A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Business as usual at Lone Star Studios 1935: A solid John Wayne anchors a leaden production about foiling bad guys out west.Wayne is John Martin, who shows up one day at an isolated town named Rainbow offering to help with their road problem. Since the existing road was washed away by a cloudburst, the town has been at the mercy of a gang of desperadoes, one of whom, Rogers (LeRoy Mason), plays the part of an upstanding citizen. Martin organizes the town to build a new road. As time passes, people wonder whether Martin's on the level.This is a pretty novel idea for a western, road engineering as a plot point. But the slipshod manner of the story's development creates more potholes than the finest engineer could work around.The story opens with Martin in a store, buying guns and a horse. The sequence establishes that there's a town named Rainbow that lost its road, but serves no other purpose, especially as this exposition is basically repeated shortly after when Martin meets a mail courier named George (George Hayes), who pretty much says the same thing. If you know the work of director Robert N. Bradbury on these Lone Star westerns, you won't be surprised by the padding.There's also a protracted, silly subplot about a bad guy named Butch who's been sent away to prison but is magically freed when Rogers somehow gets the townspeople's signatures on a petition for clemency. Why we need Butch in this production is never explained, nor is the reason for Martin having a suspicious prior relationship with the felon. Since it doesn't figure in the story, it's just more padding.But "Rainbow Valley" does stick out in a better way. In addition to the road idea, Wayne is in very good form here, natural and enjoyably reactive in his work with the other actors. Just as good in his own more colorful way is Hayes, not yet known as "Gabby" here but in that zone. He and Wayne play well off each other here, establishing a baseline of charm that assuages the weakness of the storyline.There's a fun bit where Martin is trying to talk up a pretty mail clerk who, suckered in by Rogers, has no time for him. As she cuts Martin off and walks away, George looks on, impressed: "She's fallen for you already."If you like Wayne and Gabby Hayes, you will like this movie at least a bit. But even they aren't enough to make me think it's good.The supporting performances are better than usual, with Mason making a mark despite a one-note role. There's clever use of an automobile (Lone Star westerns usually seem to be set in the beginning of the 20th century, though it's never stated clearly) which George carries mail in, a springy jalopy called "Nugget Nell." Dynamite explosion stunts add some excitement. And no horses seem to have been killed in the making of this film, which is good to see.But the negatives pop up too frequently. It's true these were short films, made as casual entertainments to run under an hour as part of a larger movie-house program, but "Rainbow Valley" is too casual that way, suffering from a typical lack of continuity and characters turning on a dime.At least Wayne is good, as said, and in a way that helps you see why he became such an overnight sensation just four years later. He's got the charm, the toughness, and the presence that keeps you watching even when the rest of "Rainbow Valley" lets you down. He's just playing an engineer here, but he builds a decent bridge to the future all the same.

The enthusiasm for this film and motivation to continue watching is slightly destroyed by the lack of flow. There are some excellent moments but they are scattered throughout the film. Main character (John Martin) is on a ride to the small town of Rainbow Valley, he meets George who is looking for water. George is provided water and subsequently given a ride to a car! Later on there is an incident which involves highwaymen who have set up an ambush. Martin is was on the on the same road as George and follows to assist... From this point the film slightly drops in quality. The movie holds so much promise at the beginning but then tends to ride a little slow throughout. It is as if the films starting sequence and ending sequences were all meticulously constructed, only for the film to be let down by the middle portion.

"Rainbow Valley" was made right after "Texas Terror", and interestingly, a number of the principals stuck around to appear in both. The main heavy goes by Rogers, and is portrayed by LeRoy Mason, while John Wayne's romantic interest is a demure Miss Eleanor (Lucille Brown). Each had similar roles in "Texas Terror", along with George (Pre-Gabby) Hayes, but this time around, his character sports around in an automobile. John Martin (Wayne) expresses some surprise, remarking that it's the first one he's ever seen. However shortly later when George is injured in a chase while driving, Martin knows just what to do to bring it to a stop! I got a kick out of George's name for the car - 'Nugget Nell'. Some years later in the early Fifties, Pat Brady would tool around in 'Nellybelle' on "The Roy Rogers Show", maybe they were related.The plot is a familiar one involving villain Rogers in a land fraud scheme, but instead of water rights or phony deeds, the bad guys prevent the town folk from completing a road connecting Rainbow with an adjoining town. Preventing the arrival of supplies and necessities, Rogers hopes the local ranchers will sell out to him cheap. Special Agent Martin's presence on the scene was arranged by the governor so he could investigate, sounding a bit more involved than it had to be. Martin spent some time in jail with Rogers' top henchman Galt (Jay Wilsey as Buffalo Bill, Jr.), causing Miss Eleanor and others some concern since he might be throwing in with Rogers. Not to worry though, it's all part of the plan to complete the road and take down the baddies.I found a few interesting things about this Lone Star Western, it's the only one I can recall off hand in which John Wayne actually twirls a six gun. For his part, George Hayes seems pretty accomplished in throwing sticks of dynamite to fend off the bad guys. It seemed to me that was Teddy Roosevelt's picture hanging in the post office; his presidency ran from 1901 to 1909, so that would have worked for the picture chronologically, along with the presence of Nugget Nell.Having seen nearly all of Wayne's Lone Stars, this might be the one film that shows the most print degradation, with washed out scenes and a fair amount of visual static. Still, I felt lucky finding this title along with eight other John Wayne flicks from the mid to late 1930's, none of which duplicated the much easier to find public domain films like "Blue Steel" and "The Star Packer". In my case, I found it as part of a promotional display at a local Walmart; the package of nine films on two DVD's is put out by Echo Bridge Entertainment. Believe it or not, included is the complete twelve chapter serial, "Shadow Of The Eagle"!

A routine "B" western in the Lone Star series of westerns Wayne made in the 30's. What sets this one apart is John Wayne as a "Singing" Cowboy. This was the time of the beginning of the Singing Cowboy era in "B" westerns (e.g. Gene Autry). Wayne's voice is obviously dubbed. He sure doesn't look comfortable serenading the heroine or warbling a tune while riding across the prairie. Fortunately for all concerned (especially the Duke) this experiment was quickly ended.Anyone who wants to hear the Duke's "real" singing voice should watch the opening credits of "Cahill U.S. Marshal".