Saga of Death Valley (1939)

Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Don 'Red' Barry, Doris Day, Frank M. Thomas ... see more  , Hal Taliaferro , Jack Ingram , Tommy Baker , Buz Buckley , Hooper Atchley , Johnny Bond , Lane Chandler , Jim Corey , Fern Emmett , Peter Fargo , Joe Garcia , Lew Kelly , Frankie Marvin , Horace Murphy , Matty Roubert , Trigger the Horse , Wally Wales , Fred Burns , Horace B. Carpenter , George Montgomery , Tom Smith , Jimmy Wakely , Ed Brady , Roy Bucko , Jess Cavan , Art Dillard , Cactus Mack , Pascale Perry , Archie Ricks , Dick Rinehart , Bob Thomas

Roy Rogers is forced to chase down his own kid brother in this exemplary Republic Pictures oater produced and directed by Joseph Kane. Roy Rogers Sr. (Lane Chandler) is brutally murdered by nasty Ed T... read more asker (Frank M. Thomas), who takes off with the only witness to the killing, Rogers' youngest son, Tim (Buz Buckley). Years later, Roy Rogers Jr. returns to the family's Circle R ranch under the name of Roy Reynolds and quickly resumes a lost romance with the neighbor's now-grown granddaughter, Ann Meredith (Doris Day). Tasker is still around as well, alas, nastier than ever and extracting protection fees from the local farmers and ranchers. Although seemingly willing to pay his way out of trouble, Roy secretly organizes a vigilante committee to "protect the valley from protection" and ends up hunting down not only Tasker but his own brother, a now grown-up Tim (Don "Red" Barry). The Saga of Death Valley was filmed at Lone Pine, CA, rather than the arid location indicated by the title. Leading lady Doris Day is not the later singer-star but a brunette Republic starlet under contract to the studio from September 9, 1939 to January 28, 1940. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi