Under Western Stars
A Republic Picture 1938 / Dir. Joseph Kane
Blu-ray: Film Masters $19.99 (DVD $14.99)
When evil water barons (the worst kind of water barons!) build a dam and demand exorbitant utility fees from the local ranchers, Roy Rogers runs for Congress against their puppet incumbent, using folksy populism and a lot of yodelin' and singin’ to win over Washington.
You know, it’s silly to even relate the plot of most of these good, old-fashioned B-westerns; there ain’t hardly a-none of ‘em where the plot matters. We’re here for 65 minutes or so of action, slapstick, bad guys gettin’ their comeuppance, virtue triumphing, and the cowboy star gettin’ the pretty gal (but not a kiss, this is a family movie, folks). Growing up in Ohio, I never found much appeal in TV westerns; the only horse I ever rode was blue, cost a quarter for two minutes, and was parked next to the door of the supermarket, right behind the machines with toys and trinkets in little plastic eggs. That said, I always enjoyed the Three Mesquiteers and Roy Rogers; Roy was actually Leonard Slye from Cincinnati, which I didn’t know at the time but he definitely reeked of Ohio charm, and he and his company and his films were affable and engaging, and Under Western Stars is no exception. When I watch these things, I’m always surprised at how many songs they can jam in to the quick running time; I’ve seen straight-out musicals without so much music in ‘em. The big number here is a dramatic song called Dust, about the dust storms of the mid-1930s. It wouldn’t be out of place in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and it was actually nominated for an Academy Award. Other than that, there is the usual stuff: songs about the trail, the stars, the li’l dogies, sending Roy to Congress, and so on. Unexpected is a bit of Preston Sturges-type political satire thrown in for extra laughs. Good stuff.
The talented supporting cast? Well, Roy is clearly riding Trigger, although the Smartest Horse in the Movies wasn’t called that yet (wasn’t called anything, in fact); this was Rogers’ first starring role at Republic. Dale Evans hadn’t sashayed along, either: Carol Hughes, who’d inherit the role of Dale Arden in the third Flash Gordon serial, is the leading lady and it’s probably lucky she didn’t smooch Roy, when Dale (Evans, not Arden) came along, she wouldn’t have liked it.
Roy’s comic relief sidekick this time ‘round is Smiley Burnette as “Frog” (he has a trick voice that’s lower than a New York subway), the same character he’d been playing in Gene Autry pictures (reportedly, this film was written for Gene, but the star was on strike for more Republic money, leaving Rogers a golden opportunity that he readily took advantage of). Burnette was quite the musical fellow, and enhanced every film he was in (and we also remember him as the Engineer of the Hooterville Cannonball on Petticoat Junction, don’t we, fellow Boomers?).
A very nice print of a fun movie. There aren’t many Roy Rogers films on Blu-ray, and it’s great to have this one. We look forward to more to pair with cartoons and a serial chapter for our ongoing super Saturday matinees!
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