Oregon Trail

Oregon Trail has Sunset Carson arriving on the scene as a wanted outlaw barely escaping capture by Union Pacific Railroad detective Lee Shumway. In the tradition of B westerns the title has nothing to do with the story. I'm not sure the action took place in Oregon.

But after his horse throws him, Sunset like John Wayne in Stagecoach gets a ride and proves invaluable in holding off other bandits look to rob the coach. Carson also makes friends with Peggy Stewart and her father Frank Jaquet who were passengers on the coach and later Stewart's grandmother Mary Carr who proves handy with firearms.

When they get to Jaquet's town of Gunsight they find that an outlaw band has taken over the town and Steve Winston as a crusading editor seems to be the only one standing up against them. Winston for his pains gets a couple of bullets fired into his office, so much for the power of the press. Actually Winston has a great deal of power as we learn.

This was a pretty good Sunset Carson western with a good amount of paced action and a clever plot, better than you usually get from B westerns.

This is one of the best Sunset Carson oaters from his heyday in the mid-1940's. Sunset was at the top of his form when his hedonistic off screen lifestyle caught up with him. Too bad, because as this movie indicates, he showed great promise. Since his early days with Smiley Burnette, Sunset had shown a flair for comedy. Gradually the producers pulled him away from the humor until he became all serious. When "Oregon Trail" was made, Sunset was still using humor from time to time. His sparring comic partner this go around is not Si Jenks who provides some of the sight humor but Peggy Stewart who is also Sunset's love interest. Peggy gives him the unlikely moniker Elmer Smith when she thinks he is a notorious outlaw running from a railroad detective.

The scrip is based on a novel by pulp fiction writer Frank Gruber. Maybe that's why it is above average for a B western. This time the identity of the boss outlaw is truly hidden from the audience until the end, though there are a few clues along the way. There are even twists and turns concerning who Sunset Carson really is. So this film has a few mysterious elements often missing from the B western. But don't be fooled by the good script, there is still plenty of action. One of the funniest and toughest characters in the flick is Granny Layton played with exuberance by Mary Carr. I won't give away her part, but be sure and watch what she does near the end of the film. It's a joy to behold.

The central theme of the movie has Sunset taking back control of a town from a gang of outlaws ostensibly headed by Dalt Higgins (John Merton), who resembles William Conrad, and a corrupt drunken judge played by character actor Earle Hodgins. Where the title "Oregon Trail" came from is anyone's guess. There is nothing about Oregon or the Oregon Trail even mentioned in the film. Maybe the novel from which the movie is taken has something to do with the Oregon Trail. No matter. This is still an entertaining, action-filled Saturday matinée western.

Photos of the Oregon Trail (1945) show Sunset Carson standing with Peggy Stewart by a stagecoach and defending her with his gun drawn. He is wearing a black leather jacket with stud buttons. However, in the movie, he doesn't wear this jacket at all. Apparently this was his motorcycle jacket that he happened to have handy the day they were taking the photos. If you look carefully, you will see that this is true. There is a scene in the film that Peggy Stewart loves to tell about. Sunset was supposed to stop the stagecoach at one point and make everybody get out. He's looking for something. When he doesn't find it, he is supposed to say "Wind up those wheels and let 'er go." Director Tommy Carr did not want to have to dub the scene later so he told Sunset just to do the line. Sunset repeats the line "Wind (as in gust of wind). Apparently he kept making the same mistake in repeated takes, all of which cost the company money. Carr gets upset at Sunset and looks up at him. Sunset stood about 6'6" to Carr's 5'. Sunset looks down at Carr, pushes his Stetson back on his head, and says "I'll be damned, Tommy. It's "wind" in my script."

Escaping the law, Jim Parker arrives in a town that is controlled by Higgins and his crony Judge. When he stands up to Higgins he is made Sheriff only to be shot in the back, After recovering he returns to get the man that shot him. When the gang attacks, he fights back from the newspaper office. When a stray bullet nicks the printing press plate he sees that it is solid gold and its not long before the masquerades on both sides of the law are revealed.

The Oregon Trail - odd title as I don't know what it refers to as no Oregon was referenced - is one fun western bustling with energy, humour, witty dialogue, decent shoot em up and a clever plot - there's enough twists to keep you happy, especially in regard to the second "unknown" villain. Sunset Carson might not be a great actor but he certainly has a natural charm and fits the saddle really well. Love his accent, too. Peggy Stewart is beautiful as always but Mary Carr as her granny steals the scene.