Customer Reviews

Spoilers of the Plains

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A rarity. This is one of two Roy Rogers' fifties westerns (the other being Bells of Coronado) with a Cold War theme. In this case, a fake oilman (under the services of an unnamed foreign power) tries to obtain the military secrets behind a classified rocket experiment in weather forecasting. The film is mildly entertaining and should please fans of the famous singing cowboy. Bad news: the copy used for the DVD is not the original 63 minutes print (as advertised in the box) but a 55 minute version, edited for TV.

Format of Spoilers of the Plains is Black and White, not Color as

described under the "Product Details".

This 1951 film is better known for it's unusual plot involving Roy Rogers and rocket scientists than for being the pilot feature of Bullet's career. But before canine sidekick Bullet became a TV icon along with Rogers and Trigger, he started out here: in Spoilers of the Plains. Throughout the film, both Bullet and Trigger come to their master's aid, saving him from an attacking Doberman, running for help and protecting him when Roy has been injured, and saving the day as much as the King of Cowboys does.

Though perhaps not one of the best known, or best loved, of the Roy Rogers features, Spoilers of the Plains is a must for anyone interested in his duo of four-footed henchmen. If you're looking for more information on Bullet, or other canine movie stars, check out Wonder Dogs: 101 German Shepherd Dog Films, which profiles Spoilers of the Plains.

I find that most of the Roy Rogers films are very enjoyable to watch. It is kind of an adventuresome muscial. A little "Oklahoma" without Rogers and Hammerstein. In this case Rogers and Trigger.

Many of Roy Rogers westerns for Republic were cut by some 20 minutes for black-and-white television in the 1950s. To achieve this, whole songs were eliminated and scenes shortened which caused some minor continuity problems. Director William Witney was probably the best action film director of the 20th century. You can see this in films like "Bells of San Angelo", "Under California Stars" and "Down Dakota Way" which are available in their original unedited colour format on videotape and DVD. His meticulous flowing direction brought action to evey scene, including musical numbers which were used to advance the plot rather than interrupt it or hold it up. Witney's brilliance is seriosly compromised in the hacked-up versions of his Roy Rogers films. "Spoilers of the Plains" is a fine film that is so compromised and there is something perverse about the Roy Rogers Estate endorsing films that do not include all the songs. It may be the case that the original prints are lost, but are number of thing are available and have been seen on VHS for years. I wish there was a Republic enthusiast out there with film restoration skills to return these films to their original splendour. In the absence of the originals, the edited versions will suffice, I suppose, but it is a shame that these once great films have been interefered with, giving modern-day and future generations the wrong idea of them.

Republic Pictures presents "SPOILERS OF THE PLAINS" (5 February 1951) (63 mins/B&W/Color) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) --- Roy Rogers (born Leonard Slye) moved to California in 1930, at the age of 18 --- played in such musical groups as The Hollywood Hillbillies, Rocky Mountaineers, Texas Outlaws and his own group, the International Cowboys --- In 1934 he formed a group with Bob Nolan and Tim Spencer called "Sons of the Pioneers" --- While in that group he was known as Leonard Slye, then Dick Weston and finally Roy Rogers --- Their songs included "Cool Water" and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" --- They first appeared in the western "Rhythm on the Range" (1936), starring Bing Crosby --- In 1937 Roy went solo and made his first starring film in 1938, "Under Western Stars" (1938) --- He made almost 100 films --- then came television, "The Roy Rogers Show" (1951) ran on CBS from October 1951 through September 1964.

Under William Witney (Director), Edward J. White (Producer), Sloan Nibley (Screenwriter), Jack A. Marta (Cinematographer), R. Dale Butts (Composer (Music Score), Jack Elliott (Songwriter), Aaron Gonzales (Songwriter), Foy Willing (Songwriter), Tony Martinelli (Editor), Howard Lydecker (Special Effects), Theodore Lydecker (Special Effects) - - - - Our story line and plot, This fast action Cold War Western has Roy countering foreign agents who try to steal a weather forecasting device that scientists are developing at a remote rocket site -- An amusing aspect of the film is the sight of cowboys hauling a rocket on a horse pulled wagon --- William Witney fills the feature with action that climaxes with Roy battling the villain stop an oil derrick --- Gordon Jones was great in every scene as Roy's sidekick --- Must recommend the Happy Trails DVD's to you --- Each one has new information about Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and each actor or director in the film --- If you are a Roy Rogers and Dale Evans fan like me you will totally enjoy all the extra footage showing Roy and Dale going to parades and visiting children in hospitals, the story of Roy proposing marriage to Dale, and more inside info also about the family --- Each film starts out with Roy and Dale seated on a small stage back around 1987 talking about the sagebrush films they are showing --- some wonderful tunes, IT'S AN OLD SPANISH CUSTOM -- IT'S A LEAD PIPE CINCH -- RAINBOW OVER TEXAS -- HAPPY TRAILS IN SUNSHINE VALLEY.

the cast includes

Roy Rogers ... Roy Rogers

Trigger ... "Smartest Horse in the Movies"

Penny Edwards ... Frankie Manning

Gordon Jones ... Splinters

Grant Withers ... Gregory Camwell

Don Haggerty ... Henchman Ben Rix

Fred Kohler Jr. ... Henchman Brooks

House Peters Jr. ... Henchman Scheller

George Meeker ... Scientist Jim

Keith Richards ... Travis, chief of guards

Foy Willing ... Singer, Oil Co. worker

Riders of the Purple Sage ... Singers, Oil Co. workers

George Bamby ... Singer, Oil Co. worker

Bullet ... Bullet

William Forrest ... Dr. J.D. (Jonathan) Manning

Phyllis Kennedy ... Beautician

Rex Lease ... Gate guard

BIOS:

1. Roy Rogers (aka: Leonard Franklin Slye)

Date of Birth: 5 November 1911 - Cincinnati, Ohio

Date of Death: 6 July 1998 - Apple Valley, California

2. William Witney (Director)

Date of Birth: 15 May 1915 - Lawton, Oklahoma

Date of Death: 17 March 2002 - Jackson, California

Check out a new book from Empire Publishing - "THE ROY ROGERS BOOK: A REFERENCE TRIVIA SCRAPBOOK" (Paperback) --- reference trivia scrapbook of Roy Rogers written by Western film historian David Rothel whose accounts of thrilling adventures of B-Western heroes during the Saturday matinees of yesteryear takes us back to our childhood, family and friends --- this is a wish come true, reliving those wonderful years from the past through the pen of David Rothel --- Roy was a top box office draw for Republic Pictures when you went to see him on the big screen, you got exactly what the marquee said --- plenty of thrills, action and hard riding with a song or two thrown in for good measure --- Elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980 as a member of the "Sons of the Pioneers" and elected again in 1988 as Roy Rogers "King of the Cowboys" --- Roy got his horse "Trigger" in 1938 and rode him in every one of his films and TV shows after that --- "Trigger" died in 1965 age of thirty-three --- Roy's dog's name was "Bullet" and appeared in almost as many of his films as "Trigger" did --- Roy's theme song, "Happy Trails", was written by Queen of the West and his wife Dale Evans --- inducted (with his wife Dale Evans) into the "Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum" in 1976 --- inducted as a member of the "Sons of the Pioneers into the "Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum" in 1995 just three years before his death --- Don't miss this one --- now appearing on Amazon and Empire Publishing --- Don't hesitate - rush out and pick up your copy today --- Great reading in the days and weeks to come --- I guarantee it!

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for Film Noir, B-Westerns and Serials --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns ... order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on DVD --- stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with musical adventure --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out Amazon where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 63 mins on VHS/DVD ~ Republic Pictures ~ (7/13/2004)