Singing Guns

Curious as to what a cowboy film with crooner Vaughn Monroe might be like, I've finally caught up with this. "Singing Guns", made by Republic in 1950, features Monroe as outlaw Rhiannon, who hides out in the mountains with a stack of gold he's stolen a la Dick Turpin from stagecoaches.

Ward Bond is the local sheriff, Ella Raines is the sparky love interest, and Walter Brennan is the doctor cum preacher, always ready to save a soul. With a solid supporting cast and Trucolor, the film looks good, despite its tiny budget and Poverty Row production values.

I enjoyed this film. Ward Bond has to walk down a Wild West street in frillies, Vaughn gets to sing a few songs including 'Mule Train', there's some shooting, a few punches thrown, and a bit of drama. I'd recommend it as a fairly strong B feature.

Yep, we get a sing-off in this one. Well, it's a sing-off of sorts in that there is only one person doing the singing. But outlaw/interim sheriff Vaughn Monroe (Rhiannon) stands at the bar and holds his ground to sing his song whilst evil town big-shot Jeff Corey (Richards) drinks his whisky. It's a tense situation - this would usually be a gunfight - that is made quite pleasant by Vaughn singing in a seemingly obvious fake baritone. However, this is actually his singing voice. Anyway, the song finishes and, as always in Westerns, there is only one winner!

Monroe plays an outlaw with a stash of gold hidden in a secret mountain hideaway. And he keeps robbing stagecoaches to add to it. Sheriff Ward Bond (Jim) is out to get him brought to justice.

The film has funny moments and benefits from colour, especially when showing off the costumes of Ella Raines (Nan). She is the girl that comes between both our main characters and the story is decided by who she chooses. It's an entertaining film but the ending is somewhat ruined by the Hayes Code rules that cannot portray a crime as going unpunished. I am sure that every viewer can imagine a much better outcome.

So, next time you wander into a bar, square up to some guy and demand that he puts down any weapons and ask him to name a song that he hates. Then just start singing it at him and tell him to stick around to hear the chorus.......

Charming B-western from Republic on tight budge in marvelous Trucolor with many backdrops colorful paintings and some shooting on locations, the story of redemption of an outlaw called Rhiannon (Vaughan Monroe) who went to wrong side of the law due he has been crushed by cruel system of an unbridled capitalist company, his answer will be stealing gold shipping from stagecoach line that blighted his life for good, hence he has to hide in a secret cave at high mountains nearby.

For nothing despicable 5.000 thousand bucks for his head and more incredible still 50.000 bucks for his secret hideout, due there lays out a million dollars of stolen gold, his reckless pursuer is the Sheriff Jim Caradac (Ward Bond), after a thwarted attempted robbery of the stagecoach line, Rhiannon was chase by the untamed Sheriff, in the action he was cheated by the cunning Jim Caradac pretending be hit by gunfire, Rhiannon goes to check and be taken aback, both enter a fight and accidentally he shot a gun hitting the Sheriff leaving Caradac seriously wounded, then he decides takes a risk carrying him to a Dr. Jonathan Mark (Walter Brennan) at the city, posing as just a passerby named Johnny that found the body in the middle of the road.

The wise Doctor demands him to give his blood to save the Sheriff otherwise he'll die soon, the faltering guy there's no choice, in the another day he was nominee as new Sheriff while he is recovering, also Rhiannon has a blatant love interest in the eye-candy Nan Morgan (Ella Raines) a high class poker player, however in a couple months ahead will be another hidden gold shipment and Rhiannon in counting the days.

Psychological western mainly enforces by the wise Doctor-Preacher Jonathan who plays a bold game with the singing Outlaw, the Sheriff and the greedy Nan, thus the die is cast, I consider the old Walter Brennan one the most colorful and charismatic character in the western that I have seen, quite sure, he has own brightness that shines all around, what a fabulous old guy!!

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 2012 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

If you like good old fashioned westerns, you'll like this movie. It is a common story of guy goes bad for good reasons and how he gets back on the right side. Look at the credits for Director, Writer, Screenplay and the list of actors.Can't get much better. That whole list is in the "A" category. Even with Vaughn Monroe's lack of acting experience it is hard not to like him because of the good story line and the "hero" that he plays, a goodguy that is good at whatever he does and only does it when he has to. He is the type of guy that anyone would like to be like. He can fight, shoot, sing, play the piano and ends up with the good looking Ella Raines. What more could a guy ask for. Good Entertainment!

Along around 1950 Herbert J. Yates was starting to lose his bread and butter which were his B picture cowboy stars. The biggest of them was Roy Rogers and he was making noises about going into television as were the others. Yates never recognized that this was the coming trend, so he was looking for more cowboy stars, if they sung so much the better.

Vaughn Monroe was coming off a big hit with Ghost Riders In The Sky so he looked like a good bet. Yates even got him some A list support here with leading lady Ella Raines and Ward Bond as the sheriff and Walter Brennan as the town doctor.

Monroe plays the outlaw Rihannon who has a fabulous store of gold obtained from robbing gold shipments from a mining company who did him dirt and he's getting some literal and figurative payback. Bond trails him successfully, but when they shoot it out Bond is badly wounded. Instead of leaving him to die, Monroe takes him to Brennan and his life is saved. Also a heavy head of hair and beard is shaved off Monroe by Brennan leaving Monroe unrecognizable.

Raines is the local saloon owner and she like what she sees in Monroe. But she also likes money and all three of them have their interest in Monroe.

Singing Guns is a good western though it sure never created a demand for more westerns from Vaughn Monroe. The film even got an Oscar nomination for Best Song when Mule Train was nominated. A whole slew of artists recorded Mule Train back in 1950 and Frankie Laine had the big selling record. But Monroe's version is outstanding.

See if you think Vaughn Monroe could have made it as a western star.