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That was an excellent one.

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Roy, Trigger, a scruffy dog, and a boy like I used to be. Add some baddies, Trucolor, a pretty girl, and comic relief (Devine), and what else could this front row geezer ask for. And catch that surprise opening. As that scene shows, Roy plays a version of himself as cowboy hero. Seems some new West connivers want to steal Trigger for ransom and they've got a misguided youngster (Chapin) as part of their plan. Meanwhile, Roy's got his movie career to think about. And what would that career be without the world's smartest horse. Actually, a big part of the story is Roy and co. preventing cruelty to animals, whether horses or dogs. That means the bad guys are really bad. There's not much action til the end. The story, however, moves along nicely, with Director Witney even using close-ups astutely, especially with little Ted. But don't look for many tunes from the Sons of the Pioneers. They're mainly along for the ride. No, there's no Oscar bait here. Just the kind of afternoon entertainment that might hook some of today's youngsters if given half-a-chance.

This is a very unusual Roy Rogers film in that it is in the public domain and yet is complete--and in really nice condition. Many of Rogers' films are in the public domain but they are truncated versions--chopped to pieces in order to fit them into TV time slots back in the 1950s. It's nice to get a chance to see one in its entirety.Unlike many Rogers films, this one features neither Dale Evans nor Gabby Hayes. I have no idea why they weren't in this film but instead Jane Frazee and Andy Devine are on hand to fill these roles. And, both seemed up to the task.Like so many of Roy's later films, he essentially plays an idealized version of himself. Like in real life, this Roy is celebrating ten years in Hollywood. And, after completing his latest movie, is going back to his Double-R ranch for a needed vacation. There he learns that some local baddies are killing range horses. Roy sees one of these guys about to kill one when he intervenes--and you KNOW that these two will become instant enemies.The baddie (Lige) is a brute and he and Dad both mistreat a nice little kid, Ted, and are crooks. They plan on stealing Roy's best friend, Trigger, and hold him for ransom. But it becomes a lot more serious when later one of the gang is murdered to keep him from telling Roy where his horse is. Can Roy solve the murder and rescue the smartest horse in movies? And, what of poor Ted--he's in need of an operation and needs a good home!! Well, this last part is a bit schmaltzy--though the rest of it is quite nice. Overall, while not a great film, it's very enjoyable worth seeing--particularly if you enjoy B-series westerns.

Roy rogers plays himself in this western.(not too much of a stretch,i guess).i guess it's movie,but it felt more like an episode of a TV show to me.as far entertainment goes,this feature is moderately entertaining.there's a bit of singing by Roy,and by The sons of The Pioneers(of which Roy Rogers was an early member),a popular singing group of the era.i actually like the singing.the best actor of the bunch,in my opinion was Andy Devine as Cookie Bullfincher.he was the comic relief of the movie,and specialized in playing comedic characters.the movie itself was not quite in the awful range,but just above mediocre.for me,Under California Stars is a 4.5/10

In Under California Stars, Roy Rogers plays exactly who he is, Roy Rogers, B western star. The film opens with him shooting a last scene of his latest film and now he's headed back to his own ranch. In the meantime a star struck kid played by Michael Chapin gets a job at Roy's ranch and witnesses a dastardly crime, the kidnapping of Trigger by some really low criminals who want $100,000.00 or they'll shoot the palomino icon.Every kid in America would have been up in arms over this had word got out. But as a previous reviewer said, the whole thing is handled locally. Roy's studio, which would have been Republic Pictures, raised the ransom. I can just see Herbert J. Yates of Republic caught between a rock and a hard place on this one. He had a well deserved reputation as a tightwad, but Trigger himself was part of the Roy Rogers mystique, so he HAD to raise the money. I would at least have thought that Yates would have had Trigger insured.Of course life imitates art and Roy takes things into his own hands in ferreting out the criminals. They are in fact a pretty scurvy lot, busy doublecrossing each other as you will see if you watch the film.And despite my description it's not a bad film. Jane Frazee pinch hits for Dale Evans because I believe Dale was either pregnant or taking care of a newborn at the time. And Andy Devine is, well Andy Devine.