La canción del bandolero

Like tmwest, I saw this when I was a youngster(14), and I was not at all pleased with my absent father after he left my mother, my brother, and I -- just to be with another woman and her baby. So, I was hungry for a hero. I thought Vaughn sang great songs, which I knew well enough to sing along with, and I loved to sing enough that I sang in a couple of choirs, so I latched onto him. My brother sang solos, and I wished I could too. As I recall, the plot was fairly simple, but as I pointed out, it fit the bill of being encouraging entertainment for me, especially since the hero was trying to turn the bad parts of his life around, making me wish my father would, too. He didn't, unfortunately, but I finally did. Wish I had a copy of this film today.

Curious as to what a cowboy film with crooner Vaughn Monroe might be like, I've finally caught up with this. "Singing Guns", made by Republic in 1950, features Monroe as outlaw Rhiannon, who hides out in the mountains with a stack of gold he's stolen a la Dick Turpin from stagecoaches.

Ward Bond is the local sheriff, Ella Raines is the sparky love interest, and Walter Brennan is the doctor cum preacher, always ready to save a soul. With a solid supporting cast and Trucolor, the film looks good, despite its tiny budget and Poverty Row production values.

I enjoyed this film. Ward Bond has to walk down a Wild West street in frillies, Vaughn gets to sing a few songs including 'Mule Train', there's some shooting, a few punches thrown, and a bit of drama. I'd recommend it as a fairly strong B feature.

Balance see-saws, with first one side, then the other seeming to be on top, and just who is the real bad guy, and who is the good, seems to change as the story progresses.

Vaughn Monroe made a good cowboy, and also made the last of the B Westerns.

He had been known primarily as a singer, and does some singing in "Singing Guns," in fact he does more singing than do those guns.

Ella Raines is again a fiery-tempered Western gal, looking so fetching in either her saloon-girl low-cut dress or her horse-riding-girl pants and hat.

Ward Bond is again great as the sheriff, though we don't know just which path he is taking.

However, it is the character played by Walter Brennan, one of the finest actors ever to grace the silver screen, who pretty well directs the path of all the other characters, and who is the only clear-cut good guy, as far as the audience will be able to tell.

It's from Republic (I like the sound of that word) Pictures, so of course the production values are high.

Director R.G. Springsteen does not seem to be so well known as other, and in my opinion lesser, directors, but I have yet to see a picture by him that isn't well done.

"Singing Guns" is an interesting picture because it is the first cowboy movie by Vaughn Monroe and is an entry among the last of the B Westerns; but it is a good cowboy movie in and of itself, with a great cast of top actors, beautiful scenery -- including Ella Raines (and why would any reviewer spell her name "Raynes"?) -- and some intriguing characters.

I recommend "Singing Guns," and you can see it where I did, at YouTube.

If you like good old fashioned westerns, you'll like this movie. It is a common story of guy goes bad for good reasons and how he gets back on the right side. Look at the credits for Director, Writer, Screenplay and the list of actors.Can't get much better. That whole list is in the "A" category. Even with Vaughn Monroe's lack of acting experience it is hard not to like him because of the good story line and the "hero" that he plays, a goodguy that is good at whatever he does and only does it when he has to. He is the type of guy that anyone would like to be like. He can fight, shoot, sing, play the piano and ends up with the good looking Ella Raines. What more could a guy ask for. Good Entertainment!

Catch what appears to be innuendo in the opening stagecoach scene between Ella Raines and the guy sitting across from her. Rather surprising for a Republic Western. It's hardly unusual for a pop singer to transition to movies. Examples range from crooners Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra to rocker Elvis to more contemporary Ice Cube. Monroe makes a manful effort, but in my book the results are best described as uneven. Note how much more relaxed he appears when doing what he does best—sing (I'm glad they worked in Mule Train, the main reason I tuned in).

Wisely, the studio surrounded him with a cast of very capable performers. In fact, Ward Bond has almost as much screen time as Monroe; and ditto for that sly old fox, Walter Brennan. They may have made a mistake with Raines, however. Her glamorous presence and strong personality clearly overshadow that of the uncertain newcomer. Nonetheless, the locations from scenic Sedona, Arizona, make for a series of terrific background shots. The story is more interesting than most oaters, but also more complicated. I had trouble following many of the developments, but maybe that's my fault. Anyway, all things considered, it's a decent enough horse opera. And judging by his scant screen credits, Monroe made the right decision sticking with his unusually fine baritone.