A little over thirty years ago when I took a deep dive into researching and collecting memorabilia on Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and the Sons of the Pioneers, I was exposed to a small number of their films, thanks to a St. Louis-based television station who had an affiliate near Branson. Every Saturday and Sunday afternoon, they would air a Roy Rogers/Dale Evans film. I was glued to the TV. Time stopped. Roy and Dale's onscreen chemistry in their acting and singing was clearly obvious, and I recognized right then and there that they were genuine. The musical scores by the Sons of the Pioneers grabbed a hold of me causing me to starve for more, and on top of it—sidekick Gabby Hayes was the icing on the cake. This was my first exposure to his amazing acting talents.
It took some time, but I soon learned that quite a number of these Western musicals were available on VHS. I got acquainted with several dealers across the country, and soon, my movie collection began to grow!
I still vividly remember a particular Saturday afternoon in 1993—a rainy day had kept us inside—and while flipping through the six channels we got, there it was on channel 19, the opening credits of a Roy Rogers feature, "Lights of Old Santa Fe."
I recall the excitement of the opening scene! It was a musical production number with Dale singing "Amor" which was followed by a peppy piece with Roy and the Pioneers, which included Gabby who did a brief vocal solo—a Tim Spencer number "Cowpoke Polka."
The film gets deeper as it appears Roy and the Sons of the Pioneers help Gabby put back together his failing rodeo troupe. The big attraction of their rodeo, will, of course, be Roy and Trigger, and along the way there are a few excellent horse stunts.
The film also features a longtime villain familiar to Rogers fans, the talented Roy Barcroft. The fight scene where Rogers and Barcroft get into it is wonderful to watch. Barcroft gets slugged and falls backward into Shug Fisher's arms. Lurching back, Rogers gives him another blow, and the next thing you know, Bob Nolan catches Barcroft as he collapses. As I continued to get into Roy's films over the years, I learned that Barcroft played the villain role more than anyone else in Roy's Republic features.
The musical offerings in this film to me are the best of the best. Besides Tim's "Cowpoke Polka" number, they perform another one of his compositions, "I'm Happy in My Levi Britches," performed in a scene where Roy and all six Pioneers are crammed into a convertible. Later in the movie, Roy and the Pioneers perform Ken Carson's exciting "Cowboy Jubilee." I have to say that the yodel Roy created for that number is challenging. It took me years to perfect it, as well as Karl Farr's driving guitar work.
Musically, the highlight of the film is Roy and Dale's duet of the film title, written by Jack Elliott. It is absolute perfection; many of Roy and Dale's fans believe it's one of their greatest duet numbers. They also perform together on "The Nerve of Some People," also composed by Elliott.
Tim Spencer has two more numbers featured, "Trigger Hasn't Got a Purty Figure," as well as "Ride 'Em Cowboy." All in all, the film is wonderfully loaded with fabulous music.
"Lights of Old Santa Fe" was the final film release of 1944 for Roy Rogers. He had done six total that year. For the second year in a row, he was ranked as the number one money-making Western star. The success would continue. This particular lineup of Roy, Dale, Gabby and the Sons of the Pioneers was considered the classic cast. They would do fourteen films together through the end of 1947.
Back to that day in 1993 with the fifteen-year-old me seeing "Lights of Old Santa Fe" the first time. Dad and Mom had both dosed off into afternoon naps, and my sister Julie was likely off in her room, preparing for her career in veterinary medicine. I wondered if I would ever see the film again. I was ready for more! My quest to find the films would deepen, and it would take years, especially when it came to finding the uncut versions! Fortunately, several DVD versions would come out by the early 2000s, and today many of Roy's films are easy to find.
"Lights of Old Santa Fe" was released to theaters on November 6, 1944, the day after Roy's 33rd birthday. The running time was 77 minutes.
Next week, I'll discuss another of Roy's features that is likely my all-time favorite: the "Bells of Rosarita."
Happy trails!
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