Westerns were a big thing back in the 30s and 40s (well, in most decades, but you know what I mean). Something that hasn't seen as much exposure are their continental counterparts. Westerns set not in the dusty wild west, but in the snowy forests and fields of Alaska! So really they should be called Northerns...
Bob McDonald is a fine upstanding mountie, investigating a brazen bank robbery. The trail leads him to a forest shootout, where he rescues young Jim Blaine, but not in time to save his father. Bob realises these two helped rob the bank, but it was all a set-up. They wanted to get revenge on a greedy landowner for taking their property, and have fallen right into his trap. Now Bob and his trusty hound must get some hard evidence and put this scheming high society bandit away for good...
Trail of the Yukon was the first film starring Kirby Grant and Chinook the Wonder Dog as a mountie and his loyal pooch. This film was like a progenitor, and the character's name changed around a bit before they finally settled on a consistent one.
As far as Westerns go this is pretty average. It's an alright watch, and covers all the bases it needs to. My biggest problem with Trail is its pace. The film gets off to a good start, but the chase and shootout isn't just 5 or so minutes as you'd expect but it makes up just about a quarter of the runtime! It almost feels like the movie's set in real time.
When the characters finally get back to civilisation, we get to a good rhythm, but the story is just a little too underdeveloped to really flourish. I was also confused by the geography of the film, and which town we were even in. The film soon reaches a decently entertaining climax, even if I wanted the evil banker to be locked in his own prison instead of quickly shot.
While the action scenes do go on a bit too long, they are at least filmed decently. And I thought the sound effects for the guns were cool, and more convincing than the usual stock noises you hear.
The characters in Trail of the Yukon all fit neatly into common cliches and stereotypes, but that's fine if it's what you're looking for in a movie like this. Royal Mountie Bob McDonald is a pure-hearted, juctice-seeking, and totally sexless hero, while his new partner has a more morally complex story, having to wrestle with his past criminal deeds, and how it will affect his new romance. This all reaches a satisfying conclusion by the end.
French townie Marie Laroux and her father are nice. Good trusting people, who are inquisitive, but without being assholes about it. And lastly, the villains are an alright bunch, but for all the talk we hear of the main baddie Dawson, he doesn't actually appear until 41 minutes in!
The acting is all satisfactory. Kirby Grant does well as your typical western hero, and Chinook the Wonder Dog is an adorable sidekick! He gets to sing too, entrancing his sweet pooch. Bill Edwards is likewise decent as the human sidekick, getting the romance of the film to himself. Suzanne Dalbert's (real) French accent is a tad goofy at first, perhaps due to her performance, but you get used to it quickly, and she does alright. Native actor Jay Silverheels (of Tonto fame) turns in a neat little role. And the villains are all your usual lot, pulling in ok performances.
Playing a burlesque dancer, Iris Adrian appears very little, only for a couple of scenes. Which was one reason I was so annoyed half the movie was spent out of the town! Despite this lack of screentime though, she has an immediately distinctive voice, like no-one else in the film.
Overall, Trail of the Yukon is worth checking out if you like this genre. It's nothing special, but it's not bad either, and has a cute dog. So it's not hard to recommend...
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