Rainbow Valley ** (1935, John Wayne, Lucile Browne, George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, Jay Wilsey, LeRoy Mason) – Classic Movie Review 7152

John Wayne stars in Rainbow Valley (1935) as John Martin, who is revealed as a government undercover agent by gunman bad guy Butch Galt (Buffalo Bill Jr, aka Jay Wilsey), in director Robert N Bradbury’s modest, quickly made 1935 Lone Star / Monogram Pictures Western centering on the building of a new road through town boss Rogers (LeRoy Mason)’s mining community of Rainbow Valley.

There are several old-fashioned fight scenes but overall there is insufficient action and excitement as Lindsley Parsons’s screenplay is mostly unexciting and predictable. However, Buffalo Bill Jr (aka Jay Wilsey) and LeRoy Mason make good villains, and the appealingly gauche and callow, still young Wayne is an appealing strong attraction in the simple task of rounding up the bad guys and wooing the heroine, Eleanor (Lucile Browne).

Also in the cast are George ‘Gabby’ Hayes as George Hale, Lloyd Ingraham as Warden Powell, Frank Ball as Powell, Bert Dillard as henchman Spike, Art Dillard, Frank Ellis, Fern Emmett, Herman Hack, Lafe McKee, Buck Morgan, Artie Ortego, Tex Palmer, Tex Phelps, Henry Roquemore, Eddie Parker, Tommy Coats and Jack Evans.

Rainbow Valley is directed by Robert N Bradbury, runs 52 minutes, is made by Paul Malvern Productions and Lone Star Productions, is released by Monogram Pictures, is written by Lindsley Parsons, is shot in black and white by Archie J Stout and William Hyer and is produced by Paul Malvern.

It was shot at the Trem Carr Ranch, Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, California; Walker Ranch, 19152 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, California; and Kernville, California.

It premiered on US TV on 1 March 1949.

It is followed by The Desert Trail (1935).

The film’s copyright is in the public domain after the failure of the original copyright holder to renew it.

Rainbow Valley is available for free download at the Internet Archive:

https://archive.org/details/RainbowValley

It is available on DVD: Rainbow Valley [1935] – The Classic John Wayne Collection by George ‘Gabby’ Hayes DVD £4.77.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7152

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com