Robin Hood of the Pecos (1941) User Reviews

"Now everything there is, I am."

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 30 November 2004]

Roy Rogers portrays Vance Corbin, an ex-Confederate soldier who takes the amnesty oath declaring his allegiance to the United States, and is duly elected sheriff of Purvis City. Opposing him is town boss Ambrose Ballard (Cy Kendall), whose goal is to eliminate all the local ranchers by declaring them seditionists and having them hung for treason. Gabriel Hornaday (George "Gabby" Hayes) is the voice of the ranchers, also going by the name of "The Night Rider". Vance and Gabby are aided by Sam and Belle Starr (Eddie Acuff and Sally Payne), and Gabby's niece Jeanie (Marjorie Reynolds, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Dale Evans).

Ballard attempts to ingratiate himself with a local contingent of cavalry troops, but when Colonel Davis suspects something amiss, Ballard's henchman Stacy (Jay Novello) shoots him. Ballard protects Stacy for as long as it may prove useful, but then attempts to eliminate him as well. With Stacy ready to come clean, Roy and company arrive in time to set the record straight with Captain Morgan, as Stacy settles his score with Ballard.

Presumably Roy Rogers is the Robin Hood of the story, otherwise the title of the film bears no relation to the actual story line, not uncommon for a lot of B Westerns. This one follows a typical formula, but there is one neat innovative sequence when Vance Corbin aboard Trigger is attempting to escape a bad guy posse. Riding up on a herd of wild horses, Corbin quickly dismounts, removes the saddle, and Trigger blends in with the herd as the bad guys ride by completely unaware. This is the only time I've seen this strategy in a Western film, and it came across as a fairly clever ruse.

".....because you cook like a Chinaman"

[weezeralfalfa · 7/10 · 4 March 2019]

The quote in my review title is Roy's(Vance Corbin)( response to Jeanie's(Marjorie Reynolds) question of why he is romancing her. Ending the film, this was the second time Roy made this statement. Cute Marjorie doesn't receive much screen time. Compared to extrovert tomboy Sally Payne, playing Belle Star, she seems quite bland, and out of her niche. The next year, she would receive a measure of fame as the main dancing partner for Fred Astaire, and main singing partner for Bing Crosby in the classic film "Holiday Inn". Unfortunately, she never found another standout role, receiving a small measure of fame as Riley's wife, in the TV serial "The Life of Riley". Belle spent much more time being with Roy or Gabby than did Jeanie........This is a story about the early days of Reconstruction, soon after the end of the Civil War. Roy, as Vance, is just returning from a POW camp. Like other southerners, he's very concerned about the pervasiveness of yankey carpetbaggers, and southern scalawags in the Union-based provisional governments in southern states. Roy begins a movement to pledge allegiance to the United States, which Col. Davis says will lead to the end of martial law and carpetbaggers, such as Ambrose Ballard((Cy Kendall), who levy unfair property taxes, in order to gain ownership of some properties, as well as upfront cash. Davis orders an end to martial law, and Roy is elected sheriff. But, Davis unwisely starts looking through Ballard's records, raising the alarm of Ballard's secretary, Stacy, who is in the room. Finally, Stacy shoots Davis dead, claiming the shot came in the window, from the revelers. Ballard immediately takes it upon himself to reinstitute martial law, and threatens judicial death to any who complain: what he calls sedition. Sometime later, Roy discovers a badly wounded Stacy in a hay loft. Ballard had shot him, to keep him quit, but had neglected to make sure he was dead. This turned out to be his fatal mistake. Thinking he would soon be dead, Stacy tells Roy about his shooting of Davis at Ballard's command. Roy and companions get Stacy to a house to recuperate. When he was well enough, he and Roy ride to town and, during a shootout, Stacy sneaks into Ballard's office and assassinates him. Meanwhile, Belle has ridden to inform General Wright of happenings.......... The comedy is mostly carried by 4 characters: Belle Starr, Gabby, prominent African American thespian Leigh Whipper, and Robert Strange, as the very nearsighted lawyer and judge Wilber Cravens. Don't confuse Robert with actor Glen Strange, who sometimes played Frankenstein's monster. They had very different bodies! No doubt, the comical highlight occurs during the trial of Gabby and Belle for sedition. Wilber is the lawyer and judge, and gets laughed at periodically. The two are unanimously acquitted by the jury, but Ballard takes it upon himself to declare them guilty.......In another incident, Gabby and Belle are in jail, awaiting their execution. They hear a knocking sound under a trap door in Belle's cell, and guess it's Roy, who has entered a tunnel below the door. So, they start making a racket by singing and stomp dancing, to drown out Roy's noise. Keseye enters the jail with some nourishment for the inmates. The jailer samples the potent alcoholic drink, and soon is laying on the floor. Roy has the cell keys.........I enjoyed the film, despite some very questionable aspects. See it at YouTube.

A history lesson filled with little in the way of true history.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 17 November 2020]

In the first half of the 20th century, a popular myths promoted in many films is that of the oppressed south during Reconstruction. In this myth, the poor Southerners are tormented and taken advantage of by evil 'carpetbaggers' from the North who want to exploit the defeated South. And, in this version of history, the blacks who live in this post-war South seem to LIKE the South and there's no mistreatment of them and slavery is never even mentioned in any way. In other words, if these Yankees just left the Southerners alone, life would be wonderful. Now if all of this sounds like hooey, then your instincts are right....this is a lie promoted in many films. So, before you see "Robin Hood of the Pecos" understand that it strongly promotes this mythical Reconstruction period and historically speaking, it's pure fiction.

When the story begins, the evil Yankee, Ballard (Cy Kendall) is in Texas and pretty much running things. In response to this thief, there is a Robin Hood sort of character who works in disguise in order to right wrongs....and steal back the money Ballard and his lackeys stole from the oppressed Southern folk.

Although the doings of the vigilantes are not done under the auspices of the KKK, in many ways Roy and his fellow Night Riders take the law into their own hand in order to preserve order and right wrongs. This is EXACTLY how many in the Klan represented their actions at that time in history! And the 'Night Riders' is also a term often used by the KKK!!! So this makes this Rogers film one which actually, in a round about way, is pro Klan!

I will admit that "Robin Hood of the Peco" is very entertaining, it's a crappy history lesson and is a racist (or at least quite revisionist) version of history. Worth seeing if you understand that the movie is highly flawed.

By the way, this film is posted on YouTube but like many B-westerns, it was trimmed for television time slots. It should run 59 minutes but runs 53--the standard length for a movie in a one-hour time slot back in the 1950s. I have no idea if the full original version exists any more.

In the Birth of a Nation tradition

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 28 July 2005]

Before the civil rights revolution post Civil War stories about the ravages the Confederate states had to endure under occupation was a common enough plot line for movies. This all started back in the early days of film with Birth of a Nation, continuing with Gone With the Wind.

You could never make Robin Hood of the Pecos today. Even clean living Roy Rogers shows a tinge of racism here when he meets actor Nick Stewart who refuses to help him because the law is after him. "Do as you're told," says Rogers sternly and Nick Stewart does just that. It's these kind of moments that made black people rightly ticked off at the film industry.

Roy is a former Confederate now operating as a Robin Hood type outlaw, battling the corrupt carpetbagger government as exemplified by Cy Kendall who's busy lining his own pockets with self-imposed tax money and having the Union occupying Army backing him up. He's actually the one who gets the acting honors in this film if honors can be given it.

I'm not even sure fans of the King of the Cowboys would go for this one.

The Carpetbaggers

[wes-connors · 2/10 · 5 September 2007]

Roy Rogers (as Vance) is appointed sheriff of a Texas town, following the Civil War. A former Confederate P.O.W., Mr. Rogers faces wicked carpetbaggers, led by Cy Kendall (as Ballard). Assisting Rogers is his ever present pal George "Gabby" Hayes (as Gabby), who happens to have a fetching niece, Marjorie Reynolds (as Jeanie). Sally Payne is along for the ride, as Belle Starr. Rogers must be the "Robin Hood" of the title, protecting the people from big tax collectors.

Rogers and Ms. Payne have a cool brawl (not with each other) and the acting from Rogers and team are a notch above the norm. However, Rogers' role of an ex-Confederate, in a post-Civil War setting, lends itself to some understandable questions about the representation of race - not the worst you'll see, but enough to stand out in a western with little else to notice.

** Robin Hood of the Pecos (1941) Joseph Kane ~ Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Marjorie Reynolds