Galloping Romeo

Bob Steele and George Hayes - in early 'Gabby' mode - have been knocking around the West, mostly in trouble through no fault of their own. They decide to cross the border before annoying Marshall Lafe McKee can catch up with them and settle down in California on a ranch, as soon as Steele can find a pretty girl for a wife. Once they're in California, they immediately find Doris Hill, and a bit of a mystery. Cash payrolls keep vanishing out of the box on the stage, no matter how many drivers the sheriff arrests. Since the express company manager is a friend of Hayes', the fellows take the job... and get into trouble.

It's another of the pretty good B westerns written and directed by Steele's father, Robert N. Bradbury, taking advantage of Steele's youthful athleticism. He does a nice dive in the water, and if you've never encountered this particular technique of emptying a cash box before, you'll enjoy it.

Some of the IMDb reviewers don't care much for Miss Hill. She had entered the movies in 1926, and big things were expected of her; she was a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1929. Sometimes things don't work out, and after 34 features and a couple of shorts, she retired to private life, two marriages and two children. She died in 1976, aged 70.

Bob Steele and George ( Gabby ) Hayes made several westerns together in the early 30's . This is perhaps their best chemistry in any of those films. This is the old 'someone in the trunk on the top of the stage ' plot. My first viewing of this plot is in a J.B. Warner silent from 1921 . It was used several times in the 30's , but fell into disuse during the 40's .However this is the first use of a girl to do it. The only real explanation missing is why she did the robbery except it was her father . This western moves at a fast pace as do all of Robert Bradbury-directed westerns . No big news that Bradbury is Steele's real life father .Doris Hill was one of those ' plain Jane " western heroines that would grace the 'B' westerns for 1 or 2 films and disappear. The action moves continuously around the the main focus and doesn't deviate with some meaningless sub-plots which is another of Bradbury's directorial characteristics . Steele is as likable as ever . Well worth the time to view .

It all starts with Grizzly (Gabby Hayes) and Rivers (Bob Steele) reminiscing about the 'bad old days', "Well son we've sure been through a lot these last three years". Marshal Gregory (Lafe McKee) is unaware that they plugged the bandito who tried to kill him. So they high tail it to the next town where money is mysteriously disappearing from a locked trunk atop the stage. Pete Manning (Hal Price) the express agent is strapped for honest agents so he hires his old friend Grizzly with Rivers. The real magic in this film is when Steele meets Doris Hill as Mary Kent. Her blacksmith father (Ed Brady) is determined to keep her under lock and key. Steele has his suspicions about Brady which is intensified by his love for the gorgeous Doris Hill. The ever-reliable Ernie Adams proves he's one of the best henchmen in the business.

This is a stark, gritty, and dusty tale with a straight-ahead approach to telling the story. The soundtrack is brilliant and crisp with all sorts of appropriate foreground and background noises and sounds. Hayes and Steele seem so natural together, and their knowing glances to one another as the movie unfolds are a pleasure to watch. I particularly enjoyed how the film gets off to a surprising and really marvelous start with a fairly unique multi-part flashback sequence as the two pardners reminisce around a relaxing campfire. As is usually the case with western films from the first half of the 1930s, the lack of musical accompaniment really is a key component of their stories being told so compellingly. I would also like to note that not only was the girl very durable, so too was the stagecoach, both of which took quite the tumble! This is a fun film!

"Galloping Romeo" is a Bob Steele film. Steele, though quite prolific, is an actor most folks today haven't heard of and probably never get a chance to see. In his heyday, he was a rather successful movie cowboy--though it's a bit hard to believe that such a small guy (he was only about 5'5") could become so big in movies. He wasn't all that handsome, he couldn't sing and his films were made for mostly second and third-rate studios. But, he COULD ride a horse amazingly well and his persona was quite likable--so likable that when his starring career ended, actors like John Wayne insisted on putting him in their films in supporting roles.

This film begins with Bob and his friend, Grizzly (Gabby Hayes) getting in one scrape after another. So, because they have overstayed their welcome in many western states, they decide to try their luck in California. However, their luck in the new land is short-lived when they are unjustly accused of robbing the stage. How does Bob's new girlfriend play into all this? See the film for yourself.

I enjoyed this film more than the average B-western simply because it had some unusual plot elements. Plus, like other Steele films, he doesn't (thankfully) sing--though you do hear Gabby croon a bit! Overall, well done and with some nice stunt-work.