User Reviews

Curious as to what a cowboy film with crooner Vaughn Monroe might be like, I've finally caught up with this. "Singing Guns", made by Republic in 1950, features Monroe as outlaw Rhiannon, who hides out in the mountains with a stack of gold he's stolen a la Dick Turpin from stagecoaches.

Ward Bond is the local sheriff, Ella Raines is the sparky love interest, and Walter Brennan is the doctor cum preacher, always ready to save a soul. With a solid supporting cast and Trucolor, the film looks good, despite its tiny budget and Poverty Row production values.

I enjoyed this film. Ward Bond has to walk down a Wild West street in frillies, Vaughn gets to sing a few songs including 'Mule Train', there's some shooting, a few punches thrown, and a bit of drama. I'd recommend it as a fairly strong B feature.

'Singing Guns', despite the irrelevant title and the presence in the lead of bandleader & baritone Vaughan Monroe (although he does get to sing), isn't about a singing cowboy, but is instead a good looking, intelligently scripted and well acted psychological western.

With his cold eyes (first seen while holding up a stagecoach with his face covered) Vaughan doesn't look like your typical western hero and he doesn't play one here; but Republic capitalises on his rather unusual presence with another interesting script (from a novel by Max Brand) by siblings Dorrell & Stuart E. McGowan and slick direction from R.G.Springsteen. The Trucolor process not inappropriately makes the film resemble early 20th Century handcoloured postcards, aided by James Sullivan's handsome art direction and Reggie Lanning's atmospheric photography.

Monroe receives reliable support from western veterans Ward Bond and Walter Brennan; and the film also provides a rare opportunity to savour in colour the always fascinating, if here underused, Ella Raines.

Along around 1950 Herbert J. Yates was starting to lose his bread and butter which were his B picture cowboy stars. The biggest of them was Roy Rogers and he was making noises about going into television as were the others. Yates never recognized that this was the coming trend, so he was looking for more cowboy stars, if they sung so much the better.

Vaughn Monroe was coming off a big hit with Ghost Riders In The Sky so he looked like a good bet. Yates even got him some A list support here with leading lady Ella Raines and Ward Bond as the sheriff and Walter Brennan as the town doctor.

Monroe plays the outlaw Rihannon who has a fabulous store of gold obtained from robbing gold shipments from a mining company who did him dirt and he's getting some literal and figurative payback. Bond trails him successfully, but when they shoot it out Bond is badly wounded. Instead of leaving him to die, Monroe takes him to Brennan and his life is saved. Also a heavy head of hair and beard is shaved off Monroe by Brennan leaving Monroe unrecognizable.

Raines is the local saloon owner and she like what she sees in Monroe. But she also likes money and all three of them have their interest in Monroe.

Singing Guns is a good western though it sure never created a demand for more westerns from Vaughn Monroe. The film even got an Oscar nomination for Best Song when Mule Train was nominated. A whole slew of artists recorded Mule Train back in 1950 and Frankie Laine had the big selling record. But Monroe's version is outstanding.

See if you think Vaughn Monroe could have made it as a western star.

Catch what appears to be innuendo in the opening stagecoach scene between Ella Raines and the guy sitting across from her. Rather surprising for a Republic Western. It's hardly unusual for a pop singer to transition to movies. Examples range from crooners Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra to rocker Elvis to more contemporary Ice Cube. Monroe makes a manful effort, but in my book the results are best described as uneven. Note how much more relaxed he appears when doing what he does best—sing (I'm glad they worked in Mule Train, the main reason I tuned in).

Wisely, the studio surrounded him with a cast of very capable performers. In fact, Ward Bond has almost as much screen time as Monroe; and ditto for that sly old fox, Walter Brennan. They may have made a mistake with Raines, however. Her glamorous presence and strong personality clearly overshadow that of the uncertain newcomer. Nonetheless, the locations from scenic Sedona, Arizona, make for a series of terrific background shots. The story is more interesting than most oaters, but also more complicated. I had trouble following many of the developments, but maybe that's my fault. Anyway, all things considered, it's a decent enough horse opera. And judging by his scant screen credits, Monroe made the right decision sticking with his unusually fine baritone.

Notorious stagecoach robber Rhiannon (Vaughn Monroe) shoots the new sheriff (War Bond) and then carries him to the doctor/preacher . The doctor cleans up Rhiannon and introduces him to the sheriff as the man who saved his life . A bit later on , Rhiannon is deputized by the judge (Harry Shannon) at the recommendation of the doctor and he becomes torn between his new life and the prospect of robbing the next gold shipment. Along the way , he falls in love for a beautiful Saloon girl (Ella Raines) . The idols of millions ! See and Hear Vaughn sing Mule Train. Max Brand's Famous Adventure Novel! .Greater than ever ! Favorite of millions!

A nice Western with interesting plot and filled with frantic action , pursuits , a family story , betrayal and a lot of shootouts . Notable Western in which singer/actor Vaughn Monroe plays Rhiannon, an outlaw who regularly robs gold from the stagecoach , when he saves the sheriff's life being appointed deputy , then he must wear two hats between his new job that he enjoys and his old occupation that he misses , as Monroe provides the most unusual role of his peculiar career. He sings various attractive songs , such as : ¨Singing My Way Back Home¨ written by Vaughn Monroe (as Wilton Moore) and Al Vann , ¨Mexicali Trail¨ written by Sunny Skylar and Vaughn Monroe and especially the catching ¨Mule Train¨ written by Johnny Lange, Fred Glickman that was one of the biggest hits of 1950 and received an Oscar nomination . The soft-spoken , tall , handsome Monroe delivers a so-so acting as a gunslinger who gets his redemption by posing as a sheriff deputy . Monroe was a famous singer whose signature tune was "Racing With the Moon", was very popular in the 1940s and early 1950s . His band was heard every Sunday on the radio in America and played to full ballrooms everywhere they went .The big band business started losing steam in the early 1950s, and Monroe gave up his band in 1953. For the next 20 years, he worked as a single and on the nightclub circuit . Being accompanied by gorgeous Ella Raines to be followed a successful career particularly in Noir Film . In Singing Guns (1950) stands out a nice support cast with plenty of familar faces , such as : Walter Brennan, Ward Bond , Jeff Corey , Barry Kelley , George Chandler, Rex Lease , Tom Fadden , Harry Shannon , among others .

It has a high level in technician experts , as a thrilling musical score and colorful , adequate cinematography . Being shot on various locations from Sedona, Arizona, USA . The motion picture was well and professionally directed by R. G. Springsteen . This filmmaker made since 1945 for Republic Pictures a number of westerns . As he directed the popular Red Ryder series . After that , he released B Westerns as Cole Younger , Gunfighter , King of the wild stallions , Showdown , He rides calm , Taggart , Bullet for a badman and many others . Subsequently , he made for producer A. C. Lyles and delivered by Paramount Pictures several Western films in low-budget , as follows : Black spurs , Waco , Red Tomahawk , Hostile guns , Johnny Reno . Rating . 6.5/10 . The picture will appeal to Western enthusiasts . Decent and acceptable oater .

Charming B-western from Republic on tight budge in marvelous Trucolor with many backdrops colorful paintings and some shooting on locations, the story of redemption of an outlaw called Rhiannon (Vaughan Monroe) who went to wrong side of the law due he has been crushed by cruel system of an unbridled capitalist company, his answer will be stealing gold shipping from stagecoach line that blighted his life for good, hence he has to hide in a secret cave at high mountains nearby.

For nothing despicable 5.000 thousand bucks for his head and more incredible still 50.000 bucks for his secret hideout, due there lays out a million dollars of stolen gold, his reckless pursuer is the Sheriff Jim Caradac (Ward Bond), after a thwarted attempted robbery of the stagecoach line, Rhiannon was chase by the untamed Sheriff, in the action he was cheated by the cunning Jim Caradac pretending be hit by gunfire, Rhiannon goes to check and be taken aback, both enter a fight and accidentally he shot a gun hitting the Sheriff leaving Caradac seriously wounded, then he decides takes a risk carrying him to a Dr. Jonathan Mark (Walter Brennan) at the city, posing as just a passerby named Johnny that found the body in the middle of the road.

The wise Doctor demands him to give his blood to save the Sheriff otherwise he'll die soon, the faltering guy there's no choice, in the another day he was nominee as new Sheriff while he is recovering, also Rhiannon has a blatant love interest in the eye-candy Nan Morgan (Ella Raines) a high class poker player, however in a couple months ahead will be another hidden gold shipment and Rhiannon in counting the days.

Psychological western mainly enforces by the wise Doctor-Preacher Jonathan who plays a bold game with the singing Outlaw, the Sheriff and the greedy Nan, thus the die is cast, I consider the old Walter Brennan one the most colorful and charismatic character in the western that I have seen, quite sure, he has own brightness that shines all around, what a fabulous old guy!!

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 2012 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

A fine Trucolor western, which portrays the dual life of a bandit-turned-sheriff Rhiannon aka John Gwyn (Vaughn Monroe). The beginning is a bit impressive, yet it gets unappealing and insignificant as the story develops.

Events are not properly correlated to present a logical sequence. Script is weak and not nicely portrayed. Casting is just up to the mark. You may give it a try though.

If you like good old fashioned westerns, you'll like this movie. It is a common story of guy goes bad for good reasons and how he gets back on the right side. Look at the credits for Director, Writer, Screenplay and the list of actors.Can't get much better. That whole list is in the "A" category. Even with Vaughn Monroe's lack of acting experience it is hard not to like him because of the good story line and the "hero" that he plays, a goodguy that is good at whatever he does and only does it when he has to. He is the type of guy that anyone would like to be like. He can fight, shoot, sing, play the piano and ends up with the good looking Ella Raines. What more could a guy ask for. Good Entertainment!

Singing Guns is a decent film that had the backbone to be a very good 7-8 rated western.

I enjoy watching Ward Bond and Walter Brennan movies and having the two of them together made me believe that this would be a good movie. While Bond and Brennan are as good , and entertaining, as they usually are in their roles - Vaughn Monroe is so horribly bad that he degrades every single scene that he is in. Monroe has no charisma, no acting ability and is stiff and wooden in every scene. His delivery of each line is a stinging gun to your senses.

If this film had cast a different lead it could have been very good.

Balance see-saws, with first one side, then the other seeming to be on top, and just who is the real bad guy, and who is the good, seems to change as the story progresses.

Vaughn Monroe made a good cowboy, and also made the last of the B Westerns.

He had been known primarily as a singer, and does some singing in "Singing Guns," in fact he does more singing than do those guns.

Ella Raines is again a fiery-tempered Western gal, looking so fetching in either her saloon-girl low-cut dress or her horse-riding-girl pants and hat.

Ward Bond is again great as the sheriff, though we don't know just which path he is taking.

However, it is the character played by Walter Brennan, one of the finest actors ever to grace the silver screen, who pretty well directs the path of all the other characters, and who is the only clear-cut good guy, as far as the audience will be able to tell.

It's from Republic (I like the sound of that word) Pictures, so of course the production values are high.

Director R.G. Springsteen does not seem to be so well known as other, and in my opinion lesser, directors, but I have yet to see a picture by him that isn't well done.

"Singing Guns" is an interesting picture because it is the first cowboy movie by Vaughn Monroe and is an entry among the last of the B Westerns; but it is a good cowboy movie in and of itself, with a great cast of top actors, beautiful scenery -- including Ella Raines (and why would any reviewer spell her name "Raynes"?) -- and some intriguing characters.

I recommend "Singing Guns," and you can see it where I did, at YouTube.

The ridiculous part of Singing Guns is the song "Mule Train" that was one of the biggest hits of the year and nominated at the Academy Awards. It's terrible! It makes "Buttons and Bows" sound complex. Singer Vaughn Monroe only made two movies, and in his screen debut he sings "Mule Train". If you can get past those few minutes and cut the lead actor some slack because he's actually not an actor, you might like this western.

The premise is really sweet: an outlaw gets a second chance and accidentally becomes the sheriff of the town he was targeting. Vaughn is the bandit, and sheriff Ward Bond is determined to catch up to him. When they have a showdown and Ward gets fatally shot, Vaughn feels a little sorry for his nemesis. He carries him to a doctor, Walter Brennan, and gives him a blood transfusion. Walter, a God-fearing man always out to save a soul, concocts a new image for Vaughn and suggests he should take Ward's job until he's back on his feet. While under a new identity, will Vaughn see the good in acting good?

If it weren't for the romance, I would have really liked this movie. It's a cute story, and the supporting characters keep you guessing as to whether or not they know who Vaughn really is and are just pretending to believe he's a good guy. However, Ella Raines, a local poker champ and dance hall girl, starts taking too much of a shine to Vaughn. Is she after his secret stash of gold, or is she really going to leave her boyfriend (Ward Bond!) for his replacement? It was obvious that the meet-cute of the two leads who dislike each other on sight would be paired up together, but I just didn't understand why Ella would stray from Ward. Attractive, protective, respectable, brave, and affectionate - there's no reason for her to even look at anyone else. Also, Ward was a beloved sheriff, so it wasn't Vaughn's competence at his job that made her notice him. If you don't really care, or if you're not loyal to Ward, give this one a shot. Just know it's going to be a little corny and pop it in for a matinee.

Like tmwest, I saw this when I was a youngster(14), and I was not at all pleased with my absent father after he left my mother, my brother, and I -- just to be with another woman and her baby. So, I was hungry for a hero. I thought Vaughn sang great songs, which I knew well enough to sing along with, and I loved to sing enough that I sang in a couple of choirs, so I latched onto him. My brother sang solos, and I wished I could too. As I recall, the plot was fairly simple, but as I pointed out, it fit the bill of being encouraging entertainment for me, especially since the hero was trying to turn the bad parts of his life around, making me wish my father would, too. He didn't, unfortunately, but I finally did. Wish I had a copy of this film today.

This slipped under my radar until time of writing. I saw a colourised version on YouTube. I like Vaughan and his unique voice. I like Walter Brennan very much. I also like Ward Bond. The best thing though is the script. Plenty of innuendo. Enjoyable watch.

Wildly surprised at how wonderful this movie is. Vaughn Monroe is one of my favorite crooners and he goes beyond all expectations here. A stagecoach robber with incentives to change contrasted with a cave full of gold and a motive for vengence. Who wouldn't want to change for the most beautiful western lady ever, Ella Raines. Walter Brennan is not going down without a fight as the doctor and preacher who has a lot invested in Monroe. An injured Ward Bond is relentless as the sheriff who is caught in the crosshairs between Jeff Corey as the villain and freindly fire from his own people. Also good to see George Chandler of Lassie fame and Mickey Mouse Club's own Jimmie Dodd. I highly recomment Singing Guns with a great cast with a most wonderful story.

Two men, a sheriff and an outlaw, compete for a woman. A doctor heals the sheriff's body with the help of the outlaw and would like to heal the outlaw's soul. While the sheriff recovers the outlaw fills in for him. The woman is interested in the outlaw but also in the reward for the location of his hangout. Add as the real villain the owner of a gold mine. Of course all those threads will disentangle and everyone will get what they deserve. This is played in a not quite realistic western setting, with the outlaw a gifted singer and piano player. It makes for a surprising and pleasant viewing.

Good script but unfortunately too cheesy in the ending. It could have been far better with such an ambivalent character, played by the outlaw become sheriff, a scheme used many times in western history. But, I repeat, the ending is too much predictable, too run on the mill for family audiences. Nasty for me who expected another finale. But it is a pretty atmospheric western, with a wonderful cast: Wally Brennan, Ella Raines, Jeff Corey; only Vaughn Monroe is a midcast, compared tothose I mean, not in the absolute. It's a pretty good western, from republic Pictures, I have seen far worse, believe me.