A good thing is that we have Roy Roger's A team supporting players, in Gabby Hayes, Dale Evans , and The Sons of the Pioneers. However, I have a lot of questions about the screen play.........The plot has the team of Dale, Roy, and Gabby looking for an heirloom crest that belonged to Dale's deceased dad, but was stolen by his friend, rancher Tom Craig(Leyland Hodgson), who in turn, claims it was stolen from him. Dale hasjourneyed to this town specifically to find this crest. Roy, and temporary sheriff Gabby sign on to help her. They suspect Craig still has it. In opposition, there is neighboring rancher Courtney(Douglas Dumbrille), and his henchmen. Also, briefly, nightclub manager Dan Adams, throws his hat in the ring, but is soon shot dead when he finds it. In addition to the jewels, this crest apparently contains written information that is of value. At the end, we find out that this information is a map of a pitchblende(uranium ) deposit. Now, why would someone hide away such a map, instead of filing a claim and either developing it themselves or selling it? .........It's not clear to me how Courtney found out about this crest, and why he is willing to murder certain people in getting his hands on it. Craig is murdered by someone when he surprises them looking through his things. Probably not a Courtney job, as he lamented that the only person who knew where the crest is, is dead. Courtney assigns henchman Marty to kill Roy and Dale, as his chief competitors. Marty shoots at them from a hill, when they go by on top of a stage coach, being chased by gun-shooting Indians, in a Roy prank to scare Dale(She sees through it). He's too far way for an accurate shot on a moving coach. Later, henchman LeBlanc is positioned on a hill close to the road, hoping to shoot Roy when he comes trotting along. As Roy approaches, he levels his rifle, but before he can shoot, nearby henchman Marty shoots him, and ignores Roy! (Marty had a grudge against LeBlanc). When nightclub manager Dan Adams entered his office, he came upon a man going through things from his safe, and immediately shot him dead. Craig, Courtney, and others who came to inquire, said they didn't recognize the man. But, Roy thought that Craig might be lying. We never have a follow-up on this seemingly extraneous incident.........Briefly, Dale is shown tied up to a chair, and gagged. Not clear to me how this relates to the story..........Things get hectic toward the end, after Roy and Gabby find the crest. I lost count of the men who had the crest briefly before being shot, or knocked unconscious. Just after the crest is found,2 of Courtney's men burst through the door and stickup Roy and Gabby, who drop the crest on the floor. Incredibly, the 2 men ignore the crest, and take the 2 to talk to Courtney! ..........When Roy and gang fire on Courtney's house, hoping to retrieve the crest, that friendly Indian tribe shows up again, and starts circling around the house, like it's a circle of covered wagons!........The occasional musical is included. The title song, not really memorable, is sung several times. Dale has an onstage song: "I wanna go West". The Sons of the Pioneers , bizarrely, dress as pirates for their on stage song.........Dale, or is it a stunt driver?, has several episodes where she drives in an open car quite recklessly. See the uncut version at YouTube
Review of Under Nevada Skies
