King of the Cowboys (1943)

Touches You

Great Film overall

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Roy Rogers tangles with Axis sympathizers in director Joseph Kane's "King of the Cowboys," a contemporary Republic Pictures western set during World War II. You won't find any Fifth Columnists wielding firearms, but the American traitors mean business. Roy sings "I'm an Old Cowhand," "Ride, Ranger, Ride," "Red River Valley," and "Roll Along Prairie Moon." Basically, "King of the Cowboys" is an espionage western. Roy has several interesting scenes, including his escape from a warehouse set to blow up. One of the Sons of the Pioneers is none other than Pat Brady who utters a line of dialogue that I always thought was first used in the 1982 movie "Conan the Barbarian": "What's the matter with you? Do you want to live forever?" Most of the physical action involves the kind of derring-do that was the bread and butter of Republic's serials. Smiley Burnette plays Roy's sidekick Frog Millhouse and serves as comic relief. One of the gimmicks the villains deploy to wreck the car that the good guys are riding in predates the gimmick that the villains used against James Bond when he infiltrated Goldfinger's headquarters.A sabotage ring is raising havoc in Texas, and the dastards are destroying warehouses. Texas Governor Shuville (Russell Hicks of "Captain America") wants to see Roy and Frog Millhouse about an incident that occurred when they pursued the Wilson gang to Arkansas. They confronted the outlaws in a saloon that straddled the border between Arkansas and Texas. One of them is Duke Wilson (Stuart Hamblen) who robbed the rodeo where Roy worked. Predictably, the Arkansas sheriff (Herbert Heyes of "New York Confidential") isn't happy about Roy's decision and lodges a formal complaint with Governor Shuville. "Rogers," Shuville observes, "I like the way you work. I like your nerve. I can use a fast-thinking man like you. In fact, I need you for an assignment." The Governor wants Roy to infiltrate a group that has exposed all his operatives. He wants Roy because "the fellows after you wouldn't mistake you for anything but a cowboy." The Governor explains, "There is a wave of sabotage sweeping through this territory with the precision of a well-organized gang. All my efforts to apprehend them have failed." The Governor warns Roy that his predecessor died making his report by telephone. The only available clues are the words: "following Mary." Roy volunteers to work for the Governor. The chief executive asks Roy to memorize a secret phone number. This will be the only way they will communicate until they close the case. The Governor is the only man who knows about Roy's mission. What the Governor has no way of knowing is that his personal secretary, William Kraley (Lloyd Corrigan of "Son of Paleface"), is the leader of the saboteurs. Kraley warns his henchmen to be on the look-out for Roy Rogers.Later, while Roy is singing and strumming his guitar in the back of a cafe, two actresses from The Merry Makers Carnival and Tent Show enter and order lunch. Roy serves them coffee, and they converse. "Every town we play has an explosion or a fire," Judy Mason (Peggy Moran of "Horror Island") points out. Roy explains he is looking for a job, and Judy agrees to notify her stepbrother Dave (James Bush of "Massacre River") about Roy needing employment. The comments about the explosions arouse Roy's suspicions after the Ruby uses the words "following Mary." He visits the carnival in the town of Rawhide with Frog. Roy decides to join the carnival to learn first-hand what is really happening. The carnival features a mind-reading act with Maurice the Mental Marvel. The act is rather sophisticated. A cowgirl with a microphone in her ring which is she calls 'the mystic stone" asks the audience to address their problems to the stone. Actually, the stone serves as a microphone. A man behind the stage with a receiving set relays the information to a man in a turban and a robe. Roy and Frog disrupt Maurice's show and their commotion compels Mason to give Roy a chance to sing. Roy has a run-in with Maurice and they tie him up and leave him in a warehouse about to be blown to smithereens. Afterward, Roy contacts Shuville, and the Governor and his men ride into a trap. They think that they are about to collide head on with another car when in fact all that is happening is they are driving toward a huge mirror. This is rather ingenious. The Governor's car tumbles down the side of a mountain.Meantime, Roy suspects that they have trapped the saboteur when Frog and he take over the mind-reading act. Maurice catches Roy using the receiver. When he is about to shoot Roy, Mason threatens to expose them all. Instead of Roy, Maurice shoots Dave in the back. Maurice frames Roy for Dave's murder. During his stay is in jail, Roy learns that the Governor isn't expected to survive the car crash. He summons Frog, who appears in a disguise masquerading as Roy's grandfather, and tells him to tell Judy about Maurice's treachery. Judy and Ruby arrange for Roy to escape from jail and returns to the carnival. Kraley passes along information during the Maurice act. Maurice tries to intervene, and Roy guns down Kraley. Roy and the Sons of the Pioneers hightail it on horseback to prevent the saboteurs from dynamiting a metal bridge that a train will cross. Roy climbs the bridge and defuses the dynamite. While he is climbing on the bridge, Maurice's henchmen keep him busy dodging their lead and firing back at them."King of the Cowboys" is a predictable but entertaining, lightweight espionage western that is easy to follow. Director Joe Kane keeps the action constantly moving headlong so this B-movie doesn't wear out its welcome during its 56-minute running length.

I would have to say that of all the Roy Rogers films I have seen, this has got to be the worst. The plot makes little sense, the writing is very, very poor and it's bizarre they'd call this film "King of the Cowboys" considering it really has nothing to do with cowboys! The film begins with the Governor asking Roy to go undercover. This is a VERY familiar role for Rogers--he'd done this in tons of his other films. But, because the film is like a long talent show, Roy infiltrates a traveling show. This show somehow holds the key as Rogers figures out that they are transmitting secret codes. So, it's up to him, Smiley Burnett, the Sons of the Pioneers AND Dale Evans to sort all this out and save America. So what does this have to do with cowboys? Well, folks wear cowboy clothes--but that's really about it! As I said above, the writing it pretty bad for this one. Now seeing Rogers playing a character in modern times is not at all unusual, but the pitiful writing is. Here are a few examples how bad it got: In the psychic show, audience members are told to 'talk into the magic ring'. It's obvious to anyone that it's a microphone and I can't see how anyone but the dumbest folks on the planet would see this as magical or even interesting. Sadly, it's a VERY important part of the film.When the baddest of the baddies (Gerald Mohr) is about to shoot Rogers (who is unconscious), the wimpy baddie says "I'm going to turn myself in--I'll talk and take what's coming to me!". Who would say that as their partner is standing there with a gun about to shoot someone?! Is it any surprise that only seconds later this wimpy guy is killed?! Duh--can anyone be THAT dumb?! To help break Roy out of prison, his friends get the jailer to put a handkerchief over his head and leave the key to the cell sitting on the table in front of him while they show him a magic trick! Is anyone THAT dumb? Can anyone be that dumb?!Late in the film, Roy and his lady friend discover who the boss-man is of the baddies and they 'forget' and accidentally leave the loud speaker on so the baddies can hear that they've made this discovery!! Again, can anyone be that dumb? You must have noticed that again and again, the film relies on EVERYONE being 100% stupid. And, now that I think about it, they also rely on the audience being that stupid as well! Well, I might not be Einstein, but I am not THAT stupid--I give this one a well-deserved 2.

Roy Rogers (as Roy), Smiley Burnette (as Frog), and the "Sons of the Pioneers" go undercover to help Texas Governor Russell Hicks stop World War II Axis sympathizers from blowing up U.S. warehouses. Not a war story, but a Roy Rogers western: this one a "Variety Show" of stunts, songs, and Smiley bits … plus, a sign proclaiming: "Freedom of Speech Doesn't Mean Careless Talk"."King of the Cowboys" songs include: "I'm an Old Cow Hand", "The Gay Ranchero", "Prairie Moon", and others. Stunts include setting up a giant mirror on a road to simulate a head-on car crash; and, following another car crash, Rogers being tied up and left in a warehouse rigged to blow. The story is inconsequential. Following the stunted end, Rogers is introduced as "King of the Cowboys" and sings "Ride Ranger Ride". Formulaic to the hilt! ** King of the Cowboys (1943) Joseph Kane ~ Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnette, Peggy Moran

If you like Roy, you will like this movie.It has a good story line about sabotage and Roy's under cover work to capture the saboteurs.Roy also sings some songs.Smiley Burnett does his usual fine act as a funny sidekick.I was surprised to see Gerald Mohr as a "BAD GUY" in a western.The movies and T.V.I have seen him in he usually plays a sophisticated type of character.If you don't blink your eyes,you will see Eddie Dean as a policeman who has been tied up in his patrol car.