Singing Guns

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!

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.

'Singing Guns', despite the irrelevant title and the presence in the lead of bandleader & baritone Vaughan Monroe (although he does get to sing), isn't about a singing cowboy, but is instead a good looking, intelligently scripted and well acted psychological western.

With his cold eyes (first seen while holding up a stagecoach with his face covered) Vaughan doesn't look like your typical western hero and he doesn't play one here; but Republic capitalises on his rather unusual presence with another interesting script (from a novel by Max Brand) by siblings Dorrell & Stuart E. McGowan and slick direction from R.G.Springsteen. The Trucolor process not inappropriately makes the film resemble early 20th Century handcoloured postcards, aided by James Sullivan's handsome art direction and Reggie Lanning's atmospheric photography.

Monroe receives reliable support from western veterans Ward Bond and Walter Brennan; and the film also provides a rare opportunity to savour in colour the always fascinating, if here underused, Ella Raines.

Along around 1950 Herbert J. Yates was starting to lose his bread and butter which were his B picture cowboy stars. The biggest of them was Roy Rogers and he was making noises about going into television as were the others. Yates never recognized that this was the coming trend, so he was looking for more cowboy stars, if they sung so much the better.

Vaughn Monroe was coming off a big hit with Ghost Riders In The Sky so he looked like a good bet. Yates even got him some A list support here with leading lady Ella Raines and Ward Bond as the sheriff and Walter Brennan as the town doctor.

Monroe plays the outlaw Rihannon who has a fabulous store of gold obtained from robbing gold shipments from a mining company who did him dirt and he's getting some literal and figurative payback. Bond trails him successfully, but when they shoot it out Bond is badly wounded. Instead of leaving him to die, Monroe takes him to Brennan and his life is saved. Also a heavy head of hair and beard is shaved off Monroe by Brennan leaving Monroe unrecognizable.

Raines is the local saloon owner and she like what she sees in Monroe. But she also likes money and all three of them have their interest in Monroe.

Singing Guns is a good western though it sure never created a demand for more westerns from Vaughn Monroe. The film even got an Oscar nomination for Best Song when Mule Train was nominated. A whole slew of artists recorded Mule Train back in 1950 and Frankie Laine had the big selling record. But Monroe's version is outstanding.

See if you think Vaughn Monroe could have made it as a western star.

Notorious stagecoach robber Rhiannon (Vaughn Monroe) shoots the new sheriff (War Bond) and then carries him to the doctor/preacher . The doctor cleans up Rhiannon and introduces him to the sheriff as the man who saved his life . A bit later on , Rhiannon is deputized by the judge (Harry Shannon) at the recommendation of the doctor and he becomes torn between his new life and the prospect of robbing the next gold shipment. Along the way , he falls in love for a beautiful Saloon girl (Ella Raines) . The idols of millions ! See and Hear Vaughn sing Mule Train. Max Brand's Famous Adventure Novel! .Greater than ever ! Favorite of millions!

A nice Western with interesting plot and filled with frantic action , pursuits , a family story , betrayal and a lot of shootouts . Notable Western in which singer/actor Vaughn Monroe plays Rhiannon, an outlaw who regularly robs gold from the stagecoach , when he saves the sheriff's life being appointed deputy , then he must wear two hats between his new job that he enjoys and his old occupation that he misses , as Monroe provides the most unusual role of his peculiar career. He sings various attractive songs , such as : ¨Singing My Way Back Home¨ written by Vaughn Monroe (as Wilton Moore) and Al Vann , ¨Mexicali Trail¨ written by Sunny Skylar and Vaughn Monroe and especially the catching ¨Mule Train¨ written by Johnny Lange, Fred Glickman that was one of the biggest hits of 1950 and received an Oscar nomination . The soft-spoken , tall , handsome Monroe delivers a so-so acting as a gunslinger who gets his redemption by posing as a sheriff deputy . Monroe was a famous singer whose signature tune was "Racing With the Moon", was very popular in the 1940s and early 1950s . His band was heard every Sunday on the radio in America and played to full ballrooms everywhere they went .The big band business started losing steam in the early 1950s, and Monroe gave up his band in 1953. For the next 20 years, he worked as a single and on the nightclub circuit . Being accompanied by gorgeous Ella Raines to be followed a successful career particularly in Noir Film . In Singing Guns (1950) stands out a nice support cast with plenty of familar faces , such as : Walter Brennan, Ward Bond , Jeff Corey , Barry Kelley , George Chandler, Rex Lease , Tom Fadden , Harry Shannon , among others .

It has a high level in technician experts , as a thrilling musical score and colorful , adequate cinematography . Being shot on various locations from Sedona, Arizona, USA . The motion picture was well and professionally directed by R. G. Springsteen . This filmmaker made since 1945 for Republic Pictures a number of westerns . As he directed the popular Red Ryder series . After that , he released B Westerns as Cole Younger , Gunfighter , King of the wild stallions , Showdown , He rides calm , Taggart , Bullet for a badman and many others . Subsequently , he made for producer A. C. Lyles and delivered by Paramount Pictures several Western films in low-budget , as follows : Black spurs , Waco , Red Tomahawk , Hostile guns , Johnny Reno . Rating . 6.5/10 . The picture will appeal to Western enthusiasts . Decent and acceptable oater .