planktonrules Review of Nevada City

Nevada City (1941)

I saw the "Reader's Digest" version and really liked it.

[6/10 · 23 November 2011]

In the 1950s, the rights to a bazillion Roy Rogers movies were sold to television. However, as most of his films were about 65 minutes long, this didn't fit TV time slots. So, to make the films more marketable, they literally chopped the films down to about 50 minutes (more or less). Sometimes this made the movies confusing and stupid---but in the case of "Nevada City" I actually think it improved it! That's because I am NOT a fan of singing in westerns--and Roy breaking into song never made any sense. However, in this truncated version, he NEVER sings. It's funny, because in one case Roy tells Gabby that he's about to sing and then....nothing! The film also benefited from a trimming because the plot was more compact and to the point. The film is also a bit different from the usual Rogers film. The movie begins with a prologue explaining how the railroad and stage coach owners hated each other. Then, you learn that a bunch of robberies of the stage had been occurring and the stage operators assume that the dreaded railroaders were behind it. When Roy, who works for the stage, talks with the evil railroad operator, he sees he's a swell guy and encourages his boss to make up and become friends with them. But, the butt-head boss fires Roy and Gabby and they look for work with the railroad. In the meantime, a greasy guy is making advances on Roy's girl. Could he have something to do with the robberies and the dreaded 'Black Bart'? Quick and without the usual Rogers nonsense, this one is enjoyable and unusual enough to merit giving it a look. Just try to see the 53 minute version unless you like songs for absolutely no conceivable reason!