Sunset Serenade

Sunset Serenade finds Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers lending a hand to Helen Parrish who is the guardian of an infant who inherits a ranch. Joan Woodbury was the housekeeper in the Gale Sondergaard tradition to the previous owner and she's disappointed that she got left out of the will. Onslow Stevens is a neighbor who had designs on the place and he conspires with Woodbury to get the place by fair means or foul.

Roy gets quite a few cowboy ballads to warble and in one sequence after a saloon brawl with Stevens and his chief henchman Roy Barcroft, Gabby Hayes takes the lead as the Sons of the Pioneers accompany him in that delightful western ballad Mavourneen O'Shea. Since Gabby got his start in vaudeville, this was probably something he did back in the day.

Rule of thumb, kids watching cowboy matinées can always tell who the bad girl is if she lights up a cigarette. Since Woodbury does it in the first five minutes, we already know all we need.

Sunset Serenade has some good action moments in it, especially when Roy and Trigger save cattle buyer Frank M. Thomas from a flash flood. Add to that an avalanche that starts a cattle stampede, you can be sure the kids loved it back in the day.

So did a few grownups, I'm sure.