Review of Lights of Old Santa Fe

First, welcome back, Gabby Hayes, after an extended vacation from Roy Films........ Every Roy Rogers film needs a villain for Roy to subdue. Right? And this episode has a clear villain from near the beginning, in Frank Madden, Dale Evans' current boyfriend. Right? Two questions: What's so villainous in being successful in giving your customers more of what they want than your competition? Also, what provoked Madden to send his henchman Ken Ferguson to destroy enough of Dale's Brook's Rodeo hardware that they could no longer continue their journey to an Albuquerque rodeo? He didn't need to destroy Dale's rodeo to eliminate competition. It was widely acknowledged that his rodeo now was much superior to the Brooks' rodeo, which had failed to modernize to the new tastes of the customers. It must have been REVENGE!, says I . Revenge for what? Near the beginning, Roy and the Sons of the Pioneers are hired by Dale(without an audition). Dale rides to a lake in the company of Madden, having borrowed Trigger as her horse. When Roy finds out she borrowed Trigger without his permission, he got mad. Told Gabby to drive him out to the lake to bring Trigger back. Gabby, who ran her rodeo while she was in college, complied, returning after Roy got off. Roy soon found Trigger, and scared away the other horse. He saw Madden and Dale in a row boat. Madden was offering to buy her rodeo and combine it with his. He also proposed marriage. Dale was amendable to these proposes. But, suspecting such, Roy was not. He lassoed the front end of the boat and had Trigger pull it toward the shore. Madden soon fell out of the boat, but Dale stayed in. Trigger pulled the boat to the shore, and a considerable distance on land. Dale was mad as a wet hen. Roy offered her to ride with him on Trigger back home. Initially, she refused, but after walking a ways, she gave in. Technically, Roy could be charged with theft and kidnapping. So, what happened to Madden? We left him dumped in the lake, his horse run off by Roy, with no further consideration by Roy or Dale! Was that sufficient to make him want to damage Dale's rodeo? I think so..........After Ferguson did his dirty work, Roy rides to a telephone and calls his radio announcer friend to come and set things up for a radio broadcast, pretending to be at the rodeo. Another friend has arranged to have Dale listen to the radio broadcast, which consists of Gabby acting as MC, and various songs sung.(How did this happen without a radio transmitter??) Anyway, Dale, who didn't make it to the rodeo, is convinced that her rodeo performed. Unfortunately, later, her booking agent: Wetherbee, tells her that he was at the rodeo and didn't see her rodeo. She is more than irate that Roy and the others tricked her......... She again arranges to marry Madden. But, on her wedding day, Roy discovers evidence suggesting that Madden's henchman: Ferguson, did the partial destruction of Dale's rodeo. After a fisticuff, Ferguson confesses, and Roy gets him to write a confession note, which Roy rushes to the wedding ceremony(Why didn't he bring Ferguson himself?). Anyway, the note is accepted, and Dale calls off the marriage. Madden is arrested, and put in jail, on this rather flimsy evidence. While Madden was rotting in jail, Wetherbee bought his rodeo and offered to have his rodeo perform in combination with Dale's. Also, Dale began to get cozy with Roy...... ... There is a good amount of music, although little dancing.. Dale is featured on stage, singing the classic "Amour". Roy or Sons of the Pioneers sing several songs. I especially like the title song, "The Cowpoke Polka" , "The nerve of some people", and "Trigger hasn't got a Purdy Figure"..........All in all, there are positives and negatives to this film. The biggest negative is the uncertainty whether Madden or Roy should be considered the main villain. If this doesn't bother you, it's an entertaining Roy episode.