The Lonely Trail is a 1936 American Western film starring John Wayne and Ann Rutherford.
This was Duke's last movie for Republic
Joseph Kane, a former editor for Paramount,
directed and empathized action over story
Like most of Duke's early director's,
he shot his movies in 6 days
Joseph Kane said
QuoteBefore you start out in the morning,
you have to plan what you're going to do...
so you don't waste anytime
Ann Rutherford was Duke's love interest
and served as a pleasant foil to his manliness.
Ann Rutherford said at The Lawless Nineties opening
QuoteThe cast is kept so busy, that it can find very little time
for such luxeries as romance and convention
Duke was suppoerted by great pros such as
Cy Kendall and lifelong Pal Yakima Canutt
User Review
QuoteDisplay MoreGoing Against Your Neighbors
27 January 2007 | by bkoganbing (Buffalo, New York)
John Wayne is indeed traveling The Lonely Trail in this film. He's a Texan who enlisted with the Yankee army and has now returned home after the war to the scorn of his neighbors. They've been given less reason than ever to like the color blue. Reconstruction has come to Texas in the position of profiteering carpetbagger Cy Kendall who had a specialty in roles showing corpulent corruption.
The more Wayne sees, the more he doesn't like, the trick now is to convince his neighbors he's really on their side.
Sad, but this is one of John Wayne's worst films. It abounds in racial stereotyping. East Texas back in the day was not too different from the culture of the Deep South, it had its share of cotton plantations and slaves. Looking at the blacks in this film you would think those Yankees were their enemies as well. Seeing Etta McDaniel and Fred Toone and the other plantation hands singing because of the 'death' of the young master Dennis Moore is one of the worst examples of racism I've ever seen in any film.
Only the most devoted fans of the Duke will find anything good in this film.