Utah (1945)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

John English

Writers:

Betty Burbridge (story)
John K. Butler (writer)

Release Date:

21 March 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

When ranch foreman Roy learns the new ranch owner Dorothy Bryant and her friends are arriving, he directs them to Gabby's rundown ranch...

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Remake

Cast

Roy Rogers	...	Roy Rogers
Trigger	...	Trigger, Roy's Horse
George 'Gabby' Hayes	...	Gabby Wittaker
Dale Evans	...	Dorothy Bryant
Peggy Stewart	...	Jackie (Dorothy's friend)
Beverly Lloyd	...	Wanda - Bob's girl friend
Jill Browning	...	Babe (Dorothy's showgirl friend)
Vivien Oakland	...	Stella Mason
Grant Withers	...	Ben Bowman
Hal Taliaferro	...	Steve Lacy
Jack Rutherford	...	Sheriff McBride
Emmett Vogan	...	Chicago Police Chief
Bob Nolan	...	Bob
Sons of the Pioneers	...	Cowhands / Musicians

Runtime:

77 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 #10668)

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures (I)

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dorothy Bryant: [singing] Now, way down upon the Swanee River, / Folks keep jivin' all the day long; / 'Cause that's where I'm gonna stay forever / With a gate who'll make my life a song. / So honey chile, on that day, / When you come my way, / I'll say, "Thank Dixie for me!"
[runs backstage]
Dorothy Bryant: How'd it look, Stel?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Thank Dixie For Me

Light-Hearted Visit With Roy & the Gang, With Good Scenery

"Utah" is a light Roy Rogers Western with the whole gang - Dale Evans, Gabby Hayes, and of course Trigger. Except for some nice scenery, it is undistinguished, but it is a good way to pass a pleasant hour.

The picture begins with Dale as a member of a singing and dancing troupe in Chicago, whose act might have to disband because of lack of backing. Dale remembers that her grandfather left her a ranch in Utah - she has never seen the ranch, but decides that selling it might be a good way of raising money to keep the show afloat. So she heads west, taking the women in her show along for the ride. It turns out that the Bar-X Ranch is run by Roy and Gabby, who do not want to see it sold, since they know a big land speculator who has been just waiting to grab the Bar-X and replace the cattle with sheep.

From there, events get pretty far-fetched, but entertaining. There are of course some cowboy songs, and there is a lot of cornball humor centering on the incongruity of a group of women from the city having to associate with a group of cowboys. Some of the humor is lame and dated, but the good-natured feel of the movie keeps it from becoming too annoying.

One less routine aspect of "Utah" is the scenery - there are a lot of good background shots (for example, during the horse chase scenes) that remind us of Utah's rugged grandeur.

"Utah" is good light entertainment for any fan of old Westerns.