Bells of San Angelo (1947) User Reviews

Roy joins sheriff Devine and novelist Dale in a search for silver smugglers across the Mexican frontier

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 5 August 2011]

The movie contains action Western ,songs, adventures, shoot-outs, fighting and is quite entertaining . Swinging From His Toes And Shooting From His Hips...Roy Battles His Foes With A Song On His Lips! . Roy Rogers and Evans team up again in the habitual thin story , but filled with riding stunts and noisy action . It deals with a Border Patrolman (Roy Rogers)who is sent to the Mexican frontier in southwest Texas to investigate strange events in Rancho San Angelo. There, with the help of local sheriff named Cookie Bullfincher (Andy Devine) and a Western pulp magazine novelist named Lee Madison (played by his spouse Dale Evans) looking for plot material , Roy aware that the Rancho is actually a nest for smuggling silver along the Mexico frontier into USA . He sends Lee Madison for help only to have her kidnapped by Gridley (John McGuire) . Gridley is mining silver from a worthless mine and bringing it into the United States thru a hidden passage . Trigger brings help that takes care of Gridley's hoodlums and now Roy has to save Lee . After rescuing Madison from the nasty band led by "Red" Grindley , there is a surprise awaiting Sheriff Cookie when a Lord comes from England looking for a man named Lancaster . As Roy foils thieves' attempts to steal and smuggle the precious silver . Meanwhile happen songs alongside with pursuits and struggles against the silver sluggers.

This B movie displays sensational adventures , intrigue, marvelous scenarios , lots of fun and is pretty enjoyable . This average-budget Western blends action , hokey fun ,suspense and emotional happenings . Our heroes incarnated by a throughly believable casting of the usual characters undergo numerous adventures and suffering innumerable perils . Surprise-filled entertainment and plenty of action on middle scale . The exterior scenes , gun-play , fights , brawls, explosions , all of them are spectacular and the film is another ordinary Hollywood product but of B-series. Memorable and great cast as Roy Rogers stars the famous singer cowboy , he played in various musical groups ,in 1934 he formed a group called ¨Sons of Pioneers¨ , they appeared in numerous Westerns (Rhythm on the range, Son of the pioneers , On the Spanish trail , among others). Roy was married three times . Arlene Wilkins , his second wife, died a few day after giving birth to their son ,¨Roy Rogers Jr or Dusty¨ and Dale Evans his third spouse , became his four children's mom . Inducted along with his wife Evans into the Hall of great Western performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and also as member of the Sons of Pioneers . Their nicknames were ,Roy as ¨King of cowboys¨ , Dale Evans ¨Queen of the West¨ and Trigger ¨ Smartest horse in the movies¨ . Roy got his horse ¨Trigger¨in 1938 and rode him in every one of his film and TV shows after that. He had appeared in one early movie , being ridden by Olivia De Havilland in ¨¨ The adventures of Robin Hood¨. Trigged died in 1965,aged 33 years.

¨Bells of San Angelo¨ includes several songs titled "Hot Lead," and "I Like to Get Up Early in the Morning¨ and many others , played by ¨Son of Pioneers¨ and the actors as Rogers , Evans and Devine . Colorful cinematography in Trucolor , though photography is washed-out , reflecting wonderfully landscapes from Valley of Fire State Park , Overton, Nevada, USA . This ancient movie is professionally directed by William Witney , a craftsman who directed 140 titles from the 30s . The film is produced by Republic picture, usual in serials of low budget . The director , William Witney ,was a prolific director of short budget and TV episodes ( Daniel Boone , Bonanza ,Virginian ) , his best film was ¨The master of world¨ with Vincent Price . The motion picture will appeal to Western buffs and it's a marvelous popcorn story .

Average, There's better and not as good.

[shrfchasg · 7/10 · 24 March 2005]

It's been years since I've saw several number of Roy R.'s movies made in the late 40's and 50's, when they were made in color, and got this lately to see again. It always has bothered my acceptance to suspend reality to believe that practices of the pioneer days of the old west was continued, as related in the plots as still practiced in the 1940's: having buses and modern autos involved and yet chasing around on horses shooting at each other. In other words, mixing the to time period's just didn't fit and somewhat ruined some of it all for me. It made it slightly "hokey(?)" At least this movie restrained from using certain elements in the plot, which therefore made it barely feasible that all this possibly could have happened in the more modern times. Overall, I liked it and when over, I felt rather "uplifted" partially because of the good songs it contained.

Roy Working The Border

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 23 November 2008]

Bells Of San Angelo finds Roy Rogers working as a border 'investigator' on the USA/Mexico border. Assisting him is sheriff Andy Devine of the county. There have been some murders of some Mexican nationals on the American side in and around a mine that John McGuire and David Sharpe run.

This is far from the Mexican border today where we are preoccupied with illegal immigration. At this time in the Hollywood modern west, people just seem to be coming back and forth across the border at will with no one really asking questions. Roy's very good friends with Catholic Padre on the other side, Fritz Lieber. In fact it is Lieber who comes to Roy asking him and Devine to look into the murders.

We've got two more complicating factors in the plot. A western writer is coming to town with the highly androgynous name of Lee Madison and Roy and the Sons of the Pioneers think its some tenderfoot who just wants to stick his nose in for material. They don't need no tenderfeet tagging along on a serious investigation and resolve to do something about it.

Of course Lee Madison is the pen name for Helen Clifford who is played by Dale Evans and she keeps her identity a secret to play along with the gags Roy and the boys are cooking up. I said in another review of one of their films that Roy and Dale play like a pair of red state Tracy and Hepburn. The dialog ain't classic, but all in all it's not too bad either. It was part of their appeal on the screen.

The other complication is Olaf Hytten arriving from Great Britain looking to locate some missing person who turns out to be Andy Devine. Not knowing exactly what he wants, Devine is scared about revealing himself, but Roy guesses right away something's afoot.

All this plot is packaged rather nicely into a 78 minute running time for Bells Of San Angelo. Of course Roy finds out exactly what the story is and the culprits are brought to justice. But as for what the racket was and what happens with Dale and Andy you have to see Bells Of San Angelo.

You'll love the fox hunt the gang arranges for Hytten.

"This is the work of a devil..."

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 15 November 2004]

"Bells of San Angelo" is one of the early Republic films done in Trucolor, although it was orange and blue that dominated the print I just viewed. Cowboy hero Roy Rogers portrays himself as a border investigator on the trail of a silver smuggling operation. Roy is aided by comic sidekick Andy Devine in a dual role, as Sheriff Cookie Bullfincher, and as his later revealed alter ego George Wallingford Lancaster, although the second identity has no real significance in the story. Dale Evans enters the picture as Western novelist Lee Madison, and the first half of the film includes a running gag wherein Roy and companions expect to meet a male writer. Roy consistently dismisses Madison's stories as trivial, as Dale takes it all in while claiming to be a woman named Helen Clifford, until she can figure out what Rogers is all about.

When Roy, Cookie and Lee discover the phony mine that serves as the front for the smugglers, trouble ensues as Miss Madison is kidnapped by the gang's leader Gridley (John McGuire). It's Trigger to the rescue, as his riderless presence alerts Roy's pals, the Sons of the Pioneers into action. Taking a page from Miss Madison's book "Murder on the Border", page 77 to be exact, Roy appears to shoot Lee as she's held hostage by Gridley. Roy then takes care of the bad guys in short order, even though it's two against one.

"Bells of San Angelo" is entertaining enough, and it's nice to see Pat Brady, even if in an uncredited role as one of the Sons of the Pioneers. His comic timing is not as fully developed as we'll come to see in a few more years on the "Roy Rogers Show". Roy and Dale make a charming couple, and they even get to sing a duet together among the host of songs presented in the film.

One of the better Rogers films...

[kergillian · 7/10 · 3 June 2001]

This is one of the last good Roy Rogers films, before they started recycling stories and churning them out a mile a minute. The plot is interesting and keeps you interested. The film isn't too long (about 1h20) and doesn't drag at all. The songs aren't too bad, and the absolutely *adorable* Dale Evans has lots of screen time;) Andy Devine was amusing as the sheriff, much more amusing than many of the later comic relief sidekicks, and Roy Rogers was at his best, in voice and in character.

Overall: One of the few colour Rogers films worth seeing; not the best of them, but most certainly nowhere near the worst (though I'm not much of a fan of the genre;). Entertaining, and worth seeing at least once. And, of course, Andy might be Devine , but Dale Evans is *divine*!!;) 7/10.

Bells of San Angelo

[CinemaSerf · 5/10 · 8 January 2023]

The usual, routine, singing cowboy stuff from Roy Rogers as he is sent to investigate some shenanigans at a ranch on the US/Mexican border. The film really belongs to Andy Devine as "Sheriff Cookie"; the enthusiastic, if not desperately competent local sheriff who alongside trashy-journalist "Lee Madison" (Dale Evans) has to help Rogers get to the bottom of it all. Fritz Lieber adds a wee bit of weight to the proceedings, and if you like songs with your westerns then this is no better or worse than the norm. The story is far, far too thin for 80 minutes though, an hour would have easily sufficed.

Okay Flick., With Dale Outdoing Roy This Time!

[FightingWesterner · 6/10 · 7 April 2010]

Roy Rogers and sheriff/sidekick Andy Devine investigate the death of an alleged thief, who was supposedly shot in the act of ripping off a villain's silver-mine. Meanwhile, western-fiction writer Dale Evans comes to town under an assumed name and has to deal with Roy's patronizing of her work.

A mildly entertaining, loosely plotted Roy Rodgers picture, Bells Of San Angelo is good fun, with high production values (at least for a Republic Pictures Saturday matinée western).

The well photographed desert landscapes look nice in exaggerated Technicolor, as do Dale and Roy's spiffy outfits and good songs are the perfect antidote for slow spots, with Roy, Dale, and Bob Nolan taking turns singing with The Sons Of The Pioneers.

Here, a feistier than usual Dale Evans gives one of her best performances, stealing nearly every scene she's in! Playing the local priest is character actor Fritz Leiber, who's lookalike, also-named son was one of the great sci-fi writers of the twentieth-century!

Lady Western novelist gets a taste of the real West.

[weezeralfalfa · 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.

This one is a little bit meta and a lot random.

[CubsandCulture · 7/10 · 8 April 2022]

This B western has a lot of technical problems. The trucolor isn't very good-the color palette is oversaturated with orange and blue. The film has a tawdry feel because of this. Likewise, the coverage of scenes and/or editing is jerky. There are several bad jump cuts. I think they might have even crossed the line once.

But I was deeply entertained by this film. Cookie is give an absurd subplot. A raccoon is the star of a "fox" hunt. Dale plays a wester novelist that annoys Roy for being inauthentic only to have Roy use a trope in her novel to save the day. This is a grab bag of the Rogers films.

Rootin' tootin' Roy Rogers and Trigger.

[michaelRokeefe · 3/10 · 6 November 2005]

The singing cowboy Roy Rogers is a Border Patrol agent delving into the disappearance of several men near the border between Mexico and San Angelo. Along with Sheriff Cookie Bullfincher(Andy Devine)and a sensational novelist from the East Lee Madison(Dale Evans), Roy discovers that Rex Gridley(John McGuire)is smuggling Mexican gold across the border and hiding it in an abandoned mine. And how can Rogers do all this without a song or two and his faithful horse, Trigger. William Witney directs this 54 minute oater. Supporting cast includes: Fritz Leiber, Fred 'Snowflake' Toones, David Sharpe and Bob Nolan and his Sons of the Pioneers. A good companion is THE GOLDEN STALLION(1949).

I loved all of them!

[larry-hakari · 8/10 · 30 November 2008]

To all of my learned comrades that posted comments insulting the late, great Roy Rogers & Dale Evans, I say from the bottom of my pea-picking, reminiscing-good old days heart, PPPPPPTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL! I honestly do realize that the color quality isn't exactly top shelf, most of the acting is sub-par & the plots are tissue paper transparent, but who gives a horses saddle bag? I love each and every dusty one of them. And this includes the 50s TV show with sidekick Pat Brady and Nellie Belle the jeep. Yes, Gaby Hayes is the best sidekick ever! I grew up watching R.R. He brought to the youth of my time, "truth, justice & the American way"! I stole that quote, by the way. It brings me back to my childhood, which I guess was worse than these movies were. Maybe that is why I enjoyed them so much. PapaLarry H

Yippee for all the violence!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 17 October 2013]

While I enjoy Roy Rogers movies, I must admit that one of the shortcomings in them is that they were generally geared towards kids--and the violence was way, way under-emphasized. Roy and the gang didn't shoot baddies--they beat them up and turned them over to the law. Or, if they shot anyone, it was usually the way the Lone Ranger did it--in the hand! However, "Bells of San Angelo" is a welcome change and the film is unabashedly violent...very, very violent. And, because of this, it's among Rogers' better films.

The film is a bit unusual because it's in color. Unfortunately, the color is very muddy and unattractive. On the other hand, at least the copy of the film I downloaded for free at archive.org was the full film--not the shortened to fit TV time slot versions you often find.

"Bells of San Angelo" finds Roy and the Sons of the Pioneers coming into town to help the sheriff (Andy Devine) get to the bottom of a shooting. The mine owner says it was justified--Roy and the gang think there is way more to the shooting and decide to investigate. Along the way, a western writer (Dale Evans) comes to town to visit and, uncharacteristically, Dale is nice and not stupid--and Roy is the dumbbell here. He assumes she CAN'T be the author since she's a woman and he also assumes books about the old west are worthless! By the end of the film, she, of course, proves him wrong.

So what about all this violence I mentioned? Well, in the big finale, one of the baddies is launched off a cliff and it looks amazingly real when he hits. Another is shot and killed by Roy. And, both are mangled a bit by dogs just before this! I loved it as it really set the usual formula on its ear. The same can be said for Devine, as usually the sidekicks are pretty passive and not much help--but Devine occasionally kicks the snot out of people! Now compared to a non-Roy Rogers film, this picture isn't that violent--but compared to the usual sanitized view of the west in his films, this IS pretty surprising and a welcome relief.

Shooting the Breeze

[wes-connors · 2/10 · 7 September 2007]

Roy Rogers is a "border investigator" who arrives at San Angelo for some singing, and some problem solving - the problem is silver smuggling along the U.S.-Mexican border, and murder rears its ugly head. Comic sidekick Andy Devine (as "Cookie") is local sheriff / dog catcher. Dale Evans (as "Helen") is a reporter with a nose for news, and a penchant for trouble. Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers sing "Hot Lead" and shoot the breeze.

"Bells of San Angelo" is full of absurdities. Mr. Devine's dogs and raccoon keep the production looking perpetually infantile - one of the dogs even tosses a bad guy over a cliff. There are several scenes with Mr. Rogers and Ms. Evans (especially Ms. Evans) performing quite well, but the production does not give them a proper outlet for their obvious charm and ability; they shine in the "Robin Hood" scene, and during a couple of songs (like "I Love the West" ). The color photography is nice, but the film is lackluster.

** Bells of San Angelo (1947) William Witney ~ Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Andy Devine

The Series Gets A Boost

[dougdoepke · 22 August 2022]

Did I see the movie correctly, or did Roy shoot Dale twice with a loaded gun! At least her white blouse showed no blood. After seeing that, I'm really glad that the famous cowboy couple got permanently hitched at the end of '47. In fact, there're a number of unexpected touches in this well-produced Rogers oater, including a baddie who actually grieves over his dead pet bird - how's that for humanizing a bad guy. Then too, looks like Republic popped a hefty budget for this Rogers programmer. The scenic Nevada buttes are a dramatic and eye-catching plus. And get a load of that strung-out silver mine clinging to the mountainside like a giant caterpillar.

So, can Roy, Devine, and Dale stop the smugglers from tunneling silver ore from the Mexico side of the border to the US side where it brings in a lot more dough. Those underground scenes in the cross-border tunnel are grimly well-staged. Meanwhile a really paunchy Sheriff Devine gets to throw his weight around in more than just comedic style -- so watch out bad guys. Meanwhile, the lovely Dale has a more meaningful plot role than usual, as a writer, no less. Then too, there's plenty of hard riding and fast shooting, along with flying fists that may surprise you (it did me). On the brief downside is a loose narrative, and maybe too few songs from the delightful Sons of the Pioneers.

All in all, its a nifty Rogers oater with a number of unusual touches. Also, it looks like Republic was maybe looking for a series uplft. So Front-Row guys and geezers, don't pass it up.

Typical Rogers and sidekick (A.Devine) saves Dale, gets crooks

[keck50 · 3/10 · 21 April 2001]

This one gets better as it goes along. It features Andy Devine as one of Roy's better sidekicks, Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers, Dale as Western writer in disguise. Bad guys are weaker actors than usual. Excellent color processes from Republic help on this one. Weak script hurts, and except for Devine and Snowflake Toones as the ranch cook, the acting is barely passable.

Better than expected, much better...

[opsbooks · 7/10 · 25 January 2006]

Another movie from a cheap 10 movies for $10 DVD set, teamed on a disc with 'The Gunfighters' (good, see review) and 'Guns of the Revolution' (unwatchable, no wonder it's not on IMDb!).

I'd not see Roy and friends in color. In fact it's almost 50 years since I'd seen Roy in B/W, on TV. He and Trigger never measured up to 'Hoppy' and Topper, in my boyish opinion of the time. Having now seen both stars and their mounts in recent years, that opinion still holds. William Boyd was a far better actor, as was Topper.

However, this movie is entertaining. The story is interesting, as are the characters. Andy Devine pretty much steals in picture. Wow, what a character; and Dale Evans, very nice to look at, and not a bad actor. The characters' guns actually run out of bullets*!

*Keith, an 80 yo pal of mine who is a keen fan of Westerns said that as a kid, he thought Colt.45s were called thus because they held 45 bullets!

After the Fox?

[bsmith5552 · 6/10 · 23 October 2020]

"Bells of San Angelo" was the second of Roy Rogers' Trucolor westerns. It was a mixed bag at best. On the positive side there was the addition of jolly old Andy Devine as Roy's side kick Cookie Bullfincher replacing the departed Gabby Hayes. And Dale Evans never looked better. On the negative side, some one decided to include a segment where an English lawyer (Olaf Hytten) arrives looking for Cookie (under a different name). Then, of all things they threw in a "fox" hunt with , now get this, a racoon. The unusual running time of 78 minutes could have been pared down by at least 15 minutes,

The plot has miner Gridley (John McGuire ) mining silver in Mexico and smuggling it across the border through a tunnel of the abandoned San Angelo mine and selling it through his worthless mine on the American side. Border Investigator Roy Rogers is sent to investigate. The sub plot has western writer Lee Madison (Evans) arriving by stage and learning that Roy has no use for "him". Lee adopts an alias to fool Roy.

With William Whitney as director, you know that you will get a little more realism as had been the case in earlier entries, He doesn't disappoint. Roy gets into a fight with Ulrich, Gridley's henchman (Dave Sharpe - one of Republic's top stuntmen) and Dale Van Sickle another top stuntman. There's also a climatic fight atop a cliff between Roy McGuire and Sharpe.

Bob Nolan and The Sons of the Pioneers are also along to provide musical entertainment. Roy sings a couple of forgettable tunes and Dale has a catchy little solo of her own.

Smugglers

[StrictlyConfidential · 6/10 · 26 October 2021]

"Bells Of San Angelo" was originally released back in 1947.

Anyway - As the story goes - In an ingenious scheme, Gridley is mining silver from an old Mexican mine, and sneaking it across the border via an underground passage that links to his own worthless mine.

Roy is a vigilant border guard who investigates and finds the secret passage to the Mexican mine. When he sends his gal pal Lee Madison for help, she is captured by the unscrupulous Gridley. Roy sends his horse Trigger for help and Gridley's gang is captured. Now it's up to Roy to come to Lee's rescue.

roy and dale never fail.

[froberts73 · 8/10 · 3 May 2011]

First of all, I wish that some of the contributors to these pages would learn to use spell check, spell names correctly and, in general stop bastardizing the English language. Sometimes it looks like maybe one of 10 graduated middle school.

As for the 'bells' pic, I found it thoroughly enjoyable. It was Dale Evans at her best, cute, perky and, as it was proved in real life, an excellent partner for the Slye one.

The plot did not tax the brain, the bad guys were particularly annoying (I mean that in a complimentary way) and, of course, The Sons of the Pioneers showed why they were one of the top western groups.

I can't comment on the color since my version is in living black and white.

This movie is a very pleasant way to spend time. Oh, and kudos to Andy Devine. He was all over the place in those days - so many movies and, of course, a semi-regular on Jack Benny's show. He is simply as his name implies.

The most pleasant surprise in this movie was Dale Evans in a role that gave her more to do than usual.

See the flick, review it and do so with some intelligence - even semi-intelligent would be welcome.

bigger than life, Roy Rogers

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 21 February 2021]

Roy Rogers. and Trigger of course. with co-stars Dale Evans and Andy Devine, as usual. and Devine's voice wasn't even that scratchy yet in this one! when miners bring up silver through dubious sources, Roy investigates and brings the naughty ones to justice. some silly cowboy songs while they are tooling along in the stagecoach or sitting on the porch. pretty silly plotline, but it works if you just go along with it. everyone is wearing starched, brandy-new outfits. clean as ever. filmed in valley of fire, among other places. pretty red rocks, east and west of Las Vegas. fistfights. horses. made by Republic in spherical TruColor, later bought out by Paramount. directed by Bill Whitney; wrote a book about Trigger, the horse! story by writer Paul Gangelin. it's barely okay. certain interesting for the Roy Rogers buffs. and some great photos of the actual mines at Goodsprings, if you look on the interwebs.

One of Roy's best!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 5 December 2017]

This entry is about as lively and entertaining as the Roy Roger's westerns ever achieved. Admittedly, the use of Trucolor (which looks a whole lot more attractive on the Republic/Duke DVD than it ever looked on theater screens or TV) - plus classy shooting (in both meanings of that word) on real locations - adds immeasurably to the movie's appeal.

The cast is outstanding too. Roy Rogers never gave a more ingratiating performance, and he is well supported by cute (if undersized) Dale Evans who gives an animated and quite sparkling account of her Lee Madison. Andy Devine is also along for the ride, although the scriptwriter never seems quite sure whether to portray Andy as Roy's comic sidekick or as a vigorous and highly reliable action support. (The latter seems to win out, a turn-up that will probably disappoint many of Andy's fans. But it didn't worry me, I hasten to say!)

According to the DVD, the movie runs 13O minutes. Someone can't count! That figure would translate to more than two hours and twelve minutes in movie theaters. On the other hand, Republic's press sheet argues 78 minutes which would translate to no more than 76 minutes on a DVD, which seems about right!

I guess I just don't like Roy Rogers movies

[wrbtu · 7 May 2003]

I've never been a fan of Roy's, even while I watched his 1950s TV

show as a kid. I wanted to buy one RR movie, just to see if I had

changed my mind about his films. I picked this one because a

couple of sources had stated that this was his best film, & was

"tougher" than most of his films. I don't like songs with my

westerns, so of course there was far too much music for my taste

here (I lost count at seven). The comedy, supplied by Andy Devine,

was pretty good (& actually quite funny near the end of the film), a

big improvement over Smiley Burnett, but nowhere near as good

as Gabby Hayes. Dale was OK as the heroine, & better than I

thought she would be, a better actor than her husband. Indeed,

there were a couple of very gritty fight scenes where RR took a

beating (& surprisingly, this was acknowledged in later scenes

where he was seen with bruises). But overall, not an exciting

experience for me. The plot was weak & the music disconnected

what little action there was. For the sake of comparison, I'm going

to try a very small dose of Gene Autry before going back to the

greatest of all cowboy stars, William Boyd!