San Fernando Valley (1944)

Director:

John English

Writers:

Dorrell McGowan (writer)
Stuart E. McGowan (writer)

Release Date:

15 September 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

The KING of the COWBOYS!

Plot:

A ranch owner fires his ranch hands and brings in women to replace them. The owner's daughter wants...

Plot Keywords:

Horse

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Roy Rogers	...	Roy Rogers
Trigger	...	Trigger, Roy's Horse (as The Smartest Horse in the Movies)
Dale Evans	...	Dale Kenyon
Jean Porter	...	Betty Lou Kenyon
Andrew Tombes	...	Cyclone Kenyon
Charles Smith	...	Oliver
Edward Gargan	...	Keno
Dot Farley	...	Hattie O'Toole
LeRoy Mason	...	Matt
Vernon and Draper	...	Comic dancers
Morrell Trio	...	Roller skaters
Bob Nolan	...	Bob
Sons of the Pioneers	...	Fired ranch hands

Runtime:

74 min (original version) | 54 min (edited version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #10237) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Kentucky Park Farms - 235 W. Potrero Road, Thousand Oaks, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures

"I'm Gonna Settle Down And Never More Roam, And Make The San Fernando Valley My Home"

On a review of another of the co-starring westerns of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans I remarked that the banter between the two of them was a kind of red state Tracy and Hepburn. Some of the comedic banter here is a bit more forced and the comedy more physical in San Fernando Valley. It was more like Cagney and Davis in The Bride Came COD. Not that that was bad.

Remembering that this was a film made for the kiddie trade so some of the goofiness of the plot is somewhat forgivable. Dale Evans and Jean Porter are the granddaughters of Andrew Toombes and Jean's one flirtatious young lady. Instead of doing their work, the cowhands on the ranch played by Sons of the Pioneers are busy serenading her. So Toombes loses patience and fires the whole lot of them, including a pair of no goods played by LeRoy Mason and Charles Smith.

Well Dale decides to strike a blow for feminism and to replace the Sons of the Pioneers with some female cowhands led by Dot Farley. Remember this was the war years of Rosie the Riveteer and I can imagine this film must have really struck a responsive note with the swingshift crowd.

Of course Jean misses the guys and decides on a scheme where the Sons of the Pioneers steal Toombes's horses and then the idea is to recover them so everyone can see how valuable the men are. Of course Smith and Mason decide to take advantage of the scheme for their own profit and its up to Roy Rogers to stop them.

Even Trigger gets into the act when Rogers tackles two bad guys jumping off of Trigger. Trigger keeps one at bay while Roy subdues the other. What a horse.

Roy and Dale are in great voice singing the title song and a host of others. The big hit record of Gordon Jenkins's classic was done by Bing Crosby, one of Der Bingle's biggest wartime sellers.

And Roy and Dale even get their first screen kiss here to the consternation of millions of kids out there who thought Roy violating the cowboy code as set down by Gene Autry.

During this period a lot of Roy's films were given big musical productions, as big as Republic and Herbert J. Yates would have them. The seven minute finale includes the title song and others from the score and has singing and dancing you might more associate with Busby Berkeley.

Now that definitely violates the cowboy code.