Watching ROMANCE ON THE RANGE, it struck me that as much of a household name as Roy Rogers is, I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and actually watched any of his work. Now, I’m glad to be able to claim I’ve seen at least one Rogers movie.
This musical western stars Rogers as a rancher named… Roy Rogers. He and his cowhands (played by a musical group called Sons of the Pioneers) are investigating the death of one of their own in relation to a fur-smuggling ring that’s troubling the area when the wealthy owner of the ranch (Linda Hayes) shows up to investigate, as well.
Hayes is undercover, figuring if anyone knew she was the owner of the ranch she’d never get to the bottom of anything, and brings along her maid (Sally Payne) who happens to be in a long distance letter-writing relationship with one of Rogers’ men.
Much to the dismay of resident old coot Gabby (George “Gabby” Hayes) Rogers welcomes Hayes enthusiastically and even strikes up a romance with her.
There’s not much to this flick and it barely runs over an hour, but you can’t deny there’s a certain charm in the simplicity. The cowboys break into song every ten minutes or so, and the songs are pleasant enough. The romance is approached at about a 5th grade level, so as not to gross out any boys in the audience who might sympathize with Gabby’s “no girls allowed” policy. And there’s enough chasing around on horses and shooting that it’s never boring.
The setting is interesting – the film is from 1942, and seems to take place in 1942 as well. Despite the fact that we’ve got gunslingers on horses, we’ve also got modern conveniences like cars and trucks, and contemporary looking costumes. I’m sure this was a cost-cutting measure, but it also serves to remind viewers of the even larger disconnect between country and city life in the recent past than exists today.
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