Excellent but underrated film

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

A 65 minute dusty escape directed by Lambert Hillyer for Columbia Pictures. A pretty newspaper publisher, Marry Middleton(Barbara Weeks)spends maybe too much paper space on a corrupt political boss "Cash" Karger(Wallis Clark). Tom Devlin(Buck Jones), a former ranch foreman rescues Miss Middleton and her mother(Mary Carr)from a raging fire set by an angry Karger. The hero will then be framed for the murder of a cattle rustler(Albert Smith). There is still enough time for Devlin to break out of jail and bring Karger to justice.This film wasn't widely released until 1933, but would not even open in New York for three more years. By that time, Jones had already made his last B-Western for Columbia and moved on to Universal. But once a hero, always a hero. Other players include: France Rice, Ed Brady and George Cooper plays Tom's sidekick Happy.

Before there were Roy, Gene, and Hoppy, there were Tom, Bill, and Buck. None of the older cowboy stars was a singer. Bill (William S. Hart) was the most authentic of the three, Tom Mix the most romantic, but it was Buck Jones who made the most successful transition from silent westerns to talkies in the 1930's. Though I was born too late to remember any of the Buck Jones features first hand, my mother was a great fan of his and told me many stories about him and his movies. When he died in the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire in Boston in 1942 all kinds of apocryphal stores began to circulate across the nation. One that my mother actually believed was that Buck died when he went back into the club to save his horse, Silver. I never told her that from my research there were no animals other than human in the club when it burned. Buck Jones was a larger than life cowboy hero to his many fans."Forbidden Trail" is one of his early talkies and it's a fairly good oater. What might seem strange to later fans of the genre is the humor provided not just by a comical sidekick but by the star himself. In the film, Buck and his pal Happy are practical jokers and do both physical and oral humor. One is reminded of the later Sunset Carson films featuring Smiley Burnette when both did humor. Because Buck is looked on as a joke in the early stages of the film, it surprises everyone when later he catches the bad guys because of his riding, fighting, and shooting abilities. Barbara Weeks is the love interest and she never doubts Buck's ability to handle the situation. She stands beside him even when he is accused of murder and arson. There is a whole passel of outlaws provided headed by the double dealing 'Cash' Karger (Wallis Clark).Beware that this was made in 1932 when Hollywood was infamous for its racial stereotyping. Wong, the cook, has at least one racial slur hurled at him during his few brief appearances.This early Buck Jones talkie is well worth watching. If you've never seen one of the pre-singing cowboy Saturday matinée flicks, this one may surprise you, plenty of action and no music to slow things down.

This is a very good example of the Buck Jones western movies of the 1920s and 1930s. Buck plays an honest cowboy trying to stop a crook. He is a man's man in the film without being overly macho. He is a pretty good actor.The film has some clever humor without be silly. No singing, thank goodness.There is love interest that fits well in the story. The supporting actors play their characters well.Buck has his horse Silver in the picture. Silver is a smart and handsome addition to the cast.Watch this one when you get the chance.