The version of "Susanna Pass" was, fortunately, the complete film. Many of Roy Rogers' films were hacked to pieces to make them fit television time slots...and fortunately this one is intact. It also is in TruColor...a color process that is NOT true color. Instead of the more expensive Three-Color Technicolor, TruColor and Cinecolor were much cheaper alternatives. So why didn't most films use TruColor or CInecolor since they cost about as much as black & white film? Well, both are two-color processes....made up of blends of orange-red and green-blue....and create a limited color palate. Additionally, both systems tended to fade or become very orangy or muddy over time....and so the copy of "Susanna Pass" is, not surprisingly, very faded and offers a print that looks more brown or sepia.
The story begins with a couple prisoners who have escaped from prison. The meaner one decides to go it alone....and he takes out his 'friend'. Obviously, this guy is seriously kindness-impaired! And soon, he goes into business with a local newspaper man...a man who is also seriously kindness-impaired as well!
This is a very unusual Roy Rogers film. Of course there's the escaped prisoner, but the film also features Roy as a game warden and is all about a reservoir filled with fish from a local fish hatchery! Additionally, instead of the usual sidekicks like Gabby Hayes or Andy Devine, this one features two Mexican-Americans as comic relief (they are NOT particularly welcome). And, Dale plays an ichthyologist...a woman with a doctorate in fish! All in all, a rather strange collection of plot points...and a film less like a western and more like a crime film. In fact, aside from the cowboy hats, there really isn't much western about this one. This isn't a complaint....just an observation about the usual story.
So is it any good? Yes. While it's far from great, I do appreciate the change of pace and much about the story is original. Well worth seeing.
The story begins with a couple prisoners who have escaped from prison. The meaner one decides to go it alone....and he takes out his 'friend'. Obviously, this guy is seriously kindness-impaired! And soon, he goes into business with a local newspaper man...a man who is also seriously kindness-impaired as well!
This is a very unusual Roy Rogers film. Of course there's the escaped prisoner, but the film also features Roy as a game warden and is all about a reservoir filled with fish from a local fish hatchery! Additionally, instead of the usual sidekicks like Gabby Hayes or Andy Devine, this one features two Mexican-Americans as comic relief (they are NOT particularly welcome). And, Dale plays an ichthyologist...a woman with a doctorate in fish! All in all, a rather strange collection of plot points...and a film less like a western and more like a crime film. In fact, aside from the cowboy hats, there really isn't much western about this one. This isn't a complaint....just an observation about the usual story.
So is it any good? Yes. While it's far from great, I do appreciate the change of pace and much about the story is original. Well worth seeing.