Wading through the chum bucket that is John Wayne's Lone Star legacy is no easy task. That makes "Sagebrush Trail" all the more pleasant to discover, a roughhewn gem with plenty of flaws but a good deal of sparkle, too.
John Brant (Wayne) is a man on the run for a murder he did not commit. Wandering out west one step ahead of the law, he narrowly escapes a couple of trigger-happy lawmen and winds up rescued by a fellow who calls himself "Jones," and dubs Brant "Smith," making the pair quick pals on the lam.
"Strikes me the boss can use somebody like you," says Jones (Lane Chandler), who as it turns out knows something that might interest Brant, provided that nasty Boss (Yakima Canutt) doesn't figure him out first.
"Sagebrush Trail" does have flaws. Canutt was not a very good actor, nor was Nancy Shubert, who plays a storekeeper Brant and Jones both fall for. Both are asked to handle too much dialogue. The storyline does creak a good deal, as Brant has a habit of slipping off to undo the gang's machinations while somehow not being caught. Too much business revolves around the store where the girl works. But this is one time what's good outweighs what's bad, not by a lot, but by enough.
Director Armand Schaefer worked cheap but with considerable smarts, here as in the earlier serial featuring Wayne, "The Hurricane Express." The twist involving Brant and Jones's secret identities isn't hard to spot, but it's still effectively delivered. I like a scene where the sheriff ponders what might happen if the two happened to meet. "I'll bet he would have made it plenty hot for him," the sheriff says, staring at wanted posters of the two outlaws.
Cut to a two-shot of the outlaws, facing just like in the posters, with Brant pouring Jones a cup of joe. ""Sure made that plenty hot for me," Jones says cheerfully.
It's a cheap laugh, but a very good one. There are more here, and some other nice surprises. The lawmen are treated in an interesting way, not exactly seedy (some lawmen come off worse in other Lone Star pics) but lazy and prone to shooting first, which makes it easier rooting for the nominal bad guys this time out. There's also some nice camera-work. Wayne hides from pursuers in a pond by using a hollow reed to breathe from, and we see him underwater while a lawman's boots appear in the foreground for added suspense.
The resolution of the Brant-Jones situation is a trifle too neat, but give Wayne and Chandler both credit for playing the emotions so well. Wayne wasn't as subtle as he'd become, but he's good at developing our empathy. Chandler, even less subtle, does fine work as the foil of the piece.
Even the bad guys' lair, which would become a stock set in later Lone Star works, has the right air of menace and mystery here, with a tunnel that becomes a centerpiece for some 180-degree camera shots.
The biggest problem with "Sagebrush Trail" is its one time where there's more story than the producers could handle. Yet the film manages to score points most of the way through, making this one time Wayne got to star in a movie worth remembering during his Poverty Row days. "Sagebrush Trail" is one Lone Star I don't mind watching again.
John Brant (Wayne) is a man on the run for a murder he did not commit. Wandering out west one step ahead of the law, he narrowly escapes a couple of trigger-happy lawmen and winds up rescued by a fellow who calls himself "Jones," and dubs Brant "Smith," making the pair quick pals on the lam.
"Strikes me the boss can use somebody like you," says Jones (Lane Chandler), who as it turns out knows something that might interest Brant, provided that nasty Boss (Yakima Canutt) doesn't figure him out first.
"Sagebrush Trail" does have flaws. Canutt was not a very good actor, nor was Nancy Shubert, who plays a storekeeper Brant and Jones both fall for. Both are asked to handle too much dialogue. The storyline does creak a good deal, as Brant has a habit of slipping off to undo the gang's machinations while somehow not being caught. Too much business revolves around the store where the girl works. But this is one time what's good outweighs what's bad, not by a lot, but by enough.
Director Armand Schaefer worked cheap but with considerable smarts, here as in the earlier serial featuring Wayne, "The Hurricane Express." The twist involving Brant and Jones's secret identities isn't hard to spot, but it's still effectively delivered. I like a scene where the sheriff ponders what might happen if the two happened to meet. "I'll bet he would have made it plenty hot for him," the sheriff says, staring at wanted posters of the two outlaws.
Cut to a two-shot of the outlaws, facing just like in the posters, with Brant pouring Jones a cup of joe. ""Sure made that plenty hot for me," Jones says cheerfully.
It's a cheap laugh, but a very good one. There are more here, and some other nice surprises. The lawmen are treated in an interesting way, not exactly seedy (some lawmen come off worse in other Lone Star pics) but lazy and prone to shooting first, which makes it easier rooting for the nominal bad guys this time out. There's also some nice camera-work. Wayne hides from pursuers in a pond by using a hollow reed to breathe from, and we see him underwater while a lawman's boots appear in the foreground for added suspense.
The resolution of the Brant-Jones situation is a trifle too neat, but give Wayne and Chandler both credit for playing the emotions so well. Wayne wasn't as subtle as he'd become, but he's good at developing our empathy. Chandler, even less subtle, does fine work as the foil of the piece.
Even the bad guys' lair, which would become a stock set in later Lone Star works, has the right air of menace and mystery here, with a tunnel that becomes a centerpiece for some 180-degree camera shots.
The biggest problem with "Sagebrush Trail" is its one time where there's more story than the producers could handle. Yet the film manages to score points most of the way through, making this one time Wayne got to star in a movie worth remembering during his Poverty Row days. "Sagebrush Trail" is one Lone Star I don't mind watching again.