Under Western Stars
- Dorrell McGowan
- Stuart E. McGowan
- Betty Burbridge
- Dorrell McGowan
- Stuart E. McGowan
- Roy Rogers
- Smiley Burnette
- Carol Hughes
- Maple City Four
company
- April 20, 1938 (1938-04-20) (US)
Under Western Stars is a 1938 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnette, Carol Hughes, and the Maple City Four. Written by Dorrell McGowan, Stuart E. McGowan, and Betty Burbridge, the film is about a populist singing cowboy who decides to run for Congress in order to seek federal assistance to help small ranchers regain their water rights during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. His campaign comes into conflict with greedy water company executives.[1]
The film was the first starring role for Rogers, made under contract to Republic Pictures during a walkout by the studio's singing cowboy Gene Autry. The picture was filmed on location in the Alabama Hills of Lone Pine, California.
Plot
John Fairbanks' water company refuses to allow free water for the farmers and ranchers. When Roy Rogers and his men overpower the dam's guards and release the valve on the water, a sympathetic judge fines Roy one dollar and convinces him to follow in his father's footsteps and run for the United States House of Representatives. Roy wins the election and fights his best to have the Federal Government step in to solve the dire situation. Roy is encouraged and secretly helped by John Fairbanks feisty daughter, Eleanor.
Cast
- Roy Rogers as Roy Rogers
- Smiley Burnette as Frog
- Carol Hughes as Eleanor Fairbanks
- Maple City Four as Singers
- Guy Usher as John Fairbanks
- Tom Chatterton as Congressman Edward H. Marlowe
- Kenneth Harlan as Richards
- Alden Chase as Tom Andrews
- Brandon Beach as Senator Wilson
- Earl Dwire as Mayor Biggs
- Jean Fowler as Mrs. Wilson
- Dora Clement as Mrs. Marlow
- Dick Elliott as William P. Scully
- Burr Caruth as Larkin
- Slim Whitaker as Tremaine
- Jack Rockwell as Sheriff
- Frankie Marvin as Deputy Pete
Legacy
The film's song "Dust", written by Johnny Marvin, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song.[1] In 2009, Under Western Stars was selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant and will be preserved for all time.[2][3]
References
External links
- Under Western Stars essay [1] by Howard Kazanjian and Chris Enss at National Film Registry
- Under Western Stars at IMDb
- Under Western Stars at the TCM Movie Database
- Under Western Stars at AllMovie
- Under Western Stars at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Under Western Stars is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- Under Western Stars essay by Daniel Eagan In America's Film Legacy, 2009-2010: A Viewer's Guide To The 50 Landmark Movies Added To The National Film Registry In 2009–10, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2011, ISBN 1441120025 pages 60–63 [2]
- v
- t
- e
- In Old Santa Fe (1934)
- Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1935)
- The Headline Woman (1935)
- Melody Trail (1935)
- The Lawless Nineties (1936)
- King of the Pecos (1936)
- The Lonely Trail (1936)
- Guns and Guitars (1936)
- Oh, Susanna! (1936)
- Ride Ranger Ride (1936)
- The Old Corral (1936)
- Undersea Kingdom (1936)
- Git Along Little Dogies (1937)
- Round-Up Time in Texas (1937)
- Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge (1937)
- Public Cowboy No. 1 (1937)
- Boots and Saddles (1937)
- Springtime in the Rockies (1937)
- Heart of the Rockies (1937)
- The Old Barn Dance (1938)
- Born to Be Wild (1938)
- Arson Gang Busters (1938)
- Under Western Stars (1938)
- Gold Mine in the Sky (1938)
- Man from Music Mountain (1938)
- Shine On, Harvest Moon (1938)
- Days of Jesse James (1939)
- Colorado (1940)
- The Border Legion (1940)
- Robin Hood of the Pecos (1941)
- Sheriff of Tombstone (1941)
- Nevada City (1941)
- Rags to Riches (1941)
- Jesse James at Bay (1941)
- South of Santa Fe (1942)
- Sons of the Pioneers (1942)
- Romance on the Range (1942)
- The Man from Music Mountain (1943)
- King of the Cowboys (1943)
- The Yellow Rose of Texas (1944)
- Flame of Barbary Coast (1945)
- In Old Sacramento (1946)
- Plainsman and the Lady (1946)
- Old Los Angeles (1948)
- The Gallant Legion (1948)
- The Plunderers (1948)
- The Last Bandit (1949)
- Brimstone (1949)
- Rock Island Trail (1950)
- The Savage Horde (1950)
- California Passage (1950)
- Oh! Susanna (1951)
- Fighting Coast Guard (1951)
- The Sea Hornet (1951)
- Hoodlum Empire (1952)
- Woman of the North Country (1952)
- Ride the Man Down (1952)
- San Antone (1953)
- Jubilee Trail (1954)
- Hell's Outpost (1954)
- The Road to Denver (1955)
- The Vanishing American (1955)
- Thunder Over Arizona (1956)
- Spoilers of the Forest (1957)
- The Lawless Eighties (1957)
- The Last Stagecoach West (1957)
- The Crooked Circle (1957)
- Gunfire at Indian Gap (1957)
- The Notorious Mr. Monks (1958)
- The Man Who Died Twice (1958)
- Track of Thunder (1967)
- Smoke in the Wind (1975)