Colorado (1940)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Absolutely Fantastic

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Colorado (1940) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Union troops are needed in the East but a scuffle in Colorado has them tied up in matters there. The Army sends in Lieut. Jerry Burke (Roy Rogers) who quickly discovers that it's his very own brother behind the trouble. Here's yet another "B" Western from Rogers but the end result this time doesn't rank among his best films. It's weird because the story itself is somewhat interesting but sadly it just never goes anywhere and in the end the 55-minute running time seems a bit long. I thought the idea of Union troops being held up could have led to an interesting story but very little is done with it once the familiar bit of the heroes brother being behind the crimes starts to take shape. From this point on the story is just one familiar thing after another as the hero obviously has to go after someone he loves and it just leaves the viewer rather cold. Rogers is pretty good as usual and we also get some nice supporting performances. This includes Pauline Moore as the love interest and Milburn Stone really comes across very effective as the brother. Then we have the one and only George 'Gabby' Hayes who at least brings some nice laughs to the film including a very funny bit about what he was doing in the war when he got hurt. The action scenes are fairly well staged and I'll at least give the movie credit for a very effective ending. With that said, Colorado will appeal to those who want to see everything Rogers has done but there's no question that there are better movies out there.

I had a hard time figuring out whether or not to give this one a 6 or 7. All I know is that even if you are not a fan of Roy Rogers, this is an enjoyable and pretty well-done movie--and better than average for this prolific star.The film is set during the Civil War. There is some sort of Confederate resistance going on in Colorado and the Lieutenant (Rogers) is sent to investigate. Soon he sees that many of the local officials are Confederate spies--including a judge and many other public officials. What's more surprising, however, is that one of the leaders of this group is Rogers' own brother!! Can Roy and Gabby sort all this out or is the North destined to lose the war? While the undercover agent during the Civil War isn't exactly a new idea, it was handled very well here. Enjoyable acting and dialog make this one worth seeing.By the way, like so many of Rogers' films, this one was originally longer but was cut down for TV in the 1950s. Considering that this often meant less singing, it's something that I can live with--even though I am usually a purist and want the producer's original vision. But, without so much singing, the movie is tighter and without the loss of momentum songs usually create.

G-man Roy Rodgers is sent to Colorado at the height of the Civil War, in order to ferret out a gang of Confederate sympathizers who are robbing Army payrolls, among other nefarious deeds, only to discover that his own wayward brother is a rebel spy in a blue coat, out to destroy the Union's plans for a Texas campaign. After being exposed, he joins up with the local Indians to cause trouble.Roy hasn't quite hit his stride yet in this early vehicle, but it's a decent enough hour of entertainment for fans of Saturday matinée potboilers, with George "Gabby" Hayes along for the ride, making the most out of his comic-relief character.Music and romance are a half-hearted afterthought here, with Roy singing only one brief song near the end and Roy's semi-villainous brother getting the most attention from the opposite sex this time around.

Back when I was a lad there was a shortlived television series called The Americans which starred Darryl Hickman and Dick Davalos as the Canfield brothers who went their separate ways when the Civil War broke out. The episodes alternated back and forth with Darryl serving in the Union Army and Dick doing his bit for the Confederacy. Too bad it didn't last longer.In fact in real life a whole lot of families were torn that way. Kentucky statesman John Crittenden had two sons both of whom became generals in the opposing armies. So the premise of Roy Rogers and Milburn Stone on opposite sides is quite real.Rogers is on detached duty from the Union Army as a Pinkerton man out in Colorado trying to locate who's behind stirring up a whole variety of trouble that's tying down needed troops in the west. Of course it's his brother Milburn Stone and the pursuit plus Roy's agony about hunting one of his kin is the heart of Colorado.Rogers only gets one song, sung while he's recuperating from a gunshot wound to leading lady Pauline Moore. He's called on to do a bit more acting than would normally be the case and he handles it well.Colorado deserved a bigger budget and an A cast for the film. It was as another reviewer pointed out, badly butchered in the editing. Yet it's still worthwhile viewing.