Under Western Stars

*Mr. Smith Goes to Washington*, one of the greatest movies ever made, was released in 1939. I can't believe that the director, Frank Capra, did not see *Under Western Stars* the year before, because the plots are so very similar: a neophyte, but the son of a congressman, is elected to Congress and tries to fight corruption there to get a decent land bill for the people back home despite all the corruption in Washington.

Yes, Jimmy Stewart's portrayal of the neophyte congressman is better - it is one of the towering performances in American cinema. But that does not lesson the achievement of Roy Rodgers here, as the son of a congressman who is elected to Congress to fight congressional corruption and help the farmers and ranchers back home in the West.

If you only know Rodgers from his 1950s Saturday morning tv show, you owe it to yourself to see this movie, which was ripped from the headlines of the late 1930s, the era of the dustbowl. No, Rodgers isn't a great actor, but he doesn't embarrass himself playing a man who wants to help Westerners who are being ruined by the big money interests of the day. (If you think that's a dated topic, you don't read a real newspaper.) The characterizations are simple and direct, but that doesn't make them any less valid. This was a very topical movie dealing with a very important contemporary topic, and it deals with it very well.

And there are some good tunes, too.

This is not just a cowboy movie. This is a ripped from the headlines presentation of contemporary issues, portrayed very honestly. It merits a much better rating than others have given it here.

This film takes place during a time in American history when dust storms rained havoc upon several states located in the Great Plains and created extreme problems for those ranchers simply trying to make ends meet. So when a privately owned firm by the name of "The Great Western Water & Power Company" comes in and builds a dam that cuts off the only source of water for them, the ranchers--quite naturally--become extremely upset. Unfortunately, rather than listening to their pleas for help, their local congressman "William P. Scully" (Dick Elliott) only pretends to care as he has been in league with the water company from the very start. So with their anger reaching a boiling point the local citizens turn their attention to a young man by the name of "Roy Rogers" (played by himself) who just happens to be the son of their former congressman several years earlier. Needless to say, the thought of losing so much money and power infuriates the owner of the water company named "John Fairbanks" (Guy Usher) who then plots to stop Roy Rogers at every step along the way. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this low-budget, singing-cowboy western turned out to be a little better than I expected. Admittedly, the picture quality wasn't that great and the movie itself was rather short (approximately 65 minutes) but that is to be expected from this particular era. Be that as it may, the film had a decent storyline and a couple of catchy tunes along the way which I believe makes up for it to a certain degree and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

During the 1930s, there was no cowboy more popular than Gene Autry, so it's not surprising that he'd flex his muscles a bit and demand a higher salary. Unfortunately for Gene, he picked the absolute worst time to walk off on his contract---as Republic Pictures then substituted a relative newcomer into his next planned picture, "Under Western Skies". That newcomer was Roy Rogers--and in a few years he'd surpass Autry in popularity. I am pretty sure Gene must have felt pretty foolish after this--especially since "Under Western Stars" turned out to be a very good picture and much better than Gene's usual output!

The film begins with a bunch of ranchers at their wits end. The water company has jacked up the rates after they turned the land into a dessert. Now folks cannot afford to water their cattle and they are, naturally, hopping mad. Roy (along with Smiley Burnett) leads the fight against the water company and eventually they get the idea to run him for Congress. After all, their elected official is clearly in the pocket of the water company. Not surprisingly, Roy wins and goes to Washington to change things. Unfortunately, he learns that change comes slow and now he finds himself in the middle of what could be an all-out war between the ranchers and the water company. Can he manage to fix things AND still get the girl?

The plot to "Under Western Stars" is the best thing going for it. It's unique--and that's something you can't say about many of the B-westerns! On top of that, the music is good and Roy's voice is about equal to Gene's. All around, one of Roy's best efforts as he hits a grand slam the first time up at bat, so to speak.

He was the top money-making Western film star in the 1940s and early 1950s. Yet if it weren't for a disgruntled Gene Autry, Leonard Slye would have never been a major movie actor. His major Hollywood debut in April 1938's "Under Western Stars" proved so successful that Slye, otherwise known as Roy Rogers, capitalized on his first lead movie appearance to create a gigantic empire in film, records and television.

Gene Autry discovered his movies for his employer, Republic Pictures, were reaping profits almost ten times what the pictures were costing to produce. Autry felt he was worth a lot more than the studio was paying him. He also was disgruntled by the number of personal appearances Republic was forcing him to make. He went on a personal strike when it came time to appear in his next movie, "Under Western Stars." As member of the Sons of the Pioneers, Slye was seen earlier briefly singing and yodeling in a number of films beginning in 1935. Republic studio executives were so impressed by the looks and voice of Slye they gave him the lead in "Under Western Stars." Slye beat out a number of country singers who were considered for the role of a cowboy who runs for United States Congress on the platform of water rights for the ranchers and farmers living in his district. Republic recognized the name Leonard Slye wasn't exactly suited for an actor, so the studio gave him the Western sounding first name Roy. Linking him to the late Will Rogers, it added Rogers as his last name.

"This is Roy Rogers' first starring role, but you would never know it," notes film reviewer Jessica Pickens. "He does well in the role and is also adorable." "Under Western Stars" was a departure to regular Westerns. Set in the contemporary West where the region is suffering from a severe drought, the film deals with the ranchers' attempts to extract water from a nearly full reservoir. The lake is under control of an East Coast company whose owners refuse to release its precious commodity. Roy sides with the ranchers, and in a contentious election, wins the seat where he makes his case before the United States Congress.

"Under Western Stars" was also horse companion 'Trigger's' first movie under Roy's saddle. The four-year-old Golden Palomino stallion, originally named Golden Cloud, was selected by Rogers specifically for this movie. This wasn't Golden Cloud's first movie appearance: he was Olivia de Havilland's horse in 1938's "The Adventures of Robin Hood." When Roy first rode Golden Cloud, he loved how the horse reacted quickly to his reins. "He could turn on a dime and give you some change" Roy said fondly, buying him for $2,500, and renamed him Trigger.

As a son of a shoe factory worker, Roy Rogers was born in Cincinnati and lived in a tenement apartment later torn down to make way for Riverfront Stadium. Rogers humorously noted he was born where second base stood. His family relocated to Lucasville, Ohio, where he learned to yodel so he could communicate with his brothers at a distance on the farm where they lived. Roy learned to ride horses there, and as a hobby sang and played guitar. Working odd jobs after dropping out of high school, Rogers moved with his family to southern California where he latched on to several country music groups, including the Sons of the Pioneers. The Sons were so popular they sang on a nationwide syndicated radio show. A recording contract led to several film appearances, where Roy and his singing mates strummed, sang and yodeled.

In "Under the Western Stars," Rogers sang several songs, including the Johnny Marvin tune "Dust," nominated for the Academy Awards' Best Song. Meanwhile Gene Autry's personal strike didn't last long. He and Republic Pictures soon settled their disagreements out of court, and the studio handed its star a more lucrative new contract.

Even back at 1938, they were already fighting over scarce water. this film was made right in the heart of the dust-bowl years. lack of rain had dried up and removed the top foot of soil. Roy Rogers plays... Roy Rogers. in what seems to be his very first starring role. prior to this he was mostly un-credited or "singer". Roy's family has been in congress for years, and fighting the local water company. When the big shots in DC come out to look over the water rights situation, Roy makes sure they get a taste of how dry things really are. with his sidekick Frog (Smiley Burnette). they made nine films together! and of course, the Maple City singers. his love interest here is Eleanor, played by Carol Hughes. and watch for Dick Elliot...he's Scully, a cronie for "the bad guys". he was also the mayor on andy griffith! it's old west cowboy fun. and some great scenes of the alabama hills, near lone pine. Pretty good stuff. no surprises, but good to see a young Rogers. directed by Joe Kane, as usual. shown on Film Detectives channel!