The Far Frontier (1948)

Action filled oater that really should have been titled Rolling Barrels. Seems a smuggling crew is using the barrels to sneak crooks across the border. On one trip they injure border guard Tom who loses his memory. His ex-border chief dad is broken hearted, and wants revenge. Roy gets involved when his cattle herd is part of the same border crossing. Good thing he gets help from the District Judge. And guess who that is—yup, it's Andy Devine. All in all, it's gonna be a real battle. Lots of hard riding and flying fists, but not much fast shooting. Speaking of flying fists, what about those two old guys—now there's a switch. Good thing Roy gets important help from the speedy Trigger who comes to his rescue. And catch cutie Gail Davis before she went over full time to cowboy Gene Autry. In ways, there're some rather brutal scenes, more so than usual. Not much scenic background, mainly b&w from greater LA and a near-by mountain dam. All in all, it's an interesting Rogers entry. But from now on, I'm staying away from oil barrels.

In one scene the bad guys are rolling barrels off a truck to stop Roy Rogers and Trigger. Trained jumpers were 'doubling' Trigger, but found the barrels too frightening and shied off. Trigger was finally allowed to try, ridden by Roy's stunt double Joe Yrigoyen. Joe ordered Trigger to jump too soon for a stationary object. Trigger trusted Joe and jumped when Joe commanded. He cleared the barrel, but a bit awkwardly. Trigger did better on the 2nd barrel. By now he thought it was fun, and for the rest of the scene you can see Trigger moving from side to side so he can jump as many barrels as possible! We read the book and got the movie just so we could watch Trigger jumping the barrels in this scene.

It's good to see that some Roy Rogers vehicles escaped the slaughter that cut them down into mincemeat for TV viewers. But this one, alas, despite some game attempts to make the action more realistic, is not one of Rogers' better vehicles. As in several other movies in the series, Rogers is often forced to play second fiddle to Andy Devine's Cookie Bullfincher who is along mainly for comic relief. It's hard to believe that the good citizens of a hot spot near the Mexican border would be stupid enough to select a clown like Bullfincher for such a sensitive post. (At least the sheriff's role is capably handled with a bit of dignity here by Edmund Cobb). It's also impossible to credit that smart, wealthy criminals would allow themselves to be transported in oil drums – especially oil drums as small and as solid as these which don't appear to have any air holes! Well, disregarding all that – which probably won't bother Rogers' admirers unduly – what will annoy many fans is that Rogers' screen time is rather limited. In addition to the incursions by Judge Devine and villainous Roy Barcroft, Robert Strange has a leading part to play, despite his position way, way down the cast list. Rogers also faces competition on the right side of the law from Clayton Moore, who plays Tom Sharper and has a significant slice of the action. When allowed his head, which is not often, director William Witney stages some effective fights and chases. However, it's odd to see Gene Autry's Gail Davis supporting his rival, Roy Rogers, even though her role is small, insignificant and utterly forgettable. Available on a very good Alpha DVD.

Roy Rogers is back on border patrol, investigating the smuggling of criminals across the U.S.-Mexican border. Clayton Moore (as Tom Sharper) is a fellow border patrolman who discovers the wicked smugglers, and is left for dead; instead, he gets amnesia. Andy Devine (as "Cookie") is a helpful judge, and Gail Davis (as Susan) adds femininity. Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage add harmony.Production-line Rogers western story, with better than average performances. The supporting players are rather good, and there are a few exciting moments. The song dubbing is distractingly poor, and the story very weak -- you'll wonder about some story contrivances... Rogers and Moore (later "The Lone Ranger") have a jail-cell fistfight; incredibly, Rogers beats Moore up to cure his amnesia! *** The Far Frontier (1948) William Witney ~ Roy Rogers, Gail Davis, Andy Devine