La venganza del lobo

Francis Ford thought he had lost his nephew during the War, and had turned his fortune towards a camp for the children of fallen soldiers. Now his lawyer, Nana Bryant, tells him the youngster has turned up, so he tells her to rewrite his will, leaving half to the young man, and half to the camp. He signs a blank form and then heads into town. On the way, he is attacked by angry dogs, which everyone thinks are wolves. Ford is killed, but when his will is red, he has left everything to his nephew. Marshall Roy Rogers is in town to investigate. He comes across one of the dogs, hit by a bullet -- it's Bullet in his first role. Roy and doctor Andy Devine fail to calm the animal, but Trigger does so immediately.

There's a lot going on in this Roy Rogers vehicle, so much so that it often becomes confusing, even when it's been establish that Miss Bryant, despite her vapors, is actually the lead bad guy in the show. Lynne Roberts is present as Devine's nurse and Roy's implied love interest, and the Sons of the Pioneer sing or accompany Roy in three songs. It's not one of Roy's best, but it's still lively and fun.

"Eyes of Texas" is more serious than most Roy Rogers movies, with less humor and singing than are found in most of his films, but it's a decent story with some real suspense, and worth watching.

In this one, Roy is a U.S. Marshall who faces a really dangerous opponent, a lawyer who is using violence, deception, and fear in an attempt to take over a family's inheritance, which would also involve shutting down a ranch that is serving as a home for orphaned boys. Roy must risk his life, his job, and his reputation in his attempt to shut down the lawyer's wicked schemes.

The movie also features Andy Devine as the town doctor, who has difficulty deciding whether or not to help Roy out on this one.

The story that follows is mostly convincing and interesting, although with a slightly different feel from many of Roy's movies. There's still plenty of Roy Rogers in it, enough to satisfy any of his fans.

There're some novel features in this Rogers oater—a "wolf" pack, an old lady mastermind, Devine as a veterinarian, and a home for orphaned boys. Seems an old lady (Bryant) plots to steal inheritance from the boys home, and only US Marshal Rogers stands in her way. In the process, she enlists much of the town, including Devine, to discredit Roy who doesn't help himself by slugging the popular vet. Yes, good guy Roy slugs good guy Devine. Good thing our hero has Trigger and Lobo to help, and, oh yes, a fetching Lynne Roberts who would keep any guy going.

There's some okay flying fists, and fast shooting near the end, while hard riding features the predatory wolf pack. The locations are familiar ones just north of LA, so not much b&w scenery. Nonetheless, the story's an engaging one, along with its novel aspects. I should say in reply to fellow reviewers and as a Front Row geezer that I don't watch these matinees for their logic. They weren't intended as tight story lines. Now if I were watching a polished murder mystery, a very different standard would apply. Anyway, this is a highly entertaining Rogers entry and shouldn't be missed.

The Eyes Of Texas has Roy Rogers as a US Marshal who uncovers a truly intricate plan involving a scheme to kill and rob Francis Ford of his ranch. Ford has made his ranch a boy's camp specifically for kids whose fathers were killed in World War II. But his sister Nana Bryant who is a lawyer has some other ideas about the property and the woman is quite ruthless in her methods.

Which include training a pack of dogs who've been killing cattle in and around the area for months before she springs them on Ford. Of course Roy does not believe the rumor that killer wolves have been raiding the local cattle.

Her chief henchman Roy Barcroft and Roy have a truly brutal fight scene where Andy Devine who's a doctor in this film rescues him. One of Roy's fancy western shirts was sacrificed for art. This fight scene was right on the edge and is comparable to the one that Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt have with Barton MacLane in The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre which also came out in 1948. How it got through the censors is beyond me as Roy's films were marketed for the Saturday matinée kiddie trade.

Bryant who had a long career on screen mostly as good women, even playing nuns maybe has her career role in The Eyes Of Texas. I'd check this better than average Roy Rogers feature out just for her alone.

After the only other living person in his family is killed fighting in Italy during World War 2, a wealthy old man by the name of "Thad Cameron" (Francis Ford) takes it upon himself to create a ranch for young boys whose fathers had been killed in the service of their country. Needless to say, when his attorney "Hattie Waters" (Nana Bryant) sends word that his nephew--who was thought to have been killed in action--was only wounded and is finally returning home, he is overcome with emotion. So much so that he immediately goes to Hattie's office to revise his will so that his nephew will get half of all his money while the boy's ranch will get the other half. Unfortunately, being the trustworthy person that he is, he signs a blank piece of paper at Hattie's request with the assurance that she will fill it out properly. Then, upon his way home, he is attacked and killed by a pack of vicious dogs owned by Hattie and unleashed by one of her accomplices named "Vic Rabin" (Roy Barcroft). Not knowing any better, everyone assumes that he was killed by a pack of wolves. Not only that, but they also believe that Thad's long-lost nephew is legitimate as well. Regardless, this strange incident around Thad's death raises the suspicions of certain law enforcement agencies and as a result they send one of their officers by the name of "Marshal Roy Rogers" (Roy Rogers) to investigate--and this is something that Hattie cannot allow. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that, having never heard of this film before, I was expecting nothing more than a typical, low-budget, grade-B picture that was quite common during this specific time. And while it certainly wasn't a premier movie by any means, it still turned out to be surprisingly good. Admittedly, it was quite dated and some of the acting wasn't as good as it could have been. But all things considered, I enjoyed this film for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.