man." Be careful if you see that title as a John Wayne film. Some unethical DVD distributor might try to cheat. But it's still a pretty good movie, so maybe having a second copy is OK.
Obviously this 1933 movie came along before Yakima Canutt and John Wayne created the style of cinema fighting that is now standard.
Yak was the ultimate stunt man. His "gags" (as they called them) are still the measure. He is the stunt double in much of "Sagebrush Trail," a fact unfortunately obvious if you watch as I did, on a computer monitor.
He is also the head of the gang of bad guys.
John Wayne started as a prop man, according to legend, and did some stunt work to please John Ford. "Duke, show 'em up," is the line credited to Ford during a naval film in which cast members feared the choppy seas they were supposed to be immersed in.
John Wayne did "show 'em up" and jumped in.
He gets to swim in this one too, in a scene that was praised by Jon Tuska in his PBS series, "They Went Thataway." "Sagebrush Trail" has all the elements expected and more, such as the scene mentioned above.
Hank Bell has another uncredited role, and his presence always adds authenticity to any Western.
Lane Chandler has a good role, and he co-stars with John Wayne in another stagecoach-related film, "Winds of the Wasteland."
I have only two complaints: The sound is not very good; much of the gunfire sounds as if it came from a mine shaft. The final scene was completely inappropriate, considering what came before.
Otherwise, this is great. My copy is another in the Great American Western Series by Echo Bridge Entertainment. It comes in a two-disk set.
Added 11 September 2019: "Sagebrush Trail" has been colorized and a new set of opening music added with the result being a new title, "An Innocent Man." Be careful if you see that title as a John Wayne film. Some unethical DVD distributor might try to cheat. But it's still a pretty good movie, so maybe having a second copy is OK.