Thanks for the memories!

Load of rubbish!!

Better Late Then Never

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

This is a well made film with a talented cast, however the overall thrust should be more anti-carpetbagger and less rah rah for the Confederacy. Where it rings true is in its portrayal of the criminality of the carpetbagger phenomenon after the Civil War. Its sometimes difficult for us to understand the carpetbagger problem and also the malfeasance in other government activities at the time, such as the horrors of the post Civil War Indian Agency system; yes, the U.S. Government somewhat ran amok after the Civil War (one of its generals is attributed with the famous quote "the only good Indian is a dead Indian"). But brutal U.S Government policies toward the south or anywhere else can in no way justify glorification of the Confederacy or racism. In this relatively blatant film, some of the characters practically don KKK robes- no one should be naive about it. So in order to appreciate the fine cast and vigorous nature of this film, you must concentrate on vilifying the bad martial law administrators while not cheering for the failed Confederacy. If you are a fan of the film's stars, you probably can accomplish that trick of concentration, for others its a stretch because this movie deliberately blends glorification of the Confederacy (with its racist baggage) together with disdain for carpetbaggers (which occurred after the Confederacy ceased to exist).Roy is charismatic and sings well, Trigger has a good part in the action, but why their talents were applied to this story is a mystery to me, other than maybe post civil war suffering could sell a lot of tickets at the time.

Roy Rogers (as Vance) is appointed sheriff of a Texas town, following the Civil War. A former Confederate P.O.W., Mr. Rogers faces wicked carpetbaggers, led by Cy Kendall (as Ballard). Assisting Rogers is his ever present pal George "Gabby" Hayes (as Gabby), who happens to have a fetching niece, Marjorie Reynolds (as Jeanie). Sally Payne is along for the ride, as Belle Starr. Rogers must be the "Robin Hood" of the title, protecting the people from big tax collectors.Rogers and Ms. Payne have a cool brawl (not with each other) and the acting from Rogers and team are a notch above the norm. However, Rogers' role of an ex-Confederate, in a post-Civil War setting, lends itself to some understandable questions about the representation of race - not the worst you'll see, but enough to stand out in a western with little else to notice. ** Robin Hood of the Pecos (1941) Joseph Kane ~ Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Marjorie Reynolds

Before the civil rights revolution post Civil War stories about the ravages the Confederate states had to endure under occupation was a common enough plot line for movies. This all started back in the early days of film with Birth of a Nation, continuing with Gone With the Wind.You could never make Robin Hood of the Pecos today. Even clean living Roy Rogers shows a tinge of racism here when he meets actor Nick Stewart who refuses to help him because the law is after him. "Do as you're told," says Rogers sternly and Nick Stewart does just that. It's these kind of moments that made black people rightly ticked off at the film industry.Roy is a former Confederate now operating as a Robin Hood type outlaw, battling the corrupt carpetbagger government as exemplified by Cy Kendall who's busy lining his own pockets with self-imposed tax money and having the Union occupying Army backing him up. He's actually the one who gets the acting honors in this film if honors can be given it.I'm not even sure fans of the King of the Cowboys would go for this one.

Roy Rogers portrays Vance Corbin, an ex-Confederate soldier who takes the amnesty oath declaring his allegiance to the United States, and is duly elected sheriff of Purvis City. Opposing him is town boss Ambrose Ballard (Cy Kendall), whose goal is to eliminate all the local ranchers by declaring them seditionists and having them hung for treason. Gabriel Hornaday (George "Gabby" Hayes) is the voice of the ranchers, also going by the name of "The Night Rider". Vance and Gabby are aided by Sam and Belle Starr (Eddie Acuff and Sally Payne), and Gabby's niece Jeanie (Marjorie Reynolds, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Dale Evans). Ballard attempts to ingratiate himself with a local contingent of cavalry troops, but when Colonel Davis suspects something amiss, Ballard's henchman Stacy (Jay Novello) shoots him. Ballard protects Stacy for as long as it may prove useful, but then attempts to eliminate him as well. With Stacy ready to come clean, Roy and company arrive in time to set the record straight with Captain Morgan, as Stacy settles his score with Ballard.Presumably Roy Rogers is the Robin Hood of the story, otherwise the title of the film bears no relation to the actual story line, not uncommon for a lot of B Westerns. This one follows a typical formula, but there is one neat innovative sequence when Vance Corbin aboard Trigger is attempting to escape a bad guy posse. Riding up on a herd of wild horses, Corbin quickly dismounts, removes the saddle, and Trigger blends in with the herd as the bad guys ride by completely unaware. This is the only time I've seen this strategy in a Western film, and it came across as a fairly clever ruse.