The Carson City Kid (1940) User Reviews

One of the best of Roy's early westerns

[beejer · 7/10 · 23 September 1999]

The Carson City Kid is a "B" western to be sure, however, this one is a cut above the average.

Rogers had not yet evolved into the the yodeling/singing hero of the range. At this stage of his career, the studio was not casting him as himself but as "good" bad guys. In fact in this picture he sings only one song and that is a duet with the heroine.

What sets this picture apart is the excellent supporting cast. First, we have Gabby Hayes playing the Marshal and Noah Beery Jr. as Arizona who is befriended by Roy along the way. Heading up the villains are Bob Steele and the venerable Hal Taliaferro. Even Yakima Canutt turns up in an unbilled bit as the bartender. Steele always made a better villain than hero and in my humble opinion, takes the picture away from Rogers.

To be fair, Roy was just getting started and didn't do that bad of a job. The Carson City Kid remains one of Roy's better early westerns.

Bob Steele as a bad guy?

[stevehaynie · 7/10 · 25 August 2004]

Roy Rogers' title role as The Carson City Kid is another one of those misnomers that makes you think of a bad guy. Of course, Roy is a good guy who has been unfortunately labeled an outlaw. For some reason he rides along with a real outlaw named Laramie (Francis McDonald). Roy looks out for the well-being of the all too trusting Arizona (Noah Beery, Jr.) while he is tracking down the villain, Lee Jessup (Bob Steele).

Bob Steele was a leading cowboy hero during the 30's and continued to be a hero afterward, but it is nice to see him in a different role. The bad-guy/saloon owner was a generic part in B westerns, with only the talents of the individual actors making the part memorable. It was the same year that The Carson City Kid was made (1940) that Bob Steele began making a series of Billy The Kid movies for PRC and also joining The Three Mesquiteers at Republic, so The Carson City Kid may have been made while he was searching for a new movie deal. His talents were put to good use in this movie.

Gabby Hayes was good, but not at his best in The Carson City Kid. His part as the town marshal provides comedy, but not the special appeal of being a sidekick. Seeing Gabby as Roy's pal makes a difference. In The Carson City Kid we get to see Gabby on Roy's side, but there is no real relationship between them.

Overall, The Carson City Kid is an excellent choice for a Roy Rogers movie. The movie is set in the west without automobiles and big band productions. It shows a kind of western that Roy would abandon within a few years in favor of the modern setting movies for which he was known.

"Hey, that fella can shoot!"

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 11 January 2005]

The Carson City Kid (Roy Rogers) is on a quest to find the man that murdered his brother, and that trail brings him to Sonora and the Olive Branch Saloon, owned by crooked card shark Lee Jessup (Bob Steele). Although a hero in most of his films, Steele offers a characterization here of a villain you just love to hate, a smarmy, underhanded cheat who can't be greedy enough. George "Gabby" Hayes portrays Marshal Gabby Whitaker, who claims to have ridden with the "Kid" at one time and knows him on sight. That gag gets to be played out a number of times in the film, with Rogers grinning his way through each attempt by Gabby to continue the charade. Rounding out the cast is Noah Beery Jr. as a loose lips prospector who impersonates the Carson City Kid in order to retrieve the money he lost to Jessup in a rigged card game. And as usual, there's a romantic interest - Pauline Moore as saloon singer Joby Madison who catches Rogers' eye and later does some catching of her own. Rogers and Moore also teamed up in "Colorado", released in the same year, 1940.

"Carson City Kid" is a fast paced film coming in at just fifty seven minutes, and manages to include the standard gunfight, posse chase and rope across the trail trick. A 1940 Republic film, it holds up as one of the more entertaining of the early Roy Rogers Westerns.

Outlaw Intelligence

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 21 May 2006]

This was one of Roy Rogers better B westerns for Republic Pictures. The plot has Roy as a good/badman known as the Carson City Kid. But he's only doing this because he's on a manhunt. Roy's figuring the outlaw guise will afford him better intelligence about the guy he's after.

The trail's taken him to Sonora where he runs into such diverse people as Marshal Gabby Hayes, Pauline Moore, Noah Beery, Jr., and another B picture cowboy, Bob Steele. All of them give a good account of themselves.

Especially Steele as the saloon owner with a number of nefarious sidelines. In B films Steele was usually a good guy. Here he's more like the Steele we saw in such classic Humphrey Bogart films as The Big Sleep and The Enforcer.

Roy only gets one song in this film, a forgettable duet with his leading lady. He hadn't met Dale Evans yet, so he was paired with all kinds of female co-stars at this point in his career. Of course none had the screen or otherwise chemistry Dale and Roy had together.

Fans of the Cowboy King will like it and others will also.

35 year old kid goes after revenge

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 19 April 2000]

The Carson City Kid goes after a tin horn gambler who murdered his brother during a shady card game. After finding the gambler, the Kid finds that he has not changed his ways and is out to cheat and frame a pal of the Kid's. Carson must stop this nefarious scheme and keep his own hide intact at the same time while also wooing the girlfriend of the sneaky tinhorn. Good western.

Will the real Carson City Kid please stand up!

[weezeralfalfa · 7/10 · 1 March 2019]

This is a pretty unusual Roy Rogers western. Although as sheriff, Gabby Hayes is often involved with trying to catch or help Roy, unlike most such westerns, he is not officially Roy's sidekick. Nonetheless, he is full of fallacious claims about his past, as usual. The stage coach holdups by the Carson City Kid(CCK) are unique in that the only thing he wants is to examine the mail for the receiver's name and address. Evidently, he's done this quite a few times, but we only see him do this once, because he finally found what he was looking for: the address of Morgan Reynolds, given as Sonora, in the foothills of the Sierras. He's looking for retribution for the shooting death of his brother in a disputed card game. During his stage holdup, he wore a bandana over the lower part of his face, and spoke in Spanish, mainly. In recent times, he has been riding with the notorious outlaw Laramie(Francis McDonald). We might wonder why, since their personalities are quite different and they often don't get along. When they stop at the cabin of young miner Arizona Warren, the latter boasts his gold finds: a bad idea with Laramie around. Laramie suggests that they take his gold, but the unmasked Roy nixes that idea. Nonetheless, Laramie soon sticks his gun in Arizona's back, and a fight ensues. Arizona knocks him out. Roy revives him, gets him on his horse as they ride away, soon being chased by a posse led by Gabby......... Laramie's horse is shot, and stumbles, dumping him. Roy returns and puts him on Trigger, along with himself. After a while, Laramie conks Roy on the head and pushes him off Trigger, presumably so Trigger could gallop faster. Nonetheless, the posse catches him, somehow? missing Roy on the way. The stage driver says that Trigger is the CCK's horse, thus, presumably, he his the CCK. He claims it was the other fellow they missed. The sheriff is undecided, thus orders him taken to jail until the question of who is the CCK is resolved more definitively. A bargain is struck that if Laramie can convincingly identify the CCK, he will be freed. ......Meanwhile, the gold miner Arizona can't keep his mouth shut about his gold strike when he enters the saloon owned by Lee Jessup. Jessup's singer, Joby, warns him not to play cards with Jessup, but he doesn't listen, saying he's always been lucky at cards. Well, it's not long before Jessup has relieved him of all his gold. Arizona claims foul play and tries to make a scene. Jessup has him thrown out.......Jessup has posted a $10,000. reward for the capture or death of the CCK. The people might wonder why, since the CCK hadn't stolen anything of his, nor killed any of his henchmen. Jessup had been informed that the CCK found one of the letters to Morgan Reynolds of interest. This upset Jessup, as, in Nevada, he was known by that name. In short, he feared that the CCK was out to assassinate him.........Now, Arizona puts a bandana over his face, speaks Spanish, and claims he is the CCK. He enters Jessup's office, and finds the gold that Jessup won from him, plus some letters, then hightails it out of town. A posse catches him, but he now denies being the CCK. He is taken to see Laramie, in jail. In a lineup, Laramie fortuitously picks him out, as the CCK, hoping he will now be let out of jail. Jessup wants to string him up right away, but Gabby insists on a formal trial. Laramie again insists that Arizona is the CCK. However, Roy appears, with his bandana over his face, and speaking Spanish initially. He brings some letters(the same that Arizona stole?) addressed to Morgan Reynolds, that he says were obtained from Jessup's desk. Jessup pulls his gun, but CCK pulls his gun faster and kills Jessup, while Jessup's misguided shot happens to hit Gabby, who then claims he's dying. But when Arizona shows him the bottle of snake oil that Gabby claims he got from Sitting Bull, he perks up and is soon on his feet! Meanwhile, the CCK disappears out the door.......In the finale, Roy and Joby are married, even though she deduced that he was the CCK. .......See it at YouTube.

Roy Rodgers VS. Bob Steele!

[FightingWesterner · 7/10 · 28 March 2010]

Rodgers holds up mail-lines looking for bad guy Bob Steele, in order to settle an old score. Along the way, he tangles with lawman George "Gabby" Hayes and tries to protect young, naive miner Noah Beery Jr., whom Roy's partner (!) and Steele set their thieving sights on.

A great role for Roy, this has a great, above average cast and an irresistible chance to see Rodgers going up against fellow Saturday matinée star Steele (who always looked more like a heavy than a hero) in a rare villainous turn.

A better than average script, that knows what buttons to push and a quick pace also go a long way in helping make this Republic Pictures production worth watching.

The only things that disappoint is the abrupt conclusion and the half-hearted nature of songs.

Good Western

[Michael_Elliott · 11 March 2008]

The Carson City Kid (1940)

*** (out of 4)

Roy Rogers plays a man disguising himself as The Carson City Kid who is seeking vengeance on the man responsible for his younger brother's death. He thinks the guilty person is a bar owner (Bob Steele) but along the way he falls for a young woman (Pauline Moore) and tries to help a young man (Noah Beery, Jr.) from the same fate as his own brother. This is yet another good Western from Rogers and company, although no one should confuse this for the work of John Ford. Your tolerance of the "B" Western will certainly factor into how much you enjoy this film but if you're one who can put up with their low-budget charm then this here is a good one. The best thing the film has going for it are the performances of the cast. As you'd expect, Rogers has no problem playing the good guy as that laid back style really comes across and it's just really impossible not to like the guy. I'm really not sure what it is but Rogers is just so calm and collective that you can fall for his charm and get behind his cause. Moore makes for a very good love interest as she's certainly cute enough for the part but her performance is also good enough to make you care for her. The same is true for Beery, Jr. whose character really comes across thanks to his fun performance. Steele always makes for an enjoyable bad guy and that's the case here as well as you really want to hiss at him each time he's in the frame. George 'Gabby' Hayes is also on hand doing his typical great support. The story itself isn't the strongest in the world but it's good enough to keep you interested for a hour. The action is fast, the characters enjoyable and overall this is pleasant enough for a time killer.

Good Story, But Rushed

[boblipton · 5/10 · 15 November 2019]

Roy Rogers is The Carson City Kid, a notorious outlaw. Actually, no, it's largely he just has the reputation. He's been trailing the man who killed his brother, and has concluded it's saloon owner Bob Steele, who has just hired him as a guard. Marshall Gabby Hayes deputizes him, in case he needs to kill anyone. Meanwhile, Steele has just cheated miner out of the gold he has mined, and has proposed to saloon singer Pauline Moore, who turns him down. So Steele fires Miss and Rogers, leading to the conclusion.

The ending is a bit rushed. That might be the way it was originally released, or perhaps the four minutes cut off the original for the version I saw helped make sense. Miss Moore and Roy each sing one song, Trigger gets only a couple of minutes of screen time, and there's a well-timed horseback chase towards the end, sure to please oater fans. The story is certain more nuanced than usual for B westerns, because Roy Rogers was a rising singing cowboy star, and he and Steele get to do a little more acting than they would have down in Gower Gulch. Director Joe Kane directs this just a mite leetle too fast, as Gabby would say, but it's a decent way to spend just under an hour.

One of the Better of the Early Rogers Westerns!

[bsmith5552 · 7/10 · 21 October 2020]

"The Carson City Kid" is about a man seeking his brother's killer. The Kid (Roy Rogers) and his saddle mate Laramie (Francis McDonald) are stopping stagecoaches to examine their mail. The Kid is looking for letters addressed to Morgan Reynolds the killer of his brother. In the latest stick up, The Kid finds a letter addressed to Reynolds in Sonora. The Kid had got into trouble with the law and had been blamed for his brother's murder.

The Kid and Laramie stumble across the cabin of Scott Warren (Noah Beery Jr.). He invites them in for breakfast. Warren who is dubbed "Arizona" lets slip that he has stuck it rich in the gold fields. The evil Laramie tries to rob him but Arizona bests him in a fight just as a posse rides up. The Kid and Laramie flee but Laramie double crosses the kid by clubbing him and stealing his horse (Trigger of course). The Posse catches up to Laramie and take him into custody. The Kid, meanwhile has escaped into the brush.

In town, The Kid arrives in disguise, and takes care of an hombre bothering Joby Madison (Pauline Moore). The Kid suspects Lee Jessup (Bob Steele) as Reynolds in hiding. Jessup hires the Kid as a bodyguard having been impressed with the Kid's gun play. The Kid plays up to Joby much to the chagrin of Jessup. Arizona arrives in town, and pays for his drink with gold dust. The bartender (Yakima Canutt) informs Jessup who goads Arizona into a poker game. Arizona is cleaned out by the unscrupulous Jessup.

Later, Arizona poses as The Carson City Kid and robs Jessup's cohort Harmon (Hal Talliaferro) and takes back his gold. Jessup orders Marshall Gabby Whitaker (George Hayes) to form a posse and pursue "The Kid". They eventually capture Arizona and put him on trial with a predetermined out come. Just then the real Kid appears masked and all in black thus freeing Arizona when......................................................................

Oddly enough, Roy doesn't use his real name or any other name for that matter, only The Carson City Kid. The film was greatly enhance by the casting of normally good guy Bob Steele (who steals the film) as the chief villain. Gabby Hayes is not really Roy's sidekick here but only an ally.

Lot's of action and plenty of extras in this early Rogers western made before he developed his Roy Rogers character complete with fancy shirts, boots, saddle, and guns. No Dale either.

The mysteriously appearing rope

[phcs01 · 5/10 · 12 May 2009]

The Carson City Kid (Roy Rogers) and his partner are, on horseback, fleeing a posse led by Marshal Gabby Whitaker (George "Gabby" Hayes) when his partner's horse is shot from beneath him. The Kid stops and picks up his partner, and they are riding double.

The unscrupulous partner then knocks The Kid off the horse and continues alone on horseback. The posse later surrounds the partner and captures him.

The Carson City Kid, unhorsed and on foot, hides from the posse that was chasing him and his partner. After the posse captures the partner, and returns to town to jail him, Marshal Gabby Whitaker remains behind, alone, to search for The Carson City Kid.

When the Marshal rides beneath a tree, in which The Kid is hiding, The Kid drops a rope over the Marshal and takes his horse, leaving the Marshal to make his way back to town on foot.

Since The Kid was on foot, and nowhere near a horse... where did he get the mysteriously appearing rope which he used to capture the Marshal?

Rogers at his best!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 22 May 2018]

Copyright 1 July 1940 by Republic Pictures Corp. No recorded New York opening. U.S. release: 1 July 1940. U.K. release through British Lion. No recorded Australian theatrical release. 57 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Stagecoach bandits, the Carson City Kid and his treacherous partner Laramie, hit Sonora. Laramie is soon captured. Promised his freedom if he identifies the Kid, Laramie fingers Warren, an innocent (in both senses of that word) prospector.

NOTES: According to Republic publicity, Bob Steele's first role as a heavy.

PRINCIPAL MIRACLE: Roy Rogers as an outlaw?

COMMENT: An unusual entry in the Rogers saga, with our hero playing an outlaw, albeit a colorful and most personable one, in a script that gives some great opportunities to the support cast, particularly the beautiful Pauline Moore, dressed to the nines, Alice Faye style, who has two out of the film's three tuneful Tinturin songs and even sings the intro line to Roy's sole solo.

Bob Steele has a great time as the aggressively smooth-talking villain; George Hayes, who doesn't overstay his welcome for once, is also on hand.

Other players include Noah Beery, who plays the innocent abroad with enough charm to make this almost impossible character believable; Francis MacDonald, as slimy a partner as the meanest bush-wacker could wish; Hal Taliaferro, an appealingly reliable henchman; and even Hank Bell, who is given some worthwhile dialogue and business at last in his career.

Doubtless because he authored the original screen story, Joseph Kane has directed his 43rd film with unusual care. Besides his customary vigorously staged action spots with lots of fast riding and running inserts, the dialogue scenes are handled with style and finesse using attractively composed images and even a bit of camera movement.

Nobles has excelled himself with the lighting, particularly in the saloon scenes, whilst sets and costumes look unusually rich by Republic standards.

The only thing missing is a really slap-up climax. True, the finale is exciting enough, but rabid action fans are liable to feel a bit cheated.

As for Rogers himself, here he gives one of his most personable and likable performances.

Easy to watch

[arfdawg-1 · 5/10 · 1 April 2014]

Roy Rogers (Roy Rogers, and not playing "himself" but playing a character named Roy Rogers), posing as The Carson City Kid, is seeking vengeance on Morgan Reynolds, the man who killed his brother.

Whew!

To find Reynolds in the gold towns, he systematically stops stagecoaches and goes through the mail, hoping to find letters addressed to Reynolds and thus learn his whereabouts.

"The Kid" earns the reputation of a stagecoach robber, although he never takes anything, and the reputation is enhanced by the fact that he travels with Laramie (Francis McDonald), a notorious half-breed outlaw.

Getting complicated yet?

A posse is about to capture them and Roy rides back to get Laramie whose horse has been shot, and Laramie repays the favor by slugging Roy and escaping on his horse Trigger.

The posse rides by the unseen Roy and captures Laramie and, since he is riding the "Kid's" horse, take him to jail as being the "Kid."

Laramie denies this and is told he will be free when he identifies the "Kid".

This is a highly implausible movie that is nonetheless watchable. Nothing is believable. Still it's easy to sit through.

All-Star Cast

[dougdoepke · 7 May 2013]

The masked Carson City Kid and henchman Laramie keep holding up stages, but take nothing except the mail. So what the heck is going on.

Good to see so many matinée stalwarts in the same movie—Rogers, Steele, Hayes, and Beery Jr. It's a pretty good screenplay too. At first, I didn't know whether Jessup (Steele) and the Kid (Rogers) were good guys or bad. But eventually it sorts out. And was there ever a better jovial character than the underrated Beery Jr. Then too, Hayes gets to do his usual toothless grouch. And now I see why Rogers soon went to Technicolor—how much better to show off that magnificent blond palomino Trigger. Even in lowly b&w, he cuts a striking figure. No Dale Evans here, instead it's the comely Pauline Moore as the eye candy. No, the movie never gets out of familiar San Fernando Valley locations, but is still a better-than-average little programmer with a few mild twists.

Standard good guy/bad guy western. Only who is who?

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 25 July 2016]

This really isn't anything special among B westerns, just a standard low budget film where the good guy is believed to be an outlaw and the supposed good guy a vicious killer. Roy Rogers, on the threshold of stardom, is the titled character out to expose the man who killed his brother. Bob Steele, a star of B westerns himself, is the bad guy, believed to be an honest saloon owner. This goes off track on several occasions in some convoluted directions involving who the real Carson City Kid is or isn't. George "Gabby" Hayes adds grizzled amusement, although rather serious for a change, as the town marshal, with pretty Pauline Moore as the lady after both Rogers' and Noah Beery Jr.'s (accused of being the bandit) heart. The typical showdown occurs with predictable outcome. In short, a bore.

Roy Rogers as a sort of bad guy!

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 9 February 2011]

This is one of the earlier films in which Roy Rogers starred. The film begins with a bizarre scene where a masked Roy Rogers stops a stage coach at gunpoint. To disguise himself further, he speaks Spanish--but it's truly god-awful Spanish and many students in Spanish classes speak with greater fluency. So, unless you are stupid, it's obvious the masked man was NOT a Mexican or anyone who spoke Spanish.

Later, you learn that Rogers is the so-called 'Carson City Kid'--a wanted outlaw. However, as it's Roy, he's sort of a wussy nice-guy outlaw....but still, he is not the 100% law abiding swell guy he was in later films and that surprised me. You soon learn that Roy's brother was killed by some scum-bag gambler, but he isn't sure of the guy's identity, so he's traveling the west looking for the evil galoot. Along the way, he meets up with an idiot (I am sorry, but there's no other way to describe the poor sap--played by Noah Beery, Jr.) and a grizzly old sheriff (Gabby Hayes. Oddly, the baddie ends up being Bob Steele--another western star who often played the good guy! What a weird set of roles for Roy and Bob!! As for the movie, it's a pretty decent B-western but nothing great. Like any Rogers film, there is lots of superfluous singing, heroics and in the end all is well. But along the way, there are a few surprises--mostly due to Roy's odd persona in this film. Worth seeing if you are a fan but far from a must-see for everyone else. Interesting.

Roy Rogers as an outlaw?

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 22 May 2018]

SYNOPSIS: Stagecoach bandits, the Carson City Kid and his treacherous partner Laramie, hit Sonora. Laramie is soon captured. Promised his freedom if he identifies the Kid, Laramie fingers Warren, an innocent (in both senses of that word) prospector.

NOTES: According to Republic publicity, Bob Steele's first role as a heavy.

COMMENT: An unusual entry in the Rogers saga, with our hero playing an outlaw, albeit a colorful and most personable one, in a script that gives some great opportunities to the support cast, particularly the beautiful Pauline Moore, dressed to the nines, Alice Faye style, who has two out of the film's three tuneful Tinturin songs and even sings the intro line to Roy's sole solo; Bob Steele, who has a great time as the aggressively smooth-talking villain; George Hayes, who doesn't overstay his welcome for once; Noah Beery, who plays the innocent abroad with enough charm to make this almost impossible character believable; Francis MacDonald, as slimy a partner as the meanest bushwacker could wish; Hal Taliaferro, an appealingly reliable henchman; and even Hank Bell, who is given some worthwhile dialogue and business at last in his career.

Doubtless because he authored the original screen story, Joseph Kane has directed his 43rd film with unusual care. Besides his customary vigorously staged action spots with lots of fast riding and running inserts, the dialogue scenes are handled with style and finesse using attractively composed images and even a bit of camera movement. Nobles has excelled himself with the lighting, particularly in the saloon scenes, whilst sets and costumes look unusually rich by Republic standards.

The only thing missing is a really slap-up climax. True, the finale is exciting enough, but rabid action fans are liable to feel a bit cheated.

As for Rogers himself, here he gives one of his most personable and likeable performances.

The Kid From Carson City

[StrictlyConfidential · 5/10 · 29 October 2021]

"The Carson City Kid" was originally released back in 1940.

Anyway - As the story goes - Roy Rogers, posing as The Carson City Kid, is determined to exact vengeance on his brother's killer, Morgan Reynolds. Determined to track Reynolds down, the Kid is stopping stagecoaches and sifting through the mail for letters addressed to the killer. This earns him a reputation as a stagecoach hold-up artist even though he steals nothing.

All Star Cast 'Let Er Rip'

[frank4122 · 10/10 · 1 June 2020]

With Roy Rogers, Bob Steele, Gabby, Yak, and Noah Berry it doesn't get any better than that. Gabby Hayes is in rare form as Marshal Gabby who has an endless supply of whoppers about the Carson City Kid (Roy Rogers). Bob Steele gets to show his acting range as the villain who reluctanly wants to face down the Kid. Yak is present but as usual his brilliance is behind the scenes along with Ted Mapes. Berry is exceptional in showing his naivety as the man who struck it rich. Pauline Moore as Joby Madison is wonderful as the love of rivals Steele and Rogers. Who can forget some other steady performers from this era, Francis McDonald and Hal Taliaferro.

Just for rainy days

[thomaskunze · 5 March 2004]

Old Roy Rogers western. Only entertaining when you have nothing better to do. The story is simple and the situations are standard. Done a hundred times before. A few good action scenes and a good supporting cast are the only things that make this movie at least a bit watchable. George "Gabby" Hayes and Noah Beery are the only highlights in this B-Movie.

Only for Roy Rogers fans I think.