Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Fluentiama Perfect cast and a good story

ScoobyMint Disappointment for a huge fan!

ChampDavSlim The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

JohnHowardReid Of Gene Autry's 1936 releases, "Guns and Guitars" was certainly one of the best on offer. But better still was an entry made earlier in 1936, "Red River Valley" (known on TV as "Man of the Frontier"). In this one, Smiley Burnette not only actively assists Gene at the climax, but even gets himself wounded! True, some of the earlier action punch-ups fail because of weak direction, but the widely acclaimed action specialist, Breezy Eason, improves no end as the movie progresses. Two stuntmen and their horses take a spectacular dive from a cliff into the river and much of the actual location shooting is cleverly set up at a real dam. How about that breathtaking scene of Gene Autry and his prisoner wading across the spillway as the floodgates are actually opened? And what about the tremendous riot scenes commencing with that spectacular image of the train, loaded with a gang of opposing workers, careering through the center of the rioters and smashing a wagon directly in line of the camera? In fact, it really doesn't matter too much what has gone before, because the last two reels of "Red River Valley" are virtually nothing but solid action all the way, what with Gene fighting George Chesebro and Charles King, then the chase and the dive off the cliff, followed by the stalking in a deserted fort (another superbly utilized location). Breezy Eason was rarely at home with dialogue, but his handling of such scenes here seems less stiff than usual. As Red River Valley is one of the few "B" pictures he directed in toto that benefits from his remarkable second unit abilities, it must rank as one of his best films. The photography also evidences more creative craftsman-ship than usual. Lewis' film editing comes across as admirably sharp, lending the picture plenty of pace. However, while Autry and Burnette display plenty of vitality, the heroine, Frances Grant, although pretty enough, is not only drably dressed but comes over like a damp doll. It's George Chesebro who steals the acting honors from the stars with his delightful performance as one of the villains. Charles King has a much smaller role as his unwitting accomplice. ( Available on both Alpha and Mill Creek DVDs).

FightingWesterner When dynamite-wielding mystery men repeatedly sabotage the construction of a new reservoir and kill the "ditch rider" responsible for the site's security, cowboy Gene Autry is hired to replace him and bring the saboteurs to justice.A typically entertaining Republic Pictures production, this has some good action and stunt work, with the always likable Smiley Burnette backing up Gene and offering some comic relief to the proceedings.One interesting sequence (that should have been longer) involves Autry tracking the villains to an abandoned territorial prison in the middle of the desert.Keen viewers will recognize future Producers' Releasing Corporation contract villain Charles King, who figures prominently in the film's climactic riot!Musical interludes are few this time around, though Gene does get to sing his big hit version of the title song.

dougdoepke Wow, I love that torrential water rushing from the dam. Then too, director Eason shows why he was one of the best in the matinée business. He really knows how to stage action, whether jumping off sheer cliffs or fisticuffs atop a dam. I expect the concrete barrier was one of the many WPA public projects of the 30's, of which the TVA is the best known.This is one of Gene's earliest and it's a doozy, really well produced by Republic with lots and lots of extras, locations in Yuma, AZ, and an unusual storyline. So who's trying to sabotage the dam and keep the farmers out. Gene and Frog work to find out, and you know they will since our hero is decked out in his best finery. But can Autry get the payroll money to the men in time—it's a nail-biter as Gene struggles across the barren flats. Music-wise, I couldn't get enough of the title song and ended up croaking it out til the wife left the room. And how about that jug band, just about everything but the proverbial kitchen sink. All in all, it's a great Autry mix that I expect helped put him on the matinée map.A "9" on the matinée schedule.

JoeytheBrit A typical low-budget 30s western which is entertaining enough when taken on its own terms. Probably aimed at young boys, it focuses more on action than anything else, and quickly dispenses with the obligatory romancing of a fetching wench so that it can concentrate on the ultimate foiling of a dastardly plan by the bad guys to ruin local farmers in order to benefit on the foreclosure of their mortgages. Memorable moments are few and far between, but here are a few that might linger: Autry and his comedy sidekick launching their horses over the edge of a cliff into a river below; mine workers singing a curious ditty and performing a shuffling sort of step as they stroll through town to collect their wages; the (then) present-day costumes worn by half of the characters; the complete absence of music during a chase scene