STRAWBERRY ROAN (1933)

STRAWBERRY ROAN is a 1933 American pre-Code Western film directed by Alan James and starring Ken Maynard, Ruth Hall and Harold Goodwin. The title of the movie is based upon the western song of Curley Fletcher.

PLOT:
Made in 1933 while cowboy star Ken Maynard was under contract at Universal, this film has better production values than some of his other sound films. For those curious about Maynard and his famous horse Tarzan, this is really a great, enjoyable and unusual Western. This is not really a shot 'em up Western. There is plenty of action, however, in this story of how a Wild Strawberry Roan comes to be tamed.
If you know the famous song, you know the plot of this film. In fact, part of the plot involves a fictionalized account of how the catchy song came to be. Ken displays his limited but real cowboy-like singing abilities. Maynard is sometimes credited as the first singing cowboy in the movies, although Gary Cooper sang a tune in the 1929 Virginian.
Tarzan also shows why he became the famous horse he once was, and has some memorable and exciting scenes. Tarzan does not play the Strawberry Roan as he is Ken's horse and the Roan is a Wild Horse.

CAST:
Ken Maynard as Ken Masters
Ruth Hall as Alice Edwards
Harold Goodwin as Bart Hawkins
Frank Yaconelli as Shanty
James A. Marcus as Big Jim Edwards
William Desmond as Colonel Brownlee
Charles King as Curley
Jack Rockwell as Henchman Beef
Robert D. Walker as Bat
Bill Patton as Ranch Hand Slim