The Trail Beyond (1934)

Director:

Robert N. Bradbury

Writers:

James Oliver Curwood (based on the story: "The Wolf Hunters")
Lindsley Parsons (screen play)

Release Date:

22 October 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Western

Tagline:

WHERE LIFE WAS RAW AND MIGHT WAS LAW! (1939 reissue poster - all caps)

Plot:

Rod Drew hunts for a missing girl and finds himself in a fight over a goldmine as well.

Plot Keywords:

Map | Skeleton | College | Train | Shack

Cast

John Wayne	...	Rod Drew
Verna Hillie	...	Felice Newsome
Noah Beery	...	George Newsome (as Noah Beery Sr.)
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Wabi
Robert Frazer	...	Jules LaRocque
Iris Lancaster	...	Marie LaFleur
James A. Marcus	...	Brother of John Ball (as James Marcus)
Eddie Parker	...	Ryan - the Mountie
Earl Dwire	...	Henchman Benoit
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Artie Ortego	...	Henchman Towanga (uncredited)
Tex Palmer	...	R.C. Mounted Policeman (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert N. Bradbury		(as Robert Bradbury)

Writing credits
James Oliver Curwood		(based on the story: "The Wolf Hunters")
Lindsley Parsons		(screen play)

Produced by
Paul Malvern	....	producer

Original Music by
Lee Zahler		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Archie Stout		(photography)

Film Editing by
Charles R. Hunt		(film editor) (as Charles Hunt)

Art Direction by
E.R. Hickson

Sound Department
Ralph Shugart	....	recorded by

Stunts
Yakima Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Parker	....	stunts (uncredited)

Music Department
Sam Perry	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Oliver Wallace	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Lee Zahler	....	music supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Lone Star Productions (I) (presents) (A Paul Malvern Production) (A Lone Star Picture)
• Monogram Pictures

Distributors

• Monogram Pictures (1934) (USA) (theatrical)
• Pathé Pictures International (1935) (UK) (theatrical)
• Monogram Pictures (1939) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Fox/Lorber Video (1985) (USA) (video) (with added electronic music track)
• United American Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Foothill Video (1994) (USA) (video)
• Madacy Entertainment (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• GoodTimes Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (video)
• Comet Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Great Movies (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
• Passport International Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• VidAmerica (????) (USA) (VHS) (colorized)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

55 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (colorized)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S (1946) | UK:U (cut) | UK:U | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Devil's Postpile National Monument, California, USA

Company:

Lone Star Productions (I)

Goofs:

Continuity: In the canoe scene when Drew and Wabi leave the cabin with the rescued Mountie, when the Mountie is shot by one of the villains, he falls backwards toward Wabi. In the very next scene he's lying in the other direction toward Drew.

Movie Connections:

Featured in God's Country and the Man (1937)

The Duke versus the trappers.

Rod Drew is sent by a friend to locate his long lost daughter Marie, who he believes is in Northwest Canada. En route by train, Drew meets his old friend, a half breed named Wabi, who immediately becomes involved in a murder frame up and the two jump from the train wanted men. Tracking down clues to Marie's whereabouts, Drew and Wabi make their way to an abandoned cabin and find a map that Drew's friend and a partner made, showing the location of a treasure. Wabi takes Drew to a trading post run by Newsome and assisted by his daughter Felice (whom Wabi loves). Benoit, who works as a clerk in Newsome's store, tries to grab the map so he can get the treasure for LaRocque, a trapper and the film's bad man. Noting that Drew and Wabi are wanted men, LaRocque has one of his men kidnap and impersonate a Mountie, and get the map when they arrive back at the cabin, however Drew gives them a fake map, and he, Wabi, and Ryan (the Mountie) go after the treasure, while LaRocque and his men close in on Newsome's cabin to get the map. A very enjoyable B film with what seems like better directing and production values than seen in previous Bradbury films, which probably due to the fact that its based on the Curwood novel, rather than being an original Bradbury story. Nice cinematography highlight the film and overshadow the wooden acting by the entire cast, especially by Frazer and Dwire as the villains. Much of the start of the movie has character introduction which gets the film off on a wrong foot, but the film settles in and becomes enjoyable. Rating, based on B westerns, 7.