XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

alan-pratt Opinions differ on this one, perhaps due, in part, to different versions being made available.The film was originally shot in Trucolor with a running time of 72 minutes and, for those watching the shorter (54 minutes) black and white version, opinions of the movie overall might be influenced by what was actually edited out. I say this having just watched the full length movie - albeit not in colour - as part of Passport Video's Ultimate Roy Rogers Collection: a very nice print it is too! I found this to be a superior series entry. All of the B western boxes are ticked in such a way that the Republic quality again shines through. They were simply the best in the action stakes and The Gay Ranchero is well up to their usual high standard.There are fist fights, shoot outs, chases and stunts a-plenty and Trigger gets to kick a door down in helping Roy to round up the bad guys. Andy Devine provides the anticipated level of cornball humour, Rodriguez dances and there are songs a plenty. Roy sings with and without Jane Frazee, Guizar and Rodriguez warble in both English and Spanish and the ever reliable Sons of the Pioneers chip in with a couple of ditties of their own. I appreciate that this lot might be a bit much for some tastes but have to say I loved it! The plot, as some other users have said, is "loose" but it is unusual and somewhat dark and, therefore, more interesting than it otherwise would be.One slightly sour note: attitudes to bullfighting were a whole lot different in 1948 and pretty Estelita's obvious delight in talking about bulls being killed makes somewhat uncomfortable listening in 2015. Having said that, I suppose that nearly everything in B Western Land reflects a wholly different way of life and, generally speaking, we fans wouldn't have it any other way.

JohnHowardReid Originally lensed in Trucolor, this otherwise complete Roy Rogers vehicle is available on a somewhat washed-out, black-and-white Mill Creek DVD, which is otherwise reasonably watchable. The story's not much and it's acted in a somewhat ham-fisted style by Andy Devine, who has too large a part for my liking, but the rest of the players are reasonably able. Some fans may feel there is far too much singing and dancing and not enough action – which is a justifiable complaint, especially as the non-action episodes – particularly all the dancing and singing – would look so much more attractive in color. The screenplay also seems to go out on a limb to provide special material not only for Andy Devine but for Tito Guizar and Estelita Rodriguez. It's true to say, however, that by director William Witney's usual high standard, the action does tend to be rather tame and far less exciting than say his later Rogers' vehicle, "Bells of Coronado" (1950), which was also written by Sloan Nibley and has some of these same plot elements.

classicsoncall The first thing to catch my attention here was the actor who was second billed, Tito Guizar as the Gay Ranchero of the title. Well I don't know if he was much of a ranchero or not, he was on hand here to convince his sweetheart Consuela Belmonte (Estelita Rodriguez) to pack it up and move back to Mexico with him. That idea gets a bit thrown off track when Consuela wins a bid to take over Betty Richards' (Jane Frazee) Manzanita Springs Airline, to the chagrin of villain Vance Brados (George Meeker) who wants the airline for himself. Brados is behind a number of plane hijackings, forcing them to land when their fuel supply and guages are tampered with, then robbing their cargo and doing away with the pilots.I had to do a double take early in the story when Roy Rogers is ambushed escorting a pair of outlaws back to Manzanita. It's pretty apparent that Roy is shot in the shoulder by one of the bad guys, but when he's rescued by Nicci Lopez (Guizar) and removes his shirt to tend to the wound there's no blood. Not even a bullet wound! I wonder why the film makers didn't notice that.Whenever I catch Roy and fellow cowboy star Gene Autry in a Mexican themed Western I find myself wishing it had been filmed in color and this was no exception. The song and dance numbers would have been a lot more delightful, what with the singers and dancers decked out in traditional costume. The title song is offered up in an English and Spanish version and Guizar gets to do a solo of his own in between tunes by Bob Nolan and his Sons of the Pioneers.Andy Devine is also on hand in the story, but isn't as prominent as in some of Roy's other films. As far as I know, it's the only time a B Western ever offered up a bullfighter versus a Bullfincher.

bkoganbing The Gay Ranchero finds Roy Rogers as sheriff trying to find out who is hijacking the cargoes of a small freight airline in his part of the west. The fact that it is owned by pretty Jane Frazee I'm sure does not lessen his interest any.With some inside help they've got someone who is shorting the aviation fuel loads and making the meters read falsely. When the planes come down the gang is there to meet them and steal the cargoes and shoot the pilots.There's not much suspense in The Gay Ranchero, we learn early on who's behind the skulduggery. But the film more than makes up in plenty of action.Along for the ride with south of the border box office receipts in mind is Mexican musical film star Tito Guizar who did a few films in the USA as well. Guizar gets a love interest here in the person of Estelita Rodriguez and he sings the favorite Hispanic classic You Belong To My Heart in the film. Tito had quite a resume, his venues included no less than grand opera for his tenor pipes.The climax involving attacking the gang on the ground and from the air is pretty well staged. All in all one of Roy Rogers better films for Republic Pictures.