classicsoncall Review of Bells of Rosarita

Bells of Rosarita (1945)

"Hey Roy, this is just like one of your movies!"

[6/10 · 25 May 2021]

This plays as much a musical as it does a Roy Rogers Western. The Robert Mitchell Boys Choir chimes in on at least four songs, while Roy and Dale also get to sing a couple of numbers. There are a lot of self references in the story, the main one being that as part of the picture, it's mentioned that Roy, playing himself, is filming a movie with the title "Bells of Rosarita". In a gun battle with some villains at a cabin, Roy shoots a chimney off the roof stating that he did that once in one of his movies, while my summary line comes near the end of the picture by one of his Republic cowboy buddies, of which there are a handful. Wild Bill Elliott, Sunset Carson, Rocky Lane, Don Barry and Robert Livingston all make appearances in the story to help Roy track down the no good varmint who's trying to steal Sue Farnum's (Dale Evans) inherited circus out from under her grasp. What's a little odd is that Roy's sidekick and leader of the musical group Sons of the Pioneers, Bob Nolan, mentions that he's allergic to horses a couple of times. Considering there were horses all around, Nolan didn't sneeze or have watery eyes, so why that was thrown into the story line is anybody's guess. As one might expect for a Rogers flick, Gabby Hayes is on hand with possibly the picture's best and funniest gimmick. When Roy plans a large parade through town to promote a circus fundraiser for Sue Farnum, he's met with opposition by the sheriff (Ed Cassidy) who states there's an ordinance against it. Quick thinking Gabby comes up with a clever solution, having the parade masquerade as a funeral procession to get around the law! This is a fun Western that doesn't take itself too seriously, as all the players appear to be having a good time. Except the baddies of course, which is par for the course in a Roy Rogers Western.