Cowboy Corral: ‘Saga of Death Valley’
By Bob Bloom
This 1939 B-Western was Roy Rogers’ 12th starring feature. It’s a sturdy movie, using the familiar trope of long-lost brothers on the opposite sides of the law.
As usual, Roy is the good guy, out to avenge the death of his father 15 years earlier.
The villain, Tasker, played by Frank M. Thomas (father of juvenile actor Frankie Thomas), killed Roy’s father when he refused to pay for protection.
Roy’s little brother, Tim, witnessed the killing so Tasker takes him along and raises him to become part of his gang.
The adult Tim, renamed Jerry by Tasker, is played by Don 
Barry. And it’s his breakout performance that makes this feature memorable.
A charismatic turn to Barry’s outlaw highlights his acting, which is above that of the usual pedestrian player associated with the genre.
Barry emits a quiet, smoldering intensity that reeks of menace, making him more dangerous than the veteran Thomas.
The usual cast of characters fills out the rest of the players, including George “Gabby” Hayes, a young actress named Doris Day (who is not the famed singer-Oscar-nominated actress), Jack Ingram, Hal Taliaferro and Lane Chandler.
Director Joseph Kane keeps the pace moving, with only a couple of musical interludes, so the 58-minute programmer quickly covers its familiar ground.
This was the early part of Rogers’ career, in which he made several period historical Westerns mostly set in the 19th or early 20th century.
The movie stressed action over music, a formula that would last a couple of more years, until the music became the dominant factor in the Rogers series.
“Saga of Death Valley” is one of the best of the early Rogers features and makes a fine introduction to the cowboy as well as a look at a rising Western star.
I am a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook. My movie reviews also can be found at Rottentomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.