THE TELEGRAPH TRAIL
US, 1933, 54 minutes, Black and white.
John Wayne, Duke, Frank Mc Hugh, Marceline Day, Otis Harlen, Albert J. Smith, Yakima Cannut.
Directed by Tinny Wright.
The Telegraph Trail is the first of 11 films with John Wayne released during 1933. He was in his mid--20s and was continue to make the short B-budget westerns that he had been making for some years – until his presence in the Oscar-winning John Ford Western, Stagecoach. He was to be a regular in so many of John Ford’s films, especially cavalry films. He was to win an Oscar 36 years later for True Grit and his last film was over 40 years later, The Shootist.
In many ways, it is surprising how much plot and variety of entertainment can be packed into these very brief westerns.
The basic plot concerns the continuing of the Telegraph line across the United States in the 1860s. It is placed in the tradition of the wagons and the Stagecoach and continued communications and the opening up of the West. While townspeople and traders welcomed the Telegraph, some of those who had exclusive rights on trade were against it and teamed up with Indian raiders to attack.
John Wayne belongs to the military and is set to find out who the white man is aiding the Indians. He is accompanied by Frank Mc Hugh, later in so many comedies and Bing Crosby’s priest buddy in Going My Way. His comedy is a bit laboured, more than a touch anti-women, and he shares comic routines with the heroine’s bigoted but cowardly storekeeper uncle.
There is also time for some guitar playing and songs.
The film moves pretty rapidly, the villain encourages an attack on the Telegraph, the heroine has been asked to deliver papers to Wayne and pretends to love him when the villain proposes to her. She keeps writing notes, giving information, saving them from a massacre, and, of course, happy romantic ending.
It is interesting to see the portrayal of the Indians and the traditional cowboys and Indians conflict – but the screenplay has some positives in favour of the Indians and highlighting how they were manipulated by rogue whites. Indian is played by actor and stuntman, Yakima Cannut who was significant for the chariot race in the 1959 Ben Hur.
