Sons of the Pioneers

Roy Rogers was good but George Gabby Hays was at his best. Yes I recommend it. James Welch Henderson Arkansas 12/11/2020

Plenty of amusement in this Roy Rogers movie as the folks borrow the plot of DESTRY RIDES AGAIN. Roy's father and grandfather were both old-fashioned, famous western sheriffs. Gabby Hayes fetches him out to deal with cattle rustlers.... but the FGI after his name is not the Federal Gureau of Investigation, but Fellow of the Geographical Institute.

As usual in these movies, a lot of care is taken for some lovely cinematography, although there are some obvious day-for-night shot given away by the shadows. The Sons of the Pioneers, as you might expect, show up to sing a few songs, and this high-class B Western is sure to please fans of the genre.

'Sons of the Pioneers' is not actually about the Sons of the Pioneers, more's the pity; the title is more in the nature of a hat-tip with a very loose connection to the plot: Roy is the son and grandson of famous lawmen after which his hometown was named. The Pioneers are on hand, of course, but if you blink in the wrong places you might have a hard time spotting them - it's Roy's movie all the way.

When lady rancher Louise Harper (Maris Wrixon) demands a new sheriff to replace George 'Gabby Hayes,' who hasn't been able to catch the night-riders burning down local ranchers' barns, Gabby gets the inspiration to bring Roy out from the East where he grew up to follow in his ancestors' footsteps. Roy decides to play on the townspeople's perception of him as a cowardly tenderfoot in order to lull the villains' suspicions while he investigates surreptitiously and "scientifically." He's helped and hindered by Gabby and his deputy Pat Brady, who provide loads of comic relief, notably Gabby's juggling bottles of nitroglycerin and a very funny scene in which they believe they've seen a ghost. Bradley Page is the villain who spends most of his time chewing out henchmen Hal Taliaferro, Tom London and Jack O'Shea for muffing repeated attempts to put Roy out of commission. Bob Nolan, the only Pioneer besides Brady to get some decent screen time, has few lines but is on hand in the understated part of Louise's faithful ranch foreman. Maris Wrixon, whose character doesn't really fit into the traditional love-interest pattern, makes a lovely and spirited heroine and you wish she actually had more scenes.

Maybe she did. Unfortunately this is one of the handful of Roy's movies whose original full-length print has gone missing. At least two songs were cut (you can easily spot where the number "Come And Get It" was excised from the opening scene) and probably some more footage - I once saw the original trailer which included a scene of Roy making a speech during the sheriff's election campaign. The remaining songs, of course, are naturally excellent. It's a fun film with an interesting premise and characters, some good action scenes and plenty of comedy.

I found "Sons of the Pioneers" on YouTube and was surprised it came with a short interview/introduction by Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and Ruth Terry. Oddly, Terry wasn't in this film! It appears to have been recorded in the early to mid- 1980s.

The story finds a town being terrorized by cattle rustlers. Because of this, the locals are angry at Sheriff Gabby...who decides the best thing to do is bring in Roy Rogers. Now in this story, Roy is NOT a westerner but a back eastern research scientist. Gabby assumes Roy will be just like his father and grandfather...a great lawman...but Roy's never done this. But he is willing and soon arrives out west...and everyone assumes by his manners that he's a naive and incompetent boob. Roy does his best to cultivate this image....and hopes he can use it to his advantage. The only trouble is that Gabby turns out to be an idiot and he spills the beans about this...to members of the gang! What's next? See the film and find out for yourself.

The story is a bit unusual and I appreciate that. Overall, it's an enjoyable and novel movie...one that won't bore fans of the western star.

With a little bit borrowed from Destry Rides Again, Roy Rogers gets the job as sheriff in his hometown of Rogers City where there's been a lot of rustling and even epidemics of hoof and mouth disease that are driving the local ranchers to get out. Gabby Hayes and Pat Brady go east to bring Roy back to the place where both his father and grandfather were sheriffs before and which place is also named after them.

Needless to say that they're a bit disappointed that Roy is happy and content as a research chemist. But as it turns out those skills are exactly what's needed to get the evidence and then get the villains. Not that Roy eschews riding and shooting by any means.

Maris Wrixson who usually plays sophisticated women or gangsters molls was an unusual choice for a leading lady for Roy. Still she acquits herself well.

But I might have rated this one a bit higher if wasn't for one of the most colossal pieces of stupidity ever shone on screen. While the bad guys have Roy, Gabby, and Pat at bay, what does Gabby do but start practicing his juggling act with bottles of nitroglycerin. Damn near blows them all up. In fact Gabby also at one point tips Roy's hand to the bad guys with his big stupid mouth. Gabby is usually amusing, but never downright stupid as he is in Sons Of The Pioneers.

And speaking of them Bob Nolan and the group are here lending support to their former member. Though the group really has nothing to do with the title of the film and the title gives you no information as to the story, the film is still a good Roy Rogers film even Gabby's idiocy.