SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

SAN FERNANDO VALLEY (1944). Director: John English. 

At his ranch in the San Fernando Valley, crusty old Cyclone (Andrew Tombes of Meet the Boyfriend) finds his cowboys goofing off again to hang out and sing with his grand-daughter, Betty Lou (Jean Porter of Cry Danger). Disgusted, Betty Lou's older sister, Dale (Dale Evans), fires them all and replaces them with women, figuring Betty Lou will no longer hang around and distract the ranch hands. Dale nearly runs Roy Rogers (Roy Rogers) over with her car -- this take place in "modern" times -- and he tries to get a date to no avail. However, when Betty Lou, a mere child, gets a crush on Roy, Dale decides to have Roy romance her so that she will get over it. Naturally, the two fall in love. 

Meanwhile poor Oliver (Charles Smith) hopes to have Betty Lou fall in love with him, and the equally crusty Hattie (Dot Farley), sort of a den mother to the cowgirls, just might develop a yen for Cyclone. Roy and Dale, along with Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers, sing a few numbers, including the catchy title tune and "You're Too Good to be True." Oh yes, there's a plot of sorts when fired cowboy Matt (LeRoy Mason) and a buddy "borrow" some of Cyclone's valuable horses supposedly to get their jobs back but actually to get a lot of cash. Speaking of cash Roy's friend Keno (Edward Gargan of Behind the Mask) also wants to recover some money that was stolen from him, also by Matt. 

San Fernando Valley is amiable enough. It's more of a musical comedy than a western, although it does have some horse chases and gunplay and a couple of fistfights. It's funny that Roy and his horse Trigger are billed above the title but Dale Evans isn't. That would change in the future. As for Roy, his natural charm always helped carry his movies be they fair or foul. 

Verdict: Modestly entertaining Roy Rogers Movie. **3/4. 

BEHIND THE MASK

Kane Richmond as the Shadow

BEHIND THE MASK (1946). Director: Phil Karlson.

The day before Lamont Cranston's (Kane Richmond) marriage to Margo Lane (Barbara Read), he learns that an impostor has broken into the office of the Daily Bulletin and murdered blackmailing reporter Jeff Mann (James Cardwell). Angered by this impersonation, Cranston leaves the pre-wedding party to investigate, incurring the extremely childish wrath of his fiancee. To make matters worse, Margo's maid Jenny (Dorothea Kent) is just as shrill and immature as Margo is, and has a vendetta against her boyfriend, the hapless Shrevvie (now played by George Chandler).

George Chandler, Barbara Read, Kane Richmond

Behind the Mask might have been a decent mystery were it not for the fact that Monogram studios decided to combine the Shadow character with elements of screwball comedy, with the result that nothing really works. The antics of Margo and Jenny, who are constantly hitting their boyfriends, are so tiresome as to be excruciating, and pretty much crowd out any real entertainment value the picture might have had. Joseph Crehan, repeating his role as dyspeptic Inspector Cardonna, is too manic in this by far, and he also loves to keep hitting Cranston. There are a couple of aborted cat fights and more than enough scenes of Margo becoming hysterical because Cranston supposedly has other women's unseen lipstick on his face.

Marjorie Hoshelle with Bill Christy on left and Kent and Crehan on the right 

Chandler plays the role of Shrevvie more like a butler and assistant and is not as stupid as in the previous film, The Shadow Returns. Richmond is a perfectly okay actor who desperately needs a better script and a bigger studio. James Cardwell [The Shanghai Cobra] makes an impression as the rakish reporter Jeff and it's a shame he gets bumped off so early. Edward Gargan [Detective Kitty O'Day] provides the film's few moments of fun as a detective who's suffering from the flu and alleged hallucinations, and Marjorie Hoshelle [The Mask of Dimitrios] is very vivid and striking as Mae, who is mixed up in illegal betting. Robert Shayne is very young and good-looking in this but his performance is no great shakes, and poor Pierre Watkin is as blah as ever as the police commissioner and Cranston's uncle.

Verdict: This has little to do with the Shadow pulp stories. *1/2.  

DETECTIVE KITTY O'DAY

Jean Parker and Peter Cookson

DETECTIVE KITTY O'DAY (1944). Director: William Beaudine.

Kitty O' Day (Jean Parker) works for Oliver Wentworth (Oliver Earle), who has also hired her boyfriend, Johnny Jones (Peter Cookson), to deliver some important papers. Wentworth is murdered and the papers are missing, and Kitty determines to find out what's what and clear both her and Johnny's names. Suspects include Veda Ann Borg as Wentworth's much-younger widow; Douglas Fowley as her possible love interest; Herbert Heyes as another attorney; and Olaf Hytten [Shanghai Chest] as the butler, Charles. Blowsy Kitty keeps tripping over bodies as she investigates, and winds up balancing on a ledge with Johnny in a scary-funny sequence set in an apartment building. Parker [Flying Deuces] isn't bad, Cookson is as good (and wasted) as ever, Tim Ryan (who co-wrote the screenplay) is fine as typically harried Inspector Clancy, and Edward Gargan scores as Clancy's befuddled and put-upon assistant, Mike. Followed by a sequel.

Verdict: A monogram picture that actually has a few real laughs in it to go with some good acting. **1/2.