The Royal Rodeo

Isn't this a remake of MY PAL,THE KING (Universal,'32)which starred Tom Mix and Mickey Rooney? Great stuff! I get tired of those who are either too cynical or too young to "get" the point of such a film. Way back when, we recognized the nature of such movies, but we enjoyed them for what they were---and we did appreciate patriotism! I believe that we were thankful, and trusting, and mature enough to enjoy things as they were; we DID know the difference between sheer entertainment and WAR AND PEACE. Life was getting very real in 1939 with clouds of war expansion gathering across both oceans. The American public had withstood an economic depression which would probably psychologically devastate a majority of Americans today. So---we were willing to suspend belief or critical judgment when a melodrama came along. Would we were so innocent, and kind, and fun-loving today!

In the small European nation Avania, boy king Scotty Beckett (as the small king) likes reading about the western exploits of American cowboy star John Payne (as Bill Stevens). The kid is thrilled when Mr. Payne visits Avania, with his traveling rodeo show. A command performance is arranged. Payne sings "That's the Way to Be a Buckaroo" to young Beckett. The abduction of Beckett and pretty blonde Lucile Fairbanks (as Marianne) leads to a western chase. Payne and comic sidekick Cliff Edwards (as Shorty) also sing a patriotic American song to Beckett, who appears ready to immigrate. This short story looks like a showcase for Payne, who certainly shows star quality, and others. Also getting easy camera attention, Ms. Fairbanks is from that family (the niece of Hollywood super-star Douglas Fairbanks). "The Royal Rodeo" is photographed in beautiful Technicolor by Charles Boyle, and everything looks great.

****** The Royal Rodeo (11/25/39) George Amy ~ John Payne, Scotty Beckett, Cliff Edwards, Lucile Fairbanks

Left-over sets from THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD and THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX are used extensively for this lavish Technicolor short in sumptuous color. Obviously, Warner Bros. had spent so much on all the costumes and sets for those films that they put them to use in this short subject featuring JOHN PAYNE in one of his earliest singing roles. (He later joined Alice Faye at Fox in a series of musicals, years before A MIRACLE ON 34th STREET).

SCOTTY BECKETT, who played the son of many a Warner star during his childhood, plays the King of a small European country who is dazzled by American cowboys and is delighted when the rodeo comes to the village with JOHN PAYNE, LUCILLE FAIRBANKS and CLIFF EDWARDS in the spotlight.

Beckett is abducted by a Regent who wants to become the king but saved, of course, by his cowboy hero Payne. Payne and the cast do a few musical numbers, including a jaunty ditty called "In the Good Old American Way", and with the young king returned to the throne there's a happy ending for everyone.

Produced on what looks like a major budget, the color is excellent and the familiar sets look better than ever.

A Warner Brothers Short Subject.

An American cowboy tries to foil the abduction of the young king of Avania during THE ROYAL RODEO he's presenting at the castle.

This pleasant Technicolor diversion, a sort of Grustark Goes West, mixes the elements of court intrigue and rodeo performers with a couple of songs and a little action. John Payne plays the cowboy hero, Cliff Edwards (sans ukulele) is his sidekick, and Scotty Becket is the boy monarch.

Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.

John Payne's first feature film western was El Paso in 1949, but earlier on when he was under contract to Warner Brothers he did this Vitagraph Short about a Wild West Show that comes to a Ruritanian type kingdom in the Balkans. Young king Scotty Beckett is real enthusiastic about it, especially after Payne saves his life after he falls over from the royal balcony.

But Payne has to keep doing it because some of the king's adult counselors are planning a coup d'etat. Payne and sidekick Cliff Edwards foil the plans of plotters Stuart Holmes and Boyd Irwin.

The film is a cut down version of the Ken Maynard feature film Royal Rider and between all that life saving, several musical numbers get thrown into the bargain.

I'm betting that Jack Warner was trying out young contract player Payne to see if he might make a passable singing cowboy. In any event within two years Payne was doing A musicals at 20th Century Fox with Alice Faye, Betty Grable, and Sonja Henie.

And when he got around to westerns again, he sung not a note.