oscaralbert Review of The Desert Trail

The Desert Trail (1935)

Card cheats, armed robbers, and snipers at sheriff's posses . . .

[7/10 · 16 June 2016]

. . . are the best words with which you can describe John Wayne and his DESERT TRAIL sidekick. Wayne's character "John" also is something of a sex pervert. He bundles himself with hooker Juanita's underthings while hiding in her closet. After he's come out of the closet, Wayne commands young store clerk Anne to climb a steep ladder two feet in front of him as he's shown crouching down, leering as he peeks up under Anne's skirt. All of this comes after Wayne's duo robs their boss at gunpoint, while enabling this old gent's murder by less tidy crooks (a clear case of Capital Murder One on Wayne's part under Today's Red State Law). There's no hint here that John and his card sharp buddy have ever held down a legitimate job, or turned in an honest day's labor anywhere. This story ends by implying that John will hook up permanently with Anne, living off her inheritance until it's all squandered on his fancy Western Dude Shirts. Once that happens, it seems likely that John will use his evident expertise in Juanita's World to derive continued support from Anne. But, as Terrence Howard once sang, "It's Hard to Be a Pimp."