"Pack Train" was one of Gene's last films before devoting full duty to his TV show and various other business interests. The picture employs all the usual suspects, members of Gene's regular crew including Smiley Burnette, Gail Davis, Tom London and Harry Lauter in a heel role. Autry fans will recognize the template, evil town boss McClain (Kenne Duncan), aided by his female partner Lola Riker (Sheila Ryan) front a legitimate general merchandise store, but begin charging higher prices to boost their profits. In the case of Gene and his band of Sunshine Valley settlers, a deal is made for five thousand dollars worth of food and medical supplies that the baddies don't intend to deliver, especially after a local gold strike skyrockets demand for goods. I often question Gene's trust in people when as he does here, simply hands over the five grand in the promise of future delivery. Can you imagine doing business like that today?
The picture doesn't stray from formula much, with Gene and his pal handling the musical chores. Smiley performs a novelty song for openers, and Gene sings "God's Little Candles" beside the campfire. I liked the concept for that song that Gene explained to the youngsters, that of the stars in the sky being God's little candles lit by angels. I think I'll use that one with my grandkids.
You know, I was curious enough about Tom London, having seen him in so many TV and movie Westerns, that I checked his credits on the IMDb. Holy cow! - he's listed with some six hundred twenty three titles, a fair amount of which include appearances in a number of series, but still, that's about the heftiest resume I've seen yet. Could he be the all time king?
The one impressive thing I can point to with this picture is the explosion and rock slide that the bad guys implemented to disrupt the pack train about the middle of the story. The finale finds Gene taking out villain Mclain aboard a runaway locomotive to make the save for the settlers. It was the end of the trail for the bad guys from Trail's End, kind of appropriate as I think about it now.
The picture doesn't stray from formula much, with Gene and his pal handling the musical chores. Smiley performs a novelty song for openers, and Gene sings "God's Little Candles" beside the campfire. I liked the concept for that song that Gene explained to the youngsters, that of the stars in the sky being God's little candles lit by angels. I think I'll use that one with my grandkids.
You know, I was curious enough about Tom London, having seen him in so many TV and movie Westerns, that I checked his credits on the IMDb. Holy cow! - he's listed with some six hundred twenty three titles, a fair amount of which include appearances in a number of series, but still, that's about the heftiest resume I've seen yet. Could he be the all time king?
The one impressive thing I can point to with this picture is the explosion and rock slide that the bad guys implemented to disrupt the pack train about the middle of the story. The finale finds Gene taking out villain Mclain aboard a runaway locomotive to make the save for the settlers. It was the end of the trail for the bad guys from Trail's End, kind of appropriate as I think about it now.
