''Courage of the West'' was a 1937 "B" movie directed by

Joseph H. Lewis Joseph H. Lewis (April 6, 1907 – August 30, 2000) was an American B-movie film director whose stylish flourishes came to be appreciated by auteur theory-espousing film critics in the years following his retirement in 1966. In a 30-year direc ...

in which Bob Baker made his debut as a singing cowboy.

Production

The film was the first production that Joseph H. Lewis directed. 75 non-union cowboys were hired in Sonora to work on the movie. Lewis was told that the

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

did not have jurisdiction at this distance from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, although its members would have to be paid the standard rates agreed with the Guild. Filming was completed in seven days. This movie, Baker's first, was thought to be his best. The others suffered from predictable plots and poor scripts.

Lois January Lois January (October 5, 1913 – August 7, 2006) was an American actress and singer who performed small roles in several B-movies during the 1930s. Early life Born in McAllen, Texas, as Laura Lois January, she "was prodded into show busin ...

, the love interest in the film, said, "Bob Baker was too pretty! He was nice, but didn't get friendly. He didn't want me to sing a song in his picture. That business is full of jealousy...". The railroad scenes were filmed on the

Sierra Railroad The Sierra Railroad Corporation is a privately owned common carrier. Its Sierra Northern Railway freight division handles all freight operations for all branches owned by the Sierra Railroad. The company's Mendocino Railway group operates th ...

Tuolumne County, California Tuolumne County (), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora. Tuolumne County comprises th ...

Synopsis

The film is set during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. It begins with a scene in which President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

establishes the "Free Rangers" to protect gold shipments from the west. The film then tells the story of a ranger, played by

J. Farrell MacDonald John Farrell MacDonald (June 6, 1875 – August 2, 1952) was an American character actor and director. He played supporting roles and occasional leads. He appeared in over 325 films over a four-decade career from 1911 to 1951, and directed fort ...

, who adopts the son of a convicted outlaw. The son is played by Bob Baker. He grows up and becomes the head of the Rangers. He finds himself in pursuit of a gang of gold robbers, not knowing that their leader is his natural father. After various twists and turns, the father is shot and the hero marries the girl with whom he has fallen in love, played by Lois January. During breaks in the action, Baker sings ''Resting Beside the Campfire'', ''Ride Along Free Rangers'', ''Song of the Trail'', and ''I'll Build a Ranch House on the Range''.

Fleming Allen Fleming Allan (February 2, 1904 – February 2, 1965)''California, Death Index, 1940-1997'' was an American composer of Western music, who helped make that genre popular in the 1930s. Fleming Allan was born in California On February 2, 1904. His m ...

wrote all these songs.

Reception

A ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' review said, "Nothing of cult director Joseph H. Lewis' much-vaunted flair is on display in this average musical Western".

Notes and references

Citations Sources * * * * * * * {{Joseph H. Lewis 1937 Western (genre) films 1937 films Universal Pictures films Films directed by Joseph H. Lewis American Western (genre) films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films