The Feud of the Trail (1937)

So much average

good back-story, and good acting

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Tom Tyler (Tom Wade of the Protective Association/Jack Granger, outlaw), Harlene Wood (Sheila Granger, the outlaw's sister), Lafe McKee (John Granger, the outlaw's dad), Milburn Morante (Jerry McLane, Tom's deputy), Roger Williams (Lance Holcomb), Jim Corey, Dick Alexander, Colin Chase (Lance's brothers), Vane Calvert (Ma Holcomb), Bob Hill (Chief Watson), Ray Henderson, Francis Walker (deputies), Steve Clark (robbery victim), Wally West, Oscar Gahan (barflies), Bud Pope (henchman), Johnny Luther (fiddle player), Rudy Sooter (bass player).Director: BOB HILL. Screenplay: Basil Dickey. Photography: Bill Hyer. Film editor: Holbrook N. Todd. Art director: Fred Preble. Stunts: Francis Walker, Wally West. Production manager: Ed W. Rote. Sound recording: Hans Weeren. Producer: Sam Katzman.Not copyright by Sam Katzman's Victory Pictures Corporation. No recorded New York opening. U.S. release: 1 March 1937. 56 minutes. SYNOPSIS: No "feud" really. Nor "trail" either. Just an avaricious neighbor out to rob a nice old man and his lithesome daughter of their ranch. COMMENT: This entry provides an opportunity for our Tom to impersonate an outlaw and to stave off the welcome attentions of the man's sister. Tom handles these dramatic and romantic episodes reasonably well, though he's obviously more at home in the hard riding and fighting sequences. He's supported here by Milburn Morante (of all people) who has a main role as a talkative (and even singing—dubbed, of course) sidekick.However, the most impressive performance comes from Vane Calvert who gives a really stinging account of a vicious mother of all outlaws. By Sam Katzman's dirt cheap standards, production values are not bad. Bob Hill is one of the better directors in this league.

Tom Tyler who plays a dual role is both a member of the Protective Association and an outlaw who is part of a gang he's tracking. The bad Tyler wants to quit the outlaw business and go back to helping his family in a feud they're having with the neighbors.Unfortunately he's killed before he can do that and when the good Tyler goes to bring the family the news he meets dad while he's being ambushed. Not wanting to give things away, Tyler plays along and in the process the reasons for the feud and why the other family wants the late Tyler's family off the property are revealed.The Feud Of The Trail is from a bottom barrel poverty row studio called Victory Pictures and it shows. This was done on a dental floss budget and the acting with one glorious exception is from hunger. The exception being Vane Calvert playing a Ma Barker type head of the bad family with a bunch of really bottom feeding and not too bright sons. But I don't think she's worth seeing this routine western for.