Roy Rogers in TruColor and Uncut (2 Viewers)

[Bob Gu]

UTAH-1945. B&W, 77 minutes.

I have the Sinister Cinema DVD-R and the Alpha DVD 77 minute theatrical versions. The Alpha does not have the fore and aft Republic logos. The Sinister has only the front logo. Both prints are on the dark side, but still pretty sharp. I also have a 53 minute edited syndicated version from the Mill Creek 50 Movie Gunslingers DVD Collection, that is very sharp, clean and with a nice grey scale. I'd recommend getting the edited MC version just to better see what may be hard to see in the darker full length versions. It is probably available in some of the other Mill Creek collections.

Dale is a Chicago showgirl starring in a show that is out of money. Gale decides to help out by selling the ranch she has inherited and never visited.

Roy is the manager of the ranch and doesn't want her to sell the ranch, since the most likely buyer is a dreaded sheepman, represented by Grant Withers and Hal Taliaferro.

Dale arrives in Utah, with her wardrobe mistress, Vivien Oakland, and fellow showgirls, Jill Browning, Beverly Lloyd, and Peggy Stewart.

Roy gets the bright idea of taking the visitors to Gabby's run down ranch instead of the well appointed big ranch that Dale really owns.. Roy thinks Dale will think the ranch is not worth selling and go back to Chicago. (Roy did not learn his lesson from SONG OF TEXAS.) This ranch story was also used in a Gene Autry movie, SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES-1937.

Gabby is in fine comedic form ranting about 'durn sheepherders' and 'durn persnickety females'. Gabby locks horns with Vivien Oakland, who gives as good as she gets from Gabby. Vivien Oakland was a former Ziegfield Girl, silent star, and Laurel and Hardy costar.

Grant Withers gets wind of Roy's deception and gets Dale to sell her ranch and stock at a very cut rate price. Withers pays Dale with a bad check, that he will make good when he sells Dale's cattle at the Chicago stockyards.

Roy tries to stop Withers and Taliaferro and is jailed, by Sheriff Jack Rutherford. Gabby tries to break Roy out and gets arrested too.

Later they both break out and head to Chicago after Withers. At the stockyards, after a round of fistfights everyone is arrested. The police are satisfied that Withers pulled a fast one, so Dale gets her ranch back.

There is a big musical finale set back at Dale's show in Chicago. The cheesecake quotient is high, in UTAH, with the showgirls in costume and in their skimpy rehearsal outfits.

Jill Browning with Bob Nolan.

Beverly Lloyd with Roy and Dale.

Jill Browning and Peggy Stewart with Roy.

Dale likes to pull Gabby's beard.

There is no full version of UTAH on YouTube today, But here's the clearer looking opening number from the Mill Creek 53 minute version :

 

[Bert Greene]

"Utah" is a lot of fun, albeit a tad too leisurely in the action department. Starting to really need William Witney's touch. I also have the Sinister vhs and the Alpha dvd, and the prints are indeed on the dark side. The old script of city gals going west to inspect an inherited ranch never fails, does it? I might actually have to give an ever-so-slight edge to the 1937 Gene Autry version, which has a zippier pace. Sorry, Roy, old pard.

Can't recall for sure, but I don't remember the Autry version having the role Vivian Oakland played here in "Utah," as an older woman accompanying the showgirls. Maybe her character was added to the Rogers version to give someone for Gabby to spar with. Oakland pops up in a lot of things, but I think I first started taking notice of her with the Edgar Kennedy two-reelers, where she took over the role of Kennedy's wife from Florence Lake, in the late-30s/early-40s entries. These are the ones that also had old-timer Billy Franey appearing as the father-in-law. Often spot Franey in little bit parts in 30s films, although I think he goes back to practically the beginning of film. Oakland made for a more arch Mrs. Kennedy than the wacky and scatterbrained Florence Lake. But Lake eventually returned to the series, 'til its end, also with Dot Farley returning as the mother-in-law from hell (I recall Farley being covered upthread, for her role in Roy Rogers' "San Fernando Valley" -1944). I think Farley went back in film probably as far back as Billy Franey. Film pioneers, for all practical purposes.

Towards the end of "Utah," after the stockyards fight, we see another omnipresent character actor and bit-player, Emmett Vogan, who sometimes seems to be in practically everything back then. I think I've seen him over a dozen times In old films I've watched in just the past few months. Don't know a darned thing about him, but I'm always spotting him, and yelling "Hey! That's Emmett Vogan!" to everyone's annoyance. Being a devoted film buff doesn't always win friends.

 

[Bob Gu]

Emmett Vogan, is another new one for me, for matching the face with a name.

Florence Lake is Arthur Lake's sister.

One of the showgirls, in UTAH, was Beverly Lloyd, who seemed familiar to me. I looked her up at IMDB and see she only made a few movies.

I remembered her from HERE COMES TROUBLE-1948, a Hal Roach comedy, in Cinecolor, with William Tracy and Joe Sawyer, that was a post WW II continuation of their military series characters, in civilian life.

HERE COMES TROUBLE is available in poor color from Alpha and in B&W on YouTube.

 

[Bert Greene]

I took note of Beverly Lloyd as well as Jill Browning, wondering if I recalled them from anything else, but it appears not. I don't suppose they made much headway at Republic, which isn't surprising as the studio never seemed to have too many open slots. You had Vera Ralston as the top queen, of course. Then there was Adele Mara, filling in lots and lots of lesser roles in the latter-half of the 1940s. Ruth Terry had been a busy bee at the studio during the war years, but had probably already departed. Constance Moore was in a few larger-scale musical productions on an annual basis at the studio. Stephanie Bachelor had a few key films for a year or two, then disappeared. Catherine McLeod dominated a few A-drama efforts starting around 1946 or 1947. Lorna Gray's films inched upward in status after she switched her name to Adrian Booth. Only a few very minor B-movie bones were tossed to Peggy Stewart and Linda Stirling. Lynne Roberts had pretty steady employment at the studio in the immediate postwar years (after her busy tenure there earlier on, in the late-1930s when she was still billed as Mary Hart). She's probably one of Republic's biggest stalwarts in the leading lady department, in terms of film numbers. Audrey Long briefly showed up for a while in the late-1940s, followed by Dorothy Patrick who toplined a good number of their 1950-51 crime melodramas. Penny Edwards did a few in that vein as well. And, Lois Hall was there too, making a few flicks back around that time. All in all, not a lot of 'openings.'

However, going back to Republic's earliest years, starting in 1935, almost all of their leading ladies were familiar faces who'd just been dropped from other studios, and employed for just one, two or three films. An exception was Republic's earliest leading lady, young Ann Rutherford, who'd already made some Mascots under Nat Levine that got released during the transition period. Charlotte Henry (our "Alice in Wonderland") also figured in some of those early efforts. Otherwise, it was the usual roundup of actresses whose careers were on a downhill slide (or at very least, treading water), like Grace Bradley, Betty Furness, Mae Clarke, Evelyn Venable, Mary Brian, June Travis, Rochelle Hudson, Patricia Ellis, and such. Ingenue types like June Storey and Mary Hart seem the only specifically patented Republic gals that I can think of. Helen Mack was used quite a bit, making at least four films for the studio. Maybe more. And, Marian Marsh made at least three, looking prettier than ever in things like "Youth on Parole" and "Prison Nurse." Jean Parker and Virginia Grey also kept showing up occasionally in Republics into the early-1940s, but usually on a rather infrequent basis.

 

[Bob Gu]

Bert, you have mentioned many of my 100+ year old actress crushes.

I enjoyed Constance Moore, with Wild Bill Elliott in, IN OLD SACRAMENTO-1946. That one was a remake of Roy's CARSON CITY KID-1941, with Pauline Moore. Constance Moore was great in, the now public domain, DELIGHTFULLY DANGEROUS-1945 with Jane Powell. And Constance Moore is famous to serial fans as Wilma Deering, in BUCK ROGERS-1939.

When Lynne Roberts/Mary Hart did that string of 'Rogers and Hart' movies, with Roy, I think she was only seventeen.

Grace Bradley was fun in those Hal Roach 'Taxi' comedies with William Bendix and Joe Sawyer.

June Storey was good teamed with Gene Autry, as a madcap heiress, in some of the more screwball comedy outings in Gene's westerns.

And Evelyn Venable was lovely in THE FRONTIERSMAN-1938, Hoppy, Lucky, and, even, Windy proposed to her, in that one.

 

[Bert Greene]

A lot of my favorites too, Bob. Always especially impressed by Evelyn Venable, who was a most lovely actress. Adored her in that Hoppy film. Watched her not long ago in the thriller "Double Door" (1934-Paramount), as the heroine enduring some fairly potent menace. Wish this film could get included in one of those new 'Universal Horrors' sets. Although, I guess it's technically more a melodrama than a genuine horror film, but it does utilize one of those 'old dark house' backdrops, and builds to a pretty darned chilling finale. Venable was paired with Kent Taylor in the film. They were romantically teamed in several films together. Such romantic teamings seemed not too uncommon back then, like with James Dunn and Sally Eilers, or Nancy Carroll and Phillips Holmes. I'm guessing the Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell thing got that ball rolling. Or maybe even Garbo-Gilbert.

Also liked Venable in her Will Rogers films, and the later western "Heritage of the Desert" (1939). There's also a little cheapie she did for Monogram, entitled "Female Fugitive" (1938), co-starring Reed Hadley, which I liked, even though I know it was hardly anything special. Venable guested at the Cinecon convention in 1990, alongside Ruby Keeler, Buddy Rogers, and several others, but I missed out on seeing her. Everybody I talked with who met her there absolutely fell head over heels for her, as she was so friendly and delightful. She'd moved to Idaho, probably after the death of her husband, famed cinematographer Hal Mohr. I don't know if it's still on YouTube, but there was a two-part, hour-long interview she gave to a local Idaho PBS (?) show, not too long before she passed away. She mentions about how Frederic March got all handsy with her during a rehearsal scene during the filming of "Death Takes a Holiday" (1934), and she slapped him on the face and left the set, demanding an apology. An indignant March also had the nerve to demand an apology from her! March was admittedly a fine actor, but he seemed to be a real piece of work. Lots of similar stories out there about him. Anyway, I really should grab the upcoming Kino blu of "Death," as it's been probably thirty years since I last saw it. And at the very least, I'd like to have a Venable film present in my Blu-ray collection.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Fantastic detail and info, guys...not to mention some wonderful cheesecake photos! Keep 'em coming!

 

[Bob Gu]

SOUTH OF CALENTE-1951 B&W, 67 minutes.

GritTV is showing this early Saturday, May 11th at 3:00 AM to 4:30 AM, Eastern Time...The last time it aired, it timed in as uncut, so it should be the full movie again. The full movie is out there in the 'collector' bootleg market. I don't know if any of the mainstream PDers have it.

Dale Evans came back for Roy's last two Republics, SOUTH OF CALIENTE and PALS OF THE GOLDEN WEST-1951.

'Buttermilk', with Dale, Roy, and Pinky Lee.

Pat Brady, Roy's comical sidekick from the Roy Rogers TV show, is on hand but the main comic sidekick is Pinky Lee. Lee was a clean burlesque comedian, and a big deal in early kid's TV, and had many tie in products attached to his name, just like Roy. Pinky Lee was in the last three Roy Rogers movies at Republic.

The plot of CALIENTE: Roy has a horse transport service and is transporting Dale's prize race horse, along with some other horses, to Mexico for sale and or racing. Dale needs money for her California Ranch and decides to sell her best horse rather than race it herself.

Once across the border, Roy's giant horse trailer is attacked and hijacked and all the horses are taken.

Dale's groomsman, Willie Best is murdered, when he recognizes and resists the hijackers. This was Best's last theatrical movie before he moved over to TV.

The bad guys are played by Douglas Fowley, Frank Richards, Ric Roman, and George Lewis. Roman and Lewis play gypsies, along with Charlita, the fortune teller. Roman is a hoot, using his big city gangster voice instead of the expected ethnic accent.

Roy, Dale, Pinky, with Charlita.

Dale and Roy find Dale's stolen horse.

This is a very well put together movie. Exciting horse stunts and a dangerous looking stunt with the runaway transport trailer. (Try to spot the hidden stunt driver.) Trigger has to fight off the hijackers and run to rejoin Roy a couple of times, at just the right moment. And Roy's later period tough fist fights are in full play, here.

Music wise, both The Sons of the Pioneers and The Riders of the Purple Sage are gone at this point and replaced by The Roy Rogers Riders.

There is a very nice and different sounding harmony with Roy and Dale on a song called, 'My Home Is Over Yonder', early in the movie.

I was able to find the YouTube interview with Evelyn Venable, Bert mentioned. She is so vibrant, at 80, in the interview. It's hard to believe she died a few months later.

Evelyn Venable: YouTube.



Here another leg art pic of Constance Moore, for, passing stranger, Jeff.

 

[Mysto]

Bob - I don't know if you've seen this. There is a discussion on pd on RR movies with some info. Forgive me if this has already been covered.

https://archive.org/post/1097535/are-these-roy-rogers-episodes-public-domain

 

[Bert Greene]

By the way, before we depart Grace Bradley, let me say I was a bit surprised by the lobby card of her in one of those early-1940s Hal Roach streamliners. I thought she'd already retired from films before the 1940s started. The film I'm sure I first encountered her in was the comedy classic, "Six of a Kind" (1934-Paramount), an old favorite of mine dating back to my childhood years. She was the main squeeze of the villain of the piece, although it's perhaps easy to overlook her amidst that big cast of prominent comedians. In those Paramount films, Grace Bradley always seemed to be the second female lead, playing a vamp or a moll. She's certainly a moll again in "F-Man" (1936-Paramount), a silly but pretty funny little comedy vehicle for Jack Haley, which also gave William Frawley some choice comic moments. It's not an easy film to run across, but I've had an old copy transferred to vhs for many years. Bradley was a moll yet again in the more serious "Don't Turn 'Em Loose" (1936-RKO), and has the best scene in the movie when her gangster ex, Bruce Cabot, exacts his revenge on her for ratting him out. Being a Warner owned title, this one pops up on TCM on occasion.

Other than a couple of those Republics, I don't think Grace Bradley had too many genuine 'leading lady' parts to her name, always busily specializing in those molls and as 'the other woman.' There was a Jack Holt b-film, "Roaring Timber" (1937-Columbia), too, which I've seen. But one film she seemed to actually headline is "Redhead" (1934), a melodrama from Monogram. Never seen this one around, though. The AFI books list it as 'not viewed,' but apparently it was part of a syndicated tv-package in the early days of television. So, I suspect some prints of it might be around somewhere. Monogram remade the film in 1941 starring June Lang, late of Fox, and this film also seems a bit on the rare side as well. Maybe I should check youtube, out of curiosity. Anyway, it's a little strange that Bradley didn't start out her career as a b-western leading lady like so many others who seemed to follow similar career paths. All the more ironic since she of course married William Boyd and became the longtime executor of the Hopalong Cassidy franchise, tying her so close to b-western fandom.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Here another leg art pic of Constance Moore, for, passing stranger, Jeff.

Much appreciated, Bob, but I'd prefer more Charlita...
Ay carumba!

 

[Bob Gu]

Jeff, I could not find much on Charlita. Of course she was in the greatest movie ever made....BELA LAGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA! Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo retired after it was made, knowing they could never top it.

Hello...Grace Bradley.

In those Hal Roach Taxi movies she played an ex-show girl.

With Max Bear and William Bendix.

With Hoppy...matching outfits.

Grace with Dale.

Hoppy with Roy.

Windy/Gabby with Hoppy and Roy.

Windy and Hoppy with Paul Sutton who was the most prolific Sgt. Preston on the long running radio show, CHALLENGE OF THE YUKON.

 

[Bert Greene]

It's rather a shame that Constance Moore never got the leading lady role in either a Roy Rogers or Gene Autry film. With her singing talent and winsome charm, she would have been a natural. I can see her fitting into that milieu quite well. But, by the time Republic tapped her, she was already a headliner, and destined to be their "A" musical star. She did a couple of b-westerns early on for singing cowboy Bob Baker, however, during the beginning of her stint at Universal... "Border Wolves" (1938) and "The Last Stand" (1938). Both are pretty good b-westerns. Moore had a bigger spotlight in the first one. Joseph H. Lewis directed both films, and not surprisingly, they have a lot of nicely composed shots, amidst some pleasing outdoor locales. VCI put out a 4-film dvd collection of Bob Baker's westerns, and they luckily included these two. Old, somewhat ragged 16mm tv-prints, but serviceable. Baker's westerns always seem pretty decent and well-made, but Baker just doesn't have that extra little something in the personality department that made Autry/Rogers stars.

 

[Bob Gu]

I took a look over at the VCI site for Bob Baker and they still have the 4 movie collection and a double feature Vol. 3. I guess the other two vols. repeated in the 4 movie set? I have never seen Baker. I would like to get the Constance Moore ones.

THE BELLS OF ROSARITA-1945, B&W, 68 minutes.

I have three 68 minute versions, the Sinister Cinema VHS, the Alpha DVD, and the VCI DVD. All three are from a U.K. theatrical print from the British Lion Film Corp. and missing the end Republic logo. The VCI version is higher up on the copying chain and is great looking. Sharp, clean, even toned. Maybe actually cleaned up by VCI. Highly recommended. I was even able to spot my favorite Republic dancer, JoAnn Dean.

THE BELLS OF ROSARITA features Republic western guest stars: Wild Bill Elliott, Rocky Lane, Red Barry, Bob Livingston, and Sunset Carson.

Wild Bill was starring in the Republic Red Ryder series, at the time, riding his horse 'Thunder'. Rocky Lane took over the Red Ryder role when Elliott was promoted to longer, bigger budgeted A- westerns. Elliott sold 'Thunder' to Lane and after the Ryder series ended, 'Thunder" became 'Black Jack' for the Rocky Lane series.

Republic Home Video released a bunch of Elliott and Sunset Carson, (and Rex Allen and Monte Hale, too), movies on VHS that can be found on Ebay and Amazon Marketplace. The Carsons with Linda Stirling have pretty high asking prices.

The ROSARITA plot: Roy Rogers, the movie cowboy, along with side kick Bob Nolan, is making a movie. Republic rents Dale's ranch and western circus equipment for use in the picture. Gabby and the rest of the Sons of the Pioneers work for Dale. (Look for, who else, Earl Hodgins as the carnival barker in the opening scene, and Republic starlet Janet Martin singing as the 'Belle' in the movie within the movie scene.)

Roy Barcroft's boss, Grant Withers is claiming an unpaid debt against Dale's father's estate and trying to force a sale of Dale's inherited ranch. Dale enlists the aid of, her dad's old partner, Addison Richards and his niece Adele Mara., to help prove the debt to Withers had been paid.

If the ranch is sold, the orphan kids, living at the ranch, played by the Robert Mitchell Boy Choir, will be put out on the range. The boys ask Roy to help.

To pay the debt, Roy suggests putting on a show with Dale's circus troop plus the addition of Roy's Republic cowboy star pals to pump up the box office.

Meanwhile, Addison Richards remembers an old joint safe deposit box he had with Dale's father, that should have a receipt from Withers for the debt.

Withers and his gang rob the bank and get the receipt, with Roy and the Republic cowboys in pursuit.

The stars capture the gang in unique and funny ways, before they can destroy the receipt.

There's a big musical finale with the guest stars and the circus dancers. There are many musical numbers throughout the movie. Adele Mara even does a hula and jitterbugs with Bob Nolan. Even Trigger dances a little.

John Smith of the LARAMIE TV series was a member of the Choir and IMDB lists him as being in this movie, but I can't spot him.

YouTube full movie:

 

[Bob Gu]

Adele Mara later was the female lead in the lost Roy Rogers Trucolor, NIGHT TIME IN NEVADA-1948.

Mara was Republic's go to actress for exotic parts and standard cheese cake..

Adele Mara was married to writer/ producer Roy Huggins and appeared in many Warner shows like CHEYENNE, 77 SUNSET STRIP, and MAVERICK.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Adele Mara
View attachment 58629

"Oomph" is right! Great stuff as usual, Bob!

 

[Bob Gu]

Thanks, Jeff. Reading that LAFF magazine article, the cowgirl pics of Adele Mara were promoting a Bill Elliot western, THE FABULOUS TEXAN-1947. Funny thing, she was not in that movie. She was in the Elliott movie THE GALLANT LEGION-1948, about Texas Rangers. She didn't wear that cowgirl outfit and she was a brunette.

Here's a ad promoting swimsuits and Republic actresses: Janet Martin, Adele Mara, and Dale Evans. All three appeared in BELLS OF ROSARITA. The caption says Adele Mara will be seen in a movie called CONCERTO. Dale Evans will be in ALONG THE NAVAJO TRAIL-1946. CONCERTO is an early title for a Republic musical release called, I'VE ALWAYS LOVED YOU-1946. That picture was the first of only three Republic productions that were in Technicolor. The other two: THE RED PONY-1949 and THE QUIET MAN-1952. All three are on DVD and Blu-Ray from Olive. (Republic distributed a couple of U.K. produced Technicolor films, also.)

 

[Bob Gu]

ROMANCE ON THE RANGE-1942, B&W, 63 minutes.

Sinister Cinema has an excellent nice, sharp, clear, even toned, DVD-R, of the uncut, (62:36 min.), theatrical print, with proper period logos, fore and aft. The Sinister edition is highly recommended. The movie has various night scenes, shot day for night outside, and on the sound stage. Everything in these scenes can be clearly seen on the Sinister edition. (Republic Home Video released a dark edited syndicated 53 minute version on VHS, without the correct period logos.)

Gabby can't decide if he approves or disapproves of romance on the range.

Gabby's beard is never safe.

Roy, Gabby, and The Pioneers are working on a ranch for another absentee heiress owner, Linda Hayes.

Her local business manager, Edward Pawley, along with a tip top crew of bad men, Roy Barcroft, Glenn Strange, and Harry Woods, decide to skim off part of the fur trapping side of the ranch, for themselves.

One of the ranch hands spots the trap line thieves and is murdered. Roy and his pals pledge to find the killers.

Noticing the loss of income, Linda Hayes decides to head west and investigate things, herself, posing as the friend of her maid, Sally Payne. Sally just happens to be pen pals with, Pioneer, Pat Brady. This gives them an excuse to visit the ranch.

Pawley decides he will eventually have to get Roy out of the way, to keep from being discovered. When Pawley finds out Roy and The Pioneers are entertaining women at the ranch, he uses that as an excuse to not only fire Roy and The Pioneers, but set them up to be arrested as the fur thieves.

Hal Taliaferro is the Sheriff this time and comes around to Roy's side just in the nick of time.

This is a fun movie with plenty of good humor and happy peppy songs.

This is the second of three movies Linda Hayes costarred with Roy. She was also in RIDIN' DOWN THE CANYON and SOUTH OF SANTE FE, both also released in 1942. These three movies were the last three movies Linda Hayes appeared in, before retiring after only 17 films.

Roy stayed friends with Linda Hayes and her family and was a godfather/uncle figure to her children, including 1970s actress Cathy Lee Crosby.

ROMANCE ON THE RANGE was also Sally Payne's last movie with Roy and she is billed ahead of Linda Hayes in the credits. Dale Evans was the actress who appeared the most with Roy in his movies, but Sally Payne was second. Sally Payne usually played a comic relief girlfriend of the female lead. But sometimes she was the female lead.

Sally Payne with William Newall in Gene Autry"s THE BIG SHOW-1936.

 

[Bert Greene]

Sally Payne? Well, we'd just been discussing Vivien Oakland upthread and her portrayal of Edgar Kennedy's wife for a few years in his RKO short-subject series. It was actually Sally Payne who played Mrs. Kennedy also, in about a half-dozen 1941-42 of the shorts, directly after Oakland, and before Florence Lake returned permanently. Payne played the missus more in the vein of Lake than Oakland, as I recall. In other words, ditzy. Mostly I've been cognizant of Payne through those appearances in those Roy Rogers films, and I do recall "Romance on the Range" (1942-Rep) being an enjoyable one, although I haven't seen it in eons.

Checking over Payne's filmography, I see she was busier than I realized. I see she played a small but recurring role in two of Republic's "Higgins Family" movie series in the late-1930s. I've always wanted to see a bit more of these. It was Republic's jumping on the 'domestic comedy' series bandwagon, following Fox's "Jones Family," MGM's "Andy Hardy," and Columbia's "Blondie" films. The Higgins did have that 'family' quotient nailed down, as the film series starred real husband-and-wife acting duo James and Lucile Gleason, alongside their real (and ill-fated) son, Russell Gleason. The only entry I've seen is "Should Husbands Work?" (1939-Rep), which was fairly genial fare, if a bit on the routine side. Republic's ever-busy ingenue, Lynne Roberts, played the daughter in this one as she did in a few others. I think Lois Ranson eventually took over the role.

The short-lived Higgins series strikes me as closest in spirit to Fox's "Jones Family" films. Indeed, Russell Gleason had even been a regular over there as well, earlier on, playing the fiancé/husband of the eldest daughter. The one Higgins Family title I'd most like to see is "The Covered Trailer" (1939-Rep), which involves a camping trip by trailer. However, the Jones Family had done that already in their entry, "Back to Nature" (1936-Fox), which is a neat little b-comedy, sporting some terrific location work up in the mountains, adding to its atmosphere. My favorite Jones Family film, by far. Unfortunately, it's not one available through Fox's 'mod' line.

Getting back to Republic, we got the sad news yesterday about Peggy Stewart's passing. One of the last of our b-western leading ladies, and certainly one of the best.

 

[Bob Gu]

Peggy Stewart, and co-stars:

with Robert Kent in the 'Phantom Rider'

with Lash La Rue and Fuzzy St John in 'Dead Man's Gold'

with Rocky Lane

with Sunset Carson

with George Turner in 'Son of Zorro'

with Wild Bill Elliott and the Red Ryder gang

with Gene Autry