Romance on the Range

Linda Hayes has never seen her ranch out west, which she inherited from her father, but she knows the fur trapping is suffering. There have been a lot of robberies of the pelts, and even one murder. Her maid, Sally Payne, is engaged to Pat Brady, a hand on the ranch via a lonely hearts club. Miss Hayes takes it into her head that she can investigate on the QT by posing as another Lonely Hearts Club member, accompanying her maid.

Of course, we know that it's the ranch manager, Edward Pawley, in charge of the depredations, because he's discussing it with a henchman before we see anything else. Next they go on to talk about what to do about the top hand, Roy Rogers, but decide to leave him be, because the plot demands it, apparently.

It's a pleasant enough outing for Rogers under the direction of Joseph Kane, with all the regulars on hand: Gabby Hayes, the Sons of the Pioneers, and so forth. There are some nice songs, and so on, but the usual solid writing is wrecked because we know up front whodunnit, without the pleasure of matching our wits against the good guys'. It was a common failing of the cheaper sort of B western, and it's a shame to see them fall into it here. I suppose I could come up with excuses for the failure, but they would be excuses, and it is a failure.