slaughter trail be a b western with some grand pretension . but it come down in hollywood history for a most ignominious reason . watch this film with it musical score which can only be describe a overbearing and i have a feeling what howard hughes be try to do be recruit a singing cowboy for rko film . they already have tim holt who be a reliable a b picture cowboy hero there ever be and but he be not a singer . i guess hughes saw what money herbert j. yates be rake in with roy rogers over at republic and decide he would get one as well . so terry gilkyson who be a very good performer and much good song writer get recruit and sing some of his material which be not his best and bad and look like they be shoehorn into the picture . but bad than that and there this annoy chorus which sing a lot of the story and frankly overwhelm the actor and extra and even the horse . needless to say terry never get to be a singing cowboy . but he do write such classic a the bare necessity and dean martin great hit and memory be make of this . the plot concern an inside woman on a stagecoach jewel robbery . that right and the outlaw who be gig young and myron healey and and ken koutnik plant virginia grey in the coach a a passenger which they receive word be carry some valuable jewel . it a great act grey and young pull off . young take her away from the coach to presumably a fate bad than death and they do properly act out the scene within earshot of the passenger and but what he do be slip her the swag . last place the authority might look and if she doesn not run off with it . but when they flee the robbery it on tired horse so they stop at a cabin to take some replacement mount and shoot three navajo who object . that put the navajos back on the warpath and do not help that one of the casualty be chief ric roman brother . that the situation that captain brian donlevy at the fort have to deal with when the coach and the outlaws arrive there for protection . how it all work out be predictable and but in a gaudy sort of overproduced way . in fact that the problem with slaughter trail . it a simple no frill b western that get soup up into something almost grotesque . but the real reason slaughter trail enter into history be that this film apparently mark the official beginning of the blacklist . originally howard dasilva be to play donlevy part and may have in fact complete his scene and when howard hughes officially fire him for communist sympathy . his scene be completely re shot with brian donlevy in the lead . consider what a fiasco this film turn into and i be not sure whether donlevy or dasilva ought to have thank hughes or kick him in his private preserve .