Working my way through Randolph Scott westerns ( Scott after Gary Cooper and Alan Ladd was my favorite), comes this rarely screened movie. I got lucky because TCM was showing Robert Ryan movies. Here Ryan's character Alan Harper is the good guy. Without a doubt the nicest guy Ryan ever played. If you know Ryan, you are aware that even when he is the good guy he is a hard character never too nice ( The Proud Ones for example). Scott, however was the main star playing Bat Masterson who as Marshal has the job of cleaning up Liberal, Kansas. What was interesting was the ending with Masterson going to New York to become a journalist ( he did become a sportswriter specializing in boxing). Of course, he does have to overcome a real bad guy in Logan Maury ( Steve Brodie) who wants to drive farmers off their land so he can run cattle. This guy is so bad he shoots a woman named Ruby Stone ( Anne Jeffries) in the back and his own men turn against him and spoilers ahead; gets gunned down by Masterson. Interestingly enough Ryan is the one who gets the girl Susan ( Madge Pritchard). Susan believe it or not saves Masterson from getting murdered by Maury henchman Lance Larkin by shooting him dead. This is not the best Scott Western, ( I swear by To The Last Man ( along with Santa Fe, Gunfighters and of course, Ride The High Country)), nor the worst ( When The Daltons Rode). But if you see it on TV do not miss it because once again it is rarely screened. I give it 7/10 stars.
Review of Trail Street
