Down Dakota Way

I've seen most of Roy Rogers' Trucolor westerns (made for Republic Pictures from 1947 to 1951) and I tend to like them, although the plots can be pretty far-fetched at times, e.g. the atomic spies operating out of a gentle western town in BELLS OF CORONADO. I'm happy to say that DOWN DAKOTA WAY (1949) has a more believable plot than most, with a distinct cowboy theme, making it more of a traditional western than most of Roy's Trucolor films, despite the odd modern touch here and there. It's bigger-budgeted than usual, with lots of scenes involving herds of cattle and cowboys and lawmen riding furiously through them and around them, all photographed on location in beautiful Trucolor, a two-color process unique to Republic. It's also got lots of action, with plenty of shootouts with the bad guys, a cattle gang seeking to get a quick pay-off for a diseased herd before word gets out that the cattle are afflicted with hoof-and-mouth disease. This plot would later turn up in the prestigious modern western, HUD (1963), which starred Paul Newman, Brandon De Wilde and Melvyn Douglas. As I recall, diseased cattle also play a part in a later modern western starring Newman, POCKET MONEY (1972). I like how DOWN DAKOTA WAY and POCKET MONEY handled this plot element, but I never cared much for the ponderous HUD.

Byron Barr and Roy Barcroft make excellent villains here as the hired gun and the corrupt rancher who employs him, while the heroes are saddled with the irksome Pat Brady who provides way too much unnecessary comic relief. Roy and Dale sing, along with Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage, but the sappy songs slow down the action more than usual. Still, there is much to reward a patient viewer and the film is highly recommended to fans of Rogers and the director, action specialist William Witney.