O Vale do Paraíso

A typical low-budget 30s western which is entertaining enough when taken on its own terms. Probably aimed at young boys, it focuses more on action than anything else, and quickly dispenses with the obligatory romancing of a fetching wench so that it can concentrate on the ultimate foiling of a dastardly plan by the bad guys to ruin local farmers in order to benefit on the foreclosure of their mortgages. Memorable moments are few and far between, but here are a few that might linger: Autry and his comedy sidekick launching their horses over the edge of a cliff into a river below; mine workers singing a curious ditty and performing a shuffling sort of step as they stroll through town to collect their wages; the (then) present-day costumes worn by half of the characters; the complete absence of music during a chase scene

This was an incisive indictment of American capitalist greed in a similar vein to Battleship Potemkin ... sorry, I've got my notes mixed up. This is much better than Potemkin! The print I watched needed some of the same TLC however, but I guess and reckon that won't happen.

Gene delivers his herd of steers to the railroad, only to change his job into that of the more exciting sounding "ditch rider" for the dam builders. I don't know, I suppose I could have missed it but what the heck is a ditch rider's duties, apart from thwarting the baddies at every turn? They're trying to stop construction on the dam, but not destroy it - a fine line in movies like this! The acting and screenplay is what you would expect; the title song is sung suitably downbeat throughout, with a little help from Smiley and a Novelty Hillbilly Band in the starkly lit saloon.

I loved it - not recommended for the serious.

I loved this early Gene Autry action packed western. The music of course is wonderful and Smiley adds a doozy of his own. The singing cowboy is not only interested in saving the dam but he has a love interest in Mary Baxter played by the beautiful Frances Grant. Dancer and dance teacher Eugene Jackson who was signed by Hal Roach in the Our Gang series, has a great dance scene that can't be missed. Dancing, singing, love, and great riding and shooting make Red River Valley one of my favorite Singing Cowboy films.

With the threat of drought always in their minds, the ranchers and farmers of the Red River Valley have set up a company to dam the river and provide needed water at all times. It's almost ready to open, but some one keeps delaying it by dynamiting the works. Who would want such a thing?

This Gene Autry movie is clearly a B picture under the direction of B. Reeves Eason, but it keeps moving along, even with four or five renditions of the title song and four others, mostly written by and performed by Autry and Smiley Burnette. There are a couple played by a jug band, but my favorite of them is "Fetch Me Down My Trusty '45", sung by Burnette. It moves at a good pace, thanks to editing by Joseph H. Lewis and Carl Pierson, but it doesn't impress me particularly, despite a fine sequence when the dam opens up and almost drowns a couple of fellows.

In Red River Valley, Gene Autry delivers a herd of cattle to the camp of a group of construction workers and then saves a couple of children from a charging steer which of course nears and endears him to the boss's daughter Frances Grant. The workers are constructing a kind of Tennessee Valley Authority on the Red River, but someone has been regularly sabotaging the job. Gene and Smiley Burnette take jobs as ditch riders which is the expression for security guards to patrol the dams and river. It's a job that's been fatal for the last few riders.

Of course the bad guys are now dealing with America's number one singing cowboy so we know things will be set right. The most interesting performance in the film is that of George Chesebro who acts as an agitator among the workers, but he's really in cahoots with the one trying to sabotage the job for his own nefarious ends.

If you've seen a gazillion B westerns on the big screen and small you know exactly who's behind the dirty work. Gene sings a couple of forgettable songs and of course the unforgettable title song. As for the identity of the villain, just remember these are the years of the New Deal and certain professions inevitably were villains.