User Reviews

I got a kick out of this Roy Rogers film, and mostly for elements not even connected to the story per se. For example, the name of Buzz Henry's character in the picture goes by Bobby Blake, and I thought to myself, wouldn't it have been cool if the REAL Bobby Blake (Robert Blake, that is) was cast as a character with his own name? It would have been possible too, since the young Buzz Henry was eleven years old when he appeared in the picture. At the time, Blake (the real one) would have been nine, so it probably wouldn't have been too much of a stretch to make that happen. Instead, Blake (the real one) made his mark in Westerns as Red Ryder's sidekick in the series of movies that started with "Riders of Death Valley" in 1944; Blake was Ryder's sidekick Little Beaver.

Then there's Roy Rogers' title song that's first heard as a recording when Bobby spins a couple of tunes on his record player. I thought that was pretty unique, at least it was the first time I'd seen that done to introduce the lead player. Rogers himself doesn't appear for a few more scenes, so that was a cool way to get his presence into the movie a bit earlier.

A good deal of the fun in this one is provided by a running feud between Gabby Hayes and Pat Brady as a member of the Sons of the Pioneers. Each believes the other is deaf based on false information intentionally planted by Roy and Bob Nolan, so they go through the picture shouting at each other in comic fashion. Brady provides some more merriment when he gets to sing lead in a jail house tune later in the story. As for Gabby, he tries hard to build on his reputation as a 'professional rustler catcher', even if one wonders how many rustlers there might have been in that hazy modern Western era where 1880's sensibility collides with such technology as automobiles, radio and electrical appliances. The 1940's was a curious time for Westerns as this stuff pops up all the time in the films of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, but it usually turns out fairly entertaining as it does here.

If you hadn't figured it out by now (unless you've seen the film), the story involves a gang of rustlers operating in a milieu where wild herds are being rounded up on reservations and bred with ranch thoroughbreds as part of a government experiment. The rustlers spring into action whenever a particular song is played during the Lariat Lodge entertainment broadcast. Inadvertently, the Pioneers are drawn into this ruse when they perform "Blue Prairie" during a one night stand at the Lodge. That actually rounds out another interesting point about the movie's principal players - when introduced, the singing group is introduced as Roy Rogers and the Sons of The Pioneers. I hope Bob Nolan didn't feel too bad about that one!

Gabby Hayes and Pat Brady, of the Sons of the Pioneers, have periodic fits of fighting with each other. In one episode, while Gabby is driving his old car, and Pat is the passenger, the steering wheel comes off, Gabby plays with it, then hands it to Pat, who hands it back. Eventually, the car crashes, wrecking it, but the occupants aren't hurt.........9y.o. Bobby Blake(Buzz Henry) and his beautiful marriageable sister, Alice(Linda Hayes), have spent the last year catching wild horses to sell. They have probably 100 and hope to sell them soon, making enough money to fix up and modernize their ranch house. Alice talks to horse buyer Mr. Butler, who agrees to buy the entire herd. Neighbor Burt Wooster is also present, and hears the conversation. Latter, Bobby and Alice realize that all the horses have been stolen........Bobby runs away, hoping to find his radio hero. Roy Rogers, to help him locate and return his horses. Gabby Hayes happens by, and gives him a ride, telling him where Roy probably is. Soon, they pass 3 horsemen. Bobby recognizes one as one of the rustlers, so Gabby stops. Bobby gets out and shouts at the man, then tries to hit him, but his fists are too weak to do any damage. The man rides off, dragging Bobby, who still clings. Bobby is somewhat injured and falls to the ground. Fortunately, Roy and friends happen along soon after, and tend to Bobby.........Rancher Wooster, and Gus Jordan: owner of the Lariat Lodge dude ranch, are actually the slick bosses of the rustlers. Barbara Joyce, singer and hostess of the Lariat Lodge, is also in on signaling when the rustlers should strike, by her choice of songs on the radio.........Reports come in of more rustling activity in the region. Roy and friends ride around looking for suspects. Gabby catches rustler Pete, and brags about his prowess as a rustler catcher. Roy finds Wooster, and thinks him a rustler, but Wooster pleads that he was merely looking about for rustlers, like Roy. It's decided that Wooster will take rustler Pete in to the sheriff while Roy and gang continue to look for more rustlers. Roy sees Wooster and Pete from a distance, turning toward Jordan's place, rather than toward town. Roy and friends decide to follow them to Jordan's. After Wooster tells Jordan that he's quitting the rustler business, he and rustler Pete ride off, supposedly to town, but at a designated spot, Pete heads to a shack, to hide awhile. As they part, Pete shoots Wooster in the back. Roy and friends, who are trailing them, find Wooster's body. In their further wanderings, Roy and friends find truck tire tracts, and guess trucks are being used to carry the horses to a buyer. Later, Roy and friends find the several trucks. But Jordan has somehow arranged for the Sheriff and posse to find them there, and assume they are the rustlers! They are taken to jail, but breakout when they trick the jailer with his musical saw. They ride to where they saw the trucks, and see a number of men around, presumably getting ready to load horses. They also see Bobby, who has wandered there, trying to harm the rustlers. Bobby has been put on a horse, directed toward the arriving horse herd. The horse stops suddenly, throwing Bobby to the ground. Miraculously, Roy and friends arrive just then. and Roy bolts for Bobby, scooping him up just before the herd runs over that spot. Roy's friends, meanwhile, start shooting at the rustlers, and eventually subdue them, as the sheriff serendipitously arrives to see who the real rustlers are, and to haul the live ones to jail........Playing the song "Blue Prairies" on the radio is used by Jordan to signal when to go on a rustling assignment. Other songs of note include "In a Little Spanish Town", "My Little Buckaroo", the title song, and "Curly Joe, from Idaho". The latter was sung while Roy, Gabby, and the Sons of the Pioneers were in jail, with Pat taking the lead..........I didn't find this film of particular distinction. There were quite a few instances of highly unlikely coincidences. Also, I thought Bobby consumed too much of the on camera time for his minor role. I understand that Bobby was included to help kids identify with the film.

The rustling of wild horses being tamed for use in the fight for freedom is the subject of this way above average modern western. Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers get a bunch of upbeat numbers as Rogers tries to find who is stealing the horses trained by William "Buzz" Henry and romances Henry's pretty sister, Linda Hates. Don't make the same mistake I did. Upon hearing the name of Henry's character (Bobby Blake), I assumed that the future Baretta was playing the part, being under contract at the same time to MGM. One of the key songs is "In a Little Spanish Town" which was sung comically in different films by Buster Keaton and Virginia O'Brien. George "Gabby" Hayes gets lots of laughs, especially when he pulls off a car steering wheel to presumably let it drive itself. Everything works just fine here, one of the better B westerns I've seen, and that's been quite a few of them.

"Ridin' Down The Canyon" was originally released back in 1942.

Anyway - As the story goes - A gang of rustlers have been stealing horses and then selling them for huge profits back to the government for their reclamation project. When a female rancher and her brother are victims of the rustlers, the brother sets out to get aid from Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers who are enroute to their ranch.