Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Hands Across the Border (1944), 5 {nm}

Horse breeders Adams and Brock are vying for the Army contract. When Adams is killed trying to ride his horse Trigger, Roy saves the horse from being shot. He trains him and then plans to ride him in the race to win the contract.
1h 12min | Western | 5 January 1944
Director: Joseph Kane
Stars: Roy Rogers, Trigger, Ruth Terry.
Dave Gould ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035965/
Watched online, decent print; also on AmazonPrime.

Only watched because it's on Steve Condos' filmography. He finally appears in the finale, which starts at about 56:40. He and a partner appear about a minute later, and when they're done a minute later, they're gone. I think they are the only ones who actually shake hands across that border painted on the floor. We get some decent ensemble dancing in the finale, and early in the film (can't find it now; the preview popups aren't popping). Otherwise this is just a western, and Trigger deserves his star billing. Which makes this not my cup of tea, hence the 5. (I think the lack of Music/al tag is appropriate, but I could support it's presence too. One of the reviewers on IMDb downgraded it because it had too much time devoted to musical numbers.)

Republic, dir. Kane; 5