''Blazing the Overland Trail'' is a 1956 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

Serial film A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

directed by

Spencer Gordon Bennet Spencer Gordon Bennet (January 5, 1893 – October 8, 1987) was an American film producer and director. Known as the "King of Serial Directors", he directed more film serials than any other director. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Benn ...

and starring

Lee Roberts Lee Roberts (June 17, 1913 – April 24, 1989) was a film actor during the Hollywood Golden Age. Sometimes he is credited as Robert Allen or Lee J. Roberts. Career Little is known about this man who appeared in over 100 films between 1943 a ...

. It was the 57th and last serial produced by Columbia and the last American serial ever produced by any studio (either major or minor).

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

, the only other serial-producing US studio in the mid 1950s, had ceased its serial production the previous year with ''

King of the Carnival ''King of the Carnival'' (1955) is a Republic movie serial that contains a substantial amount of stock footage from the earlier Republic serial ''Daredevils of the Red Circle''. It is the 66th and final serial produced by Republic and is often ...

''.

Plot

Rance Devlin intends to build his own empire in the American West using his Black Raiders and allied Indians to do so. Only US Army scout Tom Bridger, allied with

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pike ...

rider Ed Marr and U.S. Army cavalry Captain Frank Carter, can stop him.

Cast

as Tom Bridger * Dennis Moore as Ed Marr * Norma Brooks as Lola Martin *

Gregg Barton Gregg Barton (Born Harold Wilson Barker, June 5, 1912 – November 28, 2000) was an American actor, who played various roles in feature films and television series. Career Born in Oswego, New York, Barton is possibly best remembered for having ...

as Captain Carter * Don C. Harvey as Rance Devlin * Lee Morgan as Alby *

Pierce Lyden Pierce W. Lyden (January 8, 1908 – October 10, 1998) was an American actor best known for his work in television and film Westerns. Early life Lyden was born in a sod house on a ranch near Hildreth, Nebraska on January 8, 1908. The son of a hor ...

as Bragg * Edward Coch as Carl *

Reed Howes Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * R ...

as Dunn * Kermit Maynard as Al * Pete Kellett as Pete *

Al Ferguson Al Ferguson (19 April 1888 – 4 December 1971) was an Irish-born American film actor. Born in County Wexford, Ireland, he appeared in nearly 300 films between 1912 and 1956. Billed as Smoke Ferguson, by 1912 he was making Westerns for Selig P ...

as Fergie

Production

The film uses stock footage from ''

Overland with Kit Carson ''Overland with Kit Carson'' is a 1939 American Western serial film directed by Norman Deming and Sam Nelson and starring Bill Ellott, Iris Meredith, Richard Fiske and Bobby Clack. Plot When Pegleg and his Black Raiders threaten the westwar ...

''.

Chapter titles

# Gun Emperor of the West # Riding the Danger Trail # The Black Riders # Into the Flames # Trapped in the Runaway Wagon # Rifles for Redskins # Midnight Attack # Blast at Gunstock Pass # War at the Wagon Camp # Buffalo Stampede # Into the Fiery Blast # Cave-in # Bugle Call # Blazing Peril # Raiders Unmasked _Source:

References

External links