Saginaw Trail

Some time in the first half of the 19th Century, the Saginaw Trail connects Detroit with the fur-trading center of Saginaw. Settlers are moving in, and there have been Indian massacres. Ranger(?) Gene Autry shows up to investigate, along with coonskin-capped Smiley Burnette. Autry picks up crack-voiced Ralph Reed, whose parents have been killed by what appear to be Indians, but Autry finds evidence that isn't the case. They continue to the post run by Eugene Borden, who smiles a lot, and whose associate Millard Webb has been dressing up as an Indian, makes a couple of attempts to kill Autry with a tomahawk; being no Ed Ames, they fail. Meanwhile, Reed begins a flirtation with Connie Marshall, whose parents were massacred, and who is now the ward of Webb.

Autry sings a couple of old songs, long out of copyright. Burnette sings one of his own composition and gets into a humorous competition with trapper Mickey Simpson. It's an adequate B western in the rapidly fading genre, but it relies more on Autry's good will than Autry relies on the material, and he doesn't look so slim in profile shots any more. Everyone does what they can, and there is a bit of a message about progress present, but in his penultimate film, Autry isn't the happy, inspiring fellow he has been.