Valley of Fire (1951)

Director:

John English

Writers:

Earle Snell (story)
Gerald Geraghty (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 November 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Gene's the man-hunting mayor of old California's toughest boomtown!

Plot:

Mayor Autrey sends for a wagon train of women to settle in his town, but baddies Guilford and Rawlings...

Plot Keywords:

Mayor | Horse | Actor Shares First Name With Character

Cast

Gene Autry	...	Gene Autry
Champion	...	Champion (as Champion, World's Wonder Horse)
Gail Davis	...	Laurie
Russell Hayden	...	Steve Guilford
Christine Larsen	...	Bee Laverne (as Christine Larson)
Harry Lauter	...	Tod Rawlings
Terry Frost	...	Grady McKean
Barbara Stanley	...	Laurie's friend
Teddy Infuhr	...	Virgil
Margie Liszt	...	Virgil's Mother (as Marjorie Liszt)
Pat Buttram	...	Breezie

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (Sepiatone)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #15436)

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Gene Autry Productions

Quotes:

[Breezy rides up to Blanche's wagon wearing his Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes]
Widow Blanche: Oh Virgil, look at the nice man!
Virgil: Is that what he is?

Soundtrack:

Here's To The Ladies

Where have all the women gone ..........

This 1951 sepia-tone feature by Gene and company is fast-paced, entertaining and superior to most similar period films. Gene Autry aids lawman Pat Butram in helping tame the male-populated metropolis. Former Hopalong Cassidy co-star Russ Hayden plays a bad guy who woos the lovely Gail Davis.

I enjoyed this one, with its novel plot and good acting. Gene's voice is in fine form here and his chemistry with Davis was notable. Sepia-tone was pretty much a gimmick, to cover the fact that these films were not in color, as many of Roy Rogers films were around that time (TruColor).

Don't be put off by the singin' cowboy genre..... This film will be enjoyed by most western fans of all ages.