Henchman_Number1 Forced to sell her racehorse to save the ranch, Doris Stewart (Dale Evans) hires Roy and his crew (Pinky Lee and Pat Brady) to transport her prized thoroughbred to a buyer in Mexico. Despite being warned by a gypsy fortune teller (Charlita) not to make the trip, Roy and Dale forge ahead and soon find themselves involved in murder and a horse theft scheme hatched by Dale's trainer Dave Norris (prolific western bad guy Douglas Fowley) and his thug henchman Studsy Denning (Frank Richards. Directed by William Witney, South of Caliente teams up Roy and Dale once again after Dale's six movie, almost two year hiatus. It also marks the second pairing of Roy with new found sidekick and children's television entertainer Pinky Lee. Pinky's antics here are toned down from his first movie with Roy. South of Caliente hearkens back to Witney's earlier movies with Roy and Dale. Beginning with "Roll on Texas Moon" Witney began to reshape Roy's movies and gradually de-emphasise the musical content. He dropped the large scale musical numbers and packed in more action sequences. Caliente" however, features more of a musical style than most of his later movies, including a a theatrical song and dance number at the gypsy camp. It also marks a bit of a change in the on-screen chemistry between Roy and Dale. The "Battle of the Sexes" featured in their earlier movies is absent here and has Dale assuming a decidedly less dominant on-screen persona. A style similar to the one they would employ for the six year run of their television series. As B-Westerns go, pretty good. Roy Rogers Fans should enjoy.

bkoganbing South Of Caliente has Roy Rogers cast as a man who has a horse transport business and in this film he does business with Dale Evans who has a declining stable of thoroughbred horses. To meet payroll and expenses Dale is selling her prize mare Miss Glory whose a fast horse and has a come hither glance that gets Trigger's mojo going.What she doesn't know is that there's a scheme afoot to hijack Roy's truck and kidnap Miss Glory for any number nefarious schemes. The leaders are her own foreman Douglas Fowley, neighbor Frank Richards, and gypsy Ric Roman with various members of his tribe for the grunt work.It all goes off successfully unfortunately stable boy Willie Best in his farewell big screen performance is killed defending the thoroughbred. Willie Best has not come down with the best reputation for some of the roles he did in his prime, but I have to say here that his attempted defense and homicide being killed because he could have identified Dale's betrayers was a touching scene.Also killed is Charlita who made a number of appearances in Roy Rogers Republic features. She plays a gypsy fortune teller who tries to warn Roy about her tribe leader's plans and pays with her life.Playing the official sidekick part is Pinky Lee and the former burlesque comedian and future children's show host was maybe the worst sidekick Roy ever had. What possessed Republic to cast him as western sidekick God only knows, but he just doesn't cut it in the part.Featured here in this film really earning his billing is Trigger. Always billed as 'the smartest horse in the movies' Trigger could easily have added most romantic in the movies. Nothing was going to keep him from his lady love, not bandits, not international borders, nothing I say. Trigger was a horse with a mission.No really good songs come from South Of Caliente, but lots of action to be sure for the Saturday matinée kids who would soon be seeing Roy on the small screen.