Bells of Coronado (1950) User Reviews

Roy Rogers with his horse Trigger and spouse Dale Evans taking on uranium smugglers

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 13 March 2007]

The film starts when a mines proprietary shipping a load uranium is attacked .Later the mines passes into a rancher owner named Bennet(Grant Withers,who played for John Ford and appeared over 200 movies until his suicide),he reclaims the company which sends to Roy Rogers(1914-1998) as an undercover insurance agent.Posing as a cowboy looking for employment,he gets a work along with a crew called ¨the riders of the purple sage¨ .Meanwhile happen songs alongside with a secretary(played by his spouse Dale Evans), pursuits and struggles against the uranium smugglers.He must avoid the robbers from taking off an airplane with the stolen load and he gets an exciting final confrontation on high voltage tower.The movie contains action Western,suspense,shoot outs,fighting and is quite entertaining.The film is produced by Republic picture, usual in serials of low budget .The motion picture is well directed by William Witney ,a prolific director of short budget and TV episodes(Daniel Boone, Bonanza,Virginian).

The picture is starred by famous Roy Rogers,he played in various musical groups,in 1934 he formed a group called sons of pioneers,they appeared in numerous Westerns(Rhythm on the range,Son of the pioneers,On the Spanish trail among others).Roy was married three times.Arlene Wilkins ,his second wife,died a few day after giving birth to their son,¨Roy Rogers Jr or Dusty¨ and Dale Evans his third spouse,became his four children's mom .Inducted along with his wife Evans into the Hall of great Western performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and also as member of the Sons of pioneers.Their nicknames were,Roy as ¨King of cowboys¨, Dale Evans ¨Queen of the West¨and Trigger ¨Smartest horse in the movies¨. Roy got his horse ¨Trigger¨in 1938 and rode him in every one of his film and TV shows after that.He had appeared in one early movie,being ridden by Olivia de Havilland in ¨¨ The adventures of Robin Hood¨. Trigged died in 1965,aged 33 years.

Another Roy Rogers ersatz western.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 29 April 2013]

"Bells of Coronado" is a rarity--a full-color Roy Rogers film. This is probably the case because it's one of Roy's later movies--and his popularity was at its peak and color film a little less costly than it had been in the 1940s. However, aside from the use of color and an absence of the usual sidekicks like Gabby Hayes, Andy Devine or Smiley Burnett (in this case, it's a lesser-known and less goofy Pat Brady), the film is very much like a typical Roy Rogers 'western'. In other words, aside from Roy and the rest riding about on horses out west, the film really is NOT a western but a modern ersatz cowboy film. Think about it--how many westerns have plots about stolen uranium and feature bad guys trying to escape by airplane?!

So is everything exactly like his other films? Well, close, but not exactly. Dale appears as usual but she sports brown hair and isn't annoying or stupid (a role they usually had her play). Also, unlike most Rogers films in the public domain, this version has not been trimmed down for a one-hour TV slot and its running time is about 67 minutes.

Overall, the film is very ordinary for a Rogers film, though with a little less music and a feeling that you've really seen this sort of thing several times before--which is true if you've seen many Roy Rogers films. It's entertaining but certainly won't tax your brain or leave a lasting impression. Thoroughly adequate with little to distinguish it one way or the other.

CROSS-GENRE HYBRID...ROY ROGERS & TRIGGER ARE UNDERCOVER COLD-WAR SPYS

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 1 September 2021]

Roy Rogers and Trigger (The Smartest Horse in the Movies), as He is Billed, take on Uranium Smugglers in this Bizarre, Bonkers Hybrid.

Not Shy About Crossing the Boundaries of the Spy and Western Genres, it Bends Them Both to Fit in a Roy Rogers Movie.

There are High-Power Electric Line Arrays, a Uranium Mine, Station Wagons, Airplanes and Plenty of Horses.

The Cowboys, Especially Roy, are Dressed to the 9's in Their "Rhinestone Cowboy" Duds with Gun-Belts.

These B-Type Westerns were Republic Studios "Bread and Butter" along with Serials and this 1hr Movie is Horizon to Horizon Filled with the Fun Stuff that the Fans Love.

Fist-Fights Galore, Gun Battles, High-Speed Chases on Horseback and other Outdoor Action.

Roy's Western, Along with Dale Evans and Pat Brady seem Absolutely Comfortable Embracing the Cold-War Plot with RR Going Undercover.

A Few Tunes are Inserted Here and There but Not to Distraction.

The Movie was Filmed in Tru-Color, Republic's Custom 2-Color Process that Always Gave a Surreal Feel.

This Odd, Off-Kilter Western in Surely That...Surreal.

Worth a Watch.

Western film-making pioneer William Witney provides us with another fun, swift film starring Rogers and Trigger

[FrankieDees · 5 June 2004]

A criminally unheard-of William Witney has always been underappreciated by western genre fans. Just as influential as John Ford, if not more so, Witney made some of the best early westerns out there creating the modernized, choreographed Western fight scenes we still see today. Witney kept the landscapes in the back where they belong and focused on the pure joy. This film, The Bells of Coronado, was one of Witney's last collaborations with Roy Rogers and Trigger but it is still worth checking out. A little adventure, a little action, a little music. It's all here. For Western genre fans who have never seen a William Witney film, do yourself a favor and check one out. If you liked this one, also check these early greats: On the Old Spanish Trail and Adventures of Red Ryder. While I'm a big fan of John Ford, Anthony Mann and Sergei Leone and appreciate what each of them has brought to the western genre over the years, Witney is still my favorite Western filmmaker. Because there's just a pure unadulterated joy to his pictures you can't find somewhere else. Pictures with no cynicism, a welcome watch in today's cynical world.

Roy Undercover

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 11 June 2013]

The Cold War and the quest for uranium ore comes into the plot of this Roy Rogers western, The Bells Of Coronado. Roy plays an insurance investigator who is assigned by John Hamilton to investigate the theft of unrefined uranium ore and incidentally the death of the owner of a mine from where it was stolen.

Dale Evans co-stars and it would surprise many to learn that Dale was only the leading lady in about a quarter of Roy's films. The films that she did co-star with Roy are elevated an extra notch because of the obvious chemistry between the two.

Roy is undercover in this one working at the power company that operates nearby the uranium mine. The mine is owned by Grant Withers who is also Dale's uncle in this film. The usual kittenish banter between Roy and Dale is present which always makes their films interesting.

Clifton Young who died much too young plays his usual murderous villain. Film fans will remember him best from the Humphrey Bogart - Lauren Bacall feature Dark Passage. Young is always good in any film he does.

Why Republic was so shy in not coming out and mentioning the Russians is beyond me. They are referred to only as 'the other side'. And the chief villain is not one you would suspect, especially coming from a B western.

The Bells Of Coronado will have enough singing, riding, and gunplay to satisfy any aged front row kid from the time this was in theaters and younger fans as well.

Utterly absurd, ridiculous and far-fetched!

[kdavidson-72660 · 5/10 · 17 October 2019]

There is so much absurdity to this movie it is pointless to describe it. You can read some of the reviews by others to get a sense of it. That said, it does have plenty of action scenes, hard riding and hard fighting. But the logic of having a dam and power company out in without even a truck or a paved road stretches your credibility. And how about a uranium mine using mule-drawn buckboard wagons to haul out their ore? In the early scenes, Dale Evans' character is downright obnoxious, but she straightens out later. Watch this to see Roy Rogers in his prime but don't expect much from the plot.

Up-To-Date Maguffin

[boblipton · 6/10 · 31 July 2023]

When Grant Withers puts in a claim for uranium hijacked from his mine, the insurance company sends Roy Rogers in to investigate.

With their reliance on good and sometimes original stories, Rogers' westerns kept up with the times -- except that people insisted on riding horses -- and raw material for nuclear bombs and an implication of foreign spying was as up-to-date as you can get. There's a early comic scene in which Dale Evans, thinking Roy is some evil-doer, sets four guys on him, and then tries to help them out by hitting Rogers with a frying pan ... and hitting them instead. This one also has a couple of plot twists that caught me unaware, and if the songs were not quite as good as usual, they're still pretty good, just like the stuntwork.

Cowboy for The Atomic Age

[georgewilliamnoble · 9/10 · 22 November 2014]

If you like westerns, and those B westerns of the 40's and 50's which were never going to win any Oscar's but were hugely popular in there Pre TV day. Then you will love "The Bells Of Coronado". A song used in the film has the line "in a western wonderland" and this movie has all the ingredients encapsulated in the western "never-land" world of the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans universe. Cars, Telephones, Electric,a Dam and a Power Station an even a Aeroplane, this film has the works. There are a few jovial songs, a number of punch up's and plenty of none violent gun play, a chase or two and Roy's star horse Trigger gets a few moments of the limelight. Yes it is to a formula and it is deliciously ridiculous and very very dated but in a good way. As for the plot well it's a cracker, mystery villain's are stealing uranium ore to sell to a foreign power, very topical in 1950, if way off centre in a western. To cap this jewel off is the use of "Trucolor" a garish low cost colour process developed by Republic Studios for there economical output. So, watch, love and indulge, in pure nostalgia.

"You don't expect me to fall for that old gag, do you?"

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 31 March 2022]

Although the foreign enemy is never named, you have to wonder where the hijacked uranium ore was going to go in this later Roy Rogers Western. The plot of the story offers a unique twist midway through as early sleight of hand suggests that Craig Bennett (Grant Withers) is the principal villain, but it turns out that long time doctor friend of Roy is the mastermind of the smuggling ring that's shipping the ore out of the country by plane. Dale Evans finds herself in a generally thankless role as Bennett's secretary, Pam Reynolds, while Roy's TV sidekick Pat Brady appears as comic relief character Sparrow Biffle. There's a humorous scene in which Sparrow, under anesthesia for a bullet wound, inadvertently exposes Roy's job investigating an insurance claim for the stolen ore, causing Roy to be fired by Bennett, who didn't like the idea of being spied on.

The film offers the usual expected chase scenes and buckboard spills that accompany Roy's films, but I have to say, the ending of the picture with Roy tailing Doc Harding's (Leo Cleary) henchman Ross (Clifton Young) up an electrical tower, didn't seem like the wisest thing to do. Too many things could have gone wrong for the film's hero, and as for the bad guy, he was caught red handed with no place to go. Instead of giving himself up though, he reached out for a handhold on one of the tower supports and lost his grip. Beats me where he though he was going to go.

I caught this film on Tubi TV, one of the streaming channels, as part of Roy and Dale's Happy Trails Theater well after they retired from making pictures. Their guests on the dais included Gene Autry and Pat Buttram, who seemed to be wearing the same outfits as the ones they had on during the airing of "Susanna Pass". On that program the film cowboys discussed their movie sidekicks, while this time, Roy and Gene talked about how they acquired their horses, Trigger and Champion. Because of the similar clothes they were all wearing, I had to think that these sessions were all filmed on the same day and then used as needed for the intros to the Happy Trails movie of the week.

Peculiar mix of cowboys and atomic age treason bathed in Trucolor

[BrianDanaCamp · 7 November 2010]

I watched BELLS OF CORONADO (1950) on Friday, November 5 in commemoration of what would have been Roy Rogers' 99th birthday. I have it in a legit edition on DVD (released in 2004 by LionsGate Home Entertainment and Republic Pictures). It's a beautiful print and the transfer is far superior to most of the VHS copies I have of Roy's Trucolor westerns. The film was beautifully photographed by John MacBurnie and shot mostly on location. I've now seen eight of Roy's Trucolor westerns and have reviewed four on IMDb, the others being TRAIL OF ROBIN HOOD, NORTH OF THE GREAT DIVIDE, and UNDER California STARS. Trucolor was a two-color film process developed exclusively for Republic Pictures and was used from 1946-1957.

BELLS has got an odd plot about a power company and a uranium mine in the remote town of Coronado. When a shipment of uranium ore has gone missing and the mine owner found unconscious, only to subsequently die in the doctor's office, the insurance company sends Roy Rogers to investigate by going undercover. Given how these films usually cast local businessmen as the villains, we can't be blamed for quickly assuming that gruff power company owner Bennett (Grant Withers) has got to be the culprit. However, in a big twist, the identity of the actual mastermind, who plans to sell the ore to a foreign power, comes as quite a shock. Can no one be trusted in Republic Pictures' baroque alternate western universe?

Dale Evans plays Bennett's ditzy secretary, quite a far cry from her proactive roles in other Roy westerns (see SUSANNA PASS, for instance). At one point, she shows an irrational fear of nice, gentle Roy and provokes a senseless fistfight between him and three company men. It's so completely out of character for Dale's usual screen persona. Other Roy Rogers regulars in the cast are Pat Brady and the singing group, Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage, who play linemen for the power company. Despite their presence, there are far fewer songs than usual here. Clifton Young, the chief thug in Roy's TRAIL OF ROBIN HOOD the same year, where he stole Christmas trees of all things, plays Coronado's General Store proprietor, who works after hours carrying out the thefts of uranium ore for the traitor selling it to the enemy. Which is quite baffling given the high odds of someone recognizing him.

As usual in these later Roy westerns, the setting is contemporary, but everyone wears cowboy clothes, rides horses and carries a gun belt, even when working on the electric towers. At one point, Roy and his new ally, an undercover federal agent, ride out on horseback, armed only with six-guns, to try and stop a plane which has landed to pick up the ore from the gang. They shoot at the gang from the rocks while waiting for Dale, Pat and the "posse" on horseback to show up when what's really needed is a full team of FBI agents with fast sedans, automatic weapons, and helicopters.

There are plenty of great bits of action and stunt work and the location shooting is as good as anything I've seen in these films. I just wish the plot weren't so far-fetched. I also wish Republic had made some color westerns with Roy in a traditional western period setting. Why couldn't he have done something along the lines of what Randolph Scott was doing at the time over at Warner Bros. or Audie Murphy at Universal? Heck, even Republic was making some fine period westerns in Trucolor at the time, but they usually put 2nd-tier stars like Bill Elliott (HELLFIRE, BRIMSTONE) or Forrest Tucker (ROCK ISLAND TRAIL, JUBILEE TRAIL) in them. Would it have hurt to try out Roy in one of them?

Uranium ore is the prize for an unnamed foreign power, but undercover insurance agent Roy stops them cold.

[jimyshin · 18 March 1999]

Solid Rogers film, speedy and fun. The advent of television eliminated these formulaic, but competent, oaters. A shame they can't be seen on the big screen today. Vivid Trucolor helps greatly.