The
song performed over the credits immediately pegs this movie's genre and
approximate year of release. The lyrics are pure cowboy, but the sound is late
20’s/early 30’s pop; it could almost be Paul Whiteman’s Rhythm Boys singing.
The credits melt into scenes from a cattle round-up and -
technology-wise – we’re winging it. At
this stage, nobody was quite sure whether the cumbersome early sound equipment
could handle outdoor shoots. But the matching of sound and image here is bracing in
its “let’s try this and see what happens” vibe. There’s a hit and miss mix of
live sound and post-dubbing.
Everything’s about exploring the possibilities, testing the waters. Not
all of it works – yet there’s the
constant thrill of watching someone performing without a net. It’s a particular
brand of cinematic vitality exclusive to the burgeoning talkie.
Steele’s
entrance is prefaced with the words “Where’s the kid?”. Bob – like the medium he’s exploring – is
new, young, alive with possibilities. That
theatrical lipstick is startling for a moment, then as his character quickly settles
in, register as just another facet of the vivid whole. This picture wouldn’t work without an
engaging, likable character at the center – and Bob’s that character,
immediately, indelibly sympathetic. Qualities that had been incipient in his
silents blossom fully with sound.
Bob
isn’t called Bob in ”Near the Rainbow’s End”. This time out, he’s Jim. The buddy he’s first talking to onscreen is addressed as Perry. In fact, it’s Bob’s real-life chum Perry
Murdock, a guy who’d already co-starred with him in a brace of silents, who
off-screen was not just Bob’s close friend (they shared an LA apartment at the time)
but often worked in various capacities
with Bob’s dad, R.N. Bradbury, even in non Steele films. All of this just
reinforces the family feeling that permeates so many of the early Bob Steele
pictures. The general comfort level’s further enhanced with the introduction of Lafe Mckee - one of the
30’s definitive grand old men, always perfection
when cast as a paternal figure. A Colonel Sanders type – but minus the creepiness. He’s Bob’s dad here – and the loving
relationship is quickly nailed in the way the two actors relate to one another.
Next,
we switch to a neighboring ranch. A man there’s attempting to shoe a horse –
with limited success. The bit has a kind of documentary, off-the-cuff feel; the
fact that neither editing nor timing are razor sharp just makes it seem more
like real life than a movie. The guy
doing the shoeing is a mean cuss– think Brutus from the Popeye cartoons. In
this case, he’s named Buck – and he immediately shows his stripe when he roughs
up a defenseless Mexican ranch-hand for no good reason. Turns out this bully’s co-owner of the place,
his partner a well-meaning milquetoast who’s had to team up with Buck out of
financial necessity. But it’s not a happy union. Because Buck’s clearly more tyrant than
partner. Milquetoast kind of sticks up for the Mexican. But it’s obvious he’s got little influence. Buck’s mad that the neighbors (Bob and his
dad) are fencing off some land his sheep have been illicitly grazing on and he
vows to fight back. Milquetoast, never a
boat-rocker, hesitates to go along with
this scheme. But it’s clear that
something’s gotta give. And it won’t be Buck.
Bob
rides over to discuss things with Milquetoast. Also to see the man’s daughter, Ruth. Played
by Louise Lorraine, an odd child-woman who’s part Gracie Allen, part live kewpie
doll. We first spot her decked out in what looks like a kid’s party dress. And she’s babbling in a kind of boop- boop-a doop
fashion. She and her (never to be seen again) maid are directing the baby talk at a pet goat they’re
trying to bottle-feed. Bizarrely mixing goo goo prattle with Spanish, Louise spots Bob
and redirects her cooing in his direction.
At this point, the two are clearly left to fill in the space with extemporized
dialogue as they fawn over the little animal. It should be cloying. But its
sheer spur-of-the-moment goofiness just winds up being kind of charming. They’re making
it up as they go along (a mirror of what’s happening on a technical level all
around them) and it’s fun to watch, whatever
happens. They’re also – for all the silliness - sweetly likable. More
rehearsals might have made it more professional – but it wouldn’t be half as
winning.
Anyway, Buck’s got a yen for Ruth, too. So it makes
him even less inclined to accept Bob’s overtures of peace. He's even more
annoyed when Bob clearly aims his conversation at Milquetoast, showing little
regard for what Buck sees as his own senior partner status. Tempers flare and there’s
an outdoor fistfight between Bob and Buck. Incorporating some neat acrobatics, it’s the
first of many entertaining dust-ups Steele would offer his fans in the sound
era. They’re like the choreographed numbers in musicals – and done right – have a certain bone-crunching poetry. No CGI here. It’s home-made. What you see
is what you get – but instinct and advance planning make it look pretty convincing. And it’s the first example (in his sound
career) of how Bob’s pugilistic know-how made it completely believable that he could take on much larger
men and – at very least – hold his own. This fight ends before there’s an actual winner because
the two are pulled apart. But there’s a definite sense of ‘You haven’t heard
the last of this” hanging in the air.
Life
at the Milquetoast ranch-house is no rest cure. Ruth and her dad are always
walking on eggshells around blustering Buck. Actor Al Ferguson, by the way, is great in the
part –expertly tossing off several belligerently funny lines ( “I’m gonna tear that fence up tonight and
wrap it around their necks” ), not to mention a rather good mocking imitation
of Milquetoast.
Ruth
overhears something and warns Bob that Buck’s gonna make trouble on the range that night. Ruth, by the way, is such a strange mix of maternal and
child-like. In some shots she looks old
enough to be Bob’s mom, yet everything she does has an element of little girl
flounce to it. Even in her relationship
with Bob she’s part mother, part playmate (at one point she sees him off with
the words “Be a good boy!”)
Anyway, now that he’s warned, Bob (or maybe his stunt double) makes an impressive rear mount leap onto his
horse and
takes off to alert dad. Buck &
company follow in pursuit. Bob’s horse
takes a sudden fall. And this footage will be used again in future Steele
movies. Looks very much like it was unintentional – and you’ve gotta wince for
that poor horse. But the effect is so
startling, it’s no surprise the movie-makers were tempted to recycle it just to elicit
those Saturday matinee gasps.
Buck and his men catch Bob. But he gives them the slip, using an absolutely amazing
somersault side mount that definitely demands several instant replays. It’s
a bit of equestrian leger de main that’s utterly unexpected, creating a startling “did he just
do that?” moment. There are a couple of similar moves in later Steeles. But none quite so out-of-the-box amazing as this
one. Why Steele soft pedaled this kind
of thing in later years is anybody’s guess. Was it considered too
old-fashioned, too difficult, too gimmicky? Who knows? But I’m glad we got to see it here. It concentrates
the dizzy impact of Astaire-Rogers' “Waltz in Swingtime” into two giddy seconds.
Meanwhile
back at Milquetoast Manse, Buck’s convincing Ruth’s incredibly susceptible
dad that maybe they should get tough with the neighbors. Ruth eavesdrops in
horror. And when I say horror, I’m talking full-on silent movie exaggerated
emotion horror. When Buck leaves, Ruth gives Milquetoast a boop-boop-a-doop pep
talk that has Mr. Suggestible immediately switching gears. “You watch my smoke from now on!”, he says imitating
someone with a spine.
Elsewhere,
Bob’s been recaptured and tied to a tree. Luckily his horse is an expert
unraveller of knots, though the animal’s onscreen manoeuvers look rather non-commital. But, whatever, Bob’s soon free again. And now-– in another
one of the film’s pleasantly unexpected surprises - comes a musical number. The guys from Bob’s ranch,
camped out on the range for the night, suddenly launch into a full-scale
version of the song we heard over the credits. It’s called “Ro-Ro-Rollin’
Along”. And had they been giving out
Best Song Oscars that early (they didn’t start till ’34), it should have been a
nominee. I love it. It’s got a nice raggy swing to it. And the verse is just as catchy as the chorus – meaning that every
moment’s a kick. What’s more, the picture threatens to turn into a full-fledged
musical because, next morning Bob comes
across Perry, who’s strumming a guitar and singing. He invites Bob to join in
and they launch into a marvelous duet. It’s a Tin Pan Alley chestnut, the
irresistible “Ragtime Cowboy Joe”. Dressed up in a fun arrangement Bob & Perry probably cooked up away from
the set. And delivered with a spontaneous feel that reinforces the film’s ‘Let’s
try anything” charm. The two guys beam, clearly startled by the fact that
they’re actually pulling this thing off; they may not quite be professional
singers – but they’re supremely affable amateurs. And it’s a great snapshot of
the offscreen friendship between the two. I like to think that friendship endured over
the years. And I have a feeling it
probably did. Perry appeared in 27 of Bob’s movies , did stunt co-ordination,
assistant director duty, even co-scripted some. In the late 30’s he left acting
to become a set decorator, mainly at Republic, later on television. Bob worked
at Republic often, so I imagine their professional paths crossed there too. And
over the decades, they always lived within miles of one another. And died within months of each other, Perry in April
of 1988, Bob in December of the same year.
Anyway,
back to “Rainbow’s End”. A bunch of night guards have been stationed to protect the
disputed fence and shenanigans ensue - rustled cattle, marauding sheep, Perry
running around in an undershirt and on a more sombre note, Milquetoast getting
fatally shot by Buck.
Now
it might not have been a sensible decision editing wise. Yet, I love that this
happens. Just a moment after Milquetoast meets his maker, the
director schedules another spontaneous musical interlude for Bob and Perry. Perry’s noodling on the guitar and Bob
suggests some vocalizing. It’s a reprise
of “Ro-Ro-Rollin’ Along”. Once again, they seem giddy with the fact that it’s
actually working out, gaining in confidence and enjoyment as the thing proceeds.
The harmony’s a treat; Perry handles the higher part, but Bob’s got a nice
baritone/tenor range himself. This song actually had something of a pop life in
the early 30’s, with various sheet music editions and a number of recorded
versions, several actually available on iTunes. There’s a terrific one by Jack
Hylton’s band. I like the Layton & Johnson version even better. But for
sheer impromptu effervescence, you can’t beat Bob and Perry’s take. Especially since it comes with a visual
fillip; the whole thing's nicely shot through a wagon wheel. Anyway, I think there’s a pretty
good case to be made that Bob was actually the screen’s first singing cowboy.
The Gene Autry fueled craze didn’t take off till the mid 30’s. But I think Bob
(and Perry) were pioneers here. And – for my money – lots more fun than stodgy Autry ever was.