Ridin' the Trail (1940)

• 69%
• 1940
• Music
• Western
• Raymond K. Johnson
• Fred Scott
• Harry Harvey
• John Ward

Another one of those many B-films that the paid "expert" researchers at a certain institute in Hollywood can't seem to figure out when and where it came from, so just appear to guess. This is neither a 1942 production nor release. It was filmed in April, 1939 as an Atlas Production produced by C. C. Burr for Spectrum Pictures Corporation distribution. The Atlas/Spectrum tent and fixtures folded before this could be distributed, and it was salvaged from the trash bin of undistributed films in 1940 by Arthur Ziehn---one of Hollywood's great "junk" dealers---and released on July 27, 1940, nearly a year after completion of the film. The only functional "crew credit" Arthur Ziehn has or deserves relative to this film is one of having Atlas Productions deleted above the title and shipping it out with "Arthur Ziehm, Inc" inserted where the Atlas/Spectrum credits had been. With the exception of the leading lady, Iris Lancaster in place of Claire Rochelle, the cast and credits for this film are virtually identical to the Atlas/Spectrum/Burr "Two Gun Troubador" from March, 1939. Plot has Fred Martin (Fred Scott) and sidekick Fuzzy Jones (Harry Harvey) saving Carmencita (Iris Lancaster) from the evil intents of Walters (Jack Ingram) and his minions, with hero Scott decked out with an all-white hat,shirt and (trust me) pants.