THE LONG, LONG TRAIL

Western melodrama about a playful cowboy who saves a damsel from quicksand, wins a horse race at the Rodeo, captures the bad guys and ends up with his true love; A remake of the 1923 “The Ramblin’ kid,” from a novel by the same name; Hoot Gibson’s first talking picture, theater ads proclaimed: “Here’s Hoot riding his wildest, fighting his hardest, loving his grandest;” Sally Eilers, who appeared in films from 1927 to 1951, was Gibson’s wife from 1930 to 1933, for Walter Brennan, who was to go win three Academy Awards, this was his third year in films and his sixth movie at the age of 35; Scenes filmed at the 18th Annual California Rodeo in Salinas July 17-21, 1929, with big crown scenes and rodeo action that figure prominently in the plot; Filmmakers were in Salinas for an entire week; Gibson had told rodeo officials that he needed to film on location at some rodeo somewhere and he preferred the California Rodeo in Salinas; (Rodeo officials said he could have all rights he wanted for the movie and were excited to have him there and the prospect of local people being in the film; This was the first all-talking sound feature shown at the Old Crystal Theatre in Salinas on Jan. 2. 1930.

Hoot Gibson, Sally Eilers & Walter Brennan

Arthur Rosson, and Universal Films