Roaring Westward (1949)
Director:
Oliver DrakeWriter:
Ronald Davidson (original screenplay)Stars:
Jimmy Wakely, Dub Taylor, Dennis MooreIn his second-to-last Monogram Western, country & western singer Jimmy Wakely does hardly any singing at all as he and sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) attempt to catch the villain who caused the death of 16-year-old Perry Andrews (Buddy Swan), a student at the Sheriff's Association School. Perry was shot by Marshal Jim Braden (Jack Ingram), who mistook him for a murderous claim jumper. Due to young Perry's suspected involvement in a crime, the foundation supporting his school is threatening to withdraw all funding. To save the school, Wakely and Cannonball tracks down the claim jumper (Nolan Leary) by pretending to be outlaws themselves. A clean-cut veteran of Gene Autry's radio show, Wakely became Monogram's best bid in the Singing Cowboy sweepstakes. His series ran from 1944 to 1949, almost exclusively in the hinterlands. By that late date, B-Westerns were facing stiff competition from television and Wakely left to form his own record label.
