Ridin' Down the Canyon (1942)

Those who might write about this film without seeing it might also question why the government needed horses during WW II (if that is all they knew about it from a short synopsis read ... See full summary »

Director:

Joseph Kane

Writers:

Albert DeMond (screenplay), Norman Houston (story),

Stars:

Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Bob Nolan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Roy Rogers	...	Roy Rogers
George 'Gabby' Hayes	...	Gabby
Bob Nolan	...	Bob Nolan - Leader Sons of the Pioneers)
Sons of the Pioneers	...	Musicians
Robert 'Buzz' Henry	...	Bobbie Blake (as Dee 'Buzzy' Henry)
Linda Hayes	...	Alice Blake
Addison Richards	...	Gus Jordan
Lorna Gray	...	Barbara Joyce
Olin Howland	...	The Jailer (as Olin Howlin)
James Seay	...	Burt Wooster
Hal Taliaferro	...	Henchman Pete
Forrest Taylor	...	Jim Fellowes
Roy Barcroft	...	Henchman

Storyline

Those who might write about this film without seeing it might also question why the government needed horses during WW II (if that is all they knew about it from a short synopsis read somewhere), but viewing it one can learn that Jim Fellows, is the head of a government experiment in wild horse reclamation for purposes other than war, and his efforts are hampered by Gus Jordan, manager of the swanky Lariat Lodge dude ranch, but actually the leader of a gang of rustlers who steal the horses as fast as the ranchers can round them up for the project. When the rustlers steal a herd from Alice Blake, her kid brother Bobbie, sets out to get help from his radio favorites, Roy Rogers, King of the Cowboys, and the Sons of the Pioneers, who are en route to Lariat Lodge to play a one-night stand. While riding down the road with Gabby Whittaker, who has given him a ride in his jalopy, Bobbie sees three men who he recognizes as rustlers and, when he tries to stop them, they begin beating him with ...

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Plot Keywords:

horse | cowboy

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Genres:

Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 December 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Marca dos Bandoleiros

Filming Locations:

Kernville, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

55 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[Gabby and Pat have crashed Gabby's car]
Pat: Why, you misplaced son of a half-witted hurricane, you've killed me!
Gabby: Awww, shucks, you ain't hurt none. A little shakin'-up's good for your liver. Well, what are you going to do about my car now that you've wrecked it?
Pat: What am I gonna to do about it? I'm gonna sue you for everything you've got!
Gabby: [gesturing toward his car] Well, that's all I got! Sue me.

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Connections

Referenced in Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs (2000)

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Soundtracks

"In a Little Spanish Town"
(uncredited)
Music by Mabel Wayne
Lyrics by Sam Lewis and Joe Young
Performed by Roy Rogers

User Reviews

Although it's full of kids' stuff, it manages to work really well.

If you've seen many Roy Rogers films, you probably noticed that many of them involve kids. This was an image Republic Pictures cultivated--and over the years, his films became more and more kids-oriented. For me, this is a problem. His earlier films seemed less schmaltzy and I really didn't like the cute kids and schmaltzy plots (such as one where he stops bad guys from stealing Christmas trees!). However, "Ridin' Down the Canyon" managed to have a very kids-oriented plot but it still worked very well. I think one of the big reason was that the music was much better than usual--with Roy's Sons of the Pioneers at their very best.

The plot involves a boy, Bobby, and his sister. Their horses keep getting rustled (a VERY common plot in the Rogers films) and the boy sneaks off to find Roy because he KNOWS Roy can help him. However, in an odd case where art and real life converge, in this one Roy is a movie and radio star and because it's NOT the old west, he's not sure what he and his band can do. Will Roy just give up on the kid or will he somehow find a way to restore the child's faith in the wonderfulness of the Rogers mystique? So, the film has great music, great support from Gabby Hayes and it's fun. So, even with the cutesy kid, it's still among the better films of the genre.