Roll on Texas Moon

The plot to "Roll on Texas Moon" is very familiar if you've watched a bunch of B-westerns...and because it's such an overused plot, the film is a bit lazy. It also features a sacchariny-sweet dream sequence...another reason this film could never make a list of my favorite Roy Rogers pictures!

When the story begins, cattleman Gabby (Gabby Hayes) is accused of shooting a sheepherder. However, oddly, this element of the story seems to just stop and once the sheriff takes Gabby, he soon releases him and nothing more is said of this! Soon the scene changes to a meeting with a government official and Roy. Roy is being sent back to investigate the animosity that's sprung up between the sheep and cattle folks....and when I saw that one of the ranch hands at Dale's ranch was Francis McDonald, I KNEW he was one of the baddies. This is because McDonald is one of the most type-cast B-western actors of the day. He ALWAYS played villains...often the trusted #2 man behind the big boss baddie. He also LOOKED swarthy and evil. But who else is behind the growing animosity? See the film and find out for yourself...or not.

The dream sequence was awful. The plot was lazy. But I am not giving the film a lower score because I loved seeing Gabby and his new best friend...these scenes were very cute without being too cloying. Overall, a sub-par Roy Rogers film...mostly because it's all been said and done before by not just Rogers but several other cowboy stars.

By the way, if you want to see this film (and I am not strongly recommending you do), it's on YouTube AND it's the original full-length version, not a trimmed down for television print.

Gabby Hayes is plumb disgusted by sheep, particularly Dale Evans' pet lamb that follows him back to his ranch. He's just been cleared of murdering one of Miss Evans' men who strayed onto his land. The simmering dispute between the ranchers and sheepherders is on the bubble and look to be about to break into active warfare, so the cattle company sends Roy Rogers down to Texas to deal with the situation.

If this isn't the peak of the Roy Rogers westerns, it's pretty close to it. Gabby gets a great comic turn as he is pursued by the lamb; Roy & Miss Evans' duet of the title song is very charming, and if the bad guys reveal themselves in private dialogue to the audience, leaving Roy to figure it out the hard way, well, Republic knew he was their moneymaker, and gave him good stories, a fine director in William Witney, and some nice camerawork by William Bradford, who offers some striking angles and good portrait work. With Elisabeth Risdon, and the usual cast of character actors, including the Sons of the Pioneers.

Roll on Texas Moon employs many of the standard plot devices of the popular B Western to wring out plenty of action and humor in the course of its brief running time. Paragon of truth, honor and virtue Roy Rogers finds himself smack dab in the middle of a turf war between the regional cattle ranchers and sheep herders (the social implications of which are occasionally fascinating to ponder) which has been manufactured by a secret evil-doer trying to gain control of a major ranch. Roy's invaluable sidekick, the legendary Gabby Hayes, proves indispensable to the film: not only is he accused of murder, he also provides the comic relief, as an adorable lost lamb develops a fixation and dependence on Gabby that the grizzled cattleman desperately tries to hide from his pals. Dale Evans, playing Jill Delaney, is a well-meaning and good-hearted sheep rancher who, like Roy, does not want the bitter dispute to tear apart the community. Before all the secrets can come to light and reveal the true villain, the audience is treated to a rousing set piece in which Jill's out of control, sabotaged auto goes careening off a steep embankment. If you think Roy is able to save her from certain doom, well... you better see Roll on Texas Moon and find out.

Roy Rogers (as Roy Rogers) has to mediate a "war" between the Sheep Herders and the Cattle Ranchers. George "Gabby" Hayes (as Gabby) is followed around by a Little Lamb. Dale Evans (as Jill) needs saving. Bob Nolan and the "Sons of the Pioneers" are around. After a promising, scenic opening, with Elisabeth Risdon effective (as Kate), the film falls apart… while the camera follows the Little Lamb… who is following Gabby... The title song is sung to the Lamb. The film includes Lamb Songs and a Mexican Jumping Bean Song. The highlight is when Evans' out-of-control car plunges into a river; after Rogers fishes her out, the duo sweetly sing "Be a Friend of Mine".

** Roll on Texas Moon (1946) William Witney ~ Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Dale Evans

This film essentially begins with a cattleman by the name of "Gabby Whitaker" (George 'Gabby' Hayes) noticing that some sheep have wondered onto the land that belongs to the cattle company he works with. So, quite naturally, he chases them back onto the neighboring sheep ranch by shooting his pistol in the air. Needless to say, this attracts the attention of those working on the sheep ranch and when they go to investigate where the shots are coming from that find Gabby standing over the dead body of the owner of that very sheep ranch. Quickly drawing their pistols, they escort Gabby to the sheriff's office to be held for murder. Fortunately, after a quick investigation, they find that the victim was killed by a rifle--and since Gabby didn't have one on him--he is released. Even so, the situation becomes quite tense after that and, fearing a range war between the cattlemen and sheepherders, a cowboy named "Roy Rogers" (Roy Rogers) is sent from the cattleman corporation in Chicago to investigate. Yet in spite of his reputation as a cattleman, Roy soon discovers that it holds little value at this particular time--and things are only going to get worse. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was pretty a standard Western film that one would see at the local theater during this particular time in history with Roy Rogers, Dale Evans (as "Jill Delaney") and George 'Gabby' Hayes being household names to most fans of the genre. And while I would admit that this film is quite dated, it still has a nostalgic appeal to it and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.