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Redwood
Forest Trail
Genre: Drama
Released: 1950
Directed by: Phillip
Ford
Starring: Rex
Allen, Jane Darwell, Pierre Watkin
Alfalfa portrays: Alfalfa
Donahue, one-time resident of a youth ranch who returns with Rex
Allen to try and save it from the bad guys.
Alfalfa's screen time: 14:42
Lines of dialogue spoken by Alfalfa: 46
New Horizon is a kind of Boys Town compound
in the California forests. Its mission statement is embodied in
a plaque one sees upon entering: "A community built by youth
where the boy of today may grow tall and strong like these pines
until he becomes the man of tomorrow".
Rex Allen plays the head of the American Forestry League. Arthur
Cameron, the "chief" of New Horizon (Pierre Watkin, who
portrayed Colonel Whitney in "The Great Mike"), wants
to speak to Rex about the League possibly sponsoring
the struggling New Horizon organization. Alfalfa plays "Alfalfa
Donahue", an alumnus of New Horizon who knows Rex, and as such
is asked to handle the introductions.
Pierre
Watkin (Colonel Whitney
in "The Great Mike") does an
uncanny impersonation of
FDR relaxing at the western
White House.
After a rocky entrance (Rex and Alfalfa are
ambushed by some New Horizon residents who mistake them for some
bad guys), Rex hears from the chief about why New Horizon is in
trouble. Sam Westcott, the scion of the acres of pinelands surrounding
New Horizon, was recently killed while horseback riding: some miscreants
stretched a line of wire across two trees, and Westcott's head...well,
let's just say that he died from his injuries. Julie Westcott, Sam's
daughter and heiress (Alfalfa refers to her as "that freckle-faced
brat"), is convinced by an oily lawyer that some New Horizon
residents are responsible for his father's death. So Julie, partly
out of revenge and partly out of greed, wants
to sell the entire New Horizon compound to a wealthy lumber baron
named Bart Bryant.
  
Alfalfa
and "The Arizona Cowboy" Rex Allen.
After hearing this story, Rex tells the chief
that he can't help out with money (the Forestry League's treasury
is bone-dry), but he agrees to try and convince Julie and the lawyer
about the importance of New Horizons. With Alfalfa at his side,
Rex then enters into a series of adventures and complications in
appealing to the better angels of Julie's nature, all the while
dodging attempts on his life from some tough guys hired by the lawyer
and Bart Bryant. Rex eventually proves that the self-same tough
guys were responsible for Sam Westcott's death (you see, Sam was
kind of a tree-hugger while he was alive.)
By the end of the film, having survived a dramatic free-for-all
fight while the forest is burning (the fire is contained by the
New Horizon boys), Rex further convinces the chief to turn over
the management of the land to the federal government so the pines
can be properly cared for and the chief can focus his energies on
growing New Horizons. Having assured us that the future of both
New Horizons and the tall pines are safe for the foreseeable future,
the film fades to black over the strains of "America the Beautiful".
Alfalfa turns in a workmanlike if unremarkable performance as Rex
Allen's sidekick in "Redwood Forest Trail". Throughout
most of the film, he is seen in cowboy garb accentuated by a nifty-looking
neckerchief.
Before many of the fights scenes in the film,
Rex tells Alfalfa "you better wait here", but Alfalfa
still manages to get in on some of the fisticuffs, holding his own
with some of the tough guys who want to close New Horizons and send
Rex to that big dude ranch in the sky. As usual, Alfalfa handles
most of the comic relief, this time ably assisted by none other
than Jane Darwell, who played Ma Joad in the classic "Grapes
of Wrath" (a film that also starred Zeffie Tilbury, "Grandma"
in the Little Rascals episode "Second Childhood".)
Alfalfa
with Jane "Grapes
of Wrath" Darwell.
When Alfalfa returns to the scene of his youth,
Hattie Hickory (the Darwell character) shows up to see how the New
Horizons graduate is doing. After exchanging some good-natured barbs,
the sound of a trumpet fanfare rings out.
Alfalfa:
Hey, there's the signal for colors...good gravy, how I remember
that!
Darwell: Well you fellows go out to the ceremony and help
the boys with the singing...Alfie, I hope you still haven't got
that squeaky soprano voice!
Alfalfa: Aw, of course I don't,
Hattie...listen to this—
He then belts out a few screeching bars of
"America the Beautiful" before he is interrupted by a
fleeing cat and the chuckles of Rex and the other assembled parties.
Then, later in the film, Darwell and the chief are heading into
town for lunch and a movie. As she climbs into the car, she asks
Rex to keep an eye on the New Horizon boys while they're gone. Rex
replies that he and Alfalfa can handle it.
Alfalfa: Well, Hattie, I'll
keep 'em up to my own high standards!
Darwell: That's what I'm afraid of!
Rex Allen, who starred in this and a number
of other "Trail" films, had one of the all-time great
show business voices of his or any era. Known as "The Arizona
Cowboy", Allen's own acting would in fact become eclipsed later
in his career by his calm, genial, yet authoritative narration for
many nature-related films in the 60's, many seen on "The Wonderful
World of Disney". Allen also appeared, and provided some narration,
in the grownup Alfalfa film "I Dream of Jeannie".
Another
shot of Alfalfa and Rex.
Also seen every now and then in "Redwood Forest Trail"
is Jack Larson, the future Jimmy Olsen in the Superman TV series.
Great
Caesar's Ghost, it's
Jack Larson (a.k.a. Jimmy
Olsen) at right.
In case you're
wondering, the Pierre Watkin character in "Redwood Forest Trail"
never asked Larson not to call him "chief".
Opening
credits.
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