This is one of the best Sunset Carson oaters from his heyday in the mid-1940's. Sunset was at the top of his form when his hedonistic off screen lifestyle caught up with him. Too bad, because as this movie indicates, he showed great promise. Since his early days with Smiley Burnette, Sunset had shown a flair for comedy. Gradually the producers pulled him away from the humor until he became all serious. When "Oregon Trail" was made, Sunset was still using humor from time to time. His sparring comic partner this go around is not Si Jenks who provides some of the sight humor but Peggy Stewart who is also Sunset's love interest. Peggy gives him the unlikely moniker Elmer Smith when she thinks he is a notorious outlaw running from a railroad detective.
The scrip is based on a novel by pulp fiction writer Frank Gruber. Maybe that's why it is above average for a B western. This time the identity of the boss outlaw is truly hidden from the audience until the end, though there are a few clues along the way. There are even twists and turns concerning who Sunset Carson really is. So this film has a few mysterious elements often missing from the B western. But don't be fooled by the good script, there is still plenty of action. One of the funniest and toughest characters in the flick is Granny Layton played with exuberance by Mary Carr. I won't give away her part, but be sure and watch what she does near the end of the film. It's a joy to behold.
The central theme of the movie has Sunset taking back control of a town from a gang of outlaws ostensibly headed by Dalt Higgins (John Merton), who resembles William Conrad, and a corrupt drunken judge played by character actor Earle Hodgins. Where the title "Oregon Trail" came from is anyone's guess. There is nothing about Oregon or the Oregon Trail even mentioned in the film. Maybe the novel from which the movie is taken has something to do with the Oregon Trail. No matter. This is still an entertaining, action-filled Saturday matinée western.
