Movie Review: The Gay Ranchero (1948)

Synopsis: Two airplanes carrying shipments of gold are both forced to make emergency landings and are then robbed and their pilots killed by a gang of outlaws. Sheriff Roy Rogers investigates and soon suspects the outlaws are working for a local businessman seeking to drive the airport out of business with help from an inside man so he can purchase the land.

Who's in it? The movie stars Roy Rogers, Betty Richards, Andy Devine, George Meeker and Trigger.

Review: I overslept by about 15 minutes this morning, which both threw off my routine and meant I wasn't able to watch the movie I had planned on watching. As an alternative, I ended up selecting The Gay Ranchero because it was shorter in length. At first, I wasn't sure if I would like the film, but it turned out to be a halfway decent western.

The main plot itself was about as predictable as you would expect from a movie like this. Even before Sheriff Roy (Rogers) had his theories, it was both reasonably clear who was behind the robberies, why they were doing it and who was helping him.

That said, the movie did have a few unexpected twists in it. This included the main bad guy, Vance Brados (Meeker), proving to be a cunning villain by sniffing out the trap Roy was setting for him and a surprise betrayal that had the potential to let him get away with it if the wrong person was killed in a shootout and nobody was able to testify against him.

The final fight was kind of fun to watch as well, both with the airplane circling above and doing its part and Trigger getting his opportunity to help catch one of the bad guys. It probably could have used a bit more suspense, but I didn't hate it.

As is usually the case with classic westerns like this, there is quite a bit of filler needed just to get it to 72-minute mark. This includes a couple songs, a romantic subplot between bullfighter/pilot Nicci Lopez (Tito Guízar) and the wealthy Consuelo Belmonte (Estelita Rodriguez) and hijinks from Consuelo's pet monkey. However, I thought even that was passable because it wasn't overused to the point the movie felt like it was getting off track.

Final Opinion: It's a simple, common western plot but the film's execution makes it work. It's an entertaining movie as a result and I'd say it's worth watching.

My Grade: A

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Here are some reviews of other westerns:

Movie Review: 3:10 to Yuma (1957)

Movie Review: Two Flags West (1950)

Movie Review: No Name on the Bullet (1959)

Movie Review: The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (1958)