Roll on Texas Moon (1946) User Reviews

Another Cattlemen Versus Sheepmen Story

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 21 July 2008]

Roll On Texas Moon is a decent entry in the Roy Rogers film catalog. The film finds him trying to stop a feud between the cattlemen and the sheepmen from tearing apart the neighborhood just like the differences used to do in the Old West days.

Roy's dad back in the day was big on getting rid of sheepmen by fair or foul means, but Roy has a live and let live attitude. So does Dale Evans who's aunt is Elizabeth Risdon, owner of a Sheep Ranch with the Old West name of Cactus Kate. She's more than a match for that grizzled old cattleman Gabby Hayes.

What I liked most about Roll On Texas Moon was the reteaming of the antagonists Hayes and Risdon from the John Wayne classic Tall In The Saddle. That one is one of my favorite Wayne films and there is a running rivalry between Hayes and Risdon. Hayes is his usual grizzled, bearded self, but Risdon in that film plays an eastern woman accompanying her niece. Gabby deals with her in the usual Gabby fashion there. Here in Roll On Texas Moon, Risdon is more than a match for Gabby, though in the end it's hinted there might be a little senior citizen romance in the offing.

Western fans especially B western aficionados will be somewhat taken aback by the presence of Dennis Hoey. The distinguished British actor best known for being Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard, probably grabbed at his chance to be in a western and add it to his list of credits.

The title song is a nice one, Roy recorded it back in the day and it suits him perfectly. So does this unpretentious B western from the factory owned by Herbert J. Yates known as Republic Pictures.

Roy caught between sheepherders and cattlemen, trying to mediate conflicts

[weezeralfalfa · 7/10 · 12 May 2019]

A neiboring sheepmen vs. cattlemen range war is threatened when cattleman Gabby Whittaker stumbles upon the body of the sheep ranch owner, out in the field. Unfortunately, the supervisor of the sheep ranch(Elizabeth Risdon, as Cactus Kate) and her forman(Francis McDonald, as Steve Anders) happen to come by and see Gabby looking over the body. Naturally, Gabby is the assumed murderer, as he is well known to hate sheep and sheepmen They suggest that Gabby is also responsible for some unexplained sheep deaths.........Gabby's supervisor, in Chicago, gets wind of this, and sends Roy to try to diffuse resentments before they flair into a full-scale range war. As things turn out, Roy does discover who is behind these deaths and convinces Cactus Kate, and new owner Dale Evans to get rid of him. Instead of Roy, it's actually Cactus Kate who dispatches the guilty Cole Gregor, just before he is ready to dispatch Roy. But, in a sense, Roy failed in his basic mission, because the sheepmen and cattlemen have a final shootout, in which all the sheepmen, save the 2 ladies, are killed by the more numerous and more savvy cattlemen. Strangely, this is treated by both sides as a great victory over disharmony, calling for a celebration, with singing..........Cole's objects was to gain control of the sheep ranch, either by scaring Dale into selling it, or by murdering the current owner. He tried to indirectly kill Dale, by tampering with the brakes on her open vehicle, causing her wild ride, ending with the car plunging into the river. Very luckily, Roy happened to be near, and fished her out of the river. Later, when the car was being pulled out of the river, after a cursory examination, Roy declares that the brakes had been tampered with, Dale almost agrees to leave the ranch and let Kate and Cole run the ranch. However, in the knick of time, Roy convinces her that he has identified Cole as the bad actor. Toward the end, Roy is being chased by both the cattlemen and the sheepherders, both of whom think he working for the other........As a diversion from the serious stuff, a comical scene appears periodically. with the tiny lamb, Taffy, chasing after Gabby, like he is its mother. I didn't see him give any milk. Gabby finds this embarrassing, as he often expresses his disdain for sheep and sheepherders. : Funny, but most unlikely, unless Gabby gave it some milk before hand..........Musical numbers are inserted periodically. The title and "Jumping Beans" are sung twice. After Dale is pulled out of the river, she and Roy sing "Won't you be a friend of mine.". In Gabby's dream, Roy and Dale sing "What's Doing Tonight in Dreamland", with Dale in a fancy southern getup.

Has a Nostalgic Appeal

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 28 December 2022]

This film essentially begins with a cattleman by the name of "Gabby Whitaker" (George 'Gabby' Hayes) noticing that some sheep have wondered onto the land that belongs to the cattle company he works with. So, quite naturally, he chases them back onto the neighboring sheep ranch by shooting his pistol in the air. Needless to say, this attracts the attention of those working on the sheep ranch and when they go to investigate where the shots are coming from that find Gabby standing over the dead body of the owner of that very sheep ranch. Quickly drawing their pistols, they escort Gabby to the sheriff's office to be held for murder. Fortunately, after a quick investigation, they find that the victim was killed by a rifle--and since Gabby didn't have one on him--he is released. Even so, the situation becomes quite tense after that and, fearing a range war between the cattlemen and sheepherders, a cowboy named "Roy Rogers" (Roy Rogers) is sent from the cattleman corporation in Chicago to investigate. Yet in spite of his reputation as a cattleman, Roy soon discovers that it holds little value at this particular time--and things are only going to get worse. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was pretty a standard Western film that one would see at the local theater during this particular time in history with Roy Rogers, Dale Evans (as "Jill Delaney") and George 'Gabby' Hayes being household names to most fans of the genre. And while I would admit that this film is quite dated, it still has a nostalgic appeal to it and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Hearty cowboy fun and fantasy

[pooch-8 · 13 August 1999]

Roll on Texas Moon employs many of the standard plot devices of the popular B Western to wring out plenty of action and humor in the course of its brief running time. Paragon of truth, honor and virtue Roy Rogers finds himself smack dab in the middle of a turf war between the regional cattle ranchers and sheep herders (the social implications of which are occasionally fascinating to ponder) which has been manufactured by a secret evil-doer trying to gain control of a major ranch. Roy's invaluable sidekick, the legendary Gabby Hayes, proves indispensable to the film: not only is he accused of murder, he also provides the comic relief, as an adorable lost lamb develops a fixation and dependence on Gabby that the grizzled cattleman desperately tries to hide from his pals. Dale Evans, playing Jill Delaney, is a well-meaning and good-hearted sheep rancher who, like Roy, does not want the bitter dispute to tear apart the community. Before all the secrets can come to light and reveal the true villain, the audience is treated to a rousing set piece in which Jill's out of control, sabotaged auto goes careening off a steep embankment. If you think Roy is able to save her from certain doom, well... you better see Roll on Texas Moon and find out.

"Stay away from me, you walkin' lamb chop!"

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 16 March 2022]

Just about every cowboy hero found himself in a story involving cattlemen versus sheep ranchers, and this was Roy Rogers' turn. Even though Roy is a cattleman himself, he's appointed to intervene in an impending dispute after one of the major sheepherders wound up dead on Gabby Whitaker's (Gabby Hayes) property in Oreno Springs, Texas. Behind the scenes though, not everything is what it appears to be, as the foreman of the Delaney Ramshead Ranch (Francis McDonald) is in cahoots with the family's attorney (Dennis Hoey) to instigate trouble between the respective sides in order to get Jill Delaney (Dale Evans) to sell the ranch outright to them. Not only did Steve Anders (McDonald) murder Jill's uncle Matt, but he also killed the prized Hampshire Prince that the Delaney's bought to bring prestige to their herd.

Like a lot of Roy's pictures, there's a nice smattering of songs throughout the story beginning with the title tune to open the movie. Most have Roy joining in with Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers, with 'Jumpin' Beans' a catchy little number. A running gag throughout the story has a little lamb named Taffy latching on to Gabby and following him back to his ranch to the delight of the teasing Pioneers. A lot of the standard chase scenes and fisticuffs occur throughout the story, including a sequence where Jill's tampered car goes out of control and runs over an embankment into the river. Roy makes the save, and works his way into the good graces of Jill and eventually her Aunt Kate (Elisabeth Risdon), who didn't have a good word for any cattleman at the start of the picture. She in turn gets the drop on baddie Anders at the finale when he's about to shoot Roy.

As I mentioned earlier, the cattlemen versus sheep rancher theme has been used countless times in B Westerns of the Forties and Fifties. The best one I've seen that I can recommend though, was a 1969 film starring Glenn Ford in the role of a preacher who tried to do what Roy did here, and broker a peace between the warring sides. He did it by cleverly inviting the opposing forces to join his congregation while they try to settle their differences. If you should check it out, the name of the picture is "Heaven With a Gun".

Gabby Had a Little Lamb

[wes-connors · 2/10 · 6 September 2007]

Roy Rogers (as Roy Rogers) has to mediate a "war" between the Sheep Herders and the Cattle Ranchers. George "Gabby" Hayes (as Gabby) is followed around by a Little Lamb. Dale Evans (as Jill) needs saving. Bob Nolan and the "Sons of the Pioneers" are around. After a promising, scenic opening, with Elisabeth Risdon effective (as Kate), the film falls apart… while the camera follows the Little Lamb… who is following Gabby... The title song is sung to the Lamb. The film includes Lamb Songs and a Mexican Jumping Bean Song. The highlight is when Evans' out-of-control car plunges into a river; after Rogers fishes her out, the duo sweetly sing "Be a Friend of Mine".

** Roll on Texas Moon (1946) William Witney ~ Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Dale Evans

The Jeff Corey episode is alone worth seeing the film!

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 25 March 2018]

U.K. release title: TRANSCONTINENT EXPRESS. SYNOPSIS: The construction engineer of the Rock Island Railroad pushes the line west across the Mississippi in spite of financial complications, a treacherous steamboat tycoon, and hostile Indians. - Copyright Summary.

NOTES: Dedicated to the men and women who devoted their lives to developing and perfecting the railroads of the U.S.A. The locomotives and period equipment used in the movie were loaned by Rock Island Lines, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and the Railroad and Locomotive Historical Society. Location scenes filmed in Oklahoma.

COMMENT: Routine western made more palatable by a screenplay that has a slight but genuine leavening of wit. And any film with Bruce Cabot as the villain is necessarily one worth seeing. Bruce and Bruce's double have some fine fights with Tucker and Tucker's double, beginning with an outlandish duel with mops dipped in boiling soup. Unfortunately their climactic confrontation is disappointing. Though there's plenty of action at the climax, the script provides a thumbs down cop-out for the romantic triangle. Miss Mara is an uninteresting heroine anyway.

Still, the support cast is loaded with familiar figures including Dick Elliott as a train conductor, Olin Howland as a barman with a bucket of water, James Flavin as a grumbling track-layer. The Jeff Corey episode is alone worth seeing the film.

If only Kane's direction were not so flat and scrupulously uninteresting, if only Republic's production values (despite the use of actual locations and a real railroad and clever miniatures) were a little higher and relied less on such obvious cost-saving devices as phony backdrops and cycloramas and day for night photography. Even the color tends to be flat and uninteresting despite its warm brown hues and blue cloudy skies.

Grant Withers is miscast as Mara's financier father, Chill Wills has his usual serio-comic role (nice scene with Jack Pennick as an eager trooper). Yes, the film has all the makings, including plenty of action, but doesn't quite make the higher grade.

OTHER VIEWS: The script plays like a John Wayne/Vera Ralston/Albert Dekker reject that has been farmed out to Republic's second-stringers. Even in its boring triangle with Adrian Booth half-heartedly giving the charmless Adele Mara a run for the surly affections of frozen-faced Forrest Tucker, the movie is strictly a black and white affair: stolid hero, loyal comic sidekick, frilly girl, deep-dyed villain. The fights between hero and heavy form the best part of the action, culminating in a fair, if familiar, action climax. Whilst the color is variable and the direction totally dull, production values indicate a fair-sized budget. Vintage train buffs will enjoy the movie. So will fans of the Lydecker Brothers' realistic miniatures. - JHR writing as George Addson.

Roy must stop a war between Cattlemen and Sheepmen

[Henchman_Number1 · 3/10 · 23 April 2009]

When a neighboring sheep rancher is found murdered on his property, by sheep-hating cattleman Gabby Whitaker, hostilities begin to heat up between the local factions. Cattleman Roy Rogers is quickly dispatched from the home office in Chicago to diffuse the situation and find the culprits. Evidence leads him to the sheep ranch where he joins forces with the murdered rancher's daughter Jill (Dale Evans)over the protests of her aunt, old battle-axe, cattle-hater, Cactus Kate (Elisabeth Risdon).

Roll on Texas Moon is the first teaming of Roy and B-western great director William Witney. Over the course of the next 5 years Witney would change the style of the Roy Rogers' pictures from a musically oriented singing cowboy to the Action Cowboy Hero. After watching this one it's clear that Witney was really good at the latter, no so much with the former. Promising action sequences quickly give way to oddly selected and placed musical numbers. One musical interlude has Roy singing a lullaby to Gabby and the title tune, which is introduced in a Gabby dream sequence, has Dale dressed as Little Bo peep, making Betty Boop faces at Roy. The whole number seemed uncomfortably out of place. It should be noted that despite the inauspicious start, Witney righted the ship in their next film "Home in Oklahoma", a film very similar in substance and plot.

While you can occasionally see in this movie what was eventually to come of the Roy Rogers / William Witney collaboration, Roll on Texas Moon wasn't one of the pair's better efforts. Recommended for die-hard Roy Rogers Fans only.

Among Roy Rogers & William Witney's best!

[revran · 10/10 · 24 February 2006]

Using the age old conflict between cattle ranchers and sheepherders this film shines as one of my top five favorite Roy Rogers films. Dale Evans and George "Gabby" Hayes along with the Son's of the Pioneers join Roy. Another uncredited star in this film is a little lamb with a bow around it's neck and the pet of Dale's character. The first time the lamb sees cattleman Gabby, it falls in love with him. Much to his dismay it chases after him and the scenes of these two together are hilarious. Try to see the uncut version. Any Rogers film that is 55 minutes long has been cut! Hope you enjoy it as much as our family does!

Aside from seeing Gabby and his new best friend, there's not a lot to love about this one.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 16 October 2020]

The plot to "Roll on Texas Moon" is very familiar if you've watched a bunch of B-westerns...and because it's such an overused plot, the film is a bit lazy. It also features a sacchariny-sweet dream sequence...another reason this film could never make a list of my favorite Roy Rogers pictures!

When the story begins, cattleman Gabby (Gabby Hayes) is accused of shooting a sheepherder. However, oddly, this element of the story seems to just stop and once the sheriff takes Gabby, he soon releases him and nothing more is said of this! Soon the scene changes to a meeting with a government official and Roy. Roy is being sent back to investigate the animosity that's sprung up between the sheep and cattle folks....and when I saw that one of the ranch hands at Dale's ranch was Francis McDonald, I KNEW he was one of the baddies. This is because McDonald is one of the most type-cast B-western actors of the day. He ALWAYS played villains...often the trusted #2 man behind the big boss baddie. He also LOOKED swarthy and evil. But who else is behind the growing animosity? See the film and find out for yourself...or not.

The dream sequence was awful. The plot was lazy. But I am not giving the film a lower score because I loved seeing Gabby and his new best friend...these scenes were very cute without being too cloying. Overall, a sub-par Roy Rogers film...mostly because it's all been said and done before by not just Rogers but several other cowboy stars.

By the way, if you want to see this film (and I am not strongly recommending you do), it's on YouTube AND it's the original full-length version, not a trimmed down for television print.

Great story, action and music

[frank4122 · 10/10 · 13 March 2020]

With Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and Sons Of Pioneers you know the music has to be great and it was. With excellent English actors Elisabeth Rison and Dennis Hoey of Sherlock Holmes fame, the acting was first rate too. Long time character actor, Francis McDonald and well known henchman, Edward Keane turned in solid performances. Of course all time best sidekick Gabby Hayes was in rare form. This time with a very friendly lamb who kept pestering Gabby to no end. The war of the sheepherders versus the cattlemen comes to a head with an ending that won't disappoint. Roll On Texas Moon has to be part of any fan of western movies.

Ovinophobia

[boblipton · 8/10 · 4 July 2023]

Gabby Hayes is plumb disgusted by sheep, particularly Dale Evans' pet lamb that follows him back to his ranch. He's just been cleared of murdering one of Miss Evans' men who strayed onto his land. The simmering dispute between the ranchers and sheepherders is on the bubble and look to be about to break into active warfare, so the cattle company sends Roy Rogers down to Texas to deal with the situation.

If this isn't the peak of the Roy Rogers westerns, it's pretty close to it. Gabby gets a great comic turn as he is pursued by the lamb; Roy & Miss Evans' duet of the title song is very charming, and if the bad guys reveal themselves in private dialogue to the audience, leaving Roy to figure it out the hard way, well, Republic knew he was their moneymaker, and gave him good stories, a fine director in William Witney, and some nice camerawork by William Bradford, who offers some striking angles and good portrait work. With Elisabeth Risdon, and the usual cast of character actors, including the Sons of the Pioneers.