Sheriff of Tombstone

By 1941 the formula for low budget series westerns had long been perfected, but results varied. Sheriff of Tombstone is an excellent choice for an introduction to the genre of B westerns.

The best actor of the bunch, as usual, was George "Gabby" Hayes. His character may have had the same name from one movie to the next, but not the same purpose in the story. He could be a wise old cow puncher, an old ranch foreman, aloof sidekick, or even an outlaw. For a pleasant change he was made into a lawyer, "Judge Whitaker" for this picture. Add to that a wife and daughter, which is unusual for not only Gabby, but sidekicks in general. Not bumbling around as a helpless sidekick in this one, he was instead a strong backup gun for Roy's character, Brett Starr.

A fine touch on a well made movie comes during an interchange between Gabby and Granny Carson when she answers Gabby with a snappy, "You're dern tootin'!" The reaction on Gabby's face is one of surprise at being the recipient of one of his own signature lines.

Having cleaned up Dodge City, Roy Rogers heads to Tombstone to go into business with his brothers, dragging Judge Gabby Hayes with him. On arrival, he is mistaken for hired gun Harry Woods, hired by mayor Addison Richards to drive Zeffie Tilbury and family from their silver mine; that done, Richards will pick it up and own all the silver around. But Roy plays fair, which impresses Zeffie's grand daughter, Elyse Knox. Then Woods shows up in town.

You have ehoes of the gunfight at the OK Corral here, but it's just a vague relationship in the set-up as offered by director Joe Kane. Saloon girl Sally Payne gets as much singing as Roy, and there's a nice role for Jay Novello. It's a pleasant addition to the rapidly expanding corpus of the man who would eventually be called the King of the Cowboys.

Roy Rogers (as Brett Starr) gets out of Dodge, with some of his brother's family, to become "Sheriff of Tombstone". Along the way, he meets old up with old pal George "Gabby" Hayes (as Gabby), now a lawyer. Sally Payne returns as Gabby's daughter Queenie. Mr. Rogers and company find lawlessness in Tombstone, led by corrupt Mayor Addison Richards and wayward Sheriff Harry Woods.

Jay Novello steals away with all acting honors as John Anderson aka Joe Martinez; Mr. Novello is dialect-able, makes terrific getaways - and, he is more fun to watch than the cute kids, the granny, and the love interest for Rogers. Novello's versatility is very much appreciated in this film. By the way, the film closes with a suggestion Rogers is about to do some major neckin' with Elyse Knox (as Mary). Rogers and Ms. Payne share in a light, pleasant soundtrack, highlighted by Rogers' "Sons of the Western Foil" and Payne's "Two-Gun Pete".

****** Sheriff of Tombstone (1941) Joseph Kane ~ Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Jay Novello

In so many of his movies, Roy Rogers played a character named Roy Rogers. In "Sheriff of Tombstone," though, he is Brett Starr, a refreshing change and another opportunity for Roy Rogers to show he had more than one dimension.

Though fans usually didn't need anything other than Roy, "Sheriff of Tombstone" also had unusually good dialogue and a good story, by James Webb (not the current U.S. Senator, although he too is a good writer), with a good screenplay by Olive Cooper.

There is a remarkably good cast, with everyone's favorite sidekick, George "Gabby" Hayes, who was actually a fine actor, capable of many types of character.

Harry Woods gets one of his biggest roles, and shows some dimensions too, giving one of his best performances.

Jay Novello, almost completely unknown today except to us western fans, also shows a surprising ability at characterization. You really have to see this performance to believe it.

Adorable Sally Payne plays a character who is both an eccentric personality and a charming singer, a great role for her and a great chance for us to see her ability.

Songs, for her and for Roy, come from the great Bob Nolan as well as Sol Meyer and Peter Tinturin, neither of whom I am familiar with, no doubt my loss.

Music in Roy Rogers movies is usually rather pedestrian, but the songs here are memorable.

The great Joe Kane is both director and associate producer, and his touch helps make this a superb B western.

Republic might not have spent a lot of money, but there is a lot of talent and effort in this excellent movie.

Retiring as Sheriff of Dodge City, Roy comes to Tombstone to be with his brother, only to find he's dead and the town overcome with lawlessness. He's almost immediately mistaken for a hired gun, called upon by crooked businessmen to be the new Sheriff.

The Sheriff Of Tombstone has all the things you'd expect from a Roy Rogers western, mainly some good action scenes and a few catchy songs but not much else, making this barely adequate entertainment and not one of his best adventures.

Roy and especially George "Gabby" Hayes are good, as usual. I just wish this were a better vehicle.