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Title: The Hallelujah Trail

Author: Bill Gulick

Narrator: Jack Sondericker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-03-12

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Based on an historical event that, from start to finish, was a total carnival of errors, The Hallelujah Trail is one of the old West's most hilarious adventures.

In the late 1800's, a train of 80 freight wagons from Wallingham and Company left Julesburg bound for the mining camps at Denver, in the Colorado Territory. What is unusual is the 2700 cases of imported French Champagne and 1600 barrels of Philadelphia Whisky they carry.

Add to the tale several greedy Denver businessmen, a thirsty Indian chief and his warriors, testy Irish teamsters, and a band of self-righteous Temperance League suffragettes, and things get complicated for Thaddeus Gearheart, U. S. Army Colonel. The Colonel is charged with the security of the "secret" wagon train, and finds his hands full in dealing with a self-appointed frontier seer, Oracle Jones and his Citizen's Militia, the distraught freight owner Frank Wallingham, Cora Massingale on her temperance campaign, and Chief "Five Barrels" with plans of his own for the wagon train.

Members Reviews:

Subtle Hallelujah

This book was the basis for the 1965 large-scale western movie staring Burt Lancaster and Lee Remick of the same name. The book and the movie describe the (chaotic) events surrounding the transport of a wagon trainload of liquor. As a teenager, I found the movie hilarious - laugh out loud fun. You've got your hen-pecked and over-worked cavalry, your fervent female temperance league, your liquor-interested Native Americans, your strike-hungry teamsters, your beleaguered liquor company owner (big favorite Brian Keith), and your local liquor-starved barflies, all mixed up in a delightful bouillabaisse of western fun. Although the critics gave it less than stellar ratings, how could they not like a comedy in a western saddle? I found it delightful, with several amusing twists in the ending.

I found the book quite readable, and entertaining, but not laugh out loud. Perhaps because the book was such a match to the film - all the surprises were gone. Most of the subtle plot twists in the book were slammed home in the movie with a baseball bat, so it was hard to enjoy the nuances. A fresh reader, who hasn't seen the film - I think - would find the book story, and humor, totally fresh. The protagonists are fun, the story is humorous, and I think the ending would be full of surprises.

The book the movie was based on

If you like droll, Mark Twain-wannabe writing, this work approaches the mark. Interest in this book comes from two quarters, I suspect -- (1) from fans of Bill Gulick, and (2) fans of the motion picture. I'm the latter. One Amazon List is about movies that were better than the book they were based on, and listed The Hallelujah Trail as just such a film. Such an assessment didn't bode well for reception of this book. But I bought it anyway to give it a whirl, and though it differs significantly from the movie, it was mildly enjoyable in its own right. I got to understand the back-stories of some of the characters better.

First thing to know: The Hallelujah Trail was NOT the original title of the book. It was called The Hallelujah Train. On this account, you can find either title available for sale from Amazon marketplace dealers. I don't believe this book is currently in print.

Second, the book uses a framing device involving an investigative reporter and President Grant.