Grade: D
Synopsis: An army scout (John Wayne) and his buddy (Frank McHugh) battle Indians and a corrupt merchant in their quest to complete a telegraph line.
The Telegraph Trail should have been much better, considering that despite it being a “B” Leon Schlesinger western, lead John Wayne actually has a viable co-star in Frank McHugh. Unfortunately, bad casting, poor action, and an overlong running time, conspire to overcome any advantage McHugh’s presence brings.
The casting of frequent Wayne alumnus, and stunt double, Yakima Canutt as an Indian chief is laughable, and neither Marceline Day nor Albert J. Smith has kind of presence as either Wayne’s love interest or antagonist respectively. Further, Wayne himself is stiff and shows little of the laconic ease that later defined his characters.
The casting wouldn’t be as much of an issue if the action scenes weren’t handled so poorly, particularly the finale which is drawn out far too long, reusing the same footage for multiple shots, and stretching credulity to the breaking point, even by genre standards. Ten minutes of editing would have gone a long way here, as even the brief 60-minute running time is too long.
Bottom Line: Despite the presence of co-star Frank McHugh, The Telegraph Trail is one of John Wayne’s lesser “B-Western” efforts.
