Early Duke – The Desert Trail (1935)

Written by Kami at Classic Couple.

John Wayne is a favorite actor of mine, especially in Westerns. Until I watched The Desert Trail (1935), available in March from The Film Detective, my knowledge of Wayne in Westerns began with his appearance in Stagecoach (1939). Working with director John Ford, Wayne got his big break portraying the Ringo Kid in the film, cementing his status as a star. But it’s movies like The Desert Trail, made four years earlier, where Wayne cut his teeth as an actor.

The Desert Trail is one of 70 Westerns and adventure films Wayne appeared in before Stagecoach. It’s one of eight movies he made in 1935, all of them Westerns. In it, he plays rodeo star John Scott who, along with his buddy Kansas Charlie, is falsely accused of robbery.

To read the rest of Kami's review, click here! Be sure to head over to TheFilmDetective.tv to catch the 1935 film The Desert Trail!