Trail Guide

1952 "GUN-LAW FEUD GRIPS THE OLD SOUTHWEST!"
5.6| 1h0m| en
Details

A cowboy (Tim Holt) and his Mexican-Irish sidekick (Richard Martin) lead a wagon train to an unfriendly place.

Director

Producted By

RKO Radio Pictures

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Also starring Mary Jo Tarola

Reviews

Titreenp SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?
Majorthebys Charming and brutal
Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.
Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
dougdoepke I love Chito's pick-up line to the wagon train cutie—"You know for a girl, you ain't bad looking". Now what gal could resist an endearment like that. Reviewer Fob's right: it's an average Holt entry. But an average entry's still fun for many of us front-row geezers. The question is what would these oaters do for plot if ranchers and settlers got along. Here, it's shenanigans around cattlemen wanting to drive off late-coming settlers. At the same time, real bad guy Regan (Wilcox) is looking to get rich by exploiting the situation. But guess who's working to put things right, that is, if Tim can keep Chito away from the girls long enough. There's some hard-riding, and some cold-blooded gunplay, but catch the lively barroom brawl where nobody loses his hat. I really don't know how they did it unless the Stetsons were glued on. Except for some opening stock shots, action never leaves greater LA locations, so scenery doesn't count for much. Anyway, it's a good supporting cast with several cuties instead of just one. So it's an entertaining way to pass an easy hour.
classicsoncall I always get a kick out of lines in a Western like the one in my summary above, they take me back to the wonderful days of Yosemite Sam in the Warner Brothers cartoons of the era. I can just see Yosemite looking down the barrel of his six-guns while drawing a bead on Elmer Fudd. Actually, the line was delivered by Silver Springs town villain Regan (Frank Wilcox) to young Kenny Masters (Robert Sherwood) on the way out of town, with Regan intending to keep Masters quiet about all the skulduggery the baddies are trying to pull off.For Tim Holt and Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin) this is a pretty standard outing, with all the usual elements present in their relationship. Tim has to keep Chito on the straight and narrow so he doesn't get waylaid by every pretty face he comes across. Trail gal Maria (Wendy Waldron) was pretty persistent in the romance department, so Chito had to be just as nimble to stay a step ahead of her.The story itself presents the age old rivalry between cattle men and homesteaders, with Tim angling for a way both sides can live in harmony with each other. Cattle rancher Peg Masters (Linda Douglas) functions as the go-between once she finds out her brother is done in by the outlaws. Standard horse chase scenes and shoot-outs complement the on screen action, but there's never any doubt the good guys will come out on top.
bkoganbing Trail Guide finds Tim Holt and Richard Martin doing just that, guiding a wagon train of homesteaders to new settlements. But when the job is done it's a lot of hostility that the new settlers are finding. Later on wagon master Kenneth MacDonald is shot and robbed of all the homesteaders money and more importantly the deeds to the new farms.It wouldn't be a Tim Holt or any other kind of western if the cowboy heroes didn't stay and take a hand in the fight. Of course there's a nefarious villain with a nefarious reason for wanting to keep the hostility going.Brother and sister ranchers Robert Sherwood and Linda Douglas lead the cattle people's opposition to the new settlers. Wendy Waldron is the girl with marriage on her mind where Chito Rafferty is concerned. That overactive libido working overtime again.Distinctly unfunny and at time downright annoying his Tom London as the oldtimer comic relief.Other than Mr. London, this is a good B western.
krorie Tim Holt, son of actor Jack Holt and brother to Jennifer Holt, played in such movie classics as "The Magnificent Ambersons" and "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre." He brought his acting talents to the B western beginning in the early 40's and then made a series for RKO with Richard Martin, another fine actor, as Chito Jose Gonzalez Bustamonte Rafferty, an Irish-Mexican role, as his womanizing comical sidekick. Martin had already played the role of Chito Rafferty for others before joining with Tim Holt. A Tim Holt western was always a good one to watch for action and adventure. "Trail Guide" is typical of the series. Tim and Chito are out to help homesteaders led by character actor Kenneth MacDonald against outlaws pretending to be protectors of the open range but really out for their own personal gain. The outlaws have suckered young Kenny Masters (Robert E. Sherwood) into helping them. His sister, Peg Masters (Mary Jo Tarola aka Linda Douglas) at first suspects Tim and Chito as being the outlaws but eventually learns the truth about what is really happening.By 1952, the singing cowboy was virtually history. There were a few hangers on such as Rex Allen, Eddie Dean, and Jimmy Wakely. Gene, Roy, and Hoppy were going into television production which is where the B western would shortly end up. The main Saturday matinée cowboys of the early 1950's were non-singers such as Tim Holt, The Durango Kid, Allan Rocky Lane, Whip Wilson, Lash LaRue, and Johnny Mack Brown. The only music usually provided was background for the action that took place. This meant that movies such as "Trail Guide" were action packed with no musical numbers to slow things down.If you are a Tim Holt fan, you should enjoy "Trail Guide." If you've never seen a Tim Holt western before and enjoy action and adventure, this is a good film to watch.