Trigger the Horse

In Roy Rogers' final big-screen effort, the cowboy hero plays a U.S. Border Patrolman assigned to prevent a herd of diseased cattle from crossing over from Mexico. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Roy Rogers enters the atomic age with this sci-fi western directed by serial ace William Witney. Our hero runs a pipeline near a site where Dr. Manning (William Forrest) and his daughter Frankie (Penny Edwards) are experimenting with long-range weather forecasting by using rockets. Enter nasty Gregory Camwell (Ralph Withers) and his crew of thugs, who have in mind quite different uses for the missiles. Aided by Frankie, sidekick Splinters (Gordon Jones), Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage singing group and Bullet, the dog, Roy is soon knee-deep in a whole new kind of trouble that culminates with a blazing fight to the death on an oil derrick. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

After a string of winners, Roy Rogers faltered a bit with South of Caliente. Rogers, playing himself, is the owner of a trailer-van service who is hired to transport a prize horse across the Mexican border. En route, Roy is bushwhacked and the horse stolen. The animal's owner Doris Stewart (Dale Evans) suspects that Roy is the thief, but the actual crook is within her own circle of employees. The supporting cast includes burlesque funster Pinky Lee (checkered cap and all) and character actor Leonard Penn, the father of current screen favorites Sean and Christopher Penn. Though not Roy Rogers' best film, South of Caliente still scores in the action department. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Roy Rogers goes "PC" in North of the Great Divide. In this one, Roy champions the cause of the Oseka Indians, whose supply of salmon has been cut off. The perpetrator is fish-cannery owner Banning (Roy Barcroft), who has been hogging the salmon for his own business. Not only that, Banning contrives to frame the Oseka chief for murder. No matter how many obstacles are thrown in the good guys' path, Roy Rogers still finds time to sing three tunes with Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage. The pro-conservation, pro-Native American stance of North of the Great Divide makes this one of the most prescient of Roy Rogers' feature films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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

The King of the Cowboys and the Queen of the West perform their noublesse oblige in Twilight in the Sierras. Roy Rogers plays a US marshal, pursuing a vicious gang of counterfeiters. Dale Evans (not yet Mrs. Rogers) hasn't got much to do but provide love interest, warble a few tunes, and display jealousy when co-star Estelitta Rodriguez sashays into view. The story is motivated by the kidnapping of an ex-counterfeiter who's gone straight. Filmed in the restful Trucolor process, Twilight in the Sierras was designed and marketed as a "special," aiming beyond its usual small-town and regional audiences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Part of the Roy Rogers series, this film focuses on Roy Roger's horse, Trigger, and his infatuation with a handsome palomino mare. When Trigger discovers the mare being beaten by her lowlife owner, he kills him, leaving Rogers to take the blame. However, it seems that Trigger's new girlfriend might be unwittingly involved in some underhanded activity. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

One of the better Roy Rogers films of its period, The Gay Ranchero also happens to be one of the more violent Rogers efforts. The villains want to gain control of a private airport, and aren't above sabotage and murder to get what they want. Riding to the rescue is sheriff Rogers, who is aided by Latino-flyboy Nicci Lopez (Tito Guizar). Roy gets to warble several tunes both by himself and with heroine Jane Frazee, while Tito Guizar solos on "You Belong to My Heart" and "Granada." One of the writers of the title song was Abe Tuvim, the father of actress Judy Holliday. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Released in Republic Pictures' low-budget Trucolor and filmed at the majestic location of the title, Grand Canyon Trail stars Roy Rogers is a rancher going up against a crooked mining engineer played by fellow Western star Robert Livingston. The latter, Bill Regan, has conned eastern silver magnate J. Malcolm Vanderpool (Charles Coleman) into believing that his Sintown mine is worthless. But Vanderpool's pretty secretary, Carol Martin (Jane Frazee), is suspicious and travels to the ghost town masquerading as the boss' daughter. Rancher Rogers and his hired hands -- Foy Willing & the Riders of the Purple Sage in their first Rogers Western -- have all invested in the mine, courtesy of hayseed blacksmith "Cookie" Bullfincher (Andy Devine), and are doing a bit of digging themselves. The only person with knowledge of the location of the mine, elderly stage driver Ed Carruthers (Emmett Lynn), is kidnapped by the gang and later murdered. Carol, whom Roy accuses of being in cahoots with the villains, is kept captive in a cabin during a rainstorm and when Mike Delsing (Ken Terrell), one of Regan's men, turns up, she mistakenly believes he has come to rescue her and hits Roy over the head with a vase. Realizing her error, Carol later aids Roy and the Riders capture the gang and their leader, Regan, whom she dispatches with a well-appointed rock. In between the action, Roy and the Riders perform "Everything's Going My Way," by Foy Willing and "Grand Canyon Trail" and "Colorado Joe" by Jack Elliott. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Republic's Springtime in the Sierras bestows upon star Roy Rogers two leading ladies. The first is his usual vis-a-vis Jane Frazee; the second is statuesque Stephanie Bachelor, playing the head of a poaching gang. Bachelor, it seems, has murdered a game warden who happens to be Rogers' closest chum. Rogers, Frazee and even Andy Devine get to sing in this one. Originally running 75 minutes, it was released to TV in a 54-minute version retitled Song of the Sierra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the better Roy Rogers vehicles of its period, Home in Oklahoma casts Rogers as a crusading frontier newspaper editor. Forsworn to find the murderers of a prominent cattle rancher, Roy teams up with big-city journalist Connie Edwards (Dale Evans) and grizzled ranch foreman Gabby Whittaker (Gabby Hayes). Following the trail of clues like a Sagebrush Sherlock, Rogers exposes a rival rancher (never mind which one-his identity is obvious to seasoned mystery fans) as the culprit. Musical highlights include Roy and Dale's rendition of the novelty tune "Miguelito." Chalk up another winner for the star-director team of Roy Rogers and William Witney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this musical, the fourth entry in a five-film series, three singers come together to form a nightclub act. Their songwriter falls for the female. They become a hit and are soon signed to appear in Hollywood musicals, but when the female becomes a star, the group disbands. Songs include: "Chiquita from Santa Anita," "Is There Anyone Here from Texas?" "I Guess I'll Have That Dream Right Away," "Couldn't Be More in Love," "The Customer is Always Wrong," "The Cats Are Going to the Dogs," "Brooklyn Buckaroos," and "Out California Way." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Roy Rogers could do no wrong at the box office in 1946, so it's safe to assume that Song of Arizona would have been a hit even if it hadn't been as good as it is. The plot is slightly reminiscent of Boys Town, with Gabby Whittaker (Gabby Hayes) running an Arizona ranch for homeless boys. One of Gabby's charges, young Chip (Tommy Cook), is the son of notorious bank robber King Blaine (Lyle Talbot). When Blaine is killed, Chip secretly digs up his dad's stolen money, intending to use it to pay off Gabby's mortgage. It is up to Roy Rogers to rescue Chip's from his Blaine's gang and to convince the boy that ill-gotten gains never did anyone any good (not in the movies, anyway). The film's musical highlight is a nightclub sequence, spotlighting a Roy Rogers-Dale Evans duet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide