The Cariboo Trail (1950)

• Year: 1950
• Released: 01 Aug 1950
• Country: United States
• Adwords: N/A
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042315/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_cariboo_trail
• Metacritics:
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: Approved
• Genre: Western
• Runtime: 81 min
• Writer: Frank Gruber, John Rhodes Sturdy
• Director: Edwin L. Marin
• Cast: Randolph Scott, George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, Bill Williams
• Keywords: gold, cattle drive, gunfight, cattle, british columbia, stampede,

5.9/10

The Cariboo Trail Storyline

Jim Redfern dreams of owning his own cattle ranch and along with his partners Mike Evans and Ling heads off on the Cariboo Trail into the interior of British Columbia. There’s a gold rush on and along the way they’re joined by old-timer Grizzly Winters, a prospector who hasn’t had much luck of late. They soon come up against Frank Walsh whose men stampede their cattle. Evans is severely injured forcing Redfern to amputate his left arm. Evans hates him for that and will have nothing to do with him or his dream of the cattle ranch. Walsh owns the local town making it difficult for Redfern to get re-established. Things begin to go his way when he finds gold.—garykmcd

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The Cariboo Trail Movie Reviews

A Randolph Scott Cattle Empire Building Western in Canada . . . !

Although “Tall in the Saddle” director Edwin L. Marin’s “Caribou Trail” was filmed in color, the print that I saw on Turner Classic Movies is the black & white version. Western novelist Frank Gruber penned this oater from a story by John Rhodes Sturdy who had written the 1943 World War II naval epic “Corvette K-225.” Altogether, “Caribou Trail” qualifies as a low-budget empire building western where the hero must triumph over a corrupt city slicker who owns an entire town, except for the saloon, before he can establish his ranch. By and large, this Scott western is fairly predictable stuff. The departure that sets “Caribou Trail” apart from most westerns is its treatment of a character that loses his arm during a cattle stampede.

Jim Redfern (Randolph Scott of “Jesse James”), Redfern’s partner Mike Evans (Bill Williams of “Rio Lobo”) and their cook Ling (Lee Tung Foo of “Mission to Moscow”) are driving 36 head of cattle north from Montana into Canada to build a ranch. Mike doesn’t want to raise cattle; he came to prospect for gold. Redfern believes that cattle will flourish long after the gold has been depleted. After they cross the national boundary, our heroes find themselves at a toll bridge owned by the chief villain, Frank Walsh (Victor Jory of “The Capture”), whose henchmen want more money for their passage than Redfern is willing to pay. Mind you, Frank Walsh isn’t around in this early scene, but his second-in-command Bill Murphy (Douglas Kennedy of “Dark Passage”) is there. Anyway, Redfern refuses to pay the toll so Mike and he stampede their cattle and wreck Walsh’s bridge. Once they are across, they encounter an old, bearded prospector Oscar ‘Grizzly’ Winters (George ‘Gabby’ Hayes of “Colorado”) on the trail who catches a ride on Ling’s wagon and cooks up some tasty grub for their first night under Canadian stars. Not long after they eat, they hear gunshots and unidentified rustlers stampede Redfern’s own cattle. During stampede, Mike is injured and the town doctor must amputate his left arm. Mike didn’t want to go to Canada in the first place and he blames the loss of his arm on Redfern.

Meanwhile, after he exits the doctor’s office, Redfern meets Walsh. Initially, he passed him on the way for a snort at the Gold Palace, the local bar run by a woman, Francis Harrison (Karin Booth of “Cripple Creek”), who has steadfastly refused to sell out to Walsh. Walsh, it seems, has his name on every business in Carson Creek. Eventually, Redfern and Grizzly have to sell their saddles for more grub and Redfern talks about getting a job. One of Walsh’s former gunhands Bill Miller (Jim Davis of “Big Jake”) shows up in town conveniently selling beef with Redfern’s brand on it. They slug it out in Francis’ bar and then Redfern guns down Miller outside in a fair fight. Redfern believes Walsh has been the source of his misfortunes since he refused to pay up at the toll bridge. Grizzly suggests that they prospect and Ling provides $300 of his hard-earned dollars. Our heroes head off to prospect in a mini-version of “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” with Gabby playing the Walter Huston role. By this time, Mike has recovered sufficiently to tangle with both Walsh and Murphy in Francis’ bar, while Redfern discovers a cattlemen’s paradise in the faraway mountains during his prospecting. A tribe of Blackfoot Indians appear and Redfern and company shoot it out with them, killing two of them before they capture them and take them back to their camp. During a pow-wow, Grizzly’s mule Hannibal wanders into camp and Redfern uses Hannibal’s kicking powers so our heroes can break out of the camp. Redfern snatches a rifle and a horse and then rides out. When he stops for water, he discovers gold in a stream. Redfern dishes out $900 worth of glitter, but there is only one person who can buy his gold. Walsh refuses to pay the full amount and charges Redfern $300 plus for cost of his damaged toll bridge. Murphy incites the citizens of Carson Creek against Redfern when he refuses to divulge the whereabouts of his strike. Redfern escapes just ahead of a mob and hits the frontier where he reunites with Grizzly. Grizzly has tied in with a group of Americans that are herding cattle. Redfern buys a 25 per cent interest in the herd. The cattle foreman is Will Gray (Dale Robertson of “The Silver Whip”) Ling shows up at Francis’ saloon and she hires him as a cook.

Despite the loss of his left arm, Mike Evans has grown to be a threat to Walsh; he goads Walsh’s henchman Murphy repeatedly to draw on him, and Murphy backs down. In one scene near the end of “The Caribou Trail,” Evans shoots it out with two gunmen and sends the third running. Walsh forges a quick alliance with Blackfoot Chief White Buffalo (Fred Libby of “Three Godfathers”) to stampede Winters’ cattle, but Evans shows up like the cavalry to kill Murphy and Walsh before the mustached villain drills him.

Redfern’s escape from the Blackfoot camp seems more hilarious than dramatic despite the number of shots of a mule kicking Indians. Presumably, Marin and Gruber must have felt it wouldn’t be fair for the Indians to shoot the mule. Meanwhile, the evolution of Mike Evans from a one-armed man to a one-armed army with his handy six-gun predated the likes of Joe Don Baker’s one-armed gunman in “Guns of the Magnificent Seven.”

“Caribou Trail” is one of those oddball westerns set in Canada where—as one commentator—has observed doesn’t have any Royal Mounted Policemen intervening between the hero and the villains. Although it isn’t especially memorable as many of Scott’s later westerns, “Caribou Trail” clocks in at a trim 81 minutes and Marin neither wears out his welcome nor does he let the narrative drag.

Acceptable and decent western set in British Columbia with nice performances from some big names

It deals with two prospecting and cowmen, Randolph Scott, Bill Williams, head into Canadian mountains seeking their fortune in British Columbia, via the Cariboo trail, the golden west of Canada in the 1890s, as they intent to raise cattle and dig for gold . But the two Montanans find themselves opposed by claim-jumpers, ranchers and a ruthless land baron from a prosperous city , who is owner of the general store , trading post , Cariboo Hotel, and mining company called Walsh : Victor Jory, and his henchmen : Douglas Kennedy, Jim Davies . Meanwhile, Scott falls in love for the beautiful owner of the Gold Palace Saloon, Karin Booth.

Passable western with good cast in in which two gold diggers protagonists, Scott and Williams, fight in hopes a better life and stifle conflicts, but encounter problems instead. It is a medium budget movie with thrills, noisy action, shootouts, stampedes as well as fine players, nice production design and pleasing results. It is still a run-of-the-mill entry in Western genre, set when Gold Fever expanded in Canada in which Scott and his colleague Bill Williams go British Columbia leading their cattle hoping in achieving fortune. Actually shot in Colorado with adequate interpretations and solid sets . Made the same year that the Gaby Hayes show was aired. The picture is well starred by Randolph Scott . He was a prolific actor in Western, his career is divided in films directed by Budd Boetticher in Seven men from now, The tall T, Decision at sundown, Buchanan rides alone, Comanche station, Westbound. Henry Hathaway as : Heritage of the desert, Wild horse, Sunset Pass, Man of the Forest. Ray Enright directed him in : The spoilers, Trail street, Alburquerque, Coroner creek, Return of the bad men. Andre De Toth directed him in Men in the saddle, Carson city, The stranger wore a gun, Riding shotgun, The bounty hunter. Finally, his main testament, Ride the high country along with Joel MacCrea directed by Sam Peckinpah .Support cast is pretty good with notorious secondaries as the always sympathetic George Gaby Hayes, Victor Jory, Jim Davies, James Griffith, Douglas Jackson, Mary Stuart and Dale Robertson.

Atmospheric cinematography in a fading Cinecolor by Fred Jackson, though there are prints in black and white. Evocative and thrilling musical score by Paul Sawtell. Well produced by Nat Holt, the motion picture was professionally directed by Edwin L Marin. He directed in sure visual style and he made all kinds of genres, especially Westerns. As he shot various Westerns as Tall in the saddle with John Wayne and Ella Raines, Canadian Pacific, Fighting man of the Plains, Colt 45, Raton pass, The Younger Brothers . Randolph Scott starred his last Westerns until his early death at 53, such as The Cariboo trail, Sugarfoot, and Fort Worth.

Not a Caribou in Sight

Randolph Scott is leaving the USA for the greener pastures of Canada’s British Columbia. He wants to start a cattle ranch there with partner Bill Williams and cook Lee Tung Foo. They stampede their small herd over a toll bridge erected by Victor Jory. Later Jory rustles their cattle and Williams loses his left arm during the fracas.

From 1945 until 1962 when he retired, Randolph Scott made a series of good adult themed westerns, some of them considered real classics. Unfortunately the Cariboo Trail will never be listed among his best westerns.

It’s more like the material that Roy Rogers or Gene Autry might use. The story is downright silly at times. Williams who was along for the ride with Scott, he wanted to go prospect for gold as there was a big strike at the time. He doesn’t blame the rustlers, he blames Scott for convincing him to make the trip for the loss of his arm.

Also there’s a scene in the film when Scott, Lee Tung Foo, and Gabby Hayes are captured by Indians. They escape because Gabby’s mule has been taught to kick on command and he kicks away at the Indians allowing our heroes to escape. I’m not sure that would have played in a Rogers film.

Furthermore the story actually wants you to believe that tyro prospector Randolph Scott accidentally stumbles on a gold strike after just a few lessons from prospector Gabby Hayes on how to find gold.

This was Gabby Hayes’s farewell feature film part. It would have been better had he gone out in a good western and in fact he had done a couple of better ones with Randolph Scott before this.

I will say this, though no Caribou made any appearance in the film, this is one of the few Canadian locale films from the past that did NOT have any Mounties.

But if I were you unless you are a big fan of Randolph Scott or Gabby Hayes, take the next detour off The Cariboo Trail.