Renfrew on the Great White Trail (1938)

58-59 mins | Western | 22 July 1938

Director:

Al Herman

Producer:

Al Herman

Cinematographer:

Ira Morgan

Editor:

Duke Goldstone

Production Designer:

Fred Preble

Production Company:

Criterion Pictures Corp.
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HISTORY

Var reviewed this film under the title On the Great White Trail, and MPH release charts list it as Renfrew of the Great White Trail. Renfrew Rides North was a working title listed on a production chart in HR on 11 Apr 1938. The chart lists Phil Goldstone as producer instead of Al Herman, although the onscreen credits and the Var review only list Herman. Modern sources include Wally West, Carl Matthews , Herman Hack, Bruce Warren and Roger Williams in the cast. Some sources refer to the song "Mounted Men" as "We're Mounted Men." The novel Renfrew Rides North also provided the inspiration for the 1940 films Murder on the Yukon and Yukon Flight. For information on other films in the Renfrew series see the entry below for Renfrew of the Royal Mounted and consult the Series Index. ...

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Var reviewed this film under the title On the Great White Trail, and MPH release charts list it as Renfrew of the Great White Trail. Renfrew Rides North was a working title listed on a production chart in HR on 11 Apr 1938. The chart lists Phil Goldstone as producer instead of Al Herman, although the onscreen credits and the Var review only list Herman. Modern sources include Wally West, Carl Matthews , Herman Hack, Bruce Warren and Roger Williams in the cast. Some sources refer to the song "Mounted Men" as "We're Mounted Men." The novel Renfrew Rides North also provided the inspiration for the 1940 films Murder on the Yukon and Yukon Flight. For information on other films in the Renfrew series see the entry below for Renfrew of the Royal Mounted and consult the Series Index.

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SOURCE CITATIONS
SOURCE
DATE
PAGE
Hollywood Reporter
13 Nov 1937
p. 5
Hollywood Reporter
11 Apr 1938
p. 6
Variety
10 Aug 1938
p. 27
CAST
PRODUCTION CREDITS
NAME
PARENT COMPANY
PRODUCTION COMPANY
DISTRIBUTION COMPANY
NAME
CREDITED AS
CREDIT
DIRECTOR
Al Herman
Dir
PRODUCERS
Al Herman
Prod
WRITERS
Chas. Logue
Scr
Joseph F. Poland
Scr
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photog
ART DIRECTOR
Art dir
FILM EDITOR
Film ed
SOUND
Corson W. Jowett
Sd supv
SOURCES
LITERARY
Suggested by the novel Renfrew Rides North by Laurie York Erskine (New York, 1931).
LITERARY SOURCE AUTHOR
SONGS
"Je t'aime" and "Beautiful," words and music by Lew Porter, Bob Taylor, Betty Laidlaw and Robert Lively; "Mounted Men," words and music by Betty Laidlaw and Robert Lively.
SONGWRITERS/COMPOSERS
+
SONGWRITERS/COMPOSERS
+
DETAILS
Alternate Titles:
On the Great White Trail
Renfrew Rides North
Release Date:
22 July 1938
Production Date:
began mid Apr 1938
Physical Properties:
Sound
RCA
Black and White
Duration(in mins):
58-59
Length(in feet):
5,283
Country:
United States
Language:
English
PCA No:
4385
SYNOPSIS

Renfrew, a member of the Northwest Mounted Police, makes a bad first impression on Kay Larkin when his dog Silver King puts her little pekinese in the garbage. Because of this, she is not happy when he is given the assignment to escort her to a trading post in a remote region of the Pacific Northwest, where she hopes to find her father, Andrew Larkin. Unknown to Kay, Renfrew's superior had gotten word that Larkin's partner Bennett and a mountie have been killed at the remote post and that Larkin is the only suspect in the crime. The information on the murder comes from Dr. Howe, a once brilliant doctor whose drinking has forced him to work in the outback. On their way up river in a canoe, Kay and Renfrew are attacked by Williams, her father's manager, and his cohort LaGrange. Renfrew and Kay do not see their assailants, but evade them and eventually make their way to the trading post. When they arrive at the post, Renfrew knows that it is his duty to find Larkin, even though Garou, the trading post operator, is certain that his friend Larkin is innocent. While Renfrew is locked in a storeroom, Garou sends Kay on ahead, accompanied by his trusted guide Pierre. With the help of his dog, Silver King, Renfrew arrests Larkin and starts to transport his prisoner back to civilization. Hearing and believing Larkin's story, however, Renfrew decides to unhandcuff him. A short time later, Pierre shoots at Renfrew from a distance and Larkin starts to get away. Renfrew warns Larkin to stop, but he continues to run, forcing ...

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Renfrew, a member of the Northwest Mounted Police, makes a bad first impression on Kay Larkin when his dog Silver King puts her little pekinese in the garbage. Because of this, she is not happy when he is given the assignment to escort her to a trading post in a remote region of the Pacific Northwest, where she hopes to find her father, Andrew Larkin. Unknown to Kay, Renfrew's superior had gotten word that Larkin's partner Bennett and a mountie have been killed at the remote post and that Larkin is the only suspect in the crime. The information on the murder comes from Dr. Howe, a once brilliant doctor whose drinking has forced him to work in the outback. On their way up river in a canoe, Kay and Renfrew are attacked by Williams, her father's manager, and his cohort LaGrange. Renfrew and Kay do not see their assailants, but evade them and eventually make their way to the trading post. When they arrive at the post, Renfrew knows that it is his duty to find Larkin, even though Garou, the trading post operator, is certain that his friend Larkin is innocent. While Renfrew is locked in a storeroom, Garou sends Kay on ahead, accompanied by his trusted guide Pierre. With the help of his dog, Silver King, Renfrew arrests Larkin and starts to transport his prisoner back to civilization. Hearing and believing Larkin's story, however, Renfrew decides to unhandcuff him. A short time later, Pierre shoots at Renfrew from a distance and Larkin starts to get away. Renfrew warns Larkin to stop, but he continues to run, forcing Renfrew to shoot him. Returning to Garou's post, Renfrew is confronted by Kay, who slaps him upon hearing that her father is dead. Renfrew then goes to Dr. Howe, feigning a stomach ache, and asks for his help. When Renfrew's back is turned, Howe, who had been feigning drunkennes and had secretly been robbing Larkin for years, attacks the mountie. Howe almost kills Renfrew, but is stopped when Larkin, who is not dead, breaks the door down. Renfrew then reveals that Howe had murdered Bennett and the mountie and that the doctor had been stealing from Larkin with the aid of LeGrange and Williams. Rather than share the money with his cohorts, Howe had murdered them as well. Larkin then explains to Kay that it was his own idea to have Renfrew pretend to kill him so that they could find which one of his employees had been stealing from him. With everything cleared up and her father safe, Kay reveals to Renfrew that she knew all along that her father was not dead, otherwise she would have slapped him harder.

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Legend
Viewed by AFI
Partially Viewed
Offscreen Credit
Name Occurs Before Title
AFI Life Achievement Award

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