weezeralfalfa Review of Bells of San Angelo

Bells of San Angelo (1947)

Lady Western novelist gets a taste of the real West.

[5/10 · 19 May 2019]

There are 3 distinct, yet, related components to the plot. There's the question of why there have been several killings around the Monarch Silver Mine, on the border with Mexico. Then, there's the question of the whereabouts of famous Western novelist Lee Madison(Dale Evans), who was supposed to show up for a visit. Finally, there's the question of why the mayor and sheriff: Cookie(Andy Devine) gets terrified whenever the Englishman visitor Lionel Bates mentions that Scotland Yard is looking for one George Lancaster..........The Rancho San Angelo is partly in the US and partly in Mexico. The Monarch Mine is in the US portion, while the adjacent San Angelo Mine is defunct, or supposedly so. Gridley and Ulrich are comanagers of the Monarch Mine. One of their guards kills a snooper and drags him inside the San Angelo mine. Eventually, it's established that Dale, unexpectedly, is the missing author. Roy, Cookie, and Dale go snooping around the Mexican side of the property, looking for the entrance to the San Angelo mine. Eventually, they find it, and find a body inside. Unfortunately, Ulrich and Gridley catch them, and without a search warrant, which they were too impatient to get. Roy gets the insight that probably the silver content in the Monarch is poor, and that high grade silver ore is present in the Angelo mine, which is being smuggled underground into the Monarch mine, where it brings a higher price than in Mexico. Dale is captured for awhile. Then, she goes to get the Sons of the Pioneers to help fight the miners. They have a gun battle, the SP winning. But, Ulrich and Gridley escape up a cliff embankment. When they and Roy run out of bullets, they have a fisticuff, Roy having the aid of Cookie's dogs.........Now, what is Cookie trying to hide when he cringes every time Bates mentions Lancaster. Roy figures out that he must be Lancaster. Bates tells Lancaster that he inherited the Rancho San Angelo. All this is weird to me..........The title song is sung during the credits and again at the end. Pat Brady leads the Sons of Pioneers in 2 songs: "Lazy Days". and "Hot Lead". Then, Dale gets the solo "I Love the West", Roy and the Sons of Pioneers sing "A Cowboy's Dream of Heaven.". It's a group sing for "I Like to get up early in the Morning". ........This was one of the first R.R. films shot in Trucolor, rather than B&W. The copy I saw at YouTube was quite fuzzy. I checked another title, and the same problem. Thus, I prefer B&W in most cases. ........I thought Dale looked older than in the last film. I like her as a sexy blond.