Eyes of Texas

There're some novel features in this Rogers oater—a "wolf" pack, an old lady mastermind, Devine as a veterinarian, and a home for orphaned boys. Seems an old lady (Bryant) plots to steal inheritance from the boys home, and only US Marshal Rogers stands in her way. In the process, she enlists much of the town, including Devine, to discredit Roy who doesn't help himself by slugging the popular vet. Yes, good guy Roy slugs good guy Devine. Good thing our hero has Trigger and Lobo to help, and, oh yes, a fetching Lynne Roberts who would keep any guy going.

There's some okay flying fists, and fast shooting near the end, while hard riding features the predatory wolf pack. The locations are familiar ones just north of LA, so not much b&w scenery. Nonetheless, the story's an engaging one, along with its novel aspects. I should say in reply to fellow reviewers and as a Front Row geezer that I don't watch these matinees for their logic. They weren't intended as tight story lines. Now if I were watching a polished murder mystery, a very different standard would apply. Anyway, this is a highly entertaining Rogers entry and shouldn't be missed.

A movie, obviously intended for the 10-year-olds at the kids' matinees, that looks as though it was written by a 10-year-old. (I guess there were still kids' matinees in 1948. I hadn't been to one in about 11 years.)

The film depicts post-WW-II Texas (from the title, not from anything within the movie itself) in 1947 as the same as in the 1870's, with everyone wearing cowboy suits - popular with 10-year-olds - riding around on horses or buckboards, wearing guns, and engaging in shootouts on the streets, with no official accounting for the bodies. The estate settlement is inexplicably turned over to 'the insurance company', and although all the money has officially been stolen by the fake will, the crooks appeal to the townsfolk to throw the bad Government man out and 'save the children'! (How a petition from the people will accomplish this isn't clear.) In the end, all the crooks, who are the only ones who know of and can testify to the facts in the conspiracy, are dead, and the 'happy ending' leaves all the legal entanglements up in the air.

If they had thrown out the wooden-sided Ford station wagon and the telephone, made the boys Civil War orphans, and assigned the estate settlement to a court instead of the insurance company, the film would almost pass for logical by Western flick standards.

The only things close to a redeeming value in this picture are a couple of pretty good songs by the Sons of the Pioneers.

The only reason this turkey doesn't make my list of 'The Ten Worst Films of All Time' (which currently contains about 35 titles) is that as a Cowboy flick, it isn't expected to be good.

When the owner of a ranch for orphan boys is murdered by trained dogs and his will fraudulently changed to benefit a nephew no one has met, Marshal Roy Rogers attempts to the bottom of the mysterious death, ending up at odds with not just the killers, but the whole community as well.

This is a fairly interesting murder mystery, though the murderers are revealed to the audience immediately. It's kind of rare to see a Saturday matinée western where the main heavy is an old woman! The real question is who the mysterious heir is and why he wants his uncle dead (an easy guess).

There's also a surprising amount of sadistic violence this time around, with Roy getting beaten, dragged behind a horse, and bull-whipped. Meanwhile, the dogs are mauling people and Roy even punches out Cookie Bullfincher!

I cannot believe that (Dick 47 and Snow Leopard) put their comments on this site blasting this movie. The film " Eyes of Texas " made way back in 1948 is one of the best of the Roy Rogers flicks. There were a few good ones. Several done with Penny Edwards were passable also. This film features Nana Bryant...and she is at her best as the crooked lawyer Hattie Waters. If you watch it again notice how well she attacks her lines. She had some experience on the Broadway stage and it shows here. Nana Bryant is a real serious actress and she is light-years ahead of the rest of the cast. Andy Devine is good as always . The plot was a bit shallow but it was written for a young audience. I think that the film can be appreciated by film historians as one of the best Roy Rogers movies.........John in Louisiana.....

Francis Ford thought he had lost his nephew during the War, and had turned his fortune towards a camp for the children of fallen soldiers. Now his lawyer, Nana Bryant, tells him the youngster has turned up, so he tells her to rewrite his will, leaving half to the young man, and half to the camp. He signs a blank form and then heads into town. On the way, he is attacked by angry dogs, which everyone thinks are wolves. Ford is killed, but when his will is red, he has left everything to his nephew. Marshall Roy Rogers is in town to investigate. He comes across one of the dogs, hit by a bullet -- it's Bullet in his first role. Roy and doctor Andy Devine fail to calm the animal, but Trigger does so immediately.

There's a lot going on in this Roy Rogers vehicle, so much so that it often becomes confusing, even when it's been establish that Miss Bryant, despite her vapors, is actually the lead bad guy in the show. Lynne Roberts is present as Devine's nurse and Roy's implied love interest, and the Sons of the Pioneer sing or accompany Roy in three songs. It's not one of Roy's best, but it's still lively and fun.