Twilight in the Sierras
| Twilight in the Sierras | |
|---|---|
 Theater poster with top billing given to Rogers and his horse Trigger, 1950 | |
| Directed by | William Witney |
| Written by | Sloan Nibley |
| Produced by | Edward J. White |
| Starring | Roy Rogers Trigger Dale Evans Estelita Rodriguez Pat Brady |
| Cinematography | John MacBurnie |
| Edited by | Tony Martinelli |
| Music by | Stanley Wilson |
Production company | Republic Pictures |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
Release date | March 22, 1950[1][2] |
Running time | 67 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Twilight in the Sierras is a 1950 American Trucolor Western film directed by William Witney and starring Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger (billed in the film's opening credits as the "Smartest Horse in the Movies"), along with Dale Evans, Estelita Rodriguez, and Pat Brady.[3][4][5]
Plot
Ricardo Chavez is a convicted
Cast
- Roy Rogers as State Parole Officer Roy Rogers
- Trigger as Trigger, Roy's horse
- Dale Evans as Deputy Sheriff Pat Callahan
- Estelita Rodriguez as Lola Chavez
- Pat Brady as Dr. Sparrow Bliffle DVM
- Russ Vincent as Ricardo Chavez
- George Meeker as Matt Brunner
- Fred Kohler, Jr.as Mason, Brunner henchman
- Edward Keane as Judge Wiggins
- House Peters Jr. as Jim Williams
- Pierce Lyden as Blake, Brunner henchman
- Don Frost as bartender
- Joseph A. Garro as Brunner henchman
- William F. Leicester as Clifford (as William Lester)
- Foy Willing as Foy
- Harry Strang as Sheriff Callahan (uncredited)
Production notes
- Twilight in the Sierras was filmed in less than four weeks, between mid-September and early October 1949.[6]
- The exterior scenes for Twilight in the Sierras were filmed at the 500-acre Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, located in the northwestern part of California's San Fernando Valley.[7]
- By 1950, Estelita Rodriguez had become a familiar face to theatergoers attending Roy Rogers' films. Republic Pictures between 1945 and 1951 cast her in nine productions with the "King of the Cowboys". Twilight in the Sierras is the sixth film of those nine.[8]
- As in some of Rogers' earlier films and later on his weekly
Reception
Reviewers in 1950 generally found Twilight in the Sierras predictable but entertaining, especially for Republic Picture's targeted younger or "juve" (juvenile) audiences. Variety commented about such targeting as part of its own assessment of the production:
"Twilight in the Sierras" is a standard Roy Rogers pic slanted at the juve action trade. All the ingredients are used in this oatuner, which boasts a better-than-usual score. But the kiddies will go for the hard-riding, rootin'-tootin' yarn, which keeps the characters galloping from start to finish. Trucolor tinting adds to the production values despite the overall untrue reproduction of facial and landscape hues. ...Rogers is as standard as the script, getting a good assist from Dale Evans, as the daughter of the local sheriff; his hoss, Trigger, and the Riders of the Purple Sage vocal group. Top songs include "It's One Wonderful Day" and "Rootin', Tootin' Cowboy" with Estelita Rodriguez, as a visiting Cuban gal, neatly handling "Pancho's Rancho".[9][10]
Another widely read trade paper in 1950, Motion Picture Daily, echoed Variety’s comments regarding the standardized appeal of Rogers' films. The New York-based paper cites in its review the ingredients in Twilight in the Sierras that made it yet another successful addition to the ongoing series of films by the King of the Cowboys. "Roy Rogers", reports Motion Picture Daily, "gives his fans just about everything in this Trucolor Western complete with perfect hero, dastardly villains, much suspense, a mountain lion, and singing cowboys."[11]
References and notes
- ^ "Twilight in the Sierras", release date and production details, American Film Institute (AFI), Los Angeles, California. Retrieved August 14, 1950.
- ^ "Republic Pictures Corp./Features And Release Dates" (1950), Twilight in the Sierras, "Mar. 22", Film Daily Year Book 1951 (New York, N.Y.), page 220. Internet Archive, San Francisco, California. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ^ Credits transcribed from a recorded broadcast of Twilight in the Sierras presented on Grit TV on August 9, 2018; television network is a subsidiary of Katz Broadcasting, E. W. Scripps Company, Cincinnati, Ohio.
- ^ Dimmitt, Richard Bertrand (1967). An actor guide to the talkies: a comprehensive listing of 8,000 feature-length films from January, 1949, until December, 1964. Scarecrow Press. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-299-21004-5. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
- ^ "Original Print Information", Twilight in the Sierras, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), Turner Broadcasting System, a subsidiary of Time Warner, Inc., New York, N.Y. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- Amazon, Seattle, Washington. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ^ "Filmography" of Estelita Rodriguez, catalog of the American Film Institute (AFI), Los Angeles, California. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
- ^ a b "Herm." (1950). "Twilight in the Sierras", film review, Variety (New York, N.Y.), April 5, 1950, page 6; Internet Archive, San Francisco, California. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
- ^ The term "oater" was a period slang term in the film industry for a Western. As used in the cited review by Variety, "oatuner" was a more specific term for "singing Westerns", Roy Rogers' specialty.
- ^ "'Twilight in the Sierras'", review, Motion Picture Daily (New York, N.Y.), April 5, 1950, page 3. Internet Archive. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
