mark.waltz Review of Rainbow Valley

Rainbow Valley (1935)

Typical low-budget "oater" with fun performance by George "Gabby" Hayes.

[3/10 · 7 June 2010]

I can't write a lot on films like this. There were hundreds of low budget westerns with similar stories so they all seem almost the same. However, I liked several moments in this one, particularly a chase sequence between Wayne, Gabby Hayes and the bad men. It is Gabby who ends up the hero here, throwing dynamite down at the villains while driving a car which doesn't blow em' up, just slows em' down, scares em', and ultimately, drives em' off. It is presented humorously, making the predictable story and obvious conclusion easier to watch. It would take a couple more dozen of these before Wayne would rise to "A" list stardom with "Stagecoach", but these films passed many an hour for film fans on matinée days in a more innocent time.