Rockin' in the Rockies (1945)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Vernon Keays

Writers:

J. Benton Cheney (writer)
Gail Davenport (story)

Release Date:

17 April 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Western

Tagline:

Peak of Musical Entertainment!

Plot:

While Rusty Williams is away at college, he leaves his cousin, Shorty Williams (Moe Howard), in charge of his large ranch...

Plot Keywords:

Ranch | Broadway Producer | Audition | Ranch House | Roulette

Cast

Moe Howard	...	Shorty Williams (ranch foreman) (as The Three Stooges)
Larry Fine	...	Larry (a vagrant) (as The Three Stooges)
Curly Howard	...	Curly (a vagrant) (as The Three Stooges)
Mary Beth Hughes	...	June McGuire
Ken Trietsch	...	Hotshot Ken (as The Hoosier Hotshots)
Paul Trietsch	...	Hotshot Hezzie (as The Hoosier Hotshots)
Charles Ward	...	Hotshot Gabe (as The Hoosier Hotshots)
Gil Taylor	...	Hotshot Gil (as The Hoosier Hotshots)
Jay Kirby	...	Rusty Williams
Cappy Barra Boys	...	Harmonica musicians
Gladys Blake	...	Betty Vale
Tim Ryan	...	Tom Trove
Spade Cooley	...	Himself, Spade Cooley (as Spade Cooley King of Western Swing)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
The Hoosier Hotshots

Also Known As:

Partners in Fortune (UK)

Runtime:

63 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

In one slapstick bit, Curly forgets himself and refers to Shorty Williams as "Moe". While Curly and Larry used their real names in the picture, Moe wasn't Moe. He was Shorty Williams.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Song of the Prairie (1945)

Soundtrack:

Upstairs, Downstairs

NOT your typical Three Stooges movie, but still fun and interesting

Moe Howard actually plays a non-stooge: "Shorty" Williams, a ranch foreman, but one who really wants to be a prospector.

He does a good job, too.

This movie is a must for Stooges fans, if only because it is not typical, but it is so unusual it's a must for any movie fan.

Besides, Mary Beth Hughes is in it. Someone with whom I was not familiar, Gladys Blake, but whose lovely legs make her very watchable, played her performing partner, Betty. She didn't act long, but had many gigs.

Most of the plot is to give excuses for musical numbers, and some of the numbers are pretty good, especially "Wahoo." Though Ken Trietsch was a guest on a TV show I directed, I hadn't realized the Hoosier Hotshots had been so active in movies. They actually had a lot of talent, as both musicians and actors. This film was a revelation.

Some of the alleged comedy was done poorly, and can't be called good slapstick. Probably the director should be blamed.

Still, this is a lot of fun, is a must for Stooges fans, a must for movie historians, a must for fans of Western Swing and for -- a term I think I coined -- Midwestern Swing, and a good time for anyone just looking for pleasant fun.