bsmith5552 "The Cariboo Trail" is a trail through the "wilds" of British Columbia in Canada where cattleman Jim Redfern (Randolph Scott), Mike Evans (Bill Williams) and Ling (Lee Tung Foo) are driving a small herd of cattle from Montana with the hope of reaching a so-called promised land on which to establish a cattle ranch. Along the way, they meet up with grizzled old prospector Grizzly (Gabby Hayes - in his final film).On the trail, they are confronted by a toll bridge manned by Murphy (Douglas Kennedy) and Miller (Jim Davis). Redfern and company refuse to pay the toll and stampede the cattle across. Town boss Frank Walsh (Victor Jory) owns the bridge. Walsh sends his men to rustle the cattle but during the stampede, Evans is injured and Redfern is forced to amputate his left arm. Evans becomes bitter to the point of hiring out his gun to Walsh.Redfern meanwhile, is befriended by independent saloon owner Francie Harris (Karin Booth) who grub stakes him for a go in the gold fields. Refern, Grizzly and Ling venture onto Indian lands and are captured. With the help of Grizzly's mule, the trio escape in different directions.Redfern discovers a hidden valley suitable for cattle while panning for gold. He discover gold and returns to town where Walsh cheats him and incites the towns people to drive him out of town. By chance Redfern meets up with Grizzly who has returned to Montana and hooked up with his brother's family. Headed by the feisty Martha Winters (Mary Kent), they are driving their herd north. Along with Martha's daughter Jane (Mary Stuart) and foreman Will Gray (Dale Robertson), Redfern is offered a partnership in the venture.Back in town, Walsh plots to steal the cattle. Mike Evans has a change of heart as Redfern returns to town to confront the Walsh gang and.....................................................Randolph Scott could sleep walk through most of his westerns playing variations of the same character. But he did so in a most entertaining way. Gabby Hayes, who was anything but the be-whiskered old side kick he portrayed, goes out on a high note. Bill Williams never got to the big time but had a successful marriage to Barbara Hale and became the parents of actor William Katt. Victor Jory, always at his best when playing the villain, turns in another great show as the sneaky be-speckled, oily Walsh. Dale Robertson was just starting out at this time. Douglas Kennedy, Jim Davis and James Griffith also stood out as members of Walsh's gang.Just a note. Since the story takes place in a lawless part of British Columbia with crime abounding, one has to wonder "Where were the Mounties"?

LeonLouisRicci Not without interest. You can see why "Cinecolor" was a Miserable Flop, You can see Gabby Hayes in His Last Movie (actually pretty good), and this Western does have some other Ingredients worth Noting.It is Set in Canada (but does use some awful Studio Stuff for some outdoor Scenes), the Body Count is High, there's a Bitter One-Armed Gunslinger (Bill Williams), a Greasy, Slimy, Bespectacled Villain (Victory Jory), a couple of Tasty Women (Karen Booth, Mary Stuart), and a Mule Named Hannibal.Not one of the Best Randolph Scott Westerns, but it Contains Enough Oddities to make it Worth a Watch for Western Fans. Sometimes Clunky and Awkward but Appealing in an Off-Handed kind of Way.

classicsoncall Turner Classics offered up this Randolph Scott Western a few nights ago and it opened with a fairly extensive explanation on how the picture was restored from it's original Cinecolor filming process. I'd never seen that before, as it looked almost like it was part of the picture appearing right after the opening title. I don't know if it had anything to do with the restoration, but a cattle stampede instigated by Walsh's (Victor Jory) henchmen a little into the movie appeared to take place during night and day both! The story takes place in British Columbia, with displaced Montana cattle man Jim Redfern (Scott) heading out along the Cariboo Trail to find a nice place to settle down and take up ranching. His partner Mike Evans (Bill Williams) would rather prospect for gold, and when he loses an arm in the stampede ambush mentioned earlier, he has a falling out with Redfern. I think the picture could have explained Redfern's action in amputating Evans' arm, say along the lines of it being horribly mangled or prone to gangrene, but the story offered no explanation. Failing that, there was an opportunity for Dr. Rhodes (Charles Hughes) to offer a medical opinion along the same lines, but again, nothing to be said about it.I didn't realize this was George 'Gabby' Hayes' last film role, but I did look it up to see how old he was when he made the movie knowing that most of his work took place in the Thirties and Forties. Turns out he was sixty five, but not looking much older than any of his earlier screen appearances. Still feisty as ever and pretty nimble, I had to wonder why his movie career just stopped right there, though he did host a mid-Fifties TV Western show bearing his name. Gabby had a pretty good line in the story when he described how hungry he was - "My stomach's crowdin' my backbone". I'll have to remember that one.If you're watching this film with a critical eye, there's a good chance you'll be disappointed because some of the elements just don't come together too believably. Captured at one point by Blackfeet Indians, Redfern and his crew are saved by Grizzly's mule Hannibal! There's also the improbable rescue by the town folk of Carson Creek at the finale, engineered by Mike Evans when he has the sudden change of heart regarding his former partner. Still, it's not a terrible send off for one of movie Western's iconic character actors, and another nifty notch in Randolph Scott's belt in mid-career.

Neil Doyle RANDOLPH SCOTT and BILL WILLIAMS share the co-starring credits in this rather weak western, nicely photographed in Cinecolor against some gorgeous western backgrounds in Canada. Unfortunately, the story of ranchers vs. gold prospectors has been done before with better results and it's not one of Scott's more memorable western roles.Among the bad guys, it's interesting to note a young JIM DAVIS who would later make it big on "Dallas" TV. GEORGE 'GABBY' HAYES plays his usual rustic character, usually a sidekick for Gene Autrey or Roy Rogers. He has the sort of role as a grizzly old-timer usually played by Walter Brennan, calling all the other men "young fellas".All of the ingredients usually found in a western of this kind--including shootouts and cattle stampedes--are here, but the results are pretty ordinary.Summing up: Not recommended unless you're a die-hard western fan with time on your hands.