Under California Stars

Roy Rogers finishes his latest picture. He and Trigger head to their ranch to discover that Andy Devine has hired a lot of new hands, all of whom look like him, because they're cousins: all except the new horse trainer, Jane Frazee. But such pleasantries are discarded when some men who have been rounding up and butchering wild horses on his land. Roy stops them, and they decide that it will be much more profitable to kidnap Trigger and hold him for ransom. Roy is willing to pay, but then they start killing people....

Roy moves into color productions with this one; the print I looked at was not in great shape, obscuring Jack Marta's usual fine compositions and scenery shots. Wade Crosby makes a fine mean villain, and George Lloyd an interesting conflicted one. Roy, the Sons of the Pioneer, Andy, and Miss Frazee get some nice singing in as usual, and we get to see Roy ride another, uncredited horse. Although the story seems a little sketchy at times -- perhaps it had to be edited a touch more tightly than usual -- there are the usual nice stunt touches to keep the audience happy.

Roy, Trigger, a scruffy dog, and a boy like I used to be. Add some baddies, Trucolor, a pretty girl, and comic relief (Devine), and what else could this front row geezer ask for. And catch that surprise opening. As that scene shows, Roy plays a version of himself as cowboy hero. Seems some new West connivers want to steal Trigger for ransom and they've got a misguided youngster (Chapin) as part of their plan. Meanwhile, Roy's got his movie career to think about. And what would that career be without the world's smartest horse. Actually, a big part of the story is Roy and co. preventing cruelty to animals, whether horses or dogs. That means the bad guys are really bad. There's not much action til the end. The story, however, moves along nicely, with Director Witney even using close-ups astutely, especially with little Ted. But don't look for many tunes from the Sons of the Pioneers. They're mainly along for the ride. No, there's no Oscar bait here. Just the kind of afternoon entertainment that might hook some of today's youngsters if given half-a-chance.

UNDER CALIFORNIA STARS (1948) is a fairly typical postwar Roy Rogers vehicle with a routine B-western plot enlivened by some excellent Trucolor photography. Roy plays himself, the movie star dubbed `King of the Cowboys,' and is briefly glimpsed on the Republic Pictures soundstage before the action quickly shifts to Roy's rural property, the Double R Ranch, for the occasion of a radio broadcast celebrating the star's tenth anniversary in movies. The event is marred by the kidnapping of Roy's palomino, Trigger, by a group of henchmen working for Pop Jordan, a local horse trader. Ted, a boy who ran away to Roy's ranch after mistreatment by his stepfather, witnesses the kidnapping but is warned to keep quiet or they'll kill Ted, Trigger AND Roy.

Given the fame of Roy and his horse, it seems a mite foolhardy to go around kidnapping Trigger, especially since the event makes national headlines. But, in the insular alternate universe of the postwar B-western, the matter is left entirely up to the local sheriff of Saddleback, a town which offers no sign of a gas station, diner or paved road. Neither the FBI nor the state police nor any other pertinent law enforcement agency is called, nor do they show up on their own. (Had J. Edgar Hoover never heard of Trigger? Was he too busy chasing commies? Or did he simply not exist in this world?)

Eventually, Roy and his crew, which includes Cookie Bullfincher (Andy Devine) and Roy's backup singers, Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers, work with the sheriff to come up with a plan to trap the kidnappers when they show up for the ransom money. There is lots of outdoors action and furious horse-riding, before a violent confrontation or two ends the problem. The action is shot almost entirely on location, with none of the studio-shot closeups that one finds in a later Roy western like NORTH OF THE GREAT DIVIDE (1950).

There's a surprising amount of bad behavior and violent death on display. Even though these films were set in the modern era, they featured typical B-western type villains who were invariably local businessmen who are secretly corrupt and embark on capers which threaten Roy in one way or another. A somewhat alarming development in this film is the constant threatening of Ted, the runaway boy, first by his stepfather, Lige, Pop Jordan's chief assistant, and later by another henchman, Ed, who threatens to blow Ted's head off if he says a word about who kidnapped Trigger. These darker elements serve to counterbalance the song and comic interludes. The lead villains here are authentically crusty, hefty western types, well-played by George Lloyd and Wade Crosby.

Andy Devine provides the comedy relief, a role that would be taken by Gordon Jones and Pat Brady in future Rogers westerns. Singer-actress Jane Frazee is the female lead, playing a cousin of Cookie who comes to the ranch to train horses. The catchy title song is heard more than once, culminating in a lovely duet performed by Roy and Jane. The film is not as well-plotted or packed with incident as such later Rogers Trucolor westerns as THE GOLDEN STALLION and TRIGGER JR., but it remains a must for Roy's fans. Unfortunately, public domain videotapes in circulation don't serve the Trucolor process well. This one remains a prime candidate for restoration by Republic Pictures Home Video.

This film is within Rogers' batting average for light Western fare. There's some black hats that kidnap Trigger-played with dastardly glee. There's a young kid who is star struck. There's comedy bits that mostly work. But the film's title song-and how it is worked into the film-is one of the better usages of the singing cowboy trope. I've been humming Under California Stars all day after watching the film for the first time.

Roy leaves Hollywood for his ranch where he will be broadcasting a spectacle commemorating his tenth year in motion pictures as joins his helper Andy Devine in a search of the thieves who kidnapped Trigger . As the newspapers publicize ¨Trigger stolen¨, ¨Trigger kidnapped¨. As Rancher Roy and his pals track down a bunch who have stolen Trigger and are holding him for $100,000 ransom . The movie contains action Western ,songs, adventures, shoot-outs, fighting and is quite entertaining . Swinging From His Toes And Shooting From His Hips...Roy Battles His Foes With A Song On His Lips! . Roy Rogers and Andy Devine team up again in the habitual thin story , but filled with riding stunts and noisy action . It deals with Roy Rogers turned Hollywood star who has just finished his latest picture as he goes back his ranch in California . When Roy and Trigger arrive in his ranch he meets Cookie (Andy Devine) has contracted his relatives (also played by the likable Andy Devine) and Caroline (Jane Frazee , Dale Evens this time doesn't appear) . Bob tells Roy a band of men are chasing range horses . Pop (Lloyd) and Mcfarland (Wade Crosby) decide there's money in abducting Trigger and demand a ransom . McFarland's stepson, named Ted Carver (the little boy well performed by Michael Chapin) , and his dog Tramp, run away and is found hiding in Roy's barn to investigate strange events about the Trigger abduct . Later on, with the help of Devine and other partners , Roy aware that the band is formed by Pop Jordan and McFarland have kidnapped the smarter horse and they set out in pursuit accompanied by the dog Tramp that lead them to the barn .

This B movie displays sensational adventures , intrigue, fights , lots of fun and is pretty enjoyable . This average-budget Western blends action , hokey fun ,humor , suspense and emotional happenings .The highlights of the movie are the amazing race between Trigger and a sympathetic dog called Tramp ; plus the spectacular rescue by Rogers and his boys . Our heroes incarnated by a throughly believable casting of the usual characters undergo numerous adventures and suffering innumerable perils . Surprise-filled entertainment and plenty of action on middle scale . The exterior scenes , gun-play , fights , brawls, , all of them are lightly spectacular and the film is another ordinary Hollywood product but of B-series. Memorable and great cast as Roy Rogers stars the famous singer cowboy , he played in various musical groups ,in 1934 he formed a group called ¨Sons of Pioneers¨ , they appeared in numerous Westerns (Rhythm on the range, Son of the pioneers , On the Spanish trail , among others). Roy was married three times . Arlene Wilkins , his second wife, died a few day after giving birth to their son ,¨Roy Rogers Jr or Dusty¨ and Dale Evans his third spouse , became his four children's mom . Inducted along with his wife Evans into the Hall of great Western performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and also as member of the Sons of Pioneers . Their nicknames were ,Roy as ¨King of cowboys¨ , Dale Evans ¨Queen of the West¨ and Trigger ¨ Smartest horse in the movies¨ . Roy got his horse ¨Trigger¨in 1938 and rode him in every one of his film and TV shows after that. He had appeared in one early movie , being ridden by Olivia De Havilland in ¨¨ The adventures of Robin Hood¨. Trigged died in 1965,aged 33 years.

¨Under California stars¨ includes several songs , played by ¨Son of Pioneers¨ and the actors as Rogers and Devine . Colorful cinematography in Trucolor , though photography is washed-out , reflecting wonderfully landscapes from Chatsworth Park , Los Angeles , California . This ancient movie is professionally directed by William Witney , a craftsman who directed 140 titles from the 30s . The film is produced by Republic picture, usual in serials of low budget . The director , William Witney ,was a prolific director of short budget and TV episodes ( Daniel Boone , Bonanza ,Virginian ) , his best film was ¨The master of world¨ with Vincent Price . The motion picture will appeal to Western buffs and it's a marvelous popcorn story .