The Strawberry Roan

I doubt that any western, big budget or small, has photographed the superbly scenic locations of Sedona, Ariizona more beautifully than this overlooked Autry western. (Even the few outdoor sets are well done.) Columbia popped for more than usual amount of financing and definitely got their money's worth. This is an easy-going horse story, of the type so popular in the late forties, with just enough action and suspense to entertain both kids and adults. Gene has to protect Champ from a vengeful father, after Champ has disabled his son. Dick Jones does a spirited job as the likable son, showing why Autry kept up their association over the years. There are no typical bad guys or gunplay, but lots of scenic chases across the majestic spires and red-rock formations. I like the way the plot grows out of believable characters instead of the usual stereotypes. Also, the comedy relief is low-key and works nicely into the story line. Except for the lilting title tune, however, the usual musical numbers remain pretty forgettable. Too bad in our age of special-effects spectaculars that this kind of innocent Saturday afternoon fare has ridden off into the sunset. There is still a lot to be said for those gentler values.

Anyone who has had a loved one with a spinal injury can really relate to this outstanding movie. Gene Autry does it all in this one. He is a foreman, horse trainer, therapist to a paralyzed Dickie Jones and performs some of his best songs. It's not hard to see why Jack Holt was Al Capp's favorite actor. He shows great passion in trying to avenge his sons injuries and tries to kill the wild stallion responsible. But he has to battle his foreman in the process. Champion well earned his second-billing status in this one. John McGuire added just the right suspense and Pat Buttram showed signs of the perfect sidekick making his film debut here.

Recently, a bunch of fully restored Gene Autry westerns were uploaded onto the Shout Factory channel for the Roku and Amazon Fire devices. Most are gorgeous and feature the full movie...not the abbreviated versions chopped up to fit TV formats. However, "The Strawberry Roan" is, despite the restoration, a really ugly film. This is because they used an inferior color process in the original movie, Cinecolor. Cinecolor films in the early days looked about as good as the Two-Color Technicolor pictures. But both processes were primitive and used a red-orange as well as blue-green pallet...and they achieved a color-like stock. In other words, it wasn't true color and didn't display the full range of colors. However, when Three-Color Technicolor (or simply 'Technicolor') came out in the mid-1930s, it was vastly superior to the two-color processes. Shockingly, despite this, the obsolete Cinecolor process continued to be in use into the 1950s...mostly because it was cheaper and easier to use. But it was also pretty ugly...and over time, it gets uglier and uglier. See the film...you'll see what I mean. Everything looks orangy and greeny (is 'greeny' a word?) in the movie...with no true reds, blues or yellows.

When the story begins, Gene and some of the other hands on the ranch FINALLY catch the beautiful horse who has been running wild for some time. The ranch owner (Jack Holt) is thrilled and his son (Dickie Jones) is even more excited and begs his father to let him have the horse....which he does. Unfortunately, when the horse tosses the young man, he's badly hurt and the father wants to kill the horse. Gene intervenes an the horse escapes. But after the boss and his workers chase the roan, it falls off a cliff and everyone assumes that when Gene went down to investigate he shot the horse to put it out of its misery. But Gene is loathe to kill the pretty animal and later returns to tend to it until it's well enough to return to the wild. What's next? After all, Gene is bound to make his boss mad about saving the animal AND the poor kid...will he recover??

This film has a very impressive cast for a Gene Autry film. Jack Holt was a fine actor in the 1920s-30s and it's nice to see him here. Gloria Henry (the mom on TV's "Dennis the Menace"....and who is still going strong well into her 90s), Dickie Jones (who made tons of cowboy films and was the voice of DIsney's "Pinocchio") as well Pat Buttram are also on hand to lend their support. And, so is Rufe Davis...though his shtick is something you'll either love or hate.

So is this film any good? Yes....in fact, it's among Gene's better films. This is because it's really nothing like any of his films and offers some plot that you won't see in other B-westerns. This is important, as about 90% of all these films feature about 3-4 different plots...but not "The Strawberry Roan". The only deficiency in the film is that there aren't any memorable songs like you'd find in some of Autry's other pictures. Still, I liked how different this one was...a major plus for fans who love the genre.

*If you are curious, this is from the American Roan Horse Association's website: "Roan" refers to a horse coat color pattern characterized by an even mixture of colored and white hairs on the body, while the head and "points"-lower legs, mane and tail-are mostly solid-colored. Horses with roan coats have white hairs evenly intermingled throughout any other color. The head, legs, mane and tail have fewer scattered white hairs or none at all. The roan pattern is dominantly-inherited, and is found in many horse breeds. While the specific mutation responsible for roan has not been exactly identified, a DNA test can determine zygosity for roan in several breeds. True roan is always present at birth, though it may be hard to see until after the foal coat sheds out. The coat may lighten or darken from winter to summer, but unlike the gray coat color, which also begins with intermixed white and colored hairs, roans do not become progressively lighter in color as they age.

I am a longtime collector of Gene Autry memorabilia, especially his films. The "Strawberry Roan" has always been my favorite Autry film. I can remember seeing this movie in 1948 as an eight year old boy. I'm sure that seeing this movie in Cinecolor added to my enjoyment of the film. As a boy I was not really into the music but the "horse story" intrigued me and kept my attention.

I searched for over thirty years as a film collector for a 16mm print of this title in color. This past summer my search ended as I purchased a print that was listed on Ebay. So far as I know, this is the only color print in existence.

As a Gene Autry western I rate this film at 4 stars because of the story, scenery, and music. Gene sings some beautiful songs in this one.

I'll start by saying that this is the perfect western. Its absolutely perfect in how all the parts seamlessly fit together and those parts and the assembly fit with the world.

Westerns aren't unique to film; long before movies, pulp stories were weaving the abstractions that movies inherited. But its a specific type of mythology that movies perfected. From the midthirties until the Leone era, these were the slate on which Americans drew their character.

They're roughly in two types. One is the the narrative spun by John Ford and — for better or worse — appropriated by Republicans (as I write this). Simple men, drinkin', fightin', cussin' misogynists who "win" their women. These are men nestled into the land, free in spirit, loners. Quick to violence and often motivated by revenge-as-justice.

The unhappy fact is that John Ford was Jerry Bruckheimer before it became uncool.

There's a different western: cowboys with a higher sense of justice. Rather than being motivated by revenge, he'll drive a story often based on redemption. He's likely to sing. He always gets the girl, but somehow we feel that it is because the woman is seeking a husband rather than rough sex.

Gene Autry isn't the first player I think of in this context. (His first movie, a serial actually — "Phantom Empire" — is on my list of "must see.") But this movie is so well quilted, so naturally centered in all the things that westerns can be. It has place. It has clarity without simplicity. It has courage without punching. It has sex — yes it does and its not deeply hidden. But it runs away from the prurient.

I wonder. I wonder if something as American as this is possible to be exploited for political advantage. I suppose not, because if it could, it would have.

I was asked recently what I would put on a list that asked for the best western. It would have to be before Leone. And it couldn't be "Yellow Ribbon." It might even be this, The comedy is just perfect, not worn out. fresh.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.