The Lonely Trail (1936): Cowboys, Confusion, and a Bit of Swedish Nostalgia
Alright, so last night (klockan var typ 23:10, jag ska inte ljuga), I ended up rewatching *The Lonely Trail* – you know, that old classic with John Wayne. My dad used to have a huge crush on these sort of movies, så jag blev lite nostalgisk. God, the black-and-white crackle honestly smells like his old leather armchair.
This flick is directed by Joseph Kane, a proper studio workhorse back in the 30s. He’s not someone folks throw awards at, but I sort of miss these straight-shooting directors sometimes, när man tänker på dagens kaos. Republic Pictures behind it all – they pumped out oodles of these, like assembly line sausage.
John Wayne, young and stiff as a Christmas ham, rides around looking brooding – I mean, it’s not exactly Oscar material but something about him… you get why my mom used to tease dad about his “man crush”. Ann Rutherford pops up too, absolutely glowing (no spoilers, but she has a way of stealing scenes with just a glance).
The story? Union veteran John backs the underdogs in some post-Civil War Texas drama with ex-Confederates being loud and dodgy. At times it’s messy, lines get muttered, and not everything really lands, honestly. There’s this one barroom scene where the extras look more lost than I do in an ICA Maxi on payday.
What’s funny is, these themes of outsiders trying to fit in – feels kind of Swedish. You know, being at a kräftskiva and not really knowing the songs, humming along. Anyone who’s felt a little left out in a crowd might get a soft spot for this old film, even if it’s dusty and a bit cheesy.
So yeah… feel free to laugh, but I think if you want to see John Wayne before he became “John Wayne”, and watch a Western that’s a bit like comfort food (slightly bland, but honest), this one’s for you. Plus, you can always impress your dansk kompis by saying you survived a proper 30s b-western.
watch the full movie on Mavshack Movies on YouTube
please note that there may be geographical blocking implemented.
