Roy Rogers in TruColor and Uncut (2 Viewers)

[Josh Steinberg]

I just purchased Bells of Coronado from iTunes for $4.99 - it appears to be the full length version, with restored TruColor, and iTunes has a Paramount copyright on the info page, so this looks to be a new-ish effort on par with the master they licensed to Kino for Sunset in the West. I only had a chance to sample a moment of it but am looking forward to seeing the full movie soon.

 

[RBailey]

My #1 Christmas gift wish would be a Blu-ray release of this from Paramount or a licensed release from another company.

 

[ponset]

My Mom has fond memories singing "Up on the Housetop" at school music class.
Gene Autry's version.

 

[RBailey]

Merry Christmas to all the great Roy Rogers fans on this thread.

 

[Mysto]

My Mom has fond memories singing "Up on the Housetop" at school music class.
Gene Autry's version.

The first school Christmas show I was ever in - I was Santa Claus and I sang "Up on the Housetop" with the chorus.

 

[Bob Gu]

Wait a minute!!?? Mysto is really Santa Claus??? All this time, I thought he might be Superman.

 

[Mysto]

Wait a minute!!?? Mysto is really Santa Claus??? All this time, I thought he might be Superman.

Actually this is me. It could happen! A lot more likely than Superman or Santa (although if I don't get off the Christmas Cookies - I'll have the waistline for Santa)

 

[Bert Greene]

Continuing my maddening march through Republic's chopped-up syndication prints, I came to "The Crooked Road" (1940), starring Edmund Lowe, Irene Hervey, and Henry Wilcoxon. The AFI book states the original running time at either 58 or 66 minutes. As typical, this 52-minute print seems discordantly abbreviated, missing bits of characterization (especially in regards to Hervey) which makes for an eventually unfulfilling viewing. Like "Forgotten Girls" (1940), this one was also directed by the prolific Phil Rosen. I sometimes think I've seen more Rosen-directed films than from any other director, in terms of sheer numbers. But I'm guessing William Beaudine probably holds that honor. And maybe Elmer Clifton is somewhere up there too. Rosen and Beaudine routinely seem to get dismissed as hacks, but I tend to think they do a pretty good job (on the whole) with their b-quickies, especially considering the budget/time limitations they constantly faced.

"The Crooked Road" has an above-par plotline, involving a blackmail victim's (Lowe) clever scheme to rid himself of his extortionist, only to have his business partner and his fiancee unwittingly investigating his actions that will pin the guilt on him. Quite a bona-fide 'noirish' plot, which I could so easily envision done five years later by a bigger studio and with more stylish touches. Ultimately the films pacing gets too rushed and things falter a bit, but I'm left wondering how much the edited snips are to blame.

I tend to like Edmund Lowe, although he admittedly sometimes exudes the aura of a mildewed romeo, haunting parlors since back in 1917. If I were a pretty 1930s starlet and saw him entering the room, I'd be quickly peering around and scoping out exits. Lowe can be particularly smarmy in his many film pairings with Victor McLaglen. But on the other hand, Lowe, as leading-man, often adds a bit of lively pep to otherwise routine productions, and always seems rather happily engaged in his characters. Hence, benefiting a good number of movies. He certainly starred in tons of films for virtually every studio over the years. One I really like is "Mister Dynamite" (1935-Universal), a zippy, lighthearted mystery (with Dashiell Hammett origins), with Lowe doing detective duties, assisted by secretary Jean Dixon. Good role for Lowe, and a good film, despite a few too many wisecracks in the dialogue department. A rare, good role also for b-western/serial gal Verna Hillie. Not to mention the ever-delightful Esther Ralston. Lowe also made "The Great Impersonation" (1935) that same year, for the same director and studio. Supposed to be pretty good, but I've somehow never managed to see it.

 

[Bob Gu]

Santa Gabby.

Dale Evans: Radio Days Glamour.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I just purchased Bells of Coronado from iTunes for $4.99 - it appears to be the full length version, with restored TruColor, and iTunes has a Paramount copyright on the info page, so this looks to be a new-ish effort on par with the master they licensed to Kino for Sunset in the West. I only had a chance to sample a moment of it but am looking forward to seeing the full movie soon.

I wanted to follow up on this to say that I was very satisfied with the presentation and enjoyed the film - if you can make iTunes digital purchases on your setups I recommend it without hesitation.

 

[Bob Gu]

BILLY THE KID RETURNS-1938, B&W, 56 minutes.

Some sources say this movie is actually 53 minutes, but Republic Confidential says it's 56 minutes.

I have four versions: An Alpha double-feature with THE ARIZONA KID, the Roan double-feature with HANDS ACROSS THE BORDER, one from the Mill Creek 50 Gunslinger Classics collection, and the Sinister Cinema DVD-R, Roy Rogers Vol. 2.

All four versions are 53 minutes syndicated versions and have the generic THE END card.
The first three have re-attached Republic logos to the front and back. Tech credits were at the front at this time. These three may be from the same OK print. The Sinister DVD-R uses a different slightly more damaged print and has a different Republic logo attached only to the front end and none in the rear. The print still looks good, as these PD things go.

BILLY THE KID RETURNS is the second Roy Rogers movie and the first Republic "Rogers and Hart" movie.

Roy Rogers and Mary Hart, (Lynne Roberts).

Roy plays 'Billy the Kid' and Roy Rogers.

Although Billy is helping the homesteaders in their fight with the big ranchers, he's still a bad guy. We see Billy shoot down an unarmed man to steal his horse.

Billy gets the drop on Fred Kohler, Sr.

Early in the story Pat Garrett, played by Wade Boteler, kills Billy.

Enter Roy and Trigger. Roy battles the ranchers trying to burn out one of the homesteaders and is mistaken for Billy the Kid.

Roy meets up with Smiley Burnette and his musical saddle pals.

Roy befriends Mary Hart and her dad Edwin Stanley, on their way to open a store in town.

When bad guy Morgan Wallace tries to strong-arm them, Roy forces him and his gang to buy the musical instruments Stanley has just bought from Smiley.

Smiley, Morgan Wallace, Mary Hart, Dan White, Fred Kohler, Sr., Jim Corey, and Jack Kirk.

The ranchers capture Roy, thinking him Billy the Kid, and bring Roy into the local Federal Marshal. Pat Garrett arrives and tells the Marshal Roy is not Billy. This is not revealed in front of the ranchers.

Garrett, Wade Boteler, is skeptical, but goes along with the Marshal's plan to let Roy act as "Billy the Kid" to help the new settlers fight off the ranchers, until the ranchers break some federal laws, and the government can act.

Wade Boteler.

Even at 53 minutes, this movie still manages to include eight musical numbers and may still be missing one.

Trigger runs around a good bit and jumps over fences and off a cliff into the water. (That jump off the cliff and into the water was probably a stunt 'Trigger'.)

Future western star, George Montgomery is very prominent as one of the henchmen in BILLY THE KID RETURNS. Can you spot him?

One of the many great things about George Montgomery westerns are his big hats.

Western character actor Dan White,

From "A Word on Westerns", Dan White on the Jack Randall accident and Roy Rogers talking about Yakima Canutt plus the Roy Rogers Cowboy Prayer, again.

BILLY THE KID RETURNS- TheFilmDetective.

 

[ponset]

Trio of covers from the ROY ROGERS comic published in the UK.
Not sure if these were new stories or American reprints.

 

[Beckford]

I just purchased Bells of Coronado from iTunes for $4.99 - it appears to be the full length version, with restored TruColor, and iTunes has a Paramount copyright on the info page, so this looks to be a new-ish effort on par with the master they licensed to Kino for Sunset in the West. I only had a chance to sample a moment of it but am looking forward to seeing the full movie soon.

Thanks for the great tip. I downloaded it yesterday. One of the best iTunes purchases I've made in a long time.
A twisty tale well told. With some great action set-pieces; excitingly photographed riding sequences, too. Not quite enough music for my taste - but that's a minor quibble. I'd rate this one pretty high in the Rogers canon. And what a beautiful print! Hope someday to see it on Blu-ray - along with "Trail of Robin Hood", "Twilight in the Sierras" and "Under California Stars".

 

[Bert Greene]

One Republic title that luckily seems to circulate in complete, unedited form is a key one, "Forbidden Heaven" (1935). It wasn't technically the first Republic release, but it was supposedly the first one genuinely planned as a Republic film. As we know, Republic's earliest releases were products of other outfits which got swept into the merging that led to its creation. Like some Mascot features, including "Confidential" (1935), "Harmony Lane" (1935), and "Streamline Express" (1935), the latter being particularly entertaining. There were also the Liberty Pictures titles like "The Crime of Dr. Crespi" (1935), recently released on blu by Flicker Alley, as well as "The Spanish Cape Mystery" (1935), with Helen Twelvetrees looking especially fetching in mid-30s fashions. In addition, there were one or two Monogrammers, as well as a trio of indie cheapies starring William Boyd before Harry Sherman signed him up for Hoppy. The last one released, "Go-Get-'Em-Haines (1936) is a creaky but fascinating curio... a mystery film actually shot on board a real ocean-liner as it sailed between Los Angeles and Panama. Hence, capturing a rather vivid realism in its backdrop.

But how is "Forbidden Heaven" (1935), since it seems to hold the lofty position in Republic's history? Eh. Only so-so. It's a Trem Carr production, so it probably had its roots in Monogram, as that's who'd been releasing his films beforehand. The film stars Charles Farrell and Charlotte Henry. It's about four disparate folks, broke and homeless, who secretly make a new 'home' for themselves in a closed-up building in a park, constantly on the lookout for authorities. Very, very similar to the much more prestigious Henry King directed "One More Spring" (1935-Fox), starring Warner Baxter and Janet Gaynor, which had been released about six months prior. Although the latter took place in NYC, while Republic's little imitation took place in London. Indeed, Charles Farrell plays a Britisher, but makes no attempt at affecting an accent. This awkward bit of casting tends to throw the film off-kilter from the start, even if the title of the film itself might have been calculatedly designed to evoke memories of Farrell's earlier mega-hit "Seventh Heaven," eight years before. Beryl Mercer portrays one of the quartet, doing her usual somewhat-dottering mother bits. I've sometimes encountered some modern criticism of her, but despite being limited to type, I always felt she could be quite effective in her range. She was most impressive in Borzage's "Young America" (1932-Fox), for example.

Overall, I can't really say "Heaven" did much for me. "One More Spring" is vastly better. I suspect both films played well in 1935 during the Depression. Both conveyed a rather good-hearted, constructive attitude about getting through hard times with friendships and cooperation. I appreciated that about the films, even though they served up that peculiar brand of devil-may-care whimsy commonly found back then (flowering especially in the screwball comedy genre), which I can sometimes find a bit too precocious for my tastes. Whatever the case, it's a somewhat oddball start for the Republic Pictures story. The studio didn't really have a particularly discernible direction those first few years, when it came to features. They seemed to be trying a bit of everything, the only consistency being the modest budgets.

 

[ponset]

Looks you could serve a mighty fine meal on this Dinner set.

 

[ponset]

 

[Bob Gu]

THE ARIZONA KID-1939, B&W, 61 minutes.

Another Roy Rogers title only available in the cut syndicated TV versions. I have it on the Alpha double-feature with BILLY THE KID RETURNS and on the Sinister Cinema Roy Rogers Vol. 4.

The Alpha has one ringing animated Liberty Bell Tower logo at the start reattached to the print, with no THE END card at all, at the end of the movie, before the end technical credits. The Sinister print is also missing the generic THE END but has a second Liberty Bell Tower logo before the end technical credits. (Both prints are missing the original THE END which should have appeared pver the last live action scene in the movie.)

I watched both versions side by side and I'd say the Alpha had a brighter picture and was a less damaged print than the Sinister. The Sinister print seemed centered better and a little sharper even though the print looked darker.

In most shots the Alpha had more picture information on the sides of the frame and the Sinister had more on the top and bottom. But, in some scenes that was reversed.

The Sinister is a 53-minute version. The Alpha is one of those slowed down prints where Roy's voice sounds lower, and the counter shows 56 minutes. The 'longer' print did not have any scenes that were not in the 53-minute version.

Roy plays 'Roy Rogers' and is called 'The Arizona Kid' by his childhood pal, David Kerwin. Roy and Gabby have just returned to Missouri from the Arizona Territories.

Roy, Dave Kerwin, and Gabby Hayes.

The Civil War is about to start up and Missouri is loyal to the Union. Rebel outlaws, led by Stuart Hamblen, based in Missouri are already raiding other states and the Federal Government has declared them terrorists and outlaws.

Roy and Gabby are against the raiders and try to talk Kerwin out of joining them. But Kerwin wants the quick money and excitement of being an outlaw.

Roy and Gabby try to save a small Federal patrol, commanded by Archie Twitchell, from engaging Hamblen's larger gang.

When the war starts, Roy and Gabby join the Confederate army and are given the job of tracking down and executing Hamblen's raiders, including Roy's friend, Kerwin. The raiders have been attacking, looting, and killing civilians on both sides.

Gabby and Roy get some information from wounded outlaw, Ted Mapes.

Stuart Hamblen.

Roy with Hamblen and Dorothy Sebastian.

What's in the missing 6-7 minutes? I guess more songs, action montages, and possible Gabby humor???

Pictured: A scene not in the movie, but it's not a missing scene. David Kerwin and Sally March giving party invitations to Roy and Gabby. In the actual movie, Kerwin, alone, delivers the invitations.

David Kerwin only appeared in four movies, between 1939-41, and died in combat during World War II, in 1942.

THE ARIZONA KID is the only credit for, Roy's love interest, young Sally March, at IMDB. I wonder what her story was.

Bad guy Hamblen's lady friend was played by Dorothy Sebastian. Sebastian was an actress in decline, at this point and THE ARIZONA KID is one of her last credited roles with a character name. She was also in Roy's, ROUGH RIDERS ROUND-UP and DAYS OF JESSE JAMES, both 1939.
She was William 'Hopalong Cassidy' Boyd's third wife.

Dorothy Sebastian.

Newspaper clipping calls THE ARIZONA KID Sebastian's 'comeback role'.

The clippings mention two features that were shown along with THE ARIZONA KID as double-features, in 1939. Funny how these three movies are never on the Great Films of 1939 lists.

Stuart Hamblen plays the despicable gang leader well. He only has eleven acting roles listed at IMDB, all but one for Republic. He was a singer- songwriter.

I noticed Hamblen as a comic sidekick to Noah Beery, Jr, in the Wild Bill Elliott Republic, "The Savage Horde"-1950. Hamblen sings the catchy "Ridin' Old Paint".

Stuart Hamblen, Bill Elliott, and Adrian Booth.

Republic Theater: "The Savage Horde".




"The Arizona Kid" was also the title of a 1930 western with Warner Baxter and Carole Lombard. It's sometimes considered a Cisco Kid movie, but Baxter didn't play 'Cisco'.

56-minute slowed down version.

 

[ponset]

Toy Statues of Roy, Dale, and Bullet.

 

[Bob Gu]

Statues? Action figures, Scott. I think these came in different scales and heights. I guess they were some kind of plaster and the paint felt soft to the touch. I had a Lone Ranger in the same pose and blue coloring. Was it Roy under the mask?

In October of 2021, Mill Creek released a stand-alone DVD-R of THE COWBOY AND THE SENORITA. It lists the correct running time of 78 minutes. Anyone get this edition?

It would be nice to see the back cover, to see if anything special is mentioned about this particular release. The source and if any clean-up or restoration was done compared to what's out there in the 'collector' market or YouTube and streaming.

I don't believe Mill Creek ever had any other single Disc Roy Rogers movie releases. Roy Rogers movies are in the various MC western collections including some Roy only collections. I think MC's previous 'SENORITA" releases, in the collections, were the 53 minute versions.

The MOD pricing on this title seems high, compared to the various MC Sony triple features and some of their other multi-movie collections.

There are still Public Domain companies releasing 'new' Roy Rogers DVDs and DVD-Rs, some as double-features.

The listing for the Reel Vault one doesn't mention the run-time.

TheFilmDetective has many Rogers movies which they usually clean up. I am not sure if they are DVD or DVD-R. But you can just watch them for free on their YouTube channel or their streaming site, TheFilmDetective.tv.

At this point I am satisfied with what I already have. But I will continue to check out what shows up on TV stations like GritTV and YouTube. (Barring any stellar reviews of new uncut Rogers restorations.)

Over the years, just to see all the Roy Rogers movies, I bought many of the Alpha singles and double features. Along with Sinister Cinema, Alpha pre-dated many of these later Public Domain labels and were easy to find.

An Alpha double-feature I never bought was the one with THE COWBOY AND THE SENORITA and UNDER NEVADA SKIES.

Looking at the runtime total of 122 minutes, I'd guess that THE COWBOY AND THE SENORITA is a 53 minute version and UNDER NEVADA SKIES is an uncut 69 minute version.

There are many 69 minute versions of UNDER NEVADA SKIES on YouTube and Vimeo. (The one I posted earlier in the thread was taken down.} I'll check to see if any of the newer uploads have the theatrical title card and a proper THE END over the last live action of the movie. ( I think my old VHS of this title did not have the theatrical title card. I should look.)

I talked about THE COWBOY AND THE SENORITA in Post #244 on page 13, and UNDER NEVADA SKIES in Posts #278-279 on page 14.

 

[Bert Greene]

Intriguing about Mill Creek putting out a solo "Cowboy and the Senorita" (1944) release. Does make one wonder. But it's awfully hard to imagine they found access to a complete print. I've been burned many a time, reading complete running times in product descriptions, only to find the chopped-up, edited syndication prints on the discs. Our chances are somewhat better with the possibilities of simple upgrades via better-quality prints and more modern, adept transfers. I do try to keep an eye out for such things.

No other studio product gives us as much exasperation over chopped-up prints as Republic. Just when I think things can't get any worse, I run into a copy of "A Desperate Adventure" (1938-Rep), a little comedy starring Ramon Novarro and Marian Marsh. The bloomin' thing runs only 46-minutes! Its orginal running time is supposed to be 67-minutes. A whopping 21 minutes missing. What I have seems to be some syndication print not from the 1950s 16mm batch, but from the 1980s, with the modern color videotape-era Republic Pictures logo at the end. Maybe this print was designed for that late-1980s syndication package of Republic features/serials that circulated a bit back then (which I missed, as it was never aired in my local tv-market). But gee whiz, 46-minutes!

Impossible to really judge a movie when so much is missing. It seemed like a fairly cute little film, but with all the edits, it felt more like viewing a series of snippets. Navarro played an artist whose private painting of an imaginary dream-girl gets sold, and he attempts to retrieve it on a shipboard journey. The always astonishingly-lovely Marian Marsh happens to resemble the painting, causing the typical comical consternation. Margaret Tallichet (known mostly by buffs for her role in "Stranger on the Third Floor"), looking quite nice herself, played Marsh's sister. Also listed much further down in the credits was Lois Collier, but I didn't spot her. Probably in that missing 21-minutes.

Marian Marsh made two other Republics around this time, and they are much more commonly-found public domain titles. One that I particularly like is "Youth on Parole" (1937-Rep), another solid workmanlike offering from erstwhile director Phil Rosen. The premise is a tad far-fetched, with Marsh and Gordon Oliver as young innocents who get framed for a robbery, go to jail, and then struggle along while on parole. But it's a pretty nice and winsome little film, with a light touch and likeable characters. Alpha has a print which is pretty decent-looking, and at 59-minutes is complete or near-complete. The AFI book says its original running time is either 60 or 62 minutes. The other Republic title with Marsh is "Prison Nurse" (1938-Rep), which I recall as only being so-so. Although again much of the blame might go the abbreviated syndication print, clocking in at only 51-minutes despite a 67-minute running time. Alpha also has a print of this one, but it's quite weak, adding to the problem of giving it a fair assessment.