Carmen in Texas

If you've ever seen a Tex Ritter western you know what to expect from this one. Clunky situations broken up by a song or three from good ol' Tex. This one follows exactly to form.

The only reason to seek this out is the presence of a very young Rita Hayworth in the female lead. So early in fact that she is still billed by her given name, Rita Cansino. This was actually the last time she would be billed thus. It's painfully obvious she isn't completely at home before the cameras just yet since her line readings are still and lifeless. However there is one striking scene where she dances and suddenly there's the Rita Hayworth of legend, totally alive to the lens. As soon as the music stops though she's right back where she started, ill at ease and uncomfortable. She looks pretty, still brunette and slightly dowdy, the Columbia magic hasn't happened yet and she resembles a young Ann Sheridan more than herself. Ironic than that a few years after this she would get her big breakthrough stepping in to The Strawberry Blonde when Ann had a falling out with Warners.

As for this picture if you're a rodeo fan there are many, too many, scenes set in one but the acting is atrocious and the plot not very involving.

Bkoganbing mentioned in his review that there was a B movie with John Wayne and wasn't sure which came first. That movie was The Man from Utah and it was 1934, so I find it weird that they'd make essentially the same movie 3 years later. Not sure the point, except maybe they felt they could do it better.

Oddly, guys like Yakima Canutt and Earl Dwire were in both movies. John Wayne was replaced with Tex Ritter, and Lucky played Gabby's role. I suppose the selling point was maybe having Tex actually sing, instead of dubbing in a singer for John Wayne. Besides, Wayne didn't really become a star until Stagecoach (2 years after this in '39).

In any case, it's essentially the same movie, which is about a gang of guys trying to rig a rodeo to win all the prize money.

The quality of this is a shade better (than The Man from Utah), but they do the same rodeo stuff, dub in what looks to be some of the same footage, only they have more of it in this movie.

They do give writing credits to Lindsley Parsons - he wrote The Man from Utah - but I don't really see the point in making this movie. They get 0 points for originality.

The only reason I give this 3 stars (instead of 1) is that this it a little newer and they don't look to have dubbed (as much) as The Man from Utah. Also, Rita Cansino (before she was known as Rita Hayworth) is in this and I do think she does a good acting job, so maybe this was her break. Also, there was one funny part where Lucky put a stick against a guy's back, so the bad guy would think it was his gun, and not turn around. This might be worth more than 3 stars from me if this weren't ripped off. It's not like this is Hitchcock's Psycho getting remade, but maybe they could have come up with something original for Tex and Rita.

TROUBLE IN Texas is an entertaining little B western with wider appeal than the norm due to the leading lady being the very young Rita Hayworth (billed under her real name, Cansino). The appealing Tex Ritter stars as a rodeo circuit cowboy/entertainer who remains on the circuit in hopes of tracking down the bad guys who killed his brother. As it happens, beautiful young government agent Carmen (Rita) is also after them although Tex suspects she may be part of their gang (she is, but is undercover for the government) though he also attempts to woo this gorgeous young woman, no fool he.

This little movie is clearly a quickie with is blatant stock footage (including quite a bit filmed at an actual rodeo which isn't exactly smoothly edited into the film and the scenes with the actors), threadbare sets, and the like but the cast is very appealing and 18-year-old Rita is stunningly beautiful and beams with unmistakable star quality (she has some absolutely gorgeous closeups in this low-budget effort that would rival those in an important studio film that are probably due more to her natural beauty than to the cinematography).

Tex Ritter is great as the always smiling, down-to-earth hero of the tale and while sidekick Horace Murphy (57 at the time, to modern eyes he seems a decade older) is fairly amusing in apparently one of the bigger roles of his career (according to IMDb, most of his parts were unbilled bits). Throw in some classic B western bad guys, excellent stunt work, a nice dance number by Rita, and some good western songs and you've got a pretty terrific if unambitious little B western.

"Trouble in Texas" is arguably the best of the 12 westerns that Tex Ritter turned out for Grand National in the late 1930s. It is notable for the appearance of Rita Hayworth (as Rita Cansino) and the showcasing the many talents (excluding acting) of Yakima Canutt.

The story has the bad guys headed by Earl Dwire and henchmen Canutt and Charlie King rigging rodeo results to favor them by eliminating competitors. Hayworth is a federal agent sent to infiltrate the gang. Along comes Ritter and his sidekick Horace Murphy. Tex plans to compete in the next rodeo. He enters and beats Canutt in every event despite the gang's efforts to eliminate him. Finally, Tex and sheriff Glenn Strange settle things with the gang.

This film is memorable for the stunts performed by the legendary Canutt. He performs several dangerous stunts on the backs of a team of runaway horses and on the speeding wagon. Having been a champion Rodeo rider in his youth, Canutt had no difficulty in the rodeo scenes in spite of the extensive usage of stock footage.

Hayworth was about to adopt that name and move over to Columbia as one of its greatest stars. She gets to perform a dance sequence in which her considerable talent is displayed. Ritter sings a few forgettable songs as well. And the casting of veterans Dwire, King and Strange didn't hurt either.

Not a bad little programmer.

While Tex Ritter (as Tex Masters) sings "Down the Colorado Trail", accompanied by harmonica-playing sidekick Horace Murphy (as Lucky), pretty government agent Rita Hayworth (as Carmen Serano) is sent out to investigate a series of mysterious rodeo deaths. Ms. Hayworth and Mr. Ritter cross paths in Middletown Valley, where Ritter is looking for the gang that killed his brother.

Undercover girl Hayworth and singing cowboy Ritter are the main attractions. Hayworth and Hank Worden have a couple of smooth dance numbers. Ritter's "Down the Colorado Trail" and "I'm Bound to Leave Ol' Texas Now" are highlights; the latter ballad is especially nice. The "Trouble in Texas" is, most obviously, its poorly edited "rodeo footage". It might have, otherwise, been a better movie.