Roy Rogers in TruColor and Uncut (2 Viewers)

[RBailey]

Flashgear….Thanks so much for posting those ads. They are wonderful to see the double features and the ad layout. If I could get hold of a time machine... My main moviegoing era was between 1958 and the early 70s so I have a lot of great memories but the late 40s up through the mid 50s was probably the best. So many new films out plus lots of great re-releases.

 

[Bob Gu]

While Dale and Roy are away on a publicity tour, let's explore some tangents.

Lucky Bert mentioned meeting some actresses. Of that group, the one I remember most fondly is Frances Rafferty, from the "December Bride" series, 1954-59.

She was a WWII pin-up in the Army's YANK magazine.

Frances Rafferty co-starred in "Abbott And Costello In Hollywood"-1945, with Jean Porter, who starred with Roy Rogers in SAN FERNANDO VALLEY-1944.

Frances was a cowgirl too.

She starred with Richard 'Chito Rafferty' Martin, in 'The Adventures Of Don Coyote"-1947.

 

[Gary OS]

Lucky Bert mentioned meeting some actresses. Of that group, the one I remember most fondly is Frances Rafferty.

I'm 100% with you here, Bob. Frances is my fave as well. Lovely woman with a very sweet personality!


Gary "and yes, Bert (aka 'Mr Smith') is one lucky fella to have met so many of these wonderful stars of yesteryear" O.

 

[Bob Gu]

Chito Rafferty brings us back to the Canadian newspaper ads that Flashgear posted and the 'older' westerns still making the rounds to theaters, in 1952.

"West Of The Pecos"-1945, with Bob Mitchum and Richard Martin as 'Chito Rafferty'.

And another RKO western, "Sunset Pass"-1946, with James Warren and John Laurenz as 'Chito Rafferty'. Laurenz played 'Chito' in two RKO westerns . The role went back to Richard Martin when Tim Holt came back to westerns, at RKO, after WWII service. Richard Martin originated the 'Chito Rafferty' character in the 1943 WWII movie "Bombardier".

Laurenz and Warren.

Martin in "Bombardier".

The Randolph Scott Cinecolor feature "The Nevadan"-1950, with Dorothy Malone, was still in theaters. "The Nevadan" is available from Sony Mod on DVD-R and on DVD in one of Mill Creek's Scott sets. Columbia actually gave Goodtimes a B&W print to release on LP/VHS in the 1980s.

So Nelson Eddy was in town, live, that week, too. You know, Eddy was a Mountie, in "Rose-Marie"-1936, with Jeanette MacDonald.

Of course, Nelson Eddy is great, but he's no Renfrew.


The first Renfrew movie, of the series, co-starred Carol Hughes. See 8:50 minutes, to see Jim Newill reel her in. Carol Hughes was in three Roy Rogers movies, UNDER WESTERN STARS, BORDER LEGION, and HOME IN OKLAHOMA.

 

[Bert Greene]

Yep, Frances Rafferty is certainly peachy-keen. One of three actresses all named "Frances" who rank as favorites of mine... Frances Rafferty, Frances Gifford, and Frances Dee. I'll always tune in for these gals. My only lament is that Rafferty was stuck over at MGM. Despite my participation in that aforementioned event, MGM has often tended to be my least favorite studio. Their tinselly artifice could get awfully cloying at times, and they were so preoccupied with their splashy musicals and big-budget efforts, they didn't really bother much with the kind of zippy B-movies I enjoy so much. Oh, they had a few goodies here and there that I'd go for. Things like the lighthearted spy film "Pacific Rendezvous" (1942) with Lee Bowman and Jean Rogers, or later on, the fun motorcycle-cop opus "Code Two" (1953) with Ralph Meeker. But I tend to have to dig down pretty deep in the MGM catalog to find the little gems that appeal to me, compared to some other studios.

To explain a little further, MGM might produce some little item with a domestic backdrop. On a soundstage, they would build a whole massive street with sidewalks, trees and facades to several homes. Probably cost a fortune, and sometimes impressive for the sheer magnitude of the effort. But claustrophobically artificial. Comparatively, a little B-film from Paramount or Fox would more likely go on location, peppering their films with some outdoor scenery of genuine neighborhoods, storefronts and whatnot, right alongside more familiar backlot locales, and flavorful second-unit establishing shots. Even minor-league Columbia had its Columbia Ranch out in Burbank, with its park, neighborhood, and downtown storefronts. All fake, but much more realistically atmospheric than a soundstage. You get much more time-capsule level verisimilitude, compared to MGM's costly but ultimately unsatisfactory approach. Of course, all studios faltered a bit in this realm during the war-time years, as gas-rationing kept their productions considerably more studio-bound. Only after Fox's terrific "The House on 92nd Street" (1945) did the deck get reshuffled back again. I think that film woke up a lot of producers into realizing just how artificial and set-bound their product had gotten during the war. Ditto John Ford's "The Were Expendable" (1945).

 

[Bert Greene]

Randall's latest batch of newspaper ads brings another thing to mind, courtesy that ad for Nelson Eddy making a personal appearance, apparently on tour. This is something I noticed when I went through those thousands of such papers on microfilm from my hometown, which I'd mentioned upthread. I was surprised when going through all those vintage newspapers at just how often such personalities came through. Especially for what was just a smaller or mid-sized city (population 100,000 or so), positioned out in mid-America. Vaudeville might have been long gone, but every couple of weeks, there would be some 'name' appearing at a local theater or auditorium, from Vincent Price reading poems and delivery soliloquies, to Ozzie Nelson and his band performing. I made a few notes of these things as I encountered them, but I wasn't terribly thorough.

Penny Singleton was at a local nightclub performing for a ten-day stint in Dec. 1954. Shortly before her, comedian Billy Gilbert was there for a week. (I bet he sneezed!). In April 1949, Bob Hope was at the municipal auditorium, along with his regulars, Doris Day, Les Brown, and Irene Ryan. Roy Rogers was in town numerous times, including May 1956. There was a film premiere for "A Man Alone" (1955) at the downtown theater, and its stars Ray Milland, Ward Bond, and Mary Murphy appeared, and participated in a parade line down the street before the screening. Even as late as October 1967, Jack Benny was the big guest at the State Fair. The rodeos always had well-known names, and every small town around here had them, usually with a tv-cowboy headlining them. Then, not to mention, there was that later dinner-theater circuit, which was awash in familiar Hollywood players of yore.

The gist of it all is that you could live well out in the seeming hinterlands, far away from the metropolitan media hubs, and still see a surprisingly high number of movie personalities come through back in those days. Much more than I realized. Hence, if one was apt to be an autograph collector, one could conceivably amass a pretty impressive collection without ever exiting his city limits. Not that this would appeal to me, as I was never interested in autographs. I collected comics, lobby-cards, old jazz and dance-band records, postcards, and many other things, but never autographs. Even during my spell out in California, when I had an insane number of opportunities, I only bothered to get signatures two or three times, and that was because the situation made it so easy. One of those was Mae Clarke, whom I've always liked immensely. Just couldn't pass that up. But anyway, going through all those newspapers on microfilm was such a historically educating endeavor. History is so often rendered as little cliched hunks. You get a broader and vastly more textured perspective of day-to-day realities from reading old newspapers.

 

[Gary OS]

To explain a little further, MGM might produce some little item with a domestic backdrop. On a soundstage, they would build a whole massive street with sidewalks, trees and facades to several homes. Probably cost a fortune, and sometimes impressive for the sheer magnitude of the effort. But claustrophobically artificial. Comparatively, a little B-film from Paramount or Fox would more likely go on location, peppering their films with some outdoor scenery of genuine neighborhoods, storefronts and whatnot, right alongside more familiar backlot locales, and flavorful second-unit establishing shots. Even minor-league Columbia had its Columbia Ranch out in Burbank, with its park, neighborhood, and downtown storefronts. All fake, but much more realistically atmospheric than a soundstage. You get much more time-capsule level verisimilitude, compared to MGM's costly but ultimately unsatisfactory approach. Of course, all studios faltered a bit in this realm during the war-time years, as gas-rationing kept their productions considerably more studio-bound. Only after Fox's terrific "The House on 92nd Street" (1945) did the deck get reshuffled back again. I think that film woke up a lot of producers into realizing just how artificial and set-bound their product had gotten during the war. Ditto John Ford's "The Were Expendable" (1945).

Bert, you explained perfectly why I usually much prefer Paramount, Fox or Universal films to the MGM stuff. It's all about location work and not feeling the artificiality of the soundstage experience. When I watch a western, comedy or even a drama I want to enjoy the feel of the actual location. Who cares if the actress has the wind blow her hair into her face once in a while. Give me that over a soundstage or, even worse, a rearscreen projection (ugh)!

Anyhow, thanks for making that point so well.


Gary "I know films are just entertainment fantasy, but they don't have to look fake" O.

 

[Bob Gu]

I love the MGM back lot. It's like a favorite character actor. Soundstage interior exteriors and interior interiors make for better dramatic lighting and better performances from the actors. All that also kept civilians out of camera range.

This doesn't happen in outdoors stories. But whenever anything is filmed on a real city street there are always regular people looking at the camera.

These days they don't even shoot off blanks in action scenes. Just CGI gun flashes. There will be a shootout going on in the foreground and the real people down the block don't even look, because there's nothing to hear.

I appreciate the movies that do film outdoors, too. There's a real nice crisp feel to those old Mountie movies filmed outdoors in real snow.

The MGM lot was actually destroyed in this TV Movie.

Gary, I hope you make an exception for Roy's movies. His movies are full of soundstage outdoors and rear projection. It's all fun and 'movie magic'!

 

[Gary OS]

Gary, I hope you make an exception for Roy's movies. His movies are full of soundstage outdoors and rear projection. It's all fun and 'movie magic'!

Of course I do, Bob. And I do understand why the studios often resorted to soundstages and rear screen projections at different times. Thankfully Roy’s films were not dominated by those, but I’m certainly forgiving when they did utilize them.


Gary “but I’ll never prefer those elements to the real outdoors, and especially on location filming” O.

 

[Gary OS]

Just for clarification, when I was a kid watching these films in the 70's on small TVs the artificiality didn't bother me. But today, with large high-def sets and Blu rays, those things really stand out like a sore thumb. I can push through it, especially if it's a B film where I know the budget wasn't big and they did the best they could. But when it was a larger studio like MGM, and they purposely chose the soundstage and rear projection over going on location, it bothers me a lot. They didn't have to do that - they had the money to do otherwise - but they chose the glittery artificiality instead. That really does get to me but doesn't apply to Roy's films.

And I do know that the last few years of Roy's films utilized what you are talking about Bob. That was the studio style in the late 40's. It is what it is. But if given my druthers I vastly prefer the reality of on location, or at least outdoor back lot, work.


Gary "long live Roy Rogers" O.

 

[Bob Gu]

Director Bill Witney and Roy.

 

[Bert Greene]

Never did get around to commenting on Roy Rogers' "The Carson City Kid" (1940), which Bob nicely spotlighted last week. A solid early Rogers' outing as I recall. The temptation is to discuss leading lady Pauline Moore, who'd also been yet another pleasing actress on the Fox roster for several years (though never quite attaining much stature). Some might find her high voice annoying, but I find it a bit cute, and adds to her uniqueness. She's so memorable in the top-notch "Charlie Chan at Treasure Island" (1939), figuring in the marvelously suspenseful climax. Surely Toler's best Chan film. I have a lobby-card of Moore in a little Fox B-comedy starring Stu Erwin, "Passport Husband" (1938), pictured alongside Joan Woodbury, another longtime B-movie stalwart, in westerns and otherwise. Never seen the film.

But the key thing in "Carson" I think was Bob Steele's first villain turn in a western (that I know of). It was almost certainly a result of his part in "Of Mice and Men" (1939) the previous year. Steele had starred in b-westerns without pause since at least those old FBO silents, but by 1939, he'd gone from those decent Supreme pictures (released through Republic) to a little series for the cheapie Metropolitan Pictures in 1939-40... which are pretty weak fare, judging from the ones I've seen. It was between this series and the PRC "Billy the Kid" series (1940-41) that Steele apparently did this bit for the Rogers film. I guess Republic took note of this film, and was happy enough with his acting or his work ethic, and signed him up as a regular in those last "Three Mesquiteers" films, right to its end in 1943. Steele often had a sort of ornery or 'ticked off' expression, which would play well into villainous parts (and eventually did). But somehow, "Carson" didn't set him immediately on that path, and his longevity as a cowboy-hero continued on for a while yet. I had an uncle who always cited Steele as his favorite cowboy star, probably recalling his late-silent and early-talkie period.

The always-dependable Francis McDonald also figured in the villainy in "Carson." I think he was one of the very first b-western character actors I started recognizing and knowing by name. He's everywhere in old film and tv-shows (later more often as sober judges). In fact, in that old crime-drama, train-chase thriller that I cited a few weeks back, "The Arizona Express" (1924-Fox), he was the main villain. And he was quite lanky and agile as the gang leader. He really got into the action. Then, of all things, I also recall encountering McDonald as a rather oily, tuxedoed creep who is rivalling Buddy Rogers for a showgirl's hand in "Safety in Numbers" (1930-Paramount). Not a very exciting movie (to put it mildly), but perhaps indicative of the interesting variety of villainy McDonald was portraying in his somewhat younger days.

 

[RBailey]

My favorite Bob Steele film is 1941's THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY. One of Republic's best crime films (not a western) that was reworked into an actual western in 1949...Bill Elliott's THE LAST BANDIT. Milburn Stone co-stars and it's directed by Joe Kane. This is another Republic I'd love to see restored and made available on Blu-ray or on a streaming service.

 

[Bob Gu]

Francis McDonald, 366 credits at IMDB. Played any part and every part.

I saw a bunch of Bob Steele westerns on those Mill Creek 50 western sets. I noticed a story or two being reused on the Tex Ritter westerns on the same sets.

With Betty Field.

3-M, Jimmy Dodd, Tom Tyler.

3-M Tom Tyler, Lois Collier, Rufe Davis.

With Claire Carleton.

The Lydecker Brothers' model work, on the hidden trains, in THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY and THE LAST BANDIT, was pretty great. And they couldn't just reuse the footage, from the earlier movie, for THE LAST BANDIT since it was in Trucolor.

Adrian Booth.

My favorite Bob Steele tough-guy moment was in THE OUTCAST-1954. John Derek questions a killing by Steele and his men.
Derek, says to Steele, "He must have been pretty tough to go up against twenty men?"
Steele, "He ain't tough anymore!"

Bob Steele- morning commute.

 

[Bob Gu]

In addition to THE CARSON CITY KID-1940, Pauline Moore co-starred in three other Roy Rogers pictures, DAYS OF JESSE JAMES-1939, YOUNG BUFFALO BILL-1940, and COLORADO-1940. All four are only available in the edited versions.

Plus Pauline Moore and Roy guest-starred in a Republic Weaver Family comedy, ARKANSAS JUDGE-1941. Roy played a character part. (They called his white horse 'Trigger', too.

Above stills from BORN RECKLESS-1937, with Brian Donlevy.

Pauline Moore's IMDB list shows 35 credits and, except for two roles in the 50s, she retired, from pictures, in 1941, after, ARKANSAS JUDGE. (Funny how actresses seem to leave the business after appearing with Roy?)

She was married to magazine illustrator, Jefferson Machamer, whose work appeared in, the humor magazine, "Judge" and "The Saturday Evening Post, and other magazines. Machamer also was involved in movie shorts, and Moore appeared as his wife in one.

After Machamer's death she married a minister.

Earlier Moore was a model and magazine cover girl and was a show girl on Broadway.

I was surprised that I actually own or have seen 15 of her 35 movies and TV shows., most recently, BORN RECKLESS-1937 on, the OTA, MOVIES! channel. And more of her films are on YouTube.

With Keye Luke and Rocky Lane-CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OLYMPICS-1937.

CHARLIE CHAN IN RENO-1938.

CHARLIE CHAN AT TREASURE ISLAND-1939.

It's interesting that lobby cards seem to have always used tinted black and white photographs.

Sidney Toler, Douglas Fowley, and Cesar Romero.

With Kane Richmond in DOUBLE CROSS-1941.

 

[Bert Greene]

As I heard it, when Pauline Moore's nephew took her to a Cinecon convention some time in the mid-1980s, everyone was so smitten with her, they began to embrace her nephew's appellation, and call her "Aunt Polly." Moore was also at the 1990 Memphis film festival (which I did not attend, drat!), and I have a recording of her appearance on the guest-panel, alongside Claude Akins and Myron Healey. Moore mentions her first film work as a teenager, at Universal, being dressed up in the costume department as a bridesmaid, and going to the set for what turned out to be the production of "Frankenstein" (1931). She said she really didn't know what kind of film she was in, beforehand. Boris Karloff in full monster makeup came up behind her and said "boo!" Moore stated that Karloff liked to tease the new girls on the set that way.

Moore recalled her first scene she shot in a Roy Rogers film had her standing on the steps of a home, while Rogers comes charging in on Trigger, who rears up before her. Which, she found a bit intimidating. She mentions being in a few westerns before that, when she was at Fox, but I'm pretty sure she's referring to a couple of comedy-westerns that starred Jane Withers. "Wild and Woolly" (1937) and "The Arizona Wildcat" (1938), undoubtedly. I've seen quite a few of Fox's Withers comedies, but not these two. Moore also mentioned she enjoyed working with Keye Luke on her first (Oland) Charlie Chan film, and missed him not being in the second (Toler) two she was in.

Fox was really making good B-films at that time, in the late-1930s. The more I've seen in recent years, the more I've been impressed. I think Paramount's B's of that era still take the top spot (with lots of great gems directed by Robert Florey, Louis King, and others), but Fox isn't too far behind. There are probably quite a few more titles out there with Pauline Moore, Rochelle Hudson, etc., that I need to track down. One really enjoyable B-item from Fox is "Dangerously Yours" (1937) with Cesar Romero and Phyllis Brooks. A little crime-comedy 'caper' film about jewel thieves outsmarting each other on an ocean voyage. Great fun. Brooks was yet another appealing Fox starlet of that era, and a most pretty one at that. But I'd still put the very dainty, sweet-natured Pauline Moore up there as top sentimental favorite of mine.

 

[Bob Gu]

Nice 'Aunt Polly' stories, Bert!

Phyllis Brooks.

Phyllis Brooks is another 'early retirement' actress with only 37 IMDB credits. She had a career similar to Pauline Moore, which included roles with Roy Rogers and Charlie Chan.

MOVIES! shows her B film, DANGEROUS PASSAGE-1944 with Robert 'Batman' Lowery, often. She made a second movie with Lowery, HIGH POWERED-1945. Both Pine-Thomas Paramount releases.

IMDB mentions she was engaged to Cary Grant and eventually married a politician. She was the first civilian woman entertainer to get official permission to go overseas on USO tours, to entertain servicemen, at the start of World War II.

Brooks also modeled for James Montgomery Flagg. But not in this picture.

I bring this up because, I remember seeing, on TV, a relative, a great-grand child, maybe, of Flagg's, who brought some of his drawings to THE ANTIQUES ROAD SHOW. The relative acted like she didn't have any idea Flagg was a famous artist, in a time when magazine artists were probably as famous as the early movie stars. Amazing!!

Anyway, Phyllis Brooks also appeared in two Shirley Temple movies and two Chans. Brooks had roles in some star powered movies but further down the cast list.

In Reno with: Pauline Moore, Sidney Toler, Louise Henry, Ricardo Cortez, Phyllis Brooks, and Slim Summerville.

And Phyllis Brooks was in an important Roy Rogers movie, which I'll talk about next.

 

[Bob Gu]

SILVER SPURS-1943, B&W, 68 minutes. Only around in the edited 53 minute version. I have the Alpha which is dark and soft. And there's YouTube.

The 53 minute version seems to have a lot of songs. There is a mention of someone shooting at Roy, but hitting the stock of Roy's rifle. That might be a missing scene. But 15 minutes missing, yikes! The club set is very large, maybe there were more musical numbers.

SILVER SPURS is an important Roy Rogers movie because it is the first time, after five years of being Roy's co-star, Trigger finally gets billing in the Roy Rogers movie series.

Trigger is billed under Roy as, "The Smartest Horse In The Movies"!

The plot has, local club owner, John Carradine wanting to buy Jerome Cowan's ranch. The local oil wildcatters need a right-of-way for a railroad spur line to pass through Cowan's land, to bring their oil to market. Roy, Smiley Burnette, and The Sons of the Pioneers are on the side of the wildcatters, even though they work for Cowan. Cowan's not interested.

Jerome Cowan.

Who knew John Carradine had a band?

Cowan's father had one of those crazy movie plot wills that forbids his son from ever selling the land.

Hal Taliaferro, John Carradine, and Dick Wessell.

Carradine plans to convince Cowan to marry a 'mail order bride', and then murder Cowan and buy the ranch land from the widow.

Carradine sends his henchman, Dick Wessell, to the big city newspaper's romance advice writer, Joyce Compton, to line-up a marriage prospect for Cowan. Compton agrees and, fellow reporter, Phyllis Brooks poses as the bride-to-be, since there's a story in it. Brooks winds up marrying Cowan, because she can't figure out how not to.

Joyce Compton, I remember for her part in CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT-1945 with Dennis Morgan

What's Hal Taliaferro up to?

Here comes the groom! A Lydecker car model crashing off the road.

In the final action scene the Yakima Canutt stunt crew does the famous fall between the wagon horses and catch the back of the wagon gag. This stunt was made famous in STAGECOACH-1938. Canutt did the stunt or variations of it in, ZORRO'S FIGHTING LEGION-1939, WHEN THE DALTONS RODE-1940, MAN IN THE IRON MASK-1939, and other movies.

Trigger- THE SMARTEST HORSE IN THE MOVIES!

 

[Flashgear]

Great stuff, Bob! Thank you for finding all these wonderful images!

My hometown newspaper movie pages, July 6, 1946...Roy's Rainbow over Texas in the usual double bill with the Bowery Boys...click to enlarge...

 

[Flashgear]

July 7, 1945...Bells of Rosarita...the front page heralded the Potsdam summit with Harry Truman, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin planning the end stage for the invasion of Japan, the Soviet entry into the Pacific war via a huge attack in Manchuria, and Truman revealing the atomic bomb to his allies...click on images
to enlarge...