Sagebrush Trail (1933)

The Duke is wrongly convicted for a killing, but he escapes from prison and heads out west to find the real killer.

Director:

Armand Schaefer

Writers:

Lindsley Parsons (story), Lindsley Parsons (screenplay)

Stars:

John Wayne, Nancy Shubert, Lane Chandler

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Wayne	...	John Brant - aka Smith
Nancy Shubert	...	Sally Blake
Lane Chandler	...	Joseph Conlon - alias Bob Jones
Yakima Canutt	...	Ed Walsh
Henry Hall	...	Dad Blake
Hal Taliaferro	...	Deputy Sheriff (as Wally Wales)
Art Mix	...	Henchman
Bob Burns	...	Sheriff Parker

Storyline

Imprisoned for a murder he did not commit, John Brant escapes and ends up out west where, after giving the local lawmen the slip, he joins up with an outlaw gang. Brant finds out that 'Jones', one of the outlaws he has become friends with, committed the murder that Brant was sent up for, but has no knowledge that anyone was ever put in jail for his crime. Willing to forgive and forget, Brant doesn't realize that 'Jones' has not only fallen for the same pretty shopgirl Brant has, but begins to suspect that Brant is not truly an outlaw.

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Plot Keywords:

wrongly accused | romantic rivalry | stagecoach robbery | country store | escaped convict | 

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Taglines:

ROMANCE RIDES! In A Drama Of Thundering Hoofs And Blazing Guns!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

William Dyer died a week after the film premiered.

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Goofs

While the store proprietor reads a note written by John Brant, there is a sudden brief cut for no apparent purpose to the exact shot of Brant and Conlon riding into town which was used a few moments earlier, before their visit to the store.

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Quotes

[after eluding the sheriff by swimming underwater, John emerges on the far side of the lake at the feet of a tall gunslinger]
John Brant: Well, I guess you got me.
Joseph Conlon: [snorts] Come on out, stranger. I ain't the law. You're a pretty smart hombre and you got plenty of nerve. It strikes me that the boss could use somebody like you. What's your name?
[John glares at him]
Joseph Conlon: Smith, ain't it. That's the handle most of you fast travelers use. Aw, it's as good a name as any. Mine's Jones!
[they shake hands]
Joseph Conlon: Say, you're pretty ...

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a computer colorized version.

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Connections

Remake of Partners of the Trail (1931)

User Reviews

Early John Wayne

I enjoyed seeing a very young John Wayne, before he had developed his signature speech, moves, etc. Sure, it was pure B Western schlock, but I had to check here before knowing for sure he was in this movie, it does not look like him at all. A must-see for all fans of John Wayne and westerns. The one thing I liked most about this movie is that even amongst the so-called "bad guys" in black hats, it half-heartedly explored the reasons why some guys joined these gangs-bad raps, wrongful imprisonment, bad choices that left them nowhere else to go and so on, so that even some of the villains elicited sympathy. The only jarring note was the blatant 30s flapper hairstyle and exaggerated eye makeup of the main female character, they didn't even make an attempt to make her look like a storekeepers daughter in the late 1800s.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 December 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sagebrush Trail

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paul Malvern Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

54 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Balsley & Phillips Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1