AllMovie

With the 1939 Johnny Mack Brown western Desperate Trails, veteran B-flick director Albert Ray set up shop at Universal. Brown and comic sidekick Fuzzy Knight are cast as Steve Hayden and Cousin Willie, on the trail of cattle rustlers. The action highlights were exciting, if a bit hard to swallow: in one sequence, the hero shoots at a gang of outlaws, one-handed, with a repeating rifle, never missing his target! Desperate Trails represented a step down for singing cowboy Bob Baker, who after a year of starring in his own series was relegated to second lead in this Brown vehicle. Also on hand is Bill Cody Jr., son of the white-stetsoned cowboy hero of the silent era.