The Silver Trail (1937)

Truly Dreadful Film

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I was a bit apprehensive about my movie player when the first few minutes seemed to be a silent movie with no dialogue or even western background music. Then Rex Leach turned up and things began to move right along with a brief side trip to a couple of songs being sung and yodeled. I admit to never having even heard of Rex but he did quite well with what he was given. Co-star Rin-tin-tin, Jr. barked on cue but looked a little camera shy and apprehensive on occasion. The villain and henchmen were pretty much fine ... except that when anyone had to pretend never to have heard of the missing character they ALL got this shifty look and turned their heads ... and yet the hero never noticed.He did notice (eventually) the pretty girl... dressed in modern (for the times) clothes despite the fact that all of the other characters seemed to be living in another time period.It's a 1937 B Western and as such it's OK. Once they get to the story and you ignore the plot holes and silly dialogue. Don't go nuts trying to find a copy is all.

The old west has gone to the dogs, and that dog is on a dime in this fast-moving western where man's best friend knows right from wrong and helps the hero not only defeat the villains but win the girl as well. Here, the story surrounds a crooked mining town where the villains knock off those lucky to strike it rich and the good guy (Rex Lease) who, aided by Rin Tin Tin Jr., exposes their racket and helps the heroine (Mary Russell) get her rightful share of a claim that cost her father his life. In just under an hour, there's enough adventure, romance and a heart-warming relationship growing between man and dog to keep the audience interested. Another factor of this film that makes it highly recommendable is the fact that the villains are not the usual mustache-twirling, one-dimensional slimeballs, but cunning and even charming as they passively aggressively hide their motivations behind a helpful attitude, sort of like real- life big business villains we read about in the paper every day. There's a great scene where Lease teaches one of the villains about the evils of animal abuse, turning the tables on him by forcing him to watch as Rin Jr. eats a steak that Lease forces the villain to pay for. Russell isn't one of those namby-pamby western heroines who runs from danger; She's pretty much in on the action as well, initially seen as the attempted robber of a stagecoach. However, she's not a variation of Margaret Lockwood's "The Wicked Lady"; There's a major reason behind her criminal behavior that helps guide the plot along to its speedy conclusion.

Another B western that takes forever to get going on the plot, and then abandon sub-plots and characters to get to it's wishy washy conclusion. When the partner of Bob Crandall is missing after he finds a gold claim, Crandall goes to look for him (but not before hearing a few country songs). After getting no help from the city planners, Bob looks into it himself. Of course, since the planners have mustaches, they can't be trusted, and it turns out that they have stolen the claim! Luckily a plucky gal and a helpful dog are there to help Bob, and the usual "I'm not who you think I am" character that seems to arrive out of nowhere in desperate westerns such as this. Rex Lease is not a bad cowboy, he just needs a good script. The dog, who seemed to have a central part in the script, sort of disappears ¾ of the way through, and we never did find out what happens to Bob Crandall's partner. It all adds up to a sort of blah night at the movies.

1937's THE SILVER TRAIL was one of the last leading-man roles for Rex Lease, who moved on to character roles for the rest of his prolific career. It was also one of the last productions of Reliable Pictures, an outfit run by Harry Webb and Bernard Ray, specializing in very low budget action films and westerns that managed to be fast moving and quite entertaining, using established B-stars such as Lease, Richard Talmadge, Jack Perrin, and Tom Tyler. Lease is paired with Rin-Tin-Tin Jr. here and seems to have a genuine rapport with dogs. The scene in the restaurant where he defends Rinty's honor and then has Rinty climb across the table to join him will warm the heart of any doglover. The plot is that old standby where a miner has hit a rich strike and tells an old friend to come join him, but when the friend arrives, the miner has disappeared along with all records of him and his mine. Near the beginning of the film, there is a character called "Hank",presumably the brother of Lease's character, who is never seen again, but performs two nice old-time country songs in the Montana Slim/ Wilf Carter vein. This character is not listed on the cast list. Also unbilled is Snub Pollard, who plays the cashier/bartender at the place where the dog walks across the table. We also have the federal agent posing as a drunk and many other classic "archetypes" that give b-westerns like this their charm. Overall, it's a fast-moving, enjoyable little film that surely pleased the small-town and third-string theatre patrons it was made for, and Rex Lease has a special charm and warmth that can elevate any film. Rin Tin Tin Jr. also is deserving of merit. His biggest roles were in three Mascot serials of the early-mid 30s: The Wolf Dog with Frankie Darro; The Law of the Wild with Bob Custer and Ben Turpin; and The Adventures of Rex and Rinty with Kane Richmond. Unfortunately, Rinty is not in a lot of this film--his scenes probably add up to 15 minutes. Lease had previously worked opposite a canine in the excellent INSIDE INFORMATION from 1934, with Tarzan the Wonder Dog. If you ever get a chance to see any Reliable Pictures releases from 35-37 starring Lease, Talmadge, Tyler, or Perrin, do yourself a favor and check them out.