Thunder Trail (1937)

A wagon train is robbed by a gang of bandits who kill everyone but a pair of young brothers. Years later, the brothers join force to bring the bandits' leader to justice.

Director:

Charles Barton

Writers:

Zane Grey (story), Robert Yost (screenplay),

Stars:

Gilbert Roland, Charles Bickford, Marsha Hunt

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gilbert Roland	...	Arizona Dick Ames
Charles Bickford	...	Lee Tate
Marsha Hunt	...	Amy Morgan
J. Carrol Naish	...	Rafael Lopez
James Craig	...	Bob Tate
Monte Blue	...	Jeff Graves
Barlowe Borland	...	Jim Morgan
Billy Lee	...	Bob at age 8
William Duncan	...	John Ames
Gene Reynolds	...	Richard Ames at 14

Storyline

A wagon train is robbed by a gang of bandits who kill everyone but a pair of young brothers. Years later, the brothers join force to bring the bandits' leader to justice.

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Plot Keywords:

arizona | brother | bandit | massacre | california | 

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Taglines:

Thrilling adventure romance! (original 1937 UK poster)

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Genres:

Action | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 October 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arizona Ames

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

58 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Early Latino Hero

Although this is one of a series of B films that Paramount was making out of Zane Grey western novels, it's one of the best of the adaptations that Paramount did. An outlaw gang led by Charles Bickford massacres a small wagon train heading back from the gold fields. All are killed except young Gene Reynolds who was out hunting some game and his little brother Billy Lee who was hidden in a wagon and didn't see who did the crime. Bickford adopts Billy Lee who grows up to be James Craig. Reynolds after seeing the massacre and the man responsible wanders through the night and comes across the campfire of J. Carrol Naish, a Mexican prospector. Naish raises him and he grows up to be Gilbert Roland.

J. Carrol Naish was a remarkable character actor who could play every kind of nationality and adopt every kind of dialect imaginable. He played many a Latino on screen, but he was just about everything else except Irish which is what he really was. His face never became known, but his casting potential was unlimited.

Of course hanging around Naish while growing up the Anglo Gene Reynolds grew up to sound like Gilbert Roland. This in itself was remarkable. Probably Mexicans were the most common western villain in the silent era and that continued on, somewhat lessened when sound came on the scene. Having Latin lovers as heroes of which Gilbert Roland first made his mark lessened the use of Mexican villains to a large degree. But a Latino hero in a western film was certainly unusual in 1937. And of course Gilbert Roland played the greatest Latino western hero of all in some Cisco Kid films in the following decade.

Roland was always a particular favorite of mine. In every kind of part he did over a long career he always played it with a twinkle in the eye that was infectious. You can't help, but like the guy even when he's a villain which occasionally he was.

He's the reason I'm glad this particular film has been preserved on VHS.