Bad Man of Deadwood (1941)

Very well executed

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Despite its enticing title, this is a very ordinary little western with lots of talk, lots of so-so comic relief with George Hayes and Sally Payne, a bit of romance with hero Rogers and moderately pretty Carol Adams, a bit of shoot-out and chase action, and two songs (both of which are treated in such a desultory fashion they serve merely as background for important dialogue and other business). Incidentally, 1941 was Sally Payne's big year. She appeared in no fewer than fifteen films! Joe Kane's direction is almost totally pedestrian. Even the chase spots are spoiled by obvious studio cut-ins. Production values are minimal. The money spent on an extensive cast has been clawed back by rigid economies elsewhere — particularly on sets.

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 plotDeadwood 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.

In the second film playing Brett Starr, a singing cowboy fighting for justice (well, what else did he always play?), Roy Rogers takes on the law of Deadwood which seems to be able to do nothing to stop a ruthless gang from running everything. Even the federal judge is unable to put any of this gang behind bars, but when Brett shows up, the knife- throwing villain whom Brett catches does end up behind bars, even if only briefly, and that makes Brett intent on taking this gang down and the lawmakers who aide them. It's the typical repetitive scene of shoot- outs, chases and good vs. evil, with George "Gabby" Hayes getting a $36,000 bequest and stupidly taking it all out of the bank with predictable results. That shows the mentality of this quickly produced follow-up to "Sheriff of Tombstone". With town names like "Deadwood" and "Tombstone", is there any wonder why Roy always found criminal activity going on while visiting? "B" westerns are basically fun, if mostly alike, and fortunately extremely short. The lack of comedy from Gabby here is also quite noticeable, although he is acting quite a lot more fatherly to diminutive Sally Payne who is pretty heroic here too in her own right. Carol Adams provides menial services as the romantic interest here and shows a bit of feistiness in her minimal role.