Having already been around in various small roles and known as a singing cowboy off screen, and mostly notably as a villain in a Gene Autry movie, Roy Rogers was elevated to stardom when Gene Autry pulled a Bette Davis and went up in a battle at Republic Pictures. The film that he was scheduled to make ended up being recast with Roy, and a second Western singing cowboy legend was born. Fortunately they would become friends and appear together off screen to show that were no hard feelings.
As far as Roy Rogers is concerned for his first leading film, he's quite a lot of fun as the hero who decides to go up against the government and fight for land rights, going to Washington and ending up in the Senate. Through song, Rogers fights for the plight of ranchers in the dust bowl, aided by his sidekick Smiley Burnette and the pretty Carol hughes, the daughter of his Senate rival Guy Usher. Local politician Dick Elliott also stands in his way, but he's the type of buffoon who cheats people with a smile and heavy laughter, so you know he'll go down like a rabid dog.
The great thing about Roy Rogers movies is that people who don't like westerns can find something in his films to like. They are often said in modern times so the themes were current to the time of release. Then there's the songs he sings, easy on the ear and yet making a point that helps move the story along. While these films are easy to predict how they will be resolved, it's fun picking up all the elements and putting them together and a story where you can't help but root for him. Yes, there are traditional Western themes there, but fortunately, the mixture of comedy and song and a modern world makes his film unique among the usual B Republic crop of films.
As far as Roy Rogers is concerned for his first leading film, he's quite a lot of fun as the hero who decides to go up against the government and fight for land rights, going to Washington and ending up in the Senate. Through song, Rogers fights for the plight of ranchers in the dust bowl, aided by his sidekick Smiley Burnette and the pretty Carol hughes, the daughter of his Senate rival Guy Usher. Local politician Dick Elliott also stands in his way, but he's the type of buffoon who cheats people with a smile and heavy laughter, so you know he'll go down like a rabid dog.
The great thing about Roy Rogers movies is that people who don't like westerns can find something in his films to like. They are often said in modern times so the themes were current to the time of release. Then there's the songs he sings, easy on the ear and yet making a point that helps move the story along. While these films are easy to predict how they will be resolved, it's fun picking up all the elements and putting them together and a story where you can't help but root for him. Yes, there are traditional Western themes there, but fortunately, the mixture of comedy and song and a modern world makes his film unique among the usual B Republic crop of films.