Come on, Rangers! (1938) User Reviews

Great Early Roy Rogers

[FightingWesterner · 7/10 · 6 April 2010]

Immediately after being admitted into the Union, the original Texas Rangers disband, leaving an out of work Roy Rogers to join the United States Cavalry. Without the Rangers, violence and lawlessness heat up. Roy's brother ends up being killed by a new and crooked, protection-selling "state patrol", forcing him to desert his post in order to avenge the murder.

Come On, Rangers is better produced than many of Rogers' other early features. The photography, locations, and direction are all pretty good, while the story is fast-paced and exciting, with a few good songs to smooth over the rough spots.

Roy's sidekick this time around is Raymond Hatton, who's pretty interesting in that he's not so much a comic foil as he is just an odd, leathery, squinty-eyed codger.

Disband the Texas Rangers?

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 19 May 2011]

Although not terribly historically accurate Come On Rangers was a fast moving and entertaining early Roy Rogers film which casts Roy as a member of the Texas Rangers post Reconstruction.

But the Rangers are about to be disbanded and the Governor of Texas at the urging of a State Senator played by Purnell Pratt wants to establish a new Texas state police. In fact Pratt feels so strongly he's going to resign his legislative seat and the perks therein to head the state police.

Pratt's seeing some real lucrative opportunities here for a lovely protection racket where the dirty work is carried out by his henchman Harry Woods and the rest of a nicely organized outlaw band. As a politician, Pratt's a real bottom feeder.

The cavalry is also on the scene, but they're not terribly affective bound up in red tape as it were. But Colonel J. Farrell MacDonald has a lovely daughter in Lynne Roberts who's got both Roy and Lieutenant Bruce MacFarlane panting after her. Roy joins the cavalry, but finds the red tape cramps his style every which way.

Playing the sidekick role is movie veteran Raymond Hatton whose career dates all the way back to the early silent era as does J. Farrell MacDonald.

Come On Rangers is a nice action western with a few Roy Rogers type songs thrown in. A Saturday matinée dream.

The Eyes of Texas

[krorie · 6/10 · 1 July 2006]

Texas has just become a state after a decade as the Lone Star Republic. The United States Cavalry is sent to replace the famed Texas Rangers. Roy and the other Rangers, including his brother, Ken (Lane Chandler), and sidekick, Jeff (Raymond Hatton), receive the news to disband and go home. Instead, Roy and Jeff join the cavalry commanded by Colonel Forbes (J. Farrell MacDonald) who just happens to have a beautiful daughter, Janice (Lynne Roberts, aka Mary Hart), who captures Roy's heart. She falls for him and romance blooms.

As predicted by Roy and the Rangers, once disbanded the outlaws move in to take over, this time assuming the role of peace keepers for a price. Organized by an ex-Senator (Purnell Pratt), the so-called peace keepers, or State Patrol, are led by a notorious Missouri hooligan, Morgan Burke (Harry Wood). Those that won't pay for protection are terrorized, intimidated, and often murdered. When Roy's brother refuses to pay and resists, he is killed. When Roy learns of his brother's fate, he goes AWOL to set things straight.

This is an early Roy Rogers film with more action and fewer songs than later when some of his movies were not dissimilar to the Hollywood musicals of the day. Nineteen thirty eight was the year Roy changed his stage name from Dick Weston to Roy Rogers and became a cowboy star. He had used other monikers earlier, including his birth name of Leonard Slye when singing with the Sons of the Pioneers. Roy and wife, Dale Evans, had a show on the Nashville Channel in the 80's where they would reminisce about the old days and show a few of their movies. Roy said he came up with his name because he liked the sound of "Roy" and one of his heroes was Will Rogers. So that is where "Rogers" originated.

Roy was a much better singer than Gene Autry, who was the number one cowboy at the time. Gene was a better songwriter and arranger. Roy was the best of the singing cowboys other than Tex Ritter, who had a wider voice range and a more authentic western sound. Roy did some song writing but Dale was one of the best songwriters around, although she mainly composed songs of a religious nature. In "Come On, Rangers," Roy sings three songs including the Civil War ballad, "Tenting Tonight." The Sons of the Pioneers are missing. Otherwise, the music is worthwhile.

One problem is the movie's time-line. The Texas Rangers didn't exist in Texas until after the Civil War. The feel and look of "Come On, Rangers" is post-Civil War, including the music. The story would have been better served if no mention had been made at the first concerning Texas statehood. If the viewer ignores that historical discrepancy, then the rest makes sense.

Gabby Hayes was not yet Roy's sidekick and he is sorely missed. Raymond Hatton was a top-notch actor for B westerns, but his comedy often seemed forced. In "Come On, Rangers," Hatton really has to stretch for laughs.

"Come On, Rangers" is a must for Roy's many fans. Others who like the genre should enjoy this action-packed oater which shows The King of the Cowboys in the early days of his movie stardom.

"I'll take a Ranger's word against anybody's"!

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 4 April 2011]

Except for the print I viewed being somewhat washed out, I thought this was a fairly action packed oater, with Roy Rogers wearing a couple different hats as a Texas Ranger and Army Cavalry soldier. He accomplishes what I would consider the world record fastest promotion ever when he starts out on patrol as a private, and during the course of the ride, winds up being called sergeant by his commanding officer Lieutenant Nelson (Bruce MacFarlane). Someone didn't proofread the script very well.

In the story, Texas has just achieved statehood, and the Texas Rangers are disbanded due to an insufficient state budget. A bad move for Texas turns into a good move for the desperadoes, as a corrupt state senator (Purnell Pratt) sees an opportunity to turn a newly formed State Patrol into a personal money machine. Hiring on henchman Morgan Burke (Harry Woods), they form a marauding band of 'white horse outlaws' who operate as a protection racket. Roy's brother is killed when he holds out, prompting Roy to quit the Army and take up with his former allies, including grizzled sidekick Jeff (Ray Hatton).

Trigger has an interesting role in this picture. He's saved from a burning barn on Ken Rogers' (Lane Chandler) ranch after the bad guys murder him and his wife. It wasn't stated clearly if he was just stabling Trigger for Roy, or if he actually owned him. But after the save, Roy rides him for the rest of the picture. Roy had a curious line to partner Jeff at one point when he was holed up in the cavalry brig for disrespecting an officer; he tells Jeff "I'm ridin' out on a cloud". Before Roy purchased Trigger as his own, he was known as Golden Cloud, and was the horse Olivia de Havilland rode in the Errol Flynn picture, "The Adventures of Robin Hood".

Well it could have been curtains for Roy had villain Burke gotten his way. He forced Roy to ride with the white horse raiders so he could be implicated as an outlaw himself, but Jeff and Trigger make the save. Later, using the old 'tie their saddles to the hitching post' trick, the bad guys are yanked off their horses as they try to make a getaway with the cavalry closing in. You know, the more I think about the white horse gimmick, the more it doesn't make any sense at all, but it did look cool. That was probably reason enough to come up with the idea.

Before it's all over, Roy will have to stand trial for desertion, but come on, this was Roy Rogers. He's found, but immediately gets back his commission as captain of the newly organized Texas Rangers. And as an added bonus, he gets the girl too, winning the hand of the Army Colonel's daughter (Lynne Roberts).

Roy is kind of a hot-head in this one...

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 3 January 2014]

"Come on Rangers" is an odd sort of film--mostly because Roy behaves a bit uncharacteristically. Perhaps this is because it's an early Roy Rogers film. It begins with the Texas Rangers being disbanded around the time Texas became a state. I checked--the organization was disbanded, at least for the most part, at that time. However, it was soon reorganized and begun anew. This film is set during this interval in between. Roy wants to help protect the public, so he joins the US Cavalry. The problem is that Roy is not one to take orders and although a very accomplished cavalry man, he insists on investigating a recent spate of crimes all on his lonesome. To do so, he even goes AWOL!! This is hardly the Roy we usually love.

While he is clearly a good guy, he's also a bit undisciplined and hot-headed! While the plot is a tad unusual for one of Rogers' films, it's better than his usual films. Much of this is because there's much less singing and Rogers isn't playing a caricature of himself like he so often did in later films. Worth watching.

By the way, although the film was set in the mid-late 1840s, the costumes and weapons were clearly from the late 19th century. For instance, they all use revolvers that fires bullets--very modern bullets. Colt .45s were often in the film--a fun not invented until the 1870s. For this reason, I'm knocking it from a 7 to a 6. The history teacher in me demands this!

Song of a Texas Ranger

[zardoz-13 · 7/10 · 13 January 2008]

Texas has become a state after being a republic and the governor has to disband the celebrated Texas Rangers because there isn't enough money in the treasury to fund the famed outfit. When he learns about this unfortunate news, State Senator Harvey (Purnell Pratt of "Waterfront Lady") resigns his legislative position and vows to create a new State Police. Harvey hopes that he can convince enough ranchers, bankers, and storekeepers to help create his agency. However, the wily Harvey has other nefarious plans. The State Patrol that he plans to organize amounts to little more than a costly protection racket. Meanwhile, Roy Rogers (himself, of course), Ken Rogers ("Samson and Delilah"), and Jeff (Raymond Hatton of "Girls in Prison") aren't happy about the reality of the Texas Rangers being disbanded. Everybody fears that outlaws will ride roughshod over the only existing authority in the state—the U.S. Cavalry, which is woefully undermanned. Earlier, before he received this devastating news, Roy helped Janice Forbes (Mary Hart, a.k.a. Lynne Roberts of "Frontier Pony Express") the daughter of U.S. Cavalry Colonel Forbes (J. Farrell Mc Donald of "The Painted Desert") when the covered wagon that she was riding in lost a wheel during a river crossing.

Meanwhile, Harvey dispatches perennial bad man Harry Woods as Morgan Burke to approach ranchers about the State Patrol. They visit Roy's brother Ken with their devious proposition and he runs them off. No sooner has he run them off than they attack his ranch, kill him, and set fire to the buildings. By this time, our crooning hero has enlisted in the U.S. Cavalry and mysteriously reaches the rank of sergeant. Everybody like Roy's unlucky brother Ken that refuses to submit to the tyranny of the State Patrol suffers the consequences in some form or another and sometimes even pay with their lives.

Roy warbles three songs in "Come On, Rangers" without back-up from the Sons of the Pioneers. A couple of the songs are sung without a band, while Roy sings one without any accompaniment. There are nearly as many tunes here to slow down the action as would occur during Roy's World War II era oaters. Mary Hart plays the love interest, while durable Raymond Hatton makes an excellent sidekick who happily isn't saddled with the chore of providing rodeo clown shenanigans.

Anyway, Roy has to desert from the cavalry to track down the killers of his brother. He eludes a cavalry patrol and crosses into Mexico out of the cavalry's jurisdiction. Eventually, he tangles with Burke and they get the drop on our saintly hero, but Jeff triggers a rock slide that enables Roy to escape. Eventually, with the cavalry hot on his trail, Roy corners Harvey and the truth comes out. Nevertheless, Roy has to stand trial on account of his desertion. Since he helped rid Texas of the devious likes of Harvey and Burke, Roy wins his freedom from the cavalry and gets to marry Janice.

Joe Kane keeps the action at a gallop and the production values in this Republic sagebrusher are more polished.

Not surprisingly, the historical aspect of "Come On, Rangers" is somewhat inaccurate. For the record, legendary Texan Stephen F. Austin created the Rangers unofficially in 1823 and Texas formally authorized them in 1835. Federal authorities—not the state of Texas—disbanded the Rangers during the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War. However, not long afterward, the Rangers were reorganized. During the absence of the Rangers, a corrupt Texas State Police flourished in 1870, but was disbanded in 1873.

Not Much To Say

[boblipton · 6/10 · 16 July 2023]

Texas has joined the Union and the United States Army, in the former of Cavalry colonel J. Farrell MacDonald comes in to protect the state against Indians. He has the help of his daughter Lynn Roberts and also some soldiers. That being the case, Governor Burr Caruth disbands the Texas Rangers. Rangers Captain Roy Rogers has already met Miss Lynne, so he joins the army. But the army is laden with red tape, so crooked ex-state Senator Purnell Pratt gets the governor to set up a new state police, which Pratt uses as a protection racket. When Rogers' brother is killed in an example rid, Rogers goes AWOL to seek justice.

In my other reviews of Roy Rogers movies, I've commented on the franchise's commitments to tell stories outside the usual B Western parameters, its professional casts, and efficient and interesting direction by Joseph Kane and camerawork, here by Jack Marta. I'd like to say something new and interesting, but I haven't got much. Rogers sings four songs, three of them new and the fourth the old standard "Tenting Tonight On The Old Camp Ground." Miss Roberts is, for some reason, in her phase of being credited as "Mary Hart", and while there's no real comic sidekick, Raymond Hatton as another ex-Ranger who's now a scout for the cavalry has some amusing lines and a twinkle in his eye as he delivers them dead pan. That will have to do.