Hoot Gibson and the Case of the Drugged Coffee in The Long, Long Trail

Is this worth your time?

If you have a soft spot for dusty old westerns where the good guys wear massive hats and the villains look like they haven't slept in three days, you’ll probably find this charming.

You should skip it if you can't stand movies that move at the speed of a tired turtle or if you expect a plot that doesn't revolve entirely around a beverage.

It’s a 1929 flick, so it has that weird, shaky energy of a world trying to figure out how movies are supposed to work.

The Rambling Kid and his horse

Hoot Gibson plays the Rambling Kid, and he has one of those faces that just looks like it was carved out of a piece of old leather.

He’s supposed to be this incredible rider, and honestly, you can tell he actually knows his way around a horse.

His horse is named Dynamite, which is a great name, though the horse mostly just looks like he wants a nap.

The whole movie builds up to this big race against a horse called Thunderbolt.

I noticed that the horses in these old movies always look a bit smaller and more real than the giant, polished ones we see in movies today.

The dust clouds they kick up during the practice runs actually look like they’re getting in everyone's eyes.

It’s not like The Cavalier where everything feels a bit more theatrical.

The Great Coffee Crime

The big drama happens when this guy Wilson finds out there’s a horse called Lightning that’s actually faster than the one he’s betting on.

Instead of just training harder, he decides to have Gyp drug the Kid’s coffee.

The scene where the coffee gets drugged is *so slow*.

You see the hand reach for the cup, you see the powder go in, and it feels like it takes about five minutes.

I kept thinking, "Just drink the coffee already or throw it out!"

The Kid drinks it right before the big race, which seems like terrible timing for a professional athlete.

The way he starts to wobble on the horse is actually kind of funny, though I don't think it was supposed to be.

A young Walter Brennan

One of the coolest things is seeing a really young Walter Brennan in the mix.

Most people remember him as the old, toothless guy in every western ever made, but here he’s still got some spring in his step.

He doesn't have a massive role, but his presence makes the scenes feel a bit more grounded.

The acting overall is that 1920s style where everyone moves their arms a bit too much when they're talking.

Sally Eilers is there too, and she mostly just has to look worried while wearing very nice outfits for the desert.

Her hats are impressively large.

The Vibe of the West

There’s a lot of scenes of just... guys standing around.

They lean against fences, they smoke, and they talk about horses with a seriousness that is almost scary.

The sets look like they were built on a Friday afternoon and might fall over if the wind blows too hard.

But that’s part of the charm, I guess.

It feels more like a real ranch and less like a movie studio, unlike The Fight for the Water Hole.

I caught a glimpse of a dog in the background of one shot that looked totally confused about why all these people were yelling.

Little moments like that are why I like these old films.

The Race itself

When the race finally happens, the editing gets a bit frantic.

You see hooves, then a face, then a cloud of dirt, then the Kid looking like he’s about to fall off.

It’s actually quite exciting because you know there weren't any safety experts on set back then.

If a horse tripped, it was just part of the movie.

The tension isn't about the plot, really—it’s about whether Hoot is gonna actually stay in the saddle while he’s "drugged."

There’s this one shot of the crowd cheering where half of them look like they aren't even watching the horses.

They’re probably just happy to be getting paid for the day. 🤠

Final thoughts from the notebook

The movie is called The Long, Long Trail, but it’s actually not that long.

It ends pretty abruptly once the race is over.

Its not going to change your life or make you think deeply about the human condition.

It’s just a story about a guy, his horse, and some bad coffee.

If you like Hoot Gibson, it’s a must-watch just to see him do his thing.

If you don't care about vintage westerns, this will feel like watching paint dry in the sun.

I enjoyed the horse names more than the actual dialogue.

Thunderbolt is such a classic villain horse name.

Anyway, its a decent way to spend an hour if you want to see how they did action before computers.

• Hoot Gibson's hat size: Enormous.
• Amount of dust: 10/10.
• Coffee safety: 0/10.

Check it out if you're bored, I guess.