Roy Rogers Movies

Rainbow over Texas is set in a western never-never land, with vintage six-shooters and stagecoaches sharing screen time with modern limousines and radio studios. Roy Rogers (cast as "himself," as usual), plays a cowboy singing star who agrees to participate in a re-creation of the first Pony Express race. For reasons too numerous to mention here, the villains conspire to prevent Rogers from winning the race. Not only does Roy foil the bad guys, but he also finds time to sing several sprightly musical numbers with co-stars Dale Evans and The Sons of the Pioneers. And of course, there's always room for the comic interpolations of grizzled old Gabby Hayes. Two notes of interest: The principal villain in Rainbow over Texas is played by Sheldon Leonard, who would seem to be more at home in the mean streets of Brooklyn; and the screenplay was based on a novel by Max Brand, of Destry Rides Again fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bing Crosby's only western (outside of the 1966 version of Stagecoach), Rhythm on the Range stars Crosby as a casual cowpoke on his way back to the Wide Open Spaces after an eastern visit. He meets a young train stowaway (Frances Farmer), whom he regards as a hoydenish vagabond until learning that she's the owner of the ranch where he works. Farmer resists Crosby's charms until he rescues her from a gang of rustlers. Among the supporting cast is Mischa Auer, Bob "Bazooka" Burns, and, in her film debut, 19-year-old Martha Raye. The film also introduces the song hit "I'm an Old Cowhand", which is sung at one point or another by everyone in the cast, including Russian-born Mischa Auer. Rhythm on the Range was remade in 1956 as Pardners, with a few minor alterations--notably the casting of Jerry Lewis in the Frances Farmer role! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Robin Hood of the Pecos was set immediately after the Civil War, when most of Texas was under the thumb of corrupt northern politicians. Alleviating things somewhat is the presence of a mysterious masked night rider, inclined to rob from the rich and give to the poor. Believe it or not, this latter-day Robin Hood is not played by star Roy Rogers, but by his grizzled sidekick Gabby Hayes! No matter: the plot is resolved when Rogers swings into action against crypto-fascistic local adjutant Cy Kendall. Repeating her "Calamity Jane" characterization from Young Bill Hickok, Sally Payne plays a gun-wielding hoyden, while the more sedate heroine is enacted by Marjorie Reynolds. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It's hard to dislike the Roy Rogers musical western Romance on the Range, but it's equally hard to get too enthusiastic about it. Rogers plays the owner of a western ranch who suspects that something is amiss with his highly secretive foreman Banning (Edward Pawley). Assuming a phony name, Roy gets a job as a ranchhand on his own spread, eventually discovering that Banning is secretly the head of a bandit gang which has been fencing stolen furs at the local trading post. Innocently caught in the middle of all this is postmistress Joan Stuart (Linda Hayes) who falls in love with Rogers while unaware of his true identity. As Steve, veteran movie heavy Harry Woods plays a relatively benign role in Romance on the Range. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The director of this documentary recounts how his childhood was enriched by his enjoyment of American Westerns, particularly those by Roy Rogers, and he screens clips from a few of his favorite Roy Rogers films complete with their Dutch subtitles, to show what so appealed to him. In addition to interviewing his childhood idols and visiting their museum in Portsmouth, Ohio (complete with the horse Trigger, stuffed and wearing his riding regalia), the director travels to Hollywood to see the imprint of his heroes' foot and hoofprints in the Walk of Stars at Graumann's Chinese theater, and attends a Roy Rogers Film Festival where he meets the legendary Lash Larue, now quite an old man. One highlight of the interview with the elderly Rogers and Dale Evans is their onscreen kiss, something never seen in their movies. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

See Rogers as he sings, acts and shares time with his family and friends. ~ All Movie Guide

In this western, Rogers and his sidekick Gabby get into all kinds of trouble when they ride into Tombstone and find themselves mistaken for the hired gun and his assistant. The gunslinger was engaged to work for the mayor and for a time Rogers goes along with it. When he discovers that the mayor is a bonafide crook, the "gunslinger" becomes the new sheriff. When the real gunman finally moseys into town, a showdown ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

See the segments which make movies action classics in this compilation ~ All Movie Guide

A sequel to Bob Hope's 1948 box-office success The Paleface, 1952's Son of Paleface is a superior product in every way, thanks largely to the spirited, creative direction of Frank Tashlin. Hope is cast as Junior Potter, a Harvard-educated dude who heads West to claim the inheritance left him by his gunslinger father. Much to his chagrin, Junior discovers that his dad has left him nothing but debts. To stave off Potter Sr.'s angry creditors, Junior pretends that his father has salted away a fortune somewhere in the hills. This arouses the attention of curvaceous saloon owner Mike (Jane Russell), who doubles as a mysterious masked bandit known as The Torch. Meanwhile, Roy Rogers (playing a federal agent named Roy Rogers) keeps tabs on Junior, hoping that he'll lead him to The Torch and her gang. True to form, ex-cartoonist Tashlin fills the screen with a wealth of inventive sight gags and inside jokes: Cecil B. DeMille shows up as a photographer in one scene, while in another, Hope, about to embark on the film's wild climactic chase sequence, shoos away a couple of vultures wearing bibs, warning them that "You'll make the whole thing look impossible." Our favorite scenes: Hope's Wile E. Coyote-like reaction to a particularly potent drink, and his bedroom scene with Roy Rogers' wonder horse Trigger. And don't forget the film's slightly risque punch line "Let's see them top that on television," (you have to be there). Songs in Son of Paleface include "You Are My Valley of Sunshine," "Four-Legged Friend," "Wing Ding Tonight," "What A Dirty Shame," and a reprise of The Paleface's Oscar-winning "Buttons and Bows," performed by Hope, Russell and Rogers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans weren't yet husband and wife when they co-starred in Song of Nevada, but the rapport and chemistry is already very much in evidence. Roy befriends millionaire Thurston Hall, who was believed to have been killed in a plane crash. Hall hires Rogers to "tame" his snooty, citified daughter Evans, who has come West to take over her dad's ranch. Yes, it's Taming of the Shrew on the prairie, and it's every bit as enjoyable as its Shakespearean predecessor. Songs include such deathless gems as "The Harum Scarum Baron of the Harmonium." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The second of singing cowboy Dick Foran's Warner Bros. westerns, Song of the Saddle was a decided improvement on the first (Moonlight on the Prairie). Foran is cast as Frank Wilson Jr., who heads Westward to avenge the long-ago murder of his father (Addison Richards). Frank had witnessed the killing, but only has a few fragmentary clues to go by. Ultimately he learns what the audience has known all along, that the killer was ruthless land baron Phineas P. Hook (Charles Middleton); heck, that name alone should have given him away! Among the minor players in Song of the Saddle are former western hero William Desmond, up-and-coming child star (and future Lone Ranger producer) Bonita Granville, and, fleetingly, the Sons of the Pioneers (with Roy Rogers). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sons of the Pioneers is a showcase for?the Sons of the Pioneers, who are reteamed with ex-"Son" Roy Rogers in this budget western. The plot is contingent upon a deposit of rare minerals, vital to the American war effort. The villains want to get their hands on these minerals, and to do so organize themselves into a gang of masked terrorists, bent on chasing everyone else out of the territory. Unable to handle the villains alone, sheriff Gabby Whittaker (Gabby Hayes) sends for Roy Rogers, whose father was a legendary guns-slingin' peacekeeper. Alas, Roy is a shy entymologist who's never handled a gun in his life-but he soon learns how, thereby routing the heavies and striking a blow for Democracy. Pat Brady, a member in good standing of the Sons of the Pioneers, makes the first of many screen appearances as Roy Rogers' comical sidekick. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide