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Good movie but grossly overrated

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

John Wayne rallies George "Gabby" Hayes and the other residents of Rainbow Valley against a gang of bandits who patrol the myriad roads out of town, stealing the fruits of the local gold mines and are now sabotaging the construction of a new main road.Even though there isn't as much action in this as there is in other Wayne Lone Star productions, it's still a pleasant enough diversion with at least one great action sequence where Wayne and a dozen or so men with rifles route the bad guys, while Gabby chases them off in his horseless carriage, throwing sticks of nitro as they flee!This time around, Wayne's stunt double and B-western nemesis, Yakima Canutt, is nowhere to be found. He must've went on vacation.

That's the whole point, there ain't no road to Rainbow Valley and the outlaws want to make sure that it stays that way. By controlling the narrow pass into the valley they can starve the miners out collect on the potential riches they've found. Of course all this is reckoned without the presence of John Wayne.As was pointed out by another reviewer this takes place during the first decade of the last century as typified by both the picture of the current president on the post office wall, Theodore Roosevelt. And by the fact that mailman Gabby Hayes delivers the mail in one of those new fangled contraptions and automobile with a crank starter.The car proves to be a double whammy for both the outlaws and the good guys. Since it's the only car in the valley when Gabby Hayes is captured by the outlaws it makes it real easy for the Duke to follow as he laughingly points out. Of course when Gabby tries to rescue Wayne during the climax, he doesn't reckon on another problem for early automobiles, they run out of gas and there ain't no filling stations built yet. I have to confess a chuckle or two as Gabby and Lucille Browne hitch up some harness horses to his Model T and have to go out that way to the final gun battle.Rainbow Valley is not a bad western for a Lone Star Monogram production. At a bigger studio with a better script and better production values this could have been a classic.

in my mind this is a fluffy,light movie,but very entertaining and fun to watch.Basically,John Wayne is stranger in town who agrees to help the men get a new road built.the workers have been continually threatened and harassed or worse,by a gang of outlaws who don't want the road built.there is no law to speak of in the town,so the gang has pretty much done whatever they please.until now,that is.this is a pretty standard western movie,which follows the general formula of westerns at that time.however,i think it it is well acted,exciting and fast paced.it's a pretty short movie(less than 90 minutes)but there'a lot jammed into the short running time.if you're in the mood to simply be entertained,you might like this movie.it's not an epic,like many of John Wayne's movies,but so what.i think "rainbow Valley" is a strong 8/10

"Rainbow Valley" was made right after "Texas Terror", and interestingly, a number of the principals stuck around to appear in both. The main heavy goes by Rogers, and is portrayed by LeRoy Mason, while John Wayne's romantic interest is a demure Miss Eleanor (Lucille Brown). Each had similar roles in "Texas Terror", along with George (Pre-Gabby) Hayes, but this time around, his character sports around in an automobile. John Martin (Wayne) expresses some surprise, remarking that it's the first one he's ever seen. However shortly later when George is injured in a chase while driving, Martin knows just what to do to bring it to a stop! I got a kick out of George's name for the car - 'Nugget Nell'. Some years later in the early Fifties, Pat Brady would tool around in 'Nellybelle' on "The Roy Rogers Show", maybe they were related.The plot is a familiar one involving villain Rogers in a land fraud scheme, but instead of water rights or phony deeds, the bad guys prevent the town folk from completing a road connecting Rainbow with an adjoining town. Preventing the arrival of supplies and necessities, Rogers hopes the local ranchers will sell out to him cheap. Special Agent Martin's presence on the scene was arranged by the governor so he could investigate, sounding a bit more involved than it had to be. Martin spent some time in jail with Rogers' top henchman Galt (Jay Wilsey as Buffalo Bill, Jr.), causing Miss Eleanor and others some concern since he might be throwing in with Rogers. Not to worry though, it's all part of the plan to complete the road and take down the baddies.I found a few interesting things about this Lone Star Western, it's the only one I can recall off hand in which John Wayne actually twirls a six gun. For his part, George Hayes seems pretty accomplished in throwing sticks of dynamite to fend off the bad guys. It seemed to me that was Teddy Roosevelt's picture hanging in the post office; his presidency ran from 1901 to 1909, so that would have worked for the picture chronologically, along with the presence of Nugget Nell.Having seen nearly all of Wayne's Lone Stars, this might be the one film that shows the most print degradation, with washed out scenes and a fair amount of visual static. Still, I felt lucky finding this title along with eight other John Wayne flicks from the mid to late 1930's, none of which duplicated the much easier to find public domain films like "Blue Steel" and "The Star Packer". In my case, I found it as part of a promotional display at a local Walmart; the package of nine films on two DVD's is put out by Echo Bridge Entertainment. Believe it or not, included is the complete twelve chapter serial, "Shadow Of The Eagle"!