The Lonesome Trail
Cast & Crew
Oliver Drake
Jimmy Wakely
Lee "lasses" White
John James
Iris Clive
Horace Murphy
Film Details
Synopsis
After they force crooked businessman Vincent Worth and his cohorts, Judge Melford, Pete Jones and Spike Brown, to leave Peaceful Hollow on foot, ranchers Jimmy Wakely and Dusty James prepare to reunite with their partner, Lasses White. Lasses has spent the last few weeks in nearby Cherokee, a ghost town located on land he recently purchased with Jimmy and Dusty, and when Worth and his companions walk into town, he is unaware of their reputation. Excited by Worth's claims that he can restore the mining town to its former glory, Lasses, who has made himself mayor, sheriff and saloon owner, happily sells the crooks a fifty-one percent interest in Cherokee. When Jimmy and Dusty arrive and learn what Lasses has done, they warn their new partners not to try anything illegal. Unimpressed, the four crooks start a phony gold rush in the territory and sell land to eager prospectors. Jimmy fights with Pete over the fraudulent sales, but as Worth has made himself marshal, he is unable to stop him. Jimmy, Dusty and Lasses do prevent Pete and two henchmen from robbing the stage of money earmarked for the town's new bank, however, and meet passenger Elsie Melford, the judge's daughter. As Elsie has not seen her father for many years, Jimmy, Dusty and singer Rita Kelly, Cherokee's new saloon owner, are reluctant to tell her anything about his crooked ways, even after he refuses to arrest Pete for the attempted theft. Soon after, the now-wise prospectors, led by Ben and Billy, demand that Lasses jail Worth and his men, but Lasses reminds them that the crooks are the majority owners of Cherokee, land that is not under any government jurisdiction. Jimmy suggests that the prospectors use their land for farming and join forces with the local ranchers in a vote to have the territory annexed to the adjoining Texas. To ensure that the prospectors get the two-thirds majority they need for annexing, Jimmy offers to organize a minstrel show to draw the ranchers into town and then inform them about the election. When Worth learns about the vote, he vows to stop the election and threatens to expose Melford, who wants to reform, if he does not go along with the plan. Worth then orders two henchmen to ambush and kill Jimmy and Dusty, but the ranchers easily foil their attackers. That night, the show is presented at Rita's saloon, and Jimmy addresses the ranchers about the next day's election. As Jimmy is exhorting the ranchers to vote for annexation, shots are fired into the saloon, and Billy is killed in the ensuing gunfight. Knowing that Worth is responsible for the attack, Jimmy decides to set up a second polling place outside town. As feared, Worth and his henchmen intimidate voters in Cherokee, forcing them at gunpoint to vote against annexation. Elsie, who has been helping Jimmy, Dusty and Lasses, then finds her father packing to leave and accuses of him of being in league with Worth. Melford finally admits his past, but swears that he is truly proud of Cherokee. After Elsie convinces her father to go to the polling place and rally the voters, he is shot by one of Worth's gunmen. Worth then decides to barricade the town so that Jimmy, Dusty and Lasses cannot return with the ranchers' ballots. To foil Worth's scheme, Jimmy instructs Lasses to secure the ballot box, while he and Dusty sneak into town. Jimmy and Dusty soon become embroiled in a gunfight with Worth and his men, but are aided by the ranchers and the prospectors. Jimmy and Dusty finally knock out Worth and Spike, and Lasses locks them up. Later, a recuperated Melford sentences the crooks to twenty years of hard labor. Their job done, Jimmy, Dusty and Lasses then bid Rita and Elsie farewell and head back to their ranch.
Director
Oliver Drake
Cast
Jimmy Wakely
Lee "lasses" White
John James
Iris Clive
Horace Murphy
Lorraine Miller
Eddie Majors
Zon Murray
Roy Butler
Jasper Palmer
Frank Mccarroll
Jack Hendricks
Jack Pitts
Billy Hammond
Frank Neill
Dee Cooper
The Sunshine Girls
Arthur Smith
Crew
Jack Baxley
Lester Blackwell
Smiley Burnette
Glenn Cook
Oliver Drake
Oliver Drake
Oliver Drake
Glen Glenn
Fred Maguire
Dave Milton
Lindsley Parsons
Ervin T. Rouse
Louise Rousseau
Frank Sanucci
William Sickner
George Tobin
Jimmy Wakely
Lee "lasses" White
William Cool White
Film Details
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was The Cherokee Trail. Although CBCS lists Jack Rockwell as "Spike Brown" and Bill Henderson as "Billy," those roles were played by Jasper Palmer and Frank McCarroll, respectively. Some modern sources list Bill Henderson as an additional cast member, however, so it is possible he appeared in another part. Modern sources add Bob Duncan, Frank LaRue, The Saddle Pals, Coleen Sumners, Jack Clifford, Carl Mathews, Carl Sepulveda and Jack Rivers to the cast.
