So much average

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Leonard Slye (Roy Rogers), Smiley Burnette (Smiley), George Hayes (Gabby), Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers: Lloyd Perryman, Tim Spencer, Carl Farr, Pat Brady, Hugh Farr (themselves), Walter Catlett (paddle-steamer magnate), Ruth Terry (magnate's daughter), Leigh Whipper (magnate's servant), Paul Harvey (cattlemen's association bigwig), Edmund MacDonald (local saloon and haulage boss), William Haade (saloon-owner's chief henchman), The Hall Johnson Choir (assorted slavies), Hank Bell (steamer captain), and Hal Taliaferro, Cactus Mack, Fred Burns, Carl Mathews, Horace B. Carpenter, Frank McCarroll, Art Dillard, and "Trigger" (a horse).Director: Joseph KANE. Original screenplay: Earl Felton. Photography: Jack Marta. Film editor: Richard Van Enger. Art director: Russell Kimball. Set decorator: Otto Siegel. Music director: Morton Scott. Choral arrangements: Hall Johnson. Songs: "The West Is In My Soul" (Slye), "There's Gloom Around the Ranch- House Tonight" (Slye), "Easy-A, Easy-O" (Slye), "Welcome Song" (Slye, Pioneers, Burnette, Hayes), "Oh My Children" (Johnson Choir, Slye, Pioneers), "The River Robin" (Johnson Choir, Slye, Pioneers, Burnette). RCA Sound System. Associate producer: Joseph Kane.Copyright 11 December 1942 by Republic Pictures Corp. No New York opening. U.S. release: 16 November 1942. Australian release through British Empire Films: 22 April 1943. 7 reels, 6,150 feet. 68 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Cattleman James Barrabee (Paul Harvey) is torn between paying the exorbitant fees charged by road haulage contractor Ross Lambert (Edmund MacDonald) or pandering to eccentric shipping tycoon Colonel Silas Poppen (Walter Catlett) to induce him to freight the cattle by paddle steamer. His foreman Roy Rogers (Leonard Slye) is all in favor of the latter alternative, especially as Poppen has a pretty daughter May Lou (Ruth Terry). But Barrabee believes that humoring Poppen is just too much trouble.NOTES: This film exists in at least four versions. The full-length 68-minute version was shown only in Australia. In the U.S. the film was cut by 3 minutes by the simple expedient of deleting one of the songs. For TV, songs were slashed all over, reducing the length to 60 minutes. The present video print has a running time of only 54 minutes. The story-line seems to be intact. No-one has taken the scissors to Harvey's part or Catlett's. But the Hall Johnson Choir no longer ask "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny". And Smiley Burnette, making a return to Rogers' pictures — he had joined him in his first two starring vehicles "Under Western Stars" and "Billy the Kid Returns" (both 1938) but had otherwise been partnering Gene Autry who was now away in the war — has no solo song.VIEWERS' GUIDE: Just about all the Rogers' pictures are bland enough for all. "Heart of the Golden West" is no exception.COMMENT: An odd western. With Rogers now king of the lot, Republic has evidently decided to throw in every element they can think of and hope that it all jells. Unfortunately it doesn't. For action fans there's a good chase at the start with some neat pieces of stunt-work, plus a more routine fistfight in a saloon, and a shoot- out climax in the rain that's really outstanding (particularly by the generally modest standards of Joe Kane). For country western fans, there's obviously songs a-plenty (at least in the original release prints). For fans of gentle romance there's a nice turn-on between the attractively spirited Ruth Terry and the more laid-back but still personable Roy Rogers.But — so long as they're not too irritated by all the foregoing footage — it's slapstick fans that are really regally treated by "Heart of the Golden West". Smiley Burnette for instance can't even walk into a room without falling over. Joined by Gabby Hayes and Walter Catlett, he plays an old — and in my opinion, totally unfunny — routine on a stage "horse". As for Paul Harvey, when he's not sounding off, he has all this trouble lighting his pipe without burning his fingers. But the prize clown of all is Walter Catlett — he who can't open his mouth without losing his teeth — who initiates or figures in more slapstick shouting than all the others combined.Technically the film is quite slick, even though the chases are marred by obvious studio cut-ins. Still, some attractive locations are well utilized and by comparison with many previous Rogers' features, this one has been produced on a fairly sizable budget.

Edmund MacDonald head of a trucking company and William Haade his chief henchman are making some big trouble for rancher Paul Harvey and his foreman Roy Rogers in Heart Of The Golden West. It seems as though the trucking company, the only shipping conveyance for their cattle is charging some exorbitant rates. Although Harvey is all for knuckling under Roy's a man of action. And I don't mean he's going to take this to the Interstate Commerce Commission.Roy's scheme is to use a riverboat and ship his cattle to the stockyards by water. And he invites the steamboat owner Walter Catlett to sign the deal with Harvey. Of course MacDonald gets wind of it and therein lies the tale.Heart Of The Golden West has a lot more comedy in it than the normal Roy Rogers westerns although they never lacked for it. Mainly because of Walter Catlett who plays a Senator Claghorn type owner of the steamboat who comes to town with daughter Ruth Terry who is Roy's romantic interest. MacDonald intercepts a telegram telling Roy that Catlett hates everything about the wild west even if it's not that wild any more. MacDonald will make sure it's wild and Catlett and his reactions to the situations are pretty funny. Running a close second is the perpetually exasperated Harvey.And if that wasn't enough Roy gets two sidekicks in this film, Gabby Hayes and Smiley Burnette. The two of them in a horse costume with Catlett unwillingly on board is a riot unto itself.The Hall Johnson Choir appears in Heart Of The Golden West singing some Negro spirituals which the Sons Of The Pioneers join in with Roy as a soloist. Makes for some nice cross cultural music.Heart Of The Golden West, definitely one of Roy's better films and Catlett and Harvey are priceless.

Tired of dealing with the gangsterish owner of the area's only trucking company, Roy Rogers and the local cattlemen try to lure a riverboat line into starting a route on the near-bye river. The only problem is that the owner of the company has a wild west phobia, of which the crooked truckers plan on exploiting to maximum effect.The emphasis this time is on raucous comedy, with sidekicks Smiley Burnette and George "Gabby" Hayes in top form, threatening to steal the movie from Roy. The scene where they accidentally start a fire inside their two-man horse costume is gut-busting hilarious, as is the earlier gag where they barge into the frightened riverboat owner's room dressed like "scary" western characters.Great photography, rowdy action, and a few good songs also help make this one of Roy's best unsung adventures. It appears as if Republic Pictures threw a bit more money than usual (for a Saturday matinée western) at this project.The film's musical highlight occurs when Roy joins The Hall Johnson Choir and The Sons Of The Pioneers to sing an absolutely fantastic old-time spiritual on the banks of the river.Recommended.

Roy Rogers (as Roy), Smiley Burnette (as Frog), George "Gabby" Hayes (as Gabby), and "The Sons of the Pioneers" defend Cherokee City ranchers against taxes imposed on transporting cattle. Edmund McDonald (as Ross Lambert) leads the evil-doers.The story is slight. Mr. Burnette and Mr. Hayes team-up for a ludicrous "two-men-in-the-horse" joke. This, and action sequences appear to have been speeded up for dramatic and/or comic effect. The film includes a generous, interesting amount of location work; climaxing with a storm-drenched river scene. Unfortunately, the relatively low budget makes certain sequences appear more technically incompetent than exciting. Song highlights are when Mr. Rogers sings with Riverboat workers, on "Who's Gonna Help Me Sing?" and "The River Robin". ** Heart of the Golden West (1942) Joseph Kane ~ Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnette, George 'Gabby' Hayes