I can't say for sure I've seen a Roy Rogers picture in color before, so this one was a pleasant surprise. It's a decently scripted story that covers a couple of plot lines and winds up maintaining credibility throughout. Well, except for Dolly Paxton (Elizabeth Risdon) creasing the side of Roy's head with her rifle. Geez, how good a shot could she have been? I don't think even The Rifleman could have done that!
Dale Evans and Pat Brady join Roy as he attempts to bring Ms. Paxton's adopted son (Byron Barr) to justice, and in the process winds up inadvertently exposing a hoof and mouth scare on the McKenzie ranch. The story line neatly ties in the cattle disease angle with Steve Paxton's extortion plot against McKenzie (Roy Barcroft), and in that regard, Steve's a real villain, having gunned down a local veterinarian with proof of the malady. It's not a good recipe for a typical Roy Rogers happy ending, but there's still enough room to come up with one.
There are a few light moments in the story to ease the tension, as Pat Brady's character is introduced hanging from the rafters of his general store while his newly acquired pair of bloodhounds sniff out his raccoon vest. Sparrow (Brady) is training to be a detective, but gee, why would he name his dogs Frank and Alice? There must be a story behind that. It was curious why every shot of the hounds afterward showed them running along leashed together, but it made for a good tease to trip up one of the bad guys later on in the story.
Foy Willing and his Riders of the Purple Sage offer some nice tuneful diversions with Roy along for accompaniment. Roy impresses while singing the alphabet in Spanish in one of the school house settings, and even though Dale comes on the scene in a bit of a sour mood, she warms up quickly to Roy and the boys.
Keep an eye on that scene right after Roy has the water hole fight with McKenzie henchman Saunders (James Caldwell). After the fight, Sparrow picks up Saunders hat and takes it with him, but Saunders shows up at McKenzie's later wearing it.
Fans of Roy and his usual gang will enjoy this one, and the color format is a bonus. One thing that bothered me a little though was the title. At least a half dozen times it was referenced that Roy was heading to Cheyenne for a rodeo show, and Sparrow mentioned that he was taking the afternoon off to go there himself. But a quick look at a map will show you that Cheyenne is at least two hundred miles from the very closest southwest corner of South Dakota. Couldn't they have called it 'Trouble at Sun Rock'?
Dale Evans and Pat Brady join Roy as he attempts to bring Ms. Paxton's adopted son (Byron Barr) to justice, and in the process winds up inadvertently exposing a hoof and mouth scare on the McKenzie ranch. The story line neatly ties in the cattle disease angle with Steve Paxton's extortion plot against McKenzie (Roy Barcroft), and in that regard, Steve's a real villain, having gunned down a local veterinarian with proof of the malady. It's not a good recipe for a typical Roy Rogers happy ending, but there's still enough room to come up with one.
There are a few light moments in the story to ease the tension, as Pat Brady's character is introduced hanging from the rafters of his general store while his newly acquired pair of bloodhounds sniff out his raccoon vest. Sparrow (Brady) is training to be a detective, but gee, why would he name his dogs Frank and Alice? There must be a story behind that. It was curious why every shot of the hounds afterward showed them running along leashed together, but it made for a good tease to trip up one of the bad guys later on in the story.
Foy Willing and his Riders of the Purple Sage offer some nice tuneful diversions with Roy along for accompaniment. Roy impresses while singing the alphabet in Spanish in one of the school house settings, and even though Dale comes on the scene in a bit of a sour mood, she warms up quickly to Roy and the boys.
Keep an eye on that scene right after Roy has the water hole fight with McKenzie henchman Saunders (James Caldwell). After the fight, Sparrow picks up Saunders hat and takes it with him, but Saunders shows up at McKenzie's later wearing it.
Fans of Roy and his usual gang will enjoy this one, and the color format is a bonus. One thing that bothered me a little though was the title. At least a half dozen times it was referenced that Roy was heading to Cheyenne for a rodeo show, and Sparrow mentioned that he was taking the afternoon off to go there himself. But a quick look at a map will show you that Cheyenne is at least two hundred miles from the very closest southwest corner of South Dakota. Couldn't they have called it 'Trouble at Sun Rock'?