It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Colorado Serenade (1946) – Musical #743

Studio:
PRC Pictures Inc.

Director:
Robert Emmett Tansey

Starring:
Eddie Dean, Roscoe Ates, David Sharpe, Mary Kenyon, Forrest Taylor, Dennis Moore, Abigail Adams, Warner Richmond, Lee Bennett, Robert McKenzie, Bob Duncan

Plot:
Eddie (Dean) and his pal Soapy (Ates) come across a stagecoach hold up. They are able to thwart the robbery, but not before the driver and guard are injured. Eddie helps ride the stagecoach in to town, where the robbers are found. However, Judge Hilton (Taylor) believes the story of the gunman and wants to let them go. Eddie, with the help of a stranger named Nevada (Sharpe) try to track down the thieves.

Trivia:
• Filmed in Cinecolor
• Working title was “Gentlemen with Guns”
• Last film of Mary Kenyon

Highlights:
• Eddie Dean’s singing

Notable Songs:
• “Western Lullaby” performed by Eddie Dean
• “Ridin’ Down to Rawhide” performed by Roscoe Ates
• “Ridin’ to the Top of the Mountain” performed by Eddie Dean
• “Home on the Range” performed by Eddie Dean

My review:
If I’m being entirely honest, “Colorado Serenade” is rather stale.

This western is a dull, 65-minute film—and feels longer than 65 minutes. Every time I checked the time, it seemed like I had only watched 39 minutes.

However, despite that, the film did introduce me to a performer I wasn’t familiar with prior to this: singing cowboy Eddie Dean. From 1938 to 1948, Dean appeared in mostly western films. Fellow singing cowboy actors, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers said Dean was the best of the singing cowboys on screen.

Truly, Dean does have a lovely voice. He has less twang and more of a smooth, Bing Crosby-like singing voice. But despite the praise from Autry and Rogers, as an actor dean lacks the charm, charisma and warmth of those two. Even the female co-stars in this film are lack luster, especially Mary Kenyon, compared to other western leading ladies.

While I felt this film was rather dull, it is filmed in colorful Cinecolor and there is an interesting kidnapping plot twist.

The screen lights up though when a song is performed. I particularly liked “Ridin’ to the Top of the Mountain.” Perhaps next time, I’ll check out an Eddie Dean music CD rather than watching another film of his.

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