Director J.P. McCarthy gave us some unusual moving camera angles, including from atop a stagecoach, and he gave us quite a moving script, with co-writer Victor Hammond. Cinematography was by Harry Neumann.While the story might be considered well within the B Western tradition, still it provides twists and turns in the plot, and some unusual moments of emotion, and many memorable characters, played by some of the best Western performers.Two of the best and busiest B Western stars -- and they really were both stars -- Bob Steele and Hoot Gibson -- led the array of but they were joined by the lovely and talented Veda Ann Borg, whom I had never before seen in a Western.According to her IMDb bio, she had been seriously injured in an auto accident and had to under large-scale facial reconstruction. Her surgeon was an artist. She was beautiful."Marked Trails" came along after her surgery, and watching her in this makes one think she should have had many more and bigger roles.Her last scene was quite striking, as well as quite a fascinating departure for a B Western, a mature and intriguing moment.Perhaps there have been many Westerns with more violent action, but there was enough here, including fight scenes with the athletic Steele -- who always makes me think he could have been a successful pro boxer -- to keep even us Western addicts happy."Marked Trails" is available in a not-very-good print at bnwmovies.com and I highly recommend it.

A crooked couple (who like to tie up loose ends with a knife in the back!) set their sights on a town surrounded by oil-rich farms. Unfortunately for them, the last man they knifed was the uncle of Bob Steele, who infiltrates their gang, with partner Hoot Gibson working from the outside.It's always fun to see B-western stars team up for double the thrills. However, this time around there just isn't enough action to make it really worthwhile, though one really shouldn't expect much from a 1940's Monogram picture. Top-billed Hoot looks a little long-in-the-tooth here, leaving all the rough-and-tumble stuff (whatever there is) to Steele.Anyone bothering to tune in pretty much knows what they're getting into and will most likely be modestly entertained.

Chezzez la femme! some bad acting--particularly by supporting actors Bob's uncle wants him to become Marshall--wants to see world first but then uncle killed.familiar--Bob poses as baddie and Hoot is good guy Veda Van Borg--terrible accents Monogram Studios was a low-budget so-called 'Poverty Row' outfit. However, among all these independent companies producing B movies, Monogram was actually one of the better ones and made some decent films. Even their lesser films had a sort of professional look that many other Poverty Row studios would never match. So, it's surprising that "Marked Trails" is such a bad film. Even a lower-status B from Monogram should have been better than this one--with MUCH better acting! Clearly, this was among the poorest westerns produced by Monogram--and much of it might be because Bob Steele and Hoot Gibson were well past their prime and were no longer bankable stars.The film begins with Bob's uncle encouraging him to become a US Marshall. However, Bob wants to see the world and worry about a life in law enforcement sometime in the future. But, when only moments later the uncle is murdered, Bob accepts the job and takes another Marshall (Hoot) with him to investigate. Like practically EVERY team cowboy western of the era (such as in Three Mesquiteer and Rough Rider films), one of them (Bob) poses as a bad guy and the other as a good one (Hoot)."Marked Trails" is at times decent but never particularly inspired or interesting. And, at other times it's pretty bad. Part of it is mentioned above--the plot is VERY familiar. Most of it is because aside from Steele and Gibson, the rest of the actors could barely act--delivering their lines almost robot-like at times. Some of these 'actors' were downright embarrassing--it was THAT bad. In fact, I would say that this is probably the worst Monogram and worst Steele or Gibson film I have seen. It's a shame, but it barely limps along and is only for the most die-hard fan of the genre.

You really have to see Veda Ann Borg deliver that line above to Bob Steele; I think it actually took him by surprise. For that split second I think he really wanted to be a BAD man, if you know what I mean.Well nothing here that hadn't been done a few hundred times before and since. Steele and much older partner Hoot Gibson team up to bring down a gang of criminals by going undercover, with Steele working his way into outlaw Slade's (Mauritz Hugo) gang. His character, also named Bob, goes way over the top with the coffee routine when he first hits the local saloon. It's actually quite comical.I don't know if it was my hearing or not, but it seemed to me Gibson was called a number of different names in the story. I thought I heard him called Farnsworth, Foxworth, Rockford, and Parkford by the time everyone decided on that last one. Could be just me as some of these old oaters have dialog that's hard to follow.The finale is staged as a shootout in a dark cabin and that made things difficult to follow. Steele and the sheriff (Bud Osborne) put the bad guys away for good, after an earlier twist in which Hoot's character takes a slug to the gut. I thought he was a goner but he managed to hang on to make two more flicks with Steele - "The Utah Kid" and "Trigger Law", also for Monogram Pictures.