"The Crooked Trail" was one of many poverty row "B' westerns made by Johnny Mack Brown in the 1930s. This one is different though in that there is an interesting plot.
Harve Tarleton (John Merton) is on the rin from the law and flees into the badlands. Dying of thirst, Esteban Solano (Ted Adams comes upon him and gives him water. Tarleton repays his kindness by trying to knife him in the back as the water drains from Esteban's canteen. Jim Blake (Brown happens along and finds Tarleton and Esteban both dying of thirst. He rescues them and takes Esteban to a nearby ranch and Tarleton with him.
Blake who has come on the scene seeking his fortune in gold mining, takes Tarelton under his wing and makes him his partner in the hope of reforming him. Thing go well for a while and they strike it rich. Blake builds himself a cabin and the two men live there.
Young Helen Carter (Lucile Browne) brings supplies to the cabin. Blake who is in love with her, learns that she is engaged to local heavy Lansing (Charles King). Later in town, she confesses to Blake the the engagement is only to protect her father from Lansing. Blake convinces her to marry him right away, which she does.
Helen is suspicious of Tarleton in spite of Blake's confidence in him. Being that John Merton is playing Tarleton, you know that he is up to no good. He and Lansing are stealing gold from the mining claims behind Blake's back. The miners led by Tex (John Van Pelt), Grimby (Ed Cassidy), Kirk (Dick Curtis) and Carter (Horace Murphy) convince Blake to become camp marshal which he reluctantly accepts.
Helen tries to warn Blake about the devious Tarleton but he refuses to listen. She then "accepts" an offer from Tarleton to run off with him. Blake when hearing of this is devastated. Unbeknownst to him was the fact that Helen had left a letter behind explaining the reasons for her actions. Blake never got the letter, Tarleton having found it.
In the meantime, Blake and the miners clean up the claim jumpers. Blake afraid to face Helen is re-assured when Esteban shows him the letter and makes things right.
The most unusual element of this story is that the hero gets the girl early and actually marries her, unheard of in "B" westerns. Meron who was always a bad guy, gives a convincing performance of a man dying of thirst at two different junctions of the story.
Harve Tarleton (John Merton) is on the rin from the law and flees into the badlands. Dying of thirst, Esteban Solano (Ted Adams comes upon him and gives him water. Tarleton repays his kindness by trying to knife him in the back as the water drains from Esteban's canteen. Jim Blake (Brown happens along and finds Tarleton and Esteban both dying of thirst. He rescues them and takes Esteban to a nearby ranch and Tarleton with him.
Blake who has come on the scene seeking his fortune in gold mining, takes Tarelton under his wing and makes him his partner in the hope of reforming him. Thing go well for a while and they strike it rich. Blake builds himself a cabin and the two men live there.
Young Helen Carter (Lucile Browne) brings supplies to the cabin. Blake who is in love with her, learns that she is engaged to local heavy Lansing (Charles King). Later in town, she confesses to Blake the the engagement is only to protect her father from Lansing. Blake convinces her to marry him right away, which she does.
Helen is suspicious of Tarleton in spite of Blake's confidence in him. Being that John Merton is playing Tarleton, you know that he is up to no good. He and Lansing are stealing gold from the mining claims behind Blake's back. The miners led by Tex (John Van Pelt), Grimby (Ed Cassidy), Kirk (Dick Curtis) and Carter (Horace Murphy) convince Blake to become camp marshal which he reluctantly accepts.
Helen tries to warn Blake about the devious Tarleton but he refuses to listen. She then "accepts" an offer from Tarleton to run off with him. Blake when hearing of this is devastated. Unbeknownst to him was the fact that Helen had left a letter behind explaining the reasons for her actions. Blake never got the letter, Tarleton having found it.
In the meantime, Blake and the miners clean up the claim jumpers. Blake afraid to face Helen is re-assured when Esteban shows him the letter and makes things right.
The most unusual element of this story is that the hero gets the girl early and actually marries her, unheard of in "B" westerns. Meron who was always a bad guy, gives a convincing performance of a man dying of thirst at two different junctions of the story.