Bad Man of Deadwood

All you need to know: If you have to pick a single movie to introduce someone to B westerns, Bad Man of Deadwood is a good choice.

Bad Man of Deadwood starts off with Roy, Gabby, and the always likable Sally Payne putting on a show with Roy singing a song. They meet the bad guys soon into the story and Roy is shooting it out with the bad guys for the rest of the movie in one gun fight after another. Each shootout fits into the story. Nothing is wasted.

Roy Rogers was a big star, and his movies got extra attention. Bad Man of Deadwood has the look of the perfect cowboy movie in the way scenes are set up and edited together. This one never slows down, hits a lull, or has any filler.

If you like Roy Rogers and Gabby Hayes, you will probably like this movie.

I'm not a fan.

I admit it's rather watchable, but these low budget westerns don't do anything for me.

The available prints are horrible too, making it painful to watch.

The plot

Deadwood is controlled by Ripper's gang that has rendered the Sheriff and the Judge powerless.

When Gabby's medicine show featuring Roy arrives they are quickly run out.

They join the Laramie Gap gang that is fighting Ripper and when Gabby's inheritance money is stolen they rob the stage to get it back.

Getting the money and the names assigned to it, Roy hopes this evidence will enable the Judge to bring law and order to Deadwood.

Roy Rogers, a sharp-shooter in Gabby Hayes' medicine show, helps the refugee townsfolk of Deadwood battle a crooked bigwig and his outlaw gang, who've forced them out of town and stolen their businesses.

Meanwhile, Gabby collects a sizable inheritance that gets stolen by the bad man of Deadwood.

Though not as good as some of Roy's later features, this is fast paced enough, has some good gun-play by Rogers, and features a snappy opening scene featuring Gabby's medicine show that all help make this decently entertaining. However, it does run out of steam a bit near the end.

Once again, George "Gabby" Hayes is quite a scene stealer.

Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, and Sally Payne are members of "Professor Blackstone's Medicine Show". Their offering of tuneful entertainment and elixir receives a poor reception in the town of Deadwood, led by Bad Man Hal Taliaferro (as Ripper). They decide to stick around and extinguish the "Bad Man of Deadwood" and his wicked gang.

The Rogers/Hayes/Payne trio (plus cute pet) are a treat as "Medicine" show people. This is an above average, concise Rogers western. Carol Adams (as reporter Linda Barrett) is a good romantic interest for Mr. Rogers; though, they don't flirt enough. It's great to see silent star Monte Blue and weasely Jay Novello among the fine supporting players. It's all lower cost level movie stuff, but ever so pleasant.

***** Bad Man of Deadwood (1941) Joseph Kane ~ Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Carol Adams

Bad Men Of Deadwood while it doesn't quite take us back to the days of gold strike in the Black Hills, takes us to when the town was starting to grow. But the people who were there first have a businessman's association that's a cover for a monopoly. They don't like newcomers and will do anything to stop them.

Roy Rogers plays a trick shot artist in Gabby Hayes's medicine show with the lovely and funny Sally Payne and all get involved in the fight for some fair business practices. Also involved are Carol Adams who works for newspaper owner Henry Brandon.

They've got a federal judge who is sympathetic in Herbert Rawlinson. The sheriff is in the pocket of the business association and he's got a murderous deputy in Jay Novello. That's a surprise because later on Novello played funny little ethnic parts usually Italian. Here he's quite serious and deadly.

Singing is kept to a minimum and it's usually part of the medicine show. Emphasis definitely on action in this good Roy Rogers western.