Sunset Carson did his best work at Republic before Republic dropped him allegedly for off screen debauchery which began to interfere with his work. Too bad because Sunset was a great western hero and though his acting left a little to be desired he had the looks and the other talents needed to fill those cowboy boots. He also had a flair for comedy which he was able to use in his early films with Smiley Burnette, but in "Rough Riders of Cheyenne" he remains serious and plays the Romeo for his Juliet, Peggy Stewart. "Rough Riders of Cheyenne" centers on a feud between the Carsons and the Sterlings reminiscent of the Hatfields and McCoys or Shakespeare's Capulets and Montagues. Sunset and Melinda Sterling (Stewart) become the star-crossed lovers but with a major difference: This Romeo and Juliet is not a tragedy, although it almost is (I won't give that part away). Like all the Republic Sunset Carson flicks, this one has plenty of action. And to my knowledge this is the only Sunset Carson outing that has a singing cowboy, not Sunset but Monte Hale. Monte picks and sings "The Old Chisholm Trail." Though Tex Ritter does the song more justice, Monte is not half-way bad. There is also the future Nugget Clark, Eddie Waller, playing Sunset's dad. Republic's roster of bad guys, such as Kenne Duncan Et Al, always added just the right amount of meanness to the proceedings. Though the mysterious leader of the bad guys is fairly easy for grownups to figure out, there are a few red herrings thrown in that might make the revealing at the end a surprise for the kids.
I've always thought that Sunset Carson could have continued his upward climb in Hollywood had he stayed longer with Republic. It's too bad his personal life became such a problem. If you want to see Sunset at the peak of his form before his sun set, watch "Rough Riders of Cheyenne." Like many of the B westerns, the title was thrown in to indicate action and has no real connection with the story. I don't remember Cheyenne even being mentioned in the movie.
