Under Western Stars (1938)

Roy is elected to Congress to bring the misery of the "dustbowl" of the 1930s to the attention of Washington politicians.

Director:

Joseph Kane (as Joe Kane)

Writers:

Dorrell McGowan (screenplay), Stuart E. McGowan (screenplay) (as Stuart McGowan)

Stars:

Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnette, Carol Hughes

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roy Rogers	...	Roy Rogers
Smiley Burnette	...	Frog Millhouse
Carol Hughes	...	Eleanor Fairbanks
Maple City Four	...	Singers
Guy Usher	...	John Fairbanks
Tom Chatterton	...	Congressman Edward H. Marlowe
Kenneth Harlan	...	Richards
Stephen Chase	...	Tom Andrews (as Alden Chase)
Brandon Beach	...	Sen. Wilson
Earl Dwire	...	Mayor Biggs
Jean Fowler	...	Mrs. Wilson
Dora Clement	...	Mrs. Marlowe (as Dora Clemant)
Dick Elliott	...	William P. Scully
Burr Caruth	...	Larkin
Slim Whitaker	...	Tremaine (as Charles Whitaker)

Storyline

In his starring debut Roy gets elected to congress in order to bring water to the ranchers in his district. In Washington he learns he needs the backing of a key congressman and gets that man to go west for an inspection trip. When the Congressman is initally unimpressed, Roy gets the inspection party stranded without water to show the true conditions.

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Plot Keywords:

american dust bowl | song | singer | singing | singing cowboy | 

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Taglines:

A NEW WESTERN STAR BLAZES HIS WAY ACROSS THE SCREEN! (original poster - all caps)

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Music | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 April 1938 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sob as Estrelas do Oeste

Filming Locations:

Winnedumah Hotel, Independence, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min 54 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Roy Rogers' first starring film for Republic Pictures, and while he was a hit with movie fans and exhibitors, it was a full five years (1943) before he received billing as "King of the Cowboys".

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Connections

Referenced in Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs (2000)

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Soundtracks

Listen to the Rhythm of the Range
Written by Johnny Marvin and Gene Autry
Sung by Roy Rogers

User Reviews

A bit of a career misstep for Gene Autry.

During the 1930s, there was no cowboy more popular than Gene Autry, so it's not surprising that he'd flex his muscles a bit and demand a higher salary. Unfortunately for Gene, he picked the absolute worst time to walk off on his contract---as Republic Pictures then substituted a relative newcomer into his next planned picture, "Under Western Skies". That newcomer was Roy Rogers--and in a few years he'd surpass Autry in popularity. I am pretty sure Gene must have felt pretty foolish after this--especially since "Under Western Stars" turned out to be a very good picture and much better than Gene's usual output!

The film begins with a bunch of ranchers at their wits end. The water company has jacked up the rates after they turned the land into a dessert. Now folks cannot afford to water their cattle and they are, naturally, hopping mad. Roy (along with Smiley Burnett) leads the fight against the water company and eventually they get the idea to run him for Congress. After all, their elected official is clearly in the pocket of the water company. Not surprisingly, Roy wins and goes to Washington to change things. Unfortunately, he learns that change comes slow and now he finds himself in the middle of what could be an all-out war between the ranchers and the water company. Can he manage to fix things AND still get the girl?

The plot to "Under Western Stars" is the best thing going for it. It's unique--and that's something you can't say about many of the B-westerns! On top of that, the music is good and Roy's voice is about equal to Gene's. All around, one of Roy's best efforts as he hits a grand slam the first time up at bat, so to speak.