Posts from ethanedwards in thread „Riders Of Destiny (1933)“

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Riders of Destiny

Riders of Destiny

Hi lmarkis,

Thanks for your post,
and I have taken the liberty of moving this
to the dedicated thread regarding this movie.
I am sure you will find all the information
you want, here.

Hi Jim,
If you have any of the dubbed colourised versions, they are even worse, with Duke's voice sounding,like Duke sounded, 20 years later!!
I have versions, for example RAINBOW VALLEY, where there is obviously,
the original music, because, it's a syncopated orchestra, and in between,
there are clearly more modern synthesized pieces.
On the Second- Sight re-issue of these,
they were re-mastered by FOX/LORBER ASSOCIATES,
and they all feature the same distinctive sync music.
I can only assume therefore, that the original soundtracks on some of these films had deteriorated,
and clearly some restoration was required, to get the soundtrack audible.

Riders of Destiny is a 1933 Western musical film starring
26-year-old John Wayne as Singin' Sandy Saunders,
the screen's second singing cowboy (the first being Ken Maynard in the 1929 film Wagon Masters).
Wayne's singing voice was dubbed and the film is considerably darker than
the Gene Autry singing cowboy movies that followed it;
for example, Singin' Sandy's ten-gallon hat was black instead of white
and he would grimly chant about "streets soon running with blood"
and "you'll be drinking your drinks with the dead" as he strode purposefully down the street toward a showdown.
The supporting cast includes George "Gabby" Hayes, acrobatics comedian Al St. John,
and stuntman Yakima Canutt, and the movie was written and directed by Robert N. Bradbury.
The film was the first of the Lone Star Productions released through Monogram Pictures.

John Wayne's dubbed singing, which bore no resemblance to his unique speaking voice,
was the reason he abandoned the singing cowboy format after only one film:
he was chronically embarrassed during personal appearances when he couldn't accommodate children
who clamored for a Singin' Sandy song.
Gene Autry was chosen by the studio as Wayne's replacement in the new genre,
immediately solving the live singing problem while ushering in
a much lighter take on the format than Wayne's grimly intense rendition.

I am biased towards, these Lone Star films.
I enjoy all of them, for all their whirlwind, few days, low budget filming,
they are a joy, and fun to watch.
It is great to see Duke maturing in his career, and by the end of the series,
his cadence is lower, and more mature.

Throughout this series there were some fine character actors,
and this one, is no exception, with Gabby, Celia Parker, Earl Dwire
and Lafe McKee, adding their professional touch.
However, Singing Sandy, was ludricous, with Duke's
singing being dubbed.

He hardly seemed threatening, and Duke was happy
when they dropped that idea.

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User Review

Quote

I just had to comment on this one.
14 September 2004 | by Scaramouche2004 (Coventry, England)

I recently purchased this film on a special triple bill DVD from an overly cheap discount store, in fact it was so cheap that the three movie disc cost me just one single pound of my hard earned British currency.

This film was both fantastic and atrocious in one. An exciting plot, but with laughable performances from the entire cast.

We know that all great actors have to start somewhere and the lone star westerns of the early thirties were what John 'The Duke' Wayne cut his teeth on.

To look at his work in his final film The Shootist in 1976, you can see just how much he had learnt over his 40 years in the business and what a great actor he did eventually become, but to look at his performances in these early days, you can understand why he spent most of the 1930's in relative obscurity.

Although Wayne looks uncomfortable throughout most of these films and his acting is wooden to say the least, it can't all be blamed on him.

These movies were the product of their day and cannot be judged by todays standards. Intended only as supporting features, these long forgotten studios turned out these 'B' movies by the shed load. Badly formed scripts with badly shaped characters must have poured though these fledgling studios like water through a hoop and with a stock company of actors who's style was still formed in the pantomime silent era, they were bound to be a bit cheesy. In fact if in 1933 there were Oscars awarded for the greatest achievement in over acting then this would be the motion picture with greatest ever hoard.

Wayne's character is a notorious gunman with a name that must have put the fear of God into whoever crossed his path, Singing Sandy Saunders.

Laugh? I damn near wet my pants.

And if that wasn't enough to give me the biggest gut wrencher of the century, then George 'Gabby' Hayes certainly iced the cake.

After an appalling song that sounded like two cats fighting over a piece of fish in a metal barrel, the great Gabby uttered the line, "Mmmm. I could listen to that all night." The line itself is worthy of side stitching surgery, but the look of peace and serenity on his face was just too much for the old chuckle muscles which then went on to explode.

I can honestly say that a truly inspired and well written comedy has never made me laugh as much as this film did.

However the story is a good one, with the corrupt businessman holding the town's ranchers to ransom over his monopoly in the water market with a view of buying up all the farms etc.

It survives today as nothing more than a nostalgic glimpse into the past, not only at a bygone era in cinema making, but as a chance to see a real Hollywood legend finding his feet. This alone makes it worth every penny of the thirty-three pence I in effect paid for it.

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INFORMATION FROM IMDb

Plot Summary
Badguy Kincaid controls the local water supply and plans to do in the other ranchers.
Government agent Saunders shows up undercover to do in Kincaid and win
the heart of one of his victims Fay Denton.
Summary written by Ed Stephan

Full Cast
John Wayne .... Singin' Sandy Saunders
Cecilia Parker .... Fay Denton
Forrest Taylor .... James Kincaid
George 'Gabby' Hayes .... Charlie Denton (as George Hayes)
Al St. John .... Henchman Bert
Heinie Conklin .... Stage Driver Elmer
Yakima Canutt .... Henchman
Earl Dwire .... Slip Morgan
Lafe McKee .... Sheriff Bill Baxter
Addie Foster .... Mrs. Mason
Silver Tip Baker .... Townsman (uncredited)
Horace B. Carpenter .... Rancher (uncredited)
William Dyer .... Rancher (uncredited)
Fern Emmett .... Bather's wife (uncredited)
Si Jenks .... Bather (uncredited)
Bert Lindley .... Rancher (uncredited)
Tex Palmer .... Henchman (uncredited)
Hal Price .... Townsman recognizing Sandy (uncredited)

Writing Credits
Robert N. Bradbury story and screenplay

Original Music
Billy Barber (1985 re-issue) (as William Barber)

Cinematography
Archie Stout

Stunts
Yakima Canutt .... stunt double: John Wayne (uncredited)
Jack Jones .... stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Parker .... stunts (uncredited)

Stunts
Yakima Canutt .... stunt double: John Wayne (uncredited)
Jack Jones .... stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Parker .... stunts (uncredited)

Other crew
Bill Bradbury .... singing voice: John Wayne

Goofs
* Continuity: The stagecoach drivers are robbed by Faye Denton in light-coloured clothing and hat.
Yet later on they pursue Saunders as the hold-up man despite the facts that his clothing
is all dark-coloured, he is taller and he is wearing a completely different hat.

* Continuity: When Saunders first appears in the film, he is carrying a guitar and singing.
The guitar is not with him when he gives his horse to Faye Denton
to make her escape, but he has it back when he is at the Denton's house
and sings to the family.

Memorable Quotes

Filming Locations
Andy Jauregui Ranch, Newhall, California, USA
Kernville, California, USA
Lancaster, California, USA
Palmdale, California, USA
Trem Carr Ranch, Newhall, California, USA

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Riders of Destiny