Very well executed

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

An action-packed slog

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

I've watched quite a few Roy Rogers films recently and was surprised that his eventual wife, Dale Evans, was not in his early films. Also, quite a few had different sidekicks such as Smiley Burnett or Raymond Hatton. I wanted to see Dale and Gabby Hayes--the folks who are most associated with a Rogers film. Gabby did 45 films with Roy and Dale co-starred in just about all of them once she married Roy. Well, finally, I found "Song of Arizona"--a Rogers film that seems to have it all.In "Song of Arizona", the myth of Roy Rogers is complete. Gabby runs a kids ranch for orphans and underprivileged kids (that's kind of creepy now that you think of it) and Roy is a legendary hero that kids emulate.The story involves a crook, 'King' Blaine (Lyle Talbot) and he plays about the most stereotypical baddie in history. When he comes to the ranch to see the son he abandoned, it's amazingly funny to hear Talbot talking to the boy. It seems that he'd left a package with the kid and the package contained stolen money. When the Sheriff shows up looking for Blaine, inexplicably, Roy lies about the guy and misdirects him. Not much of a hero, is he?! However, you know that Roy knows everything and by the end he'll have worked wonders--sort of like a western social worker. Blaine is soon shot by the posse and Roy and Gabby witness his dying moments--when he wills the ranch a piece of property and divulges that the boy has a sister out there somewhere. Well, it turns out that the garage on the property has burned down, but the trip isn't for naught--Roy meets Dale and, not surprisingly, they fall in love and sing a few numbers. And, it turns out that Dale was the dead man's step-daughter--Chip's sister.Some time later, Blaine's old 'friends' show up and take the boy captive--as they want the loot. So naturally it's up to Roy to save the day and Gabby's ranch.Overall, I must say that despite a great cast, the film itself is low on action, high on talk and is geared strictly for kids. There really isn't any zip to this one--just lots of sweet kids and non-violence. Booorrriiinnggg!!

This is one of those Roy Rogers films that, if not the best, has absolutely all of the right components.Roy is great, as always, as are the wonderful Sons of the Pioneers. Then there's Gabby, being Gabby, simply the best comedy sidekick in western movies, Dale doing some pretty swish song and dance routines, a terrific snarling villain in Dick Curtis - was that really his own face or just an evil mask? - and just the right amount of Boys Town type sentiment with the Robert Mitchell Boy Choir as the wayward boys living on Gabby's Half-A-Chance Ranch. The title song is good and, shame on me, I nearly forgot Trigger: he looks stunning! There are those who say the West was never like this,that no-one dressed like Roy, that the story lines were thin or far-fetched, and who am I to argue? That's what makes these old Republic movies so irresistible!

I can't agree with a previous reviewer who wrote that the story here is better than most Rogers films of the period; in fact there's almost no story here at all. Most Rogers films are breezy entertainment with not much meat on the bones, but them's sometimes pretty bones, to be sure; meaning that often we get the skeleton of the story without having to look for any depth, but the action, the music, the general sense of good natured fun makes the typical Rogers film an easy way top blow an hour or so without regret.But this film is a mess. One give-away to this is Dale Evans. Her character is introduced to sing a song, disappears, reappears to try to plug a plot hole, and then pretty much disappears until the end. She has little to do but wring her hands and look concerned.The basic plot - an outlaw wants to leave his stolen money to the orphanage/ranch taking care of his son - never amounts to much. There's no strain to finding the loot, a couple bad guys chase around after it, daddy dies and son is redeemed, and along the way a couple songs get sung. But there's never any tension or suspense, and Rogers, who should appear in command of the material, looks lost, like the director skipped out when the filming began or something. Gabby Hayes is his typical self, but since he's trying to play Pat Obrien in "Boy's Town," there's nothing much for him to do, since that sort of thing isn't in keeping with his usual schtick. The Sons of the Pioneers appear briefly, singing a song of course, but for no other reason - usually they also double as Rogers' ranch-hand gang of friends, here they too disappear.All in all, the worst I've seen Rogers in - not unwatchable, but little else you can say for it.

Song of Arizona was made when Roy Rogers career was in full swing. Gabby Whitaker has a ranch for boys in need of a home, and every one of them is wearing his own cowboy outfit complete with chaps. Every boy had to dream of livng on a ranch with Gabby Hayes and Roy Rogers, and here it was on film! The movie centers around a boy named Chip, played by Tommy Cook. Every time he speaks I keep recognizing his voice from his work on the old time radio shows like Blondie. One of the things that set his movies apart from others was the polished look of the musical productions. Dale wears beautiful outfits and her singing is top notch in this one. Her songs are more pop-oriented than western style. The Sons of the Pioneers line-up is a little different in this one, too. Apparently this was filmed before Lloyd Perryman and Pat Brady returned from military service. Instead we have Ken Carson and Shug Fisher. Oddly, Hugh Farr was missing from the Pioneers for this film. Lyle Talbot may have been cast as the main villain, but Dick Curtis is the true bad guy in this one. I really enjoyed this movie.