dougdoepke Move over Betty Grable and Joan Blondell because Dale Evans really gets to show her musical and acting chops in this oater. It's a Dale you don't ordinarily see once she settled into Roy's loyal sidekick. Here she shows the kind of spark that would have gotten her a succession of '30's B-musicals ten years earlier. I sure don't blame Roy for grabbing her for a life-time. But please, Roy, don't lock her again in the jouncing boot of a stagecoach with only Limburger cheese to grab onto. It's not a good way to court a girl.All in all, the 70-minutes amounts to a really good matinée entry. The plot's more convoluted than usual, with Dale as a reporter investigating who's really buried in Wildcat Kelly's grave where Roy owns a dude ranch. Notably, her role requires an aggressive side we don't ordinarily see. Then too, the plot offers up several twists unlike the usual oater. And mustn't overlook the great Gabby Hayes in a more complex role than usual, but showing his usual ornery brand of entertaining humor. Then too, catch those two refugees from urban gangster flicks—Marc Lawrence and Douglas Fowley. Good thing they didn't have to 'mount up'. There may be less action or good scenery than usual, but the pluses more than compensate. Anyhow, add the Sons of the Pioneers and an outstanding array of western tunes to the mix, and how can even non-front row kids lose.An "8" on the Matinée Scale.

vincentlynch-moonoi While growing up, Roy Rogers was my hero, and I even got to see him live at a rodeo at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. For many years, this film was the one I most remembered of the many that showed up on television in the 1950s, usually on Saturday afternoons. So I was delighted when Encore showed the film, apparently in its entirety not too long ago; few of the Roy Rogers films survived the butchery to fit them in 60 minute slots on television.As another of our reviewers pointed out, this is probably the best of Roy's films. After all, you can't go wrong with a Cole Porter lead song and a stellar performance by the best sidekick of them all -- Gabby Hayes. In fact, Hayes is the focus here -- as an old supposedly dead and buried outlaw. The ruse is foiled by Dale Evans, a magazine reporter. But then Gabby (Wildcat Kelly) is shot as an investigation begins into what happened to the reward money which the state paid out when he was supposedly shot dead.It's all great fun, with the Sons Of The Pioneers along for the ride, with a short version of "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" thrown in for good measure. Roy does well here...as he usually did. And, for a change, I actually enjoyed Dale Evans' performance here; in fact, it wouldn't have worked without her role. And Gabby Hayes is at his best, with a particularly funny funeral scene! This may be Hayes' best film performance...and it's pure Gabby!

padutchland-1 GoodTimes has a set of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans DVDs out there under the name of Happy Trails Theatre. Although Don't Fence Me In was shortened a bit for this DVD, I'd still like to recommend the Happy Trails DVDs to you. I was fortunate to pick up several brand new ones at a local flea market. Each one has some of the same information but each also has new information about Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and their crowd. If you are a Roy Rogers and Dale Evans fan like me you will totally enjoy all the extra footage showing Roy and Dale going to parades and visiting children in hospitals, the story of Roy proposing marriage to Dale, and more inside info also about the family. Each movie starts out with Roy and Dale seated on a small stage back around 1987 talking about the movie they are showing. They also have guest surviving guest stars visit, like Iron Eyes Cody and others. Sometimes there is Dusty Rogers (Roy Rogers Jr.) who does a great Gabby Hayes imitation. The song playing about Roy and Dale is sung by Dusty and I had no idea he had such a good voice. Then there is a Sidekicks Feature about Gabby Hays and other who worked with Roy and Dale and also a Museum Tour. I don't mind that the movie may be shorted a bit (don't know why though with DVD technology) since I am getting all the extra info and footage. As far as Don't Fence Me In, I think it was one of their best. It starts out with Dale pretending to be a showgirl dancer (really a reporter) on a table at a political meeting, with other girls going around the table kissing the men. Mild to what is shown today, but pretty racy for those days. Wonder how they got by the censors? But it gave Dale a chance to show off her singing and acting talents and she was excellent as a hard boiled newspaperwoman who starts to soften over time when she meets Roy (probably not too far from real life as a cautious Hollywood actress who gets a proposal from the famous Roy Rogers). She heads to the West to cover a story and meets the Sons of the Pioneers and Gabby Hayes. Gabby was great (as usual) and played his character to the T. The bad guy in this was Moroni Olsen who played Mr. Tewitt in another favorite movie of mine - The Long, Long Trailer. He also played Robert E. Lee in Santa Fe Trail plus plenty of other movies. He had a menacing way about him and fit the part well. Another bad guy was played by Marc Lawrence who always played the gangland type. Ray Teal had a small part as a State investigator and Western fans will remember him as Sheriff Roy Coffee on Bonanza. And of course our favorites Bob Livingston, Bob Nolan and others. Wonderful acting, singing and great fun! Don't miss this one!

revran This film is definitely a classic of the Saturday Matinee Singing Cowboy Western. With the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers, the irrepressible George "Gabby" Hayes, the beautiful young and spunky Dale Evans and Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers you can't go wrong. Dale plays an undercover reporter out to do a story on a lost fortune and a dead bank robber. She travels to a Dude Ranch run by Roy and Gabby and the Sons of the Pioneers. Roy takes her for a ride in one hilarious scene with a Stagecoach. Gabby plays dead, coffin and all, . in one of the funniest scenes he's ever done. Elementary age kids just love this one so the family will really enjoy the ride.